Dunlap Tires of Raising Cain Chicken

ON PAPER, I would argue that Brian Mahoney brought in the highest-rated talent of any head coach in STJ history in such a short amount of time:

Ty Grant: underrated warrior.
Felipe: No. 1 high school recruit 1994
Zendon: Top 5 1994
Tarik Turner: Top 50
James Scott: No. 1 Juco player 1993.
Roshown McLeod: Top 50 1993
Lavor Postell: Top 50 1995
Charles Minlend: Top 50 1992
Rowan Barrett: No. 1 player in Canada 1992.
Mo Brown: NYC POY.

If only he had gotten an elite PG of that era like Ed Cota.....
Mo Brown signed when Lou was still our Coach. (November 1991).
 
Cain’s freshman year , Boo Harvey returned to play the point after sitting out for academics the year before. Buchanan had a real good season Cain’s sophomore year (Buchanan’s first and third years were his best). I have no idea what happened Buchanan’s senior year but Cain didn’t show much until midway that year.
100%
People doing a huge revisionist history with Cain.
Hope I am wrong with Dunlap as well and he turns into Mike Dunleavy JR and leads Massielo’s Johnnies to 2nd round of tournament his senior year.
 
I hit over 400 in HS my junior year
I just don’t see how people can say a kid that shot 35% from the free throw line is an answer to provide shooting.

I like the direction the roster is supposedly taking, but def think need a legitimate guy that can knock down threes to be added.
Baseball comparisons mean nothing. In HS, in some leagues you don't see a single college level talent pitching the entire season. I had a friend who was a 5'8" catcher, hit .600 his senior year, and rightfully didn't get a single scholarship offer. I knew him his whole life and that season was a surprise. He was a good athlete, but nothing special. Today, all the metrics they collect (bat speed, foot speed, exit velocity from mound and OF, etc) all rule out kids who are skilled but not physically gifted enough to play at a higher level. Basketball doesn't have the same level of quantifiable analytics beyond height and speed.

Brady is 6'7", a coach's kid, was highly recruited, and showed flashes of not just belonging, but of being a big time contributor. When a kid is not a D1 player, it often shows immediately. Inability to play at the speed and size of this game, having a weak handle, or making shots when you have less than a second to catch and shoot can overwhelm kids who aren't as athletically gifted, and are used to having all day to shoot at lower levels.

I'm quick to form opinions on kids who can't play at this level, a lot slower on saying who will be an impact player. (I'm still waiting for Amar to break out here, because I thought he had a lot of physical tools and appeared to have the potential to be a good shooter and scorer).

I am highly confident that Dunlap will at least be a rotation player here. He thinks like a point guard leader in that on breaks in play or free throws he immediately checks in with Pitino on the bench to take instructions or guidance - like a quarterback would in football. HE scraps like hell under the basket, and doesn't get thrown around like a rag doll. He can square up or shoot off the dribble - which many college shooters can't do.

Obviously needs to fill out a little, but I'm actually not very concerned in that area. His free throw woes began when Rick put him on the line to shoot his own fts plus a technical, and missed all 4 I think. That kind of stuff gets in your head, as it did with Soriano too. Unconcerned about that.

I'd ignore the stereotype comment which is so distasteful it doesn't warrant a response, but if you meant the way it reads, has no place anywhere.
 
Baseball comparisons mean nothing. In HS, in some leagues you don't see a single college level talent pitching the entire season. I had a friend who was a 5'8" catcher, hit .600 his senior year, and rightfully didn't get a single scholarship offer. I knew him his whole life and that season was a surprise. He was a good athlete, but nothing special. Today, all the metrics they collect (bat speed, foot speed, exit velocity from mound and OF, etc) all rule out kids who are skilled but not physically gifted enough to play at a higher level. Basketball doesn't have the same level of quantifiable analytics beyond height and speed.

Brady is 6'7", a coach's kid, was highly recruited, and showed flashes of not just belonging, but of being a big time contributor. When a kid is not a D1 player, it often shows immediately. Inability to play at the speed and size of this game, having a weak handle, or making shots when you have less than a second to catch and shoot can overwhelm kids who aren't as athletically gifted, and are used to having all day to shoot at lower levels.

I'm quick to form opinions on kids who can't play at this level, a lot slower on saying who will be an impact player. (I'm still waiting for Amar to break out here, because I thought he had a lot of physical tools and appeared to have the potential to be a good shooter and scorer).

I am highly confident that Dunlap will at least be a rotation player here. He thinks like a point guard leader in that on breaks in play or free throws he immediately checks in with Pitino on the bench to take instructions or guidance - like a quarterback would in football. HE scraps like hell under the basket, and doesn't get thrown around like a rag doll. He can square up or shoot off the dribble - which many college shooters can't do.

Obviously needs to fill out a little, but I'm actually not very concerned in that area. His free throw woes began when Rick put him on the line to shoot his own fts plus a technical, and missed all 4 I think. That kind of stuff gets in your head, as it did with Soriano too. Unconcerned about that.

I'd ignore the stereotype comment which is so distasteful it doesn't warrant a response, but if you meant the way it reads, has no place anywhere.
It is distasteful but it seems to be happening on here.
He didn’t pass the eye test or statistical test, so again what are people claiming that he can be an answer for our three point shooting on?
People can say I hope he can perform better than last year or I expect him to be better simply because he is a year older. But to go from what he was last year to becoming an important piece is a huge leap.
 
Brady was a highly recruited player in High School in California . He choose Notre Dame and still Coach at the time , Mike Brey .
A very good Coach by any definition .

When Brey was let go by the Irish , Brady reopened his recruiting and Pitino grabbed him
Pitino looks for certain things in a Player or recruit . Obviously Dunlap had something that Rick liked . He enrolled here .

Rick brought Wilcher and Dunlap along slowly last season . Giving them a chance to get accustomed to BE BB. He had that luxury as we had several upper class seniors to play ahead of them

This year , the expectation will be that both , will be bigger , stronger and take the next step in their development . Pitino is very clear he believes that to be true .
As young Players , he still gets the chance to do what he likes best as a Coach , to improve Players to their highest levels .
There is no reason that thought process has changed for , either Brady or Sim .

Along with Glover and Lefty , Rick will be hard at work this summer with his “ kids .” Guys he recruited , not selected .
Sure ,with the Portal the key is to win games every time but , we also have 4 young players that have that upward potential ,
There should be no doubt that Pitino will improve every one of them .
I have no idea about Makar , the BB player , not the hockey player but , at 7 ‘ something , Rick will do his best with him too.
 
It is distasteful but it seems to be happening on here.
He didn’t pass the eye test or statistical test, so again what are people claiming that he can be an answer for our three point shooting on?
People can say I hope he can perform better than last year or I expect him to be better simply because he is a year older. But to go from what he was last year to becoming an important piece is a huge leap.
Here's one for you. Rick is very clear in laying out his expectation to his returning players in one-on-one sit downs at the end of the season. If he held your opinion, he'd have told Brady he'd be better off transferring where he'd have a better opportunity to play. If Brady hits the portal by May 2, I suspect you are right, at least about his opportunities here.
 
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Ed Cota was fun to watch. Cool story, watched a documentary on him years ago.

Ed couldn't shoot a lick, but he excelled in everything else. And it never hurts to have Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison on the receiving end of your passes.
 
Brady played like a freshman. He disappeared for some games. Looked overmatched in others.

But he almost singlehandedly was responsible for our first win at Villanova in 30 years.

Am I counting on that Brady to show up every game next season? No.

But I suspect he'll lean more towards good Brady than bad Brady in 2024-25. He's a very important part of our team.
 
Here's one for you. Rick is very clear in laying out his expectation to his returning players in one-on-one sit downs at the end of the season. If he held your opinion, he'd have told Brady he'd be better off transferring where he'd have a better opportunity to play. If Brady hits the portal by May 2, I suspect you are right, at least about his opportunities here.
To be clear
All I am saying is based off what I saw last year, there is no way I would count on him to be an answer for us to consistently knock down threes.

Same as I didn’t trust Brett Baty to be the Mets every day 3rd baseman.

Not saying he should transfer or be punched in the pants. Just saying would prefer a better option going into the season.
 
In my 30+ years as a fan I have disliked 3 players: Tarik Turner, Andre Curbelo, and Daniss Jenkins.

Tarik is a great person, but man was he a glaring weakness on the court.
Did you never see Lee Green play ?
 
You couldn't just leave it at my tactful "not the most responsible decision maker in the court?" 🤣🤣
I hadn’t read gone through the entire thread at the time I responded. Definitely not my most “tactful” post but when someone says he should have played more his first few seasons. It brings up some bad memories.
 
Was hoping for Riverhead, but it looks like I'll have to brave the mean streets of Carle Place.
Three Long Island places scheduled to open in 2025 according to a Newsday article awhile ago are:
  • Commack at Commack Road and Vanderbilt Pkwy
  • Hauppauge at Route 111 and Smithtown Bypass
  • East Meadow at Hempstead Turnpike and Newbridge Road
 
100%
People doing a huge revisionist history with Cain.
Hope I am wrong with Dunlap as well and he turns into Mike Dunleavy JR and leads Massielo’s Johnnies to 2nd round of tournament his senior year.
Wow. Quite the Debbie Downer. Not only do you judge Brady harshly, imo, but you expect Pitino to stay no more than next year. I certainly hope you’re wrong.
 
This is a good reminder for me to give Wilcher some time before I jump all over him for every turnover.
Chudney Gray “struggled” (better lawmanfan?) his first couple of seasons but he turned it around starting midway through his junior year and the very valuable sixth man his senior year on a BE Tourny championship team that ran out of gas in the NCAA.
 
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In my 30+ years as a fan I have disliked 3 players: Tarik Turner, Andre Curbelo, and Daniss Jenkins.

Tarik is a great person, but man was he a glaring weakness on the court.
One out of 3 ain’t bad .. Meatloaf .

Curbelo for sure . There were others . Lindsay , comes to mind .
 
Wow. Quite the Debbie Downer. Not only do you judge Brady harshly, imo, but you expect Pitino to stay no more than next year. I certainly hope you’re wrong.
Nah that was just playing into the Cain comparison
But think we should take Pitino thing year to year and try to enjoy.
 
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