Transfers
- Thread starter MarkRedman
- Start date
He was definitely a VERY high volume shooter at Niagara, with unimpressive %'s from the field. BUT those low %'s could have been caused at least to some degree by him being constantly double-teamed. He was the only decent offensive player on that team. So it remains to be seen what happens when he is operating under more normal coverage, albeit by more skilled opponents.
Strange;
"But after meeting with head coach Chris Casey after the season, Mason felt that it would be in the best interest of his future professional basketball dreams to use his final year of eligibility with another team.
"I wanted to see what my role was going to be next year," Mason said on the phone Tuesday afternoon. "And it kind of seemed like it was less for next year than this year. They wanted me to score less and have less minutes. And for my last year, I actually wanted to be better than I was last year so I can get that exposure and try to advance to the next level."
Mason says he has already been contacted by Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence, Auburn, Wake Forest, Maryland, Missouri, Texas A&M, Memphis, LSU, Fordham, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Nevada, Boston College, and UCLA. He plans on sitting down with his family to help trim down the list before making visits. Mason says there is no timetable as to when he will make a decision, but hopes to the process concludes sooner than later."
- See more at: http://buffalo.twcnews.com/content/...xplains-leaving-niagara/#sthash.kWZ4AtXC.dpuf
"But after meeting with head coach Chris Casey after the season, Mason felt that it would be in the best interest of his future professional basketball dreams to use his final year of eligibility with another team.
"I wanted to see what my role was going to be next year," Mason said on the phone Tuesday afternoon. "And it kind of seemed like it was less for next year than this year. They wanted me to score less and have less minutes. And for my last year, I actually wanted to be better than I was last year so I can get that exposure and try to advance to the next level."
Mason says he has already been contacted by Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence, Auburn, Wake Forest, Maryland, Missouri, Texas A&M, Memphis, LSU, Fordham, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Nevada, Boston College, and UCLA. He plans on sitting down with his family to help trim down the list before making visits. Mason says there is no timetable as to when he will make a decision, but hopes to the process concludes sooner than later."
- See more at: http://buffalo.twcnews.com/content/...xplains-leaving-niagara/#sthash.kWZ4AtXC.dpuf
L J S A
Well-known member
If he's defining being better this coming season as higher ppg, he's not going to get that at any school that's contacted him, except maybe Nevada.
But if he comes here and averages 16 ppg as part of a three-guard offense while upping his FG percentage, and helping lead us to the tournament, I think that is a huge success.
But if he comes here and averages 16 ppg as part of a three-guard offense while upping his FG percentage, and helping lead us to the tournament, I think that is a huge success.
Below is a link regarding incoming Creighton transfer Ricky Kreklow
http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/5/27/5746086/meet-ricky-kreklow-creightons-newest-transfer
http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/5/27/5746086/meet-ricky-kreklow-creightons-newest-transfer
Creighton has played the transfer game very well and also has a few top 100 recruits coming in over the next few years. We were a little premature in deeming them a basement big east team post Doug. When it's all said and done I think they will hold their own in the big east for many years to come.
Bingo. I think for 5th year transfers trying to improve their professional prospects this can be a tricky spot. He's already proven he can put up big scoring numbers as a one-man show. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you could go to a proven winner - UCLA/OKST/Memphis on the list of schools that have contacted him, for example - and risk getting lost in the shuffle a bit.
There is real potential value in finding the happy medium. A roster where you can still stand out but have to operate in a team context, and in doing so you are the piece that pushes that program over the edge from a non-tournament team to a tournament team. This is a tremendous resume builder, probably as good as it gets save the mid-low major player capable of going to a proven winner and putting up the same huge scoring numbers (few and far between, although I don't know whether Mason does or does not have that potential).
SJU is far from the only program that currently fits the happy medium profile for a player like this, but it certainly is one of them.
I agree Logen. To make an analogy, I'm a San Francisco Giant fan in baseball. They may not have as many superstar players as other teams, they don't have the best athletes in the game either, they do have good pitching, but what they have are BASEBALL PLAYERS. Guys who know how to play the game the right way and who don't make many mistakes. That's why they win. I know about the pitching, but when you look at their roster, other than Posey and few pitchers they are all just ballplayers, no superstars. But yet they win on a consistent basis and have even won a couple of championships.
That's what we need more of at ST. Johns. we don't superstars or guys who are fabulous athletes, we need basketball players. Guys who know how to play the game, who don't make many mistakes. if we get guys like that, we already have our stars in Jordan, D-Lo and CO, just like the Giants have their pitching, we can win. I think Thomas is that kind of guy. we need a few more.
I agree with you but I would drill it down one level because no matter how great the personnel we bring in on the level of talent or character, you need to have an environment that is conducive to winning. On a team, chemistry is key. It is not everything but it is key. You can talk about the attitudes and character of individuals, but chemistry essentially is having roles defined and everyone buying in to their role. This applies to sports as well as other types of teams. Part of the failure of this past season was directly the result of roles not being clearly defined and consistent. You first need a clear vision that people can buy in to. (Good leaders convey the "why" of things) Roles being unclear, nebulous, changing etc kills chemistry before it can even develop. If we had a team full of the ultimate lunch-pailers but they did not have clear roles to buy into, we'd still flounder.
Mean Gene / Paul, I agree with both your posts. Both of your main points revolve around the definition and acceptance of roles and unfortunately I don't feel we are recruiting players who will accept being role players. Maybe Thomas is a start, I hope so.
Disagree, we were an outstanding program but we have been to exactly one Final 4 so we just do not measure up to the elite of the elite. You prove my point with your mention of Butler, VCU and Gonzaga; they are excellent national programs who have by and large done it without "one and done" and "showcasing" type players. I never said I didn't think we could be a great program again but I don't think we are approaching it in the right way. Maybe we get Diallo and Bricoe and I am wrong but I just don't think it is going to happen. Maybe we have a Plan B but I just don't see it.