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WFU Hoops: '22-'23 Roster Construction - +Ituka/Carr/Appleby/Bradford

Yeah, I'm barely seeing Williams crack the second round projections. I remember one mock that had them going back to back, but since then haven't seen Jake on any mocks.
 
not totally understanding your point -- upperclassmen get definitely drafted, which is precisely why we are talking about laravia leaving early as he seems to be being projected for the 2nd round.

the other factor is that laravia is really old for his class

Sorry, should have been more clear. My point is that many still raise their stock from junior to senior (or soph to junior), so I would argue that it's not "almost unheard of." Kispert from Gonzaga or Cam Johnson from UNC come to mind as recent guys that really elevated their stock during their senior year. From a trajectory and age standpoint, Cam Johnson is similar to LaRavia, and he ended up going in the lottery.
 
Chris Duarte was a lottery pick at 24 years old last year. We need to hope LaRavia sees himself making a leap and firmly getting into the first round.

At this point, he's a guy who could get into the second round and make a roster.
 
Maybe the way to think about college basketball now is just to look at most players who come to Wake as one-year players, as a part of a one-year team, and then anything else we get is gravy. And we just remake the squad each year with a few returning pieces but a lot of new ones.

Hollywood has rediscovered the TV series on a streaming channel, when the individual movie you could see at the theater used to have predominance. College basketball seems to be the opposite. Each season is more akin to a standalone film instead of a recurring series of episodes over the years.

One year (and likely a number of months) players is why I am loosing interest fast.... I will follow winning for a while until they start getting paid, but if they've never heard of "mother so dear" what do we have in common? "We" win but they won't remember us past next summer. You all can enjoy the best that money will buy.
 
The ESPN mock draft by Jonathon Givony I just saw (stupid ESPN+ crap) has LaRavia going 40th and Alondes at 53.
 
Sorry, should have been more clear. My point is that many still raise their stock from junior to senior (or soph to junior), so I would argue that it's not "almost unheard of." Kispert from Gonzaga or Cam Johnson from UNC come to mind as recent guys that really elevated their stock during their senior year. From a trajectory and age standpoint, Cam Johnson is similar to LaRavia, and he ended up going in the lottery.

fair points — it seems like it does happen more than i was giving credit for. (i still would say very rare given the denominator is way bigger)

i do think there has been a big swing over the past 10 where in the past, you would expect to rise in the draft over time whereas now it seems the default is for your stock to stay unchanged as teams love drafting players as young as possible.
 
I’d never fault anyone for leaving early to start their pro career, but I do think it would be fun as shit to come back for one more year of college knowing I’m going to likely be one of the high profile players in the ACC, if not all of college basketball, playing for a good team and competing for individual honors and a trophy. Can’t put a $ figure on that, but it could be a consideration for some guys. LaRavia could be an All-American next year.

I doubt Tyler Hansbrough regrets returning for his senior year.
 
Say Hey, you're coming from the perspective of an old dude reminiscing about how fun college was. College students are ready to start the rest of their lives.
 
Let's say WF adds no one else from the portal, and no additional recruits, and all of the seniors and Jake leave. Worst case scenario (other than every with eligibility transferring).

WF would likely start:

Whitt/MCray
Hildreth
Monsanto
Keller
Marsh

Lucas Taylor off the bench.

Yes, that team would be a bottom tier ACC team, but that team is still better than 2020-21 Deacs, and WF will add from the portal, would guess that Jake and at least one other senior returns. There are a lot of unknowns right now, and if the staff is unable to add a single quality player, WF would take a step back, but that is extremely unlikely. Not saying, WF will add the ACC POY and the another all-ACC player through the portal, but this team doesn't need to. Add a quality guard who can handle, and a quality big, and WF is going to be good next year. Monsanto will be a star, Hildreth will be solid, Marsh is a 7 footer with skills. If Jake returns, he may be the trendy pick for pre-season ACC POY. WF has some nice pieces.
 
I’d never fault anyone for leaving early to start their pro career, but I do think it would be fun as shit to come back for one more year of college knowing I’m going to likely be one of the high profile players in the ACC, if not all of college basketball, playing for a good team and competing for individual honors and a trophy. Can’t put a $ figure on that, but it could be a consideration for some guys. LaRavia could be an All-American next year.

I doubt Tyler Hansbrough regrets returning for his senior year.

yeah, i think this is the sell for laravia coming back, not the ROI on being able to improve his pro basketball prospects
 
yeah, i think this is the sell for laravia coming back, not the ROI on being able to improve his pro basketball prospects

That’s right. Again, if a guy leaves early to start earning, so be it, and I’ll totally understand if that’s what Laravia decides to do.

I do think there’s been a collective shift toward seeing college basketball as merely a pro basketball apprenticeship, as opposed to being fun to play in and of itself. I feel like it would be fun to be Christian Laettner or Tyler Hansbrough and dominate college basketball for a year and be famous, even if it means there’s a possibility you leave some money on the table.
 
Isn't that what Drew Timme has been doing?
 
Isn't that what Drew Timme has been doing?

Yes, and the NLI aspect means that in addition to the "fun", you may not be leaving that much, if any, money on the table. Guessing Timme pocketed some substantial NLI coin this year. In addition to the regular pitch to get a player to stay to get his degree, to bask in the college experience, the potential glory of ACCT Title or an NCAA run, there has to be an additional:

"Let's see what is behind Door #3 if you decide to stay: oh, its $250K in NLI deals, with an option for more as the season goes on... " As has been posted, KY is already there. Oscar Tshiebwe has a 7 figure offer from a KY business if he returns to Lexington for his last year.
 
There's an argument to be made that being a college athlete making six figures is more fun than being an NBA rookie on a seven-figure rookie contract.
 
Isn't that what Drew Timme has been doing?

Another good example. He and Bacot are like the only 2 dudes on any non-Wake team that I flip on the TV and I'm like, "oh, I recognize that guy."
 
It's hard to imagine either LaRavia or Manman getting drafted after the way the season ended. I think Alondes has the best shot - even with turf toe he can throw down reverse showtime dunks. He's got NBA size and strength, his midrange game is nice, and he can pass the ball. He's a guy that could spend a year in the NBA working on his jumper and suddenly become a legit backup/utility guard.

If LaRavia leaves based on some yeah/maybe/sure 2nd round stuff I see him falling out of the draft at this point. But who knows.
 
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