• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

WFU Hoops: '24-'25 Roster Construction Thread: -Carr/Monsanto/Ituka/Clark/Miller/Marsh/Keller/Canka +Spillers/Biliew/Cosby/Johnson/Abass

When a hypothetical lineup of Boopie, Clark, Canka, Carr, Keller allowed a team like Presbyterian to go on a 9-0 run in 2 minutes, I imagine the idea of getting these guys minutes would have been viewed less favorably.

I think it's easier to say that end of the bench guys need meaningful developmental minutes than it is to find the spots to actually put them in the game.
 
deacon14 said:
When a hypothetical lineup of Boopie, Clark, Canka, Carr, Keller allowed a team like Presbyterian to go on a 9-0 run in 2 minutes, I imagine the idea of getting these guys minutes would have been viewed less favorably.

I think it's easier to say that end of the bench guys need meaningful developmental minutes than it is to find the spots to actually put them in the game.
Click to expand...
I mean what's the point of playing South Carolina State other than to see what these guys can do... (The other point, I suppose, is to help your latest "new" roster get some chemistry, but I still think you can do both.)

But I think if we can get guys to stay this spring/summer, then we'll have our most "consistent" roster in a long time, which should pay dividends in terms of the team's ceiling.
 
deacon14 said:
I'm way less forgiving of bringing in a transfer that isn't even good enough to see the floor than I am of doing it with a freshman.

Misevaluations when recruiting high schoolers are just part of it (see Carter Whitt), and it's ok if freshmen aren't good enough to contribute right away. But if you're bringing in a transfer and the guy isn't even good enough to ever see the floor, you wasted a scholarship that you almost certainly could have used in a better way.

Maybe Canka will find his way into playing 5-10 minutes per game next year and prove me wrong, but I assume it's more likely he never does much of anything in a Wake uniform which is a shame
Click to expand...
HS players outside of the top 25 are a crap shoot. Some you win, some you lose. Guys with an elite skill like Friedrichsen are more likely to be playable. His defense is a pleasant positive bonus.

Transfers like Canka should be playable as backups at the very least. IDK what happened there. Best explanation is he was "best available" after Bobi bailed.
 
Strickland33 said:
I mean what's the point of playing South Carolina State other than to see what these guys can do... (The other point, I suppose, is to help your latest "new" roster get some chemistry, but I still think you can do both.)

But I think if we can get guys to stay this spring/summer, then we'll have our most "consistent" roster in a long time, which should pay dividends in terms of the team's ceiling.
Click to expand...
which is why, instead of playing South Carolina State, we should play Winston-Salem State, in a game that does not matter (as long as we win), and find out what our bench can do.
 
I can’t even remember because the assumption at the time was that Canka was going to be decent. Would it have been a possibility that Bobi returned to Wake after withdrawing from the draft if we still had a roster spot open?
 
Pilchard said:
Understand that position, but the strategy of playing multiple Q4 games has not helped build an NCAAT resume. Think that the current scheduling strategy needs to be reconsidered. People bitch about the MWC, but those teams don't play many/any Q4 games, and they win their Q3 games. It helps get teams bids.
Click to expand...
I think I read it on here that Wake played more P6 games than the entire MWC combined. So I decided to look it up. Wake played 25 games to their 20, not counting the ACC tournament. They were 11-9 with 0 wins against the top 2 teams of any of the conferences. But they are rewarded with more spots due to their "scheduling." At least most announcers and articles I have read, recognize that they are gaming the system, and I doubt they get "as" rewarded this year. Hell Utah State didn't play 1 game against a Power 6 team this year, but finished 1st in their conference. Their "toughest" OOC game was St Louis! Nevada, who finished 2nd, played 2 P6 neutral games and won both,GaTech and Wash. Boise St finished 3rd, and are a lock for the tourney, played 3 games vs P6. VaTech (N) L by 7, @Clemson L by 17, and @Washington St L by 5. They also played VCU(W), Butler(L) and St Mary's(W). So they actually played a decent OOC, regardless of the outcomes. 6 teams played St Mary's and are a combined 2-4. The 2 "best" wins for the conference are UNLV's win vs Creighton at home by 15 and Colorado St over Creighton by 21 on a neutral site. I could add a list of schools that I have never heard of as well.
But anyway, bet against them all. Before San Diego's run last year, they didn't have a team get to the S16 since 2018. And only 4 since 2011.
 
SkyDivingDeacon said:
Sallis is a fringe first round pick, IMHO. After #20 it’s a crapshoot, so if there’s risk that he could fall into the 2nd round, I’d think there’s at least a decent chance that he will be back. Also believe that Forbes maybe got the memo on depth - he would be foolish not to replace 3-4 current scholarship players with other options in the portal.

The saddest part of this season aside from our painful and borderline predictable collapse, IMHO, is Damari. I think we saw him play his last college basketball game and I’m not sure what his prospects will be overseas. Such a shame that someone with that much talent had the injury bug. Absolutely hate it for him.

A shooter, true PG and athletic forward need be high priority for us in the portal. Let’s see if Forbes can strike gold again - I believe he can, but it’s going to become a lot more difficult if we don’t make it to the dance next year and I doubt reloading every year is sustainable.
Click to expand...
I can’t help but think that’s exactly what we lost from last year: Monsanto, Jao and Klintman.
 
Losing Klintman hurt. He was the athletic forward we missed so much this year. At Wake there will always be 3-5 players that are just roster fodder to have enough to practice. We do not have the pedigree to recruit high level players that are willing to come off the bench.
 
For whatever it’s worth, I’m pro-Marsh. Hoping he can continue to do what he needs to do to improve and be a great third big option (after Forbes crushes the portal and finds a really great transfer big to complement Efton). Marsh dunks. Marsh’s dunks work and lead to points. When Marshy is in the game, find opportunities to lob that ball up and let him do his thing. For some reason we didn’t do much of that this year. I thought Marsh did well for the most part when he came back from his midseason bench exile. If Marsh could end up giving 5-10 mpg, 6 points or so (2-3 signature Matt Marsh dunks), and some defense that doesn’t kill us, as a third big option I would be ecstatic. Plus, he’s a big, strong dude. He can hopefully continue to get bigger, stronger and tougher and really bang for those 5-10 min. Seriously, looks like the guy plays with a lot of heart and I really think he showed signs of being a bigger contributor in the last couple of games. At least effort-wise. Just lob the ball up to the guy and he’ll usually be able to slam it.
 
wakelaw13 said:
Ok Marsh’s dad. He’s terrible. He has hands of stone, never boxes out effectively, can’t pass or dribble, and can’t defend. He’s got the body of a heavyweight champ and the fight of a mouse. I do not support him having a basketball scholarship.
Click to expand...

harsh but unfortunately i think largely the truth
 
IAppreciateIt said:
harsh but unfortunately i think largely the truth
Click to expand...

I agree. He seems like a great kid but just hasn’t developed into a decent player. The only thing he does is dunk and he is terrible on defense. If Keller can’t develop, he needs to go as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I expect Forbes to approach this offseason like it’s tournament or bust. I’m expecting that he is going to have a few harsh conversations with current roster members.
 
I am ok with Marsh. Unfortunate he hasn’t improved his game substantially, but you can’t teach height. He is strong enough and athletic to be a player…not sure why it hasn’t slowed down for him. I thought that after last season he would take the next step, maybe next year.
 
P6 (+Gonzaga) Transfers

Dallas Walton- Transfer from Colorado (#8 KP ’21)
C, 7’0”, 235, R-Sr.
Played 30.4% of team minutes, 120.0 ORtg
Excelled at Blk% (6.8, #103 nationally as a freshman)
No conference accolades
Super senior who RS’ed as freshman (’17) and sophomore (torn ACL ’19)
2 years of eligibility remaining

Alondes Williams- Transfer from Oklahoma (#39 KP ’21)
SF-PF, 6’5”, 201, Sr.
Played 40.5% of team minutes, 106.1 ORtg, 16.7% 3P (4-24)
No top-150 KP stats
No conference accolades
North Central Community College Conference (N4C) Player of the Year ‘19
First Team All-Region IV ‘19
1 year of eligibility

Khadim Sy- Transfer from Ole Miss (#51 KP ’21)
C, 6’10”, 238, R-Sr.
Played 13.7% of team minutes (only 14 GP), 96.6 ORtg
Played 55.8% of team minutes, 102.5 ORtg in ’20
No top-150 KP stats
No conference accolades
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American Honorable Mention ‘19
Super-senior who RS’ed as a sophomore (’18)
1 year of eligibility

Tyree Appleby- Transfer from Florida (#59 KP ’22)
PG, 6’1”, 163, R-Sr.
Played 67.9% of team minutes, 103.3 ORtg, 34.2% 3P
Excelled at ARate (26.9, #126); FT% (84.8, #112)
All-Horizon Second Team ‘19
All-Horizon Tournament Team ’18
All-Horizon Freshman Team ‘18
Super-senior who RS'ed following xfer from Clev St to UF ‘20
1 year of eligibility

Davion Bradford- Transfer from Kansas State (#61 KP ’22)
C, 7’0”, 270, So.
Played 33.7% of team minutes, 91.6 ORtg
Played 52.7% of team minutes, 105.1 ORtg in ’21 (pre-injury)
Excelled at 2P% (.620, #102 nationally) as Fr.
No conference accolades
3 years of eligibility

Hunter Sallis- Transfer from Gonzaga (#8 KP ’23)
SG, 6’5”, 180, So.
Played 41.5% of team minutes, 111.3 ORtg, 23.8% 3P
No top-150 KP stats
No conference accolades
McDonald’s All-American
2 years of eligibility

Efton Reid- Transfer from Gonzaga (#8 KP ‘23)
C, 7’0”, 240, So.
Played 6.6% of team minutes, 85.9 ORtg
No top-150 KP stats
No conference accolades
Five-star HS recruit ranked #27 nationally on 247 index
2 years of eligibility

Abramo Canka- Transfer from UCLA (#3 KP ’23)
SF, 6’6”, 200, Fr.
Played 8.0% of team minutes, 110.9 ORtg
No top-150 KP stats
No conference accolades
Old for his class (turns 22 this year)
3 years of eligibility


Non-P6 transfers

Daivien Williamson- Transfer from ETSU (#56 KP ‘20)
PG, 6’2”, 165, So.
Played 70.1% of team minutes, 109.3 ORtg, 38.2% from three
Excelled at TS% (61.1, #93 nationally)
SoCon All-Freshman Team ‘19
SoCon All-Tournament Team ‘20
Previously coached by Forbes.
3 years of eligibility

Damari Monsanto- Transfer from ETSU (#128 KP ’21)
PF-SF, 6’6”, 215, R-Fr.
Played 70.0% of team minutes, 106.8 ORtg, 35.8% from three
Excelled at DR% (24.3, #62 nationally)
SoCon ROY ‘21
All-SoCon Third Team ‘21
Recruited by and redshirted under Forbes.
4 years of eligibility

Jake LaRavia- Transfer from Indiana State (#119 KP ’21)
C, 6’9”, 228, So.
Played 73.0% of team minutes, 109.1 ORtg, 32.3% 3P
Excelled at FT Rate (52.6, #85 nationally)
MVC All-Freshman ‘20
All-MVC Second Team ‘21
3 years of eligibility

Jao Ituka- Transfer from Marist (#207 KP ’22)
PG, 6’1”, 196, Fr.
Played 51.0% of team minutes, 109.0 ORtg, 41.0% 3P
Excelled at %Poss (35.4, #4 nationally); %Shots (32.4, #28); Fouls Drawn/40 (7.4, #4)
MAAC ROY ‘22
All-MAAC Second Team ‘22
3 years of eligibility

Andrew Carr- Transfer from Delaware (#141 KP ’22)
C-PF, 6'9", 210, So.
Played 70.2% of team minutes, 112.8 ORtg (#372 nationally), 40.5% 3P
Excelled at eFG% (60.2, #64); TS% (61.9, #79); FT Rate (46.7, #141)
CAA All-Tournament Team ‘22
3 years of eligibility

Kevin "Boopie" Miller- Transfer from Central Michigan (#318 KP ’22)
PG, 6’0”, 165, R-Fr.
Played 82.0% of team minutes, 99.2 ORtg, 36.0% 3P
Excelled at ARate (32.5, #35 nationally)
All stats reflect freshman year (’22), as he was injured and RS’ed ‘23
All-MAC Freshman Team ‘22
All-MAC HM ‘22
All-MAC Second Team (preseason) ‘23
3 years of eligibility

Note: I used KP's positional designations, as I wasn't going to dive into all these random teams and see what position they actually played.

Takeaways

All P6 transfers were from bubble teams or better (#61 KP the lowest ranking). All non-P6 transfers except Boopie came from Q3-esque programs or better.

No P6 transfer had any all-conference accolades (while at the P6 conference). I'm guessing this is because beggars can't be choosers.

Forbes was more willing to take a shot on a low-minutes player from elite teams. The only two guys with less than 10% MP came from top-10 KP teams.

All non-P6 transfers had some sort of conference honor.

All non-P6 transfers had at least 3 years of eligibility remaining. Forbes was more willing to take older players, including several super-seniors, from P6 programs.
 
Last edited:
wakelaw13 said:
Ok Marsh’s dad. He’s terrible. He has hands of stone, never boxes out effectively, can’t pass or dribble, and can’t defend. He’s got the body of a heavyweight champ and the fight of a mouse. I do not support him having a basketball scholarship.
Click to expand...
It seems you’ve had a number of good things to say about Marsh over the years. Check your post history. I’m not saying he’s great, I’m not saying to start him, but if there is a way to keep him as a third big option, I think that would be useful.
 
DemonDeac08 said:
It seems you’ve had a number of good things to say about Marsh over the years. Check your post history. I’m not saying he’s great, I’m not saying to start him, but if there is a way to keep him as a third big option, I think that would be useful.
Click to expand...
Yeah I’m generally optimistic and supportive of our players. Keller is another example of someone I’m more optimistic about than the majority here. But this season, especially late this season, was a turning point for me with Marsh. The development just hasn’t happened.
 
wakelaw13 said:
Yeah I’m generally optimistic and supportive of our players. Keller is another example of someone I’m more optimistic about than the majority here. But this season, especially late this season, was a turning point for me with Marsh. The development just hasn’t happened.
Click to expand...
Marsh has had two concussions that caused him to miss multiple OOC games in his three years at Wake. I believe that has stunted his development significantly. This past fall, while Reid was deemed ineligible, Marsh was also out for multiple games. That meant he didn't get the playing experience. And Carr was worn down a lot by playing center instead of his natural position. Both circumstances had a negative effect on Wake later in the season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top