re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

Minutes are going to be such a pain to project. Here are the minutes from last season for our returning players and guys through TP. I'm also just going to use a simple depth chart, this isn't supposed to be nitpicked, it's just to give you an idea. I will also be rounding up avg. MPG. Also one more clarification, I'm breaking my rule on giving these guys specific positions, I know we basically play positionless basketball but I think this just gives us a better visual.


Mark Sears (34)/ Labaron Philon (TF)
Latrell Wrightsell (24)/ Aden Holloway (20)
Chris Youngblood (30)/ Derrion Reid (TF)/Houston Mallette (32)/Naas Cunningham (TF)
Grant Nelson (26)/Jarin Stevenson (27)/Mo Dioubate (8)
Cliff Omoruyi (27)/Aiden Sherrell (TF)

A few observations...

Cliff is transferring from a Rutgers squad where the tempo was in the 150th range to the top 15 at Alabama. Idk with this new pace if he'll still get 27, Bediako only averaged just over 20. We can say 24 to be conservative, which gives Sherrell roughly 16 MPG potentially.

I can make a case for both an increase in minutes for Nelson and also a slight decrease, good luck Oats trying to keep both Nelson and Jarin happy with playing time. With Nelson not having to play out of position, Jarin's minutes seem to be a bit inflated. Now with Nelson back at his natural position and can even play a bit of Point Forward, Oats will have to get creative with Jarin. Mo's will come down to blowouts and situational (foul trouble, more physical game, energy guy, etc.). Reid could even play a bit of backup 4.

Oats has called Youngblood a Guard in a recent interview, if that's truly the case then may as well stop here. It's just going to come down to how Reid does in camp and if he wants Wrightsell starting or not. This is the more conservative choice. I don't see Youngblood getting 30 per game here regardless, there is simply too much depth and positional flexibility. I think he'll be around the 28 range. I believe Reid will eventually be a starter. Mallette's OOC performance is going to be key, he's going to have to carve out a role by the time conference play comes around and the bench tightens up a bit. He can provide shooting and if that defense continues to improve, he's going to steal some runtime from others. Naas, my man, excited to see you play with the walk-ons during blowouts.

Alright, this is already longer than I thought, let's just combine the backcourt. I'm all in favor of knocking Sears down a couple of MPG. Let's save those legs as much as possible for March and we seem to have much more depth capable of ballhandling and initiating the offense. I have Wrightsell as a starter but that could change. I have no idea what to do with him, like we've all talked about before, the dude is a blow to the head away from being done. I would ease his minutes back a bit in favor of Aden and get Philon some experience. Mallette can also play off-ball a bit. Aden should be around the 15 MPG area. Not like what he saw at Auburn but a clearer role and with our offense, a decrease in a few minutes is about the same production as more minutes at a slower-paced school.

I think the main point from all this is Oats has a lot of freedom with this lineup. Everyone, outside Cliff, can play multiple positions and roles. We can throw out a lineup for virtually any circumstance and we have a ton of experience blended with the very talented new guys coming in. A couple of guys will get lost in the shuffle as the season progresses but everyone knew of that chance when they signed on or came back. When March comes around we should have a legit 10 deep rotation and the three guys left out includes a senior, dude who had a significant role in a NCAAT game, and a highly regarded prospect.

This will be wrong within a few months but still fun to play with and talk about right now.

I was looking at the alumni section of the Alabama basketball jersey site yesterday just see who they had. They had a few you’d expect(Herb, Petty) and didn’t have a few that would sell( Sprewell, Horry)

Then I saw a Mark Gottfried jersey. Who the hell is going to buy that?

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Omoruyi: 21 (think both fives will split time and rim run like hell, similar to how Dallas Mavs use Lively/Gafford)
Sherrell: 21 (see above)

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Agreed. Unless one guy is significantly better than the other, give us an even split.


One thing we have to consider when trying to guess minutes is Nate Oats loves to play 3 guards. This roster might not be built for a lot of that. But Oats will want to play fast and have multiple ball handlers on the court. Somebody on the roster can find some extra minutes by playing more like a guard. Will it be Youngblood, Nelson, Reid, Mo?

I dont think we will see a lot of Sears, Halloway, and Philon on the court together. We may not even see a lot of two of them on the court. But we know Wrightsell can fit in with exactly what Oats wants. I think the question is who can be most productive in that third ball handler position. Im kinda leaning towards putting Grant Nelson if he can do the job on the defensive end. I think he has the quickness to be a decent perimeter defender.

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Stevenson: 20 (he's going to play less, it's just too crowded at the 4)

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I got a lot of downvotes, but I still think Stevenson should have entered the portal for this reason.
Just because a team has a lot of potential players doesn't necessarily mean it's good.
This can be a problem not only in PT but also in role.

Tommy Lloyd can suck a dick for not starting Derrion

Hot take I think Stevenson might beat out Grant for the starting job at the 4. People forget if he doesn’t reclass he is a top 15 recruit and McDonalds AA. Kid can play.

Agree with you completely though I think both can play enough 3 that it won’t affect their minutes.

I’ve been big on the “Stevenson is way more important to this team than most people realize” for the upcoming year.

I did not realize that Rutgers played at a snail's pace. Unless cliff is a truly exceptional athlete for a big man,
His minutes will have to be managed VERY carefully Or he will seriously hit a wall sometime in late January or early February, and be essentially a non factor by tournament time. Most of our transfers didn't really hit their stride until their second year.

Stevenson isn't anywhere near Grant.

The only thing Stevenson has on Grant is that his shot mechanics are better but Grant would destroy him one on one because he's too skilled.

Grant Nelson is a SHOT away from being a top ten pick. He also got to add some muscle.

I don't think you realize just how SKILLED Grant Nelson is.

v Argentina

Derrion Reid

17:48 MIN
10 PTS (FG 4-9 / 3P 0-1 / FT 2/4)
8 REB (OREB 4 / DREB 4)
0 AST
1 STL
0 BLK
3 TOV
2 PF
+/- (+7)