re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

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wearing braces after knee surgery has become a bit controversial. Recent studies have shown that wearing a brace doesnt help and might even make it worse.

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The 12 freshmen expected to have biggest impact for potential men's NCAA tournament teams

The transfer portal dominates men’s college basketball offseason discussions, but developing top freshmen is still critical in building a contender to win a conference championship and, ultimately, a national championship.

This list below isn’t the top dozen freshmen — although it does include a few of the highest-regarded freshmen — but it's the 12 most-important freshmen to potentially NCAA tournament-bound teams.

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12. Brandon Miller, 6-foot-8, Alabama: Miller headlines a top recruiting class. He’s a scoring forward who Nate Oats can use from day one. The Tide picked up an experienced guard in Mark Sears, plus it returns Jahvon Quinerly and Noah Gurley, and Alabama will be in the mix near the top of the SEC.

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At first, I was thinking, "damn, that's some old racist myth he's spouting."

This is what Google turned up on the first result.

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Washington State has also received a commitment from Tennessee transfer Justin Powell.

Powell, a 6’6” sophomore averaged 3.7 points, and 1.8 rebounds last season. Started his college career at Auburn where he averaged 11.7 points in 10 games during the 20-21 season.

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The Top College Basketball Transfers for 2022-23

15) Mark Sears, 6-1, 185, PG, Soph., Ohio – ALABAMA
The Numbers: 19.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, 41% 3-pointers (60-147)
The Scout: “Wired to score and very shifty getting into the lane. Great knack of getting to the free throw line. He’s a small guard that struggled against high-major athletes. Not a great team defender.”


42) Dominick Welch, 6-5, 205, G, Sr., St. Bonaventure – ALABAMA
The Numbers: 12.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
The Scout: “He’s a big, strong wing who can put it on the floor and also can shoot it from long range. Welch is a good all-around player who can also defend multiple positions.”

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Way-too-early SEC basketball preview 2022-23: Projected standings, sleeper team, more

The strength of SEC basketball is at an all-time high thanks to an elite top tier and improved depth. How will the conference look in 2022-23?

SEC basketball experienced more than its fair share of turnover on the sidelines this offseason with six jobs — nearly half the league — undergoing changes. Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina all have a new man in charge hoping to lead their respective programs to the top of the conference.

Cracking into that top group this year, though, will be extremely difficult as the SEC boasts as many top teams as any league in the country.

Auburn and Alabama are both bringing back key pieces and have retooled via the transfer portal. Meanwhile, Arkansas landed the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class and Tennessee returns much of the core that won the SEC Tournament in March.

Of course, even those four may still be looking up at Kentucky, which returns the National Player of the Year in Oscar Tshiebwe and welcomes two top-15 freshmen.

How does the league project to shake out for the 2022-23 season? Here’s an early preview:

Projected order of finish

14. Georgia: Mike White left Florida to replace Tom Crean as Georgia’s head coach, but he has an uphill battle ahead of him. The Bulldogs should boast a better defense than a year ago (318th, per KenPom) but may have trouble producing offense outside of Kario Oquendo. Transfers Mardrez McBride (North Texas) and Terry Roberts (Bradley) will need to play a big role.

13. South Carolina: The Gamecocks also sport a new head coach with Lamont Paris taking over for Frank Martin, who failed to return to the NCAA Tournament after South Carolina’s Final Four appearance in 2017. This was set up to be a rebuilding year in Columbia anyways, but Paris is hoping a strong transfer class led by Hayden Brown (The Citadel), Ebrima Dibba (Coastal) and Meechie Johnson (Ohio State) can keep the Gamecocks competitive in conference play.

12. Vanderbilt: Losing a two-time First Team All-SEC player like Scotty Pippen Jr. will undoubtedly hurt the Commodores, though Jerry Stackhouse has built up enough to keep Vandy from returning to the SEC basement. Expect wings Myles Stute and Jordan Wright to produce solid numbers with increased roles.

11. Ole Miss: Kermit Davis enters his fifth season in Oxford on the hot seat as the Rebels haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2019, posting two losing records during that time frame. Former McDonald’s All-American Daeshun Ruffin showed flashes last year and, if he can stay healthy, he’ll give this group a needed go-to guy.

10. Missouri: Former Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates has quickly improved Mizzou’s roster in his first couple of months on the job, though no addition was greater that Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley. The 6-foot-5 guard is one of the best and most efficient scorers in the country, finally giving the Tigers are legitimate go-to option. If some of their other transfers hit, Missouri could capitalize on a weak bottom half of the league.

9. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs failed to make the NCAA Tournament under Ben Howland, but the cupboard is far from bare for new head coach Chris Jans. DJ Jeffries, Shakeel Moore and Tolu Smith all return to provide a solid nucleus for a Mississippi State team that needs to find reliable depth in order to contend for a postseason berth.

8. LSU: There was one point this offseason when LSU did not have a scholarship player on the roster. A mass exodus followed Will Wade’s firing, leaving the door open for new head coach Matt McMahon to bring in a number of high-quality transfers — several of whom followed via Murray State. KJ Williams, last year’s OVC Player of the Year, is one of the former Racers and should anchor a solid Tigers team.

7. Texas A&M: The Aggies had their breakthrough in head coach Buzz Williams‘ third season, advancing to the SEC Tournament championship and NIT championship. Texas A&M will have to improve offensively to take the next step, and the progression of players like Tyrece Radford and Henry Coleman — plus the addition of Wichita State transfer Dexter Dennis — could be the keys.

6. Florida: Florida might look like the Transfer All-Stars under new head coach Todd Golden. Since taking over for White, Golden landed three of the better transfers available in Kyle Lofton (St. Bonaventure), Will Richard (Belmont) and Alex Fudge (LSU). Getting both Colin Castleton and Myreon Jones to return as 5th-year seniors gives the Gators a solid floor.

5. Tennessee: Now we’re starting to get to the cream of the crop in the SEC. The Vols have to replace Kennedy Chandler and John Fulkerson but the other pieces vital to last season’s success — Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler — are all back. If five-star prospect Julian Phillips delivers on the wing, Tennessee will compete for another SEC title.

4. Alabama: The Crimson Tide are hoping to bounce back from last season’s disappointing first-round NCAA Tournament exit. A star-studded perimeter led by Jahvon Quinerly and Nimari Burnett only improved with the transfer additions of Dominick Welch (St. Bonaventure) and Mark Sears (Ohio). If Nate Oats can find enough interior production, Alabama will be dangerous again.

3. Auburn: The Tigers are coming off their second SEC title in five years. While they have to replace potential No. 1 pick Jabari Smith, all four guards that saw significant playing time last season return. Morehead State transfer Johni Broome should pick up the slack inside alongside another star freshman in Yohan Traore.

2. Arkansas: The Razorback fanbase has been waiting for this group. Following back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, head coach Eric Musselman is bringing in the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class headlined by five-star prospects Nick Smith, Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh. With Davonte Davis returning and a plethora of impact transfers like Ricky Council IV (Wichita State) and Jalen Graham (Arizona State), Arkansas has the talent and depth to play with anyone in the country.

1. Kentucky: While the Wildcats were the first victim of Saint Peter’s magical Elite Eight run, there is reason to believe Kentucky will be better than its 14-4 conference record a year ago. Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler both return and are arguably the best players at their respective positions in the conference. More talented freshmen are joining the mix in the form of top-15 prospects Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. With improved shooting off the bench from CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves, Kentucky may return to the SEC mountaintop.

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What is a "team defender"? Not many who can defend a whole team.

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