2025 Target List

#960
#960
bleedingTNorange said:
Zyree Collins & Kennedy Okpara are 2 names to watch as likely additions to the roster for the 2025 class. Even at 13 scholarship limit those guys make sense, but if it does indeed go to 15 they make even more sense imo.
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Both guys have "names", but is this more of a matter of filling roster spots and hoping they develop? There doesn't appear to much (any?) competition for either guy.
 
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#961
#961
cncchris33 said:
Both guys have "names", but is this more of a matter of filling roster spots and hoping they develop? There doesn't appear to much (any?) competition for either guy.
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Maybe Barnes thinks they are 2 willing to come in and compete on a top flight program with low expectations for playing. If we do have 15 scholarships now, if these guys are willing to come in, probably better than a walk-on just getting upgraded to a scholly.

Idk, I’m just projecting a bit. I don’t mind the move as long as it’s not eating our slots from premier portal players or better high school recruits.
 
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#965
#965
cncchris33 said:
Both guys have "names", but is this more of a matter of filling roster spots and hoping they develop? There doesn't appear to much (any?) competition for either guy.
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As I said if the limit is indeed moved to 15, no additional walk ons then it makes a ton of sense…if it’s 13 then it’s probably trying to fill spots 12 & 13 rather than leaving them open and risking thin roster like this year.
 
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#966
#966
bleedingTNorange said:
Zyree Collins & Kennedy Okpara are 2 names to watch as likely additions to the roster for the 2025 class. Even at 13 scholarship limit those guys make sense, but if it does indeed go to 15 they make even more sense imo.
Click to expand...
Looks like both are more likely 4-year guys within the program. Interesting that CRB is considering both for roster spots.
I trust the coaching staff on evals though, seem like both are under-the-radar additions. It doesn't seem as if they're being highly recruited by even mid-major D-I programs.

Okpara appears to have some solid potential though, appears to have great athleticism at 6-7, 200 lbs.
Collins, though undersized, has been putting up 30-40+ PPG in HS. Might take time for that to translate but there's potential there too.

I imagine there would be very little NIL expectations with these guys which would be a benefit.
 
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#967
#967
TheMookieMonster said:
Maybe Barnes thinks they are 2 willing to come in and compete on a top flight program with low expectations for playing. If we do have 15 scholarships now, if these guys are willing to come in, probably better than a walk-on just getting upgraded to a scholly.

Idk, I’m just projecting a bit. I don’t mind the move as long as it’s not eating our slots from premier portal players or better high school recruits.
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We’ve got 4 returning and 2 signees, so 6…at 13 that’s still room for 7, at 15 it’s obviously room for 9. Even in an ideal world of adding these 2 along with Mallory and Ament, that’s still room for 3 in the portal, 15 obviously would be 5. We’ve talked about it before but 3-4 in the portal seems like a good number, not sure you want to be searching for much more than that.
 
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#968
#968
goadfish said:
I hope we push for Jakobi Gillespie to transfer from Maryland at the end of the year. We didn’t have the minutes to pursue with zakai back this last summer. He is playing at a super high level at Maryland and is from Greenville, TN.
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I’ve wondered the same, would seemingly have a great situation here for him to play his final season at home.
 
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#969
#969
tev.sm said:
Looks like both are more likely 4-year guys within the program. Interesting that CRB is considering both for roster spots.
I trust the coaching staff on evals though, seem like both are under-the-radar additions. It doesn't seem as if they're being highly recruited by even mid-major D-I programs.

Okpara appears to have some solid potential though, appears to have great athleticism at 6-7, 200 lbs.
Collins, though undersized, has been putting up 30-40+ PPG in HS. Might take time for that to translate but there's potential there too.

I imagine there would be very little NIL expectations with these guys which would be a benefit.
Click to expand...
Yup, NIL isn’t limitless, not really gonna be many schools capable of funding 13-15 scholarship spots with HM guys and competitive NIL…in the past kids maybe go to a top program over a lower level school because of the notoriety, but now if that high level school isn’t offering any $$$ or it’s a quarter of what a lower level school is then you aren’t landing those guys.
 
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#970
#970
bleedingTNorange said:
We’ve got 4 returning and 2 signees, so 6…at 13 that’s still room for 7, at 15 it’s obviously room for 9. Even in an ideal world of adding these 2 along with Mallory and Ament, that’s still room for 3 in the portal, 15 obviously would be 5. We’ve talked about it before but 3-4 in the portal seems like a good number, not sure you want to be searching for much more than that.
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I suppose I would prefer they fill spots 14 and 15 instead of 12 and 13, but I guess it wouldn’t be the worst additions if they were 12 and 13 and we just gave 2 walk-on players schollys.

I don’t pretend I know much about them outside of what their recruiting profile says, but they seem like Handje Tamba type projects. Even if that’s the case, I guess taking them for 1 year would be fine just to see what they can do, and if it’s clear they are in over their heads Barnes would probably help them find a better situation the following year.
 
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#972
#972
goadfish said:
I hope we push for Jakobi Gillespie to transfer from Maryland at the end of the year. We didn’t have the minutes to pursue with zakai back this last summer. He is playing at a super high level at Maryland and is from Greenville, TN.
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100% yes to this. dude is a pure hooper & efficient, really wish we had him this year.
 
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#973
#973
bleedingTNorange said:
We’ve got 4 returning and 2 signees, so 6…at 13 that’s still room for 7, at 15 it’s obviously room for 9. Even in an ideal world of adding these 2 along with Mallory and Ament, that’s still room for 3 in the portal, 15 obviously would be 5. We’ve talked about it before but 3-4 in the portal seems like a good number, not sure you want to be searching for much more than that.
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Is Burries off the board now? I lost track…
 
#974
#974
TheMookieMonster said:
I suppose I would prefer they fill spots 14 and 15 instead of 12 and 13, but I guess it wouldn’t be the worst additions if they were 12 and 13 and we just gave 2 walk-on players schollys.

I don’t pretend I know much about them outside of what their recruiting profile says, but they seem like Handje Tamba type projects. Even if that’s the case, I guess taking them for 1 year would be fine just to see what they can do, and if it’s clear they are in over their heads Barnes would probably help them find a better situation the following year.
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St. Louis and Murray State are typically considered solid mid majors, better than who was pushing for Tamba iirc, also don’t think Tamba was ever dropping 40 in a HS game, never mind multiple times.

My thought is we don’t play 10 guys as is, never mind 13 guys, add in the NIL factor and filling the back end of a roster with quality is going to get tougher and tougher imo. Look at this year alone as an example, would having an Okpara and/or Collins on the roster benefit us right now, even if just in practice alone, yea, probably so.
 
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