Big men after next year?

#1
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volsack7

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#1
So we lose Kenny, Maymon, and Dwight after this year. Assuming Stokes goes pro (which may not happen), that leaves us with just Yemi on the inside. I know we have Davis now and may land Nichols or JW3, but even if we do, they don't have the bulk to band around inside.

Who will be the Vols post presence beyond Yemi?
 
#2
#2
Right now, at the moment, UT isn't recruiting any centers really hard.

CCM might go JUCO route.

It's my only concern. However, Nichols is up to 220. Yemi is 245. JW3 and Davis can play the 4. You'll have a ton of youth on the team, but there's going to be a lot of length. All those guys are 6'8/6'9 with great wingspans.
 
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#3
#3
UT has just never had that one dominant "big" man since Bernard King. I know Stokes is big, but he's not a true Center. I'd like to see the Vols get a Zeller type guy. 6'11 - 7'0 defensive presence with a solid half court game.
 
#4
#4
volsack7 said:
UT has just never had that one dominant "big" man since Bernard King. I know Stokes is big, but he's not a true Center. I'd like to see the Vols get a Zeller type guy. 6'11 - 7'0 defensive presence with a solid half court game.
Click to expand...

King wasn't a big man.

Stokes is a true collegiate center. 6'9/260 is easily good size for a center.
 
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#5
#5
All I am really concerned with is if we can defend in the post. I think that the recruits and players we have will have no problem scoring. I am confident that Stokes can matchup on the D end with most any 5 in the country. He's just that damn strong. The key is keeping him around until we can get a replacement.
 
#6
#6
Maybe CCM isn't recruiting a true center because Stokes promised 2013-2014.

Not impossible.
 
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#7
#7
zjcvols said:
King wasn't a big man.

Stokes is a true collegiate center. 6'9/260 is easily good size for a center.
Click to expand...

Oops, need to get my facts straight on that. :good!:

That said, Stokes is a collegiate center, but I'd still like UT to have a true Center (NBA). I know Roy Hibberts don't grow on trees, but I'd like to see that type of player at UT. I think that (alongside a true point guard) is one of the two big things we lack that many of the recent national championship teams have. I want us to get to that level!
 
#8
#8
volsack7 said:
UT has just never had that one dominant "big" man since Bernard King. I know Stokes is big, but he's not a true Center. I'd like to see the Vols get a Zeller type guy. 6'11 - 7'0 defensive presence with a solid half court game.
Click to expand...

King played forward.

Steve Hamer
 
#9
#9
zjcvols said:
Maybe CCM isn't recruiting a true center because Stokes promised 2013-2014.

Not impossible.
Click to expand...


CM aint making decisions based on what an 18 year old is saying. And I hope he is thinking beyond next season.

(Not saying I'm not ecstatic with the job he's currently doing.)
 
#12
#12
zjcvols said:
King wasn't a big man.

Stokes is a true collegiate center. 6'9/260 is easily good size for a center.
Click to expand...

You are correct about King. Doug Ashworth was the "big" with Reggie Johnson arriving as a freshman big in King's last year. By the standards of the time, King was even considered short (listed at 6'7", but was probably only 6' 6 1/2") for his position. By contrast, Kentucky had Rick Robey and Mike Phillips as their bigs. If I recall correctly, they were both 6' 11". What made King so great was his explosive quickness and his ability to seamlessly catch and shoot in a nano second, resulting in bigger defenders still having their feet on the floor as he shot over them. It was a truly beautiful thing to watch.
 
#14
#14
Seems almost intentional that he hasn't been actively recruiting a "true" big and has been looking more at length, versatility, hustle and high ball IQ guys. Guys like Reese and Davis fit that bill. Nichols is a big that can get up and down the floor.

We will see how much weight Counzo wants to put on these guys too. Many of them are projected to keep growing. With McRae as the exception, typically it isn't too hard for guys to put on about 15+ lbs of muscle in a year. Guys in the team have a good strength coach and guys coming in next year will have this's year to bulk up. Even heard that guys like Edwards and Q could guard 4's in a pinch. Seems like versatility and high IQ Are the things CCM is putting stock in at least in this class.
 
#19
#19
zjcvols said:
Maybe CCM isn't recruiting a true center because Stokes promised 2013-2014.

Not impossible.
Click to expand...

Been something I've been hinting at for awhile, not saying its true, but definitely could see it.

If stokes does go....as I've said there aren't that many stokes in the SEC. How many opposing centers will we face that our forwards length won't be able to handle?

Nichols and Davis are both 6'9" and 17 years old, could grow another inch or two, I'm gonna guess they can defend adequately against 6'8-6'10" guys for stretches while Yemi is on the bench.
 
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