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Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Official Game 26 Thread: Central Michigan
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FJC31
2/19/2025 8:50 AM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
Beginning to think Elliot is our most important piece to retain this offseason. He just provides a different element that nobody else has.
I want to retain Elliott, Brown, Pav, and Hadaway equally. I'll live with whatever other roster turnover may happen, but those four have to stay.
Even though he's the unknown....you keep Kuany as well and Burris probably comes back because he hasn't shown what he can do. Sheldon is a question mark.

Everyone else...Boals is going to have to tell some folks to walk.

Frustrating watching a 6'10 guy with skill excel at CMU and we've had nothing close to a player that size with effectiveness who can play 25-30 per game the last two seasons.
I don't want them to leave, but I think in the case of James, Sheldon, and Nicol there needs to be some honest reflection of what they can realistically contribute to the program and whether that's aligned with what they want out of what college basketball career they still have. Burris and Kuany obviously get a pass. Evans should be looking at the departures of Clayton and Searls as his golden opportunity to at MINIMUM solidify 15 minutes a night in the rotation.

Pav, Elliott, Brown, Hadaway, reliable frontcourt player TBD can be a contender.
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
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FearLeon
2/19/2025 9:00 AM
100%Cat wrote:expand_more
#theUpgrade vs #theLithuanian

"Upgrade" - zero points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls

"Lithuanian" - 25 points, 6 boards, 2 fouls

(recruiting matters)
So we're comparing backups to starters now?
+1 100%Cat

Holy cow greencat. After 40 minutes of basketball last night, this is your main takeaway? Comparing a guy who was brought in to be a backup big (Searls) and play 10-15 minutes per night versus an All-MAC selection (the Lithuanian)?? You couldn't make more of an idiotic statement. Where were you when "The Upgrade" kept Ohio in the game at home against Kent when he scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds? I'll hang up and listen.

By the way....you do understand that the "upgrade" is in reference to comparing Searls to the Whiz right? Both players were brought into the program to play the same backup big role off the bench. If you truly believe that after 26 games that Searls isn't an upgrade over the Whiz then you are blind or truly know nothing about basketball. I'm assuming you have decent eyesight, so I'll just go with you lack basketball IQ.

YES...recruiting matters. And Boals needs to get a starting big like the Lithuanian....no excuses on this recruiting topic moving forward. But for you to compare the Lithuanian to Vic is disingenuous. Apples to oranges. If you want to compare the Lithuanian to the Whiz or Searls to the Whiz....I'm all ears. That's an argument you won't win. Anyone with a brain on this board knows that Searls has outperformed the Whiz in the same exact role they were recruited for. Searls numbers are better and his basketball common sense on the court is way better than the Whiz.

Do we need more size and athletes like we've seen everywhere, but in Athens the last few years with bigs....of course. If Boals goes three years like this next season with no starting big that can go 25-30 minutes per game, many people here are going to lose complete faith in what our coach is doing.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 9:32:06 AM by FearLeon
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Andrew Ruck
2/19/2025 9:00 AM
Not real exciting to just scrape by but glad we survived. We are a few unlucky bounces away from dropping 2 games to CMU and being tied with them at 6-7. Instead we are 8-5 while they are 4-9...such is the fragility of sports. CMU has been better than their record shows. That was their 5th loss in the MAC by 3 or less and at Akron was their only loss by more than 8. I think their coach has them on the right path.

Reef wasn't hitting the jumpers/runners much last night but man what an impactful game he had. Several great defensive plays and loose balls grabbed. AJB refining that outside shot, he just might be our big outside shot guy down the stretch while Reef & Pavs focus on driving to the hoop.

Elmore had 2 big dumb fouls late and was otherwise pretty nonexistent on the court, kind of odd for him (I feel like he isn't afraid to mix it up and take shots when he is on the court).

Vic 5 fouls in 14 minutes, yikes. He just gets beat far too often on defense and is late the spot drawing the whistle. He did have some nice outlet passes. In the end, nothing about that game made anyone feel better about our presence in the paint as Clayton didn't do much there either.

Both teams better from 3 than from 2, and lots and lots of free throws. Glad to get the win heading into the big game Saturday.
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M.D.W.S.T
2/19/2025 9:08 AM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
Beginning to think Elliot is our most important piece to retain this offseason. He just provides a different element that nobody else has.
I want to retain Elliott, Brown, Pav, and Hadaway equally. I'll live with whatever other roster turnover may happen, but those four have to stay.
Even though he's the unknown....you keep Kuany as well and Burris probably comes back because he hasn't shown what he can do. Sheldon is a question mark.

Everyone else...Boals is going to have to tell some folks to walk.

Frustrating watching a 6'10 guy with skill excel at CMU and we've had nothing close to a player that size with effectiveness who can play 25-30 per game the last two seasons.
I don't want them to leave, but I think in the case of James, Sheldon, and Nicol there needs to be some honest reflection of what they can realistically contribute to the program and whether that's aligned with what they want out of what college basketball career they still have. Burris and Kuany obviously get a pass. Evans should be looking at the departures of Clayton and Searls as his golden opportunity to at MINIMUM solidify 15 minutes a night in the rotation.

Pav, Elliott, Brown, Hadaway, reliable frontcourt player TBD can be a contender.
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
Burris is a walking bucket, so I'm still hoping he gets healthy and gets into the rotation. It helps he's also a guard in the 6'5" range. In this line-up that makes him a 4 man, but his size in the backcourt we will need when constantly playing small ball.

It's a lot of hypotheticals at the moment, but Ayden with a full year in the offense could still take a big step forward and have all those minutes to himself with Hadaway.

We need to turn over some rocks. Whoever scouted CMU's big man shoutout to that guy, because he wasn't good last year for a bad team in that California branch league. This year one of the best big men in the MAC. Someone found some good tape or saw him in a brief moment and had a lightbulb moment.
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
2/19/2025 9:10 AM
GraffZ06 wrote:expand_more
Nothing comes easy for this team. Happy to hold on for the win but damn, really felt like they should've pulled away in the final minutes and not be praying to hold on for their lives at the buzzer.
Are we winning in spite of our coaching? Is it time for a change?
Just gonna put this right here...

So sure if you want to talk about firing the equivalent of Danny Nee because you don't like his regular season record against Toledo, just know what you're asking for.

My expectations for our program are that we are annually one of the top 4 teams in the conference, have an expectation of making the conference semis every year, conference finals every 2-4 years. An NCAA appearance every 5 years and a win or two in the dance every couple appearances.

If you expect more than that, fine. I'm all for it. Just show me the 7 figure sack of money you're bringing to the table eacj year to make it happen.
There's not a single person here saying that we should fire Jeff Boals. Right now. We're pointing out a concerning trend line, mediocre results, and wondering how long that's acceptable.

When does the seat get hot?
Congrats on retroactively finding somebody -- in a game thread no less -- very softly suggesting that Boals should be replaced now. Does that make the points made by others in Boals thread any different or less relevant?

Your contributions in this thread make it clear you're not taking your rose colored glasses off anytime soon, and that you're willing to give Boals the benefit of the doubt for a while to come. That's your prerogative, of course. But everything you're describing -- another D2 type stop gap big, waiting 4 seasons for Evans to develop as a starter -- is a description of mediocrity. We're a mediocre team right now, and even you --- the most optimistic person of the bunch -- can't paint a compelling picture as to how Boals' strategy here leads to a team capable of winning the conference.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 9:36:50 AM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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FJC31
2/19/2025 9:18 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Beginning to think Elliot is our most important piece to retain this offseason. He just provides a different element that nobody else has.
I want to retain Elliott, Brown, Pav, and Hadaway equally. I'll live with whatever other roster turnover may happen, but those four have to stay.
Even though he's the unknown....you keep Kuany as well and Burris probably comes back because he hasn't shown what he can do. Sheldon is a question mark.

Everyone else...Boals is going to have to tell some folks to walk.

Frustrating watching a 6'10 guy with skill excel at CMU and we've had nothing close to a player that size with effectiveness who can play 25-30 per game the last two seasons.
I don't want them to leave, but I think in the case of James, Sheldon, and Nicol there needs to be some honest reflection of what they can realistically contribute to the program and whether that's aligned with what they want out of what college basketball career they still have. Burris and Kuany obviously get a pass. Evans should be looking at the departures of Clayton and Searls as his golden opportunity to at MINIMUM solidify 15 minutes a night in the rotation.

Pav, Elliott, Brown, Hadaway, reliable frontcourt player TBD can be a contender.
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
Burris is a walking bucket, so I'm still hoping he gets healthy and gets into the rotation. It helps he's also a guard in the 6'5" range. In this line-up that makes him a 4 man, but his size in the backcourt we will need when constantly playing small ball.
I'm not going to pretend like I've spent an ample amount of time looking at Burris' tape. I've watched Kelly and Fisher who are comparable in size (with Kelly being slightly bigger) and both seem to be quite athletic.

That's where I think it could get tough for Burris. However, if he can shoot the way you're describing, he'll find minutes.
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Cats5
2/19/2025 9:44 AM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
Beginning to think Elliot is our most important piece to retain this offseason. He just provides a different element that nobody else has.
I want to retain Elliott, Brown, Pav, and Hadaway equally. I'll live with whatever other roster turnover may happen, but those four have to stay.
Even though he's the unknown....you keep Kuany as well and Burris probably comes back because he hasn't shown what he can do. Sheldon is a question mark.

Everyone else...Boals is going to have to tell some folks to walk.

Frustrating watching a 6'10 guy with skill excel at CMU and we've had nothing close to a player that size with effectiveness who can play 25-30 per game the last two seasons.
I don't want them to leave, but I think in the case of James, Sheldon, and Nicol there needs to be some honest reflection of what they can realistically contribute to the program and whether that's aligned with what they want out of what college basketball career they still have. Burris and Kuany obviously get a pass. Evans should be looking at the departures of Clayton and Searls as his golden opportunity to at MINIMUM solidify 15 minutes a night in the rotation.

Pav, Elliott, Brown, Hadaway, reliable frontcourt player TBD can be a contender.
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
Burris is a walking bucket, so I'm still hoping he gets healthy and gets into the rotation. It helps he's also a guard in the 6'5" range. In this line-up that makes him a 4 man, but his size in the backcourt we will need when constantly playing small ball.
I'm not going to pretend like I've spent an ample amount of time looking at Burris' tape. I've watched Kelly and Fisher who are comparable in size (with Kelly being slightly bigger) and both seem to be quite athletic.

That's where I think it could get tough for Burris. However, if he can shoot the way you're describing, he'll find minutes.
Burris needs to be our Tommy Freeman. Nothing crazy athletic, just hit shots
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
2/19/2025 9:45 AM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
I think Boals basically has to hope that there's portal turnover at the guard/wing position, or force a few guys out. Otherwise, it's hard to make sense of next year's roster. You've got:

PG:
Pavs
Elliott

SG:
AJB
Elmore
Sheldon
Kelly
Burris

SF:
Nicol
Fisher
Mosley

PF:
Kuany

C:
Evans

Not a single big on the roster that we've seen actual evidence is ready to contribute. And not a lot of scholarship/roster slots to change that. Not to mention that basically every recruit we sign shows up on campus 2-3 inches shorter than their listed height during recruiting, so it wouldn't shock me if some of next year's 3s end up 2s.
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shabamon
2/19/2025 9:59 AM
FearLeon wrote:expand_more
#theUpgrade vs #theLithuanian

"Upgrade" - zero points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls

"Lithuanian" - 25 points, 6 boards, 2 fouls

(recruiting matters)
So we're comparing backups to starters now?
+1 100%Cat

Holy cow greencat. After 40 minutes of basketball last night, this is your main takeaway? Comparing a guy who was brought in to be a backup big (Searls) and play 10-15 minutes per night versus an All-MAC selection (the Lithuanian)?? You couldn't make more of an idiotic statement. Where were you when "The Upgrade" kept Ohio in the game at home against Kent when he scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds? I'll hang up and listen.

By the way....you do understand that the "upgrade" is in reference to comparing Searls to the Whiz right? Both players were brought into the program to play the same backup big role off the bench. If you truly believe that after 26 games that Searls isn't an upgrade over the Whiz then you are blind or truly know nothing about basketball. I'm assuming you have decent eyesight, so I'll just go with you lack basketball IQ.

YES...recruiting matters. And Boals needs to get a starting big like the Lithuanian....no excuses on this recruiting topic moving forward. But for you to compare the Lithuanian to Vic is disingenuous. Apples to oranges. If you want to compare the Lithuanian to the Whiz or Searls to the Whiz....I'm all ears. That's an argument you won't win. Anyone with a brain on this board knows that Searls has outperformed the Whiz in the same exact role they were recruited for. Searls numbers are better and his basketball common sense on the court is way better than the Whiz.

Do we need more size and athletes like we've seen everywhere, but in Athens the last few years with bigs....of course. If Boals goes three years like this next season with no starting big that can go 25-30 minutes per game, many people here are going to lose complete faith in what our coach is doing.
It begs the question what were we looking for in a portal big. Did we pursue starter quality and could only muster competent backup? Were we afraid that if we got someone equal to or better than Clayton, he would leave? Just spit-balling questions. No doubt Searls is an upgrade over Wiznitzer, but an upgrade over Wiz is the minimum expectation. Fact is Barbee took a guy that averaged 5/2 in the Big West and he has tripled his production playing in the MAC.

There is no scenario where Central Michigan basketball should be outrecruiting Ohio.
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Cats5
2/19/2025 10:11 AM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
I think Boals basically has to hope that there's portal turnover at the guard/wing position, or force a few guys out. Otherwise, it's hard to make sense of next year's roster. You've got:

PG:
Pavs
Elliott

SG:
AJB
Elmore
Sheldon
Kelly
Burris

SF:
Nicol
Fisher
Mosley

PF:
Hadaway
Kuany

C:
Evans

Not a single big on the roster that we've seen actual evidence is ready to contribute. And not a lot of scholarship/roster slots to change that. Not to mention that basically every recruit we sign shows up on campus 2-3 inches shorter than their listed height during recruiting, so it wouldn't shock me if some of next year's 3s end up 2s.
Added in Hadaway for ya
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
2/19/2025 10:22 AM
Cats5 wrote:expand_more
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
I think Boals basically has to hope that there's portal turnover at the guard/wing position, or force a few guys out. Otherwise, it's hard to make sense of next year's roster. You've got:

PG:
Pavs
Elliott

SG:
AJB
Elmore
Sheldon
Kelly
Burris

SF:
Nicol
Fisher
Mosley

PF:
Hadaway
Kuany

C:
Evans

Not a single big on the roster that we've seen actual evidence is ready to contribute. And not a lot of scholarship/roster slots to change that. Not to mention that basically every recruit we sign shows up on campus 2-3 inches shorter than their listed height during recruiting, so it wouldn't shock me if some of next year's 3s end up 2s.
Added in Hadaway for ya
Oh yeah, duh. Thanks.
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Bobcat Love
2/19/2025 12:29 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
#theUpgrade vs #theLithuanian

"Upgrade" - zero points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls

"Lithuanian" - 25 points, 6 boards, 2 fouls

(recruiting matters)
So we're comparing backups to starters now?
+1 100%Cat

Holy cow greencat. After 40 minutes of basketball last night, this is your main takeaway? Comparing a guy who was brought in to be a backup big (Searls) and play 10-15 minutes per night versus an All-MAC selection (the Lithuanian)?? You couldn't make more of an idiotic statement. Where were you when "The Upgrade" kept Ohio in the game at home against Kent when he scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds? I'll hang up and listen.

By the way....you do understand that the "upgrade" is in reference to comparing Searls to the Whiz right? Both players were brought into the program to play the same backup big role off the bench. If you truly believe that after 26 games that Searls isn't an upgrade over the Whiz then you are blind or truly know nothing about basketball. I'm assuming you have decent eyesight, so I'll just go with you lack basketball IQ.

YES...recruiting matters. And Boals needs to get a starting big like the Lithuanian....no excuses on this recruiting topic moving forward. But for you to compare the Lithuanian to Vic is disingenuous. Apples to oranges. If you want to compare the Lithuanian to the Whiz or Searls to the Whiz....I'm all ears. That's an argument you won't win. Anyone with a brain on this board knows that Searls has outperformed the Whiz in the same exact role they were recruited for. Searls numbers are better and his basketball common sense on the court is way better than the Whiz.

Do we need more size and athletes like we've seen everywhere, but in Athens the last few years with bigs....of course. If Boals goes three years like this next season with no starting big that can go 25-30 minutes per game, many people here are going to lose complete faith in what our coach is doing.
It begs the question what were we looking for in a portal big. Did we pursue starter quality and could only muster competent backup? Were we afraid that if we got someone equal to or better than Clayton, he would leave? Just spit-balling questions. No doubt Searls is an upgrade over Wiznitzer, but an upgrade over Wiz is the minimum expectation. Fact is Barbee took a guy that averaged 5/2 in the Big West and he has tripled his production playing in the MAC.

There is no scenario where Central Michigan basketball should be outrecruiting Ohio.
What about NIU, Ball State, and EMU? - because I think that may be happening also.
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FJC31
2/19/2025 1:08 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
I think Boals basically has to hope that there's portal turnover at the guard/wing position, or force a few guys out. Otherwise, it's hard to make sense of next year's roster. You've got:

PG:
Pavs
Elliott

SG:
AJB
Elmore
Sheldon
Kelly
Burris

SF:
Nicol
Fisher
Mosley

PF:
Kuany

C:
Evans

Not a single big on the roster that we've seen actual evidence is ready to contribute. And not a lot of scholarship/roster slots to change that. Not to mention that basically every recruit we sign shows up on campus 2-3 inches shorter than their listed height during recruiting, so it wouldn't shock me if some of next year's 3s end up 2s.
When you look at this, it does make you scratch your head a bit about the recruiting strategy -- especially with our lone 2026 commits being of the same player profile.

Playing small isn't the issue, it's how we play small while still having a shortage of a true paint presence.

Based on how we've been rolling out lineups, I can see Boals thinking (not that I agree) Mosley is a 4 and Fisher is a 3.

Tough to see all these guys coexisting even if they're part of different classes.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 1:37:48 PM by FJC31
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bobcat 2000
2/19/2025 1:21 PM
i think it might be time for a change. perhaps a different coach could be a good idea to at least think about. it's certainly time to get ou out of the mac. the big east ,aac, and conference usa would be good conferences for us to join. then we won't have to win our conference tourney to get in the ncaa tournament. plus we could land better recruits easier. the convo is certainly a big enough gym and we have some sort of rep as being a good team. the main problem is that boals is doing what keith dambrot did at akron. he's under recruiting and scheduling too weak of a non conference slate. he's also using lame reasons for doing that. larry hunter and groce never did any of that stuff. this year would've been a great year to have scheduled to play kansas as they are a bit of a down team this year. and we gotta all our players into a year round intensive weight training program to build strength. that would surely help with the rebound issues.we are starting to see a role reversal here. we once had a football team that had a hard time winning games and a basketball time that was one of the best in the midwest. now our football time is among the best in the mac and then some. but this basketball team has a hard time consistently winning to say the least.
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FJC31
2/19/2025 1:26 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
#theUpgrade vs #theLithuanian

"Upgrade" - zero points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls

"Lithuanian" - 25 points, 6 boards, 2 fouls

(recruiting matters)
So we're comparing backups to starters now?
+1 100%Cat

Holy cow greencat. After 40 minutes of basketball last night, this is your main takeaway? Comparing a guy who was brought in to be a backup big (Searls) and play 10-15 minutes per night versus an All-MAC selection (the Lithuanian)?? You couldn't make more of an idiotic statement. Where were you when "The Upgrade" kept Ohio in the game at home against Kent when he scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds? I'll hang up and listen.

By the way....you do understand that the "upgrade" is in reference to comparing Searls to the Whiz right? Both players were brought into the program to play the same backup big role off the bench. If you truly believe that after 26 games that Searls isn't an upgrade over the Whiz then you are blind or truly know nothing about basketball. I'm assuming you have decent eyesight, so I'll just go with you lack basketball IQ.

YES...recruiting matters. And Boals needs to get a starting big like the Lithuanian....no excuses on this recruiting topic moving forward. But for you to compare the Lithuanian to Vic is disingenuous. Apples to oranges. If you want to compare the Lithuanian to the Whiz or Searls to the Whiz....I'm all ears. That's an argument you won't win. Anyone with a brain on this board knows that Searls has outperformed the Whiz in the same exact role they were recruited for. Searls numbers are better and his basketball common sense on the court is way better than the Whiz.

Do we need more size and athletes like we've seen everywhere, but in Athens the last few years with bigs....of course. If Boals goes three years like this next season with no starting big that can go 25-30 minutes per game, many people here are going to lose complete faith in what our coach is doing.
It begs the question what were we looking for in a portal big. Did we pursue starter quality and could only muster competent backup? Were we afraid that if we got someone equal to or better than Clayton, he would leave? Just spit-balling questions. No doubt Searls is an upgrade over Wiznitzer, but an upgrade over Wiz is the minimum expectation. Fact is Barbee took a guy that averaged 5/2 in the Big West and he has tripled his production playing in the MAC.

There is no scenario where Central Michigan basketball should be outrecruiting Ohio.
All of these reasons could be true. You'd have to go back to the portal threads to look, but I recall every big we were known to be targeting this past cycle seemed to be out of reach -- double-figure scorer at the mid-major level going up, or a P5 bounce back candidate remaining in P5.

There were no lower level bigs (D2, D3, JUCO) we had interest besides adding Searls, or anyone comparable to Jarusevicius -- someone who doesn't necessarily have gawdy numbers at a previous low-major stop.

Our portal search for size also seemed much shorter this time around than 2 years ago, with Kuany becoming the staff's target.

Antoine Woolfolk was always the one guy who seemed realistic given former teammates with EJ4 and that he eventually landed in the MAC.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 1:28:04 PM by FJC31
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GoCats105
2/19/2025 1:48 PM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
How realistic is it that 4-5 guys actually enter the portal? I agree we could use some turnover for a change, I’m just unsure how many will actually enter or be told they should.

Nicol is the lone obvious one to me. I could see EJ4 looking to be more of a focal point elsewhere. I know Boals is more reluctant to play freshman, but the incoming class does appear more talented and athletic than previous years. Considering they’re all guards and wings outside of Mosley (who for the love of god I hope can contribute next season at 6’7), I don’t think Burris stands a chance at ever suiting up and Sheldon’s downward trajectory puts his PT in jeopardy.

Just sucks to be already having this conversation instead of feeling like a true conference title contender.
I think Boals basically has to hope that there's portal turnover at the guard/wing position, or force a few guys out. Otherwise, it's hard to make sense of next year's roster. You've got:

PG:
Pavs
Elliott

SG:
AJB
Elmore
Sheldon
Kelly
Burris

SF:
Nicol
Fisher
Mosley

PF:
Kuany

C:
Evans

Not a single big on the roster that we've seen actual evidence is ready to contribute. And not a lot of scholarship/roster slots to change that. Not to mention that basically every recruit we sign shows up on campus 2-3 inches shorter than their listed height during recruiting, so it wouldn't shock me if some of next year's 3s end up 2s.
When you look at this, it does make you scratch your head a bit about the recruiting strategy -- especially with our lone 2026 commits being of the same player profile.

Playing small isn't the issue, it's how we play small while still having a shortage of a true paint presence.

Based on how we've been rolling out lineups, I can see Boals thinking (not that I agree) Mosley is a 4 and Fisher is a 3.

Tough to see all these guys coexisting even if they're part of different classes.
I was thinking this exact same thing, because looking at who is leaving and who is coming in, the roster is set for 2025-26. Obviously there could/will be transfers, but in the event that there isn't, they'd have exactly three "bigs" on the roster (Evans, Hadaway and Mosley) and two of those are probably more suited to be 3s.

And I also go back to the point BLSS made in a game thread a while back: what is the offensive strategy? If it's to get out and run, then the future recruiting strategy is fine - quick guards and athletic wings. But when the offense isn't running at full speed and has to play slow, they struggle. In those cases you need a big who can clog the paint and draw defenders to leave opportunities for open kick outs on the perimeter. Right now there is hardly any of that and I don't see that changing next year with the roster currently in place.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 1:53:15 PM by GoCats105
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
2/19/2025 2:19 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I was thinking this exact same thing, because looking at who is leaving and who is coming in, the roster is set for 2025-26. Obviously there could/will be transfers, but in the event that there isn't, they'd have exactly three "bigs" on the roster (Evans, Hadaway and Mosley) and two of those are probably more suited to be 3s.

And I also go back to the point BLSS made in a game thread a while back: what is the offensive strategy? If it's to get out and run, then the future recruiting strategy is fine - quick guards and athletic wings. But when the offense isn't running at full speed and has to play slow, they struggle. In those cases you need a big who can clog the paint and draw defenders to leave opportunities for open kick outs on the perimeter. Right now there is hardly any of that and I don't see that changing next year with the roster currently in place.
Just fyi, Kuany should be on your list of bigs, too. In the recruiting grid, Kuany is listed as a 3 but suspect he's a 4 in Boals' system where a lot of folks play up a position.
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GoCats105
2/19/2025 2:23 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I was thinking this exact same thing, because looking at who is leaving and who is coming in, the roster is set for 2025-26. Obviously there could/will be transfers, but in the event that there isn't, they'd have exactly three "bigs" on the roster (Evans, Hadaway and Mosley) and two of those are probably more suited to be 3s.

And I also go back to the point BLSS made in a game thread a while back: what is the offensive strategy? If it's to get out and run, then the future recruiting strategy is fine - quick guards and athletic wings. But when the offense isn't running at full speed and has to play slow, they struggle. In those cases you need a big who can clog the paint and draw defenders to leave opportunities for open kick outs on the perimeter. Right now there is hardly any of that and I don't see that changing next year with the roster currently in place.
Just fyi, Kuany should be on your list of bigs, too. In the recruiting grid, Kuany is listed as a 3 but suspect he's a 4 in Boals' system where a lot of folks play up a position.
Point still stands, two or three of the four bigs are probably not actual bigs.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 2:28:20 PM by GoCats105
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
2/19/2025 2:30 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I was thinking this exact same thing, because looking at who is leaving and who is coming in, the roster is set for 2025-26. Obviously there could/will be transfers, but in the event that there isn't, they'd have exactly three "bigs" on the roster (Evans, Hadaway and Mosley) and two of those are probably more suited to be 3s.

And I also go back to the point BLSS made in a game thread a while back: what is the offensive strategy? If it's to get out and run, then the future recruiting strategy is fine - quick guards and athletic wings. But when the offense isn't running at full speed and has to play slow, they struggle. In those cases you need a big who can clog the paint and draw defenders to leave opportunities for open kick outs on the perimeter. Right now there is hardly any of that and I don't see that changing next year with the roster currently in place.
Just fyi, Kuany should be on your list of bigs, too. In the recruiting grid, Kuany is listed as a 3 but suspect he's a 4 in Boals' system where a lot of folks play up a position.
Point still stands, three of the four bigs are probably not actual bigs.
Yep, totally agree. We're pretty undersized. At this time last year, we were undersized, and it was Evans who was supposed to solve that. Now Evans is 2 years away, and there's a lot riding on Kuany.

But as Graf has rightly pointed out, young bigs require more development time. Absent landing a difference maker big in the portal, it looks like next year's roster will have a lot of the same challenges. We'll actually be replacing more minutes in the frontcourt.
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MonroeClassmate
2/19/2025 7:40 PM
Good for the Chips in finding a diamond in the rough but Central isn't OUr stick to measure by--its Groce and the Zips.

What BIG has John Groce recruited? (Freeman was a walk-on).

The Akron fan page is full of comments over the years about how is it that Akron cannot get a big to back-up Freeman and take over after he graduates.

EVERY Mid WANTS A BIG. In football other than OHIO what school has grabbed an all-MAC QB--it is very similar and even many more basketball teams competing. OUr QB is smallish can get it done meaning QB's come in different packages. Bigs got to be BIG so not easy to uncover that diamond in the rough and if a known commodity almost impossible to compete with others.

Ludicrous talk about needing a change in staff. Has Akron, Miami or Toledo had a season ending injury to a starter? The best MAC teams did not have much depth but starters stayed healthy--we are minus one and another that seems to not be 100% and well that cannot be blamed on the staff.
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lovebobcat
2/19/2025 8:43 PM
bobcat 2000 wrote:expand_more
i think it might be time for a change. perhaps a different coach could be a good idea to at least think about. it's certainly time to get ou out of the mac. the big east ,aac, and conference usa would be good conferences for us to join. then we won't have to win our conference tourney to get in the ncaa tournament. plus we could land better recruits easier. the convo is certainly a big enough gym and we have some sort of rep as being a good team. the main problem is that boals is doing what keith dambrot did at akron. he's under recruiting and scheduling too weak of a non conference slate. he's also using lame reasons for doing that. larry hunter and groce never did any of that stuff. this year would've been a great year to have scheduled to play kansas as they are a bit of a down team this year. and we gotta all our players into a year round intensive weight training program to build strength. that would surely help with the rebound issues.we are starting to see a role reversal here. we once had a football team that had a hard time winning games and a basketball time that was one of the best in the midwest. now our football time is among the best in the mac and then some. but this basketball team has a hard time consistently winning to say the least.
Join the Big East? Schedule Kansas because they're down this year and we might beat them?

I'm not one to dunk on others on this board, but...
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 8:44:10 PM by lovebobcat
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randy
2/19/2025 9:39 PM
I like chiming in every once in a while. I can't follow all the posts, in regards to miniscule details. As a life-timer fan, I do question whether we can get back atop the MAC. IMO, I think Coach kept his job because of the injuries lately. I bleed Green. Is Ohio considered under achievers this year because of the returning players? Or do we blame it on coaching? I will give it another year , with this recruiting class before I comment more on the topic. I am skeptical.
Last Edited: 2/19/2025 9:40:57 PM by randy
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Andrew Ruck
2/19/2025 10:52 PM
lovebobcat wrote:expand_more
i think it might be time for a change. perhaps a different coach could be a good idea to at least think about. it's certainly time to get ou out of the mac. the big east ,aac, and conference usa would be good conferences for us to join. then we won't have to win our conference tourney to get in the ncaa tournament. plus we could land better recruits easier. the convo is certainly a big enough gym and we have some sort of rep as being a good team. the main problem is that boals is doing what keith dambrot did at akron. he's under recruiting and scheduling too weak of a non conference slate. he's also using lame reasons for doing that. larry hunter and groce never did any of that stuff. this year would've been a great year to have scheduled to play kansas as they are a bit of a down team this year. and we gotta all our players into a year round intensive weight training program to build strength. that would surely help with the rebound issues.we are starting to see a role reversal here. we once had a football team that had a hard time winning games and a basketball time that was one of the best in the midwest. now our football time is among the best in the mac and then some. but this basketball team has a hard time consistently winning to say the least.
Join the Big East? Schedule Kansas because they're down this year and we might beat them?

I'm not one to dunk on others on this board, but...
Love - b2000 makes a near identical post several times a year. Always leaving the MAC, always mentioning Kansas, and often mentioning a severe distaste for the 1997 Bobcat team for some reason. It's bizarre to say the least, and many theories abound as to what the deal is here.
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GraffZ06
2/20/2025 1:11 AM
If you say Chet Feldman's name 3 times in a row into a mirror....
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lovebobcat
2/20/2025 10:30 AM
Ah, thanks for the backstory, Andrew.
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