http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...viding-fresh-starts-major-conference-programs
Here are a few of their takes:
Cuonzo Martin, Missouri Tigers
Give Martin credit: It's hard to imagine a new coach making more of a splash than signing the No. 1 player in the country right off the bat. Michael Porter Jr. will play what is likely to be his only college season for Missouri, and expectations are, to say the least, high. Martin has compared Porter to both Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett. (No pressure, young man.)
Porter won't be the only new arrival in Columbia this season. Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris are both top-100 freshmen, and Canisius graduate transfer Kassius Robertson is a career 40 percent 3-point shooter who averaged 16 points per contest for the Golden Griffins last season. Plus Martin just got a commitment from Jontay Porter, a top-30 junior (and Michael's younger brother) who may yet reclassify and play in 2017-18. Now consider that Missouri's already a team that returns no fewer than four starters: Kevin Puryear, Terrence Phillips, Jordan Geist and Jordan Barnett.
The Tigers were just 2-16 in the SEC last season, and the per-possession turnaround required for an NCAA tournament bid would be immense. That being said, the year-to-year programmatic 180 is already in full swing.
Mike Hopkins, Washington Huskies
Now that Markelle Fultz has moved on to the next level (and Michael Porter Jr. has elected to rescind his earlier commitment to Washington to attend Missouri instead), Hopkins is looking at a rather seasoned group of veterans for 2017-18. Notwithstanding top-100 freshman Jaylen Nowell, Washington will feature returnees David Crisp, Noah Dickerson, Matisse Thybulle and Carlos Johnson.
Replacing Fultz is no small task, of course, but one development that could help offset his departure would be an increase in 3-point makes. Last season the Huskies connected on just 31 percent of their tries from beyond the arc in Pac-12 play, the worst such figure in the league. Crisp and Thybulle in particular have the ability to give Washington more scoring from the perimeter.
Wyking Jones, California Golden Bears
Cal played some very good defense against Pac-12 opponents last season, but now Ivan Rabb, Jabari Bird, Sam Singer and Grant Mullins have all departed. In addition, Charlie Moore and Kameron Rooks elected to transfer out of the program.
That leaves Jones with Kingsley Okoroh, Don Coleman and not much more. Any success the new coach achieves in Berkeley will be emphatically free of "winning with someone else's players" variety sniping.
Apparently, they've never heard of Marcus Lee . . .
Here are a few of their takes:
Cuonzo Martin, Missouri Tigers
Give Martin credit: It's hard to imagine a new coach making more of a splash than signing the No. 1 player in the country right off the bat. Michael Porter Jr. will play what is likely to be his only college season for Missouri, and expectations are, to say the least, high. Martin has compared Porter to both Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett. (No pressure, young man.)
Porter won't be the only new arrival in Columbia this season. Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris are both top-100 freshmen, and Canisius graduate transfer Kassius Robertson is a career 40 percent 3-point shooter who averaged 16 points per contest for the Golden Griffins last season. Plus Martin just got a commitment from Jontay Porter, a top-30 junior (and Michael's younger brother) who may yet reclassify and play in 2017-18. Now consider that Missouri's already a team that returns no fewer than four starters: Kevin Puryear, Terrence Phillips, Jordan Geist and Jordan Barnett.
The Tigers were just 2-16 in the SEC last season, and the per-possession turnaround required for an NCAA tournament bid would be immense. That being said, the year-to-year programmatic 180 is already in full swing.
Mike Hopkins, Washington Huskies
Now that Markelle Fultz has moved on to the next level (and Michael Porter Jr. has elected to rescind his earlier commitment to Washington to attend Missouri instead), Hopkins is looking at a rather seasoned group of veterans for 2017-18. Notwithstanding top-100 freshman Jaylen Nowell, Washington will feature returnees David Crisp, Noah Dickerson, Matisse Thybulle and Carlos Johnson.
Replacing Fultz is no small task, of course, but one development that could help offset his departure would be an increase in 3-point makes. Last season the Huskies connected on just 31 percent of their tries from beyond the arc in Pac-12 play, the worst such figure in the league. Crisp and Thybulle in particular have the ability to give Washington more scoring from the perimeter.
Wyking Jones, California Golden Bears
Cal played some very good defense against Pac-12 opponents last season, but now Ivan Rabb, Jabari Bird, Sam Singer and Grant Mullins have all departed. In addition, Charlie Moore and Kameron Rooks elected to transfer out of the program.
That leaves Jones with Kingsley Okoroh, Don Coleman and not much more. Any success the new coach achieves in Berkeley will be emphatically free of "winning with someone else's players" variety sniping.
Apparently, they've never heard of Marcus Lee . . .
