Hope it works out for him.
We’ll reload.
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This is the new reality of college basketball. Our conference is truly weakened. So what’s the appeal at playing at a WCC school going forward.
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Two words: PLAYING TIME. Podz transferred from Illinois (where he sat on the bench) and got to play full-time, leading to getting drafted into the NBA. We’ve seen other players transfer out and end up as benchwarmers. Mahaney left a good thing at SMC and ended up with numbers all way down.
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For most players, they’ll need to go to a smaller program for more minutes and a larger program for more money.
True! But there was also a level of exposure and high-level competition that playing at least four games against Gonzaga and St Mary’s provided. We definitely will need to up our non-conference schedule
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In Bradley Longcor III We Trust. We will miss Sash. It sort of reminds me of the Tilly and Bryan situations last year where we would of had to pay them like stars to keep them, but we have to use our funds more strategically. In that one interview that was posted, Graves was empathic that Bradley Longcor was going to be the next breakout player…and I am guessing the coaches feel the same way.
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Bummer about Sash. I’ll always have respect for him and the “night night” shot against SMC that sealed our tournament fate.
I’m curious how Sendek has been navigating the “tampering phase” of the transfer portal these past few weeks. We might get a clearer picture tomorrow—both on potential new Broncos and where Sash and Hammond are headed.
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Could be worse. We could be Tennessee’s women’s hoops team. ONE remaining player on their roster. Definition of implosion.
Someone feel free to correct me. But I don’t remember there being any rumors before Sash, Normand, and Tadjo were announced. So I’ll trust that our staff is on it until proven otherwise.
You are correct. I believe it’s been typical of the Sendek team not to comment on anything until they have a sure thing, signed, sealed and delivered. It generally takes them awhile to get to that stage.
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Darlan threw out the opening pitch at the Santa Clara baseball game tonight. Bukky and Jake were by his side.
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Then again, I’m pretty sure Carlos Stewart did this a few days before he announced he was going to LSU…
Portal opens tonight. Hold your breath.
If someone has posted this and I missed it, sorry. It’s a long, thoughtful article about Graves prospects and mindset, written before the UK game from a Wildcat perspective. I like the guy even more after reading it.
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I can definitely understand if someone leaves for more money. I am skeptical about the need to transfer up to showcase one’s skillset for NBA Scouts. If Podz remained at a power 4, he is probably just asked to stand in the corner and hit 3 point shots. Having the ball in his hands at Santa Clara, he was able to showcase so much more. Jalen might have been typecast as a 3 and D guy rather than the Point Forward he developed into. It seems like for every 1 guy that boosts his NBA stock transferring up there are 20 that end up putting lots of things on film that they can’t do. I would rather let an NBA GM dream on my potential.
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True. I think if you’re gaming out the odds of getting to the NBA, especially as a first rounder, Graves’s odds are flat to better if he stays. But there’s almost no downside, and maybe only marginal limit to his upside (as in, it may be hard to be a top-5 pick out of SCU, but top-10 is totally achievable on a stellar year).
If he goes to a HM, there’s a big gamble there that weaknesses get exposed or he just fades a bit next to other NBA talent. I mentioned LeJuan Watts above. He’s a guy that might have been a draft pick this year out of Washington State but is likely going to have to transfer back to WCC-level after his star fading on an uber-talented team in a very deep conference.
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In addition there is already a proven pipeline of modern ball players in the league from SCU which negates whether the skill set will transfer. In any case they put them through a combine and workout with other draft picks, teams will work the draftees out in any case so a transfer doesn’t make much sense. Yes the bag is bigger but if you’re in line to be a 1st rounder now you can work on having the tear that may make you a lottery pick next year.
separarely do we expect to see the impact of the new Transfer/NIL legislation impact free agency this year in any meaningful way?
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Definitely not. I think the Executive Order may help signal to Congress a path forward. But it’s hard to believe they do anything with a war in Iran and daily dysfunction, generally. The EO itself is unenforceable and will be struck down within days of the first lawsuit.
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Yeah, if I’m a promising player, I’d stay where my improvement is a mutually beneficial focus, rather than going to a school where I become lost among a bevy of four and five star recruits and transfers. Obviously, if the bag is a meaningful increase of what I’ve received from my MM., I jump on it. Wertz comes to mind ( pre NIL, I think) and Stewart.
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I’ve said this before that I think it would be better for Graves to stay at SCU but then I am biased. I was wrong about Podz as it worked well for him. I agree with most of the comments about staying at SCU vs transferring. However, I have checked multiple sites and the three I checked all had Graves as a first round pick. From # 23-30. Based on that I can see why he will likely declare for the NBA draft. Another SCU player in the NBA will certainly help our recruiting, although the loss of Gonzaga from the WCC and the overall impact of that can hurt all teams in the league.
I still hold out hope that Hammond will see the benefit of staying at SCU. I hope we can keep him and if we can keep the core and from what I have heard from other posters the incoming players should help keep us at or near the top of the league. GO BRONCOS!!!
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