Lavin’s teams have a solid identity! Just not a good identity.
Any players who blossom under Lavin end up transferring. I remember going to the Slim Gym to watch an SCU@USD game. Lavin had three high-quality underclassmen. All went into the portal at the end of the season.
How is it that happens to Lavin but not to Sendek? We’ve seen it happen to our women’s hoops team as well. Is it as simple as players believe they have a better chance under HS because 2 NBA draft picks over the past 4 years came out of SCU? Or do players simply hate playing for Lavin?
Well….we’ve had our share of departures: Wertz, Tahj, Carlos Stewart, Braun, Bediako, Tilly, Tyree.
It happens, though we’ve been on the lower end of the spectrum compared to others.
Even SMC and GU have suffered some key losses. SMC: Mahaney and Josh Jefferson 2 yrs ago (and Jefferson is killing it for Iowa St.), Jordan Ross last year. GU lost Hunter Sallis a few yrs ago and he tore it up for Wake Forest, Ajayi transferred and is having a resurgent season for Butler this year.
Lavin’s problem isn’t that he’s lost some players…..these days everyone does….it’s that he’s rarely retained anyone of value. About the only good player he kept for more than a season was center Jamison who had a couple of good seasons but then transferred for this season to UCLA.
That’s what I meant. Clearly, every school has been hit with transfers. However, SCU has been somewhat insulated from losing its best players, and in one case (Stewart), the player returned. I know some people might think Tilly was a major loss; I never felt that. He is certainly talented, but his ceiling is much lower than Bukky’s AND Tilly’s not a banger like Graves and Tadjo. And Tilly seemed to wilt in the biggest games against evenly matched players.
Guys like JW and Mahi certainly could’ve transferred but didn’t. Lavin (and a lot of similar coaches and/or schools) would’ve lost them.
Let’s talk a bit about Ensminger. In this game, he once again showed his pass-first mentality. Unfortunately, he’s passed up some good opportunities to fire quality shots. He’s too unselfish. I’d like to see him use his size to work more in the key. Even when the opposing bigs collapse, he’s tall enough to kick the ball out to the perimeter or to a cutter. He’s also a pretty good 3-pt shooter.
I agree. I think that since Feagin and Eaddy, Sendek has done a very good job of managing transfers both in and out. SCU hasn’t had a Jefferson or Sallis who went up a level and blew up. Wertz peaked his sophomore year at SCU. Between production drops and an injury, Stewart barely saw the floor at LSU. Braun was deep on the bench at Kansas. Now Bryan has had a huge drop in production, and Tilly is basically par with last year after controlling for the 3-4 more minutes per game he’s getting. Only Bediako seems to have gotten better and with an equal or bigger role after transferring up a league–credit to him–albeit at a lesser Big East team. Kosy has had a good season for Iona, but down a level in competition. Holt did well for Sac State, etc.
Compare that to the transfers in, including Podz, Bal, O’Neil, Bryan and Braun (while at SCU), and Stewart (Round 2).
Basically, since the pandemic, Sendek has an almost unblemished record of getting the best seasons out of guys while they’re here.
Inconsistent teams and no creativity on defense, sure. But credit where due. Sendek (and staff) are among the best at talent evaluation and development in the conference.
Agree on Ensminger. He often receives a pass in the key or grabs an offensive rebound and his first inclination is to pass, kick the ball out for a 3, or dribble the ball out to the perimeter. Would like to see him read the situation better and attack more often and look to score in the key. He’s not a leaper, above the rim finisher type but he is 6-9, not a 6-0 point guard.
He can still be judicious, may not want to attack the biggest bigs and shot blockers, ie- McKeever and Wessels at SMC, Issanza at LMU (when he plays) but there are other good opportunities.