Carrington and Lowe continue Red Hot scoring with Playoff basketball upcoming

[Vader_Storm]

St. Francis Academy- Carlton Carrington



23-9 team record

#3 team in the Baltimore Catholic League, played one of the toughest schedules in high school basketball

Huge game tomorrow against St. Joseph, another top 20 nationally ranked team from the BCL

19-3 record in last 22 games, with wins over multiple national top 25 teams.





Carrington last 6 games (I don’t have the stats from the last 2 games, 2 of the easiest teams on the schedule that were 30 point wins)



St. Maria Goretti - 43 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Mcdonogh- 34 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

St. Vincent- 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, only played 3 quarters as game was over

Mt Carmel- 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Mcdonogh- 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Gonzaga- 24 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists





The clear favorite at this junction for BCL player of the year and should be the favorite for state player of the year. He averaged 29 points per game in this stretch, 4 of the games on the road, and 2 of the games against 2 of the best high school teams in the country that are top 25 caliber. He’s been consistent and well rounded and is the #1 scoring option for SFA playing with a 5 star and 4 star player right next to him. Carrington plays backup point guard, he plays as a point forward, and he also plays SG. He plays more backup point guard than you might imagine, both in the EYBL last year and at St. Francis. Again, I like him as a future point forward and his assist production continues to be quite underrated on a national level.



His best game in this stretch was easily against St. Maria, one of the best 25 high school teams or so in the country and the best team currently in the BCL. He scored 43 points quite easily and was a 1 man force scoring at will and this game was on the road with a raucous crowd all game long. The lead slipped away in the closing minutes and SFA split the series with them in the regular season. He scored all over the place, from 3, from midrange, from inside, from the line, and he missed 1 free throw out of 9 or so in the game.



Carrington’s worst game in this stretch was the game against Mt. Carmel on the road. This is a game that Carrington struggled shooting, he was about 2-10 going into the 4th quarter and his team was down 10 in a rowdy road game with the crowd impacting the game. He flipped the switch in the 4th quarter, scoring 9 points with 2 big assists helping his team claw back from 10 down to a 5 point win. Carrington did not shoot well this game, make no mistake about it, he was about 5-14 with only 1 three pointer. But when you put up 15 / 4 / with 6 assists and win on the road, it really shouldn’t be considered a down game.



The biggest takeaway this season is Carrington is now playing with even more killer instinct. When the game is on the line, he calls for the ball to shoot, or, he calls for the ball for 1 on 1 isolation and tells his teammates to get out of the way as he wants the shot. The biggest improvement he has made since last summer is the dribble drive to the basket. He is using it a lot more, and scoring with it quite a bit more. His rebound numbers have dipped slightly in these games because he is getting out in transition and trying to score more baskets in transition. He has been successful doing this, which is helping to push his scoring numbers even higher. Like last summer, he is consistently making 3 balls and makes a lot of them. If he makes less than 2 in a single game, it was an off game and an outlier.









FB Marshall- Jaland Lowe



30-3 record

#3 ranked team in the state of Texas

Win margin of 40 points per game over the last 10 games



Lowe’s last 5 games, and these games Lowe only played 2 or max 3 quarters as they were complete blowouts.



Willowridge- 11 points, 5 assists, 6 steals

Randel-33 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Terry-26 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals

Foster-26 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals

Lamar-21 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals



There are not many takeaways here because these teams are not good unlike the teams and players Lowe was going up against earlier in the season. Lowe’s team has lost 1 time since November, and that game was in overtime. They are the considerable favorite to come out of the region and make the Final 4 in Texas. If Lowe wanted to run the score up, he would easily be dropping 40 a game against teams like this. These games are over before halftime and not much should be taken away from this except that, good players and good teams put opposition away early and bury the opposing team, which Lowe and his team are doing. . Marshall and Lowe are ready for playoff basketball.

 

[Vader_Storm]

St. Francis Academy- Carlton Carrington



23-9 team record

#3 team in the Baltimore Catholic League, played one of the toughest schedules in high school basketball

Huge game tomorrow against St. Joseph, another top 20 nationally ranked team from the BCL

19-3 record in last 22 games, with wins over multiple national top 25 teams.





Carrington last 6 games (I don’t have the stats from the last 2 games, 2 of the easiest teams on the schedule that were 30 point wins)



St. Maria Goretti - 43 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Mcdonogh- 34 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

St. Vincent- 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, only played 3 quarters as game was over

Mt Carmel- 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Mcdonogh- 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Gonzaga- 24 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists





The clear favorite at this junction for BCL player of the year and should be the favorite for state player of the year. He averaged 29 points per game in this stretch, 4 of the games on the road, and 2 of the games against 2 of the best high school teams in the country that are top 25 caliber. He’s been consistent and well rounded and is the #1 scoring option for SFA playing with a 5 star and 4 star player right next to him. Carrington plays backup point guard, he plays as a point forward, and he also plays SG. He plays more backup point guard than you might imagine, both in the EYBL last year and at St. Francis. Again, I like him as a future point forward and his assist production continues to be quite underrated on a national level.



His best game in this stretch was easily against St. Maria, one of the best 25 high school teams or so in the country and the best team currently in the BCL. He scored 43 points quite easily and was a 1 man force scoring at will and this game was on the road with a raucous crowd all game long. The lead slipped away in the closing minutes and SFA split the series with them in the regular season. He scored all over the place, from 3, from midrange, from inside, from the line, and he missed 1 free throw out of 9 or so in the game.



Carrington’s worst game in this stretch was the game against Mt. Carmel on the road. This is a game that Carrington struggled shooting, he was about 2-10 going into the 4th quarter and his team was down 10 in a rowdy road game with the crowd impacting the game. He flipped the switch in the 4th quarter, scoring 9 points with 2 big assists helping his team claw back from 10 down to a 5 point win. Carrington did not shoot well this game, make no mistake about it, he was about 5-14 with only 1 three pointer. But when you put up 15 / 4 / with 6 assists and win on the road, it really shouldn’t be considered a down game.



The biggest takeaway this season is Carrington is now playing with even more killer instinct. When the game is on the line, he calls for the ball to shoot, or, he calls for the ball for 1 on 1 isolation and tells his teammates to get out of the way as he wants the shot. The biggest improvement he has made since last summer is the dribble drive to the basket. He is using it a lot more, and scoring with it quite a bit more. His rebound numbers have dipped slightly in these games because he is getting out in transition and trying to score more baskets in transition. He has been successful doing this, which is helping to push his scoring numbers even higher. Like last summer, he is consistently making 3 balls and makes a lot of them. If he makes less than 2 in a single game, it was an off game and an outlier.









FB Marshall- Jaland Lowe



30-3 record

#3 ranked team in the state of Texas

Win margin of 40 points per game over the last 10 games



Lowe’s last 5 games, and these games Lowe only played 2 or max 3 quarters as they were complete blowouts.



Willowridge- 11 points, 5 assists, 6 steals

Randel-33 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Terry-26 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals

Foster-26 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals

Lamar-21 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals



There are not many takeaways here because these teams are not good unlike the teams and players Lowe was going up against earlier in the season. Lowe’s team has lost 1 time since November, and that game was in overtime. They are the considerable favorite to come out of the region and make the Final 4 in Texas. If Lowe wanted to run the score up, he would easily be dropping 40 a game against teams like this. These games are over before halftime and not much should be taken away from this except that, good players and good teams put opposition away early and bury the opposing team, which Lowe and his team are doing. . Marshall and Lowe are ready for playoff basketball.

Halftime at the Smith Center with one of the biggest high school matchups of the season is taking place between St. Francis and St. Joseph with an amped up emotional crowd on hand.


St. Joseph leads at halftime 37-32. SFA cant stop turning the ball over, and they have given up way to many points off the turnovers.


Carrington has 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist at the half. He has only taken 6 shots total and is 0-1 from 3 in this game. For SFA to win, Carrington needs to get the ball a lot more in the 2nd half. He does not have any turnovers in this game so far.

 

[Pittparade]

Does Carrington project better as a 2 or 3 at next level?

Would Lowe be the best point guard on Pitt's team right now?

 

[Vader_Storm]

Halftime at the Smith Center with one of the biggest high school matchups of the season is taking place between St. Francis and St. Joseph with an amped up emotional crowd on hand.


St. Joseph leads at halftime 37-32. SFA cant stop turning the ball over, and they have given up way to many points off the turnovers.


Carrington has 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist at the half. He has only taken 6 shots total and is 0-1 from 3 in this game. For SFA to win, Carrington needs to get the ball a lot more in the 2nd half. He does not have any turnovers in this game so far.

14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers for Carrington. 7 minutes left down 8.

 

[Vader_Storm]

St. Joseph pulls away late in the 4th quarter to win 82-64. S. Francis will finish 3rd going into the playoffs.

Carrington's final line

21 points
9 rebounds
2 assists
1 steal
2 turnovers
6-14 FG
1-3 3 point
8-8 free throw

Way too many turnovers by the rest of his team and not enough shots for Carrington overall. Carrington's 2 turnovers came off of double teams resulting in bad passes.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Does Carrington project better as a 2 or 3 at next level?

Would Lowe be the best point guard on Pitt's team right now?

I like Carrington as a point forward at the 3, but he can play the 2.

Lowe would not be the best point guard on Pitt's team right now.

 

[BTisinDC]

I like Carrington as a point forward at the 3, but he can play the 2.

Lowe would not be the best point guard on Pitt's team right now.

How does Lowe compare to Nelly? There about the same height, I believe.

 

[Vader_Storm]

How does Lowe compare to Nelly? There about the same height, I believe.

They are pretty different players. I guess you could say they both really like the midrange game. Cummings is a better shooter when he is not playing point guard and not running the offense. Cummings loves the midrange game. Lowe is more balanced and is a 3 level scorer. Lowe loves to operate out of the PnR, he'll pick defenses apart out of it and fearlessly drive the ball right into the paint to score or dump it off. That isn't Cummings game as Cummings operates more from the midrange out.

Lowe is coming in around 6'2. He is significantly quicker than Cummings and has the game to blow by defenders off the bounce. His first step isn't nba level quickness but its quick enough to keep defenders on their toes at the college level with the dribble drive. Lowe uses a number of floaters at different angles when going downhill. He also uses stepbacks from both the midrange and from 3 like Cummings. Lowe will get a decent amount of steals but both are average overall defenders at best as both get beat off the dribble and both fail to close out 3 point shooters quick enough.

Lowe has better upside because he is quicker, slightly taller, and more athletic. Both are streaky 3 point shooters but both have the ability to get hot and bury good teams against good players when their shot is on. Lowe has better 3 point range, he has the ability to make deep 3s to really extend the defense. I view Cummings more as a SG in a point guards body. I view Lowe as a balanced scoring / playmaking true point guard.

Ive seen people like to compare Lowe to Jalen Brunson, Chris Paul, and even Trae Young. The guy I keep going back to John Lucas III from Oklahoma State. And, Lucas the II is Lowe's godfather. All Lowe needs is some better consistency from 3.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Jaland Lowe finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals in a 43 point win. He has 1 game remaining on the schedule before the playoffs. His team improves to 31-3.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Carlton Carrington tonight vs Loyola on the road. His team won 85-66

28 points
4 rebounds
4 assists
1 turnover
4 steals
1 charge drawn
8-15 shooting
4-9 3 point shooting
8-10 free throw

He took the game over in the 2nd half almost by himself. Played really well today, on both ends of the floor. Played the passing lanes really well on defense. Had 2 steals that he took coast to coast on stolen passes that led to 2 big dunks. Had another steal he took coast to coast then he passed to a wide open 3 point shooter which was a made 3. Complete game on both ends of the floor by Carrington.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Jaland Lowe capped off his final season game with a 65 -37 blowout win that was over in the 2nd quarter.

Lowe finished with 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals and is the District 20 champion in Texas.

Playoff basketball will start February 21st in Houston where Lowe's FB Marshall takes on Milby.


The Guy V Lewis award will be announced in March for the top player in Houston. Lowe has already made the Final cut for the award.


Lowe's FB Marshall team enters the playoffs as the #3 ranked team in the state of Texas. They are 32-3 and a favorite to get to the Final 4.

 

[pelfrey]

Jaland Lowe capped off his final season game with a 65 -37 blowout win that was over in the 2nd quarter.

Lowe finished with 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals and is the District 20 champion in Texas.

Playoff basketball will start February 21st in Houston where Lowe's FB Marshall takes on Milby.


The Guy V Lewis award will be announced in March for the top player in Houston. Lowe has already made the Final cut for the award.


Lowe's FB Marshall team enters the playoffs as the #3 ranked team in the state of Texas. They are 32-3 and a favorite to get to the Final 4.

Really appreciate your updates and assessments...I know it's not either or...but just curious...in your view, who is the better prospect...Carrington or Lowe? Thanks much.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Really appreciate your updates and assessments...I know it's not either or...but just curious...in your view, who is the better prospect...Carrington or Lowe? Thanks much.

Carrington. Carrington looks a legit 6'6 and is significantly younger than Lowe. Carrington has major upside potential because of his shooting ability and ability to score at a high level 1 on 1 without help against strong defensive players. Barnes is also very young for his class. Barnes should redshirt, he isn't going to be ready next year.

Lowe has great college potential. Carrington has NBA potential with his size and shooting ability. Both will produce in college, but Carrington's upside is tremendous. And again. Carrington is a year young for his class. Lowe is going to be 19 before he plays his first game.

 

[PANTHERAN]

Carrington. Carrington looks a legit 6'6 and is significantly younger than Lowe. Carrington has major upside potential because of his shooting ability and ability to score at a high level 1 on 1 without help against strong defensive players. Barnes is also very young for his class. Barnes should redshirt, he isn't going to be ready next year.

Lowe has great college potential. Carrington has NBA potential with his size and shooting ability. Both will produce in college, but Carrington's upside is tremendous. And again. Carrington is a year young for his class. Lowe is going to be 19 before he plays his first game.

Thanks for the info. What is your take on Dior? Do you think he will be here next year and what’s the scouting report on him? If he stays do you think Carrington, Lowe and him can handle the guard duties successfully next year or do they need to get 1/2 transfer guards to help?

 

[PittMan 72]

@Vader_Storm can you compare Lowe’s game with Dior’s game? Aside from their age difference, of course.

If Pitt were to have to play with just those 2 as lead G’s next season (meaning no other lead G brought in through the Portal), will the Panthers be in solid shape at PG for 2023 - ‘24 In your opinion?

 

[Vader_Storm]

Thanks for the info. What is your take on Dior? Do you think he will be here next year and what’s the scouting report on him? If he stays do you think Carrington, Lowe and him can handle the guard duties successfully next year or do they need to get 1/2 transfer guards to help?

Dior's strengths

-3 level scoring ability / has potential to take games over himself
-pushing the basketball on the fastbreak and running the fastbreak
-excellent rebounder, led the entire EYBL in rebounds for all guards
-loves getting defensive rebounds and pushing the fastbreak
-easily can break defenders down and get into the lane
-Loves attacking the basket overall
-strong floor vision and getting his teammates involved
-has the ability to play the 1 or 2
-gets to the free throw line a lot, has a good midrange game
-Good change of direction
-Extremely confident, which can also be a weakness
-Finishes and scores well inside 10 feet and finishes very well inside 5 feet


Dior's area of improvement / weakness

-Plays fast and gets himself into turnover problems.
-streaky 3 point shooter
-can be undisciplined / lazy on defense at times, but gets a good amount of steals
-Takes a lot of questionable shots, tough shots / not patient enough
-He's really a combo guard, not a true point, and is slightly undersized for a 2
-Not an explosive athlete at all which really hurts NBA potential (he's quick, but not a big vertical jumper)
-Has pretty high level raw talent, but obviously need maturity to go with that talent
-Volume scorer. He will get you buckets in a lot of different ways, but he is no where near the most efficient player right now and needs coaching to really improve this.


We should be looking to add experienced guards in the portal. 3 point shooter / 3 level scorers would be my number 1 priority with a SG. I prefer a stud athlete that locks in on defense, someone like Julius Page if we could find that player would be perfect. I think we need 2 more guard additions to go with Lowe / Dior / Carrington. I dont see a reason why Dior would not want to be here next year at this point in time. He will have talent around him to excel. And that's really the case with Hinson, because if you give interior space to Dior with lights out 3 point shooting on the wings, he can kill opposing teams going inside.

 

[Vader_Storm]

@Vader_Storm can you compare Lowe’s game with Dior’s game? Aside from their age difference, of course.

If Pitt were to have to play with just those 2 as lead G’s next season (meaning no other lead G brought in through the Portal), will the Panthers be in solid shape at PG for 2023 - ‘24 In your opinion?

Lowe is a true point guard, Dior is not. Lowe is a better leader / communicator on the floor. Lowe keeps his teammates in check the way you would think about with comparison to someone like Brandin Knight. Lowe is very good at managing game pace, switching from fast pace to slow it down, he excels either way. Dior is the better overall scorer and a much better rebounder. Both are 3 level scorers but both are streaky 3 point shooters. Both really flourish in the transition game. Lowe loves to operate in the PnR and pick defenses apart with it. Dior has the talent to break defenders down in multiple ways and score 1 on 1 on anyone. Both operate best with 3 point shooters around them with good spacing on offense.

I think both are good passers, Jaland is better passing, but they are not elite passers, at least not yet. Both have the ability to take a game over on offense. Jaland is much more balanced. He can score, he can pass, he has good vision. Dior wants to score and his top objective is scoring followed by passing. Both play with killer instinct. Both create steals, but I would consider both players to be average on defense. Dior simply gets lazy on defense at times. Jaland fails to close on 3 point shooters fast enough and can get beat off the dribble, he needs to improve foot speed and awareness.

I think we will be just fine with these 2 at the point guard position. I think Dior can play the 2. But I really want additional guards added. And I really like Carrington as a point forward more than I like him as a SG, at least right now, but Carrington can be SG. I want at least 1 high end SG added that can shoot the 3 and lock people up on defense. If that player is a 3 level scorer, even better.

 

[DT_PITT]

St. Francis Academy- Carlton Carrington



23-9 team record

#3 team in the Baltimore Catholic League, played one of the toughest schedules in high school basketball

Huge game tomorrow against St. Joseph, another top 20 nationally ranked team from the BCL

19-3 record in last 22 games, with wins over multiple national top 25 teams.





Carrington last 6 games (I don’t have the stats from the last 2 games, 2 of the easiest teams on the schedule that were 30 point wins)



St. Maria Goretti - 43 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Mcdonogh- 34 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

St. Vincent- 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, only played 3 quarters as game was over

Mt Carmel- 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Mcdonogh- 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Gonzaga- 24 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists





The clear favorite at this junction for BCL player of the year and should be the favorite for state player of the year. He averaged 29 points per game in this stretch, 4 of the games on the road, and 2 of the games against 2 of the best high school teams in the country that are top 25 caliber. He’s been consistent and well rounded and is the #1 scoring option for SFA playing with a 5 star and 4 star player right next to him. Carrington plays backup point guard, he plays as a point forward, and he also plays SG. He plays more backup point guard than you might imagine, both in the EYBL last year and at St. Francis. Again, I like him as a future point forward and his assist production continues to be quite underrated on a national level.



His best game in this stretch was easily against St. Maria, one of the best 25 high school teams or so in the country and the best team currently in the BCL. He scored 43 points quite easily and was a 1 man force scoring at will and this game was on the road with a raucous crowd all game long. The lead slipped away in the closing minutes and SFA split the series with them in the regular season. He scored all over the place, from 3, from midrange, from inside, from the line, and he missed 1 free throw out of 9 or so in the game.



Carrington’s worst game in this stretch was the game against Mt. Carmel on the road. This is a game that Carrington struggled shooting, he was about 2-10 going into the 4th quarter and his team was down 10 in a rowdy road game with the crowd impacting the game. He flipped the switch in the 4th quarter, scoring 9 points with 2 big assists helping his team claw back from 10 down to a 5 point win. Carrington did not shoot well this game, make no mistake about it, he was about 5-14 with only 1 three pointer. But when you put up 15 / 4 / with 6 assists and win on the road, it really shouldn’t be considered a down game.



The biggest takeaway this season is Carrington is now playing with even more killer instinct. When the game is on the line, he calls for the ball to shoot, or, he calls for the ball for 1 on 1 isolation and tells his teammates to get out of the way as he wants the shot. The biggest improvement he has made since last summer is the dribble drive to the basket. He is using it a lot more, and scoring with it quite a bit more. His rebound numbers have dipped slightly in these games because he is getting out in transition and trying to score more baskets in transition. He has been successful doing this, which is helping to push his scoring numbers even higher. Like last summer, he is consistently making 3 balls and makes a lot of them. If he makes less than 2 in a single game, it was an off game and an outlier.









FB Marshall- Jaland Lowe



30-3 record

#3 ranked team in the state of Texas

Win margin of 40 points per game over the last 10 games



Lowe’s last 5 games, and these games Lowe only played 2 or max 3 quarters as they were complete blowouts.



Willowridge- 11 points, 5 assists, 6 steals

Randel-33 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Terry-26 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals

Foster-26 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals

Lamar-21 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals



There are not many takeaways here because these teams are not good unlike the teams and players Lowe was going up against earlier in the season. Lowe’s team has lost 1 time since November, and that game was in overtime. They are the considerable favorite to come out of the region and make the Final 4 in Texas. If Lowe wanted to run the score up, he would easily be dropping 40 a game against teams like this. These games are over before halftime and not much should be taken away from this except that, good players and good teams put opposition away early and bury the opposing team, which Lowe and his team are doing. . Marshall and Lowe are ready for playoff basketball.

Thanks for this report.

 

[PittMan 72]

Lowe is a true point guard, Dior is not. Lowe is a better leader / communicator on the floor. Lowe keeps his teammates in check the way you would think about with comparison to someone like Brandin Knight. Lowe is very good at managing game pace, switching from fast pace to slow it down, he excels either way. Dior is the better overall scorer and a much better rebounder. Both are 3 level scorers but both are streaky 3 point shooters. Both really flourish in the transition game. Lowe loves to operate in the PnR and pick defenses apart with it. Dior has the talent to break defenders down in multiple ways and score 1 on 1 on anyone. Both operate best with 3 point shooters around them with good spacing on offense.

I think both are good passers, Jaland is better passing, but they are not elite passers, at least not yet. Both have the ability to take a game over on offense. Jaland is much more balanced. He can score, he can pass, he has good vision. Dior wants to score and his top objective is scoring followed by passing. Both play with killer instinct. Both create steals, but I would consider both players to be average on defense. Dior simply gets lazy on defense at times. Jaland fails to close on 3 point shooters fast enough and can get beat off the dribble, he needs to improve foot speed and awareness.

I think we will be just fine with these 2 at the point guard position. I think Dior can play the 2. But I really want additional guards added. And I really like Carrington as a point forward more than I like him as a SG, at least right now, but Carrington can be SG. I want at least 1 high end SG added that can shoot the 3 and lock people up on defense. If that player is a 3 level scorer, even better.

So based on the premise that everyone eligible to come back does come back, plus all 3 signed HS players enrolling, what positions do you think Pitt will recruit through the Portal with the 2 spots they’d be currently projected to have available to get to 13?

Would imagine that coming off this season that Pitt could be an attractive destination for some good transfers.

Of course, this is all dependent on what may happen as far as retention after this season. Dior. Hugley. Jeffress. Plus the 5 who are on the current roster and playing this season who are eligible to return next year based on their decisions and with Pitt’s approval. If not everyone who could does come back, there could be more than 2 added through the Portal by Pitt.

 

[gary2]

So based on the premise that everyone eligible to come back does come back, plus all 3 signed HS players enrolling, what positions do you think Pitt will recruit through the Portal with the 2 spots they’d be currently projected to have available to get to 13?

Would imagine that coming off this season that Pitt could be an attractive destination for some good transfers.

Of course, this is all dependent on what may happen as far as retention after this season. Dior. Hugley. Jeffress. Plus the 5 who are on the current roster and playing this season who are eligible to return next year based on their decisions and with Pitt’s approval. If not everyone who could does come back, of course there could be more than 2 added through the Portal.

My guess is that at the very least, Hugley departs?

 

[DT_PITT]

My guess is that at the very least, Hugley departs?

No inside info … just my take … but I’d be quite surprised if John plays for us next year.

 

[PittMan 72]

gary2:

My guess is that at the very least, Hugley departs?

No inside info … just my take … but I’d be quite surprised if John plays for us next year.

And if this were to happen, this is where the Portal can REALLY be a difference maker. It would give Pitt the opportunity to add another experienced potential plug and play guy with a CBB track record and not have to necessarily rely on just bringing in another inexperienced HS player at this late juncture.

I have no clue about the realistic or expected possibilities for the return of either JH, Dior or Will. From the perspective of either side. But regardless of how it plays out with any of those three, Pitt will have the opportunity to use the Portal to try to have a complete, talented roster and positional balance for next season.

 

[gary2]

No inside info … just my take … but I’d be quite surprised if John plays for us next year.

Thanks for the reply

 

[DT_PITT]

gary2:

My guess is that at the very least, Hugley departs?


And if this were to happen, this is where the Portal can REALLY be a difference maker. It would give Pitt the opportunity to add another experienced potential plug and play guy with a CBB track record and not have to necessarily rely on just bringing in another inexperienced HS player at this late juncture.

I have no clue about the realistic or expected possibilities for the return of either JH, Dior or Will. From the perspective of either side. But regardless of how it plays out with any of those three, Pitt will have the opportunity to use the Portal to try to have a complete, talented roster and positional balance for next season.

I think it’s quite likely to suggest that we will be seen as a top potential destination for some of the very best guards in the portal in the spring. I’m even talking about someone like Kendric Davis was last spring. We should have a strong returning front court from a tournament team. But more so, we offer a staring role in the ACC and a backcourt with a style of play where players are encouraged to shoot it. And now that he’s having success, Capel is a draw also, especially now that he’s shown that transfers can thrive here.

I think we can get just not one, but two top guards in the portal.

 

[Vader_Storm]

So based on the premise that everyone eligible to come back does come back, plus all 3 signed HS players enrolling, what positions do you think Pitt will recruit through the Portal with the 2 spots they’d be currently projected to have available to get to 13?

Would imagine that coming off this season that Pitt could be an attractive destination for some good transfers.

Of course, this is all dependent on what may happen as far as retention after this season. Dior. Hugley. Jeffress. Plus the 5 who are on the current roster and playing this season who are eligible to return next year based on their decisions and with Pitt’s approval. If not everyone who could does come back, there could be more than 2 added through the Portal by Pitt.

How I see it today. We are in February right now so next year is a long time from now. And I am expecting / hoping Carrington to continue to improve at the same rapid pace since spring last year. He's young, but he is the shooter we need and he is a well rounded player overall on both ends. I could see Dior sliding to the 2. I could see Nate still playing some 4. There are a lot of possibilities here and Im not sure where Jorge fits quite yet between the 3 and 4. The glaring need is a lights out shooter from 3 that can play defense at the 2 position. That is going to solve a big piece of the puzzle. And I think if we get that player, we can become dangerous really quick.



Pg- Dior, Lowe
Sg-
Sf- Carrington, Santos, Jorge
Pf-Hinson, Jeffress, Jorge
C- Fede, Guillermo


Barnes- RS


I am not projecting anything with Hugley because who knows with people that have some mental issues going on. He might not even play anywhere next year. So that leaves 3 open spots for transfers or a high school addition, maybe someone like Malachi Palmer at the 2 plus an additional SG in the portal.

 

[pittchagg]

Guards only in the portal imo, whether Hugley’s here or not. The portal centers who would be good enough to take minutes from Fede and Guillermo are hard to come by, and are expensive.

 

[DT_PITT]

Thanks for the reply

If John even wants to play basketball next year, I could see him being a good fit at somewhere like Cleveland State.

 

[pittchagg]

If John even wants to play basketball next year, I could see him being a good fit at somewhere like Cleveland State.

I think someone like Ohio State would be eager and willing to take him. I think he’d be attractive across the Big East and Big Ten.

 

[DT_PITT]

I think someone like Ohio State would be eager and willing to take him. I think he’d be attractive across the Big East and Big Ten.

If John is dealing with anxiety and/or other mental health issues, my guess is that he’d want to play basketball for fun at a place where the expectations are much less.

 

[Drew1208]

Transfer Portal question is easy.

Old Ass Pg who can shoot decent and knows how to run a team
Old ass SG who can shoot and play D.

Anyone wonder if Blake could move to the 3???

 

[PittMan 72]

How I see it today. We are in February right now so next year is a long time from now. And I am expecting / hoping Carrington to continue to improve at the same rapid pace since spring last year. He's young, but he is the shooter we need and he is a well rounded player overall on both ends. I could see Dior sliding to the 2. I could see Nate still playing some 4. There are a lot of possibilities here and Im not sure where Jorge fits quite yet between the 3 and 4. The glaring need is a lights out shooter from 3 that can play defense at the 2 position. That is going to solve a big piece of the puzzle. And I think if we get that player, we can become dangerous really quick.



Pg- Dior, Lowe
Sg-
Sf- Carrington, Santos, Jorge
Pf-Hinson, Jeffress, Jorge
C- Fede, Guillermo


Barnes- RS


I am not projecting anything with Hugley because who knows with people that have some mental issues going on. He might not even play anywhere next year. So that leaves 3 open spots for transfers or a high school addition, maybe someone like Malachi Palmer at the 2 plus an additional SG in the portal.

I see them needing to try to replace Elliott with a guy that can shoot it like he can (or even better if possible 😉) for sure. After that? Depends on who all returns or doesn’t.

My question earlier about lead G’s was because I am such a big believer around experience and proven leadership at that spot. Burton and Nelly have exceeded my expectations at that critical spot.

But winning teams absolutely HAVE to have solid lead G’s. If the 2 young ones are capable enough that’d be great. But it’s MANDATORY in order to have a winning team at the ACC level, IMO.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Transfer Portal question is easy.

Old Ass Pg who can shoot decent and knows how to run a team
Old ass SG who can shoot and play D.

Anyone wonder if Blake could move to the 3???

He could move to the 3. But I think he's best at the 4 based off our returning parts for now.



The staff seems to feel set at the 5. Because Thomas Sorber listed his top schools, and we arent even listed as recruiting him hard anymore. And that's after he took an unofficial to us and we visited him in the winter and he's only been on unofficials to I think 2 or 3 schools. so that leaves me to think what could / will still happen with Big John, I dont know. But G has been quite good so there isn't the need there right now. His teammate Bethea is getting large 6 figure offers too, so it appears that ship has sailed as a future SG also. He also didn't list us recently. They are interested in pairing up in college, Miami, Syracuse, Nova and Virginia all likely to pitch that offer to them in 2024.



We are for sure going portal for a SG. If we get an Elite one, that begs the question what can we get with it. I dont think we are getting 2 high end SG's in the portal. I also dont think we are going point guard, because Lowe is expecting to play next year and we have Dior. Could be a portal SG and a CG. Could be a portal SG and high end high school kid that is a guard.


Could target a legit PF and move Hinson to the 3. I think we need to see what SG we get first and then go from there based off that players strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

Lowe is a true point guard, Dior is not. Lowe is a better leader / communicator on the floor. Lowe keeps his teammates in check the way you would think about with comparison to someone like Brandin Knight. Lowe is very good at managing game pace, switching from fast pace to slow it down, he excels either way. Dior is the better overall scorer and a much better rebounder. Both are 3 level scorers but both are streaky 3 point shooters. Both really flourish in the transition game. Lowe loves to operate in the PnR and pick defenses apart with it. Dior has the talent to break defenders down in multiple ways and score 1 on 1 on anyone. Both operate best with 3 point shooters around them with good spacing on offense.

I think both are good passers, Jaland is better passing, but they are not elite passers, at least not yet. Both have the ability to take a game over on offense. Jaland is much more balanced. He can score, he can pass, he has good vision. Dior wants to score and his top objective is scoring followed by passing. Both play with killer instinct. Both create steals, but I would consider both players to be average on defense. Dior simply gets lazy on defense at times. Jaland fails to close on 3 point shooters fast enough and can get beat off the dribble, he needs to improve foot speed and awareness.

I think we will be just fine with these 2 at the point guard position. I think Dior can play the 2. But I really want additional guards added. And I really like Carrington as a point forward more than I like him as a SG, at least right now, but Carrington can be SG. I want at least 1 high end SG added that can shoot the 3 and lock people up on defense. If that player is a 3 level scorer, even better.

Sounds like Lowe is PG, Dior is SG, Carrington is SF who can also handle.

 

[Drew1208]

He could move to the 3. But I think he's best at the 4 based off our returning parts for now.



The staff seems to feel set at the 5. Because Thomas Sorber listed his top schools, and we arent even listed as recruiting him hard anymore. And that's after he took an unofficial to us and we visited him in the winter and he's only been on unofficials to I think 2 or 3 schools. so that leaves me to think what could / will still happen with Big John, I dont know. But G has been quite good so there isn't the need there right now. His teammate Bethea is getting large 6 figure offers too, so it appears that ship has sailed as a future SG also. He also didn't list us recently. They are interested in pairing up in college, Miami, Syracuse, Nova and Virginia all likely to pitch that offer to them in 2024.



We are for sure going portal for a SG. If we get an Elite one, that begs the question what can we get with it. I dont think we are getting 2 high end SG's in the portal. I also dont think we are going point guard, because Lowe is expecting to play next year and we have Dior. Could be a portal SG and a CG. Could be a portal SG and high end high school kid that is a guard.


Could target a legit PF and move Hinson to the 3. I think we need to see what SG we get first and then go from there based off that players strengths and weaknesses.

Yeah my thought on the pg is that I'm assuming Dior won't be here.
But now I'm about 60/40 I think Dior stays now.
But I'd much rather have a more mature pg for next year.
2 freshman with a guard who got arrested isn't what I think we need.
We need old guards to be role models for the young ones

 

[gary2]

Yeah my thought on the pg is that I'm assuming Dior won't be here.
But now I'm about 60/40 I think Dior stays now.
But I'd much rather have a more mature pg for next year.
2 freshman with a guard who got arrested isn't what I think we need.
We need old guards to be role models for the young ones

Agree

 

[Vader_Storm]

Sounds like Lowe is PG, Dior is SG, Carrington is SF who can also handle.

And that lineup could be dynamite in the future if one of or both of Dior / Lowe become more consistent from 3 instead of streaky.

Next year as 3 freshmen though we need some older guards with these guys.

 

[Drew1208]

Agree

U get the right 2 guys and this team is looking at a top 15 team next year.
And I think you're rolling.
Go with just young guys and your wasting a very very good bigs best years

 

[Vader_Storm]

Yeah my thought on the pg is that I'm assuming Dior won't be here.
But now I'm about 60/40 I think Dior stays now.
But I'd much rather have a more mature pg for next year.
2 freshman with a guard who got arrested isn't what I think we need.
We need old guards to be role models for the young ones

Its possible if you move Dior to the 2 full time. Im not sure Dior is going to want that, however. Although long term I like it. I think Dior is very likely to start because he is quite skilled and can score. But again, it depends what you pair with him. To really maximize Dior / Lowe, you need a 3 point lights out shooter along side them. That also is going to be more difficult to find that from a point guard addition as opposed to a SG addition.

But I understand your point of a seasoned pg leader.

 

[joeydavid]

Dior replaces Burton
Lowe replaces Cummings
Carrington replaces Elliott

That group is too young to depend on for the Burton/Cummings/Elliott minutes imo.

The replacement for Sibande needs to be a older combo guard who can shoot. They might need an older 1 year PG as well for insurance.

Unless he can change his body a good bit- I'm not seeing Hinson at the 3. At the 3 he's a liability on the defensive end and you lose the mismatch he provides at the 4 on the offensive end. I would rather see Jorge or Jeffress at the 3.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Unless he can change his body a good bit- I'm not seeing Hinson at the 3. At the 3 he's a liability on the defensive end and you lose the mismatch he provides at the 4 on the offensive end. I would rather see Jorge or Jeffress at the 3.

I was going to say something like this. The problem with Hinson at the three isn't on offense, it's on defense. A three with a decent handle would eat him alive on that end of the court. You might score more, but you'd give up more too.