Scholarships next year

[Sean Miller Fan]

We have 4 to give after the Drumgoole commitment. Lets just assume we get Coulibaly and the twins. That's 1 left. However, I dont think Capel puts any finite limit on his 2019 class. I think he will take as many players as he thinks fit the program as there will be transfers.

Samson George is the most obvious transfer candidate. It would be somewhat surprising if he came back.

Ellison and Chukwuka could grad transfer to a mid-major.

And you never know where a guy's head is at who was recruited by a different coach (Brown and Davis)

I would expect a minimum of 7 openings and one of those spots could potentially be taken by Sidy Ndir if he can get a 6th year and wants to come back.

 

[lilspainishflea]

We have 4 to give after the Drumgoole commitment. Lets just assume we get Coulibaly and the twins. That's 1 left. However, I dont think Capel puts any finite limit on his 2019 class. I think he will take as many players as he thinks fit the program as there will be transfers.

Samson George is the most obvious transfer candidate. It would be somewhat surprising if he came back.

Ellison and Chukwuka could grad transfer to a mid-major.

And you never know where a guy's head is at who was recruited by a different coach (Brown and Davis)

I would expect a minimum of 7 openings and one of those spots could potentially be taken by Sidy Ndir if he can get a 6th year and wants to come back.

Mostly agree. I can't imagine that Samson George will be here next year. There's almost no chance. Chukwuka could also be gone. I think Malik will stick around. Not sure about Davis.

 

[Drew1208]

I'd love that. I really hope your scenario plays out.

 

[TheDeanofPgh]

Your guys assumptions have no merit.
Unless you are speaking with any of these players, you do not know how they feel about being part of PITT.

Not everyone is going to be a star or receive quality minutes. And some of these guys might be okay with that.
We have five scholarships to fill with P5 level players and are currently at 20% of the goal.

Let's let this situation work itself out, instead of speculate with uninformed message board chats.

Mostly agree. I can't imagine that Samson George will be here next year. There's almost no chance. Chukwuka could also be gone. I think Malik will stick around. Not sure about Davis.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

We have 5 scholarships to fill and really, none of them have been filled. All that Drumgoole gave us was a verbal. Until he signs his LOI, it's just speculation and hope. It's not significant until a real commitment is made with a signature. Unless I'm the one who's wrong and he actually did sign an LOI.

 

[lilspainishflea]

Your guys assumptions have no merit.
Unless you are speaking with any of these players, you do not know how they feel about being part of PITT.

Not everyone is going to be a star or receive quality minutes. And some of these guys might be okay with that.
We have five scholarships to fill with P5 level players and are currently at 20% of the goal.

Let's let this situation work itself out, instead of speculate with uninformed message board chats.

I'm not assuming anything based on players' attitudes. My judgments were based on whether the coaches will permit them to return.

With respect to George, he's played 22 minutes this year in 25 games. If Capel can replace him with a better prospect, and I think there's a lot of evidence to suggest he can, then that will happen.

Chukwuka and Ellison have been major contributors. I know this board can sometimes be down on them but I think they'll be asked to return.

Davis is kind of a wild card to me. He's played an uneven amount of minutes and I think his skillset may develop to the point where he can be a bigger contributor. So I think he'll be here too.

 

[gary2]

We have 4 to give after the Drumgoole commitment. Lets just assume we get Coulibaly and the twins. That's 1 left. However, I dont think Capel puts any finite limit on his 2019 class. I think he will take as many players as he thinks fit the program as there will be transfers.

Samson George is the most obvious transfer candidate. It would be somewhat surprising if he came back.

Ellison and Chukwuka could grad transfer to a mid-major.

And you never know where a guy's head is at who was recruited by a different coach (Brown and Davis)

I would expect a minimum of 7 openings and one of those spots could potentially be taken by Sidy Ndir if he can get a 6th year and wants to come back.

I would keep Ndir if he can come back and wants to. I don't think Kene transfers. I don't think Davis transfers.I hope Ellison does not transfer. I feel sure George will transfer.

Let's say we get Coulibaly and the twins. If Ndir stays that gives us the backup point. We need a grad transfer C/PF that is physical.

Grad transfer - Champagne - Toney - McGowens - Johnson
Brown - Coulibaly - Ellison - Drumgoole - Ndir
Kene - Champagne - Davis

4 to give in 2020 - Ndir, Ellison, Kene, Grad Trf - This is as close to ideal as possible

 

[PittMan2003]

The only player we should hope moves on is George. People are hard on Ellison but he does a lot of unnoticed things-defense, rebounding, etc. We could have used him last night. Even Kene can provide valuable minutes. Veteran leadership from these guys will be important.

 

[Las Panteras]

Your guys assumptions have no merit.
Unless you are speaking with any of these players, you do not know how they feel about being part of PITT.

Not everyone is going to be a star or receive quality minutes. And some of these guys might be okay with that.
We have five scholarships to fill with P5 level players and are currently at 20% of the goal.

Let's let this situation work itself out, instead of speculate with uninformed message board chats.

Ummmm....no.

Wrong on multiple fronts.

These guys that aren't seeing the floor will leave....maybe with a slight nudge out the door.

But they wont stick if they can actually get on the floor at a mid major which is where many of Stallings guys belong.

It's a message board. It is the EXACT place for this discussion.

If ur going to get emotional / butthurt may I suggest a poetry reading in Shadyside?

 

[JD1976]

Is Aiken expected to contribute in any way (even small)? Walk ons in recent Pitt history don’t have much of a track record, but there are guys across upper D1 basketball who have made impacts in recent years.

 

[TheDeanofPgh]

I have my poetry reading in Shadyside in one hour so I think I am good on that front.

My point is that whatever is meant to happen will, between the Coaches nudging players out or not and players making the choices for themselves to stay or go.
There is really no benefit to making a post about which players should leave.
Now I need to go get ready for my poetry reading.

Ummmm....no.

Wrong on multiple fronts.

These guys that aren't seeing the floor will leave....maybe with a slight nudge out the door.

But they wont stick if they can actually get on the floor at a mid major which is where many of Stallings guys belong.

It's a message board. It is the EXACT place for this discussion.

If ur going to get emotional / butthurt may I suggest a poetry reading in Shadyside?

 

[pittchagg]

I don’t know about speculating on individual players leaving or not - but I do think it’s fair to consider the minutes current players might receive if the recruiting class plays out as expected. And, for these purposes, we’ll assume Drumgoole, the twins and Coulibaly as more or less sure things.

I see Drumgoole and the twins eating up JWF’s minutes and eating into Ellison’s, and maybe even giving Toney a little more breathing room. Overall, I still see Ellison having a real role in 2019-20, even if it’s less than we might have envisioned at this time a year ago.

Down low, we basically have Brown and Chuk getting all of the meaningful duties, excepting the rare occasions with Toney and Ellison playing the 5 (which I suspect will get even more rare as we build depth there). Coulibaly will almost certainly cut into Brown and Chuk’s minutes, but I think you ideally want three bigs getting time. The fact that George doesn’t now with the depth situation makes me doubt any meaningful role with the addition of Coulibaly. Where things get interesting IMO is if we add a grad transfer or JUCO like Sy. He’d almost certainly be penciled in for 20 minutes a night, which obviously cuts into Brown and Chuk. And, considering Brown appears to be ahead of Chuk for minutes now, I’d think we’d see Chukwuka and Coulibaly battling it out for the remaining minutes - my suspicion there is that a freshman Coulibaly would win out over the senior that Capel didn’t really recruit.

I don’t really see guard minutes situation changing, especially if Sidy gets a sixth year. It’s X and Trey’s show, with Sidy (or Sidy’s replacement) and Davis playing backup and Toney, Ellison, and the new recruits getting minutes at the off guard spot. Backup PG is really the only hole you have in the backcourt, and that’s addressed either through a sixth year for Sidy, or a Sidy-type grad transfer. Maybe things get interesting and we land a high school guard after the coaching changes run their course.

That’s an awful long way of saying that I think the two most likely candidates to have their minutes dwindle to the point of being a non-contributor in 2019-20 are George and Chukwuka, and then probably Davis. Whether that means they look for options where they can get more minutes elsewhere is a personal choice that I don’t think I’m qualified to discuss.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I'm not assuming anything based on players' attitudes. My judgments were based on whether the coaches will permit them to return.

With respect to George, he's played 22 minutes this year in 25 games. If Capel can replace him with a better prospect, and I think there's a lot of evidence to suggest he can, then that will happen.

Chukwuka and Ellison have been major contributors. I know this board can sometimes be down on them but I think they'll be asked to return.

Davis is kind of a wild card to me. He's played an uneven amount of minutes and I think his skillset may develop to the point where he can be a bigger contributor. So I think he'll be here too.

I think whether Kene returns depends on if Capel can upgrade in the grad transfer market. I think George would be the first to be encouraged to explore other opportunities. If we got a decent big guy and were 1 over, my guess is Kene would be "encouraged" next. I like him. He plays hard but he has limited skill and only has 1 year left.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Is Aiken expected to contribute in any way (even small)? Walk ons in recent Pitt history don’t have much of a track record, but there are guys across upper D1 basketball who have made impacts in recent years.

Like Chris Herren last night. 24/7 rated him as the #347 prospect which is actually not bad. A10/CAA level. We dont know if thats accurate but if it is, I could see him contributing eventually but not next year.

 

[Pittx9]

Chukwuka and Ellison have been major contributors. I know this board can sometimes be down on them but I think they'll be asked to return.

I could still see Chukwuka transferring down to mid-major school possibly depending on who we bring in. It’ll be his decision either way.

Ellison though, zero chance. He’s already a captain for us this season, a role I think he takes seriously and he’ll be a senior leader next season. Not to mention the last two games before he got hurt have been his best probably in a Pitt uniform.

 

[Drew1208]

If the twins come i don't see Ellison being played much.
They do everything he does just better. Way better.

 

[DiehardPanther]

I could still see Chukwuka transferring down to mid-major school possibly depending on who we bring in. It’ll be his decision either way.

Ellison though, zero chance. He’s already a captain for us this season, a role I think he takes seriously and he’ll be a senior leader next season. Not to mention the last two games before he got hurt have been his best probably in a Pitt uniform.

I would actually put it at 50/50 on Ellison returning if we land the kids visiting this weekend. They play the same position.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I would actually put it at 50/50 on Ellison returning if we land the kids visiting this weekend. They play the same position.

I would agree. Ellison may want to go to a mid-major where he could start and play a lot. Remember, he took forever to decide on whether he wanted to stay at Pitt. I found it curious that he was named captain after taking so long to decide whether he wanted to be here or not.

 

[NTOP]

We have 4 to give after the Drumgoole commitment. Lets just assume we get Coulibaly and the twins. That's 1 left. However, I dont think Capel puts any finite limit on his 2019 class. I think he will take as many players as he thinks fit the program as there will be transfers.

Samson George is the most obvious transfer candidate. It would be somewhat surprising if he came back.

Ellison and Chukwuka could grad transfer to a mid-major.

And you never know where a guy's head is at who was recruited by a different coach (Brown and Davis)

I would expect a minimum of 7 openings and one of those spots could potentially be taken by Sidy Ndir if he can get a 6th year and wants to come back.

Will Malik & Kene graduate now? If not, only Samson might be pushed out. I doubt Brown or Davis will go, as their sophs. And Sidy's situation might take a while to be settled. We need a big, though

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Let's fill the 5 spots before worrying about who is moving along. Maybe George moves along, but I don't have a problem with Kene and Malik coming back. They are valuable depth players, they just aren't starters or guys you want playing a lot of minutes.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Loading up with freshman in next yrs class really isn’t a good idea for 2 reasons .
First ..you need at least three scholarships for 2020 , I’d like to see 4 be available . I think that’s the class JC brings in that will really move the needle . Plus what’s left out there amongst high schoolers etc this yr will be inferior to what he can bring in in 2020.

Second .. JC recruits will elevate the talent level ,no doubt , but they need some exp guys if they’re going to win more than a handful of conference games next yr . I’d like 2 grad transfers maybe 3 2 bigs and a solid shooter like you guessed it PS !

 

[Pittx9]

I would actually put it at 50/50 on Ellison returning if we land the kids visiting this weekend. They play the same position.

True, if he graduates and only has one year left to play he may choose the grad transfer route to maximize his playing time. I don’t really see him falling to any worse than 2nd or 3rd guy off the bench here though which is still gonna be a good bit of minutes.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

True, if he graduates and only has one year left to play he may choose the grad transfer route to maximize his playing time. I don’t really see him falling to any worse than 2nd or 3rd guy off the bench here though which is still gonna be a good bit of minutes.

Unless he’s just having a really bad yr I could see him not seeing the court much next yr .( I’m being nice )

Is he ready to graduate?

I’m sure he wanted to follow in his dads footsteps. ,but I’m sure it’s obvious to him that just isn’t going to happen. . He might be happy at Pitt or needs to stay in order to graduate or his girlfriend is here ..who
knows . Pitt doesn’t need his scholarship .

 

[Drew1208]

True, if he graduates and only has one year left to play he may choose the grad transfer route to maximize his playing time. I don’t really see him falling to any worse than 2nd or 3rd guy off the bench here though which is still gonna be a good bit of minutes.

I dunno I could easily find a scenario where he is the 9th option next year.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Loading up with freshman in next yrs class really isn’t a good idea for 2 reasons .
First ..you need at least three scholarships for 2020 , I’d like to see 4 be available . I think that’s the class JC brings in that will really move the needle . Plus what’s left out there amongst high schoolers etc this yr will be inferior to what he can bring in in 2020.

Second .. JC recruits will elevate the talent level ,no doubt , but they need some exp guys if they’re going to win more than a handful of conference games next yr . I’d like 2 grad transfers maybe 3 2 bigs and a solid shooter like you guessed it PS !

My ideal semi-realistic scenario:

4 scholarships to FR (Drumgoole, Coulibaly, twins). Assuming Christian Brown isnt coming and there are no other reclassifiers or coaching change decommitments

Sidy stays.

2 big guys who can help now to take George and Kene's spots. Like Khadim Sy and a higher-level grad transfer like Rik Smits's son.

If you can get 2 bigs in here, its probably an NIT/NCAAT bubble team next year

 

[Ski11585]

Is there any reason to believe Sidy stays or is SMF just doing that "I will throw out as many ludicrous predictions as I can in hopes that at least one of them is right" thing?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Is there any reason to believe Sidy stays or is SMF just doing that "I will throw out as many ludicrous predictions as I can in hopes that at least one of them is right" thing?

I didnt predict he stays. I said that given his circumstances, it would seem he has a reasonable chance to win an appeal for a 6th year if he wants one and Pitt wants him.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I didnt predict he stays. I said that given his circumstances, it would seem he has a reasonable chance to win an appeal for a 6th year if he wants one and Pitt wants him.

You put Sid in your semi realistic scenario, yet you’re the only one anywhere who has mentioned it. I’ll give you major props if it comes to fruition but it just seems kind of weird putting him in any scenario.

Btw: I hope you’re right. I like him. I’d prefer a better shooter but who knows if we can get one.

 

[joeydavid]

His ranking is probably off a bit because he reclassified up a year.

Like Chris Herren last night. 24/7 rated him as the #347 prospect which is actually not bad. A10/CAA level. We dont know if thats accurate but if it is, I could see him contributing eventually but not next year.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I didnt predict he stays. I said that given his circumstances, it would seem he has a reasonable chance to win an appeal for a 6th year if he wants one and Pitt wants him.

Well. It’s now been stated by someone other than you somewhere else. Congrats SMF. This is a break thru moment for you.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Well. It’s now been stated by someone other than you somewhere else. Congrats SMF. This is a break thru moment for you.

Where?

And if we can get Micah Till from Slippery Rock, I'll really be on a hot streak.

I like Sidy

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Where?

And if we can get Micah Till from Slippery Rock, I'll really be on a hot streak.

I like Sidy

Can’t say. But we will all know we heard it here first.

 

[Drew1208]

I didnt predict he stays. I said that given his circumstances, it would seem he has a reasonable chance to win an appeal for a 6th year if he wants one and Pitt wants him.

It's being discussed. But you brought it up 1st.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

SMF breaking scoop for the pay board? They should pay you for your leg work.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Can’t say. But we will all know we heard it here first.

Gotcha. It would be funny if neither Pitt nor Sidy realized it was a possibility if not for SMF.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Bring in as many good players as possible. Just leave room for 3-4 recruits for next year’s class. That is why I like the idea of bringing in 1-2 Grad Transfers.