Serious question....been thinking aboout it all weekend

[lynbug]

I know the basic subject matter of this post has been debated ad infinitum....I'm not trying to restart.  Just a few honest questions.

1. Do most D1 schools have similar problems with a revolving door of players who don't stay four years.

2. The last several years it seems that Arkansas' player rotation has been 3-start recruits (occasional 4-star); players leaving for reasons other than NBA; lower level transfers in; and....Jucos (who worked out reasonably well this year).  With this (or similar) situations likely to continue can we patch together teams, year in and out, that can compete with the upper echelon and ever get back to being a perennial top 25 team

[ShadowHawg]

I know the basic subject matter of this post has been debated ad infinitum....I'm not trying to restart.  Just a few honest questions.

1. Do most D1 schools have similar problems with a revolving door of players who don't stay four years.

2. The last several years it seems that Arkansas' player rotation has been 3-start recruits (occasional 4-star); players leaving for reasons other than NBA; lower level transfers in; and....Jucos (who worked out reasonably well this year).  With this (or similar) situations likely to continue can we patch together teams, year in and out, that can compete with the upper echelon and ever get back to being a perennial top 25 team

I would add fans who don't keep up with recruiting and their team in general to this list as well.

[lynbug]

I would add fans who don't keep up with recruiting and their team in general to this list as well.

IT NEVER FAILS.....okay, I know we have two 3- star and 1 4-star coming in next year...but I was speaking in general about the situation of the last few years and wondering which of those dynamics (freshman ratings, transfers, jucos,) needs to change more in order to elevate us to the next level.....in the opinion of you experts?

[12247]

I am not an expert but we got 2 JUCOS that showed up this past season.  That doesn't always happen.  For Arkansas to win often, we need a bit better recruiting, a coach that will dance with who he has onboard and develop a scheme around what his talent exceeds at instead of playing his choice of schemes and dying on the vine often.  It takes a special player to operate a defense of 40 minutes of pure hell.  Nolan's teams only had the ball on offense about 40 to 45 percent of the time, but did far more damage when on defense.  WE broke down a team by wearing them out while they had the ball.  That made our run and gun offense more effective.  We do not have those players or a coach who can develop that mindset now so we must find and develop players that fit Mike's style and will give of themselves without being badgered into it.  Mike is not one to demand all out effort and not settle for less.  Maybe today's players are not interested in putting 40 minutes of hell on themselves.  WE just finished a season where we saw flashes of what this team can do if everyone gives 100 percent effort all at the same time.  We could be scary during those times.  Otherwise, we were just a very average team.

[311Hog]

glass half full half empty I suppose. my understand is we have 1 borderline 5 star and 2 4 stars coming in next year...  and yeah I think lots of programs have issues with attrition.

[BoarnSupremacy]

I am not an expert but we got 2 JUCOS that showed up this past season.  That doesn't always happen.  For Arkansas to win often, we need a bit better recruiting, a coach that will dance with who he has onboard and develop a scheme around what his talent exceeds at instead of playing his choice of schemes and dying on the vine often.  It takes a special player to operate a defense of 40 minutes of pure hell.  Nolan's teams only had the ball on offense about 40 to 45 percent of the time, but did far more damage when on defense.  WE broke down a team by wearing them out while they had the ball.  That made our run and gun offense more effective.  We do not have those players or a coach who can develop that mindset now so we must find and develop players that fit Mike's style and will give of themselves without being badgered into it.  Mike is not one to demand all out effort and not settle for less.  Maybe today's players are not interested in putting 40 minutes of hell on themselves.  WE just finished a season where we saw flashes of what this team can do if everyone gives 100 percent effort all at the same time.  We could be scary during those times.  Otherwise, we were just a very average team.

I would say something about inexperience at coaching and teaching the players to improve but I got a warning.

[factchecker]

IT NEVER FAILS.....okay, I know we have two 3- star and 1 4-star coming in next year...but I was speaking in general about the situation of the last few years and wondering which of those dynamics (freshman ratings, transfers, jucos,) needs to change more in order to elevate us to the next level.....in the opinion of you experts?

IT NEVER FAILS..... okay, I know some of you look for the lowest recruiting ranking possible but according to 247 composite (average of all rankings) we have 2 4 stars and one 3 star signed.

http://arkansas.247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/Commits

[RaisinHog]

IT NEVER FAILS..... okay, I know some of you look for the lowest recruiting ranking possible but according to 247 composite (average of all rankings) we have 2 4 stars and one 3 star signed.

http://arkansas.247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/Commits

Yep and the same sight has us with 3 4 stars and 1 3 for the next year .. and one of those 4 stars is the number 33 player in the nation on that sight and number 25  on another service ..

But to answer your question no we prolly can't win with what we have been doing .. but we can with ones like the next two

[lynbug]

IT NEVER FAILS..... okay, I know some of you look for the lowest recruiting ranking possible but according to 247 composite (average of all rankings) we have 2 4 stars and one 3 star signed.

http://arkansas.247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/Commits

Great....I'll take my encouragement anywhere it can be found.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Great....I'll take my encouragement anywhere it can be found.

For me, this season showed me that given the right players, Mike can succeed as a coach.  I wasn't convinced, because it was hard to ascertain if we had players that should have been better than they were, or if we were always a step behind in talent.  It was also obvious that our team progressed this year with learning how to share the ball, playing harder on defense, and playing as a team.   

I really believe a HUGE issue for Mike has been not having SCORERS.  Macon and Barford are scorers...they can get their own shot.  For the entire tenure of MA, we've had spot up 3 point shooters, and a decent post game.  Nothing in between to force the other team to play honest, and to be able to break teams down off the dribble. 

Hanging in...and almost beating NC showed me that we took great strides last season.  I'll never believe MA is a great X and O's coach, but I am a FIRM believer that if fans think we're going to get Bill Self or someone like that, they shouldn't hold their breath.  Obviously it's a captain obvious statement, but we'll know in the next few years if MA can sustain this and we can build on it, or if we just got lucky with some great JC talent coupled with Kingsley.     

[lefty08]

All weekend?

[hogsanity]

I really believe a HUGE issue for Mike has been not having SCORERS.  Macon and Barford are scorers...they can get their own shot.  For the entire tenure of MA, we've had spot up 3 point shooters, and a decent post game.  Nothing in between to force the other team to play honest, and to be able to break teams down off the dribble. 

Obviously it's a captain obvious statement, but we'll know in the next few years if MA can sustain this and we can build on it, or if we just got lucky with some great JC talent coupled with Kingsley. 
   

Agree with the 1st part. Having players that can create on their own is huge in today's game.

2nd part though, sustain what? Being on the bubble for most of the year, getting in and winning a game? Oddly enough, that is exactly what some of us said we would get with MA, and that some would be happy with that.

2 things that should bother people - 1. Next years team has 6 srs ( 7 if they happen to pick up a grad transfer ), losing that manly players at once is bad enough, but it is worse here because of 2. Mike does not like playing FR, and it seems to take any player that comes here, be it a fr or a juco transfer, a long time to pick up what Mike wants done. We saw it this year with Macon & Barford, it took them 3/4 of the season to really get it.

[311Hog]

i agree with your post, but one thing i think that may save it all is the fact the recruits coming in are familiar with each other, have already played together, and have been in contact with MA for longer than previous players in the system.

And they are almost all arkansas kids to boot.  I am not saying it won't or couldn't go bad losing that many SR's, but there is also the possibility it works out better given who we are bringing in and the fact that MA won't really have  choice to not play the freshman.