no Tookie Monster at State

[Coach34]

@robbiefaulk247: MSU signee Tookie Brown will opt out of his LOI. MSU has one scholarship open for the class with two main targets, Newman and Kasonga.

[starkvegasdawg]

Oh well. If he doesn't want to be here then good luck where ever he goes. I didn't think you could opt out of a signed LOI, though. Does that become possible when there is a coaching change?

[jumbo]

Oh well. If he doesn't want to be here then good luck where ever he goes. I didn't think you could opt out of a signed LOI, though. Does that become possible when there is a coaching change?


It's up to the school to let him out, usually with a coaching change that is not an issue.

[BeardoMSU]

Hmm...well, I guess we'll have to see how it all shakes out. I would have preferred Tookie as the backup PG over Ready.

[I seen it dawg]

Newman to State.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

This isn't a surprise.

[msstate7]

Howland knows much more about basketball than me, but I dislike this move. Good luck, tookie

If we miss on Malik, I'll really dislike this move

[smootness]

I hate it for us, but Howland may have something different in mind. I know he usually likes bigger guards who can body guys up and defend.

Love Tookie's potential. Somebody's going to get a stud.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I like Tookie too but you can find a Tookie in pretty much every class. That's no disrespect to him but there are a lot of undersized guards who can put up points out there.

[mstatefan91]

Best of luck Tookie

Now let's get Malik... Please...

[Brad Stevens]

As stated a week or two ago, I think this is a great move. Sure, the kid is talented, but two 5'10" point guards will not cut it. Now, it's time to bring in Malik!

[smootness]

As stated a week or two ago, I think this is a great move. Sure, the kid is talented, but two 5'10" point guards will not cut it. Now, it's time to bring in Malik!

What it does, though, is make it imperative that we go get a PG for 2016 that can step in immediately. Newman or not, Ready as a senior is our only PG for that 2016 roster right now.

[Brad Stevens]

What it does, though, is make it imperative that we go get a PG for 2016 that can step in immediately. Newman or not, Ready as a senior is our only PG for that 2016 roster right now.

It isn't as difficult as you make it out to be. Guys like Ervin, Jamont, Bost either started or contributed greatly as freshmen. We will have plenty of scholarships open up next year to sign a PG to be a back-up to IJ for a year. I truly think this is the best move for this year.

[confucius say]

This tells me we are bringing another guard in. My guess is Malik, but if not, somebody.

[mstatefan91]

This tells me we are bringing another guard in. My guess is Malik, but if not, somebody.

Outstanding analysis. Bravo

[msstate7]

Does this affect simonds?

[Brad Stevens]

Does this affect simonds?

I have no inside information, but I don't see why it would affect him. He plays a different position and is in a different class. We will have plenty of scholarships available next year if he chooses to commit again (assuming our new staff continues to pursue him).

[chef dixon]

Our fans are holding on to Rick Ray pieces too hard. Are we going to trust Howland or Ray's evaluation? Who has Ray brought in in 3 years that is really worth anything and irreplaceable? This goes for Simonds too. He may be a good player but the last thing we should be worried about is if Howland is going to be able to sway guys that Ray was trying to get. Let Howland do his thing. I would like to think he knows what he's doing. I expect our next class in 2016 to be very impressive and have us forgetting about whether we can sign Simonds and Hicks.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Our fans are holding on to Rick Ray pieces too hard. Are we going to trust Howland or Ray's evaluation? Who has Ray brought in in 3 years that is really worth anything and irreplaceable? This goes for Simonds too. He may be a good player but the last thing we should be worried about is if Howland is going to be able to sway guys that Ray was trying to get. Let Howland do his thing. I would like to think he knows what he's doing. I expect our next class in 2016 to be very impressive and have us forgetting about whether we can sign Simonds and Hicks.

I expect us to go back & get Simonds. Hicks I don't expect him to be in the next class or for us to go after him.

[chef dixon]

I expect us to go back & get Simonds. Hicks I don't expect him to be in the next class or for us to go after him.

I would be fine with that. I've only seen Hicks play a hand full of times but left unimpressed with his motor and ability to make his presence felt. Overall I'm just excited to see what kind of players Howland is going to be able to get to come to MSU when we previously would have no chance.

[Irondawg]

Be interesting to look back a few years from now and see how this pans out. For instance for all the bitching about Josh Gray, he simply wasn't that great. Was probably better than what we had, but that's not because he was irreplaceable.

I liked Tookie and I'm not a fan of breaking in freshman PG's, but it's been pretty proven recently that you can win big with them these days

[confucius say]

Outstanding analysis. Bravo

Thanks

[mstatefan91]

Thanks
Lol I'm just messing around. Slow day for me and I expected this to happen when Ray was fired and then even more so when we hired Howland.
Mainly, because I expected Howland to go after guys he wanted and not what was already put in place by Ray.

[confucius say]

Lol I'm just messing around. Slow day for me and I expected this to happen when Ray was fired and then even more so when we hired Howland.
Mainly, because I expected Howland to go after guys he wanted and not what was already put in place by Ray.

Agreed. He had to reshape rosters at una, Pitt, and ucla so I trust him.

[SouthMsDawg]

Can we cut ties with Joseph Strugg next???? He didn't even make the MS/AL game meaning he wasn't in the top 12 players in Alabama and I have been told that he only averaged 6ppg this season. He is ENDO 2.0 offensively

[Brad Stevens]

Can we cut ties with Joseph Strugg next???? He didn't even make the MS/AL game meaning he wasn't in the top 12 players in Alabama and I have been told that he only averaged 6ppg this season. He is ENDO 2.0 offensively

I tend to agree. It wasn't a popular opinion on here a couple weeks ago, but dropping Tookie and Strugg for Newman and Kasongo is the cleanest and best switch, in my opinion.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I don't see us dropping Strugg for 2 reasons. 1. I would want to keep Montgomery Carver on our side. 2. If I'm choosing between Strugg & Ndoye & who to keep Strugg gets my vote 10 out of 10 times.

[Brad Stevens]

I don't see us dropping Strugg for 2 reasons. 1. I would want to keep Montgomery Carver on our side. 2. If I'm choosing between Strugg & Ndoye & who to keep Strugg gets my vote 10 out of 10 times.

I haven't seen Strugg play, so can't comment on reason #2, but reason #1 is a valid point. I would definitely be okay with that scenario.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Can we cut ties with Joseph Strugg next???? He didn't even make the MS/AL game meaning he wasn't in the top 12 players in Alabama and I have been told that he only averaged 6ppg this season. He is ENDO 2.0 offensively

It didn't help him that he had a hip injury for most of the year.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I haven't seen Strugg play, so can't comment on reason #2, but reason #1 is a valid point. I would definitely be okay with that scenario.

Both of them are very raw on offense. The difference is Strugg is a great athlete & is an above the rim player. Ndoye is so mechanical & slow. Strugg ceiling is so much higher imo.

[msstate7]

Isn't strugg a grade risk?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

He has work to do but it is doable.

[maroonmania]

Well I would be better with cutting Tookie loose had I been able to see more potential in Maurice Dunlap this year. Averaging 30 points/game like Tookie did is not easy at any size or at any school classification. But, its Howland's program now and I'm not even sure how much Tookie wanted to come with the coaching change. Best of luck to him whereever he ends up.

[Coach34]

Newman to State

Newman and Sword in the backcourt is going to be damn fun to watch.

[Rayburn8]

Newman to State

Newman and Sword in the backcourt is going to be damn fun to watch.
Coach is that the first time you have outright said it? Feel like you have said you think he will or feel like he will but I think that is the first time you outright said it.

[Coach34]

There are alot of people that feel really good about Newman and Kosango...sending Tookie on his way was the first step in doing right by him and giving him a good chance at a good landing spot.

[Dawg61]

Damn, Tookie is my favorite commit. This sucks

[Rayburn8]

Damn, Tookie is my favorite commit. This sucks

Sounds like we are all about to have a new favorite commit.

[Dawg61]

Sounds like we are all about to have a new favorite commit.

Gonna take Malik for me to not be butthurt for awhile. I think Tookie is awesome. I am ecstatic about Howland though.

[smootness]

I'm not overly concerned with the Carver pipeline. Sure, if all things are equal, keep it going. But if you can fill Strugg's spot with somebody far better, do it.

[smootness]

It isn't as difficult as you make it out to be. Guys like Ervin, Jamont, Bost either started or contributed greatly as freshmen. We will have plenty of scholarships open up next year to sign a PG to be a back-up to IJ for a year. I truly think this is the best move for this year.

I didn't say it would be overly difficult, just that it is now imperative to get one in 2016 and 2017 and make sure they're capable of taking over quickly.

[maroonmania]

I'm not overly concerned with the Carver pipeline. Sure, if all things are equal, keep it going. But if you can fill Strugg's spot with somebody far better, do it.

Yea, I'm not real happy about folks getting roster spots just so as to not rock the boat. Gotta keep the Carver pipeline with Strugg, gotta keep the AAU team happy that Dunlap played on. Would like to believe that guys we have on the team actually deserve to be on the team.

[thf24]

I may be asking something incredibly ignorant here, so forgive me and feel free to chastise me if I'm misguided, but is the "Carver pipeline" really that important? From it we've gotten (as far as I know): Roq, who was admittedly a key player for us over the past three years but wasn't highly recruited and wouldn't have been more than an extremely situational role player on a decent team; Sword, who has developed into a very good player but wasn't highly recruited; and now Strugg, who looks to be a good athlete but, again, wasn't highly recruited and is likely a project for a few years. Am I missing anyone who dates further back? Is there a future superstar there now we want an in with?

eta: In no way am I saying I want to drop Strugg. Just wondering about the so-called "Carver pipeline."

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Houston came from there also.

[Dawg61]

Dropping Tookie is stupid. Drop someone else first. Tookie is better than IJ already.

[thf24]

Houston came from there also.

Ah, missed that. That adds some value because Houston may have the most potential out of the bunch. Still, Houston wasn't all that highly recruited either if I remember right.

[Brad Stevens]

Dropping Tookie is stupid. Drop someone else first. Tookie is better than IJ already.

For all we know, Tookie dropped us. And if we did drop him, can you really call it stupid? You'd rather trust your gut from a few highlights than an actual head coach who has been to multiple final fours and has numerous NBA players?

[msstate7]

Heard kentucky might be losing 7 to the draft now. Are they becoming more of a threat?

[Rayburn8]

Heard kentucky might be losing 7 to the draft now. Are they becoming more of a threat?

The problem with Kentucky is that if he went, he would be playing shooting guard. UK has the no. 1 pg in the country and their backup pg Ullis is returning, who Cal absolutely loves. So even if they lose seven he would still be the third pg on the roster.

[msstate7]

The problem with Kentucky is that if he went, he would be playing shooting guard. UK has the no. 1 pg in the country and their backup pg Ullis is returning, who Cal absolutely loves. So even if they lose seven he would still be the third pg on the roster.

If Malik wants to play pg, I agree kentucky doesn't seem like a good fit. I still don't like kentucky in the mix though

[Coach34]

He wants to be the next Westbrook- he cant do that at Kentucky. He can however do that at State playing 28 mins per game with Craig Sword and be one of the best backcourts in the SEC

[Rayburn8]

He wants to be the next Westbrook- he cant do that at Kentucky. He can however do that at State playing 28 mins per game with Craig Sword and be one of the best backcourts in the SEC
Why would anyone go to Starkville when they can go to the wonderful city of Baton Rouge ***

[maroonmania]

Why would anyone go to Starkville when they can go to the wonderful city of Baton Rouge ***

Exactly, nothing like the smell of refineries and chemical plants in the morning. He shouldn't pass that up.

[Dawg61]

For all we know, Tookie dropped us. And if we did drop him, can you really call it stupid? You'd rather trust your gut from a few highlights than an actual head coach who has been to multiple final fours and has numerous NBA players?

Tookie is legit. It's stupid.

[YazooDawg23]

There are 100 guys like Tookie around the country. There might be 5 like Malik. If we get Malik this will be a non-factor. He will run the point for a year, get us to the tournament, and move on. We can find a better PG than Tookie to run the point after Malik leaves. Now, if Malik goes elsewhere it will be a different story. 5'9" guards are a dime a dozen. Get over it and trust Howland.

[Rayburn8]

There are 100 guys like Tookie around the country. There might be 5 like Malik. If we get Malik this will be a non-factor. He will run the point for a year, get us to the tournament, and move on. We can find a better PG than Tookie to run the point after Malik leaves. Now, if Malik goes elsewhere it will be a different story. 5'9" guards are a dime a dozen. Get over it and trust Howland.

Exactly, Howland didn't go to three straight final fours for no reason. If he felt he could do better than Tookie, we need to trust his judgement. Plus Howland likes big PG, as do I personally. Bigger PGs present one of the biggest matchup problems in basketball.

[maroonmania]

Tookie is legit. It's stupid.

Do we know for sure it was our decision? Brooks is the only connection left to the old staff and I don't think he was the main guy on Tookie. Sounds like we may have used the situation to open up a spot but we could have given Tookie the choice and he wanted to move on.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I'll put it like this if our former staff were still in place & we lost Tookie I would be really concerned about finding a suitable replacement. With this staff I have no worries whatsoever we will be able to replace him with equal or better talent.

[Dawg61]

There are 100 guys like Tookie around the country. There might be 5 like Malik. If we get Malik this will be a non-factor. He will run the point for a year, get us to the tournament, and move on. We can find a better PG than Tookie to run the point after Malik leaves. Now, if Malik goes elsewhere it will be a different story. 5'9" guards are a dime a dozen. Get over it and trust Howland.

There isn't 100 better HS senior PGs than Tookie. That's absurd. Drop Dunlap or Ndoye or Daniels or Strugg but not the Tookie Monster man. Stupid!

[Ifyouonlyknew]

There isn't 100 better HS senior PGs than Tookie. That's absurd. Drop Dunlap or Ndoye or Daniels or Strugg but not the Tookie Monster man. Stupid!

You really love you some Tookie

[YazooDawg23]

There isn't 100 better HS senior PGs than Tookie. That's absurd. Drop Dunlap or Ndoye or Daniels or Strugg but not the Tookie Monster man. Stupid!

I think you just really like saying Tookie Monster.

[Big4Dawg]

There isn't 100 better HS senior PGs than Tookie. That's absurd. Drop Dunlap or Ndoye or Daniels or Strugg but not the Tookie Monster man. Stupid!

Then why doesn't he have any other offers? And don't say "because he was committed to State"

[Dawg61]

You really love you some Tookie

Correct

[msstate7]

Then why doesn't he have any other offers? And don't say "because he was committed to State"

How many offers did moody of Om have? Not saying tookie will be that good. Just saying offers aren't the always the best judge of a kid

[mic]

How many offers did moody of Om have? Not saying tookie will be that good. Just saying offers aren't the always the best judge of a kid

True... The other factor is the coaching evaluation of talent...
So with no other offers.. I will take Howland and his staff evaluation over that of Ray and his staff 100%..

[Johnson85]

Then why doesn't he have any other offers? And don't say "because he was committed to State"

Because he's small. Tookie has a decent chance of making a lot of coaches look stupid over the next four years. If people see him excel at a small school or at a school that took him as a last second backup plan, and look at his stats in high school and the praise he received from his very experienced high school coach, and then compare him to the players their coach did make offers to, they're going to be pissed. But lots of players that look like Tookie (excellent high school players, unclear how their game will translate to college) end up struggling b/c of their size, just like coaches are concerned about.

With the previous staff, you have to keep somebody like Tookie. He's a chance to get a great player that you're just not going to get if there aren't question marks. With this staff, you should feel like you'll be able to get somebody with a better chance of working out. Even if Tookie transitions perfectly and ends up better than who you get, it's still the smart play. Get somebody you're confident has the physical tools (including height) to play at this level, know that your coaches will develop him, and you won't be hurt too badly even if it turns out to not be as good of an option as Tookie in hindsight.

[Dawg61]

Tookie is bigger than Darren Collison so can we stop with the "too small for Howland" junk already.

[YazooDawg23]

Tookie is bigger than Darren Collison so can we stop with the "too small for Howland" junk already.

So Tookie over Malik right?

[msstate7]

So Tookie over Malik right?

No one wants that. What about tookie over Dunlap?

[Covercorner2]

Tookie is bigger than Darren Collison so can we stop with the "too small for Howland" junk already.

Wrong. Collision is 6'0. Tookie may not be 5'10. Like someone said, there's a reason we were Tookie's only offer...

[Ifyouonlyknew]

It is kinda funny during the season all we heard was "I'll do anything to get Malik" but now that we're doing that it's a lot of "Man I can't believe we done this".

[Dawg61]

Wrong. Collision is 6'0. Tookie may not be 5'10. Like someone said, there's a reason we were Tookie's only offer...

Tookie is 180 lbs. Collison is 175 lbs. HS senior BIGGER not taller than an NBA veteran.

[Coach34]

I'd rather have Tookie than Dunlap- but I'm not Howland. Got to defer to the Big Man. He will get it worked out

[Dawg61]

It is kinda funny during the season all we heard was "I'll do anything to get Malik" but now that we're doing that it's a lot of "Man I can't believe we done this".

It's not Tookie or Malik. Everyone wants Newman of course. There's twelve other scholarships on the team.

[Johnson85]

It is kinda funny during the season all we heard was "I'll do anything to get Malik" but now that we're doing that it's a lot of "Man I can't believe we done this".

To be fair I don't think anybody is complaining about what we are doing or might do to get Malik. I think they just think we should have attrition on the current roster rather than dropping Tookie (assuming we are the one doing the dropping). The only think I would say is that if we are going to get Malik, we have to do everything for his likely one year here. I'm not sure who you drop so that you can have a freshman PG that will likely be third string behind Malik and Ready if we get Malik. Ware and Sword are obviously safe. You can't drop Ready because you don't know if Tookie will come in ready to back up Malik. Houston has too much potential. Either Thomas or Daniel might be in danger if we were bringing in several freshmen to get build for three years down the road, but I don't think you can drop either of them if you're selling this year to Malik (plus I think Thomas will end up being valuable to Howland as a defender). Ndoye and Zuppardo are your size. If you drop one of them you kind of need to drop them to add another big like Kasongo. It just seems like all the likely candidates to make additional room are pieces that even if not great, are pieces that if you dropped them to add room for Tookie (as opposed to a well thought of player that won't play the same position as Malik) would make our pitch less desirable to Malik.

[smootness]

I'm not even saying we should have dropped someone else instead. I trust Howland, and if he wants something different at PG, that's fine. I would far rather have Howland than Tookie, obviously.

I just really like Tookie and selfishly wanted him at State so I could watch him play.

[chef dixon]

Zuppardo or Daniels needs to hit the road.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Again if this was Ray doing the recruiting I'd be worried. With Howland I have no doubt we will get a good PG in next year's class that is equal or better than Tookie. That's why I'm not tripping over losing Tookie even though I did like him.

[Dawg61]

I'm not even saying we should have dropped someone else instead. I trust Howland, and if he wants something different at PG, that's fine. I would far rather have Howland than Tookie, obviously.

I just really like Tookie and selfishly wanted him at State so I could watch him play.

This pretty much sums up how I feel too.

[Dawg61]

Again if this was Ray doing the recruiting I'd be worried. With Howland I have no doubt we will get a good PG in next year's class that is equal or better than Tookie. That's why I'm not tripping over losing Tookie even though I did like him.

We are all assuming we get Newman. If we don't and we've lost Tookie we are fu@ked at backup PG next year.

[Coach34]

Zuppardo or Daniels needs to hit the road.

What???? We need Zuppardo badly.

[chef dixon]

What???? We need Zuppardo badly.

Based on what? A couple junior college tournament games? Its a Rick Ray evaluation. I'll believe it when I see it. Nobody really wanted the guy and now he's coming off a major injury on top of it.

[smootness]

I don't know why people keep suggesting that we should cut seniors when it's this close to the late signing period. Sure, if we could get a legitimate talent, then go for it.

But that spot will come open next year anyway, and we'll have much more time to find a good replacement. The seniors, Houston, and Ready are the only guys that should be off limits, to me.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

We are all assuming we get Newman. If we don't and we've lost Tookie we are fu@ked at backup PG next year.

Yea I don't think we would've let this play out like this if we didn't have a plan already in place.

[smootness]

Based on what? A couple junior college tournament games? Its a Rick Ray evaluation. I'll believe it when I see it. Nobody really wanted the guy and now he's coming off a major injury on top of it.

And he'll be gone next year anyway, so who cares if he sticks around this year?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I see very little roster turnover this year. 1 guy more than likely maybe maybe 2 but I'm leaning toward just 1 right now.

[chef dixon]

And he'll be gone next year anyway, so who cares if he sticks around this year?

Assuming Howland thinks he can develop younger guys he decides to keep on the team. If not then he can go ahead and cut them. With Zuppardo, you're basically talking about a senior, maybe junior, who is going to most likely play more like a freshman and won't have any time to really improve.

[maroonmania]

It is kinda funny during the season all we heard was "I'll do anything to get Malik" but now that we're doing that it's a lot of "Man I can't believe we done this".

NOBODY has an issue in making room for Malik. Its just that a lot of us are questioning if Tookie was the right guy to drop to make the room. There are several other fairly obvious options. Dunlap and Ndoye would have been my personal choices to open up spots for Newman and Kasongo but there are 1 or 2 others I would have been OK with seeing them transfer as well.

[msstate7]

Based on what? A couple junior college tournament games? Its a Rick Ray evaluation. I'll believe it when I see it. Nobody really wanted the guy and now he's coming off a major injury on top of it.

Didn't we wait and finally decide to offer kasongo after his performance in a couple of juco tourney games?

Zuppardo can shoot from the perimeter which is something we need

[jumbo]

Didn't we wait and finally decide to offer kasongo after his performance in a couple of juco tourney games?

Zuppardo can shoot from the perimeter which is something we need


yes, along with OM, UT, Kansas St, LSU & Seton Hall.

[chef dixon]

Didn't we wait and finally decide to offer kasongo after his performance in a couple of juco tourney games?

Zuppardo can shoot from the perimeter which is something we need

Look who wants Kasongo. A bunch of legitimate basketball schools and coaches, not Rick Ray throwing shit on a wall to see what sticks. Ray picked up Zuppardo around this time last year as a last resort. Also just watching his tape you can see Kasongo's ability and physicality under the basket. Yea we need 3 point shooters, but our bigs are for the most part already soft. We gave up a huge amount of offensive rebounds last season.

[Dawg61]

Yea I don't think we would've let this play out like this if we didn't have a plan already in place.

Isn't Strugg a grade risk? Can he go one year of Prep school and we can then keep them both? Strugg most likely isn't producing much next year anyways IF he qualifies. I see about eight other options that don't include losing Tookie.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Isn't Strugg a grade risk? Can he go one year of Prep school and we can then keep them both? Strugg most likely isn't producing much next year anyways IF he qualifies. I see about eight other options that don't include losing Tookie.

It's possible that Strugg ends up at Prep School nothing has been decided. The Tookie train has left the station & isn't coming back though. I'm sorry for your loss.

[msstate7]

Look who wants Kasongo. A bunch of legitimate basketball schools and coaches, not Rick Ray throwing shit on a wall to see what sticks. Ray picked up Zuppardo around this time last year as a last resort. Also just watching his tape you can see Kasongo's ability and physicality under the basket. Yea we need 3 point shooters, but our bigs are for the most part already soft. We gave up a huge amount of offensive rebounds last season.

I know for a fact that zuppardo didn't let his man get an offensive rebound last year haha

[maroonmania]

It's possible that Strugg ends up at Prep School nothing has been decided. The Tookie train has left the station & isn't coming back though. I'm sorry for your loss.

Was this strictly our call or did Tookie want to be cut loose?

[Dawg61]

It's possible that Strugg ends up at Prep School nothing has been decided. The Tookie train has left the station & isn't coming back though. I'm sorry for your loss.

Wish someone would take a walk-on spot freeing up a scholarship for Tookie.

[Rayburn8]

Wish someone would take a walk-on spot freeing up a scholarship for Tookie.

The last time that happened was when Varnado gave up his scholly for Sidney...............

[Coach34]

Based on what? A couple junior college tournament games? Its a Rick Ray evaluation. I'll believe it when I see it. Nobody really wanted the guy and now he's coming off a major injury on top of it.

based on all we have inside is Black and Ware right now

[Coach34]

Was this strictly our call or did Tookie want to be cut loose?

We made the call

[Brad Stevens]

Wish someone would take a walk-on spot freeing up a scholarship for Tookie.

Dude, you need to get a grip. Your love for some 18 year old kid is going overboard. He is great for his size, but there is no guarantee that will translate to the next level. We will be okay.

[mic]

Dude, you need to get a grip. Your love for some 18 year old kid is going overboard. He is great for his size, but there is no guarantee that will translate to the next level. We will be okay.

Seriously....

[Brad Stevens]

It's possible that Strugg ends up at Prep School nothing has been decided. The Tookie train has left the station & isn't coming back though. I'm sorry for your loss.

If Strugg doesn't make his grades, I think that is a blessing in disguise. We would then have room for Malik and Kasongo, and could still bring in Strugg next year when more scholarships open (if Howland finds him worthy after a year of evaluation and assessment). In my opinion, that's best case scenario.

[Dawg61]

Dude, you need to get a grip. Your love for some 18 year old kid is going overboard. He is great for his size, but there is no guarantee that will translate to the next level. We will be okay.

Oh you're so right Brad. Thank you so much for showing back up after six months to tell me these things. How do people not see your brilliance sooner? It's amazing!!

[maroonmania]

People! People! Come on now, with Ben Howland on the scene we were all suppose to now be fully united and singing Kum Ba Ya together! As the philosopher Rodney King once said, Can't we all just get along?

[smootness]

Assuming Howland thinks he can develop younger guys he decides to keep on the team. If not then he can go ahead and cut them. With Zuppardo, you're basically talking about a senior, maybe junior, who is going to most likely play more like a freshman and won't have any time to really improve.

But my point is that it isn't a choice between Zuppardo and a young guy we can find last minute. It's a choice between a young guy we can find last minute and a presumably better player we can find next year with more time.

Zuppardo will be gone this time next year anyway. So I'd rather wait a year and find somebody better for that spot.

[Tripp McNeely]

If Strugg doesn't make his grades, I think that is a blessing in disguise. We would then have room for Malik and Kasongo, and could still bring in Strugg next year when more scholarships open (if Howland finds him worthy after a year of evaluation and assessment). In my opinion, that's best case scenario.

While they'll never admit to it, guarantee that scenario is what the staff is hoping for.