Vandy in top 10 for Wofford transfer BJ Mack

[AuricGoldfinger]

One of the top players in the portal. Played at USF prior to Wofford. 6-8 245 lb. forward. BEEFY.

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[utahozzie]

Strong kid. Definitely an inside only guy but Jerry knows he needs rebounders.

[UltimateVUFan]

Soooo…does this - along with the other transfers VU is courting - all but confirm our suspicions that Jordan Wright is indeed moving on? I would love to see him back, but at this point I’m not counting on it, considering that Ezra and QMB have already announced their return and Wright participated in senior day.

[Jason94]

Soooo…does this - along with the other transfers VU is courting - all but confirm our suspicions that Jordan Wright is indeed moving on? I would love to see him back, but at this point I’m not counting on it, considering that Ezra and QMB have already announced their return and Wright participated in senior day.

Besides the fact that if someone doesn't leave that there are no additional scholarships available, this is a sign that someone from in the post isn't coming back it would seem. Of the posts that started the season we know that Stute and Robbins will not be back. That leaves QMB, Dort, Dia and Smith. Wright has played the post, but mainly because Dort and Dia presumably not ready to play rotation level minutes, so this is more a sign of the lack of confidence that Dia or Dort will be ready to play next season, especially considering that we have an incoming 4/5 in the freshmen class. So if it is Wright, that suggests that among the 5 posts that are currently slated to be on the roster next season, CJS doesn't quite have enough confidence in at least one of them.

I will say that if Stute is the only player to hit the transfer portal this season it will be surprising based on the way things are. It would take a tremendous amount of convincing for the average high major player to come back to a situation where they don't see much playing time. CJS doesn't strike me as the type to make false promises for PT.

[OldDude]

Soooo…does this - along with the other transfers VU is courting - all but confirm our suspicions that Jordan Wright is indeed moving on? I would love to see him back, but at this point I’m not counting on it, considering that Ezra and QMB have already announced their return and Wright participated in senior day.

Besides the fact that if someone doesn't leave that there are no additional scholarships available, this is a sign that someone from in the post isn't coming back it would seem. Of the posts that started the season we know that Stute and Robbins will not be back. That leaves QMB, Dort, Dia and Smith. Wright has played the post, but mainly because Dort and Dia presumably not ready to play rotation level minutes, so this is more a sign of the lack of confidence that Dia or Dort will be ready to play next season, especially considering that we have an incoming 4/5 in the freshmen class. So if it is Wright, that suggests that among the 5 posts that are currently slated to be on the roster next season, CJS doesn't quite have enough confidence in at least one of them.

I will say that if Stute is the only player to hit the transfer portal this season it will be surprising based on the way things are. It would take a tremendous amount of convincing for the average high major player to come back to a situation where they don't see much playing time. CJS doesn't strike me as the type to make false promises for PT.

Jason, any thoughts as to whether the recruit Lang is a better option for next year than Dia ? Okay, tough question I know but curious if you have any input. Thanks.

[Obvious]

We will find out quickly after our final game who is transferring out. I assume there have been conversations and coach knows who all is leaving.

[UltimateVUFan]

Dia would be an unfortunate loss, as he seems to have significant upside. Stack and Wright both commented early in the season that he is (one of) the most talented player(s) on campus in their tenures at VU. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him depart. Of course, if Wright is leaving, Dia could conceivably take his minutes. Dort would be a very tough loss considering how thin VU is in the post. I am starting to wonder if both Dort and Shelby are out given that the staff has reportedly reached out to both guards and forwards. Of course, they could just be seeking the best available talent. I suppose speculation is meaningless. We’ll know soon enough. Good news is that the staff is in on several players already.

[Obvious]

Dia would be an unfortunate loss, as he seems to have significant upside. Stack and Wright both commented early in the season that he is (one of) the most talented player(s) on campus in their tenures at VU. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him depart. Of course, if Wright is leaving, Dia could conceivably take his minutes. Dort would be a very tough loss considering how thin VU is in the post. I am starting to wonder if both Dort and Shelby are out given that the staff has reportedly reached out to both guards and forwards. Of course, they could just be seeking the best available talent. I suppose speculation is meaningless. We’ll know soon enough. Good news is that the staff is in on several players already.

I understand they’re best friends but eventually Lee and Noah will have to play without one another.

[VUaskew]

maybe Trey Thomas is transferring out? He may well be the odd man out next year, and he's 3/4 of his way towards his degree if not more. He seems to me the least like the others in terms of size, production, ceiling, etc. Great kid, just see no upside for him.

[Jason94]

Soooo…does this - along with the other transfers VU is courting - all but confirm our suspicions that Jordan Wright is indeed moving on? I would love to see him back, but at this point I’m not counting on it, considering that Ezra and QMB have already announced their return and Wright participated in senior day.

Besides the fact that if someone doesn't leave that there are no additional scholarships available, this is a sign that someone from in the post isn't coming back it would seem. Of the posts that started the season we know that Stute and Robbins will not be back. That leaves QMB, Dort, Dia and Smith. Wright has played the post, but mainly because Dort and Dia presumably not ready to play rotation level minutes, so this is more a sign of the lack of confidence that Dia or Dort will be ready to play next season, especially considering that we have an incoming 4/5 in the freshmen class. So if it is Wright, that suggests that among the 5 posts that are currently slated to be on the roster next season, CJS doesn't quite have enough confidence in at least one of them.

I will say that if Stute is the only player to hit the transfer portal this season it will be surprising based on the way things are. It would take a tremendous amount of convincing for the average high major player to come back to a situation where they don't see much playing time. CJS doesn't strike me as the type to make false promises for PT.

Jason, any thoughts as to whether the recruit Lang is a better option for next year than Dia ? Okay, tough question I know but curious if you have any input. Thanks.

I don't really know. It is difficult to know how Lang will do against SEC and D1 level big men given that he doesn't have overwhelming athleticism or size. He does appear to have a very advanced skill game, and perhaps this will translate well.

What I do know is that despite our depth issues at the post due to injuries and transfers that Dia has struggled to get playing time for some reason. He had a big game against UK in the first matchup but hasn't scored since and has only played in 6 of the last 16 games. The other issue is that when he has played, he hasn't shown us very much. I can see that he has really good size and a nice shooting form, but none of that has translated into points or rebounds. Most of his production has come in two games - UK and SELA. He had 14 points against UK and just 32 the rest of the season. He had 10 rebounds against SELA but just 20 in the other games. It doesn't particularly bother me that his scoring hasn't come around yet since he is so inexperienced, but I am concerned that he isn't rebounding like a player his size should.

Sample sizes are small, but even in small sample sizes we should see a glimpse. For instance Dort made 65% of his limited shots inside the arc. This is not surprising because he finishes with authority. OTOH, Dia was just 6 for 27 inside the arc, which is an abysmal percentage for a player his size. Even Trey Thomas, who is short and not athletic went 13-35 inside the arc. Similarly, Dort grabbed 20% of available defensive and 16% of available offensive rebounds while he was on the court, which are very strong numbers. Dia OTOH rebounded about as well as Lawrence in terms of rebounding percentage. Lawrence is a decent rebounder for a guard, but he is not a great rebounder and a player like Dia who is 6'-9", 240 should clean up on the glass.

Again, we haven't seen too much of Dia, but similar warning signs were there for Terren Frank. It is also a little worrying that CJS has chosen to not play Dia much despite extended absences for Robbins, Dort and now Stute. My hope is that either Dia comes back next year with a dominant attitude, or that Lang is essentially a point center who can really confound defenses with his ability to face up and move the ball the way that most centers are unable to do. Either one will work out great, and both would be fantastic.

[Jason94]

maybe Trey Thomas is transferring out? He may well be the odd man out next year, and he's 3/4 of his way towards his degree if not more. He seems to me the least like the others in terms of size, production, ceiling, etc. Great kid, just see no upside for him.

On one hand, I think that CJS should be able to recruit someone who has more upside than Thomas, OTOH, where is Thomas going to get more PT? CJS intentionally played Thomas ahead of a 4 star freshman who was thought to be one of the best shooters in the class in Shelby, while shooting barely 30% from three. I seriously doubt most other coaches are going to see the same value that CJS sees in Thomas, and it is clear that CJS trusts Thomas to do what he wants, even if he is unsuccessful.

Seriously, which coach would play Thomas as much as CJS plays him, especially when his stat line over the last 7 games are as follows: 12 points (total), 4-26 from three, 4-29 from the field, 3 rebounds (total), 1 assist (total), 5 TO's (total). And he's played about 18 mpg over those 7 games. Most players who have struggled for as long as Thomas has struggled would find their minutes greatly curtailed, but this hasn't been the case, and we managed to win anyway.

In fact, if it weren't for Manjon and Lawrence both ending the year looking like All-SEC players going into next season, I would not have been surprised to see Thomas starting multiple games next season.

Most likely the next player to transfer will not be someone we necessarily want to transfer, and I just don't see why Thomas would want to transfer. He's getting a great education and is likely to have a rotational role on a team that should have a great chance of making the tournament next season. I doubt he finds that anywhere else.

[OldDude]

If Thomas were to leave the team (not transfer out, just give up the game) , VU still would be allowed to give him a last year ride as a student wouldn't they. Makes room for another scholarship player.

[Vandysmith]

How long do they have to make a decision since their a window?