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Baker Transfering


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If all three guys stayed someone would have been the odd man out scholarship wise since there's only two remaining.

I took that a little differently. I thought someone who might have been walking-on may now be getting a scholarship but I guess it will sort itself out.

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Coach said two were open. 5 scholarships open 3 are taken

 

Players leaving..

Sam

Ede

Wheeler

Twyman

Wells

 

Scholarships currently available for.

Cremo

McKinley

Stire

 

Unless they can't find any players Reese williams could be rewarded with a scholarship sticking it out as a walk on for 3 years. That would leave one scholarship open.

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Unless they can't find any players Reese williams could be rewarded with a scholarship sticking it out as a walk on for 3 years. That would leave one scholarship open.

You're right. I forgot I should not do math in the morning.

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Any way you slice or sugarcoat this, it is a major loss. Baker may have been the player on that team with the most talent and upside. Coach gave him more playing time than most freshmen because he know how good he was and what he was able to create. Not only did he have a silky smooth jumper but he had a great first step and an ability to get to the basket. I really think he had AE POY capability and I envisioned the offense running through him his junior and senior years. Maybe he would not have been starting next year, but I do think he would have gotten a lot of playing time. It is very disappointing...

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Any way you slice or sugarcoat this, it is a major loss. Baker may have been the player on that team with the most talent and upside. Coach gave him more playing time than most freshmen because he know how good he was and what he was able to create. Not only did he have a silky smooth jumper but he had a great first step and an ability to get to the basket. I really think he had AE POY capability and I envisioned the offense running through him his junior and senior years. Maybe he would not have been starting next year, but I do think he would have gotten a lot of playing time. It is very disappointing...

No one is super coating it but... It's not exactly Jamar leaving.

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Unless I am forgetting someone; we just lost our entire freshman (i.e. not juco's) class form 2014-2015? Does not appear to hurt us for next year, but this can not bode well 2016-17??????????????

 

I also thought Baker had AE POY potential, but an unhappy player is bad for a team, no matter how good he is.

McKay and Stire are both Freshman. We had 5 come in last year and 4 Jucos.

 

RGood, Thanks for catching my freshman #s error. I guess I am having some of the memory problems mentioned.

 

Anyhow, Baker leaving does not seem to make sense. Next year he would have gotten at least as much playing time as this year and the sky was the limit for his junior and senior years. Now he has to sit out a year [unless he drops down a level} and re-acclimate to another team/system.I just don't get it; homesick I guess.

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Depending on where he ends up it could make a lot of sense. The same guards plus Cremo next year most likely results in the same or less playing time. That was just under 14 a game. Now that's not too bad except I would guess in the games where Hooley was available it was much less than that. For a kid that was "the man" in HS that sucks.

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Here's the thing, I do agree that he would probably see 10 min or so a game next year (barring an injury). I do think he'd be seeing serious minutes the following year and his Sr. year...and of course it would be dependent on where he or Cremo would play (e.g. PG/SG...or maybe wing for Cremo if he got stronger). And I also firmly believe if this is about playing close to home...I get that more than ANYTHING. It's his choice, and I respect that choice.

 

But, with respect, this whole thing about it being tough to adjust to time...I really take some issue with, but that is a personal choice/preference. Every single DI player was pretty much the stud of their high school...or region. A kid who came up with me at Albany was a stud PG at Archbishop Malloy, a NYC powerhouse. Yep, he was a role player at DIII Albany. Adelphi's Head Coach, David Duke, also came up to Albany...transferred to NY Tech...and was a star player at another Queens powerhouse high school. Look at a guy like Brian Connelly. He tore it up in NJ...in a decent league...averaging nearly a double double. At Albany, he was a glue guy who averaged, what, 9 points a game?

 

This level of hoops is truly outstanding (Division I). At some point, you will no longer be the man. And I think too many kids just give up too easily...and are afraid to go out their and A) work their tail off even more to make the Coach say, "Shoot...I have to find a way to get this kid minutes"; or b ) accept a role...and be a part of something great...instead of having your ego stroked.

 

And let me say, I have no idea what goes on in the mind of anyone but my own, so I can't speak nor do I want to speculate why a kid makes a decision. But if Baker ends up at USD or UND (two schools I think would really want / need him), I get it. It's a 4hr drive for his family to come see him play, and they only get three more years to watch.

Edited by Dane96
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Here's the thing, I do agree that he would probably see 10 min or so a game next year (barring an injury). I do think he'd be seeing serious minutes the following year and his Sr. year...and of course it would be dependent on where he or Cremo would play (e.g. PG/SG...or maybe wing for Cremo if he got stronger). And I also firmly believe if this is about playing close to home...I get that more than ANYTHING. It's his choice, and I respect that choice.

 

But, with respect, this whole thing about it being tough to adjust to time...I really take some issue with, but that is a personal choice/preference. Every single DI player was pretty much the stud of their high school...or region. A kid who came up with me at Albany was a stud PG at Archbishop Malloy, a NYC powerhouse. Yep, he was a role player at DIII Albany. Adelphi's Head Coach, David Duke, also came up to Albany...transferred to NY Tech...and was a star player at another Queens powerhouse high school. Look at a guy like Brian Connelly. He tore it up in NJ...in a decent league...averaging nearly a double double. At Albany, he was a glue guy who averaged, what, 9 points a game?

 

This level of hoops is truly outstanding (Division I). At some point, you will no longer be the man. And I think too many kids just give up too easily...and are afraid to go out their and A) work their tail off even more to make the Coach say, "Shoot...I have to find a way to get this kid minutes"; or b ) accept a role...and be a part of something great...instead of having your ego stroked.

 

And let me say, I have no idea what goes on in the mind of anyone but my own, so I can't speak nor do I want to speculate why a kid makes a decision. But if Baker ends up at USD or UND (two schools I think would really want / need him), I get it. It's a 4hr drive for his family to come see him play, and they only get three more years to watch.

I get it that everybody on a D1 roster was the man, or close to it and In the end maybe it is to get close to home. I don't know the other two guys but I'm not sure the Connelly comp works. Baker was what 25+/game in HS his senior year and was probably the focus of every defense out there. I'm assuming he had the ball all the time and freedom to do with it whatever he wanted. I think that makes the adjustment harder than for a Connelly type.

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Here's the thing, I do agree that he would probably see 10 min or so a game next year (barring an injury). I do think he'd be seeing serious minutes the following year and his Sr. year...and of course it would be dependent on where he or Cremo would play (e.g. PG/SG...or maybe wing for Cremo if he got stronger). And I also firmly believe if this is about playing close to home...I get that more than ANYTHING. It's his choice, and I respect that choice.

 

But, with respect, this whole thing about it being tough to adjust to time...I really take some issue with, but that is a personal choice/preference. Every single DI player was pretty much the stud of their high school...or region. A kid who came up with me at Albany was a stud PG at Archbishop Malloy, a NYC powerhouse. Yep, he was a role player at DIII Albany. Adelphi's Head Coach, David Duke, also came up to Albany...transferred to NY Tech...and was a star player at another Queens powerhouse high school. Look at a guy like Brian Connelly. He tore it up in NJ...in a decent league...averaging nearly a double double. At Albany, he was a glue guy who averaged, what, 9 points a game?

 

This level of hoops is truly outstanding (Division I). At some point, you will no longer be the man. And I think too many kids just give up too easily...and are afraid to go out their and A) work their tail off even more to make the Coach say, "Shoot...I have to find a way to get this kid minutes"; or b ) accept a role...and be a part of something great...instead of having your ego stroked.

 

And let me say, I have no idea what goes on in the mind of anyone but my own, so I can't speak nor do I want to speculate why a kid makes a decision. But if Baker ends up at USD or UND (two schools I think would really want / need him), I get it. It's a 4hr drive for his family to come see him play, and they only get three more years to watch.

I get it that everybody on a D1 roster was the man, or close to it and In the end maybe it is to get close to home. I don't know the other two guys but I'm not sure the Connelly comp works. Baker was what 25+/game in HS his senior year and was probably the focus of every defense out there. I'm assuming he had the ball all the time and freedom to do with it whatever he wanted. I think that makes the adjustment harder than for a Connelly type.

 

 

We are probably arguing semantics, however I think the comparison is absolutely the same. Connelly was 2nd team All-State in NJ, and first team South Jersey. In short, he was among the Top 20 players in NJ...a state that produces serious talent, on a regular basis, when compared to Minnesota. He was a superstar, with the ball in his hands constantly. He averaged almost 23 pts and 10 rebounds a game his Senior season. And he was the per average leading scorer for his team, in school history.

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Fair, but he probably wasn't scoring a ton his Fr/So year. I would assume (I could be wrong), his junior/senior year is where he did the bulk of his scoring. Patience.

 

Exactly. Think about Brian Lillis. Same exact situation, as on of the top off-the bench players. I was at that Northeastern game with NUHF, and we were like, "Whoa, this kid's going to be good", in due time. He came off an incredible Dowling team where he was one of two top options.

 

Even better...Sam Rowley. Was a very good player coming out off Australia...and once he earned trust, and guys moved around in front of him...well, we know the rest of that story.

 

Again, this a general concept...and not really about Baker leaving. It's a story that has been discussed all throughout this March Madness...and before. The transfer rules are a balancing act of freedom of choice vs. personal commitment/inner fortitude. I read a stat yesterday that over 1/3 of kids who play DI basketball have trans..ferred schools at some point.

 

It's crazy.

Edited by Dane96
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