Portal

[Jay Catsby]

For every 4 year guy you’re thinking of that blossomed, there are several that barely saw the court all four years.

We’ll (presumably) never get to know what Spadone and Rikus could have become as Davidson upperclassmen. Which is a bummer because they’re both really talented, good kids, and have upside.

But to just assume they would turn into even what Grant Huffman was this year is a big leap.

[BaseRich306]

I wasn't assuming they'd turn into Grant. But if you get senior Rusty Reigel and senior Oskar Michelsen or Nathan Ekwu, that's still big.

[slowcat95]

Achile Spadone has entered the portal.

https://x.com/verbalcommits/status/1770 ... 2c1mKS_QvQ

https://x.com/Achilespadone/status/1770 ... 12315?s=20

Dang. This one makes me really sad. I loved watching Achile play.

[otherwildcat]

Achile Spadone has entered the portal.

https://x.com/verbalcommits/status/1770 ... 2c1mKS_QvQ

https://x.com/Achilespadone/status/1770 ... 12315?s=20

Dang. This one makes me really sad. I loved watching Achile play.

Liked watching him play also, good defender. Perhaps Huffman is coming back, because I thought Spadone would get decent playing time next year.

[i77cat]

Achile and Rikus can make contributions on better teams. Good for them. Bad for us.

The A10 defectors will spike once the NCAA and NIT tournaments get started. All of our NIT teams are underdogs. So is Duquesne. I don't know about Dayton. Haven't looked at the bracket. I don't even know who they are playing.

[RichmondCat]

If we want the portal to give more than it takes, I suggest joining me in making a donation to https://exit30collective.org/

While this might feel different than a donation to the college, it is still supporting our athletes and, by doing that, it is supporting our programs and the college itself.

[citycat]

I wasn't assuming they'd turn into Grant. But if you get senior Rusty Reigel and senior Oskar Michelsen or Nathan Ekwu, that's still big.

Nathan Ekwu was better as a freshman than a senior. He only played 13 games and less than 100 minutes as a senior.

If he had stayed healthy and progressed from his freshman year, he would have been very good.

[BaseRich306]

I wasn't assuming they'd turn into Grant. But if you get senior Rusty Reigel and senior Oskar Michelsen or Nathan Ekwu, that's still big.

Nathan Ekwu was better as a freshman than a senior. He only played 13 games and less than 100 minutes as a senior.

If he had stayed healthy and progressed from his freshman year, he would have been very good.

Ok, feel free to continue nitpicking my point that I'm dismayed we won't get these guys for four years. This board sometimes.

[ScootCat]

Odds are they would have stayed four years were it not for the damned portal. Que sera sera.

[bvgerd]

Im sad to see Achile and Rikus in the portal, one of my favorite things about college basketball was seeing players develop and improve over 4 years especially for guys starting off as bench players and earning bigger roles. I understand the motivation for them to look for more playing time, and am glad that the rules now allow players to have more freedom in looking to do whats best for them, but I am sad that we lost something i thought was special about college sports in the process.

From a glass half-full perspective, there will be a lot of very talented players in the transfer portal and this is an opportunity to add players to address current holes in the roster (shooting) that we otherwise wouldnt have had the scholarships for.

[wildforthecats]

I wasn't assuming they'd turn into Grant. But if you get senior Rusty Reigel and senior Oskar Michelsen or Nathan Ekwu, that's still big.

Nathan Ekwu was better as a freshman than a senior. He only played 13 games and less than 100 minutes as a senior.

If he had stayed healthy and progressed from his freshman year, he would have been very good.

It seems to me that Ekwu improved into his second year before he got hurt. Nathan helped pull out the home game vs Mercer. Also, he was a dynamo in the first half of the Kansas game his junior season.

[85Wildcatsky]

I am reminded of Newton
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

I think it is wise to really analyze if the portal is for Davidson.

We bring in Foster and have some success and get an NCAA bid but Grant spends more time in a non starting role. Does that hurt us more in the long haul?

Achile seems to have some great developmental talent. We squash him by bringing in Brizzi. Net win or loss?

Rikus shows some potential as a freshmen but Skogman decides to come back. Rikus goes elsewhere for minutes.

Would we be better off just staying loyal to our own recruits and helping them develop in our system. It is hard to ride the bench, busting you butt to improve only to be pushed further down the bench for a portal player who has no understanding of the system.

On the other hand the portal is so late in the year, your departures almost force you to play the game to fill big voids in your roster.

It is just plain stupid to open the portal during the tourney.

[graveline]

I referenced this in an NIL thread, but obviously the difference between coaches being able to bail on a moments notice (didn’t Tommy tuberville famously sneak out of a bathroom mid recruiting dinner?) and students being tethered was base hypocrisy. My dream would have been the pendulum swinging the other way, with coaches forced to sit out a year, or till all their recruits left before moving to greener pastures, but obviously that is the stuff of fantasies

[Waitress]

Achile Spadone has entered the portal.

https://x.com/verbalcommits/status/1770 ... 2c1mKS_QvQ

https://x.com/Achilespadone/status/1770 ... 12315?s=20

I expected this. Two Three months ago I emailed someone that Achile and another player looked like transfer threats. The other player was not Rikus.

[stevelee]

To recruit shooters, I suggest we not try poaching Virginia. Losing to Colorado State 27-14 at the half. Now 35-14 at 17:01.