Recruiting Class of 2022

[m52]

Coach seems to have restocked nicely, adding some needed height and extra ball handlers for the A10. It will be interesting to see which of the 3 players on the roster will likely see little playing time, assuming there'll be a 10 man rotation.

[Newman104]

You're really seeing how Drew is different from Porter with his adds. We saw it throughout the year, and it's becoming more apparent now.

Porter built his Loyola teams on defense and getting to the rims. He liked his big men and didn't want to shoot 3s all that much. He was all about attacking the basket and the mid-range jumper.

Drew wants to shoot the basketball. We were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country last year, and all of the adds this offseason should make us better both percentage and volume wise.

Bryce Golden shot 34.3% from 3
Sheldon Edwards shot 35.8%
Jeameril Wilson shot 43.2%

The only guy who didn't shoot it well was Alston, but he bring an athletic and size skillset that we otherwise don't have. At 6 foot 6 and 225 pounds he should be able to play some bully ball. That said, I don't expect him to be a big contributor immediately like some others do. Moving from D-2 to the A-10 is no joke and he's going to need some pretty massive development time.

If I had to guess I'd expect our opening night lineup to look like:

PG: Norris
SG: Kennedy
SF: Wilson
PF: Thomas
C: Golden

Saint didn't play much as a Freshman, but at 6 foot 7 200 pounds, he's a great size to play the 4. He improved massively on defense as the year went on too. If he can develop his offensive game a little more, specifically become a better spot up shooter and a better cutter, then he'd be a great compliment to the rest of the lineup.

The one thing I do fear though, is that once again we don't have anyone who can really create their own shot when the offense gets stagnant. A lot is going to be placed on Kennedy's plate in that way. Sheldon Edwards too, if his sporadic offensive eruptions from last year are any indicator.

Last note I'll make, don't sleep on Jalen Quinn or Treyvon Lewis. I feel like Lewis in particular is set to make an impact. A wing with a 7 foot wingspan who can shoot? Fits perfectly with everything Drew wants.

[Mertz2003]

I understand that D2 to A-10 is a huge leap, but I think you guys are underestimating how good Alston can be. He has the body and athleticism to be a monster on the boards right away. While he certainly won't be averaging 20 pts, I think he will be solid offensively and improve as he adapts to the level. There is a lot of precedent for guys with his body type being extremely effective at the highest level of college basketball, and there is a reason he had offers from SEC schools.

I think he'll end up being our best player at some point in his career and could be one of those basketball players that becomes a TE in the NFL.

[01grad]

I have a feeling Quinn is going to mesh really well next year. Dare I say that he seems…all in?

[JCT]

I would like to see Saint Thomas play the 3. I think he has the handles, speed, and step-back to play that spot. His defense needs some work, but he's got the size advantage. Even in the A10, a 6'7" 200 SF is a lot to handle for most defenses.

I'm probably going to get slammed for this, but I think Thomas has the ability to be a point forward at times, to show a different look. Maybe he can work with Braden Norris on his passing, but he's not far off in my opinion. If he has pro aspirations, he's going to be a shooting guard or small forward anyway.

[Sloth84]

Yes - don't forget about Quinn as the back up point guard. I'll say it again - I think we will see minutes from this incoming freshman class - much more than we saw from TY and Saint this past year. 3 reasons- 1) It's Drew's first class 2) it's an overall better class, and 3) In the crazy new transfer portal world, if you don't get your freshman some meaningful minutes you run the risk of losing them.

With the 4 transfers we will have very good experienced depth - but the freshmen are going to play.

[Mudville21]

Drew has done a good job in the portal. I like that he did not just grab 4 seniors. He grabbed Edward’s with 3 years left and Alston with 2 years left. This effectively gives us bodies in different classes instead of being too heavy in a given class and having to replace a massive amount of guys like we needed this year.

I like what he’s doing, my only fear is that we don’t play the incoming freshmen and we lose a couple of them in the portal the year after. The three freshmen are all highly decorated HS players and I love everything I have seen or read about Jalen Quinn. He looks like the real deal and seems to be cut out of the same mold as Lucas Williamson, but dare I say better at this point in his career that Lucas was? We will see as Lucas played better competition in HS and that may have limited some of his numbers.

One thing I want to address is the idea that Porter did not like the 3. The Final Four team relied heavily on the 3 ball and shot it great. We had a couple of years after when we did not shoot it great and we shot fewer. In those years, Porter played very slow and wanted to limit possessions and the opponents transition and 3 attempts. It’s how we built out defensive numbers. It was more about personnel than liking or not liking the 3. Drew players a little faster and these guys were launching 3s all over the place. Now with Golden and Alston, we may see more post action and a few less 3s. We will see. We still need balance in order to spread the floor more efficiently.

ANyway, its late and I am babbling. Can’t wait for next year…Dare I say we can compete right now for the A10 title? We will see. Some schools, like UMASS, really upgrading. The A10 will be good next year and hopefully a multiple bid league.

[Rambler88]

Based on a one year sample size, I think Coach Drew will play the best players without regard to their year. If the freshman or newcomers can play, they will play. It will be interesting to see how the younger players will react to this.

As someone pointed out, this appears to be a one year deal. We won't be required to require so many portal players. We won't lose nine players in a year.

After this year, I would expect that we would go back to the normal - 25% transfer/portal/graduation turnover.

[AMDG]

Based on a one year sample size, I think Coach Drew will play the best players without regard to their year. If the freshman or newcomers can play, they will play. It will be interesting to see how the younger players will react to this.

As someone pointed out, this appears to be a one year deal. We won't be required to require so many portal players. We won't lose nine players in a year.

After this year, I would expect that we would go back to the normal - 25% transfer/portal/graduation turnover.

We'll be back looking for another center next year as we aren't going to hand it to a freshman without a backup plan. I have no hope that Hutson maxes out higher than a backup who can give you 15 minutes per game or maybe a starter for certain matchups.

[goramblers2011]

Cam Spencer to Rutgers.