(Fredrick, also joining his third program, will be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.) The NCAA has claimed it will be cracking down on second transfers and denying immediate eligibility waivers, even in cases of coaching changes, which Reynolds experienced with Temple. One is the eligibility status of Reynolds, who is making his second transfer. The returning roster and new additions are not without unknowns. Their skills should supplement the more attacking, downhill styles of incoming point guards Thomas and James - particularly the spacing and outside shooting from Fredrick and Lukosius - and the passing should benefit slashers like Dan Skillings Jr., Josh Reed and Griffith.Ĭincinnati addressed its holes via the transfer portal, and despite the marked losses from last year’s roster, these Bearcats look deeper and more talented on paper. All three are good passers who offer positional versatility (at least on offense) and aren’t repetitive with each other or the rest of the roster.
Miller loves what he would describe as “savvy” players, and the trio of transfers fit that bill. He started all 32 games and averaged 30-plus minutes as a sophomore on his way to becoming the team’s second-leading scorer, and will have similar expectations at Cincinnati, with hopes he can take another step forward. Lukosius emerged as a vital perimeter piece for Butler last season and also has the size to play as a small-ball 4.
And while the 6-foot-7 Lithuanian is not quite the established scorer that Nolley was, he has the potential to develop into that role or something close to it as he enters his third season. Lukosius should slot into Nolley’s vacated starting role on the wing. If he can stay healthy, he can be a knock-down catch-and-shoot option, as well as an off-ball guard the Bearcats can run perimeter actions for. Fredrick, who graduated from nearby Covington Catholic High School, battled through two injury-ravaged seasons at Kentucky. Like Reynolds, both players have averaged double-digit points at some stretch in their college careers, albeit at different stages. So is his offensive capability and touch around the rim, shooting 60.4 percent from the field in 2022-23.įredrick and Lukosius replenish the 3-point-shooting coffers, with Fredrick averaging 46.6 percent from deep in his two (largely) healthy seasons on the floor at Iowa, and Lukosius shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range for Butler last season. He will ideally trim down a bit from 280 pounds while in the Monster Factory with strength-and-conditioning coordinator Mike Rehfeldt this summer, but his power is a big part of the appeal. Reynolds, who gave Cincinnati fits with Temple last season, can play the 4 and the 5 and injects size and toughness to the frontcourt rotation alongside Viktor Lakhin and Ody Oguama. On paper, Miller and his staff hit on all three, with a trio of players who have experience and multiple seasons of eligibility remaining, and with styles of play that should complement each other and the rest of the roster. With three open roster spots (Nolley, Davenport and then Jarrett Hensley entering the transfer portal), UC still needed a versatile big, as well as an off-ball guard and a wing that both offered scoring pop and 3-point range. Losing both Nolley and DeJulius meant losing the two go-to scorers from last year, and combined with Davenport’s transfer almost completely stripped the team of its outside shooting threats. But once Nolley officially declared for and chose to remain in the NBA Draft, it significantly shifted Cincinnati’s roster calculus.
Miller and the Bearcats entered the offseason in the market for a post presence and backcourt shooting depth.
0 kommentar(er)
