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****JAI LUCAS INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE THREAD****

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JZCane0825 said:
Staton-McCray is a local kid and going to be a senior so I would think he comes back to be a rotation player. Bethea is a complete wildcard. He wasn't good enough to justify getting drafted but I'd imagine schools will be throwing huge money his way to get him to transfer.
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As soon as I commented on Staton-McCray, I pulled back on that. I don't see a lot of upside to keeping guys with one year left at UM. I think he would be more likely to keep guys with more time/motivation to turn things around under new coaching.
 
Peter Ariz said:
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I am sure @King of Allapattah would agree with you. He and I have wanted a coaching staff to focus more on in-state recruiting and we finally have one who knows the landscape of recruiting in the State of Florida.
I can imagine if this is a complete rebuild and he has to add 13 players through the transfer portal then I would expect atleast 10 of them to be grad transfer seniors or juniors to ensure he has enough scholarships for the 2026 and 2027 classes.
This also gives him an experienced group of players to play with for his first 2 years in Coral Gables.
 
TheOriginalCane said:
As soon as I commented on Staton-McCray, I pulled back on that. I don't see a lot of upside to keeping guys with one year left at UM. I think he would be more likely to keep guys with more time/motivation to turn things around under new coaching.
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I hear you but there are a lot of spots to fill and having an upperclassman with tourney experience could be valuable if he's just coming off the bench.
 
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Peter Ariz said:
Asked about roster and doesn’t seem like he’s committing to keeping any players on the current team
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I am not surprised by that. In fairness, that roster came to Coral Gables to play for Coach L and Jai Lucas had a defensive first mentality that doesn't seem to fit a lot of the personal on the roster.
I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, the NCAA gives players an extra year of eligibility if the head coach leaves before or during the season.
We want to believe the notion that kids commit to the school but they really are committing to the coach.
 
JZCane0825 said:
Ugochukwu is from the Houston area and I'd imagine is very familiar with Lucas family. There are obvious ties there so would guess he'd have opportunity to stay if interest was mutual.
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You make a valid point but I have to wonder if he showed enough for Kelvin Sampson to offer him a scholarship to play for the University of Houston.
 
TheOriginalCane said:
As soon as I commented on Staton-McCray, I pulled back on that. I don't see a lot of upside to keeping guys with one year left at UM. I think he would be more likely to keep guys with more time/motivation to turn things around under new coaching.
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Maybe in a reduced roster, you could get more out of Staton-McCray. In fairness, he had some brights spots in a dim season.
He could be a solid 3 and D guy off the bench.
Besides, he only has 1 year of eligibility left so it's not like he will be holding up the scholarship for multiple years.
 
I like Ugo but he’s quickly creeping up the list of most overrated guys by our fanbase.
 
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JZCane0825 said:
I hear you but there are a lot of spots to fill and having an upperclassman with tourney experience could be valuable if he's just coming off the bench.
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What? In his 4 years at Samford, he played in ONE NCAA Tournament game, a first-round loss.

If the rumors are true, we will be able to fill all the spots.
 
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TheOriginalCane said:
What? In his 4 years at Samford, he played in ONE NCAA Tournament game, a first-round loss.

If the rumors are true, we will be able to fill all the spots.
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Could’ve been two tourney games, if he hadn’t been called for one the most ridiculous fouls I’ve ever seen.

(Not disputing your point)
 
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