Iowa, Basketball, Tyrese Hunter discussed on CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast
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So the Iowa state bodies. Coming to Ames Iowa. TJ Alzheimer has added a couple of saint bonaventure players via the transfer portal, Jaron Holmes, shooting guard who averaged 13 and a half points 5 rebounds 3.6 assists this past season. He's headed to Iowa state and osun, a who is a two time Atlantic ten defensive player of the year. Really good player. 11.3 .7 .5 rebounds 2.9 blocks per game this past season. Both have committed to Iowa state. So this is interesting. Iowa state fans, some were really upset they thought it was the end of college basketball as we know it. A few weeks back, when Tyree hunter entered the transfer portal. And one that we talked about it here on the podcast, one of the things I tried to explain is that this is just going to be the way it is with the one time transfer waiver. And you're going to lose some to, you know, that you want to keep. And you're going to get some that other people wanted to keep, or you're going to, it'll all work itself out. You might lose your best player or best returning player to a situation that that player deems better or preferable. But you'll got to be able to pull from other places. And if we want to start creating tiers of college basketball, perhaps there's the blue blood tier, and then there's like other power conference schools here. So we'll throw Iowa state in there. And then there's everything below it, which with all due respect, might be the saint bonaventure tier. Mark Smith, incredible job there. But it's a hard job. It's a difficult job in a league outside of the traditional power structure. So I will state loses a player, I'm sure it wanted to keep on some level to the transfer portal, but as predicted TDIs burger, it's doing just fine. Reloading. And this is just going to be the way the sport works. And, you know, I bet you, even the Iowa state fans who thought the transfer port on the one time transfer waiver were the worst thing in the history of college athletics a few weeks ago, I bet they're not feeling so bad about it right now. Yeah, they've got to be feeling pretty good. It's a huge addition. A journalist, I think, is going to be a difference maker. He's a fantastic shot maker, but a junior to me if it's a fits and need for Iowa state 6 foot ten. I think one of the best shot blockers in all of college basketball. And average 2.9 blocks per game, each of the last two seasons, two time a ten defensive player of the year. He was top 15 last season in block rate at 12.1%, just for reference, Ted holmgren, who we've been talking about as a potential number one pick. Was 12.6% in block rate last season. So that ranked tenth in the country. So in terms of what he's going to bring to the table for Iowa state, he brings shot blocking. That's really what Iowa state lack last season. And guess what? Iowa state was really good on defense last season, despite not having that. They were top 5, according to Ken palm's efficiency metrics. So adding him, I think, is going to be a huge difference. Obviously, I was state set to lose tyrese hunter. You're going to lose Isaiah brockington, but they're bringing in no sunnier Holmes. There are also adding transfer from temple and Jeremiah Williams and VCO forward Hassan ward. They're also enrolling three top 200 high school recruits and Gabe coucher is expected to come back. So in TRE king as well. He transferred from Georgetown. I think during the season and he'll be eligible. So it'll be a new cast of characters, but this is I think Iowa state. It's the main reason I wanted to bring this up. This is not about Iowa state. It's just that the Iowa state situation, the way this off season is unfolded is a pretty good reflection of the state of college basketball. You're going to lose a player that you probably wanted to keep. And then it's your job as a basketball coach to go out and try to replace those players. By getting guys that I'm sure other schools wanted to keep. And, you know, and TJ has done a really good job at that. Given what he did after getting the Iowa state job last off season, how quickly he used the transfer portal to take Iowa state from a two win program to an NCAA tournament program. That should have suggested to everybody, like this guy is going to be able to operate in the space and he'll be just fine. And, you know, so this shouldn't be a surprise. But still, I just think the roller coaster ride Iowa state fans have been on this off season is a pretty good reflection of what it's going to be like for a lot of basketball problems. There's going to be a day where you curse the transfer portal because you just lost somebody you want to keep. And then there's going to be another day where you're like, woohoo. I love this transfer portal. We just got a two time AT&T defensive player of the year. Yeah, no, that's exactly right. That's exactly right. And this is kind of reflective of the college basketball landscape at large right now, where you're going to lose players. But programs are adding from the transfer portal at such a rate now that you can lose players, you can lose stars and you can still get back really quality players. I was state, they may take a slight step back, losing tyrese hunter. But I do think they're going to be able to replace at least some of this production. And the talent that they're adding elsewhere on top of who they're bringing back. Maybe they don't take a step back next year. Well, let me ask you, let me ask you this. Yeah. Hand a, I give you tyrese hunter. Hand B, I give you Jared Holmes and Osuna shooting a, which hand you want. Do you have your feet? What you got in your feet? I can't show you my feet. Now to get too weird. That would get too good. Aaron Rodgers. Yeah. Shoot, I think I'd rather have tyrese hunter, but yeah, probably, but like, yeah, probably, but it's not like obvious. I'm just saying no, that's right. Yeah. Yeah, like, you know, you probably got two players neither of whom are as gifted as tyrese hunter, but you got two really good players. You know, they have come in since, since you lost tyrese hunter. And you're fine. You're fine. Yeah, I don't know where Iowa state will be at this point in the season. Or a year. I sort of look at top 25 and one candidates. And I don't really look much past that right now. So every once in a while, you want to put a situation in some of the so how do you think Penn State is going to do? Well, I've got to take a closer look at that because you're either on my top 25 and you're not on my radar. And so I don't have Iowa state as a top 25 and one contender. But you start looking at how the roster's taking shape and.