Thinking about different ways this can go.
Scenario 1: Gates tries not to push out players, and manages to retain Brazile and Shaw. The roster could look like this:
PG - East (or best available transfer PG), Kaleb Brown, Christian Jones
SG - Gholston, Gordon, Davis, Coleman
SF - Kobe Brown, DeGray
PF - Brazile, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
I think this lineup could be decent, but I don't think it would be expected to make the NCAA tournament. It could probably make the NIT if Gates does an okay job coaching. If we bring in someone like Pat Baldwin Jr I don't think we can keep Brazile and Shaw, and of those two it sounds like Brazile is the one we're most likely to lose.
Scenario 2: Gates can't hold on to Brazile but is able to pull in a solid replacement:
PG - Sean East (or best available transfer PG), Kaleb Brown, Christian Jones
SG - Gholston, Gordon, Davis, Coleman
SF - Pat Baldwin Jr (or best available transfer forward like Noah Carter, etc), DeGray
PF - Kobe Brown, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
If we can get transfers as good as East and Baldwin, I think this could be an NCAA team. Obviously if we get weaker transfers then this could be quite a bit worse, maybe even a .500 type team worst case.
Scenario 3: Gates pushes out several players, total overhaul
PG - Sean East (or best available transfer PG), Another transfer PG as a backup like Philip Alston, Kaleb Brown
SG - High level SG transfer (Terrance Shannon, Antonio Reeves, Adam Miller, Deshawndre Washington, etc), Gholston, Gordon, Davis
SF - Pat Baldwin Jr (or best available transfer forward like Noah Carter, etc), DeGray
PF - Kobe Brown, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
In a scenario like this, we could potentially have a top 25 team if we land multiple high level guys. Or we could end up with another collection of mediocre transfers and end up in the NIT.
So, basically, we know we're going to take a PG. The big questions going forward are are
1) do we hang on to Brazile (and Shaw)
2) is Gholston going to be our starting SG, or do we get a higher level transfer and Ghalston is the backup and we push out someone like Coleman to free up a spot?
3) if we don't hang onto Brazile, can we pull in a worthy replacement like Baldwin or Noah Carter, or do we end up with a downgrade there?
Scenario 1: Gates tries not to push out players, and manages to retain Brazile and Shaw. The roster could look like this:
PG - East (or best available transfer PG), Kaleb Brown, Christian Jones
SG - Gholston, Gordon, Davis, Coleman
SF - Kobe Brown, DeGray
PF - Brazile, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
I think this lineup could be decent, but I don't think it would be expected to make the NCAA tournament. It could probably make the NIT if Gates does an okay job coaching. If we bring in someone like Pat Baldwin Jr I don't think we can keep Brazile and Shaw, and of those two it sounds like Brazile is the one we're most likely to lose.
Scenario 2: Gates can't hold on to Brazile but is able to pull in a solid replacement:
PG - Sean East (or best available transfer PG), Kaleb Brown, Christian Jones
SG - Gholston, Gordon, Davis, Coleman
SF - Pat Baldwin Jr (or best available transfer forward like Noah Carter, etc), DeGray
PF - Kobe Brown, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
If we can get transfers as good as East and Baldwin, I think this could be an NCAA team. Obviously if we get weaker transfers then this could be quite a bit worse, maybe even a .500 type team worst case.
Scenario 3: Gates pushes out several players, total overhaul
PG - Sean East (or best available transfer PG), Another transfer PG as a backup like Philip Alston, Kaleb Brown
SG - High level SG transfer (Terrance Shannon, Antonio Reeves, Adam Miller, Deshawndre Washington, etc), Gholston, Gordon, Davis
SF - Pat Baldwin Jr (or best available transfer forward like Noah Carter, etc), DeGray
PF - Kobe Brown, Shaw
C - Diarra, Keita
In a scenario like this, we could potentially have a top 25 team if we land multiple high level guys. Or we could end up with another collection of mediocre transfers and end up in the NIT.
So, basically, we know we're going to take a PG. The big questions going forward are are
1) do we hang on to Brazile (and Shaw)
2) is Gholston going to be our starting SG, or do we get a higher level transfer and Ghalston is the backup and we push out someone like Coleman to free up a spot?
3) if we don't hang onto Brazile, can we pull in a worthy replacement like Baldwin or Noah Carter, or do we end up with a downgrade there?
