Gator Basketball B-Ball Transfers: Stone, Okauru, and Ballard

[rogdochar]

Likely to be the first of many this off season.

The good or bad teeter-totter here tilts on :
1) are they leaving due to their negative evaluation of White as a developer?
2) are they leaving because they see their PT being deminished?
3) Can White recruit better replacements?
4) Can 2 replacements be 6'8" or taller & athletic?

Going forward, we need more basketball athletes of high on-court fierceness. 'Excitemental' hope grows in me.

 

[PastyStoole]

smooth... real smooth....

 

[lagator]

I can see Ballard looking elsewhere, but not Stokes (unless we bring in a big man grad transfer).

Ballard should definitely go. Nice kid but not talented enough for what White is building. Stokes is plus/minus.

Positives is he has worked hard to get in better shape, has very god footwork and a nice shot around the rim. Minuses, despite work he is still too fat, he can't jump and he is too short. He's a defensive liability, gets called for too many fouls and traveling calls, some of them bogus calls in my opinion.

Hopefully we are going to bring in enough bigman talent that he will see the writing on the wall that he won't be getting the minutes he wants and he will transfer. But if we don't get another quality big in this class then we will need him for depth.

 

[GatorJ]

Okaro I understand. He did not play at point the last two years and next year playing time will be even harder.

With two 5* guards coming in next year he won’t get any PT.

 

[Marine1]

I like the kid but I predicted yesterday he may leave. His best friends are Hayes and Allen. They are the 3 amigos and always together. With them leaving, his injury and the incoming trio it makes sense.

His loss won’t hurt us as a big. He was miscast here because of need. He is a 3 in a 4’s body.

He’s from Deerfield Beach and would fit well with FAU. I wouldn’t be surprised.

 

[Marine1]

I can make a case for everyone but the 3 signees and Locke leaving. It will be interesting to see which guys opt out.

Andrew and KJ won’t leave.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Ballard should definitely go. Nice kid but not talented enough for what White is building. Stokes is plus/minus.

Positives is he has worked hard to get in better shape, has very god footwork and a nice shot around the rim. Minuses, despite work he is still too fat, he can't jump and he is too short. He's a defensive liability, gets called for too many fouls and traveling calls, some of them bogus calls in my opinion.

Hopefully we are going to bring in enough bigman talent that he will see the writing on the wall that he won't be getting the minutes he wants and he will transfer. But if we don't get another quality big in this class then we will need him for depth.

1. Ballard should go for sure, I think he is very talented as we saw when he got minutes, but he is not in White's plans. Still Ballard might stay as with Stone gone, he is now in the two deep for next season

2. I the the likely starting line up next year is:

PG: Nembhard or Mann
SG: Locke
SF: Lewis
PF: Johnson (if he stays)
C: Payne or Stokes

I think those seven players could be the whole rotation, again if Johnson and Nembhard for that matter stay. Nembhard, Mann, Locke, Lewis and Johnson each playing 30 minutes would be 150 minutes and Payne and Stokes each playing 25 minutes would be 50 minutes to take up the entire 200 minutes in crunch time.

3. Anyone else could go, but I would guess White might want the following two deep:

PG: Nembhard, Mann
SG: Locke,
SF: Lewis, Ballard
PF: Johnson, Bassett
C: Stokes, Payne

unless there is a grad transfer in and that is hard to imagine given the minutes available. Now do Okauru, Ballard, Bassett and Stokes think the minutes they would be are enough to get them to stay? Hard to say.

Edit just took Okauru out of the two deep as reports have him leaving too.

 

[Marine1]

Ballard and Stokes will be next

Ballard maybe but I can’t see Stokes leaving.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Andrew and KJ won’t leave.

I think they will stay too, but I promise you:

1. Nembhard has members of his camp telling him to declare for the NBA draft. I suspect he will declare, go to workouts and come back, but stranger things have happened than him staying in.

2. Johnson has people in his camp saying to him that he needs to get away from White and get to a coach that will play him at a position that will benefit him at the next level. Usually a player getting his minutes will not leave, but just a 6'5" frosh playing the 4 is just as unusual. Johnson too could put his name in for the NBA draft.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

UF has [1]- 6'9" ... [[1]]- 6'8" injured Stone maybe 2 bigs

Your post is spot on, though even with Stone leaving, I think UF has bigs of Gak, 6'10", Bassett, 6'9", Stokes 6'8" tall and Payne whose UF measurements are not listed yet, I think. It is not a matter of having bigs, you must coach them up and play them.

 

[Jbossgator8]

KJ will be in the NBA after next season. He really developed throughout the season once into the starting lineup so I think he will stay for his sophomore year and then bolt. KJ already has a great skill set, is tough, and is already pretty strong. He just has to bulk up more and hone his skills and he will be NBA ready and a 1st round draft pick. Nembhard needs another year or 2. He is not ready for the NBA at all yet.

 

[Ocalaman]

I read somewhere today that Gak and Stokes have been showing up at the gym and weight room every day. Stokes could be a major contributor if he would get in game shape.

 

[GatorBart]

1. Ballard should go for sure, I think he is very talented as we saw when he got minutes, but he is not in White's plans. Still Ballard might stay as with Stone gone, he is now in the two deep for next season

2. I the the likely starting line up next year is:

PG: Nembhard or Mann
SG: Locke
SF: Lewis
PF: Johnson (if he stays)
C: Payne or Stokes

I think those seven players could be the whole rotation, again if Johnson and Nembhard for that matter stay. Nembhard, Mann, Locke, Lewis and Johnson each playing 30 minutes would be 150 minutes and Payne and Stokes each playing 25 minutes would be 50 minutes to take up the entire 200 minutes in crunch time.

3. Anyone else could go, but I would guess White might want the following two deep:

PG: Nembhard, Mann
SG: Locke,
SF: Lewis, Ballard
PF: Johnson, Bassett
C: Stokes, Payne

unless there is a grad transfer in and that is hard to imagine given the minutes available. Now do Okauru, Ballard, Bassett and Stokes think the minutes they would be are enough to get them to stay? Hard to say.

Edit just took Okauru out of the two deep as reports have him leaving too.

Why would Johnson leave again? He's basically been getting tons of minutes and averaging a double-double the last few games of the season, as a freshman. He'll only get more PT with Stone leaving.
#2 - that lineup is silly. 7 man rotation with Basset not getting any PT when you only have Payne/Stokes and both taking turns playing center? Stokes playing 25 minutes?
#3 is more realistic, but I'd also put Mann sharing some time at SG with Locke as well as spelling Nemby at times. I think we need Ballard to stick around (Lewis is one and done - book it) and we need a another big man (grad transfer would be good).

 

[Captain Sasquatch]

No surprise with Stone or Okauru. I hope they both do well wherever they land. And I hope someone warns Stone's new coach that if he dribbles the ball more than twice on any offensive possession, the chances of scoring on that possession plummet to about 0%.

 

[KronoGator]

I can see Ballard looking elsewhere, but not Stokes (unless we bring in a big man grad transfer).

Stokes seemed to be in White's doghouse, I could see him bailing to find a coach that can develop him.

 

[Marine1]

I think they will stay too, but I promise you:

1. Nembhard has members of his camp telling him to declare for the NBA draft. I suspect he will declare, go to workouts and come back, but stranger things have happened than him staying in.

2. Johnson has people in his camp saying to him that he needs to get away from White and get to a coach that will play him at a position that will benefit him at the next level. Usually a player getting his minutes will not leave, but just a 6'5" frosh playing the 4 is just as unusual. Johnson too could put his name in for the NBA draft.

Agree but both of these kids are cerebral and I’m sure they know they are not ready. I like both of them but they really are not ready.

Johnson’s camp (if true about going somewhere to play the 3) is as much to blame as anyone if so. Kid is dynamic but does not have the ball skills to truly play the 3. Needs work on outside shooting, ballhandling and passing. Makes me remember Chris Walkers handlers and AAU crew that hyped him and encouraged him to go pro.

I think KJ stays put and works hard on his ball skills to the point he can play an effective 3.

But as you point out...these kids today are liable to do anything. Especially in this era of handlers getting involved.

 

[maheo30]

Stone surprises me as I think he starts at PF next year. I'd rather have him than Bassett who is useless. He can't rebound or play D. And even though he's one of the best shooters on the team, he won't shoot. So, he's useless on offense too. He's wasting a scholly. Stone at least contributes.

 

[Marine1]

Don’t forget Dusty is the FAU coach. He knows Keith well and helped to recruit him.

 

[rogdochar]

[QUOTE="InstiGATOR1, post: 877200, It is not a matter of having bigs, you must coach them up and play them.[/QUOTE]

Exactly what we probably lack = the wherewithal to "train" that big man action.? That's got to be the job of an assistant coach that has experience in banging inside. Pinkin is a bit short. And we need one who played more successfully inside. 'course Pinkin has only had one year. Let's see if he develops Payne or another.

I read that KJ was supposed to be a guard? Can you imagine if KJ learned to streak and low-dribble and hard drive?
Nembhard needs to add a little Taureen Green talent, IMO. Nemb's vision & BB IQ are stellar and should grow. All our players should be able to improve, develop, grow. Ditto for all our coaches.

 

[GatorJ]

Here is one reason we’re getting some transfers: