2025 Portal Season

[FreeGunston12]

Did Tony build a team that can always run 2 bigs without sacrificing spacing?

I think that’s what he is going for, but I'm not sure that I see Allenspach as the penciled-in starter. Does he play defensive well enough to start for Tony? He only played 13.6 mpg for Samford.

 

[tblack33]

I think that’s what he is going for, but I'm not sure that I see Allenspach as the penciled-in starter. Does he play defensive well enough to start for Tony? He only played 13.6 mpg for Samford.

I hope he comes out and absolutely proves me wrong, but I just can’t see how the backup center from Samford is going to be a starting Center in the A10 unless he makes a massive leap this offseason. I like the pickup a lot, but I don’t see this as the answer to our lack of a starting center.

 

[gmujim92]

I hope he comes out and absolutely proves me wrong, but I just can’t see how the backup center from Samford is going to be a starting Center in the A10 unless he makes a massive leap this offseason. I like the pickup a lot, but I don’t see this as the answer to our lack of a starting center.

Just playing devil’s advocate, junior year is when things start to really click in the development cycle for most bigs.

8 ppg in just 13 minutes equals 24+ per 40, which is pretty damn good — and you can’t teach 6-11, 250 with soft hands and legit 3-point range.

He’s obviously a different type of player than Jalen, but I can assure you he didn’t visit Va Tech and NC State then choose Mason to come off the bench.

This is gonna be a different offense, which is exciting to me because we have a lot of scoring options and putting the ball in the bucket was such a chore for the 24-25 team.

 

[GMU79]

Just playing devil’s advocate, junior year is when things start to really click in the development cycle for most bigs.

8 ppg in just 13 minutes equals 24+ per 40, which is pretty damn good — and you can’t teach 6-11, 250 with soft hands and legit 3-point range.

He’s obviously a different type of player than Jalen, but I can assure you he didn’t visit Va Tech and NC State then choose Mason to come off the bench.

This is gonna be a different offense, which is exciting to me because we have a lot of scoring options and putting the ball in the bucket was such a chore for the 24-25 team.

It was?

 

[GSII]

This is gonna be a different offense,

Is it? How do you know. I hope it's better than Team59's. However the D might be way worse and the offense still won't make up the difference. We shall see.

 

[gmujim92]

Is it? How do you know. I hope it's better than Team59's. However the D might be way worse and the offense still won't make up the difference. We shall see.

Being glass half-empty in April coming off a 27-win season and A-10 finals appearance is a choice lol

 

[jessej]

He is a post player. Another one where size says he’s a 4 but with a lack of perimeter highlights. The offense is going to look very different next year and/or we are going to rely on these types of guys (Ellington, Kanga, etc. at 6’8 220ish) to play the 5.

Also, he is the son of Etan Thomas and looks a lot like him. If only he could grow a little bit more to his father’s size.

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

 

[tblack33]

Just playing devil’s advocate, junior year is when things start to really click in the development cycle for most bigs.

8 ppg in just 13 minutes equals 24+ per 40, which is pretty damn good — and you can’t teach 6-11, 250 with soft hands and legit 3-point range.

He’s obviously a different type of player than Jalen, but I can assure you he didn’t visit Va Tech and NC State then choose Mason to come off the bench.

This is gonna be a different offense, which is exciting to me because we have a lot of scoring options and putting the ball in the bucket was such a chore for the 24-25 team.

This is fair and I don’t totally disagree, it’s certainly just a bit more of a risky move than I’d like to see given how the rest of the roster construction is coming together. If he develops and it all comes together then Tony is a genius, if not we all sit around wondering why we thought bringing in a backup center from a lower conference was a good idea.

I’m not going to judge this team until the roster is complete, and ideally until I’ve had a chance to see some actual practice from these guys in August. I’m curious about what we’re building here, because it certainly looks a bit different than it has the last two seasons (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

 

[gmujim92]

This is fair and I don’t totally disagree, it’s certainly just a bit more of a risky move than I’d like to see given how the rest of the roster construction is coming together. If he develops and it all comes together then Tony is a genius, if not we all sit around wondering why we thought bringing in a backup center from a lower conference was a good idea.

I’m not going to judge this team until the roster is complete, and ideally until I’ve had a chance to see some actual practice from these guys in August. I’m curious about what we’re building here, because it certainly looks a bit different than it has the last two seasons (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

If you’ve read the book Moneyball, I think it pretty well explains what teams on our level are having to do with roster-building in the current economic climate.

Bigs have been mostly priced out of what we can afford, so the staff has had to pivot and allocate resources where they can have the most impact. They’ve already added four guys who averaged at least 13 ppg and if the kid from Del St signs that will be five.

Allenspach has skills that complement a guard-dominant system. We’re not gonna throw him the ball on the block 20 times a game like Jalen, but I’m not sure a guy like that exists anymore at what we can afford to pay. The offense will look different next season out of necessity.

 

[DRK331]

What is our starting 5 looking like?

 

[Jay2014]

I think that’s what he is going for, but I'm not sure that I see Allenspach as the penciled-in starter. Does he play defensive well enough to start for Tony? He only played 13.6 mpg for Samford.

Allenspach had an offer from Wisconsin, and interest (if not a formal offer) from Northwestern and NC State. I’m assuming the reason that since he is at Mason instead of one of those P4 schools is that he wanted to start or at least play starters minutes. In order to compete with the other offers/interest that he had I think Mason had to commit to significant playing time.

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

What is our starting 5 looking like?

I think what the first day of practice will look like

PG: Kory Mincy
SG: BOC
SF: Fatt
PF: Dola Adebayo
C: Riley Allenspach
PG2: Jahari Long
SG2: Masai Troutman
SF2: Devin Booker
PF2: Emmanuel Kanga
C2: Nick Ellington
(Personally I think you can mix and match Kanga and Ellington and I also think it’s pretty clear we’re targeting another wing so I bet that’s not the case on the depth chart by season start)
Secret Slovenian Weapon: Stas

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

If you’ve read the book Moneyball, I think it pretty well explains what teams on our level are having to do with roster-building in the current economic climate.

Bigs have been mostly priced out of what we can afford, so the staff has had to pivot and allocate resources where they can have the most impact. They’ve already added four guys who averaged at least 13 ppg and if the kid from Del St signs that will be five.

Allenspach has skills that complement a guard-dominant system. We’re not gonna throw him the ball on the block 20 times a game like Jalen, but I’m not sure a guy like that exists anymore at what we can afford to pay. The offense will look different next season out of necessity.

I think the last paragraph is key here- the big market was really really screwed this year because a lot of teams had a need and there weren’t a ton of real proven items on the market. To give credit to Tony and Co., I think they actually identified that much earlier than just the end of the season. They knew they needed more consistent bucket getters from the guard and wing position, and they have gone and got those guys.

I recognize that since the post Paulsen era we have gotten used to bigs being option 1/2 in the system with Josh for two seasons and then Jalen last year, but Tony’s offense worked significantly better and was more efficient in year one when Amari Kelly was option 3/4 (consistently behind Hall and Maddox as options and if Baraka was cooking he’d be behind him too). We do not need Allenspach to be option one and he will not be with how the roster is currently built. Same thing goes with Ellington tbh too.

Also he’s got that ability to trail a play and then pop a three that Tony really really loved to use with Amari Kelly that we just did not have the option with our big man options this year, and I am excited to see that get reintroduced into the fold this year.

 

[gmujim92]

I think what the first day of practice will look like

PG: Kory Mincy
SG: BOC
SF: Fatt
PF: Dola Adebayo
C: Riley Allenspach
PG2: Jahari Long
SG2: Masai Troutman
SF2: Devin Booker
PF2: Emmanuel Kanga
C2: Nick Ellington
(Personally I think you can mix and match Kanga and Ellington and I also think it’s pretty clear we’re targeting another wing so I bet that’s not the case on the depth chart by season start)
Secret Slovenian Weapon: Stas

This feels mostly right — although I think BOC will be PG2 and be on the ball when Mincy is on the bench.

Also I can see a lot of flexibility in how the forwards/bigs are used depending on matchups.

Finally, I don’t expect either of the freshmen to play much other than garbage time. Just like last season, it’s a roster built to win now … development will have to happen in practice.

 

[DRK331]

Here are the transfers Tony Skinn has brought in so far (no particular order):

1. 6'8 Dola Adebayo
2. 6'4 Masai Troutman
3. 6'2 Kory Mincy
4. 6'5 Jermahri Hill
5. 6'5 Jahari Long
6. 6'7 Nick Ellington
7. 6'11 Riley Allenspach

 

[Dawgs99]

Seems like this team will be substantially more athletic than last years group. I can see us playing even faster next year with this roster, and I love a big who is a legit 3 point threat....really opens up the offense. Also more guys who can get their own shot next year is exciting. Can we play good enough D to be in the top 4 of the league? We shall see.....

 

[jessej]

Roster Analysis from

The Ultimate A-10 Basketball Off-Season Guide

The transfer portal has officially closed, and now we can all finally exhale as rosters began to take shape. It's also the first time that we can begin to see t

bustingbrackets.com

does not include yesterday's addition

 

[hoopsjunkie75]

I’m not gonna lie, I prefer having a mix of guys coming down and coming up to the a10. I feel that’s the best way to compete. It’s not how this cycle has gone but championships aren’t won in April.

I like the guys brought in, but it’s definitely more like year 1 of Tony when we won’t know much to expect. The good news is that we’ve already seen Tony coach two years and can fully expect to have a team compete for a top 4 spot next year once again.

What was that game I watched on the 8th then?

 

[mkaufman1]

What was that game I watched on the 8th then?

Lol you knew what I meant! Haha

Ok, championships aren't won during portal season AFTER the NCAA Championship has been played.

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

Allenspach had an offer from Wisconsin, and interest (if not a formal offer) from Northwestern and NC State. I’m assuming the reason that since he is at Mason instead of one of those P4 schools is that he wanted to start or at least play starters minutes. In order to compete with the other offers/interest that he had I think Mason had to commit to significant playing time.

He visited NC State, so that was more than just interest there too.