Outgoing Portal

[bearcatbret]

Good luck to Vic. When he was on his game, he was great.

[Lobot]

Viktor Lakhin has a new Instagram post with a thank you and goodbye to UC. Seems to be heading home/overseas.

He also posted a story saying one day he’ll make a Netflix special at Fifth Third and said “Don’t boo me then” with a wink emoji.

THANK YOU VIK!

From his IG:

Thank you people and University of Cincinnati! Thank you for the opportunity! Thank you for bringing me to America! Thank you for helping me! Thank you for supporting me! Thank you for everything! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I’ll always be a bearcat! I’m proud to be one! I’ll give back to the University of Cincinnati! My time in America will always be associated with University of Cincinnati and the queen city! Peace🌏

[SKell82155]

It was a great idea especially for a new coach to bring in a local hero. I would love for him to be the missing piece as Jeff Scott was . The excitement that a local hero brings is amazing. If not, as you said, there is a seat available. I hope he works out though.

I’m not sure local hero is applicable. Don’t remember
him tearing it up in high school. Could be wrong tho.

[swilsonsp4]

Viktor Lakhin has a new Instagram post with a thank you and goodbye to UC. Seems to be heading home/overseas.

He also posted a story saying one day he’ll make a Netflix special at Fifth Third and said “Don’t boo me then” with a wink emoji.

THANK YOU VIK!

Charlie Clifford, WLWT, said Vik is going overseas to play professionally.

Good luck, Vik!

[GoBearcats31]

Viktor Lakhin has a new Instagram post with a thank you and goodbye to UC. Seems to be heading home/overseas.

He also posted a story saying one day he’ll make a Netflix special at Fifth Third and said “Don’t boo me then” with a wink emoji.

THANK YOU VIK!

[GoBearcats31]

Came here to day this:

Keep this thread contained to UC players headed out.

For possible incoming players use the portal thread in Basketball Recruiting please.

For NCAA team roster discussion, use the NCAA Tournament thread.


Violators will be shunned and get a boot to the head..... -MGMT

Ahem, people...

[leeraymond]

Kaufman-Renn might start but he is not in their main 5 man unit. Against Tennessee he played 15 minutes and took only one shot with zero assists, zero steals or blocks, and only one rebound. He's not a key piece. For most of the game, including high leverage situations, Purdue plays 4 guards.

Nelson is quick and athletic like a wing. His interior scoring largely comes from driving the ball, not back to the basket post play. He can defend the perimeter. If we can find 6'11" guys like that, great. If Kevin Durant shows up in the portal, sign him. That's not the distinction I'm making. I'm talking about traditional big men who can't play on the perimeter. We had four of them on the roster this year and I don't think we need more than two and can get by with only one.

Karaban, as you point out, is also not a traditional big. He's a stretch 4 who can defend multiple positions. He's the kind of guy I'm talking about that I'd like to bring in. I'd say his game is closer to a wing than a center. Being third on the team in blocked shots isn't saying much when you're one of only 3 players who averages over 27 minutes. His block rate is 2.6, that's one of every 38 twos he faces, same as Skillings. His rebounding rates are lower than Newman. He doesn't have any more of a power game than Dan does, and that's my point. We're better off with guys like that than just going for size.

Nelson is a good example to focus on. He's 6'11" with all-around skills. If we have to choose between his size or his skillset, which is more important? I'm willing to give up 4 inches to find a guy with the same skillset rather than NBA size but limited skills. We have had slow, one dimensional big men here since 2018. You don't see winning teams feature that either in college or the NBA.

For Purdue, that 6th man, if you will, is Gillis (6'6" forward). He plays about four minutes more a game than Kaufman-Renn. However, they both score about 6 or 7 points a game. Kaufman-Renn gets more rebounds and blocked shots a game. Gillis is a better assist man. Regardless, Kaufman-Renn is the starter. I am sure that he starts for a reason. DJ Burns is semi-one-dimensional. He is a pretty good scorer, but only does about 4.1 rebounds a game and only has 23 blocks on the season. Now he does account for 2.8 assists a game; largely because he is smart and quick enough to pass out of double-teams. However, NC St. is winning with his semi-one-dimensional play. Also, let's not forget about the other semi-one-dimensional big man that NC St. has, Diarra. He is the unsong hero of their team. He only scores about 6.5 points / game, but he rebounds (7.9 / game) and he has 40 blocked shots on the season. By the way, Diarra is 6'10".

Nelson is not that quick. I have seen him play a few times and I do not remember him taking anyone off the dribble. He takes a lot of jump shots. However, he is a good shooter, a pretty good rebounder, and plays decent defense. Look, it is not by accident that these teams are in the Final Four. Their big men are a VERY important part of what they do to win. I like teams with serviceable big men. All of them have very good size except for Karaban.

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

Lots of politics in this whole thing I would imagine. From the recruitment on down to today I suspect. We don't know if he will leave and if he does, I wish him all the success wherever he goes.

Absolutely. Me too.

[Lobot]

This thread is getting kind of out of control.

As it stands, zero players from UC have officially entered the portal -- though there is an expectation some will (and, in 2024, it would be pretty much a guarantee).


........<snip>

The current rumor is that there could be three soon hitting the portal, and most likely those three would come from the above group of four. It would seem that if CJ Fredrick was not on the roster next season it would be from him moving on from college hoops, rather than transferring to a fourth school in his last year of eligibility.

Came here to day this:

Keep this thread contained to UC players headed out.

For possible incoming players use the portal thread in Basketball Recruiting please.

For NCAA team roster discussion, use the NCAA Tournament thread.


Violators will be shunned and get a boot to the head..... -MGMT

[leo from jersey]

I think it's a worse image for locals if he's recruited and doesn't play. Just my opinion.

Lots of politics in this whole thing I would imagine. From the recruitment on down to today I suspect. We don't know if he will leave and if he does, I wish him all the success wherever he goes.

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

I agree but with locals there can be politics. I wonder if he will ever have the strength to play in the Big 12. Schools like Wilmington and other OAC schools - good education and a chance to play.

I think it's a worse image for locals if he's recruited and doesn't play. Just my opinion.

[leo from jersey]

It's better to cut them and allow them to have productive careers than for them to sit for 4 or 5 years. Of course, their education is a factor too.

I agree but with locals there can be politics. I wonder if he will ever have the strength to play in the Big 12. Schools like Wilmington and other OAC schools - good education and a chance to play.

[Oldtimer_UC_fan]

Groovy - sorry about Cincy state - don't get a lot of their news in Jersey. Didn't John Williamson come from there? I think that is best a MAC school, but it is hard to "cut" a local especially with the HS coaches.

It's better to cut them and allow them to have productive careers than for them to sit for 4 or 5 years. Of course, their education is a factor too.

[GoBearcats31]

This thread is getting kind of out of control.

As it stands, zero players from UC have officially entered the portal -- though there is an expectation some will (and, in 2024, it would be pretty much a guarantee).

In this NIL landscape, literally anyone with eligibility returning could hit portal - even the leading scorer for a team. Yet, being objective about it, the most likely candidates would of course be the guys who played the least and/or saw a diminishing role down the stretch:

- Sage Tolentino played 10 mins in 5 games the entire season
- Josh Reed averaged 10.9 minutes per game
- Jamille Reynolds averaged 14.3 minutes per game and was the clear backup '5' here in his fourth season of college ball
- Viktor Lakhin averaged 21.6 minutes per game, but saw his role decrease significantly the second half of the season including several healthy scratches

The current rumor is that there could be three soon hitting the portal, and most likely those three would come from the above group of four. It would seem that if CJ Fredrick was not on the roster next season it would be from him moving on from college hoops, rather than transferring to a fourth school in his last year of eligibility.

[sedz]

Sage is local only one year if I remember correctly. Did he not grow up in Hawaii and transferred here for his senior year of high school. I apologize if I am incorrectly recalling this.

He wasn't really a local hero in his one year either. Hamilton was 6-17 that year, and only 1-13 in the games Sage played. I don't think any goodwill among local coaches is at stake.