[Spud6]

Boogie Fland showing out last night probably put a hurt on us getting a fringe guard to come in because Fland is going to be good and then you have the uncertainty of if Reed stays or leaves.

Kentucky needs a lot. I think that Sheppard is the only player that they can really afford to wait on when it comes to a stay or go decision.

Anyone else needs to make a firm decision and do so now. Waiting on Tshiebwe last year ended up costing us in the long run-- it hurt the chances of getting Dickinson and he ended up leaving himself.

This isn't the year to be a "player's first" program. The fans are the ones who'll be here year after year (read: once the player's are gone); they'll support the system in exchange for success (in March) but that hasn't been there lately.

I'm not against anyone coming back and think that, long term, you need a guy like a Jordan Burks to stay in your program and develop over a few years. At the same time, as contradictory as it sounds, I think that Ivisic,  Sheppard, and maybe Edwards are the only ones that I'd really like to have back.

PG: Fland,

SG: Sheppard,

SG/SF/Wing: Knox (6th/7th man),

SF/PF: Thiero, Edwards, or a transfer portal addition that is similar,

PF/C: Quaintance, Ivisic, Cyril,

That's seven spots.

Add in three players from the portal: 1.) a two way transfer portal guard who defends very well... Sheppard and Fland are both 6'2-6'3 and aren't great on-ball defenders, 2.) a starting or 6th man caliber wing who also defends well, 3.) a transfer portal big that brings the combination of physicality, toughness, experience, and rebounding ability that the PF/C category lacks.

Now you are at 10 and have a pretty good foundation. Perry makes 11.

That leaves two available scholarships. If you sign Billy Richmond, that's 12. Assuming Sheppard, Ivisic, and Thiero/Edwards are all back, you can still bring back a Jordan Burks, add another piece in the portal, take a flyer on an international player that Welch finds, or see if there's a late breaking situation like we saw with Tre Mitchell this past season.

I think he leaves, but regardless of what Sheppard does, everything is still contingent on assuming that you can really play the portal well. I guess that the possibilities are there, but you need to find three or even four guys who can play starter quality roles and minutes.

What's really worrisome is that you really can't have ANY misses, because we don't have the type of gamebreaker like a Camby, Rose, Davis, Wall, Cousins, or Towns that Cal has always needed to reach his peak.

What's at least encouraging: of this year's Final Four teams, only seven of the twenty starters began their at their current school (Purdue - 4, UConn - 2, Alabama- 1, NC State - 0).

If you look at the Elite Eight though, that same figure is 21/40 (Duke - 5, Tennessee- 4, Clemson - 3, Illinois - 2).

One or even a handful of years obviously  won't be statistically significant data, but if UConn (who only had one starter who came out of the portal last season) can repeat, then it will show that it can be done.

I would love to have Edwards back. I really think that he was starting to find his stride towards the end of the year with his confidence and his shooting stroke. Played terrible in the tournament game but most of our team did. Having him at the 3 and Thiero at the 4 would be awesome but Theiro in my opinion is not a starter and should be a 6th man cause he brings the grit and meanness to the court that the rest lack especially when we have a soft and lanky 5 man in Ivisic