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Tech10 OP
May 02, 2022 at 10:13 PM ET
GCHokie34
Can you explain further your comment about Wessler being 3 years away?
[Post edited by Tech10 at 05/02/2022 10:15PM]

34 Replies

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GCHokie34
Copied from below...
Lynn Kidd is miles better offensively, higher ranked, more mobile and only slightly shorter...and he is entering his third year without seeing the floor

Expecting Patrick Wessler to contribute over the next 2 years just isnt reality. People fall in love with the 7 next to his name and think it makes a huge difference. He is a long way away...
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BeachGobbler
After seeing his tape, I get what GC is saying.
You can’t teach 7’, but you won’t come away from his highlights thinking we got the next Patrick Ewing. I wonder if CMY provided the scholarship because of the need to get a true 5 and he was the best option. It would be great if his development comes along a little faster and he gives VT quality minutes in the next season or two.

As the transfer article states, we really need some height in the portal. With the availability of playing time, I’m a bit surprised we haven’t been more successful in grabbing an available 4 or 5.
NC Hoke NC Hoke
Availability of opportunity for 4 and 5
We have a good situation for them. Once the Gonzagas and Dukes and UNCs etcs. have stocked their cupboards hopefully there will still be some pickings left for us. (Or the Miami etc. booster’s run out of money and cars, lol.)
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HokieInDenmark
Huh?
I haven’t seen one iota of offensive capability out of Kidd…outside of a few dunks and garbage follow-up buckets. Wessler will need some time to acclimate…but I would bet on him over putting much more stock into Kidd. I really hope that I am wrong. Gotta keep the faith that CMY can work some coaching magic!
Nelsonia Hokie Nelsonia Hokie
Honest question about 3 year development players aka Wessler etc.
Given the low odds of any player waiting 3yrs for significant minutes and the crap shoot that is recruiting to begin with, why bother with this level of player? It seems the odds are incredibly low for success.
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GCHokie34
It is overblown that kids wont wait...
If youre honest with them about your plans for them, then you dont need to worry about him seeking elsewhere. If MY told Wessler hed be looking at floor time next season then it was a flat out lie.

The players who have left VT under MY all had a significant role at one point or another...Jalen Cone, John Ojiako, Naheim Alleyne, Tyrece Radford, PJ Horne. Bamisile would have had a significant role had he stayed.

This tells me that MY is straight up with them about what the team will look like in the following year and what their role might be. If Patrick Wessler (or anyone else) is the type of kid to need to transfer after being told the truth then theyre better off elsewhere for all parties involved.

You take someone like Wessler because Wessler developing elsewhere for 2 years and then hitting the portal could potentially put him out of VTs reach. Plus you have 2 years to help him learn the system while developing.

I personally wouldnt have taken him, but I can see why they did.
SCHokie1103 SCHokie1103
Love the truth and honesty that sadly many don’t want to hear GC.
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jfhokie
Some say he was the No. 1 player in NC
Don't know what that says about the talent North Carolina this year what's playing for Jeff McGinnis has its pluses
SCHokie1103 SCHokie1103
Yeah one of my Hokie friends told me that as well. I find that hard to
believe unless it’s because he’s a 7 footer and did well in HS because he was so much bigger than everyone else.
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GCHokie34
Who says he was?
I think there was confusion whether he was #1 overall or the #1 center...regardless, I trust my own evaluation
VTKev80 VTKev80
A quick google search…
Nelsonia Hokie Nelsonia Hokie
Thanks. Very helpful
Nelsonia Hokie Nelsonia Hokie
As a follow up and cavaet unless you know they will play
decent minutes because depth is so bad.
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crazylane
Maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle
First of all away from what. TOP 5 center in the league or serviceable contributor. Also, more early PT always helps ( a guy like Kidd) though you'd like not to. Wessler is very productive against nice competition. Your opinion is greatly valued here so we'll see. We were paper thin qhen Young took over and some young guys stepped up better than expected.
BG Hokie BG Hokie
I wonder if taking a kid 3 years away from contributing in the modern world
of the portal is going to be a worthwhile exercise going forward. Historically speaking, it makes some sense as some prospects can provide depth and contribute as upperclassmen. Nowadays, it just feels like a practice player scholarship for a year or two that will ultimately transfer...
Nelsonia Hokie Nelsonia Hokie
Asked the same question above. Feels like a bad bet on average.
Huntor Catoor Class of 2022 would not be the same player that Hunter Catoor Class of 2019 was because the latter would not get to play much for several years and then likely leaves.
NC Hoke NC Hoke
By and large, I don’t think it will be worthwhile. The free
transfer rule seems to make it more likely to build a team if you are recruiting players from the portal that have already used their “free transfer”. This will make a new problem for lower profile programs in that the previously underrated players they recruited out of HS, who have now shown they can play, will have the bigger profile programs all over them, making it even harder for smaller profile programs to build their programs from under the radar players.
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IronBlood
I think it makes perfect sense.
We have one 5 currently on the roster (Kidd), we're going after a really good 5 (Basile) and we recruited Wessler. So if we get Basile, he plays for a year (maybe 2), Kidd is a backup for a year or two, then a starter OR Kidd leaves for a better opportunity and you have Wessler to backfill. If Kidd leaves, you need to find another five. If Basile leaves, you need to find another five. In three years if Wessler leaves, you need to find another five.

But in any of those scenarios, you're looking for one player, not two.

BG Hokie BG Hokie
Eh, I'm speaking in generalities about taking someone who will take 3 years
to develop. Wessler could have been a PG for all I knew.
YBYSAIAHokie YBYSAIAHokie
The three years away projection is just one person's opinion
Who's projection on other Hokie players has been wrong before.
BG Hokie BG Hokie
Let's take Tutzler, for example. If Mike Young thinks he will take 3 years
to contribute. In 2010, grab him! In 2022, it feels like a why bother, he will be at a different school at that point anyways.
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atlhokie1
Seems like the trend doesn't it?
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Vippie1
After watching his tape
My take is the same. Not quick feet, very limited range. He may make himself into a solid ACC player with work, but it looks like his ceiling to me is relatively low. Love to be wrong.
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GreenvilleVT
Highlight tapes are often misleading.
If a player can take a whole season or more and condense into two minutes of highlights I bet I could make even a crappy player look good.

We had local high school kid here sign with an ACC school two years ago. His highlight tape made him look like all world. He was sporadic in games. Would throw 5 TD and 3 bad interceptions. Had no ability to read defenses. But an acc school signed him. He has little or no chance of playing there and will likely transfer downstream.

Won’t mention the team because his parents live nearby. But his highlight tape made him look like Dan Marino.
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soflahokie
His highlights are the texbook "hes just bigger than everyone else" example
Offensively he's versatile enough to contribute. He has a pretty jump hook, good vision, and can shoot from farther than 12 feet.

On defense though he's just bigger than people, athleticism is lacking and footspeed is extremely slow. Not particularly springy and will really struggle in all phases. He's not able to guard on switches but also not fast enough to hedge and recover.

Case in point, teams smoked us on ballscreens all last year taking advantage of Aluma who was our best player.
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Woody
He's head and shoulders better on O than D
Defense and rebouding out of his area are big issues. Have watched several games and he is really good offensively. .
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VT ChemE 1986
Limited range? I don't think so.
His shooting fundamentals are rock solid, which puts him ahead of every other 7 footer VT has ever recruited. He will be money inside 15 ft very soon and will likely develop a 3 point shot. If you can shoot a 10-15 ft jump shot at 7' tall you don't need to be athletic. You don't have to pump fake or drive. In CMY's system he will get 10 open shots a game.
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Vippie1
Re: Limited range? I don't think so.
The tape I saw pretty much didnt show him attempting a shot from more than 8-10 feet.
Of course maybe it was edited to just showcase him around the rim. I withdraw my concern if there is evidence to the contrary :)
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Woody
Every Combine game is posted
You should watch some for yourself

He plays with Collins and Jayden Epps so he Def not the total focus
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hokieblitz
I’m actually very interested to see if you are correct here. Obviously I’m
Hoping you are wrong and Wessler is a huge surprise contributor by year two.
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GCHokie34
Hey, me too...would be a huge help
AshburnFarmHokie AshburnFarmHokie
You've always had a good eye for talent so it has pained me to read this
But better to temper my expectations now and then possibly be pleasantly surprised then expecting big things from day 1 and wondering what happened...
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VT66
Same guy who said Alleyne was the best in the first class. Maybe he was.
vt90 vt90
If you look at it this way ...
2022-2023 - Transfer (Basile) and Kidd with perhaps garbage time from PW
2023-2024 - Transfer and/or Kidd with 6-8 mpg from PW
2024-2025 - PW sharing time with portal transfer and/or future recruit
2025-2026 - PW sharing time with portal transfer and/or future recruit

it doesn't sound as disappointing. This scenario would require that we can bring in a portal 5 (or two) for the next two seasons. Development from Kidd would also be a big help. It also assumes that both Kidd and PW are content developing at VT without getting a ton of run (at least next season) and that is certainly no guarantee when the portal is so readily available.

Good or bad, this is the world we live in right now. Fortunately CMY has been pretty successful at mining the portal so far.