The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

On another subject ... missed that Akeem Odusipe went into the transfer portal a few days ago. That opens the door for Freeman's scholarship. I'm also guessing the Carpenter experiment has come and gone. The fact Sendy went for a 6-6 wing with the last scholarship over a true point guard to me points that way.

(Yes, Gio, Sully and Bass all have PG experience but none are 'true' 30-minute PGs in my opinion, other than size. .... although I will reserve a bit of judgement on Bass.)

True confession:

I’ve been married four times. Three times to the same woman.

(05-06-2023 06:27 AM)cleveland Wrote:  On another subject ... missed that Akeem Odusipe went into the transfer portal a few days ago. That opens the door for Freeman's scholarship. I'm also guessing the Carpenter experiment has come and gone. The fact Sendy went for a 6-6 wing with the last scholarship over a true point guard to me points that way.

(Yes, Gio, Sully and Bass all have PG experience but none are 'true' 30-minute PGs in my opinion, other than size. .... although I will reserve a bit of judgement on Bass.)

Right, Odusipe and Maiden both entered the portal recently.

Maybe it's just my age, but it would be nice if they updated the roster because I lost track of just exactly who's still here. I hope they don't lose any more than the five (the 3 "seniors" and the 2 recent "portals").

(05-06-2023 09:49 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 06:27 AM)cleveland Wrote:  On another subject ... missed that Akeem Odusipe went into the transfer portal a few days ago. That opens the door for Freeman's scholarship. I'm also guessing the Carpenter experiment has come and gone. The fact Sendy went for a 6-6 wing with the last scholarship over a true point guard to me points that way.

(Yes, Gio, Sully and Bass all have PG experience but none are 'true' 30-minute PGs in my opinion, other than size. .... although I will reserve a bit of judgement on Bass.)

Right, Odusipe and Maiden both entered the portal recently.

Maybe it's just my age, but it would be nice if they updated the roster because I lost track of just exactly who's still here. I hope they don't lose any more than the five (the 3 "seniors" and the 2 recent "portals").

I hope Odusipe finds a good fit. Sadly, it didn't seem like Kent was that for him.

Maiden has all 4 years of eligibility left and a year of development against good competition in practice, so I figure he now knows what his level is at and can find a good school for that level.

(05-06-2023 09:49 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 06:27 AM)cleveland Wrote:  On another subject ... missed that Akeem Odusipe went into the transfer portal a few days ago. That opens the door for Freeman's scholarship. I'm also guessing the Carpenter experiment has come and gone. The fact Sendy went for a 6-6 wing with the last scholarship over a true point guard to me points that way.

(Yes, Gio, Sully and Bass all have PG experience but none are 'true' 30-minute PGs in my opinion, other than size. .... although I will reserve a bit of judgement on Bass.)

Right, Odusipe and Maiden both entered the portal recently.

Maybe it's just my age, but it would be nice if they updated the roster because I lost track of just exactly who's still here. I hope they don't lose any more than the five (the 3 "seniors" and the 2 recent "portals").

Tough to fault Odisupe there was basically no path to consistent minutes for him. Him leaving feels mutually beneficial. As for Maiden, always tough to fault a walk on for leaving. If they're not going to put him on scholarship why not look to see if someone else will?

What's notable about the additions and subtractions is that it looks like we're building a roster where we'll likely have only one big on the court at a time. Out are 2 guards, a 6'8" stretch 4 and a post. In are a guard, 2 wings, and a stretch 4, plus another guard (Moss) coming off a redshirt. My guess is we'll see the bulk of the minutes at the 4 coming the group of VCD, Freeman, Carpenter(?), and Rollins with Payton and Hornbeak playing most or all of the minutes at the 5 with minimal overlap. If that's the plan, Freeman seems like a natural fit as his rebounding numbers were impressive in his only JUCO season. That lineup only works of your guards and wings can rebound.

So, do I have this right, the current roster?

Rollins - G Carpenter-F
Davis -F Gillespie -F
Payton - F Hornbeak -C
Moss -G Bass -G
Santiago - G Freeman -G
Sullinger -G Hunter -F
Entenmann -F Hayes -G
Bekelja -G

(05-06-2023 11:16 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 09:49 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 06:27 AM)cleveland Wrote:  On another subject ... missed that Akeem Odusipe went into the transfer portal a few days ago. That opens the door for Freeman's scholarship. I'm also guessing the Carpenter experiment has come and gone. The fact Sendy went for a 6-6 wing with the last scholarship over a true point guard to me points that way.

(Yes, Gio, Sully and Bass all have PG experience but none are 'true' 30-minute PGs in my opinion, other than size. .... although I will reserve a bit of judgement on Bass.)

Right, Odusipe and Maiden both entered the portal recently.

Maybe it's just my age, but it would be nice if they updated the roster because I lost track of just exactly who's still here. I hope they don't lose any more than the five (the 3 "seniors" and the 2 recent "portals").

Tough to fault Odisupe there was basically no path to consistent minutes for him. Him leaving feels mutually beneficial. As for Maiden, always tough to fault a walk on for leaving. If they're not going to put him on scholarship why not look to see if someone else will?

What's notable about the additions and subtractions is that it looks like we're building a roster where we'll likely have only one big on the court at a time. Out are 2 guards, a 6'8" stretch 4 and a post. In are a guard, 2 wings, and a stretch 4, plus another guard (Moss) coming off a redshirt. My guess is we'll see the bulk of the minutes at the 4 coming the group of VCD, Freeman, Carpenter(?), and Rollins with Payton and Hornbeak playing most or all of the minutes at the 5 with minimal overlap. If that's the plan, Freeman seems like a natural fit as his rebounding numbers were impressive in his only JUCO season. That lineup only works of your guards and wings can rebound.

You got Hornbeak, Payton and Gillespie inside, with Gillespie being the wild card.

The PF spot is likely VCD, Freeman and the freshman (but don't count out the redhead walkon. I hear he has a chance and has a year of redshirt experience to boot.)

The wing spot is likely open for Rollins, Moss and/or Bass. Right now I go with Rollins, but if Bass proves to be a quality defender as well as scorer then all the better. Also, Freeman could slide into this spot if Kent opts to play big on occasion.

Again, I think Gillespie is the wildcard. If he can defend and rebound as a 4-man that would be huge. And while everybody wants that 'stretch 4' I think VCD proves (sadly) you don't need that deadeye shooter if they can deliver in other areas.

Also, if Bass is more than just a scorer but also a willing passer and solid defender then KSU should be in decent shape.

Finally, other than on this board, I hear/read nothing from anybody - team or staff - about Carpenter, which makes me think he is not in the picture or even on the team.

You mentioned the other walk-on Entenmann. Obviously he's pretty much an unknown to anyone that hasn't seen practice. But I did wonder if Maiden and Odisupe leaving but them not bringing in another big was an endorsement of what they've seen from him.

Yeah, Carpenter is the real mystery man.

My head hurts after reading these posts. Remember when you pretty much knew who would play from year to year and just sat back and watched. If we have to do all this why can’t we be like the LSU women and just get the top 5 to 8 players in the country (all with $1,000,000 social media sites) and go undefeated or 35-1. The NCAA really blew this one. I know people should be free to move around but this is getting pretty absurd. I know when I saw a resume with 5 jobs in 10 years I lost interest pretty quickly. These coaches are all going to need counseling before they are done.

(05-06-2023 05:31 PM)burden Wrote:  My head hurts after reading these posts. Remember when you pretty much knew who would play from year to year and just sat back and watched. If we have to do all this why can’t we be like the LSU women and just get the top 5 to 8 players in the country (all with $1,000,000 social media sites) and go undefeated or 35-1. The NCAA really blew this one. I know people should be free to move around but this is getting pretty absurd. I know when I saw a resume with 5 jobs in 10 years I lost interest pretty quickly. These coaches are all going to need counseling before they are done.

Right, Burden. Times have certainly changed. Things are better for the players, and tougher for the coaches. But at least coaches get paid a lot better than years ago, even after accounting for inflation. But it's horrible for the fan. So far, I've stayed a fan, but the temptation to "retire" as a fan continues to get stronger. This is a basketball thread but look at the football team. I don't know if KSU ever entered a season before with so few returning starters as this year's team will.

Well, we're actually very fortunate that so far it's been pretty much business as usual for us. We lose a couple guys each year but it's generally guys that weren't in the rotation and we gain a couple experienced guys that can play right away. Only difference is it used to be solely JUCO now it's a mix of JUCO and the portal. For whatever reason Sendy has managed the changing environment extremely well and has managed to not really lose many guys. In his tenure what established players have we lost? Kellon Thomas, Anthony Roberts, De La Rosa, and Michael Nuga were all I could think of.

(05-06-2023 05:48 PM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 05:31 PM)burden Wrote:  My head hurts after reading these posts. Remember when you pretty much knew who would play from year to year and just sat back and watched. If we have to do all this why can’t we be like the LSU women and just get the top 5 to 8 players in the country (all with $1,000,000 social media sites) and go undefeated or 35-1. The NCAA really blew this one. I know people should be free to move around but this is getting pretty absurd. I know when I saw a resume with 5 jobs in 10 years I lost interest pretty quickly. These coaches are all going to need counseling before they are done.

Right, Burden. Times have certainly changed. Things are better for the players, and tougher for the coaches. But at least coaches get paid a lot better than years ago, even after accounting for inflation. But it's horrible for the fan. So far, I've stayed a fan, but the temptation to "retire" as a fan continues to get stronger. This is a basketball thread but look at the football team. I don't know if KSU ever entered a season before with so few returning starters as this year's team will.

I’m not sure things are all that better for players other than a few at the top and the ones who transfer for a 5th year after they graduate (had those for quite a few years). The rest are just looking for playing time in a sport they probably can’t make a living at.

(05-06-2023 07:07 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  Well, we're actually very fortunate that so far it's been pretty much business as usual for us. We lose a couple guys each year but it's generally guys that weren't in the rotation and we gain a couple experienced guys that can play right away. Only difference is it used to be solely JUCO now it's a mix of JUCO and the portal. For whatever reason Sendy has managed the changing environment extremely well and has managed to not really lose many guys. In his tenure what established players have we lost? Kellon Thomas, Anthony Roberts, De La Rosa, and Michael Nuga were all I could think of.

That’s well and good but it’s a system that was created by the NCAA washing their hands of the problem and the Universities deciding they would rather let alumni at big schools funnel money through various sources and recruit players so they don’t have to pay them. You know a Pro league funded through a Go Fund Me Page. Meanwhile at our level and lower a bunch of Pawns move around looking for playing time. You know the number one objective of our University System has also been playing time. I really think a minor league system needs to be implemented. This whole thing is rather silly. I really think 10 people on this board could come up to with something better in less than a week.

The Deion Sanders stupidity really shows what a mess this could become. If he ends up having success look out.

(05-06-2023 08:22 PM)burden Wrote:  The Deion Sanders stupidity really shows what a mess this could become. If he ends up having success look out.

What Deion Sanders stupidity? I honestly haven't been paying attention.

(05-06-2023 07:07 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  Well, we're actually very fortunate that so far it's been pretty much business as usual for us. We lose a couple guys each year but it's generally guys that weren't in the rotation and we gain a couple experienced guys that can play right away. Only difference is it used to be solely JUCO now it's a mix of JUCO and the portal. For whatever reason Sendy has managed the changing environment extremely well and has managed to not really lose many guys. In his tenure what established players have we lost? Kellon Thomas, Anthony Roberts, De La Rosa, and Michael Nuga were all I could think of.

Thomas, Roberts, DLR and Nuga were all great for Kent, but not much more than average players after they left, at best. DLR in particular would have done much better for himself had he stayed ... probably Nuga, too. But we were Nuga's third stop and DLRs as well.

The kid that left for JUCO, then Milwaukee then Missouri might be the best of the bunch but can't recall his name.

(05-06-2023 07:07 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  Well, we're actually very fortunate that so far it's been pretty much business as usual for us. We lose a couple guys each year but it's generally guys that weren't in the rotation and we gain a couple experienced guys that can play right away. Only difference is it used to be solely JUCO now it's a mix of JUCO and the portal. For whatever reason Sendy has managed the changing environment extremely well and has managed to not really lose many guys. In his tenure what established players have we lost? Kellon Thomas, Anthony Roberts, De La Rosa, and Michael Nuga were all I could think of.

Thomas, Roberts, DLR and Nuga were all great for Kent, but not much more than average players after they left, at best. DLR in particular would have done much better for himself had he stayed ... probably Nuga, too. But we were Nuga's third stop and DLRs as well.

The kid that left for JUCO, then Milwaukee then Missouri might be the best of the bunch but can't recall his name.

(05-06-2023 08:43 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 07:07 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  Well, we're actually very fortunate that so far it's been pretty much business as usual for us. We lose a couple guys each year but it's generally guys that weren't in the rotation and we gain a couple experienced guys that can play right away. Only difference is it used to be solely JUCO now it's a mix of JUCO and the portal. For whatever reason Sendy has managed the changing environment extremely well and has managed to not really lose many guys. In his tenure what established players have we lost? Kellon Thomas, Anthony Roberts, De La Rosa, and Michael Nuga were all I could think of.

Thomas, Roberts, DLR and Nuga were all great for Kent, but not much more than average players after they left, at best. DLR in particular would have done much better for himself had he stayed ... probably Nuga, too. But we were Nuga's third stop and DLRs as well.

The kid that left for JUCO, then Milwaukee then Missouri might be the best of the bunch but can't recall his name.

DeAndre Gholston. Just finished his eligibility as one of the better players for Missouri this year. I wasn't counting him though because he wasn't established here. He left after his freshman year because he didn't stick in the rotation. I remember kinda wanting to see more of him and less of Roberts that freshman year.

(05-06-2023 08:35 PM)bopol Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 08:22 PM)burden Wrote:  The Deion Sanders stupidity really shows what a mess this could become. If he ends up having success look out.

What Deion Sanders stupidity? I honestly haven't been paying attention.

He took over and basically asked a lot of players to enter the portal and I think 70 did. The University has backed him up. I guess he didn’t want to take 2/3 years building the team in his image. I bet the Buffalos aren’t convinced the transfer portal is all that good for the players.

(05-07-2023 07:18 AM)burden Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 08:35 PM)bopol Wrote:  

(05-06-2023 08:22 PM)burden Wrote:  The Deion Sanders stupidity really shows what a mess this could become. If he ends up having success look out.

What Deion Sanders stupidity? I honestly haven't been paying attention.

He took over and basically asked a lot of players to enter the portal and I think 70 did. The University has backed him up. I guess he didn’t want to take 2/3 years building the team in his image. I bet the Buffalos aren’t convinced the transfer portal is all that good for the players.

Many universities are sports franchises with academics as a side hustle. I didn't think Colorado was one of them until now.