Nikita Mescheriakov to transfer

[the_way]

Dec 22, 2009 11:39:39 GMT -5 JohnJacquesLayup said:

I'd love to see some stats on how we compare with transfer rates. What are we doing that is causing players to stay two seasons and bounce? This is definitely the continuation of a really concerning trend.

Its obvious that guys that can't play at this level and guys that don't fit the princeton offense, can't play here.

which leaves us with a short bench.

so the question becomes, is it that there aren't enough good players that can play at the big east level and fit the princeton offense? or is it that our staff is doing a poor job of building a competitive roster from top to bottom.

[skyhoya]

Nikita had his role, sorry to see him move on. My concern is that Vee is probably one of the best freshman point guards in the country and he isn't getting any PT. Sure Chris is only a junior and has another year to play, but Vee needs some love also. We just don't play enough players to keep a good bench.

[gtowndynasty]

Our problem is a unique issue. Coach doesnt play a ton of guys. Some people might see it as he doesnt play a lot of guys because there is not a ton of talent to be played. But that kind of reasoning is circuitous. When we had deep teams with guys that could clearly compete at this level, we didnt play them significantly (see Macklin and Rivers for example). When you go to a school like UNC or Texas, and take Jordan Hamilton for example, a top ten recruit that doesnt start. Well it is easy to sell him on signing b/c you know Coach Barnes is gonna play 9 or 10 guys and not for spot minutes. He gets like 20+mpg.

Bottom line is there is a belief that one doesnt crack JT3's top 7, maybe 8, you arent gonna play. 4 guys on our squad get over 32 mpg. That is just not seen at other schools. In order to attract players and keep players, 3 is gonna have to play more guys. I mean seriously. When we are up big he still wont allow a guy like Vee who is very capable to get minutes. Now I dont believe in subbing all 5 guys in at a time like UNC does b/c we are just not talented enough for that, but a guy sprinkled in amongst our other top guys for 5-7 minute spurts wont kill us. I mean seriously we have schollie players like Vee riding pine against Tulane or Sav St when the outcome of the game has been determined already.

My one gripe with Coach is that. To me the most interesting question with this extra schollie, us presumably at the top of the list for Roscoe, and having our full roster back (presumably) next year is how in the world coach is gonna manage pt! Markel will not be ok playing Vee minutes and that may mean Vee will be pushed further to the bench. Also, Roscoe has to come in and warrant big time minutes. But with Chris, Jason, Austin still here Hollis will likely be coming off the bench as will Roscoe. Thus, IF we do land Roscoe and use Nikita's schollie to bring in a/n, it will be VERY interesting to see how these minutes shake out. One thing's for certain, we will be too talented and deep for 4 guys to be playing 32+ mpg.

[butler]

I think the Princeton offense is the biggest part of this. When kids don't get playing time (for the first time in their lives - they are all high school stars) they are usually going to want to blame it on something. The Princeton is a ready-made excuse, and that "problem" of the offense is only present at a handfull of schools. So the kids can say to themselves - as Vernon and Rivers apparently did - "it's just this offense holding me back, so if I transfer to school X I will be fine." If you don't get PT at other schools - say Cuse - you don't have such an obvious excuse that won't still be a problem at other schools. This won't be the reason for every transfer (every school has transfers based on lack of PT, just not fitting in, etc.), but I think it does explain why we may be having a few more than other schools.

[tarkman]

Good luck, Nikita .. I am forever indebted to you for hitting those threes against Syracuse.

[williambraskyiii]

Dec 22, 2009 11:57:34 GMT -5 gtowndynasty said:

Our problem is a unique issue. Coach doesnt play a ton of guys. Some people might see it as he doesnt play a lot of guys because there is not a ton of talent to be played. But that kind of reasoning is circuitous. When we had deep teams with guys that could clearly compete at this level, we didnt play them significantly (see Macklin and Rivers for example). When you go to a school like UNC or Texas, and take Jordan Hamilton for example, a top ten recruit that doesnt start. Well it is easy to sell him on signing b/c you know Coach Barnes is gonna play 9 or 10 guys and not for spot minutes. He gets like 20+mpg.

Bottom line is there is a belief that one doesnt crack JT3's top 7, maybe 8, you arent gonna play. 4 guys on our squad get over 32 mpg. That is just not seen at other schools. In order to attract players and keep players, 3 is gonna have to play more guys. I mean seriously. When we are up big he still wont allow a guy like Vee who is very capable to get minutes. Now I dont believe in subbing all 5 guys in at a time like UNC does b/c we are just not talented enough for that, but a guy sprinkled in amongst our other top guys for 5-7 minute spurts wont kill us. I mean seriously we have schollie players like Vee riding pine against Tulane or Sav St when the outcome of the game has been determined already.

My one gripe with Coach is that. To me the most interesting question with this extra schollie, us presumably at the top of the list for Roscoe, and having our full roster back (presumably) next year is how in the world coach is gonna manage pt! Markel will not be ok playing Vee minutes and that may mean Vee will be pushed further to the bench. Also, Roscoe has to come in and warrant big time minutes. But with Chris, Jason, Austin still here Hollis will likely be coming off the bench as will Roscoe. Thus, IF we do land Roscoe and use Nikita's schollie to bring in a/n, it will be VERY interesting to see how these minutes shake out. One thing's for certain, we will be too talented and deep for 4 guys to be playing 32+ mpg.

Maybe Nikita was told that Roscoe was a signing-lock and he was being recruited over and saw the writing on the wall! One can hope, no?

[Hoyaholic]

I assume that the timing of this has something to do with starting the clock on the year he has to sit out, so he would be eligible for 2nd semester next year? If so, I am surprised we don't see more transfers this time of year across the country.

And if that is the case, by when does he have to identify his transfer school?

[gtowndynasty]

@williambrasky-i wish. but he was recruited over when we brought in Hollis right? I can only hope that coach doesnt think a highly touted guy is gonna want to sit and rot on the bench for 2 or 3 years because that is just not the reality. If guys like Nikita and Omar wont do it, then certainly the better guys we have and are trying to recruit wont do it either!!

[vamosalaplaya]

I didn't take out a pencil and start comparing, but in reading the college basketball previews this year I was struck by the sheer number of transfers affecting other programs as well. Duke and Florida in particular seemed very affected, but there were others. I wonder whether this is part of a broader trend.

I don't have any particular problem with the way the team plays as it affects winning basketball games, managing personnel to get the best out of them, etc. Putting one player a year in the NBA will be enough to answer any questions about how players develop.

But as a practical matter, running a short bench, playing at a deliberate pace, and not scoring alot of points are bound to make the trend of non-starters transferring more acute. North Carolina - which does have the occasional transfer, but still - is the poster child for how to keep good players happy. Run like crazy, keep the subs pouring in, everyone plays, everyone gets to contribute.

I was struck by how little playing time the bench got against Washington given the margin of the game. I think the team last year suffered for not having Macklin in particular, and even Rivers in his role. It looks like it will be a fact of the program that players won't get in as much; by definition those players won't seem to be big losses, over time their losses are felt as they aren't there to step in.

[SFHoya99]

I really can't believe people are making a big deal out of this. Really? Nikita? The guy sitting ninth on the depth chart now that Jerelle has passed him and will likely be at least 10th next year depending on Greg and Roscoe. Just checking.

Some requests and awards on this thread:

• I can't believe that someone could out-agenda the_way in anything, but Butler, you win an amazing award for managing to find a new thing to blame on the Princeton offense. Absolutely incredible. Never mind that the current transfer wasn't playing because of defense.
  
  
• Lots of teams play an eight man rotation. I'm not saying it wouldn't help retain players to play some of them more (but, really, Nikita?) but you folks need to work out your story with the "Henry Sims should never see the court" crowd. Please do so.
  
  
• The folks that think it is all in recruiting. Please explain what you'd like?
  
  a. to recruit better players (Nikita, Omar)
  b. to recruit worse players (Rivers, Macklin)
  c. to be more honest in the recruiting game, despite all indications Thompson is more honest than anyone else out there
  d. to be less honest to players when they want to transfer
  e. play everyone, even if it means losing more games
  f. I can't understand what we should do if we can't find the perfect level player? Leave the scholarship open?
  g. Please help the coaching staff find this elusive talent scout that 100% correct all the time. Thanks.
  
  Just trying to figure out
  
  
• All the "academics," if you could please be sure to outline what the travesty is in Nikita leaving in your posts/articles, that'd be good. Did we not give him an education for 3.5 years? Is the travesty that Nikita wants to play somewhere else and will likely graduate with a quality education. Or is the travesty that some newspaper publishes an APR and Georgetown looks bad for 10 seconds for all of eight people who care.
  
  Seriously, the academics can call me when the discussion is about education, not reputation.
  
  

[casualhoya]

Certainly shocking when any player decides to transfer during the season, but I think we need to get a grip here. The guy was averaging less than one point and half a rebound.

A tribute in pictures to our fallen hero:
www.casualhoya.com/2009/12/22/1212615/gone-too-soon-a-tribute-to-nikita#comments

Casually.

[DanMcQ]

I blame Casual for this turn of events.

[757hoyafan]

Good luck!

[strummer8526]

Dec 22, 2009 12:29:40 GMT -5 casualhoya said:

Certainly shocking when any player decides to transfer during the season, but I think we need to get a grip here. The guy was averaging less than one point and half a rebound.

A tribute in pictures to our fallen hero:
www.casualhoya.com/2009/12/22/1212615/gone-too-soon-a-tribute-to-nikita#comments

Casually.

Excellent pictures. They really capture Nikita's "contributions" over the last few years.

[Filo]

Dec 22, 2009 12:24:01 GMT -5 SFHoya99 said:

I really can't believe people are making a big deal out of this. Really? Nikita? The guy sitting ninth on the depth chart now that Jerelle has passed him and will likely be at least 10th next year depending on Greg and Roscoe. Just checking.

Some requests and awards on this thread:

• I can't believe that someone could out-agenda the_way in anything, but Butler, you win an amazing award for managing to find a new thing to blame on the Princeton offense. Absolutely incredible. Never mind that the current transfer wasn't playing because of defense.
  
  
• Lots of teams play an eight man rotation. I'm not saying it wouldn't help retain players to play some of them more (but, really, Nikita?) but you folks need to work out your story with the "Henry Sims should never see the court" crowd. Please do so.
  
  
• The folks that think it is all in recruiting. Please explain what you'd like?
  
  a. to recruit better players (Nikita, Omar)
  b. to recruit worse players (Rivers, Macklin)
  c. to be more honest in the recruiting game, despite all indications Thompson is more honest than anyone else out there
  d. to be less honest to players when they want to transfer
  e. play everyone, even if it means losing more games
  f. I can't understand what we should do if we can't find the perfect level player? Leave the scholarship open?
  g. Please help the coaching staff find this elusive talent scout that 100% correct all the time. Thanks.
  
  Just trying to figure out
  
  
• All the "academics," if you could please be sure to outline what the travesty is in Nikita leaving in your posts/articles, that'd be good. Did we not give him an education for 3.5 years? Is the travesty that Nikita wants to play somewhere else and will likely graduate with a quality education. Or is the travesty that some newspaper publishes an APR and Georgetown looks bad for 10 seconds for all of eight people who care.
  
  Seriously, the academics can call me when the discussion is about education, not reputation.

I am 100% in agreement with you. Having said that (channeling Larry David), I just find it perplexing and I wonder where the "expectations gap" is coming from. Wattad, in particular, was basically promised nothing and pretty much told that PT would be hard to come by (as far as we know) but still left. Not sure what Nikita expected -- if he was a defensive liability, he damn sure well should have made sure he could hit open shots. My concern is how much fault is on the coaching end in terms of communication and expectations.

[strummer8526]

Dec 22, 2009 12:44:24 GMT -5 Filo said:

Dec 22, 2009 12:24:01 GMT -5 SFHoya99 said:

I really can't believe people are making a big deal out of this. Really? Nikita? The guy sitting ninth on the depth chart now that Jerelle has passed him and will likely be at least 10th next year depending on Greg and Roscoe. Just checking.

Some requests and awards on this thread:

• I can't believe that someone could out-agenda the_way in anything, but Butler, you win an amazing award for managing to find a new thing to blame on the Princeton offense. Absolutely incredible. Never mind that the current transfer wasn't playing because of defense.
  
  
• Lots of teams play an eight man rotation. I'm not saying it wouldn't help retain players to play some of them more (but, really, Nikita?) but you folks need to work out your story with the "Henry Sims should never see the court" crowd. Please do so.
  
  
• The folks that think it is all in recruiting. Please explain what you'd like?
  
  a. to recruit better players (Nikita, Omar)
  b. to recruit worse players (Rivers, Macklin)
  c. to be more honest in the recruiting game, despite all indications Thompson is more honest than anyone else out there
  d. to be less honest to players when they want to transfer
  e. play everyone, even if it means losing more games
  f. I can't understand what we should do if we can't find the perfect level player? Leave the scholarship open?
  g. Please help the coaching staff find this elusive talent scout that 100% correct all the time. Thanks.
  
  Just trying to figure out
  
  
• All the "academics," if you could please be sure to outline what the travesty is in Nikita leaving in your posts/articles, that'd be good. Did we not give him an education for 3.5 years? Is the travesty that Nikita wants to play somewhere else and will likely graduate with a quality education. Or is the travesty that some newspaper publishes an APR and Georgetown looks bad for 10 seconds for all of eight people who care.
  
  Seriously, the academics can call me when the discussion is about education, not reputation.

I am 100% in agreement with you. Having said that (channeling Larry David), I just find it perplexing and I wonder where the "expectations gap" is coming from. Wattad, in particular, was basically promised nothing and pretty much told that PT would be hard to come by (as far as we know) but still left. Not sure what Nikita expected -- if he was a defensive liability, he damn sure well should have made sure he could hit open shots. My concern is how much fault is on the coaching end in terms of communication and expectations.

Here's a completely and totally unsubstantiated theory, but one that might actually hold water: Do you think end-of-the-bench, no-PT players at other schools get more off the court "perks"? To be the 9th man at a school where you don't have to go to class, get to live in a sweet house, etc., etc. might be more appealing that being the 9th man at a school that generally treats you like any other student.

Don't get me wrong, I think GU does it the right way. But might that explain part of the gap b/t us and some other programs?

[gojeffgoroyunder7]

Guys,

this is great for both sides. Nikita had one good game here. Yea, he hustled, but that doesn't make you a good basketball player. We all kind of weren't so happy when he would check into the game because we would much rather see Hollis/Jerrelle or even Henry get in before him. He was also too aggressive in that he would always pick up stupid fouls. We can definitely use the scholarship--perhaps bring in another big for next year--Mo?

If we get Roscoe, Nikita would literally never play again. Good luck to him, it just wasn't the right fit. This scholarship could really help us down the line, however.

[mrsixer123]

Best of luck to the young man.

[RDF]

Good luck Nikita and thanks for the time at Georgetown.

[TBird41]

Yeah, we're definitely going to the Final Four now. First a loss to ODU at McDonough and now a mid-season transfer? It's like Deja Vu all over again!