I like Rishwain, sorry to see him go. But it's probably a good decision for him for more playing time.
Feels like Shimmy 2.0. Probably thought he was healthy to play in games and the coach did not think it wise. Oh well, a good try. Best wishes.
Still only 2. Rishwain was out of eligibility, but can still get a medical waiver for this past season.
It will be interesting to see if schools continue to try and fill rosters, or if they just get the players they need for the next season and leave open spots. If you only play 8-9, and you've got 11 players already, do you bother chasing after another couple guys who won't see the court, or do you try to pick up someone just for practice purposes? If they want NIL and you just want a practice body, is it worth it?
It was always hard to give those last couple scholarships. Maybe thinking back to those early successful Donovan teams that played 10 or 11 guys. But I honestly can’t recall if he had anyone else on the bench (on scholly) or just played everyone. Seems like in most years we had a couple spots open. Honestly these last several years were probably the most “full” the roster has been. I guess a product of easy transfers. Still, it didn’t feel we were deep because a few of them obviously didn’t play. Rishwain was always sort of a curious add since it never seemed likely he’d play much. I actually figured he wanted to get into coaching or eventually be a grad assistant under Golden or something.
This will be the thing from now on. If you really need more players, you'll pay for them. If you don't, it may be better to just fill the roster with walk-ons and save the $$ for next season. Because the prices are escalating exponentially. CTG likes a full complement of scholarship players, but is it really worth it? He likes to play only 8 or 9 guys in a regular rotation, so you'll end up paying for several guys who are only going to be dissatisfied and then jump to the portal as soon as the season ends.
Rishwain not getting playing time during the second half of last season had nothing to do with any injury. He was healthy but couldn’t get into the rotation. He more than likely would not get much playing time next season either and that is why he is moving on.
In the old days you had to fill the roster every year so that two years down the road you had some guys developing and getting into the rotation. Now you just hit the portal and grab those guys from wherever they were. Hardly any point to taking those guys now if they are going to transfer for playing time before they crack the rotation. I wonder if we will start to see affiliated minor league teams. We find a project guy we like, put him on NIL, but have him go to a smaller school to get playing time under coaches with similar style of play before coming back to Gainesville for his last two years. He gets playing time, and we get first dibs on him when he is ready for the big time.
Good move for him I would hate to be a coach in today’s NCAA. Between the portal and players testing NBA waters, they have little idea who’s on the team next year (not to mention HS recruits who flip-flop)….and when there’s openings, they have to scramble to sign players in a tight window, competing with other schools while at the whim of a 19-year olds’ financial demands. How the hell is any of this sustainable? At least in the pros players have CONTRACTS. Some college players play for 4 different teams in 4 years. Kids nowadays can seemingly do whatever they want without consequences, and now young adults can just jump ship any time they want, with zero loyalty or accountability. It’s amazing that any of them grow up able to hold down a job. Thank god we have someone like Golden to navigate all this. Young, determined, great recruiter, building a great culture and good at player development….etc. Because this must be all too much to handle for most coaches. Maybe that’s why guys like Calipari stick to their old recruiting philosophies. Far too many new tricks for those old dogs to learn
If you have available schollies, it makes sense to pick up guys that could blossom but are more likely to be rotation players in case of injury.
