Transfers Thornton & Ojeleye

[CDu]

Does Semi become a 20 ppg player if he stays? Who's he taking shot attempts away from? Tatum? Luke? Grayson? Is it possible that in any given season there are Duke players that could go from role player to star on a less talented team?

I don't think Ojeleye would have averaged 200 ppg on this team. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have been extremely valuable. On a team that had only one big that Coach K trusted, Ojeleye would have been a welcome addition ina 3-man rotation with Jefferson and Tatum.

[eddiehaskell]

I don't think Ojeleye would have averaged 200 ppg on this team. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have been extremely valuable. On a team that had only one big that Coach K trusted, Ojeleye would have been a welcome addition ina 3-man rotation with Jefferson and Tatum.

Perhaps that would've worked great for Duke, but not for Semi? You're probably right about playing an important role, but he may have put up numbers closer to 9/3 instead of 19/7 (national attention). A similar example might be Elliot Williams who went from 4ppg at Duke to 18ppg at Memphis.

[Newton_14]

Let's start a thread where we speculate how good we would have been if nobody got injured, or maybe if we got John Wall and Karl Towns, or maybe if Kyrie, Justise, and Brandon Ingram stayed for 4 years.

Transfers happen. They are gone. There's nothing we can do about it.

Yeah imagine last year's team and this year's team with Soph an Junior PG Tyus Jones (and we did expect him to stay at least two years but hey we got a National Title out of his one year and he is doing well despite jumping maybe one year too soon.)

When Thornton left I was in the camp that it would not hurt us. After going through the season and last night, I'm back leaning toward "he would have helped us", but it really doesn't matter. We did not have him.

Injuries wrecked the season starting with Giles needing the pre-season surgery and it was downhill from there. Looking back I honestly cannot believe how many injuries to key players that Duke experienced in the 2016-17 Football and Men's Basketball teams. Just as a reminder and just off the top of my head... starting QB, RB, Top Receiver, Kick Returner, Safety, DB, PG, SF, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string Centers, 3rd String PF, and I'll just put Obi in his own category. Excluding walkons, the only players I am aware of that did not lose time in practice or a game due to injury is Kennard and Jack White. That's just insane...Oh an our BB Coach missed a month for a surgery of his own. No reported injuries for Scheyer, Nate, Nolan, or Capel, but Capel learned his dad has a major illness...

I would hope that the football and basketball gods are satisfied with our 2016-17 sacrifices on the altar and will move on to other teams during the 2017-18 FB an BB seasons! I think we have given enough blood!

[CDu]

Perhaps that would've worked great for Duke, but not for Semi? You're probably right about playing an important role, but he may have put up numbers closer to 9/3 instead of 19/7 (national attention). A similar example might be Elliot Williams who went from 4ppg at Duke to 18ppg at Memphis.

I am not saying it would have been best for Ojeleye. Nor am I saying it would have been worse for Ojeleye either.

Ojeleye made his choice, and that is fine. I was just noting that he would have helped.

[mkirsh]

I don't think Ojeleye would have averaged 200 ppg on this team. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have been extremely valuable. On a team that had only one big that Coach K trusted, Ojeleye would have been a welcome addition ina 3-man rotation with Jefferson and Tatum.

I'll also take the under on 200 ppg, though it would be awesome to see