Yeah, but Lee Aaliya didn’t have his Chipotle receipt from 2017 so he’s a no-go
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you don’t think a Euro coming in at 22 could be a star by year 3-4?
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Of course there’s a possibility, but most strike me more as high floor type of guys for the most part?
Compared to things like… A top 50 high schooler? An All-Freshman team guy at a mid major? Second chance high major transfers?
I have a hard time seeing this path for international guys making more sense for most coaches than stuff like that.
It’s a hard balance with needing both money and role/minutes available right away.
Not saying it is bad or anything, just that I can’t see every school setting up shop trying to attack this loop hole.
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Shot, chaser.
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Am I wrong to think with Memphis being a monopoly in the AAC and a bag NIL school they should and could be doing wayyy better than Penny?
I get foamposites are cool and all, but wouldn’t someone like Schertz been perfect for a Memphis type job?
Big 12 presidents probably saw UConn lose 50-7 to Maryland and said, “Nah.”
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So is Pope going to kill it on the recruiting trail?
Burger, I think you could recruit Kentucky natives to Kentucky with NIL.
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It would be very difficult for any coach not to recruit well at Kentucky. However, getting a Lexington native who is the son of a former UK football star to commit to UK seems like the bare minimum required. He is also close friends with Moreno. It would have been alarming if he couldn’t land a recruit like that.
Malachi Moreno is another Kentucky native who trains with former UK big man, Daniel Orton, and said that he always wanted to play for Kentucky.
I’m sure Pope will land other impressive recruits too. Again, it’s Kentucky. But these two aren’t necessarily great examples of some elite recruiting prowess.
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Okay so I asked multiple Texas fans if they like Rodney Terry and none of them knew who he was???
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Wait where did you find Texas fans at your Ivy League film watching party
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I wonder what would happen if Johni Broome played Danny Wolf in a do-or-die scenario with everything on the line… surely Johni’s team would win, right? He’s #3!
I spent way too much time trying to find the New Mexico guy on the list before I realized it was JT Toppin (who transferred to Texas Tech). 
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Gotta be the oldest first team ever by a mile
I will say, watching the presidential debate tonight really reminded me how competitive and grueling the MEAC auto-bid race will be for the teams this upcoming season. It’ll be a sensational conference tournament and regular season. Does Jesse Kinard have the chops to lead Delaware State to the promise land?
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Put this fella on your 2025-26 Transfer Portal Watch List. Really fun player who should have the option to either go pro or grad transfer after this year. Big fan of him, also May/Mincy obviously have a relationship.
Robert McCray V, 6’4”, Jacksonville, Redshirt Junior
2023-2024 Season Stats: 18.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.5 TOV, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
2023-2024 Shooting Splits: 50.2/35.8/71.6
Signature Performance: vs. Stetson. 36 points, four rebounds, two assists. 11-17 FG, 5-8 3FG, 9-11 FT.
Tough Test(s) (games against Quad-1 Competition):
-vs. Xavier. 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two turnovers. 7-16 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-1 FT.
-vs. Pittsburgh. Nine points, three rebounds, one assist, one turnover. 3-8 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-2 FT.
-vs. UCF. 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, one turnover. 4-13 FG, 0-3 3FG, 4-5 FT.
-vs. Purdue. 22 points, three rebounds, nine turnovers, one steal. 9-14 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT.Reminds me a little bit of: Reggie Jackson, Dennis Smith Jr., Dion Waiters
Background
Robert McCray V had a great prep career at AC Flora High School in Columbia, South Carolina. There, he was a two-time All-Region First Team honoree, and he led his squad to a state title game. He also excelled in track and field, winning a state championship in the high jump. He also qualified for the state meet in the long jump and triple jump. He was labeled as a three-star basketball recruit by 247Sports, and he ranked 169th overall in their national composite rankings. He chose to attend Wake Forest, but he also had offers from Florida, Marshall, Charleston, South Florida, East Carolina, Old Dominion, Winthrop, South Carolina Upstate, and North Carolina A&T.
Things didn’t go his way at Wake Forest. During his freshman campaign, McCray played 57 total minutes across 14 games. He redshirted the following season. After that, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Jacksonville. There, he found his footing. McCray earned All-Atlantic Sun Third Team status. He also had the second-best BPM in the conference, trailing only Tennessee transfer Chaz Lanier. He tested the NBA Draft waters but decided to return to Jacksonville for his junior campaign.
What’s Good
Robert McCray V was one of the best pick-and-roll scorers in college hoops last season, ranking in the 89th percentile on those plays, per Synergy. Part of his success on those plays comes from the fact that he’s an excellent pull-up three-point shooter. McCray took 63 pull-up threes last season and drained an astounding 41.3% of them. The lefty is great at using his footwork to generate space sideways and backward, and he’s comfortable launching from behind the NBA line. But the second part of McCray’s ball screen excellence is that he’s an awesome downhill attacker. He’s exceptionally fast with the ball in his hands, going from the three-point line to the rim at warp speed. Still, he can throw defenders off with neck-breaking deceleration. If defenders are in his way, he can shift and slither around them with ease. He has a deep bag of counters and tricks to get defenders off balance. When he gets to the cup, he’s an electric above-the-rim finisher. He registered 22 dunks last season and converted 62.2% of his halfcourt shots at the basket, per Synergy. Both of those are elite numbers for a guard.
For defenders, this creates what I call “The Fat Bastard Conundrum.” In the classic 1999 film, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” the character Fat Bastard discussed the origins of his weight gain, noting: “I eat because I’m unhappy, and I’m unhappy because I eat. It’s a vicious cycle.” When defenders guard Robert McCray V, they can’t win. If they guard up, he can leave them in the dust and throw down a highlight reel jam. But if they give him room, he’s just going to pull up and make them pay. He gets open shots because he can get downhill, and he gets downhill because he can hit his shots. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s one that led to him posting a stellar 59.4 True Shooting Percentage despite a hefty 29.0 usage rate.
He’s more than just a bucket-getter, though. McCray boasts solid passing recognition when he draws two to the ball out of a screen. His 23.1 AST% was tied for best on the team and demonstrated that his coaching staff trusted him to run the show. He can be an exciting defender, too. When he’s engaged, he’s a potent weakside helper. He does a great job of sneaking in to make plays as the low man. When he guards the ball, he’s not afraid to body up. He has good hands and showcases good timing for strips, leading to an impressive 2.4 STL%. His size and athleticism should give him a leg up over smaller, more run-of-the-mill guards on that end of the floor as he scales up in competition.
What Needs Improvement
While McCray excelled as a pull-up shooter, he struggled when spotting up. He only made 30.7% of his catch-and-shoot threes last season. Compared to his pull-up, it can take him a tad longer to get it off, and he isn’t as square to the basket. He’ll need to come along as a passer, as he can make some frustrating decisions trying to fit the ball through non-existent windows in heavy traffic. His defense was rough at times. His usage burden can partially explain that, but it is still an issue. He can be too upright and forward-leaning in his stance. He didn’t give much effort or display much balance on closeouts. McCray was too comfortable playing from behind the ball at times and was often content surrendering to ball screens. The tools are all there, though, which is reason for optimism.
Conclusion
I’m excited about Robert McCray V’s future. Sure, there are some things he needs to patch up. I want to see more from him defensively, I’d like his passing vision to expand, and greater consistency shooting off the catch is a must. But for a guy who played his first “real” minutes of college basketball, it’s tough to ask for much more than what McCray just gave us. He’s an awesome athlete, he’s got good positional size, and he’s a stellar scorer in the two places where it counts the most. That’s one heck of a baseline for a guy with two seasons of eligibility remaining. Pencil some Jacksonville games onto your schedule this year. The low demand for guards likely makes him more of a 2026 proposition. Still, let’s not write off a run at 2025 draft boards given the variety of boxes he checks for a modern guard.
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just want to make sure I follow: he’s not in the transfer portal now, but is a guy who figures to want to up-transfer after this season?
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