The other side of the Kobe discussion is that maybe Shon saw a guy who was a load in practice and would ultimately take minutes from him. Remember that Kobe was a first team Illinois player coming out of high school.
Speaking of defense. Apparently Pat Baldwin was leaving the program as he just announced a job with san Diego
Damn, I so wished that Shon would have stayed. In my mind he could have been our next Vashil (actually Vashil 1.5, cuz in my mind there are not too many guys like Vashil around the rim).
First off, I hope after a year on the roster, Kobe will be legit listed as 6’9” 240-250 and displaying a tighter body profile. At DI play pace, carrying 270 does not get you up and down the court efficiently. Rebuilding the physique is, in part, why you redshirt, right?
I also hope, in an opposite direction, that Carter, at 6’11”, will start next season at 230 muscular lbs. He has athleticism that at the 5 can be hard to defend if the staff can coach him up over the next 8 months. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
I so much wanted Shon to stay, but I wish him well. My concern is that he not only gets the cash, but also gets the minutes he deserves.
I don’t expect Shon to move up, but move down and get paid. Be in a conference where he can have more impact like he had at the D2 level. A lot our guys from the 2024-25 team did that and got paid. Tyler Schmidt didn’t have a great year at Townson, but he got paid $40-50k. I think some of the others got similar $, didn’t they?
Shon might draw some surprisingly attractive offers and I doubt Roger wanted to spend unnecessarily if we have more talent at center than we have minutes to distribute among them. It could be highly interesting to see Carter and Kobe sort things out and I am very optimistic about the player that Hopoi becomes.
“It could be highly interesting to see Carter and Kobe sort things out and I am very optimistic about the player that Hopoi becomes.”
My thoughts exactly.
I’m bummed about Shon too, but I get it. Offensively, I don’t think we’ll take a huge hit as long as we can make up for the offensive rebounding. Defensively is where he really anchored things, and that’s not easy to replace.
Carter feels like the key there—if he can add some strength and keep developing, he can start to close that gap. Walker is another big piece. He’s got the size, touch, and ability, but he’s going to need to keep working on conditioning and lateral quickness to handle a Valley center role. I still think the redshirt was the right move. Gives him time to develop, especially lower body strength, and now he basically gets a fresh start as a freshman again.
I’d expect him to at least take the minutes Tucker was getting, with the potential for more if he comes along quickly. Would love to see him show out at GRIT & GRILL and turn some heads. The roster will fill out with different prices that remain to fit into the equation.
As for Tucker, feels like an OVC fit makes a lot of sense—USI or something along those lines where he will start. But who knows, maybe something unexpected happens and he sticks around.
Losing Baldwin definitely stings too. Curious to see how the staff fills things out from here. I’ve seen they’re looking at Kaden Johnson from Huntington—a 6’11” big who looks like he can score. Interesting name to keep an eye on.
Shon might draw some surprisingly attractive offers and I doubt Roger wanted to spend unnecessarily if we have more talent at center than we have minutes to distribute among them. It could be highly interesting to see Carter and Kobe sort things out and I am very optimistic about the player that Hopoi becomes.
Shon was the only guy to start every game, and that says a lot. His biggest impact was on the defensive end—he really anchored things for us. Offensively, he’s more of a role player, but he brings real value with offensive rebounding and put-back points.
If I had to guess, I could see him landing at a place like VCU or a similar tier program. Feels like an American, A-10 or Big East type fit, probably in more of a backup role. The better the team, the more specialized his role becomes.
At that level, I think his value is as an energy big off the bench—come in, defend, rebound, protect the rim, and give you 10 solid minutes. With his size and athleticism, that’s a role teams will pay for. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him in that 400–600K range to do exactly that. It’s he final year I hope he gives it all he’s got!
Big men need to make free throws, especially late in close games. Shon Tupuola shot a respectable 66% from the free throw line, Carter Hopoi only shot 48% (lowest of anyone on the team who shot any free throws except Kyonte Thomas, who only took four shots), and Kaden Johnson (mentioned above) shot 59% this past year after only 40% the year before. Does anyone know whether Kobe Walker can shoot free throws? I haven't found any stats online.
@valpopal Spot on Pal. Both bave to hit the weights, increase endurance and MAKE 1 million FTs daily. 😀
Looks like Baldwin is following his former player, JR Blount, so it is likely that JR was needing an experienced former HC to help tutor him in his first head coaching gig. You often see guys take this approach, which is probably why Powell had Baldwin on the staff, as well.
If Shon seeks a change of scenery he might find a West Coast or Mountain West landing spot also. I don't know his price tag but he certainly will get a great many looks and Roger will be called more than once by old friends or colleagues.
If Shon seeks a change of scenery he might find a West Coast or Mountain West landing spot also. I don't know his price tag but he certainly will get a great many looks and Roger will be called more than once by old friends or colleagues.
I think both of those conferences have teams that would look to add a guy like Shon. They probably can pay him decently as well. Like you I believe he will have a pick of options.
🎯 Target:
6’0 guard, Fr.
From Lafayette Jeff I believe.
This guy is a scoring machine. Only score in single digits in 3 games last year and averaged 37.2 min/game
🎯
A 6’7 Jr. Wing from D2
averaged 17.3, 33% from 3, 4.7 rebounds a game! Had only 3 single digit scoring games and averaged 31 minutes. This guy is a long athletic scorer.