On3 Roundtable: Live period stock risers; Coaching carousel winners; transfer portal

In this week’s On3 Roundtable, National Analysts Jamie Shaw and Gerry Hamilton tackle questions about live-period stock-risers, the portal, and the coaching carousel.

1. Which player in 2023 did the most to elevate their stock during the first live period?

Jamie Shaw: While Milan Momcilovic is the obvious choice here, I did not get to see him live in Orlando. So for the purposes of this On3 Roundtable, I will go with someone I was courtside for with 6-foot-11 JP Estrella. There was a lot of buzz coming out of the Northeast for Estrella leading into the UAA session. Estrella lived up to all of the hype and then some. Estrella has legit size with good length and natural lateral and vertical athleticism. Estrella’s skillset pops, too; he is a capable pick and pop/trail-three shooter and a good passer from multiple areas on the floor. Still raw and in need of strength, the upside is apparent here. He could be one to continue making massive leaps each time you check in. Currently unranked in the On3 Consensus, that will change in the next update.

Gerry Hamilton: I have to go with Zayden High. First, he’s grown two inches and closing in on 6-foot-9. He was tremendous at The Circuit League I The Jump and then followed up with a good EYBL weekend in Orlando. High has played extremely well on both ends of the court, displaying the ability to be a difference-maker stretch four and a player that can guard multiple positions. Since his first big weekend in Dallas, he has received offers from Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Colorado, TCU, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Alabama, Michigan, and Creighton. Add in serious interest from North Carolina and Kansas, and High is quickly becoming a top 50 prospect in the 2023 cycle. 

2. Which available player in the transfer portal piques your interest the most?

Shaw: Arkansas State sophomore Norchad Omier is one who pops when you turn on the tape. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound power forward is a physical anomaly. He moves so fluidly, and his timing is natural both around the rim and in the passing lanes. Omier averaged 2.0 blocks and 1.6 steals per game en route to being named the Sun Belt defensive player of the year. The native of Nicaragua by way of Miami (FL) Prep Academy also averaged 17.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He was also named Sun Belt Conference player of the year. While there is a jump from the Sun Belt to the power conferences, the stats Omier accumulated translate, the way he moves, and his natural feel for making plays, it translates. He has visited Miami already and is on a visit to Florida State as I type this. Georgetown and Texas Tech are also in the mix.

Hamilton: Skilled power forward Kenneth Lofton, Jr., who is transferring from Louisiana Tech. The reality is the 6-foot-7, 275-pound, very skilled power forward could be the difference in Houston getting back to the Final Four or one step farther. And he could be the difference in Texas playing the second weekend or beyond. This is a massive recruitment for both programs. With that said, there are plenty of programs that desire Lofton Jr. On3 believes Houston is the slight favorite over Texas currently. 

3. With the coaching carousel slowing down, which new hire do you give five stars?

Shaw: The two names I immediately thought of when I saw this On3 Roundtable question were Rob Lanier at SMU and Dennis Gates at Missouri. Early in his career at Siena, Lanier was a head coach, and while he found middling success, he showed the chops. After that experience in the first chair, he was an assistant under Dave Leiato at Virginia, Billy Donovan at Florida, and then Rick Barnes at Texas and Tennessee. Lesson learned. In his three seasons at Georgia State, Lanier finished first in the Sun Belt East and then took the team to the NCAA Tournament the following year. A clear coach whose star is on the rise.

Similarly, Gates worked under Leonard Hamilton for eight seasons and Ben Braun at Cal for another three. In his three seasons at Cleveland State, he made the post-season in two of them. While only on the job at Missouri for a few weeks, Gates and his staff have scoured the available player market, getting top recruits out of JUCO and the transfer portal while keeping Top 75 ranked Aidan Shaw from the previous staff. 

Hamilton: I really like Kenny Payne’s hiring by Louisville. That’s a direct recruiting shot at John Calipari, as Payne was tremendous under Calipari for several years when the best of the best rolled through Lexington. Nolan Smith and Danny Manning’s hiring on the staff is another sign of Payne being ready for the job. This hire alone will add more madness to an already excellent college basketball rivalry.