Within the free company period, school basketball coaches are continually in projection mode and are sometimes asking themselves questions on their groups, comparable to:
- What’s our greatest lineup?
- What’s going to we be nice at?
- Who will play properly collectively?
- What tweaks are we including offensively or defensively? Did we repair our points?
This week, the primary official practices for the 2025-26 school basketball season obtained underway. With the season beginning Nov. 3, there isn’t any place to cover anymore, and the summer time work is about to point out. After a barrage of teaching adjustments and lots of of gamers flip-flopping from college to high school, there are fewer recognized commodities than ever earlier than. Simply seven high-major groups (Purdue, UConn, Marquette, Stanford, Notre Dame, Iowa State and SMU) are slated to return 50% or extra of their minutes from final 12 months. For reference, 32 high-major golf equipment returned north of fifty% of their minutes forward of the 2019-20 season.
This time of 12 months is vital for figuring out the hierarchy of every group, and beginning jobs are up for grabs.
Let’s dive into six huge preseason place battles that can have a pivotal say on these respective groups hitting their stride.
Candid Coaches: Who would be the finest males’s school basketball group this season?
Matt Norlander
The contenders: Caleb Foster or Cayden Boozer
Duke could have a number of pitches within the arsenal, relying on who earns the place to begin guard gig. Boozer is a tried-and-true flooring basic. He walks onto the ground making an attempt to make others higher. Boozer will do all of the little issues that affect profitable, however there are some questions on whether or not he can routinely punish drop protection. The great factor for Boozer is that conventional ball screens aren’t the lifeblood of Duke’s offense. It is far more layered and slick, which ought to intensify Boozer’s unselfishness and sky-high basketball IQ whereas masking up among the scoring considerations on his profile.
Foster is completely completely different. The junior desires to attain first, however he also can run a group in his spare time. It’s a must to guard Duke’s pick-and-rolls in a different way when Foster is on the market due to his robust downhill drives and talent to step again and punish defenders who attempt to cheat and go beneath ball screens. Foster will also be an impressive defender when he is dialed in.
The scenario additionally issues. Duke wing Dame Sarr enters school basketball with some comparable questions on his 3-point taking pictures. Does Duke need to trot out lineups with Cayden Boozer, Sarr and a low-volume shooter on the 5? That would get clunky, except Isaiah Evans and Cameron Boozer are simply utter deadeyes (solely potential).
The great thing about Duke’s roster development is {that a} clear reply does not should emerge instantly. There’s depth galore, and Foster can simply slide off the ball if Duke must get each guys on the ground.
Early lean: Foster
Who’s UConn’s fifth starter?
The contenders: Braylon Mullins or Jaylin Stewart
Dan Hurley’s lineup can look vastly completely different relying on whether or not Mullins or Stewart is on the ground, subsequent to the presumed 4 different starters: Silas Demary Jr., Solo Ball, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed. Mullins is a tried and true net-stripper, who rises off the ground effortlessly and does not see contests. The 6-foot-6, five-star freshman goes to be a significant weapon for this UConn offense that can generate a ton of open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
However, Stewart is a gigantic three-level scorer with real-deal athletic measurables. The 6-7, 225-pound ahead has proven flashes of being an issue for opposing defenses, and when the junior is locked in, there are flashes on tape the place he could be a multi-positional asset for this protection.
UConn’s taking pictures with Mullins on the ground is ludicrous. You are seemingly getting extra thump on the glass and defensively when Stewart checks into the sport.
It is a first-world dilemma for UConn’s teaching employees as a result of each of those dudes would begin for nearly each different high-major.
Early lean: Mullins
Who’s Baylor’s No. 1 scoring choice?
The contenders: Obi Agbim or Tounde Yessoufou or Michael Rataj
Prized Wyoming switch Obi Agbim was Baylor’s alpha in July when the Bears competed within the World College Video games held in Germany, however Scott Drew did not have his full arsenal. Neither ballyhooed freshman Yessoufou or Rataj, a Oregon State switch, had been allowed to play within the event resulting from their worldwide statuses.
Now totally collectively, Baylor will discover out actual fast who the highest canine can be for this squad. Rataj appears best-suited as a robust complementary piece. The expert ahead can be a precious connective piece of this group due to his cross, dribble and shoot skillset, which opens the door for Agbim or Yessoufou to turn out to be the dude. Agbim is a boatload of enjoyable. When the pull-ups are dropping, you are plum out of luck, and he’ll put you on a poster in the event you’re not cautious. Yessoufou’s fast growth from a high-energy ahead to a legit ball-handling weapon is tantalizing. The visions of Anthony Edwards are onerous to disregard. The ceiling is excessive, however he wants some seasoning.
Agbim is slated to be the pinnacle of the snake offensively for awhile, however don’t be shocked if Yessoufou earns an increasing number of of the pie because the season progresses.
Early lean: Agbim
Huge or small for Indiana?
The contenders: Sam Alexis or Conor Enright
4 guys really feel like locks to start out for Darian DeVries: level guard Tayton Conerway, sniper Lamar Wilkerson, sniper (half two) Tucker DeVries and expert ahead Reed Bailey.
Which route Indiana chooses to go along with the fifth starter is compelling.
The Hoosiers may go all-in on small ball with Enright, a DePaul switch, moving into the beginning 5 to supply a second level guard who can shoot and has some severe fireplace in his stomach. The double-point guard look with Conerway and Enright, mixed with the playmaking from Bailey, would open up loads of open catch-and-shoot treys for DeVries and Wilkerson. Indiana can be a troublesome cowl in transition with that quintet, too.
Or Indiana can go extra conventional with Florida switch ahead Sam Alexis becoming a member of the frontcourt combine subsequent to Bailey. Alexis would buff up the shoddy inside protection and supply a play-finisher within the paint who can maintain up bodily in opposition to the monster frontlines within the Huge Ten.
It may very properly be matchup dependent. When Michigan State involves city, you may want a second large to outlive the avalanche on the glass. When it is time to face Iowa’s undersized, however extremely expert, large man group, perhaps Enright will get additional tick to try to pester All-American hopeful Bennett Stirtz.
The push-pull for the Indiana teaching employees can be fascinating to watch.
Early lean: Alexis
Who can be Arkansas‘ beginning heart?
The contenders: Nick Pringle or Malique Ewin
John Calipari double-dipped within the portal marketplace for a middle, and so they could not be extra completely different. Pringle is a bruiser who’s surprisingly gentle on his toes on the perimeter. Whereas he did not publish a excessive block share (simply 1.9%), Pringle was nonetheless a really helpful defender at South Carolina. He can play drop protection. He can play on the stage. He can blitz ball screens. In sure matchups, Arkansas ought to be capable to swap Pringle onto the perimeter, the place he can cling with swift guards. He does not want an enormous offensive function, however Pringle’s offensive rebounding, screening and inside ending will assist this group.
Pringle desires to be a task participant, whereas Ewin desires to be an offensive star.
The ability stage with Ewin is engaging. The Florida State switch is all of 6-11, and he can deal with it and make performs for others. Whereas he isn’t a lot of a shooter, Ewin has some spectacular playmaking on his tape. At FSU, he routinely punished groups that despatched a double group his route. If he can draw two defenders, Ewin can create beauty. His offensive creativity will assist Arkansas have a distinct look from the conventional Calipari-induced offense that normally options two or three guards driving into the enamel of the protection with out a lot rhyme or cause again and again.
However Ewin’s consideration to element defensively can come or go, relying on how a lot he is getting consumed the opposite finish. Calipari groups are infamous for icing out large males in favor of the guards. It took them endlessly to get Jonas Aidoo rolling within the short-roll recreation final season. If Ewin’s touches go down, will that affect the protection? Florida State needed to stay with Ewin’s turnstile defensive sequences. Arkansas doesn’t.
Calipari will want each to outlive the SEC gauntlet, however Pringle’s willingness to do the soiled work offers him the slight edge getting into preseason exercises.
Early lean: Pringle
Which guard emerges for St. John’s?
The contenders: Oziyah Sellers, Joson Sanon, Kelvin Odih or Dylan Darling
4 starters appear set in stone for St. John’s as follow will get underway:
1. Ian Jackson will man one of many guard spots, and his pace in transition can be weaponized on this scheme.
2. Dillon Mitchell, a Cincinnati switch, is among the finest wing defenders within the nation. Rick Pitino, who famously likes enjoying nice protection, goes to get him on the ground. Mitchell can be a high-energy lob menace who can run the ground extraordinarily properly.
3. Bryce Hopkins is likely to be probably the most proficient participant on this group. St. John’s paid large cash to land the Windfall switch, and he’ll get each alternative to show he may be top-of-the-line gamers within the league once more.
4. Zuby Ejiofor. Properly, duh. The lunch-pail veteran is the captain of this group.
After that, although, it is a whole crapshoot.
Darling, an Idaho State switch, supplies the closest factor to an initiator level guard on the roster, however he’ll be examined defensively after enjoying loads of zone final 12 months within the Huge Sky.
Sanon is an murderer from 3-point vary, and his one-dribble pull-up is so nasty, however he has to spherical out the tough edges in his recreation. He hardly ever places strain on the rim and hasn’t proven a lot curiosity in making performs for others. Plus, you recognize you are not enjoying for Pitino in the event you aren’t relentless on the defensive finish. Sellers and Odih are two extra within the combine right here. Sellers gives a pleasant mixture of on-ball creation, spot-up taking pictures, off-ball slicing and he performs mistake-free basketball. Odih may solely be a freshman, however he is obtained nice dimension and brings it on the defensive finish.
The competitors for minutes can be fierce, and that is simply the way in which Pitino likes it.
Early lean: Sellers