https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/sta...72549726793728
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Glad he's taking the 1 1/2 year break to get 2 full years. Should help him both on and off the court. Really hoping for the best for Traci as he is a really good kid.
Of the approximately 30 players who have transferred from MU over the Crean, Buzz, and Wojo eras, there are a little more than a handful that I truly wish - from a purely basketball perspective - had stayed at MU. Of those who entered MU as freshmen I would include the following:
Class of 2000 - ODB
Class of 2007 - Christopherson and Mbakwe
Class of 2009 - Maymon
Class of 2013 - Burton and Wilson
Class of 2015 - Carter
I would also add McKay, though he came in as a juco.
It would not surprise me one bit if Traci is one of the leaders - nationally - in assists and in assist/turnover ratio his two years at Lasalle. Plus, I think he will become a lock-down, on-ball defender.
I'm going to take a wait and see approach before I think about missing Carter. I feel the team got better when his minutes went elsewhere.
And was he always going to sit a year and a half?
Wilson, Carter and Christopherson would have been marginal role players if they stayed. The others on the list we definitely missed (at least on the court).
Thank you both!
Traci was much more than serviceable in his freshman year and was a marked improvement over his predecessor at the point. His first start was the tight LSU Ben Simmons game where he had 9 assists...13 points in the O.T. Legends Classic championship game against ASU...10 points and 5 assists at Nova and in Milwaukee against Nova he had 10 assists...15 points including 5-7 from the 3 in a win against Butler. With the exception of the ASU game, all NCAA tourney teams. He was 5th in the B.E. in steals and was 2nd in assists among returning B.E. players in the 2016-2017 season.
I agree. He was much more than "serviceable." And with even decent levels of improvement each year, he would have been a hell of a plyer for MU as a junior and senior. Now he'll be a hell of a player for Lasalle. So be it.
I was a Traci fan as well and thought he offered a defensive presence on top of being a pass first PG. Just never understood why he would leave at semester and sit out a year and a half instead of playing through the semester and sitting a year. Still had two years left either way. Would have helped himself and the team.
Traci turned the ball over way too much and wasn't a great shooter. Yeah he has more upside than Derrick Wilson, but freshman Carter (.414 EFG%, 32.8 A%, 29.1 TO%) was hardly better than senior Wilson (.439 EFG%, 27.9 A%, 20.4 TO%).
And Markus Howard is significantly better than both of them.