Smith should come back for another year, probably will not be drafted. Would continue to be a steading influence on his team mates and he is progressing with his offensive weapons. The Hogs could be really strong up front with Smith and the additions.
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Would be amazingly awesome
Musselman has already said Smith won’t be back next year. Even if he isn’t drafted, he can make money playing basketball somewhere, and I’m not sure that coming back another year would help his draft stock very much.
Can one still hope? I assume Muss wants to keep him if he could be convinced?
Plenty of places besides the NBA to make a living playing Basketball.
After 4 seasons, if your’re not a draftable player at this point, its probably not gonna happen.
Guys with a lot less game than Smith have had extremely lucrative careers playing overseas.
I tend to agree that he would have to transform his game to make a guy his size and current skill set into an NBA player. I’m not sure it’s doable at all, and I really doubt another year of college all would be enough time to accomplish the task. He might get there in a couple of years, but he might as well earn while he learns if the NBA is his current goal. He will very likely make more money playing overseas than one more college year plus a probable(at best) G league year.
He has value right now a lot of places overseas, and another year playing college ball is unlikely to raise that value enough to justify the risks of injury, etc. he would have playing for the Hogs again next season.
I think Matt has the inside skinny, he ain’t coming back, but if he wanted to, would Muss want him back?
Musselman said last Thursday that none of the graduate transfers - Smith, Tate, Jackson - will be coming back.
"Are they coming back, any of them? No. To my knowledge, (leaving is) the direction, and I would also encourage that. We’d love to have them all back selfishly. But look, if you’re at a European level, play there. It usually takes you 2-3 years to go from, let’s say, second division in the country to top division. There’s a time process that a player has to kind of grow his game again. It’s the same thing if a player starts off in the G League, then works his way up. Why not start that process now? That’s, to me, what’s fair for our three seniors.
“They’ve done a great job academically, and they were graduates coming in, and it’s time for them now to probably go pursue their dreams.”
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I selfishly want Smith back so we can win a national title.
But I understand if Muss thinks it’s time for he and Tate to move on - or does he understand if they want to
I’m confused.
If Smith and Tate want to come back to win a title, we aren’t sure?
The way I read Muss’ comments is that he’d love to have all of them back, but he knows the best thing for them at this point is to start their pro careers, whether here or overseas.
There is one more possibility, I think. They can request evaluation from the NBA advisory committee and also can retain an NCAA-certified agent to explore their options both in the NBA and overseas. If that agent can’t find a spot for them, though, they could return to school and they wouldn’t count against our 13 scholies for next season. IJ would have taken one of our 13 if he’d come back; Smith and Tate wouldn’t.
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SwineF. would they be able to be on some scholarship or program to pay for their education for the additional year?
as a hog fan, I’d love to see him back. but he’s had a lot of college, and has shown great improvement. seems to have a great work ethic and attitude, should he decide to go to grad school or get a job. But I’ suspect he’ll be evaluated for the NBA, then go make a lot of money in europe.
GHG
They can be on scholarship without it counting against our 13 limit. “Super seniors” come back free.
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