What they gained from their 2023 draft class and transfer portal:
They added two Top 100 talents in Jizzle James and Rayvon Griffith. James is one of the top point guards in the 2023 class. Griffith is a local talent that decided to stay home. Both provide athleticism, playmaking ability and hope for the fans. Daveon “Day Day” Thomas was one of the top players in the JuCo ranks last season. The point guard adds athleticism and playmaking ability as well. He doesn’t add Big 12 experience, but adds P5 talent that is can score at all three levels.
C.J. Fredrick adds a sharpshooting guard with two years left. He dealt with injuries at UK, but when he was healthy he was a threat on the court. During his time at Iowa he shot over 40% both years at the Big Ten school. Simas Lukosius, came over from Butler where he can make plays all over the court. He averaged 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in a tough Big East last season. With the loss of Landers Nolley, Lukosius will be counted on to ease that pain.
The Bearcats have added two big men. If you watched them last season you know they were thin in the front line. Adding two big men to pair with Viktor Lakhin and Ody Oguama is huge for this program entering the Big 12. Jamille Reynolds coming over from Temple was huge, seeing him live, he showed off real nice touch in the paint and is a physical force. The type of shape Reynolds works himself into before the season will be key and hopefully he’ll get a waiver to play in this upcoming season. Aziz Bandaogo beat the Bearcats in the NIT while playing for Utah Valley after slapping up a double double and is now rocking UC colors. He is an ultimate rim protector, who finishes with force around the rim. Like Reynolds, Bandaogo will need a waiver to play in the Winter because he is a second time transfer. If, both get to play the depth down low will be unreal.
The outlook for 2023-24
This team has depth everywhere except point guard, they have two very talented guards at that position, but currently inexperienced. The skill of Dan Skillings and Simas Lukosius will be key if they don’t add any point guard depth if they need help carrying the load during the season. If one or both can handle spot point guard duty this team will be a real threat in the Big 12. How big of a jump will Viktor Lakhin make this offseason? If he can get more consistent with his face up game, it will allow the Bearcats to play a lot of bully ball with elite size on the court.
We will save more breaking down the team for another time, but this current team is giving #BearcatNation real hope to compete at a high level. Shoutout to Wes Miller and his staff for doing a great job this offseason to improve the roster heading into the Big 12.
