No Nanu for UofL? No problem.

Sophomore C Onuaku moves on and Cards move forward

By: Raashaan Myers

     The fear of the unknown is always a scary proposition. Most will take the devil you know over the devil that you don’t know.  Change can be hard no doubt about it. Well the supporters of the University of Louisville are facing that proposition right now with the announcement of big man Chinanu Onuaku’s decision to forgo his final two years to make himself eligible for the NBA Draft.  And now with his decision final I am here to tell you to not fear the unknown, but to be excited about the future!

     No one knew coming into the 2015-16 campaign that they would have to worry about losing any of their big men. UofL has just completed a run to the Elite Eight the year before with pretty much no help from the low post other than that of big man Montrezl Harrell who decided to forgo his final season to head to the league. This caused a lot of angst in the fanbase then and to everyone’s surprise UofL was actually better this past season down low than with the E8 team! Yet while that should be a lesson learned it seems that this lesson will have to be taught all over again this upcoming year.

     There is no doubt that Onuaku is a very talented young man transforming himself from a guy only getting about 17 minutes a game contributing 3 pts and 4 rebs and only showing flashes of his potential in a couple of performances that season, to a guy who was hauling in multiple double-doubles and contributing a solid 10 pts and 8.5 rebs a night. That was a very nice improvement and his growth and confidence became more evident as the season went along. They say that the only way you improve is with time on the court and Nanu proved that to be true.  

     It is with this premise that I look forward to the 2016-17 with great anticipation with excitement and belief in what will come next for UofL. The talent was evident from Onuaku as he showed flashes of potential but never could put it together, and each of the 5 returning big men to some extent has shown some great potential of their own. Let’s take a look at each of the returning big men for the Cards.

Mangok Mathiang 6-10 220 lbs 7 Pts 6 Rebs 1 Blk 56% FG

The most important guy returning for the Cards this year is Mango. He will be the anchor for UofL in the post with his ability to defend at the rim, bring toughness in the paint, as well as a great desire to rebound the basketball. Many have forgotten how well Mathiang was playing last year prior to being sidelined with a broken bone in his foot in early December. There was a question about his improvement shown in the World University Games where he averaged a double-double and led the event in rebounding for his native Australia. Could he carry that play into his junior year at UofL? Well the answer early on was yes highlighted by a 17 pt 13 reb effort vs Saint Louis in Brooklyn. Mathiang has the size, length, motor, and experience to continue to improve and be the player that UofL fans had hoped for this past season.

Ray Spalding 6-10 210 lbs 5 Pts 4 Rebs 56% FG

Spalding is probably the #1 X-Factor coming into the 2016-17 season for UofL. This young man has all the tools to not only be a good player for the Cards, but to be one of the greats with NBA potential. Blessed with exceptional length, quickness, basketball IQ, and natural instincts Spalding showed flashes of brilliance for UofL as a freshman. Now the question is how much does he improve and work on his game in the off-season to take that next step and turn those flashes into consistent excellence on the court. Ray clearly has the highest ceiling of all the big men returning, but still many questions remain for him as he only scored in double figures twice in conference play. Continued effort in the weight room as well as attention to detail with his low post footwork will be a key to his improvement.

Jaylen Johnson 6-9 215 lbs 5 Pts 3.5 Rebs 46% FG

While Spalding is the shooting star for the Cards down low Jaylen Johnson was coach Pitino’s Mr. Reliable. While Johnson has never been a flashy player for UofL in his two years he plays with a chip on his shoulder and a toughness that reminds me of former Card big man Ellis Myles. Jaylen is very consistent in his effort and always plays an aggressive and fearless brand of basketball. One interesting thing I like about Jaylen is he has shown the willingness to step away and shoot the 18 foot jumpshot even knocking down a couple of 3s last year including one in his 11 pt 9 reb performance at Virginia Tech. The key to Jaylen’s improvement will be continued work on his conditioning, decision making, and cleaning up and refining his skill package.

Anas Mahmoud 7-0 200 lbs 3 Pts 3 Rebs 1 Blk 46% FG

Another guy with off the charts potential is Mahmoud. Above average size, length, dexterity, and skill level are apparent for Anas, but also was the way too consistent issue of being pushed around in the paint. When Mahmoud is aggressive and attacking he has been good, but that has not been the case more often than not because of a lack of strength which also results in a lack of confidence. Anas has the potential to be a David Padgett/Gorgui Dieng style mid-post big man for UofL with his ability to pass and shoot the ball with continued weight training. The forecast for the big Egyptian is bright and sunny if he can find a way to add another 15 to 20 pounds this offseason.

Matz Stockman 7-0 240 lbs 2 Pts 2 Rebs 55% FG

By far the biggest question mark for UofL in the post is the big Norwegian. Matz was a complete unknown coming from the Academy in the Canary Islands, but the injury to Mathiang gave him the opportunity to play some minutes and that paid some dividends. Stockman showed the ability so score on the low block when he takes his time and doesn’t rush, he is an underrated athlete for his size, and he is aggressive. The key to his development is more on the defensive end of the floor where he is still extremely stiff and doesn’t use his length to block shots too consistently allowing penetration to the rim. He will probably benefit the most from Nanu leaving as he can continue to grow.

     All in all UofL fans were extremely spoiled to have the amount of depth and talent the Cards enjoyed last year. Losing a guy like Onuaku would usually cripple a program looking to make a deep run in March, but Coach Pitino has done a brilliant job stockpiling talent and depth to take that hit and keep moving. I am truly excited to see who’s next and you should be as well. 

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