On Sunday, Cal men's basketball secured a commitment from a grad transfer of their own in 6'4", 190 pound point guard

Jordan Shepherd. Shepherd played the last two years at UNC-Charlotte after playing his first two years at Oklahoma. After averaging less than 3.2 points per game in his two years at Oklahoma, Shepherd blossomed into a much better player at Charlotte, averaging 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 45.3% shooting from the field, 29.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.7% shooting from the foul line. As a result of his improved play, Shepherd will be getting another shot to play at the high major level, this time at Cal.

Short highlight clip from his junior year when he averaged 14 ppg.

UNC Charlotte Guard Jordan Shepherd (@Jordan_Shep13 ) averaged 14 Points 3.2 Rebs and 4.1 Assists this past season. His senior year should be special! 🔥🔥🔥
Raw Footage: https://t.co/3dShUbimTF
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Lil Uzi - Yessirskiii (feat. 21 Savage) pic.twitter.com/LoUKdxI6iS

— JEFE ISLAND (@JefeIsland) July 7, 2020

How do we define mediocre? Mediocre relative to talent on the current Cal squad or overall across power 5 teams? If the latter, than this is a HUGE get and major upgrade!!!

Kudos to Fox inching us closer to mediocrity.

Looks like a slasher

HoopDreams said:

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Looks like a slasher

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Shot .294 from 3 at Charlotte, so yeah, looks like a slasher.

Seems similar to a lot of guys we have on the roster. I'm not sure I understand unless Hyder (didn't someone say he would be our second best player if eligible?) is not coming back It will be interesting to see how Fox plays them.

Can't have too many guys who can play point.

Looks pretty smooth

Like most highlight videos little-to-no footage of defense.

If he's not as talented as the guy Fox just lost, then it's hard to see as an overall upgrade for the program. And....

Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

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We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

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If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

Several Pac12 schools signed better impact transfers including WSU and UW

sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

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If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

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Yes, like Hyder was supposed to be last year, if he is an upgrade over Brown it is an improvement. The advantage of a grad is the scholarship will be available to recruit Mahaney for the 2022 class.

Thinking about this more, I believe we have one more scholarship left, so we will see who will get that one before I cast too much judgement on this one. We definitely need a scorer at the 2/3 who can shoot a decent percentage from 3 and as you say can create his own shot.

philbert said:

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calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

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If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

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Yes, like Hyder was supposed to be last year, if he is an upgrade over Brown it is an improvement. The advantage of a grad is the scholarship will be available to recruit Mahaney for the 2022 class.

Thinking about this more, I believe we have one more scholarship left, so we will see who will get that one before I cast too much judgement on this one. We definitely need a scorer at the 2/3 who can shoot a decent percentage from 3 and as you say can create his own shot.

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This fills Matt Bradley's slot. There are no more slots left with three incoming freshman, unless you know of another impending departure. Betley wouldn't have counted against the 13 limit this upcoming season, so him not coming back does not free up a slot. This roster is uninspiring as it stands.

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No inside info, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody else left. Possibly even two guys. Thing is, it's getting late for that.

Big C said:

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philbert said:

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calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

---

If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

---

Yes, like Hyder was supposed to be last year, if he is an upgrade over Brown it is an improvement. The advantage of a grad is the scholarship will be available to recruit Mahaney for the 2022 class.

Thinking about this more, I believe we have one more scholarship left, so we will see who will get that one before I cast too much judgement on this one. We definitely need a scorer at the 2/3 who can shoot a decent percentage from 3 and as you say can create his own shot.

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This fills Matt Bradley's slot. There are no more slots left with three incoming freshman, unless you know of another impending departure. Betley wouldn't have counted against the 13 limit this upcoming season, so him not coming back does not free up a slot. This roster is uninspiring as it stands.

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No inside info, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody else left. Possibly even two guys. Thing is, it's getting late for that.

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two more months to the transfer deadline

and the new transfer rule just got approved, so I'd expect more transfers from teams across the nation

philbert said:

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calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

---

If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

---

Yes, like Hyder was supposed to be last year, if he is an upgrade over Brown it is an improvement. The advantage of a grad is the scholarship will be available to recruit Mahaney for the 2022 class.

Thinking about this more, I believe we have one more scholarship left, so we will see who will get that one before I cast too much judgement on this one. We definitely need a scorer at the 2/3 who can shoot a decent percentage from 3 and as you say can create his own shot.

---

This fills Matt Bradley's slot. There are no more slots left with three incoming freshman, unless you know of another impending departure. Betley wouldn't have counted against the 13 limit this upcoming season, so him not coming back does not free up a slot. This roster is uninspiring as it stands.

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That's right, I was thinking of Betley's spot.

at first look, I wasn't impressed with this transfer, but upon a deeper look, he might be a better signing then I thought:

See below highlights entering the recent season.

started a few games as a fresh and soph at Oklahoma. capable of 20 point games. Can hit 8 straight free throws. capable of 10 assists. capable of 9 rebounds. 2 game winner shots. team MVP. preseason all-conference


2020-21 -

• Preseason All-Conference USA

2019-20 -

• Third-Team All-Conference USA.
• Team MVP
• Finished the season 12th in Conference USA in scoring averaging a team-leading 14 points per game.
• Led the team and finished fourth in Conference USA (112 assists) averaging 4.1 assists per game.
• Started 27 games. Finished the season with 22 double-figure scoring games, four 20-point scoring games and 21 games with at least three assists.
• With his 10 assists at WKU (2/22), he became the 26th different player in school history to record 100 assists in a season.
• Scored the game-winning basket on a driving layup in the closing seconds in the road win at WKU (2/22). Also recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
• Scored a career-high 27 points (8-for-8 from the free throw line) in the win over Valparaiso (12/16).
• Scored 20 points with three assists against UNC Asheville (12/3).
• Tallied his third 20-point scoring game with 20 points (7-for-9 from the free throw line) in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore (12/19).
• Scored 26 points (connected on five three-point field goals) while grabbing seven rebounds in the win over UTSA (2/8).
• Scored 19 points including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line as well as dishing out six assists at Appalachian State (11/21).
• Nearly recorded a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in the win over Wake Forest (11/17).
• Scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a season-high four steals in the road win at Marshall (1/16).
• Scored 13 points including the game-winning basket with 44 seconds on the clock in the win over Florida Atlantic (1/23).
• Scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds on his birthday in the win over North Texas (3/4).

2018-19 -

• Sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring from the University of Oklahoma.
• Practiced with the team for the entire season.

At Oklahoma (2016-18):

• Saw action in 59 games with four starts in his two years at Oklahoma.
• Averaged 3.2 points during his Oklahoma career while tallying five double-figure scoring games including scoring a career-high 18 points against Memphis (12/17/16).
• As a freshman, he averaged 4.3 points per game with 43 assists.
• In his final game at Oklahoma, he connected on both of his field goal attempts in 10 minutes of action against Rhode Island in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

HoopDreams said:

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at first look, I wasn't impressed with this transfer, but upon a deeper look, he might be a better signing then I thought:

See below highlights entering the recent season.

started a few games as a fresh and soph at Oklahoma. capable of 20 point games. Can hit 8 straight free throws. capable of 10 assists. capable of 9 rebounds. 2 game winner shots. team MVP. preseason all-conference


2020-21 -

• Preseason All-Conference USA

2019-20 -

• Third-Team All-Conference USA.
• Team MVP
• Finished the season 12th in Conference USA in scoring averaging a team-leading 14 points per game.
• Led the team and finished fourth in Conference USA (112 assists) averaging 4.1 assists per game.
• Started 27 games. Finished the season with 22 double-figure scoring games, four 20-point scoring games and 21 games with at least three assists.
• With his 10 assists at WKU (2/22), he became the 26th different player in school history to record 100 assists in a season.
• Scored the game-winning basket on a driving layup in the closing seconds in the road win at WKU (2/22). Also recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
• Scored a career-high 27 points (8-for-8 from the free throw line) in the win over Valparaiso (12/16).
• Scored 20 points with three assists against UNC Asheville (12/3).
• Tallied his third 20-point scoring game with 20 points (7-for-9 from the free throw line) in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore (12/19).
• Scored 26 points (connected on five three-point field goals) while grabbing seven rebounds in the win over UTSA (2/8).
• Scored 19 points including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line as well as dishing out six assists at Appalachian State (11/21).
• Nearly recorded a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in the win over Wake Forest (11/17).
• Scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a season-high four steals in the road win at Marshall (1/16).
• Scored 13 points including the game-winning basket with 44 seconds on the clock in the win over Florida Atlantic (1/23).
• Scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds on his birthday in the win over North Texas (3/4).

2018-19 -

• Sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring from the University of Oklahoma.
• Practiced with the team for the entire season.

At Oklahoma (2016-18):

• Saw action in 59 games with four starts in his two years at Oklahoma.
• Averaged 3.2 points during his Oklahoma career while tallying five double-figure scoring games including scoring a career-high 18 points against Memphis (12/17/16).
• As a freshman, he averaged 4.3 points per game with 43 assists.
• In his final game at Oklahoma, he connected on both of his field goal attempts in 10 minutes of action against Rhode Island in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

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His junior year was clearly his best. So then, what happened last season? Maybe he was dinged up a little bit. Or maybe, as I posited, the emergence of their sophomore guard Jahmir Young relegated Shepherd to more of a supporting role.

Shepherd sort of reminds me of what Hyder could become if Hyder were to continue to progress.

That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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Big C said:

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Listed size is 6-4, 190. Grew up in North Carolina. Played two years at Oklahoma, before transferring to Charlotte for two years (after sitting out a year), so coming here as a grad transfer with 1-to-play-1.

Averaged 4 assists-per-game his junior year at Charlotte, so likely a combo guard or point guard, with the size to play wing.

3rd team all-conference at Charlotte (Conference USA) as a junior, but numbers dropped as a senior, perhaps because he was overshadowed by teammate Jahmir Young, who was 1st team all-conference as a soph last season.

If he comes here, I'm wishing him crazy success, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what he adds to our roster, except one more mediocre player at PG or SG. Maybe he plays at the wing and gives us some experience there while Celestine/Bowser/Roberson develop?

Do we know for sure that Hyder intends to return?

JMO, I would only add another so-so player if it was at the position we are really thin at: rim protector.

---

We're going to be bad anyway next season, so this seems to be a futile attempt by Fox to try to steal 2 or 3 games somehow with a more experienced player. Otherwise, a better strategy would be to let the younger guys play more minutes in the early part of the schedule and hopefully they improve as the season goes along. This guy won't be here past next season and frankly, I'm not sure how a guy that made this team worse (negative box score plus minus in last 3 seasons) when he was on the court is supposed to help us improve.

---

If you are Fox those 2-3 wins might save your job. There is no tomorrow. Also, in Fox's non offense you need someone who can get their own shot. Last year there was a dip because Austin was gone and there was no secondary solo scorer, just Bradley. This coming year with Bradley gone Shepherd makes sense in a sad Don Coleman way. But mostly he shows Cal can't recruit at a level that will get them out of the bottom.

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Advanced statistics like Win Shares, WS/40 min, and Box Score +/- don't paint Shepherd in a flattering light. He seemed to be a higher usage guy that had a minimal, if not negative, effect on winning.

In 2019-20, he was ranked 7th on his own team in both WS/40 and BS +/- despite leading his team with a usage rate of 27%. In 2020-21, his usage rate was down to 22% (2nd on team) and WS/40 and BS +/- were 3rd and 4th, respectively.

By the way, this type of statistical profile is very similar to Don Coleman in 2017-18, who lead that team in scoring with a usage rate of 27.8% but ranked effectively 3rd in WS/40 and 5th in BS +/- (would have been lower ranked, but 3 walkons that barely played ranked higher in each stat than Don and I didn't include them since they played so few minutes).

Personally, I place a higher importance on these stats than traditional box score stats because I believe they tell me more on whether a player actually has a positive impact on the outcome of the game. If you look at the PAC-12 this season, off the top of your head, who were the best players? For me it was Chris Duarte and Evan Mobley. Low and behold, Mobley and Duarte were #1 and #2 in BS +/- and both were top 5 in WS/40.

Big C said:

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HoopDreams said:

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at first look, I wasn't impressed with this transfer, but upon a deeper look, he might be a better signing then I thought:

See below highlights entering the recent season.

started a few games as a fresh and soph at Oklahoma. capable of 20 point games. Can hit 8 straight free throws. capable of 10 assists. capable of 9 rebounds. 2 game winner shots. team MVP. preseason all-conference


2020-21 -

• Preseason All-Conference USA

2019-20 -

• Third-Team All-Conference USA.
• Team MVP
• Finished the season 12th in Conference USA in scoring averaging a team-leading 14 points per game.
• Led the team and finished fourth in Conference USA (112 assists) averaging 4.1 assists per game.
• Started 27 games. Finished the season with 22 double-figure scoring games, four 20-point scoring games and 21 games with at least three assists.
• With his 10 assists at WKU (2/22), he became the 26th different player in school history to record 100 assists in a season.
• Scored the game-winning basket on a driving layup in the closing seconds in the road win at WKU (2/22). Also recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
• Scored a career-high 27 points (8-for-8 from the free throw line) in the win over Valparaiso (12/16).
• Scored 20 points with three assists against UNC Asheville (12/3).
• Tallied his third 20-point scoring game with 20 points (7-for-9 from the free throw line) in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore (12/19).
• Scored 26 points (connected on five three-point field goals) while grabbing seven rebounds in the win over UTSA (2/8).
• Scored 19 points including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line as well as dishing out six assists at Appalachian State (11/21).
• Nearly recorded a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in the win over Wake Forest (11/17).
• Scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a season-high four steals in the road win at Marshall (1/16).
• Scored 13 points including the game-winning basket with 44 seconds on the clock in the win over Florida Atlantic (1/23).
• Scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds on his birthday in the win over North Texas (3/4).

2018-19 -

• Sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring from the University of Oklahoma.
• Practiced with the team for the entire season.

At Oklahoma (2016-18):

• Saw action in 59 games with four starts in his two years at Oklahoma.
• Averaged 3.2 points during his Oklahoma career while tallying five double-figure scoring games including scoring a career-high 18 points against Memphis (12/17/16).
• As a freshman, he averaged 4.3 points per game with 43 assists.
• In his final game at Oklahoma, he connected on both of his field goal attempts in 10 minutes of action against Rhode Island in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

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His junior year was clearly his best. So then, what happened last season? Maybe he was dinged up a little bit. Or maybe, as I posited, the emergence of their sophomore guard Jahmir Young relegated Shepherd to more of a supporting role.

Shepherd sort of reminds me of what Hyder could become if Hyder were to continue to progress.

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

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Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

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Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

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Possibly 2-3 more wins than this team without him, but not more wins than Bradley produced.

How many wins will depend on the strength of our non-conference schedule.

Hopefully by this Fall we can have students and fans in Haas as that will give us a shot at stealing some wins and getting some upsets.

Given that we will have a lot of long, athletic wings but will be deficient in scoring, maybe we try to extend pressure with a 2-2-1 zone?

If I am an opposing coach I try to get Kelly in foul trouble and put my best defender on Celestine. Or just play zone against us. It could be a really ugly season.

calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

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Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

---

Possibly 2-3 more wins than this team without him, but not more wins than Bradley produced.

How many wins will depend on the strength of our non-conference schedule.

Hopefully by this Fall we can have students and fans in Haas as that will give us a shot at stealing some wins and getting some upsets.

Given that we will have a lot of long, athletic wings but will be deficient in scoring, maybe we try to extend pressure with a 2-2-1 zone?

If I am an opposing coach I try to get Kelly in foul trouble and put my best defender on Celestine. Or just play zone against us. It could be a really ugly season.

---

Clearly Bradley returning would have been better. It is true that scheming against Cal will be very easy and points will probably be even lower. I like a 1-2-2 zone, but anything could work. I think all teams, including Cal, should play zone most of the time, so no argument on that.

My issue with zone is that there are no box out responsibilities and opposing teams usually are able to hit the offensive glass with impunity against it. Coaches at the college and pro level (even overseas) play man-to-man a great majority of the time because it's actually statistically harder to score against.

Coaches at the lower levels (high school and Low major, D-3, etc) use zone mainly when they have a size or athletic disadvantage against their opponent. The basic premise there is to hope the opposing team has a bad night shooting because you are willing to sag and give up open looks from 3.

Personally, I see it as a tool you use to change the flow of the game against a team that is having great success that game against your base man D. But I don't like it as the main D because the other team eventually finds the gaps and gets into a rhythm swinging it from side to side and you give up too many open looks.

sluggo said:

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calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

---

tsubamoto2001 said:

---

That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

---

Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

---

Possibly 2-3 more wins than this team without him, but not more wins than Bradley produced.

How many wins will depend on the strength of our non-conference schedule.

Hopefully by this Fall we can have students and fans in Haas as that will give us a shot at stealing some wins and getting some upsets.

Given that we will have a lot of long, athletic wings but will be deficient in scoring, maybe we try to extend pressure with a 2-2-1 zone?

If I am an opposing coach I try to get Kelly in foul trouble and put my best defender on Celestine. Or just play zone against us. It could be a really ugly season.

---

Clearly Bradley returning would have been better. It is true that scheming against Cal will be very easy and points will probably be even lower. I like a 1-2-2 zone, but anything could work. I think all teams, including Cal, should play zone most of the time, so no argument on that.

---

tsubamoto2001 said:

---

My issue with zone is that there are no box out responsibilities and opposing teams usually are able to hit the offensive glass with impunity against it. Coaches at the college and pro level (even overseas) play man-to-man a great majority of the time because it's actually statistically harder to score against.

Coaches at the lower levels (high school and Low major, D-3, etc) use zone mainly when they have a size or athletic disadvantage against their opponent. The basic premise there is to hope the opposing team has a bad night shooting because you are willing to sag and give up open looks from 3.

Personally, I see it as a tool you use to change the flow of the game against a team that is having great success that game against your base man D. But I don't like it as the main D because the other team eventually finds the gaps and gets into a rhythm swinging it from side to side and you give up too many open looks.

sluggo said:

---

calumnus said:

---

sluggo said:

---

tsubamoto2001 said:

---

That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

---

Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

---

Possibly 2-3 more wins than this team without him, but not more wins than Bradley produced.

How many wins will depend on the strength of our non-conference schedule.

Hopefully by this Fall we can have students and fans in Haas as that will give us a shot at stealing some wins and getting some upsets.

Given that we will have a lot of long, athletic wings but will be deficient in scoring, maybe we try to extend pressure with a 2-2-1 zone?

If I am an opposing coach I try to get Kelly in foul trouble and put my best defender on Celestine. Or just play zone against us. It could be a really ugly season.

---

Clearly Bradley returning would have been better. It is true that scheming against Cal will be very easy and points will probably be even lower. I like a 1-2-2 zone, but anything could work. I think all teams, including Cal, should play zone most of the time, so no argument on that.

---

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Yup. I think the current modern play (not sure if it has been quantitatively analyzed) is to mix. So switch to Zone until such time as the other team adjusts or is able to get a substitute and get shooters on the floor. I actually like that but you gotta practice it and have good team communication.

Some UW fans are losing patience with Mike Hopkins and actually are using his 2-3 Syracuse zone as a scapegoat for the demise of the program the last 2 seasons, saying recruits don't want to play it. Not sure on that, but I wouldn't go that far in terms of blaming it for their performance...it's been generally good (ranked top 75 in KenPom in Adj. Defensive Efficiency other than this past season). Will be interesting to see how things go up there next season.

socaltownie said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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My issue with zone is that there are no box out responsibilities and opposing teams usually are able to hit the offensive glass with impunity against it. Coaches at the college and pro level (even overseas) play man-to-man a great majority of the time because it's actually statistically harder to score against.

Coaches at the lower levels (high school and Low major, D-3, etc) use zone mainly when they have a size or athletic disadvantage against their opponent. The basic premise there is to hope the opposing team has a bad night shooting because you are willing to sag and give up open looks from 3.

Personally, I see it as a tool you use to change the flow of the game against a team that is having great success that game against your base man D. But I don't like it as the main D because the other team eventually finds the gaps and gets into a rhythm swinging it from side to side and you give up too many open looks.

sluggo said:

---

calumnus said:

---

sluggo said:

---

tsubamoto2001 said:

---

That's assuming Shepherd can be good enough to get this team an extra 2-3 wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. That isn't clear at this point.

Could he be better than the returnees we have at the guard positions? That's clearly possible...and actually, a very sobering thought.

And it's funny you bring up Don Coleman. Shepherd was the basically the Don Coleman of UNCC for his 2 years there.

---

Yes, I have no idea whether he could lead to 2-3 more wins. But it is plausible. Cal plays slowly, which keeps many games close. He has some 1-on-1 ability, which was missing last year, and will be missing even more without Bradley. He won't be the best returning ball handler (Brown), shooter (Celestine) or most athletic player (Hyder and Bowser), but an argument could be made for him starting. It is sobering.

---

Possibly 2-3 more wins than this team without him, but not more wins than Bradley produced.

How many wins will depend on the strength of our non-conference schedule.

Hopefully by this Fall we can have students and fans in Haas as that will give us a shot at stealing some wins and getting some upsets.

Given that we will have a lot of long, athletic wings but will be deficient in scoring, maybe we try to extend pressure with a 2-2-1 zone?

If I am an opposing coach I try to get Kelly in foul trouble and put my best defender on Celestine. Or just play zone against us. It could be a really ugly season.

---

Clearly Bradley returning would have been better. It is true that scheming against Cal will be very easy and points will probably be even lower. I like a 1-2-2 zone, but anything could work. I think all teams, including Cal, should play zone most of the time, so no argument on that.

---

---

Yup. I think the current modern play (not sure if it has been quantitatively analyzed) is to mix. So switch to Zone until such time as the other team adjusts or is able to get a substitute and get shooters on the floor. I actually like that but you gotta practice it and have good team communication.

---