Tyrese Hunter explains decision to enter transfer portal and leave Iowa State

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simply1

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It's only not there yet because it's year one of them all being free agent pros.

If 2-3 years down the road they all still have to make up insane lies about why they are transferring it will hurt college sports a lot more than if they told the truth. The reasons Hunter gave make sense for Holmes and Osun whether they got NIL money or not...the reasons Hunter gave are laughable and we'll all be better off (especially the athletes) when the truth is palatable.

It's also just not healthy for the athletes mentally to feel such shame. Hunter shouldn't have to feel so guilty that he's a pro athlete any more than James Harden should have to play for free.
I expect that as time goes, there won’t be a need to explain the transfer. Why are they asked that question at all? Fans and press need to adjust. And no matter what, the player is going to say nice things about his prospects with the new team, just how it is at all levels.
 
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CyPunch

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It's a pretty bad sign for him that his shooting numbers have only marginally improved yet he plays in a top 15 efficiency offense and is surrounded by the most elite talent of any team in America.

I think it's more likely he'll be on his 3rd school next year than back at Texas but we'll see how it plays out.
 
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Pope

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He could make that yearly in Europe after he left Ames. Might not even sign a decent European contract if this current play keeps up.
The average annual earnings for an overseas professional basketball player ranges from $80,000-$200,000, so you could easily argue that taking the $500,000 in NIL money from Texas was a good move financially.

We'll never know whether TJ could have molded him into an NBA player, so it's impossible to know whether he would have profited more in the long run by staying at Iowa State.
 

ZRF

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NBA teams do not run isolation plays very frequently. Last stats I saw showed that only like 2 teams use it around 20% of the time, and the large majority are under 10%. Unless you have an extremely talented iso player, it's much more efficient to run your offense and generate good looks. (Like low single-digit number of players are actually efficient in iso play.) Isolation usually is a result of good defense taking away the ran set play and needing to get a shot off.

What Texas is doing is rolling the ball our there and trying to out-talent its way to wins.

Great analysis. I admittedly quit watching the NBA close to 20 years ago due to the increase in isos and lackadaisical defensive efforts. Just couldn't watch that brand anymore.

The prototypical NBA iso play sticks in my head. I'm surprised the percentage was actually that low.
 

3TrueFans

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Beard had produced a stable of NBA point guards?

Pretty sure Otz was recruiter for Monte and coached him at least a year.

The idea that Texas was more of a path to the NBA just doesn't makes sense coming off a Sweet 16. Especially when you'd be sharing time more at your position rather than being "the man".

It was cash, I wish he could say it was cash and didn't need to feel awkward about it. I know you'd never agree with me if I said water is wet.
I just think you're exaggerating with the whole "we're the best on earth" thing. I don't think the fact that a previous coaching staffs put players into the league is all that relevant for the current staff.

Hunter turned a decent freshman year into a payday, it turns out he's maybe not as good as was once thought, so that seems to clearly have been the right move for him.
 

HFCS

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I just think you're exaggerating with the whole "we're the best on earth" thing. I don't think the fact that a previous coaching staffs put players into the league is all that relevant for the current staff.

Hunter turned a decent freshman year into a payday, it turns out he's maybe not as good as was once thought, so that seems to clearly have been the right move for him.

What programs currently have better/more nba point guards? It’s not an exaggeration, maybe some luck but it’s just reality. Sounds silly but as a mostly nba fan it’s just true at this moment in time.

We’re the #2 offense in big 12 play and a true freshman point guard is 4th in assists and 3rd in steals. I was a doubter myself but the offense was bad last year because of personnel and better this year because players developed, Lipsey is a better playmaker than Hunter, and Osun gave an actual finisher inside.
 
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HFCS

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I expect that as time goes, there won’t be a need to explain the transfer. Why are they asked that question at all? Fans and press need to adjust. And no matter what, the player is going to say nice things about his prospects with the new team, just how it is at all levels.

Not sure. Everybody is talking about Brian Ferentz new contract, why can’t fans talk about if a pro like Hunter is worth the 400k or 500k the fans/boosters paid him?

I’m not saying I like it but it is what it is.

The players who transfer for money aren’t less pro than the coaches or less pro than nba free agents. They can’t get fired but if their free agent deal is only one year fans aren’t going to want to pay them more with fan money if they don’t produce.

Wild West stuff.

If a player takes a deal and the NIL collective never actually pays them should the player be silent about that? Has to be a two way street.
 

3TrueFans

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What programs currently have better/more nba point guards? It’s not an exaggeration, maybe some luck but it’s just reality. Sounds silly but as a mostly nba fan it’s just true at this moment in time.

We’re the #2 offense in big 12 play and a true freshman point guard is 4th in assists and 3rd in steals. I was a doubter myself but the offense was bad last year because of personnel and better this year because players developed and Osun gave an actual finisher inside.
Kentucky probably, but regardless I still don't think it's all that relevant since it was a completely different staff you're talking about.
 

HFCS

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Kentucky probably, but regardless I still don't think it's all that relevant since it was a completely different staff you're talking about.

Sometimes I'm curious if I could say anything you wouldn't argue with me about. Would you say this is more or less accurate?

Hunter said he transferred to further his basketball career and money wasn't really a factor, his words. More likely he felt like he couldn't be honest about the real reason and there's not really a lot of evidence that Texas point guards take the world by storm compared to ISU point guards, there's kind of the opposite evidence. Also it was pretty clear his minutes would go down significantly at Texas and they have.

Holmes said he transferred to further his basketball career at a higher level. Fully believable claim whether he got paid or not and now he's on the edge of being considered 1st or 2nd team in nation's top conference.

Would you say Holmes achieved his goal to about the maximum degree possible...at disadvantaged ISU of all places...and Hunter has not since money was no factor and his numbers are a wash at best vs last year and his minutes are down?

My main thing is:
- I don't care that they are pros, wonderful, get that money, that's the rule now. Prosper any way you can.
- Sharing minutes at Texas is not a better springboard to be an NBA point guard than playing almost 40 mpg at ISU. There's just absolutely nothing that suggests that.
 

simply1

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Not sure. Everybody is talking about Brian Ferentz new contract, why can’t fans talk about if a pro like Hunter is worth the 400k or 500k the fans/boosters paid him?

I’m not saying I like it but it is what it is.

The players who transfer for money aren’t less pro than the coaches or less pro than nba free agents. They can’t get fired but if their free agent deal is only one year fans aren’t going to want to pay them more with fan money if they don’t produce.

Wild West stuff.

If a player takes a deal and the NIL collective never actually pays them should the player be silent about that? Has to be a two way street.
Different budgets for one, and legal reporting requirements. NIL not paying them seems like a civil suit to me, like any agreement or contract.

Discussing coaches or NBA players salary is for their performance. NIL isn’t supposed to be. I don’t recall anyone arguing whether James Harden or Chris Paul were overpaid for their State Farm commercials based on their performance.
 

HFCS

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Different budgets for one, and legal reporting requirements. NIL not paying them seems like a civil suit to me, like any agreement or contract.

Discussing coaches or NBA players salary is for their performance. NIL isn’t supposed to be. I don’t recall anyone arguing whether James Harden or Chris Paul were overpaid for their State Farm commercials based on their performance.

So what about a player who was promised a lot and didn't get anything? He can't publicly talk about what happened in his situation? He can talk about it but others can't?

I think you're getting at the heart of it, it's not supposed to be a playing salary, but it 100% is a playing salary. They didn't think Tyrese Hunter looked like the ideal guy for a car dealership billboard, they liked what they saw in the NCAA game.

If I were a big contributor to the We Will Collective or Swarm or whatever and they went all in for some stud player who bombed, I'd be hoping they didn't sign him up for another year.



Ironically the article also ranks the 10 best basketball transfers after seeing them play and Hunter went from #2 to not top ten...which is all some of us are saying. If it was about raising his profile he actually lowered his profile.
 

Antihawk240

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So my curious honest question is do you think Tyrese knew all this all along? He caught lightning in March when all basketball fans across the nation were watching the same game. He was golden against Wisconsin.

Do you think he knew or had a very trusted mentor tell him his size and skill set wasn't going to make it in the NBA? He knew he was as high as he ever was going to be and just like college coaches - he took the payday.

Maybe I'm looking too much into it. He didnt want to be the man, he wanted an easier path to the NBA etc etc etc, that just seemed like a generic hope it works Dear John. Yet, we the ex girlfriend caught off guard would not accept his answer on why.
 

JP4CY

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So my curious honest question is do you think Tyrese knew all this all along? He caught lightning in March when all basketball fans across the nation were watching the same game. He was golden against Wisconsin.

Do you think he knew or had a very trusted mentor tell him his size and skill set wasn't going to make it in the NBA? He knew he was as high as he ever was going to be and just like college coaches - he took the payday.

Maybe I'm looking too much into it. He didnt want to be the man, he wanted an easier path to the NBA etc etc etc, that just seemed like a generic hope it works Dear John. Yet, we the ex girlfriend caught off guard would not accept his answer on why.
I think everyone is reading too much into everything. I think Tyrese took the biggest NIL deal he could get. That's it.
 

davegilbertson

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His game was being a ******* prick of an on-ball defender and doing... something on offense. Hard to see what role he can have when he has mediocre PG skills and can't shoot.

Ironically that reminds me of a lot of Prohm guards... small, can't distribute, and can't shoot. At least Tyrese Hunter has elite quickness, but take that away, and he's a Tre Jackson clone.



Odd because TJ said he was "the man" and a "natural leader" and our "lodestar" (not real quotes but paraphrasing here) early last season. He was pumped up to be heart of the program. I wondered what happened to him since those halcyon days. Maybe Beard yelled at him too much. Maybe TJ was trying to will him into that role even though he never had the desire, capability, or the heart to really take that burden.



Transferring from Ames and TJ with a program on the rise to Austin is more like jumping out of the lifeboat into the frigid North Atlantic sometime in the late night of April 15, 1912.



Other schools hating him makes me so happy.



They're going to rename the "white dude that everybody hates and has been in school too long" conference honor as the "Caleb Grill Award" if he comes back for another season.

And yes, he has another year to play if he wants it.
My hunch:
IZB and Tyrese were the heart of last year's team. There were times when IZB looked visible frustrated with some of Gabe's mistakes last year and the team in general, but was mature enough to weather and work through.

I think TH saw the departure of IZB and thought, I'm gonna have to do this with GK and CG? And though, nah. Seems like Carr may have been in his ear as well. Seemed like there may be some disrespect towards Gabe in general.

Anyway. Hunter was a dog last year. And was no nonsense in leading the crew out of the huddle. Owe a big part of success last year to the work and spirit Tyrese had. THen he left. Turn the page.
 

Triggermv

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So what about a player who was promised a lot and didn't get anything? He can't publicly talk about what happened in his situation? He can talk about it but others can't?

I think you're getting at the heart of it, it's not supposed to be a playing salary, but it 100% is a playing salary. They didn't think Tyrese Hunter looked like the ideal guy for a car dealership billboard, they liked what they saw in the NCAA game.

If I were a big contributor to the We Will Collective or Swarm or whatever and they went all in for some stud player who bombed, I'd be hoping they didn't sign him up for another year.



Ironically the article also ranks the 10 best basketball transfers after seeing them play and Hunter went from #2 to not top ten...which is all some of us are saying. If it was about raising his profile he actually lowered his profile.

Oh hi there Blake Hinson. Maybe he was the bigger transfer loss than Tyrese? Who knew?
 

CYEATHAWK

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My hunch:
IZB and Tyrese were the heart of last year's team. There were times when IZB looked visible frustrated with some of Gabe's mistakes last year and the team in general, but was mature enough to weather and work through.

I think TH saw the departure of IZB and thought, I'm gonna have to do this with GK and CG? And though, nah. Seems like Carr may have been in his ear as well. Seemed like there may be some disrespect towards Gabe in general.

Anyway. Hunter was a dog last year. And was no nonsense in leading the crew out of the huddle. Owe a big part of success last year to the work and spirit Tyrese had. THen he left. Turn the page.


Good post.

I'll go with what TJ eluded and that was he wasn't his primary recruiter. Another staff was. It happens all the time with coaching changes. Hunter was recruited by a coach who has a decent track record of putting PG's in the NBA. I imagine that had some pull considering ISU's struggles at the time.

So after a year, be it money....coaching staff....style of play....teammates or all of the above he decided Ames wasn't for him.

Texas is doing okay and so is ISU, like you said......turn the page.

And who gives a rats rear end what he does from here on out.
 

isufbcurt

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Good post.

I'll go with what TJ eluded and that was he wasn't his primary recruiter. Another staff was. It happens all the time with coaching changes. Hunter was recruited by a coach who has a decent track record of putting PG's in the NBA. I imagine that had some pull considering ISU's struggles at the time.

So after a year, be it money....coaching staff....style of play....teammates or all of the above he decided Ames wasn't for him.

Texas is doing okay and so is ISU, like you said......turn the page.

And who gives a rats rear end what he does from here on out.

I do, I want him to fail.