Lenny Talks Sports

Tag: march madness

Jonathan Kuminga: A Fresh Start with the Nets?

After a rocky season with inconsistent playing time in Golden State, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga will not be returning to the team next season. One of the potential teams that has emerged as a candidate for Kuminga is the Brooklyn Nets, a rebuilding team looking to build its franchise around a young star, and Kuminga could be that player.

At just 22 years old, Kuminga is entering free agency for the first time as a restricted free agent, meaning that any offer accepted by Kuminga from another team has the opportunity to be matched by the Warriors if they want to keep Kuminga. This is where Brooklyn comes into the mix; the Nets have upwards of $50 million in cap space and can offer Kuminga a contract in the $30 million range if they want. Golden State most likely wouldn’t match this deal, allowing the Nets to sign Kuminga without having to give up any assets in a trade. But how does Kuminga fit into the Nets’ lineup?

The Nets need a young star to build their roster around and will look to this year’s draft and free agency to acquire that piece; with four first-round picks and well as Cam Johnson to use as a trade piece, expect the Nets to make some big moves on draft night. This could mean acquiring another top-ten pick in a trade package including Johnson and a couple of picks. With Johnson’s departure, a hole at the starting small forward spot would open, and Jonathan Kuminga could fill that role.

Kuminga came out of G-League Ignite as a top prospect in the 2021 draft where the Warriors drafted him with the 7th overall pick; his 6-7 frame, as well as his freakish athleticism, made Kuminga a can’t miss prospect. But inconsistent playing time, injuries, and a potential rift with head coach Steve Kerr led to a disappointing start to his career. With a cross-country move to Brooklyn, a fresh start is provided for Kuminga who played great in the minutes he was given when he was given them. Kuminga’s stats won’t jump off the page from this past season averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in 24.3 minutes a night.

But where we saw Kuminga show his potential was in the Western Conference Semifinals following Stephen Curry’s injury in Game One. While the rest of the team struggled, Kuminga took advantage of his opportunity and averaged 20.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 54% field goal percentage from the field and 42% from three in just 27 minutes a night. The scoring potential that Kuminga had shown in flashes this year with multiple 30-point games, had finally been shown in a consistent stretch filling in for the Warrior’s best player. Kuminga scored in a variety of ways with monstrous dunks, tough drives to the basket, and knockdown three-point shooting; while he’s not the best playmaker, he doesn’t have to be if put in the right system.

If Brooklyn can draft a point guard such as Jeremiah Fears or Dylan Harper, Kuminga would not have to be the catalyst of the offense and can instead work off of Fears/Harper and Cam Thomas to create for Brooklyn’s offense. The addition of Kuminga would also generate some buzz for Nets fans after a season of disappointing basketball with one of the league’s worst rosters.

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who did a fantastic job in his first season with such limited talent, has continuously talked about wanting to establish a culture and identity in Brooklyn; and with the additions they could make in the draft as well as adding a player like Kuminga the Nets could be on their way to doing just that.

May 27, 2025
Game-Changers to Watch in NCAA Hockey Tournament

While the madness on the hardwood reaches its second weekend, the madness of the ice is just getting underway when the puck drops on Thursday. Sixteen of the nation’s best teams will battle it out on the ice for a spot in this year’s Frozen Four. All over the ice in every game, there will be future NHL stars and players trying to cement their name in their program’s history books. These four players are game-changers who will be key to their team’s success in their hopes to win a national championship.

James Hagens, Center, Boston College

A projected top-five pick in the upcoming NHL draft, Hagens hasn’t lit up the college level like many of the other top picks before him, but the NCAA Tournament might be time for Hagens to have his coming out party. Hagens has still averaged a point per game with 35 points in 35 games playing on the Eagles top line alongside Ryan Leonard (Capitals Draft Pick) and Gabe Perrault (Rangers Draft Pick), as well as putting up nine points in seven games in the World Junior Championship for the United States. Hagens’ smooth skating is what sets him apart from the rest of the players of this tournament, his ability to blow by defenders and set up his playmaking abilities from there is a reason why he will be a top pick in this year’s draft. Standing 5’11” and weighing 176 lbs Hagens does a great job of not getting pushed around and is strong on the puck. He has all the tools of a future NHL superstar, and hopefully, this tournament will allow him to show his potential as the top-seeded Eagles look to win a national championship.

Trey Augustine, Goalie, Michigan State

The backstopper for the number two seed and the Big Ten Champions, Augustine is a proven winner. A two-time gold medalist with the United States at the World Juniors, Augustine’s sophomore campaign has been spectacular. Putting up a .927 save percentage, with a 2.01 GAA, Augustine finished the season with a 19-6-4 record; this was good enough to have Augustine named as a finalist for the Richter Award given to the nation’s top goalie. Drafted in the second round of 2023 by the Detroit Red Wings, Augustine is not the biggest goalie but what he lacks in height he makes up with great fundamentals and technical ability. Being in the right positioning on almost every shot, it takes as close to a perfect shot, tip, or screen to get the puck past the Spartans netminder. Augustine will look to continue this magical season as the second-seeded Spartans take on Cornell on Thursday night in Toldeo.

Zeev Buium, Defenseman, Denver

The twelfth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild has been the best offensive-defenseman in college hockey over the past two years and looks to continue his dominance in what will probably be his last season in college hockey. The sophomore out of southern California has been electrifying since he stepped on the ice for the Pioneers; his great skating ability allows him to lead the rush up the ice and allows him to control the game in both the offensive and defensive zone. Buium’s skating ability allows him to skate with any forwards, and his quick change of direction allows him to stay positioned well creating turnovers and creating rush opportunities for the Pioneers. His puck-handling abilities are on another level as he calmly controls the puck and can set up his teammates which he has done many times this season. Buium has the ceiling of being a Quinn Hughes type of player in the future, but for now, he is focused on one last ride with the Pioneers as they look to win back-to-back national championships.

Aiden Fink, Winger, Penn State

Fink has been one of the most underrated superstars in the entire nation, leading the Nittany Lions to the NCAA tournament after a disappointing year for the program last year. As a freshman, Fink averaged a point per game, but as a sophomore, Fink has taken off scoring 52 points in 37 games to lead the Nittany Lions and third in all of the NCAA. A seventh-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2023, Fink has proven all of the teams that passed up on him wrong as he has dominated college hockey putting up over 20 goals and assists showing a balance of scoring and passing. Although not being the biggest guy at 5’10”, 161 lbs., he can do almost anything on the ice. It seems as if he is always making the right play even if they are not the plays showing up on the scoresheet, he can carry the puck on the rush, receive the pass on the rush, or get in the puck in deep and chase. Fink is the key to the success of the Nittany Lions and look for him to light up the scoreboard Friday night in the Allentown Regional.

March 25, 2025
The Rise of Ben McCollum: Going Back Home

Picture: © Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Following a fantastic first season coaching at the Division One level, Ben McCollum is leaving Drake to take the head coaching position at the University of Iowa. McCollum’s Bulldogs fell 77-64 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders ending Drake’s historic season in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In McCollum’s first season with the Bulldogs, he recorded the most historic season in program history where the team finished 31-4, won the Missouri Valley regular season and postseason title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1970. Now McCollum leaves Des Moines to head 114 miles east along I-80 to replace Fran McCaffery as the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

For McCollum taking the job at Iowa is a homecoming, born and raised in Iowa City, McCollum looks to bring the same success he has had at each previous job to the Hawkeyes program. Before Drake, McCollum was the head coach of Northwest Missouri State where he won four national championships and five National Coaches of the Year awards; he was an unknown commodity to most when he replaced Darian Devries at Drake after Devries took the job at West Virginia, but McCollum may have been the best hire of the coaching carousel. McCollum brought his stifling defense and methodic offensive approach to Des Moines and dominated the MVC in his first year. A team that was picked fifth in the preseason poll, the Bulldogs dominated conference play going 17-3 winning both the regular season and postseason titles. McCollum would be named MVC coach of the year and led the Bulldogs in an upset of the Missouri Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by Texas Tech.

Now McCollum takes over an Iowa program that has struggled recently going 17-16 this past season while being just 7-13 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes parted ways with longtime coach Fran McCaffery as they look towards the future and getting the Hawkeyes back in the NCAA tournament. They knew exactly who they wanted in the coaching search and got their man in McCollum. A known winner and someone who will bring some help from Drake with him; McCollum will most likely bring with him MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks who averaged double figures for the Bulldogs. The Hawkeyes also have some players who if they stay will give McCollum a great starting point for next season, with players such as Josh Dix and Owen Freeman who both averaged over 14 points per game this past season.

With newly gained resources moving to a high-major program, expect McCollum to continue his success as he leads the Hawkeyes for years to come. His coaching style has proven to translate to the Division One level, a team that will methodically break you down and not give up any easy baskets will be perfect for the Big Ten. Even if they are not the most talented team on the floor, they will not take a possession off on either side of the floor, McCollum is a coach players want to play for. As he attracts more talent, expect greater success for the Hawkeyes.

March 23, 2025
Three Players to Watch in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday

With the bracket being unveiled on Sunday night, all college basketball fans around the nation are turning their attention to Dayton and the First Four on Tuesday night. But I am looking forward to Thursday and the First Round of the madness, and I believe three players are must-watch come Thursday night. Now these names aren’t the most household names with only one of these players coming from a single-digit seed, but when you turn on your TVs to watch the games on Thursday look out for these three to make some noise.

Marquel Sutton, Omaha

The Omaha Mavericks roll into their first tournament appearance led by the Summit League Player of the Year Marquel Sutton, the 6-foot-8 senior out of Tulsa is the leader of this team alongside JJ White and is the key to the Mavericks success. Sutton comes into the NCAA Tournament coming off of a career night in the Summit League Final where he recorded 22 points and 18 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. During the Summit League tournament, Sutton averaged 23 points per game as well as 12.3 rebounds per game, so you could say that he is playing his best ball at the right time. While not being much of a threat from outside, Sutton’s post-play is at the level of a high-major forward with his patience and shot-making in the paint being great all season. Now Sutton and the Mavericks have a tough task at hand with the Big East Champion St. Johns Red Storm. Sutton will have a tough matchup with the Johnnies All-Big East First Team forward Zuby Ejiofor down low; expect these two to battle down low for forty minutes with Sutton’s success in this matchup being the determining factor for how long the Mavericks can stay in this game.

JT Toppin, Texas Tech

The only player on this list from a single-digit seed is the Big 12 Newcomer and Player of the Year JT Toppin. The sophomore transfer from New Mexico has been electric since stepping foot in Lubbock, with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in his first game as a Red Raider against Bethune-Cookman. From that point on Toppin dominated the Big 12 conference, averaging 18 points and 8.5 rebounds throughout conference play. Toppin can break you down in many different ways, from his post-game, to crashing the glass for putbacks, and even stretching the floor a little bit where he shoots around 32% from three. Toppin is a finalist for the Karl Malone Award for the best Power Forward in College Basketball and it’s pretty easy to see why. With the upcoming matchup against UNC Wilmington, Toppin will see a matchup against a Seahawks frontcourt that has plenty of size with 7-footer Harlan Obioha and 6-foot-9 Khamari McGriff who are two of UNCW’s best players. This could prove to be difficult early for the Red Raiders but as the game progresses expect Toppin and the Red Raiders to overwhelm UNCW en route to an opening-round victory.

John Poulakidas, Yale

A proven big game player already following his 28-point explosion against Auburn last year in the First Round, Poulakidas comes into the NCAA Tournament ready to lead this Yale team against an SEC foe for the second year in a row. One word to describe Poulakidas is “bucket”, and that was evident in the second half of the Ivy League final Sunday afternoon against Cornell. After struggling in the first half, Poulakidas proceeded to shoot 7-of-7 from the field, 5-of-5 from three, putting up 23 points in the second half to lead Yale to a 90-84 win over the Big Red. But this was not just a one-time event, Poulakidas put up a great campaign averaging over 19 points per game shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three, if it wasn’t for his teammate Bez Mbeng putting up three triple-doubles this year, he would’ve been conference player of the year in the Ivy League. In the first round, he will face a stingy Texas A&M Aggies defense but expect Poulakidas to come out ready to go Thursday night, no matter what matchup the Aggies might throw at him, expect Poulakidas to get his shots up, and for many of them to drop. The matchup between Poulakidas and A&M’s Wade Taylor should be one of the most entertaining matchups of the first round, so grab your popcorn and make sure to tune in.

Bonus Player: Drake Powell, North Carolina

Earlier I did say that my attention was turned to Thursday, but I will still be glued to my screen Tuesday night when Powell and the Tar Heels take on the San Diego State Aztecs. I am interested in watching Powell more so as an NBA prospect instead of as a college player. As a Nets fan, I am invested in Brooklyn’s rebuild and the tournament is a great place for players to stand out on the biggest stage. Powell is a very raw prospect, and although he is only averaging 7.5 points per game, I like his shooting efficiency as well as his defensive ability. Powell is shooting 47.5% from the field as well as 37.3% from three and has shown out as the Tar Heel’s best wing defender. I am intrigued by Powell’s potential as a solid 3 and D player in the NBA and look forward to seeing what he does on Tuesday night.

March 17, 2025