He's a good interview and I'm glad as hell he left the conference. I hope he has a chance to show out as a non-rotation guy and impresses some NBA scouts this year. Don't begrudge him his decision at all, we just have too many elite players right now to give him the minutes he wants.

parch said:

---

He's a good interview and I'm glad as hell he left the conference. I hope he has a chance to show out as a non-rotation guy and impresses some NBA scouts this year. Don't begrudge him his decision at all, we just have too many elite players right now to give him the minutes he wants.

---

From what I understand, and that could easily be speculation, he really didn't have a choice but to enter the portal. He delayed his decision about entering the draft, and didn't commit to being back, so Drew had to move on and do what he had to for the team.

Wish him well. I think a change of scenery was probably best for mm and Baylor. Even though he would not be competing against one and done talents at the wing, this years team is going to be a guard centric team like our natty year. His best chances for the nba would be for him to be the guy on a top 10ish quality team. I don't think the wvu transfer is necessarily as good as mm but he may very well be better for the role that the wing will have this season

Looks like he traded the mullet for a stache

He had the stache before, even a goatee.

historian said:

---

He had the stache before, even a goatee.

---

Yea - I thought at first he had shaved everything but the stache but then clicked on the video and noticed he has the goatee also.

Where's the interview with Dain Dainja?

Chuckroast said:

---

Looks like he traded the mullet for a stache

---

If you can call that a stache. I know middle schoolers that sport thicker facial hair than that.

Chamberman said:

---

Chuckroast said:

---

Looks like he traded the mullet for a stache

---

If you can call that a stache. I know middle schoolers that sport thicker facial hair than that.

---

True - but I think the grotesque factor is part of the mystique of it

Going 1'fer in three starts with smallish minutes against limited competition… Similar stats to last year. Dang, i want him to succeed. Hope he solves his shot.

broncko said:

---

Going 1'fer in three starts with smallish minutes against limited competition… Similar stats to last year. Dang, i want him to succeed. Hope he solves his shot.

---

He went to a top 15 program. That means they have players. If he wanted to be the big dog, he should have gone to a bad team.

MMis a distant second as far as the best former Bear on the roster for the Illini. Wish we had Dain this season, he would be playing a big role

IowaBear said:

---

MMis a distant second as far as the best former Bear on the roster for the Illini. Wish we had Dain this season, he would be playing a big role

---

Dainja likely needed a taskmaster like Underwood to get where he is currently. There's a good chance he'd still be a doughy underachiever if he had stayed at Baylor. Some guys need a fire lit under them and respond to different kinds of leadership. This is one that probably worked out well for everyone.

Dainja gets to go play for a coach and in a system that will maximize his talent and Baylor gets that scholarship back for an athletic, defense-first big that better fits what we do.

It's easy to look at that production and wish it was still in Waco. But odds are very high he wouldn't be producing like that in Waco. I'm happy for him and wish the best for both him and Mayer in Illinois.

Still a headscratcher to me why Mayer chose Illinois. It's early but he's playing 7 minutes less than he played for us last year and 8 or 9 minutes less than Shannon. Maybe he knew Underwood or someone on Underwood's staff that made him comfortable, but it was fairly evident they were gonna be pretty deep. I would have thought he'd go somewhere he would basically be guaranteed 30-35 minutes a game and be seen as the primary offensive threat.

Good kid and I appreciate what he did for us, so I hope it turns around for him by conference play and he's playing a lot more.

Watched Dain a billion times on the AAU circuit prior to his arrival. He may not be producing 17/10 here in Waco but he would be producing. My reasons for wishing he was still inWaco have nothing to do with his current stats. I knew what he was capable of well before this season as evidenced by prior posts I've made about the kid. He's a stud plain in simple

IowaBear said:

---

Watched Dain a billion times on the AAU circuit prior to his arrival. He may not be producing 17/10 here in Waco but he would be producing. He's a stud.

---

He's obviously a very talented guy. He's averaging 17 and 10 in like 19 minutes. But a) our system doesn't highlight post players on offense enough to produce at more than a modest level, and b) he was never in shape at any point during his time in Waco.

I think this is one that worked out well for everyone. And that's not a knock on Scott Drew or Dainja. Sometimes guys don't click for whatever reason, and a change of scenery seems to have helped him become the player that he's capable of being.

Scratching my head at the idea that Dain would work in our system. Underwood is running something closer to what Mulkey was running here with traditional post play and a defensive scheme built around rim protection.

A player can have all the talent in the world, but if he doesn't fit the system, it won't work. Our ideal front court player is something like Mark Vital, JTT or maybe even Quincy Acy. Basically, a player than can be a rim runner/is springy, switch onto all five positions on defense and doesn't need set plays run for him to score. Dain brings a lot of strengths to the court but the skills I just listed are not where he shines.

As someone whose time at Baylor overlapped with Terry Black, I was disappointed that we didn't get Anthony. Who really knows what happened there, and it's just a couple of games, but if the staff really wanted to go a different direction, his shooting performance for Arkansas so far vindicates the staff. Players have to fit the system.

As for MM, i love the guy and his cockiness. Wish he would have finished here, but who knows if we get either of JB or CL if MM remains. Wish him the best.

Mayer's splits this year through 21 games:

11.3 ppg
4.9 reb
1.3 blk
77% FT
23.6 min

All at or nearly at career highs. Just put in 26 against Wiscy shooting at a 45% clip from 3. Playing about the same minutes as last year yet has upped his efficiency in just about every category. Good for him. Also wish he'd done more of this last year, but he seems to gel with that system quite well.

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

bear2be2 said:

---

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

---

Concur

And I've really come to like Lohner

bear2be2 said:

---

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

---

Like Bridges earlier, CL is learning his role. This team has three players that can actually bang against real bigs: Flo, CL and Big Josh O. And while Josh O will end up the best among the three, he's not fully ready for prime time this year.

That leaves Flo and CL. MM could cover stretch 4s, but he can't cover real interior bigs. He gets bullied.

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

DallasBear9902 said:

---

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

---

Can't a super-talented big guy be persuaded that signing with CSD means he will be the finishing touch to guarantee we win another natty??

Teaming them with guards like ours means opponents are flummoxed because we then have no weakness to exploit.

DallasBear9902 said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

---

Like Bridges earlier, CL is learning his role. This team has three players that can actually bang against real bigs: Flo, CL and Big Josh O. And while Josh O will end up the best among the three, he's not fully ready for prime time this year.

That leaves Flo and CL. MM could cover stretch 4s, but he can't cover real interior bigs. He gets bullied.

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

---

Lohner's role has been reduced significantly because he's incapable of doing what we thought he would on the offensive end. He's basically a 5-10 minute hustle guy now, which is not what he was billed as when we signed him.

I'm glad enough other guys have stepped up enough to allow him to settle into his current role because he's done a fine job in it. But when Cryer was injured and others were struggling, we saw just how limited Caleb Lohner truly is on the offensive end.

If something were to happen again that forced him into bigger minutes, we'd be in trouble.

BearlyBeloved said:

---

DallasBear9902 said:

---

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

---

Can't a super-talented big guy be persuaded that signing with CSD means he will be the finishing touch to guarantee we win another natty??

Teaming them with guards like ours means opponents are flummoxed because we then have no weakness to exploit.

---

The simple answer is: no. In basketball terms, our bigs need to be athletic defenders that can switch on at least 4 positions (preferably 5). On offense we need them to be nimble so they can change up the angle of a screen subtlety and then they need to be rim runners. They need to be relentless rebounders.

JTT or Mark Vital truly are the ideal.

Talented offensive bigs have no interest in job description above because it won't help showcase them for the NBA. It would like a talented high school passing QB signing up for a school that runs Nebreska's old triple option. Just not going to happen.

bear2be2 said:

---

DallasBear9902 said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

---

Like Bridges earlier, CL is learning his role. This team has three players that can actually bang against real bigs: Flo, CL and Big Josh O. And while Josh O will end up the best among the three, he's not fully ready for prime time this year.

That leaves Flo and CL. MM could cover stretch 4s, but he can't cover real interior bigs. He gets bullied.

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

---

Lohner's role has been reduced significantly because he's incapable of doing what we thought he would on the offensive end. He's basically a 5-10 minute hustle guy now, which is not what he was billed as when we signed him.

I'm glad enough other guys have stepped up enough to allow him to settle into his current role because he's done a fine job in it. But when Cryer was injured and others were struggling, we saw just how limited Caleb Lohner truly is on the offensive end.

If something were to happen again that forced him into bigger minutes, we'd be in trouble.

---

He played two years at BYU where he averaged 20+ minutes per game. There was plenty of game film. The idea that he is anything other than expected is… odd?

The choice was never MM vs CL. It was Bridges vs MM

FWIW, I was preaching patience on Bridges the whole way and I say the same for CL as long as we understand what he is.

Yes, if you force him into a tough spot it will look ugly. But guess what, our guards didn't look so great at the end of the first half against Arkansas when we were in foul trouble and they had to play big. If you play anybody out of position it will look ugly.

Excellent analysis, Dallas.

DallasBear9902 said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

DallasBear9902 said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

chorne68 said:

---

We would be much better this this year had he not left. Maybe national champs again.

---

No offense to Caleb Lohner, who plays really hard, but knowing now how severely limited he is offensively, I wish we would have taken Bridges and waited out Mayer's decision.

We could have found a late-take big that brings what Lohner does, which is size, hustle and little else. But the upgrade Mayer provides over Caleb was well worth the wait. That one simple trade would have raised this team's ceiling considerably.

---

Like Bridges earlier, CL is learning his role. This team has three players that can actually bang against real bigs: Flo, CL and Big Josh O. And while Josh O will end up the best among the three, he's not fully ready for prime time this year.

That leaves Flo and CL. MM could cover stretch 4s, but he can't cover real interior bigs. He gets bullied.

Our playing style simply means we aren't going to get offensively talented fives. Any five that can play offense doesn't want to be second fiddle to guard heavy offense. CL will get there for what he needs to be. That said, CSD is riding him hard. Especially in the KU game.

---

Lohner's role has been reduced significantly because he's incapable of doing what we thought he would on the offensive end. He's basically a 5-10 minute hustle guy now, which is not what he was billed as when we signed him.

I'm glad enough other guys have stepped up enough to allow him to settle into his current role because he's done a fine job in it. But when Cryer was injured and others were struggling, we saw just how limited Caleb Lohner truly is on the offensive end.

If something were to happen again that forced him into bigger minutes, we'd be in trouble.

---

He played two years at BYU where he averaged 20+ minutes per game. There was plenty of game film. The idea that he is anything other than expected is… odd?

The choice was never MM vs CL. It was Bridges vs MM

FWIW, I was preaching patience on Bridges the whole way and I say the same for CL as long as we understand what he is.

Yes, if you force him into a tough spot it will look ugly. But guess what, our guards didn't look so great at the end of the first half against Arkansas when we were in foul trouble and they had to play big. If you play anybody out of position it will look ugly.

---

Lohner isn't even a playable player in any capacity but a Mavericks-era Eddie Najera goon role. If we had thought that was the extent of his potential in the Big 12, I am virtually certain we wouldn't have offered.

Lohner averaged seven points per game and flashed some offensive skill at BYU, particularly as a freshman. At Baylor, he has looked borderline clueless on the offensive end.

To suggest that we knew Lohner could only be trusted to rebound for eight minutes per game and were happy to add him in that capacity is revisionist history IMO.