2025-2026 roster

[#RollJays]

Dix can play the 1. Mac even alluded to it in the announcement of the signing

but my thought is, is his shooting better utilized off the ball. Something the coaches will consider.

Not sure I ever saw him play the 1 at Iowa but he can definitely initiate offense. Mac did make the comment about playing on the ball and off the ball but not sure I took that as he can/will play the 1. Also, I wouldn’t classify Dix as an off the ball shooter. He’s a great shooter but that’s not the biggest part of his offensive game. There will be a lot of mid range stuff similar to Trey and he’s an elite cutter.

[AttyAlum]

I think the most exciting thing about the talent we've brought in is that it will force these guys to compete for playing time. There are clearly a lot of highly skilled offensive players on this roster. But the defensive talent is questionable.

I think most of the guys we have can hold their own when it comes to getting buckets. But who is going to step up and be the defensive leader? Who is going to lock in on defense and make stops?

The guys who step up on defense are the guys who are going to get the most minutes. And that is going to force players to step up and earn playing time via defense.

My main point being, we might not have the most defensive potential with this roster, but we might be a half decent defensive team simply because these guys can't afford to be lazy on the defensive end or they might quickly find themselves on the bench.

Perfectly stated.

The ability and willingness to defend will go a long way to determining minutes played.

[NateFunkyTown]

He has not really shown he's physical enough to do it yet but frankly I don't see how Traudt gets many minutes if any at all if he's unable to slide over and play some minutes as a stretch 5. Being an elite shooter alone is not enough of a reason to earn minutes on this team anymore. He's gotta pick it up on the boards and develop some semblance of a low post defense.

[SeattleJay]

This is really going to be the deepest team we’ve ever had if everyone stays healthy…

Trying to sort out the starters and rotation is going to be challenging. We have 5 high level transfers, our two highest ranked recruits of all time (McAndrew and Greer) and several returnees with experience.

Should start:
Dix
Freeman
McAndrew

Could start:
Graves (prob could be in the should start category)
Harper
Fedor
Greer
Green

Rotational bench players
Ty
Traudt
Swartz

Deep bench
Aleksa
Shane
JTT

I think this is a super solid post and a good way of thinking about our roster. I will be surprised if Graves doesn’t start and play a lot of minutes. Also, I just listened to a really good 2 hour podcast by Jays Classic and Dr Chim about Blake Harper and how our roster comes together this year. Spoiler alert: those guys see Green starting at the 3 over Fedor or Harper.

Some questions on my mind:
1. Is there any substance to the Fedor rumors of him potentially having eligibility issues or is it complete bologna? It seems highly unlikely that he should have issues in a second year.
2. Is Aleksa going to be ready to go this year as a 5-10 minute back up? Or is Traudt going to play small ball 5.
3. Who will compete with Ty for the backup minutes at PG? Is Swartz that guy? Or could Zugic or Dix fill that gap?
4. How are we going to find minutes for Greer?
5. What will our defense look like without Kalk in drop coverage?

[psychojaysfan3]

This is really going to be the deepest team we’ve ever had if everyone stays healthy…

Trying to sort out the starters and rotation is going to be challenging. We have 5 high level transfers, our two highest ranked recruits of all time (McAndrew and Greer) and several returnees with experience.

Should start:
Dix
Freeman
McAndrew

Could start:
Graves (prob could be in the should start category)
Harper
Fedor
Greer
Green

Rotational bench players
Ty
Traudt
Swartz

Deep bench
Aleksa
Shane
JTT

I think this is a super solid post and a good way of thinking about our roster. I will be surprised if Graves doesn’t start and play a lot of minutes. Also, I just listened to a really good 2 hour podcast by Jays Classic and Dr Chim about Blake Harper and how our roster comes together this year. Spoiler alert: those guys see Green starting at the 3 over Fedor or Harper.

Some questions on my mind:
1. Is there any substance to the Fedor rumors of him potentially having eligibility issues or is it complete bologna? It seems highly unlikely that he should have issues in a second year.
2. Is Aleksa going to be ready to go this year as a 5-10 minute back up? Or is Traudt going to play small ball 5.
3. Who will compete with Ty for the backup minutes at PG? Is Swartz that guy? Or could Zugic or Dix fill that gap?
4. How are we going to find minutes for Greer?
5. What will our defense look like without Kalk in drop coverage?

1. The Fedor stuff is ridiculous. From what I can tell, there is one dude on a Discord forum who is fearmongering about Fedor. Could he be right? Maybe. But he is literally the only person I have seen who has straight up said "Fedor is ineligbile". Until I hear something from a credible source, I'm not worrying.
2. Total toss up. I feel like Aleska has enough skill to play 8-10 minutes a game as a serviceable backup. But you never know. Really hard to tell how these euro guys will project in the states.
3. I'm not as worried about the PG position. We have enough serviceable creators (Dix, Graves, Fedor, Harper, Ty) that we might not need a true PG. Florida just won a national championship without a true PG.
4. He'll get his minutes if he can hit 3s and play defense. I think playing in the Big East is tough for freshman, especially for a guy like Greer that needs to develop his body. But if you can hit your 3s and work your butt off on D, there's always a spot on the floor.
5. This is the wild card. We need guys to buy in on defense or we'll be playing Iowa basketball.

[SeattleJay]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

My point about Greer wasn’t about his talent level. I know he has incredible talent. It’s about the logjam at the 2 and 3 with Dix, Fedor, Harper and Green (possibly Swartz) as experienced and talented players. How is the staff going to keep Greer plugged in?

[psychojaysfan3]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

My point about Greer wasn’t about his talent level. I know he has incredible talent. It’s about the logjam at the 2 and 3 with Dix, Fedor, Harper and Green (possibly Swartz) as experienced and talented players. How is the staff going to keep Greer plugged in?

IMO I don't think we see a ton of Green at 3. I think he takes Traudt's minutes at the 4. Harper is extremely foul prone. He has a LONG WAY to go on defense and would not be surprised to see him struggle to stay on the floor due to foul trouble and defense.

I think those two situations open the door a little for Greer. And he's also a freshman. I know everyone expects the Montverde guys to be stars the moment they step on the court but its a still a big jump. He might not be ready for more than 10 minutes a game.

[WBR Tom]

The Fedor rumor isn't ridiculous -- Mac confirmed it this afternoon.

To John Bishop on 1620: "We're still waiting on Fedor. That's on ongoing process with the NCAA."

He elaborated that if the situation doesn't get resolved, they may go after a replacement for that roster spot.

[psychojaysfan3]

The Fedor rumor isn't ridiculous -- Mac confirmed it this afternoon.

To John Bishop on 1620: "We're still waiting on Fedor. That's on ongoing process with the NCAA."

He elaborated that if the situation doesn't get resolved, they may go after a replacement for that roster spot.

In my defense, that's the first time I've ever heard a concrete answer on his situation this offseason and it happened a few hours after I posted lol just my luck.

[cu8493]

Do what everyone else is doing. File a lawsuit and get an injunction against the NCAA removing his eligibility and harming his NIL opportunities (yes, I know he has to get paid outside the U.S.). As long as his judge isn't a Husker grad, should be a slam dunk. (only partially kidding).