He really didn't have the skillset of a combo guard upon arrival. We need that from him, cuz as athletic as he is, he's obviously on the short side, is not long at all, & has small hands. In the hands of a wrong coach, he was looking at being a big disappointment relative to his recruiting hype, I think.

Lohner's working on building himself skill-wise outa a similar physical deficit right now. I do like the vision these coaches seem to have for the guys on an individual level. They see where they fail on the D1 one court, & they address those issues early & give the guys clear roles that either keep their weaknesses in check — or allow them to play with confidence even though they obviously fall short in certain phases — & giving them clear goals & training to elevate their game where they fall short. You can see that this staff is clearly more analytical than previous staffs at the player level. They aren't just looking at stats, they're clearly looking honestly at the makeup of all their players.

Like Erickson said, he "trusts Pope completely" with his future, even if it'll take some patience on his part. I've really liked the way he's carried himself on & off the court. Also, playing with guys like AB & Te'Jon every day is of course gonna help his game immensely. That's a big and often unstated benefit of bringing transfers into your locker room.