trueblue32

Malik Zachery committed to UTEP. Also notable because Givance had previously visited there

My guess is we’re going to land Bryant Selebangue the JUCO Big that we’re connected to, and I’m sure they’re looking to add more depth too. I’d like to see Givance here as a stop gap until Ceaser is ready. I’m excited about Ceaser long term but putting all our eggs in that basket is setting him up to fall. We need to add another PG

Shamar Givance (the original post on this thread) a PG from Evansville is on campus today. With at least Kanye Jones and Devin Ceaser

My assumptions here are that Yazid Powell will definitely be playing his "COVID year" but he is technically entering his 4th year of eligibility, and that Williamson and Mading will be getting medical redshirts

Huge one, out of the guys we’ve been connected to I think he was #1 on my wishlist. I think he could be the centerpiece of the squad going forward. I also appreciate the fact that it appears we’re going after defenders. Adams was #161 nationally in steal rate his freshman year. We didn’t have anyone in the top 400 last year per kenpom lol

Makes sense, Ben (Bennett) Vander Plas is named after his father’s college coach Dick Bennett, and he played with Tony Bennett. Didn’t realize that until they played in the NCAA tournament and the announcers mentioned it. I think he can fit in a Sam Hauser type role from a couple years ago there. Good for him and I’m glad he’s out of the MAC lol

Kellen Grady had to leave Davidson last year because they didn’t have any grad programs for him to enroll in, so someone transferring there 3 years into school seems odd. Basketball wise it’s a good fit, Davidson loves their shooters. Wish him the best, and may he hand Bona some losses next year

JT Shumate at Toledo came from D2, Tommy Schmock at Ohio was also D2. Nationally, Max Strus at DePaul came from D2 and Duncan Robinson at Michigan came from D3 before both made it to the NBA. Ryan Hawkins was D2 before being all-Big East at Creighton this year. That’s just off the top of the head but it’s becoming increasingly prevalent as some guys have had success. They’re not all hits but like anything it’s about finding the right level

He’s halfway done with his tour of the MAC West

I don’t want to read too much into social media but he and Isaiah Adams followed each other. At least it’s a sign that he’s in the fold with recruits that were on campus. Sometimes kids pack up and leave as soon as they hit the portal

Different kind of players but for reference Kamari Williams averaged 2.6 PPG as a sophomore at BC then averaged 6 PPG last year at Miami. He was looking a lot better by the end of the year and put 11 and 12 up against us in our second meeting Also the second time we’ve recently got a kid down transferring from a high major that we were after hard in HS (Hardnett). Could become more prevalent over the coming years

I think ward is going high major but he is an elite shot blocker. I’d love to see him in a UB uniform

Major difference being that the student-athletes literally are not under any form of long term contract. Being able to make $100 from a business for an Instagram post does not make these kids professional athletes and you can't just choose to ignore that because you're upset

Yazid Powell is also in Buffalo per his instagram

It counts for JUCO too but he did 3 years of JUCO. 1 year at a D2 NJCAA school. https://ccbc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/bios/powell_yazid_i8vr Shot 34% from 3 that year

Yes shooting matters, but Kansas is starting a PG making 0.5 3s per game. Akron won the MAC starting a 6’1” SG who made 6 3s all year. Davonta Jordan was the PG on our best teams and he was known for air balling free throws. Team composition rules all. Obviously that’s very much up in the air right now, but I don’t think Powell shooting 32% is a big concern at this point

He shot 32% from 3 in double the sample size this year. You’re looking at last years stats. Jeenathan shot 31% from 3 his sophomore year. Gabe Grant shot 39% from 3 his sophomore year in JUCO. Hyper focusing on small sample 3 point shooting isn’t a wise way to evaluate a player

Retaining talent from the #267 rated team is a little bit easier than a top 25 team. Sparks is the most intriguing piece of the bunch and he’s a slow footed center that also doesn’t protect the rim (1.9% block rate in the MAC). If he had high major offers I’d imagine he would be gone, but he would be played off the court at that level. Same reason I don’t imagine Skogman ends up at a high major and at least Skogman can stretch the floor

I don’t imagine he’ll get drafted but he profiles well to the NBA. Maybe a strong showing in summer league earns him an opportunity. Highlighted are guys that spent time in the NBA

Scholarships are always renewed on a year to year basis. You never really hear of kids having them pulled (aside from disciplinary reasons) but coaches often tell kids it would be best for both sides if they looked at other opportunities. That’s how Mballa and Hardnett ended up here. Kids don’t have any claim to a scholarship if they enter the portal but obviously in cases like Skogman he would be given one if he wanted to come back

Recently followed Whitesell, Fitzpatrick, and the MBB account. I'm hoping that means what I think it means. Averaged 3.8 SPG two years ago, and 2.4 SPG this year. Since Jordan and Caruthers have left we've been missing guards who get into opposing ballhandlers

Their coach being fired for NCAA violations and their program having impending sanctions hanging over them is an important piece of context. Also a good example of the NCAA’s interests not being aligned with what’s best for individual kids

Steele will probably be a boon to Miami recruiting, but if you think Whitesell is a guy who underperforms his talent level, Steele is a different level. He posted 247 recruiting ranks of 66, 27, 26, 54 with 0 tournament appearances. Prior to Steele Xavier made the tournament 12/13 seasons then went 0/4 with Steele. Xavier went 4-10 down the stretch which got Steele fired then his assistant stepped up and led them on a 5 game win streak to the NIT title. Having the ex-X coach sounds sexy but in the end there's a reason he's accepting the Miami job

First of all, I'd argue the current rule allowing one transfer without having to sit out is a good middle ground, but why do we need a middle ground? Is it because of your personal enjoyment? If it is that's fine, but just say that. Acting like anybody on this board or at the NCAA has a better understanding of a player's situation than the player is dumb. If a kid wants to have fun playing basketball at 4 different schools in 4 years, not get a degree, and then go to trade school I don't really care. The NCAA's interests are not aligned with doing what's best for the kids so involving them in life decisions for the kids is silly. Talent isn't evaporating at the D1 level, it's on the staff to find the market inefficiencies each year whether it's from HS, JUCO, D1 transfers, or D2/D3 up-transfers (which have become increasingly prevalent). Put a competitive team on the floor of kids that want to represent Buffalo. That's all I care about