2013 Recruiting Targets Part 2

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball 2013 Recruiting Targets Part 2

This topic contains 95 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by  LUHoops00 12 years, 3 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 96 total)
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  • #8221
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Dont know enuf to venture an opinion. Clear to me Doc is holding the last one for a particular player or type of player. Press release after that.

    #8226

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Thanks Sbum, you do a great job keeping up with the recruiting my man.

    I want to add a 4th man to this class, think you have to strike while the iron is hot here, and if we stick with a 3 man class we’re going to be a scholly short and if BJ elects to walk we could be 2 short again for next year.

    I just checked espn on Owona and they have him at 6’7, how confident are you he’s legit 6’9 SBum? I’ve not done ton of work on him.

    Surprised Curington is still out there, Boykins as well.

    #8227

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Not sure if it is a new name, but Funtarov shows up listed under Lehigh. 6’7 from bulgaria, played in Kansas HS league and Kansas AAU team, but now shows up in NE Prep League at Vermont Academy….certainly not a “big”, at 6’7 210 pounds, but shows some skill…might be another JC situation where he has to sit out a year, but a guy I don’t think we’ve talked about. Also listed is BU, Fairfield, Manhattan, Northeastern.

     

     

     

    http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/168292/georgi-funtarov

    #8229
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    The height thing for Owona is definitely a little sketchy.  ESPN, RecruitRecon, and Scout list him at 6’7, and Rivals, NBE, Capitol Hoops, and local articles list him at 6’9.  The truth is probably somewhere in between when accounting for everyone adding an inch or two in the hoops world.

     

    #8232

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Yeah, just wonder then if you splkti the difference and get him at 6’8 if he is worth going after, since he fits squarely in with the JC/JG/TK, and not definitely bigger then those 3…

    #8233
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    Agreed, the difference with Owona (I hope/think) is that his weight is typically listed between 225 and 240 which is pretty solid for a hight school kid.  Also reports include phrases like, “imposing inside presence” – http://espn.go.com/high-school/boys-basketball/story/_/id/7208903/maryland.

    Additionally, he played for Baltimore Elite in the EYBL so he has played against big time competition before.  No idea if he is a legit possibility.  After watching this team this year, and the classes they have been bringing in I think even more important than height, to a point at least, is that he has a solid build and enjoys contact.  Two things I don’t think applies to anyone on the current roster.  Whitfield and Chuku seem to have pretty good frames, but I wouldn’t call either a widebody, which is what I’m hoping for in whoever Reed signs next.

     

    #8234

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    True, some thickness down low would be nice! Our video coordinator has that it appears, haha!

    #8235

    TMH
    Participant

    While my son was attending Duquesne, I began following that program as well as Lehigh’s. It was about the time they went from a doormat to a team that was getting votes for the top 25. Still they were not very high on the food chain. Every season they would parade in a new group of 6-9 to 7-0 guys to fill the exact role you are saying. Unfortunately all the quality in that height range was usually picked clean. They would last a year or 2 on the bench and leave and they settled for 6-6 to 6-7 athletic guys. Recruiting height for height’s sake at our level usually doesn’t go well although there are exceptions. Every so often though, like CJ, you get a guy who has talent but lacks size and then grows into it later. You can always put some solid beef on these 6-7 guys and maybe one or 2 grow a few inches yet.

    #8236
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Get a Z or Falkenbach, I am happy.

    #8263

    lehigh90
    Participant

    TMH, I agree with you 100% about Lehigh’s search for bigs.  The talent over 6’7″ is picked clean by the big boys.  Lehigh’s only hope is to sign a late bloomer or late grower that blossoms.  You can certainly win with a group of five 6’6″ guys as we have seen at a lot of mid-major programs.  Butler and VCU immediately come to mind.  If a guy is 6’10” and can really play, you are probably never going to get him.

    I did a lot of looking on two players over the weekend, Owona and Boykins.  I looked at every piece of video I could find from high school and AAU.  First, on Boykins, earlier I questioned his athletic ability in the video I saw of him.  He is a bean pole, really thin, and not terribly athletic.  He does play bigger than his listed 6″3″, primarily due to his long arms.  He shows nice range in his jump shot, and can extend to deep beyond the 3 point line.  His game, from what I saw, is two fold.  He shoots well from distance, and he is very effective at posting up smaller guards on the blocks, and finishing with a high fade away jump shot.  He would remind you of a smaller Reggie Miller type, although, obviously not in that league.  He doesn’t seem to be very effective off the dribble as he is not that quick and athletic, and has a really thin frame.  Not the quickest either on the defensive side of the ball.  He would seem to be a good PL fit.  Not sure if he can post up college guards, but would be a nice wing shooter.  He holds a lot of offers including 3-4 from the MAC and 1 A-10 offer.  So, he is a tough get.  One of his offers is from Miami, OH which is very close to his hometown in Ohio.  Maybe CJ is on the trail as he is a fellow Buckeye, although he is from a few hours away.  Another dynamic is maybe Boykins is tracking the progress of another Buckeye, Devon Carter, to monitor potential playing time in the future.  We seem to have a big of a logjam on the wing from the next couple of seasons.  Probably a good signing but will need to get stronger and develop a game off the dribble.

    On Owona, he is a nice looking athlete.  I would say 6’6″ or 6’7″, and no bigger.  Not a wide body at all, but not skinny.  Looks more like a Chuku frame, or Conroy Baltimore.  There is one big problem with him and that is his style of play.  He is not a banger, low post guy at all.  He is more content to shoot from the wing or 3 point range.  I did not see him post up or finish on the blocks at all in any of the videos I saw.  He is athletic, can run the flooor, can block a shot, can rebound a bit, but not an inside presence at all.  So, I would never project him as a 5, and would be hesitant to project him as a 4 on the college level.  He looks like a 3 player, a big 3, but he has that style game.  The intrigue with him is he looks like a premium athlete, one who could perhaps dominate at the PL level, strictly on athleticism.  But, he is going to need to develop a game down low, and put on a few pounds.  From what I could see, his biggest offer looked to be from Bucknell, although not sure where he stands with them.  Again, happy to have him as an athlete, but not sure how to project him from what I saw.  Not going to be our savior in the middle.  Clearly, would be dwarfed by a guy like KM or even JM. 

     

    #8266
    Bison137
    Bison137
    Participant

    Quote:  ” From what I could see, his biggest offer looked to be from Bucknell, although not sure where he stands with them.”

     

    His offer from Bucknell was pulled at least three months ago, when BU used up its final scholarship.    It might have even been pulled around July 1st – when Oberfeld committed.

    #8269

    TMH
    Participant

    I was thinking about Daren Queenan while listening to the basketball game. At 6-5, I believe he played center for his HS. Although, extremely talented and athletic, the big programs passed him by because he was obviously too small to play center but didn’t possess the ball skills to play guard. This tweener role probably kept him out of the NBA. But at 6-5, he hauled down over 1,000 rebounds because he knew how to attack the boards. I think Zahir may have fallen into that same category. IMHO, that is the guy we should be looking for. You won’t find him at an academy where at 6-6 or 6-7 he’s already playing SF. I’m thinking a bout a guy who at 6-6 or 6-7 was laying C all his life but is considered to short for major conferences but could do real damage in the PL. Anyone know this guy? :-)

    #8271
    Bison137
    Bison137
    Participant

    Bucknell’s Al Leslie – who graduated in 1981 – was similar.    As a 6-3 player, he played center in H.S and was lightly recruited.   Came to Bucknell and immediately became a star at SF as a freshman,  still playing the majority of the time near the basket.    Then as his ball-handling improved, he shifted to SG and ended up as Bucknell’s all-time leading scorer – a spot he still occupies with about 2000 points.   Also went about #35 in the NBA draft.

    #8275

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Thanks for doing the work on those two guys 90, good stuff.

    I do want to say tthat when some of us on here talk about getting a big, we’re not asking for a Boozer or a Okafor or a Shelden Williams…but you can’t tell me that all the good bigs are taken and PL never gets bigs…McNaughton and Muscala come to mind, heck, just give me another Mgebroff or McCarthy and I’d be stoked…I don’t think I’m asking for much, and I don’t think it is impossible for us to get a big, I’d just like for every year that we have a legit center on the 12 or 13 scholarship roster…just one. We should be able to do that, right?

    #8282
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    By no means am I advocating recruiting a guy just because he is big and looks good getting on and off the bus.  I agree 100% that it is VERY hard to recruit big men at the mid major level, and also agree that recruiting athletic undersized post players a la Zahir is a good strategy.  But I’m pretty sure that is what Reed is doing with Baltimore, Goldsborough, Whitfield, and Chuku.  I just think it would make sense to recruit a big body every 2-3 years.  Even Maneri and Safstrom who were absolute projects ended up having games and moments in which they really contributed – because they had something no one else on the team did, exceptional size.

    I think Gabe is probably the 2nd best post player in the PL behind Muscala, and that is fantastic.  Granted we got screwed with the KM injury, but as a comparison Bucknell has six other players 6’7 or above outside Muscala and two of them are listed at 230+.  American has 5 players 6’7 and above including 3 who are 230+.  Lehigh has 3 players 6’7 or above (HG, GK, and JG) and I doubt any of them weigh more than 215.  One of them is woefully unprepared as a freshman (JG has the same number of fouls than points, assists, rebounds, and blocks COMBINED).

    If Reed were 100% on his undersized big men recruits and was bringing in 1-2 Zahirs a year, then I would be silent.  All I’m saying is that recruiting, and especially recruiting big men is a crapshoot, but I just think it makes immense sense to recruit a widebody 6’10+ guy once every 2-3 years.  Maybe he pans out and is a star, or maybe he ends up being a Maneri who gives you 5 fouls, a couple of rebounds, and some toughness in 12 mpg as a senior.  I for one would LOVE if Maneri had another year, I think he would be a massive addition to this team.

     

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