Update on Jesse Chuku

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Update on Jesse Chuku

This topic contains 34 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by  lehigh90 11 years, 7 months ago.

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  • #6295

    TMH
    Participant

    England finished 6th in the European U20 tournament.

    Jesse Chuku was Great Britain’s leader in rebounding (8.4/game, 11th best in tournament) and shot blocking (1.6/game, 5th best in tournament).

    For full article

    http://www.englandbasketball.co.uk/news/default.aspx?newsid=4290

    I really, really like those stats. Lehigh has plenty of scorers next year, although I think Chuku averaged about 10/game. Their biggest need is to replace Adams and Maneri doing the dirty work around the rim.

    #6296

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    You beat me to the punch tmh, this  is what was referencing in other post, in that if JC can do some dorty work and help gk, hg, and cj control defensive boards we will be in good shape. we lost four scholly of last year team, and all were 6’6 or taller and helped on the boards. JC and JG are going to be needed, as is CB to help match what we got down low last year from in particular JA and JM.

    #6297

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Fyi he averaged  six ppg in tourney.

    I’d take those exact stats all year long and be delighted about it. Seriously delighted about it.

    #6302

    lehigh90
    Participant

    I am kind of surprised at these stats.  I thought they would be the opposite, more points, less rebounds and blocks.  Everything we have seen and read on this guy show him to be a perimeter 3 point scorer, not an inside presence.  It is going to be interesting to see what he really is when he arrives in Bethlehem.  Has legit body, no doubt.

    #6310

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    90 – We saw some mixed high school videos that showed him being perimeter oriented on offense, but we didn’t see him defend the post or rebound, so hopefully this is the type of game he can bring on a consistent basis and control the defensive boards with his pro-PL body type at 6’8, athletic, strong and let’s not forget 19.5 yrs old when arriving in Bethlehem this fall…

     

    Also – eat your hearts out with the below boys, highlights from U20 euro championship off of youtube.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsucFYF2YuM&feature=share

    Some really great moments here worth reviewing, and it shows a lot more of his game off then we’ve been able to see/find in past videos from KUA. So you still see some fantastic above the rim dunks and some smooth jump shots from deep. But the below clips are pretty telling if you ask me, show additional elements to his game that we’ve not seen.

    First clip of video: Nice pump fake and drive to his left with left handed flush, pretty smooth.

    14 Second Mark of video – Drive right, stop in middle of lane, fake left and scoop it in up and under right shoulder.

    1:10 – Nice movement away from ball, cuts without ball into lane and finishes with authority in traffic with two hands. One common theme throughout videos, is he loves to finish strong, never goes up weak, loves going hard and finishing with dunks…will be fun fun fun next 4 years to watch him wreck havoc on PL.

    1:22 – Wow – active on defense, deflection, steal, one on one fast break, defender had proper positioning between JC and the rim, and JC didn’t want to just go up with soft layup, so he goes hard and dunks over the guy. Pretty sick sequence right there.

    2:00 – 2:20 – really great sequence, mostly because it shows a pretty high IQ for the game. This sequence of highlights are all versus the same opponent, and first 3/4 highlights of this sequence are long range jumpers over the other teams bigs and step back jumpers over bigs…and the last clip of sequence the big on the other team d’ing up JC is maybe an extra half step closer to try to close out on the jumper, and JC realizes it and takes him to the hole, goes left then right, pauses then pump fakes in lane and then up and under for the deuce.

    Didn’t call out any of the blocked shots, but there were some mighty nice ones there. We could be looking at another Carrington type body, a legit 4 in PL, probably an inch taller then Z, with more polished offensive game via jump shot…we can hope!!!

    That is all I got folks, if that doesn’t get you out of your seat, get on out of here!

    LUHoops00

    #6311

    norcalfan
    Participant

    I like him. Loved Carrington, but this guy looks even more physical and only a freshman. Oh yeah, it’s on. LU basketball. NCAA again?

    #6339

    TMH
    Participant

    Just as a point of reference, what level of basketball in the US does the European U20 Championships equate to? Div 2 perhaps? I honestly don’t know.

    #6341
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    I think it is hard to say TMH and I doubt that any of us statesiders know definitely.  One thing to keep in mind is that this was Division B – so basically the 17th-32nd ranked U20 squads in Europe based on prior tournaments.  So the euro basketball powerhouses are playing in the A division which likely has a few future NBA’ers playing.

    Another point of reference is Jesse’s teammate Ali Fraser who is going into his jr year at Maine this fall.  As a soph at Maine he averaged 13 pts and 8 boards and during the Euro’s he averaged 20/8 and finished 3rd in scoring amongst all players.  That leads me to think the standard of play averages out to about D2 but I bet there is a huge range in the tourney from lots of D1 talent down to low D3.

    One thing that is very clear about Chuku though is that he has all the physical tools to develop into a GREAT Patriot League player, and has a good handle for a player his size.  His jump shot is mediocre, and he appears to be a willing defender and rebounder.  One red flag is his foul shooting (6/14).  I was REALLY impressed by the number of contested dunks he had in that highlight video.  Regardless of the level of competition that kind of explosiveness translates across all levels.

    I’m much more excited about Chuku after the U20 video than I was after his prep school video.

    #6342

    TMH
    Participant

    Thank you for the response StablerBum. I had not realized that it was a Group B Tournament. In the near term, I see Jesse taking on Justin Manieri’s role on the team.  By that I mean, he may be the 1st big man off the bench, perhaps play 10-12 mpg, provide good defense, some attitude in rebounding and generally clog up the middle. I still see Conroy Baltimore being the 5th starter unless Jesse can prove otherwise.

    Here is a stat I wasn’t aware of until now. Of the 14 players who shot FTs last year, 10 of the 14 made 75% or more. The remaining 4 were 55% and under.

    #6345

    igotdunked
    Participant

    athleticism is pretty good…seen him do a between the leg dunk in a workout with ease.

    • This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by  igotdunked.
    • This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by  igotdunked.
    #6380

    lehigh90
    Participant

    Just got back for a couple of weeks away, and just seeing this for the first time.  Thanks for posting.  I am thrilled by what I see on this video.  I was always high on Chuku, but now I feel much better.  He is clearly a big man, with a great body , a versatile game, and range out to the 3 point line.  To me, he looks like your starting 4, this season.  I see no one on the current roster ahead of this guy.  I think his more natural position is as a 3, and probably as a soph, he is your 3 replacing HG.  He looks light years ahead of CB at this point, certainly on the offensive end.  More importantly, for next season, he could be a much needed player to cover Willman on Bucknell.  I hope he is getting significant minutes from day one.

    Projected lineup this year in my book is now:

    1 McKnight

    2 McCollum

    3 Greiner

    4 Chuku

    5 Knutson

    6th man Carter

    I also am starting to think you are going to see a lot of CJ at the point this season in preparation for his next level.

    #6381

    TMH
    Participant

    Lehigh’s biggest need this year will be solid rebounders/defenders in the paint. Although I really like what I see from JC, the level of competition you see on video may not even be equal with the Patriot League. Although he I firmly believe he will be a very good player for Lehigh in the future, I still am seeing CB, who by the way had nearly 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in HS and led Lehigh in boards per minute last year, as being the starter with JC being the 1st bid man off the bench.

    I am very high on Carter also but don’t see him coming in before BJB. There is nothing like collegiate experience esp. in big games.

    Just one man’s opinion.

    #6382

    lehigh90
    Participant

    I have not given up on Baltimore this early in his career, but he looks extremely limited on the offense end.  He did rebound well last season, but,  in very limited action, so I can’t go too crazy about his rebounds per minute.  A lot of that was in meaningless OOC action.  I like Chuku’s athleticism and body more than CB.  CB is a bit light in my opinion, and I am not sure of his willingness to “bang” from what I have seen.  He looked lost at times last year, and not in much of a flow of the game.  Obviously, he was a freshman, but he looks like a project.  But, it is about matchups and both will need to contribute for sure for the team to have success.  I think Chuku creates a lot of matchup problems for other teams, as he has a varied offensive game (block/midrange/perimeter).  I don’t see CB being a matchup problem for anybody’s defense.  He is limited to about 6 feet from the basket and in.  Maybe those two with a little JG in the mix as well as a shot blocker/changer in the paint.    Chuku did see very good competition in high school (top guys out of that league were elite top 10 players nationally) and does have a lot of Euro experience.

    I also like BJB, but in reality his “experience” is about 8-10 college games, after a 2 year layoff.  He did improve late in the season with minutes, and I like his on the ball defending on the perimeter and he has shown an ability to knock down the 3.  He needs to show more confidence in his dribble/drive game.  He needs to limit turnovers as when he tries to show something on the offensive end, he has a tendency to turn the ball over and be a bit out of control.  I think BJB will be in a battle for minutes with DC.  But, both are supreme PL level athletes, so hopefully both get significant minutes.  I do give Bailey the early knod as he has shown a willingness to defend and the coach likes that.  Also, probably stronger on the glass than DC.  I think those two are going to be ahead of the other wing shooters (AD and SC).  I think last year’s freshman class will struggle for minutes.  And, if MM is not playing solid minutes at the point, I think you are going to see a lot of CJ at the 1 with DC or BJB at the 2.

    #6383

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    Love this stuff TMH and 90,thanks for posts. Welcome back 9o, it is a great video in terms of filling in what we were missing from KUA videos I posted during last season. This season, clearly the biggest factor is how the front court comes together, as we know we got guards out the ying-yang. You have 5 guys 6’6 or bigger and you have 3 real questions after the two seniors up front. CB, is a soph, so he has inside track at PT. He showed some flashes last year in rebounding department in limited limited action, and I know he had some great HS stats TMH,  but I agree with 90 in that we didn’t see a whole lot last year. I think we can all agree that we were left with more questions then answers, in my opinion. I know he had great rebound stats in limited time last year, but he looked rather inept on the offensive end of the floor….now we don’t need him to score at all this year, just defend and rebound, and I think he can do that effectively. CB is big for this team, if he developed this will be a huge help to LU. Like 90, my big question is what is the end game for CB. He has that huge wing span but is just 6’6 and is definitely “light in the pants”. He is an undersized 4 and his offensive potential is questioned at this point, but lots of hard work can correct that. A lot of JC euro video questions regarding competition, and I mean I haven’t researched the heck out of this, but on his GB team he was 3rd best player behind the guard Devon Von something who plays pro in spain and just missed making GB olympic team and ali fraser who had a big year last year for maine as a soph. JC was 3rd best guy on team, and their team finished 6th. So competition had to be decent and his prep league is legit, no one can question that. I’m obviously high on JC, and think hecan be and really has to be an impact guy for this team on day 1 for LU to be really really special this year. He can contribute on offense right away and has that strong 6’8 frame to rebound in traffic for us on the defensive end. Remember JC is 19.5 yrs old upon arrival on campus, he is raelly a sophomore in age and body. Then JG, who we just don’t know a heck about, but reed said long/athletic and that sounds good. I think JC plays more then CB, and CB and JG fight for 4th and 5th big spot in the rotation.

    As for lineup, I think we start the year how we ended it really minus adams…so mackey, cj, bjb, holden, knutson…off the bench, I think JC is first big off bench if I had to guess, and at guard play it will be CS at the 1 and then we’ll see if DC beats out AD and SC, my guess is yes…think we’re all pretty high on DC and I think he like JC can leap over sophomore class for playing time….

     

    Bottom line – we’re guard heavy, inexperiened up front, but loads of potential….

     

    we need production from CB, JC, and

    #6384

    LUHoops00
    Participant

    90 lineup is pretty exciting, especially aainst a big boy major conference team. Rolling out HG,JC, GK as the frontcourt would be fun to watch. I think when chips are on the line in late feb and march that reed will be relying heavy on these 7 guys: MM, BJB, CJ, DC, HG, JC, GK. That is how see it right now, from afar.

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