Class of 2014 C Paschal Chukwu (CT) Verballed to Syracuse

[jordoo]

You might be right about the NBA potential [or lack thereof], but the rest of your assessment of Roberson is largely off-target, IMO.

Roberson has terrific form on his jump shot -- it isn't "ugly." He has range out to three, and is quite comfortable from 17 feet. Adding consistency to his jumper will be a major determinant of whether he can get to 15/8 this year.

And he is athletic as hell. I agree that he is somewhere between 6-6 and 6-8.

The decision to pull the trigger is what is ugly. I would also say its a bit flat arc wise but when he shot them in rhythm no thought they usually swished and looked nice. The problem is that he was second guessing himself 90% of the time he thought about shooting his jumper.

 

[longislandcuse]

I checked out the Providence and KU messageboards to see how salty they were about us getting Chukwu and the salt level is Atlantic Ocean.

How do, what I would presume to be plugged in fans if they are posting on a messageboard, still think we are banned from postseason play? I've seen so many posts about "why would he go to a team with no scholarships and a postseason ban?'. Well, we don't have a postseason ban anymore and are probably getting some scholly's back so stop throwing nonsensical shade our direction.

Haters gonna hate.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I checked out the Providence and KU messageboards to see how salty they were about us getting Chukwu and the salt level is Atlantic Ocean.

How do, what I would presume to be plugged in fans if they are posting on a messageboard, still think we are banned from postseason play? I've seen so many posts about "why would he go to a team with no scholarships and a postseason ban?'. Well, we have no postseason ban anymore and are probably getting some scholly's back so stop throwing nonsensical shade our direction.

Haters gonna hate.

Why would you go to Kansas? The ENTIRE Big 12 has 2 draft picks this year.

 

[RF2044]

Has anyone found any highlights from his season at Providence?

I predict he will be an immediate impact player on when he is eligible in 2016.

I was greatly encouraged by the article from his freshman year where Cooley indicated that he's in the weight room working out like a madman. Chukwu's issues were about adding size / strength, and improving his offensive skill level.

The redshirt year will give him a much needed developmental year to work on both. The redshirt year also gives him a chance to get immersed in our system for a year. Best case scenario for him and us. Like you, I see him having an immediate impact as a third year sophomore in 2016.

 

[cusetown1]

I checked out the Providence and KU messageboards to see how salty they were about us getting Chukwu and the salt level is Atlantic Ocean.

How do, what I would presume to be plugged in fans if they are posting on a messageboard, still think we are banned from postseason play? I've seen so many posts about "why would he go to a team with no scholarships and a postseason ban?'. Well, we have no postseason ban anymore and are probably getting some scholly's back so stop throwing nonsensical shade our direction.

Haters gonna hate.

I noticed that on the michigan board also. And they were also calling florida a top 4 or 5 program in that Battle thread. I stopped reading.

 

[reedny]

But it was relegated to the athletes, it was created for them to stay qualified to play...other students only caught on and started taking these classes years later cause they were easy and it all kept going anyways. This has to be the most air tight cases of lack of institutional control ever. If UNC ducks this and stonewalls by claiming no one in the athletic Dept or admin had any clue that's even worse institutional control according to how SU was treated, not knowing their guys got pocket change for doing work. If silence saves them it also tells every school that cooperating with the investigation gets you the hammer treatment SU got while stonewalling saves you. They played guys that never took classes basically. I mean That's the C in NCAA.

UNC is in trouble up to its eye sockets. Per the Federal Investigator's report (which is repeatedly mentioned in the NOA), AD staff were intimately involved in directing SA's into fake classes -- including asking for grades and incompletes and funneling SA's into automatic 'A' courses. The HC isn't mentioned a great deal (unlike SU where Sanke invented a connection to JB). However, UNC academic advisers and other staff were mentioned frequently. As the NOA states, the fraud was widespread, long-standing and involved core academic eligibility violations. I don't see how UNC walks away from 18 years of fraud without substantial penalties ... especially after the NCAA recently made an example of SU for 3 kids receiving "excessive assistance".

 

[jordoo]

I was greatly encouraged by the article from his freshman year where Cooley indicated that he's in the weight room working out like a madman. Chukwu's issues were about adding size / strength, and improving his offensive skill level.

The redshirt year will give him a much needed developmental year to work on both. The redshirt year also gives him a chance to get immersed in our system for a year. Best case scenario for him and us. Like you, I see him having an immediate impact as a third year sophomore in 2016.

Completely agree. Its almost impossible to stress enough how valuable the season at Providence and then a season sitting out at SU will be for his development. Big guys take longer to develop and a lot of that has to do with getting their bodies ready and then learning footwork. Once they have a good base of footwork and strength all the skills and length they have can be used effectively. This is really the absolute best case scenario for SU in adding a big who can play in 2016. I think he will be much better for us than any freshman big we were looking at bringing in in 2016.

 

[Dave85]

That should be his Jersey number or we could go with 100 his standing wingspan.

86 would be good, his height in inches. The refs would hate signally a foul to the bench though.

I am excited about this guy. This is good news.

 

[Dave85]

UNC is in trouble up to its eye sockets. Per the Federal Investigator's report (which is repeatedly mentioned in the NOA), AD staff were intimately involved in directing SA's into fake classes -- including asking for grades and incompletes and funneling SA's into automatic 'A' courses. The HC isn't mentioned a great deal (unlike SU where Sanke invented a connection to JB). However, UNC academic advisers and other staff were mentioned frequently. As the NOA states, the fraud was widespread, long-standing and involved core academic eligibility violations. I don't see how UNC walks away from 18 years of fraud without substantial penalties ... especially after the NCAA recently made an example of SU for 3 kids receiving "excessive assistance".

If it were Syracuse, we would get a permanent ban from the NCAA tournament.

 

[Oakland]

Sanctions were annouced several days ago:

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...wo-years-probation-for-ncaa-rules-violations/

Roy feels the sanctions do not fit the crime but UNC is ready to move on.

UNC is in trouble up to its eye sockets. Per the Federal Investigator's report (which is repeatedly mentioned in the NOA), AD staff were intimately involved in directing SA's into fake classes -- including asking for grades and incompletes and funneling SA's into automatic 'A' courses. The HC isn't mentioned a great deal (unlike SU where Sanke invented a connection to JB). However, UNC academic advisers and other staff were mentioned frequently. As the NOA states, the fraud was widespread, long-standing and involved core academic eligibility violations. I don't see how UNC walks away from 18 years of fraud without substantial penalties ... especially after the NCAA recently made an example of SU for 3 kids receiving "excessive assistance".

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Sanctions were annouced several days ago:

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...wo-years-probation-for-ncaa-rules-violations/

UNCG is UNC-Greensboro, not UNC-Chapel Hill

 

[OttoinGrotto]

UNCG is UNC-Greensboro, not UNC-Chapel Hill

wait for it

 

[Jasoncuse]

You might be right about the NBA potential [or lack thereof], but the rest of your assessment of Roberson is largely off-target, IMO.

Roberson has terrific form on his jump shot -- it isn't "ugly." He has range out to three, and is quite comfortable from 17 feet. Adding consistency to his jumper will be a major determinant of whether he can get to 15/8 this year.

And he is athletic as hell. I agree that he is somewhere between 6-6 and 6-8.

But he shoots a line drive, shot put, that half the time doesn't get over the front of the rim. That's just bad form and his release needs a lot of help to correct that. I don't know if he rushes his shots or lack confidence in his jumper, but at this point, it's nowhere near an NBA level shot. Without great length and athleticism, it'll be hard for him to make it at this juncture.

 

[Alsacs]

I hope Chukwu becomes our version of Wily Cauley-Stein. WCS was the best defender in college basketball last year. He really defended and altered tons of shots. WCS's length just made it impossible to score in the paint on Kentucky. That defense and rim protection is all we need.

 

[reedny]

I was greatly encouraged by the article from his freshman year where Cooley indicated that he's in the weight room working out like a madman. Chukwu's issues were about adding size / strength, and improving his offensive skill level.

The redshirt year will give him a much needed developmental year to work on both. The redshirt year also gives him a chance to get immersed in our system for a year. Best case scenario for him and us. Like you, I see him having an immediate impact as a third year sophomore in 2016.

I'm going to see your "immediate impact as a third year sophomore", and raise you: I think his impact actually starts the moment he walks into the Melo Center next week. Even though he can't play this year, the presence alone of an athletic 7'2" center will upgrade the team's practices. Chukwu will be the tallest player ever to suit up for SU. He brings an impressive work ethic, emerging offensive skills, game-changing shot-blocking potential and even an unmistakable name! It's difficult to overstate how big a development this is.

There will be challenges. Adding strength and learning the zone (with all its footwork and mobility demands), will not be a cake-walk. Chukwu also has some work to do offensively - I'd like to see a drop step, a duck-in, a little more range on his jumper, et.. The staff will work on all this. The good news is, due to the transfer rules, he won't be thrown into a pressure-cooker right away. He'll have time to learn, bulk up and develop without using eligibility. Once he hits the floor, from what I've seen of him, Chukwu's shot-blocking skill could vault the 2016 front line to the defensive level of the 2012-13 team. He could wind up being more valuable than Keita: his timing on shot-blocking seems as good or better and he's 3-4 inches taller. Add to that that he already has some offensive tools (good hands catching the ball, a soft baby hook and a 10-12 foot jumper with a high release). If he can learn his defensive responsibilities, develop his offensive game and put on some muscle in SU's S/C program over the next year, he could turn the 2016 team into a lethal weapon.

Almost as important as Chukwu's size and skill set, however, is the timing of his commitment. Corralling a 7'2 center at this stage in the program's history -- after all the "chaos" of the NCAA report and the sour taste of the Thomas Bryant defection -- is invaluable. It signals that we're back; that we've taken some pretty cheap shots from the NCAA and can still recruit and compete at an elite level. Along with our new AD, Chukwu is a sweet drink of water for a program and fan-base that have faced a lot of adversity in the past few years.

Just one more piece of good (recruiting) news and we'll be on our way.

 

[reedny]

Sanctions were annouced several days ago:

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...wo-years-probation-for-ncaa-rules-violations/

Roy feels the sanctions do not fit the crime but UNC is ready to move on.

Isn't this UNC Greensboro? This isn't Chapel Hill.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I'm going to see your "immediate impact as a third year sophomore", and raise you: I think his impact actually starts the moment he walks into the Melo Center next week. Even though he can't play this year, the presence alone of an athletic 7'2" center will upgrade the team's practices. Chukwu will be the tallest player ever to suit up for SU. He brings an impressive work ethic, emerging offensive skills, game-changing shot-blocking potential and even an unmistakable name! It's difficult to overstate how big a development this is.

Good point. I believe the better the 5-5 scrimmage you can have in practice, the better your starting lineup will be.

 

[iommi]

I really hope Coleman has broken his awful habit of bringing the ball down low under the basket. If not, I suspect Mr. Chukwu will be ready to swat his shots away a few times in practice as a reminder to keep the ball up high.

 

[AZOrange]

Isn't this UNC Greensboro? This isn't Chapel Hill.

but Roy still commented on it anyway...wait...uhhhh...hurrrdurrr

 

[jordoo]

I really hope Coleman has broken his awful habit of bringing the ball down low under the basket. If not, I suspect Mr. Chukwu will be ready to swat his shots away a few times in practice as a reminder to keep the ball up high.

That's a good point though. If Coleman can learn to have success against Chukwu over the summer and fall against him its really going to help him in game play. No way he gets away with that bringing it down against PC as he'd be able to block him without jumping then.

 

[reedny]

I hope Chukwu becomes our version of Wily Cauley-Stein. WCS was the best defender in college basketball last year. He really defended and altered tons of shots. WCS's length just made it impossible to score in the paint on Kentucky. That defense and rim protection is all we need.

UK plays (mostly) M2M defense, so WKS got pulled away from the rim sometimes. In our zone, Chuku won't have to worry about following his man. He will have to move up to the FTL to stop penetrating guards and, less frequently, fly out to cover weakside shooters in the corner. But normally, he can sit on the low block and protect the rim. In the NBA, this wouldn't work (they have the D-3 second rule). But in college, he can stay low and force the opposing team to shoot over him or bomb from the perimeter.

I haven't gotten into lineups yet ... we have all summer for that. But the possibilities are intriguing: 7'2 in the middle (with a 6'9 280 pound senior "backup"), along side 6-9 Diagne or 6-9 Lydon with 6-7 Roberson crashing the glass? Chukwu upgrades the whole picture .. and we go from undersized or out of position to potentially one of the tallest front lines in college hoops.

 

[newmexicuse]

Has anyone found any highlights from his season at Providence?

I predict he will be an immediate impact player on when he is eligible in 2016.

Hope he is not too impactful in this era of one good season and done. I would really like to have him for two years.

 

[Oakland]

Correct

Isn't this UNC Greensboro? This isn't Chapel Hill.

 

[Janner]

Chukwu's biggest focus at this point in time should to be developing his body, improving his strength and footwork. He appears to be fairly coordinated for someone of his size but lacks the strength, specifically in his lower body (he actually has a relatively decent explosion off the floor, which is a great sign, but his vertical leap is poor due to a lack of strength). I think he will learn a lot practicing against Coleman, who ironically is the prototypical type of player he would struggle against at this level.
If I were Chukwu I would view this year the way college football players get themselves ready for the NFL combine. Working on measurable, such as positive weight gain, strength training, footwork drills, etc. at 7'2 with a 7'8 wingspan is what’s going to get this kid on the floor and in a position to dominate, and ultimately drafted, not whether or not he can hit an elbow jumper. I personally like the pick up and see the potential but he and the staff need to do what’s necessary to pull it out of him and avoid a Sean Williams situation.

 

[cuseguy]

Chukwu's biggest focus at this point in time should to be developing his body, improving his strength and footwork. He appears to be fairly coordinated for someone of his size but lacks the strength, specifically in his lower body (he actually has a relatively decent explosion off the floor, which is a great sign, but his vertical leap is poor due to a lack of strength). I think he will learn a lot practicing against Coleman, who ironically is the prototypical type of player he would struggle against at this level. If I were Chukwu I would view this year the way college football players get themselves ready for the NFL combine. Working on measurable, such as positive weight gain, strength training, footwork drills, etc. at 7'2 with a 7'8 wingspan is what’s going to get this kid on the floor and in a position to dominate, and ultimately drafted, not whether or not he can hit an elbow jumper. I personally like the pick up and see the potential but he and the staff need to do what’s necessary to pull it out of him and avoid a Sean Williams situation.

Apparently he was a workout warrior at Providence.