4th year juniors

[MSOrange]

Pepperdine guard AJ Lapray is going to be a 5th year grad transfer candidate. Had a hip injury after his sophmore year and is sitting out this year. Injury was thought to be serious and career-ending, so I'm not sure what to make of this. He's been cleared now to play.

He's 6'5" 190... 12-29 (41%) from 3 last year but his season was cut short. Prior year, he was 5-28 (18%). Not much of a playmaker, not a lot of assists.

Studying interpersonal communications. I guess he'd like Newhouse. Smart kid. No clue if he'd like to play on this coast. He's an Oregon kid, who played for Oregon for 5 games his frosh year before being allowed to transfer to Pepperdine and play right away.

Josh Pace is a women's assistant at Pepperdine if he wants to talk to someone about what it's like out east.

 

[iommi]

Josh Pace is a women's assistant at Pepperdine if he wants to talk to someone about what it's like out east.

And maybe Pace could give us some info too...I'm sure Pace follows the men's program. Good point!

 

[Funk Doc]

And maybe Pace could give us some info too...I'm sure Pace follows the men's program. Good point!

Just as long as he doesn't try to give him any tips on his jump shot. I loved Pace, but my oh my...that was the worst shooting form I have ever seen!!

 

[iommi]

Just as long as he doesn't try to give him any tips on his jump shot. I loved Pace, but my oh my...that was the worst shooting form I have ever seen!!

Hey, Pace was effective and he knew his limitations and role. He can teach that little floater to anyone anytime he wants. He also was a great rebounder for his size. Great glue guy, but yes, bad outside shot.

 

[Funk Doc]

Hey, Pace was effective and he knew his limitations and role. He can teach that little floater to anyone anytime he wants. He also was a great rebounder for his size. Great glue guy, but yes, bad outside shot.

Yeah, he was one of my favorite players when he was around. I think I only remember him maybe taking 5 jump shots, and all at the end of the shot clock. We are desperately lacking a player like him that can score consistently in the lane when they attack the rim. Wish we had another one of him!

 

[iommi]

Yeah, he was one of my favorite players when he was around. I think I only remember him maybe taking 5 jump shots, and all at the end of the shot clock. We are desperately lacking a player like him that can score consistently in the lane when they attack the rim. Wish we had another one of him!

No doubt. And he played the back of the zone at a legit 6'4". Loved his little push shot/ floater. We don't win Ok St game without him.

 

[billsin01]

I'd rather tank for a year and sign some developmental prospects.

That's a really dangerous and misguided viewpoint, imo.

For one, tanking while playing young players guarantees nothing at all. Its not like you get to draft Duncan or lebron James.

Second -- how do you get developmental players? I mean, we've tried and been surprised on both ends. A bunch of kids washed out or didn't have the patience to bide their time (kaleb Joseph, Patterson, Johnson, Etc) and a bunch left at least a year before many expected (at least at the beginning of the year (grant, Ennis, Richardson, fab...)

 

[billsin01]

Yeah, he was one of my favorite players when he was around. I think I only remember him maybe taking 5 jump shots, and all at the end of the shot clock. We are desperately lacking a player like him that can score consistently in the lane when they attack the rim. Wish we had another one of him!

I love lefties. They have an inherant advantage that way.

 

[Cusefan0307]

That's a really dangerous and misguided viewpoint, imo.

For one, tanking while playing young players guarantees nothing at all. Its not like you get to draft Duncan or lebron James.

Second -- how do you get developmental players? I mean, we've tried and been surprised on both ends. A bunch of kids washed out or didn't have the patience to bide their time (kaleb Joseph, Patterson, Johnson, Etc) and a bunch left at least a year before many expected (at least at the beginning of the year (grant, Ennis, Richardson, fab...)

I said this when I was disappointed in Gillon and White. They've played a lot better since then. I'm all for signing fifth year guys if they can help us. Hopefully that is earlier in the season. I just want to see us be in the top third of the ACC moving forward.

 

[billsin01]

Just as long as he doesn't try to give him any tips on his jump shot. I loved Pace, but my oh my...that was the worst shooting form I have ever seen!!

But that funky lefty leaner was a thing of beauty

 

[billsin01]

I said this when I was disappointed in Gillon and White. They've played a lot better since then. I'm all for signing fifth year guys if they can help us. Hopefully that is earlier in the season. I just want to see us be in the top third of the ACC moving forward.

Yeah and I do agree -- a little continuity would be a really nice thing

 

[Oráiste]

Demetrius Denzel-Dyson, 6-5 wing for Samford. Shooting .465 from three, .534 on his 2s and .694 from the line. He's an interesting cat; he was ranked as the 85th best SG in the nation by ESPN and was recruited to UMass, A10 is a very good mid-major conference. He was a rotation player his sophomore year but had been recruited over & transferred and his having a good year.

 

[Oráiste]

Jovan Mooring is a potential point guard candidate. 6-2 point for UNLV. He was NJCAA Div. II player of the year his sophomore year, leading his team to the division's Final Four. At UNLV, he's leading his conference in assist rate and is top 100 in the nation. His 2 point shooting is bad - .388 - but he's hitting a respectable .371 from three and .771 from the line, which is in line with what he did in JC. He's also among the national leaders in drawing fouls and free throw rate. His steal rate is 2.3%. Gillon's was 1.3% at CSU and has climbed to 2.9% in our system, so Mooring should get a great bump there.

He's originally from the Chicago area (where he want to JC) so shouldn't be to averse to moving east. UNLV is terrible this year, having lost 9 straight and 11-20 overall, so maybe he'd like the chance to play for a winning team.

 

[Oráiste]

I have to rescind the Jovan Mooring suggestion. I see now that he did not sit out a year after transferring from JC, so he's not a 4th year junior after all; it was just last year that he was national JC POY. Maybe he still has enough credits to graduate this year, but I doubt it.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Maybe some pipe dreams since they probably aren't making lateral moves:
Manu Lecomte, Baylor (transfer from Miami) - PG, only 5'11", career 43% from 3.
Semi Ojeleye, SMU (DUKE transfer) - 6'7" PF that can score. Former top 30 recruit averaging 18 and 7. 41% from 3 and 77% from the FT line. Probably not a great zone fit, but the scoring punch would be much appreciated. And maybe he'd want to stick it to Duke.
Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnthan Williams, Gonzaga. Probably no chance of either happening.
Marcus Foster, Creighton - Stud scoring guard. 6'3" kid that can do it all. Seems pretty unlikely he'd leave for a potential mess here.
Kyle Washington, Cincy (NC State transfer) - 6'9" PF, good rebounder
Cullen Neal, Ole Miss - Already grad transferred once, but had two years to play. He's studying for a master's in Journalism at Ole Miss, so I think a Syracuse degree might be preferable. 6'5" 3 pt shooter.
Torian Graham and Shannon Evans, Arizona State - Both followed Hurley from UB. Evans was a traditional transfer and will have 1 year left if he graduates. Extremely quick, good shooter and plays PG. Very slight, though. Graham has traveled a winding road and may not actually have 1 year left. ASU has petitioned for it. Was JUCO, then Houston then UB (played at neither school), sat out last year at ASU and is not 2nd in the Pac in scoring. Can shoot and fill it up with the best of them, but is 24 in a few weeks and is probably either staying at ASU or going pro.
Reggie Lynch, Minnesota - 6'10" big bodied center. Averages over 3 blocks per game. Not a big scorer.
Andrew Rowsey, Marquette - Big time 3 pt shooter but tiny.
Jaren Sina, GW (Seton Hall transfer) - NJ kid that plays PG. Decent player, but I'd hope we could land more scoring.
Geno Thorpe, South Florida - From PA. Got left behind at the airport recently so probably wants out of this mess of a program. Good 3 pt shooter, not a good 2 pt shooter. 6'4"

 

[Ward]

Maybe some pipe dreams since they probably aren't making lateral moves:


Geno Thorpe, South Florida - From PA. Got left behind at the airport recently so probably wants out of this mess of a program. Good 3 pt shooter, not a good 2 pt shooter. 6'4"

Literally laughed out loud at my desk

 

[SUOrangeSU]

Kenne reportedly is high on Duke and Michigan for next year

 

[Oráiste]

Maybe some pipe dreams since they probably aren't making lateral moves"

yup . . . I've been mostly skipping over kids from P5+1 schools for that reason

 

[Jasoncuse]

yup . . . I've been mostly skipping over kids from P5+1 schools for that reason

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but ya never know. Maybe there will be some coaching changes, maybe they want to play closer to home, maybe they want to play in the ACC, who knows...

 

[orangefog]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but ya never know. Maybe there will be some coaching changes, maybe they want to play closer to home, maybe they want to play in the ACC, who knows...

I know John Gillon didn't play for a P5 team, but he said he saw himself as an ACC guard. Also, there is only one place you can go and have 30,000 people cheering for you. That might matter to some kids.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Kenne reportedly is high on Duke and Michigan for next year

If true, we aren't beating out Duke, that's for sure. They don't really have a PG as it is, maybe Frank Jackson, with only combo guards coming in.

 

[Francis03]

If true, we aren't beating out Duke, that's for sure. They don't really have a PG as it is, maybe Frank Jackson, with only combo guards coming in.

You would think battling Frank Howard or Howard Washington for lead PG spot over a potential NBA prospect like Frank Jackson would be more attractive. Plus he may be high on Duke but who knows if the feeling will be mutual?

 

[Ward]

You would think battling Frank Howard or Howard Washington for lead PG spot over a potential NBA prospect like Frank Jackson would be more attractive. Plus he may be high on Duke but who knows if the feeling will be mutual?

Probably a good selling point for us as well in that he can have the ball in his hands quite a bit. I don't think it's any guarantee that Allen and Kennard leave and with Trent coming in and Jackson still around that's a huge adjustment for a guy used to controlling the ball and having the ultimate green light. We can pitch to him it will be the Tyus and Marcus show running up and down with a stable of athletes rotating in and out in the front court.

 

[310Pigpen]

I know John Gillon didn't play for a P5 team, but he said he saw himself as an ACC guard. Also, there is only one place you can go and have 30,000 people cheering for you. That might matter to some kids.

I don't know how kids don't commit to us after seeing the Duke game. There's only one place in the country that has crowds like we do.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I don't know how kids don't commit to us after seeing the Duke game. There's only one place in the country that has crowds like we do.

It's crystal clear that it doesn't matter to recruits re: crowd size. I personally don't get it. But, top recruits commit to schools everywhere that average 10-15K. Something else is steering away top recruits especially coming off a F4. I don't think that even matters SO much, frankly. Or else why can't we hang with Arizona in recruiting? Or Kansas? Those teams are consistently so good and don't play zone 100%. That's the only answer I can deduce. Yes, the coaching uncertainty is a factor but that shouldn't matter with the stud one and dones who would've had Boeheim for a year or two anyways. I don't know. Certainly something is up in terms of why great guards and PGs aren't lining up to come here the past 3-4 years.