America first?

[SWC75]

There's been a lot of discussion about our failure to produce productive big men. It seems to me we've had a lot of foreign born big men at the 'Cuse in recent years. Yes, they've been elsewhere as well but look at our list:

Fab Melo from Brazil
Baye Moiussa Keita from Senegal
Rakeem Christmas was born in Philadelphia but grew up in the Virgin Islands
Chinoso Obokoh was from Nigeria
Paschal Chukwu is also from Nigeria
Bourama Sidibe is from Mali

Looking at our recruits:

Jon Bol Ajak, who has committed, is from the Sudan.
Qudus Wahab who has not decided, is another Nigerian
Kofi Cockburn undecided and we didn't make his final five, is from Jamaica

Two things we've often heard from JB:
"Big men take longer to develop."
"He's (fill in name) only been in this country/playing this game for 2-3 years"

When he recruits a foreign-born big man, isn't he getting a double whammy- both factors mean his development will be delayed? Would it be better to focus on American born big men who have been playing basketball all their lives? Also, a lot of these guys have been pretty skinny. That may be a factor of not having grown up in this country, as well.

Notes: Arinze Onuaku was born in Maryland, And he was more muscular and more advanced than our big men have been in recent years. Rakeem Christmas did become a strong inside player for us but it too three years. All these guys did play high school ball here. hey just didn't grow up playing the game. I did not include Marek Dolezaj because he's more of a forward pressed into service as a center and I think he probably did play basketball from an early age and that the game is more advanced in Europe than in Africa or the Caribbean.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I am okay with foreign-born players as long as there is "extreme vetting."

 

[DoubleDee]

Yeah I don’t remember Tim Duncan or Big Country taking a long time.

 

[PoppyHart]

Ever since Kevin Bacon let the cat out of the bag in The Air up There, it’s been a gold rush in Africa.

 

[dollarbill44]

I think the "big men take longer to develop" is just another Boeheimism. It's only true as it relates to the press conference at the time.

 

[AustinCuse]

Don"t forget Rony Seikaly. Rony was born in Lebanon and lived in Greece until he was 19 when he came to the US.

 

[jec1521]

I am okay with foreign-born players as long as there is "extreme vetting."

I chuckled.

 

[Alsacs]

Are we going to build a wall around NY to prevent other schools from recruiting NYC kids?
Make Georgetown pay for it as well.

 

[jncuse]

Not sure if that was the charge, but what was OB doing on that drive

 

[Cheriehoop]

Don"t forget Rony Seikaly. Rony was born in Lebanon and lived in Greece until he was 19 when he came to the US.

Took him time to develop.

 

[SUGIANT]

There's been a lot of discussion about our failure to produce productive big men. It seems to me we've had a lot of foreign born big men at the 'Cuse in recent years. Yes, they've been elsewhere as well but look at our list:

Fab Melo from Brazil
Baye Moiussa Keita from Senegal
Rakeem Christmas was born in Philadelphia but grew up in the Virgin Islands
Chinoso Obokoh was from Nigeria
Paschal Chukwu is also from Nigeria
Bourama Sidibe is from Mali

Looking at our recruits:

Jon Bol Ajak, who has committed, is from the Sudan.
Qudus Wahab who has not decided, is another Nigerian
Kofi Cockburn undecided and we didn't make his final five, is from Jamaica

Two things we've often heard from JB:
"Big men take longer to develop."
"He's (fill in name) only been in this country/playing this game for 2-3 years"

When he recruits a foreign-born big man, isn't he getting a double whammy- both factors mean his development will be delayed? Would it be better to focus on American born big men who have been playing basketball all their lives? Also, a lot of these guys have been pretty skinny. That may be a factor of not having grown up in this country, as well.

Notes: Arinze Onuaku was born in Maryland, And he was more muscular and more advanced than our big men have been in recent years. Rakeem Christmas did become a strong inside player for us but it too three years. All these guys did play high school ball here. hey just didn't grow up playing the game. I did not include Marek Dolezaj because he's more of a forward pressed into service as a center and I think he probably did play basketball from an early age and that the game is more advanced in Europe than in Africa or the Caribbean.

The discussion is bs, overreaction to a couple of losses. Not to mention short sided.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Our players and strategy are best suited to the open court but we cannot run if we do not rebound. In modern basketball the center has to be able to score. Ours neither score nor rebound. They excel at protecting the rim but they cannot defend against a skilled wide-body. No BS, our achilles heel is the center position.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Our Achilles heel is this coaching staff who cannot recruit big men who can play. JB believes the only purpose of a big man is to block shots and to run to the corner to defend against the three. It’s pretty pathetic.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

If JB could change college rules that let him have one player that could use a broom to swat at shots we would have another guard in the starting five.

 

[SoBeCuse]

We seriously get the worst Africans it seems, sigh.

Would kill for James Banks on Georgia Tech. 6’11 245 beast. Transfer from Texas. GT looks like they will steal a W @Arkansas. Still in progress but he has 16/14/4/6!