Class of 2019 C Jon Bol Ajak (PA) SIGNED WITH SYRACUSE

[OttoinGrotto]

I like having developmental bigs. I think he knows what he is as a player right now so there won't be drama over his role. I also don't think he scares anybody away from committing to us to play the 5. When you fill out a roster with all of your scholarships you're going to have some guys that may need some time to become something.

Welcome, Mr. Ajak.

 

[orangejunkie]

Syracuse and Westtown alums are smiling today, especially those who played basketball at Westtown...

 

[Cusesky8214]

Per mike waters, ajak battled a Achilles injury throughout the summer and that's why his play declined. Said cuse stuck by him throughout the process and he appreciated that.

 

[721Comstock]

I like having developmental bigs. I think he knows what he is as a player right now so there won't be drama over his role. I also don't think he scares anybody away from committing to us to play the 5. When you fill out a roster with all of your scholarships you're going to have some guys that may need some time to become something.

Welcome, Mr. Ajak.

Yes, this.

Let's hope he's the Baye #2 big in this class, to whomever the #1 guy (RIP Fab) ends up being.
Stewart (we can dream!), Carrigan, Wahab, whomever.

Add in Q, and Akok, and that's a KILLER class.
JGIII is just gravy on the icing then.

 

[DBCooper]

IF we land Akok, then I'll be all on board with JBA. By himself, not so much.

LOL.

 

[20Plus]

Sounds like he could be a project and don't think staff wants to invest in that. I for one have seen enough of those.

Nope

 

[JLine]

Welcome to the family, Jon Bol! Happy to have ya. Now let’s add Quincy, Akok, and Dimon. Maybe sprinkle some Girard on top.

 

[JazzNC]

Pretty much everyone knows that Ajak is not the elite big I've been hoping for. But in an effort to put my best foot forward, I will provide my take on his strengths and weaknesses from the tapes I've watched and the game I attended. I'll focus on the positives first because that's the right thing to do. His strengths IMO include rebounding/positioning. He can block shots, but not with nearly the proficiency of Carrigan. I'd say he's average plus at this skill. He also has a nice touch for a big guy. It's funny though because the South Sudanese players I've watched, whether it be Majur Majak, Chol Marial, JBA and others all have the goofiest looking set shot/release with a mile high arc. That said, it seems to work for him, and he may end up being a decent free throw shooter as a result. He also strikes me as a guy who will be coachable and hard working.

On the negative side, I see little ability to put the ball on the floor and virtually no low post game. He has a good (albeit goofy) outside set shot, and the ability to dunk and make layups/putbacks off rebounds. His footwork is slow, and he doesn't finish very well through contact. He also doesn't seem to be a very aggressive player, without a killer instinct or the tenacity that I'd like to see. I'm not convinced that he has the lateral quickness to be proficient in our zone (but then again Chewy is no speed demon).

In conclusion, I think JBA has the potential to be a BMK type guy. If he could achieve that status he would certainly earn his scholarship. My biggest concern with this commitment lies not in JBA himself, but in the need to secure another more college ready big to go along with him should Chewy not pursue an extra year, or if Sidibe is unable to remain healthy. If we can do that, I think taking a chance on JBA is prudent, and I fully support the staff's decision to bring him in. LGO and Clean them boards Mr. Ajax!

 

[Orangezoo]

Per mike waters, ajak battled a Achilles injury throughout the summer and that's why his play declined. Said cuse stuck by him throughout the process and he appreciated that.

As always there is a method to the madness.

 

[GoCuse14]

I asked for clarification in that same thread you are referring to. Is a "new" center [per that thread's title] a new guy that we are involved with, or a "new" commit?

Wouldn't make sense to post a thread about a "new 2019 center" and say that you can't disclose the name, only to have that person be a name we've already been talking about, as evidenced by this 9-page thread.

He flat out said in that thread that it was NOT JBA that he was referring to. So there must be another big out there.

 

[Cusefan0307]

How many times do certain posters need to be told we are still after certain bigs besides Ajak? Good grief.

 

[JazzNC]

How many times do certain posters need to be told we are still after certain bigs besides Ajak? Good grief.

IF you are referring to me... my posts today have been very positive (especially considering he's not my preferred target). I even wrote that I supported the staff's offer. So back off. You are out of line.

 

[Cuse_bball]

Good building block.. still need to lock down one of carrigan/Stewart/wahab

 

[Cusefan0307]

IF you are referring to me... my posts today have been very positive (especially considering he's not my preferred target). I even wrote that I supported the staff's offer. So back off. You are out of line.

I’m not out of line if you think this is the only big we are targeting. We’ve always been targeting multiple bigs, but some reason you keep forgetting that.

 

[JazzNC]

I’m not out of line if you think this is the only big we are targeting. We’ve always been targeting multiple bigs, but some reason you keep forgetting that.

I haven't forgotten that at all. I said I fully support the offer if we indeed get another big (sounds like we will). I have been as positive as I can be, and I will become a huge JBA fan because he's now family.

 

[Orangefan1]

Great to get a recruit not really the guy wanted first but I’ll take it

 

[SU Dreaming]

Excellent pick-up, kid can shoot real nice, my posts are confusing on purpose, can't post info that is not public before a kid announces, Expecting a 5 man class, could be 6, highly doubt it could be 4, but u never know, if i had to bet today - 5 kids for 19 - 2 bigs, 1 forward, 2 guards

 

[Cusesky8214]

 

[JoeySimz]

Yes! I love this! Great job everyone. Love his game. Welcome, Jon!

 

[Alsacs]

Haven’t followed this recruitment but I like the cliff notes on this kid.
Who was the lead recruiter Autry or GMac?

 

[Orangefan1]

I’m just not sure what this means for Carrigan or akok

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I’m just not sure what this means for Carrigan or akok

I don't think it means anything.

If anything, it may mean we're confident that we're going to land another 5.

 

[moqui]

Per mike waters, ajak battled a Achilles injury throughout the summer and that's why his play declined. Said cuse stuck by him throughout the process and he appreciated that.

i know a lot of posters think of jba as a plan-b type player, but there is a reason why jb&co identified him early, worked his recruitment for 15 months and kept himn as a priority through a serious injury

it may be a year or two before we see it on the court, but this is not a sean williams or chinonso obokoh type

 

[SU Dreaming]

Haven’t followed this recruitment but I like the cliff notes on this kid.
Who was the lead recruiter Autry or GMac?

Let's not go there who is better etc, let's root for everyone ORANGE , we win as a team and lose as a team.

List does not include guys we offered, but were out of the running early in the game or even recently or the kids we have passed on, you would be surprised at the amount of kids we do not engage with.

GMAC - Goodine, Stewart, Akok , Girard

Autry - Bol, Quincy, Wahab, and 1 more big

Griff - Working more on 2020 kids, working on 1 potential for 19, He's doing great


Our staff is doing a tremendous job, not every player you like or i like agrees with us, it just so happens kids might want to go somewhere else than Upstate NY.


I said it in March 2017 (i think that is when HOP left) - I hated to see HOP go, but I was thrilled to see JB running the show go forward, since that day forward no matter how you look at it, for both or either JB and/or Hop/both schools are doing very well and are in a great place, most importantly SU.


Add a few more days of FBI Trial and it might be a total DOWN POUR in our favor!!!


Thank you to JB & Hop and the coaches for keeping us out of the mess, when you would see all of these kids who were SU leans going to AZ, Miami, OR, NC State and others you just knew something was off..


Oregon, NC State, LSU, Kansas, Arizona, Miami, Maryland, Louisville and more are all in huge trouble.
The NCAA has been advised to HOLD and wait until all of the trials are complete.
Penalties probably will not start until 2020, maybe 2019.
I am hearing one other top 15 program is going to be named during the current trial, another good one for us.

Louisville current sanctions do not include the current events correct?


Anyway hope that answers your question lol

 

[SU Dreaming]

I don't think it means anything.

If anything, it may mean we're confident that we're going to land another 5.

Bingo, except I highly highly highly doubt Carrigan, but i could be wrong, I do not believe that info is correct about him