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

[moqui]

high praise from his coach

 

[General Joe]

Weird but JBA is not even the starting C on his high school team..... or even starting now. Noah Collier is the PF and big Frank Kepnang is the starting C. Really weird that people think he is going to be a C for us next year that sees playing time.

 

[TacoTime75]

I think many are heavily sleeping on him. His ability to pick and pop would immediately change this current squad’s offense.

 

[cusefan88]

I watched him play live. He needs a redshirt year.

 

[Madbiker]

It takes centers a year (or more) to learn where they are supposed to be in the zone.
Sid and Chucky still aren't there.

 

[Ghost]

I watched him play live. He needs a redshirt year.

In the videos he looks very deliberate and kind of lacking in athletic ability Not sure what would separate him from Sidibe. Not sure that's going to translate well...but I suppose it may.

 

[kcsu]

He doesn't start for his HS team yet many on this board think he is going to step in as a frosh and hang with ACC centers.

 

[SUFan44]

The kid is a project. I don't understand it either.

 

[General Joe]

I think many are heavily sleeping on him. His ability to pick and pop would immediately change this current squad’s offense.

Yeah even his high school coach who benched him

 

[JackBauer44]

He doesn't start for his HS team yet many on this board think he is going to step in as a frosh and hang with ACC centers.

He’s got two five star players at the 4 and 5 starting in front of him. Love this class, but we don’t have 5 star players at the 5 right now holding him back. If he can bulk up a bit more and keep working on agility, he will see minutes as a freshman (assuming our class stays as is right now).

 

[kcsu]

He’s got two five star players at the 4 and 5 starting in front of him. Love this class, but we don’t have 5 star players at the 5 right now holding him back. If he can bulk up a bit more and keep working on agility, he will see minutes as a freshman (assuming our class stays as is right now).

He has to play as we have nobody else. Sid is questionable at best and foul prone. Marek isnt a 5 so yes he might play more minutes next year than this.

 

[cusefan88]

Let me just clarify by saying after watching him, I like his raw tools. Good size and confidence in his jumper. Tbh his jumper looks pretty good. He needs to redshirt to gain his strength and pick up the college pace. He's not ready but could contribute after a RS year.

 

[General Joe]

I watched him play live. He needs a redshirt year.

He actually needs two redshirt years atleast.

 

[General Joe]

He’s got two five star players at the 4 and 5 starting in front of him. Love this class, but we don’t have 5 star players at the 5 right now holding him back. If he can bulk up a bit more and keep working on agility, he will see minutes as a freshman (assuming our class stays as is right now).

Jack i have read and enjoyed many of your posts. However your thinking on JBA is curious. I have watched pretty much all of his games this year and posted many on this site for you to view. If you actually watch his games and not highlights NOTHING about him says ACC player.

I got into a huge fight with folks on this forum back when JBA was the starting PF on his team. I pointed out he wasn't even a center and said he would be a huge Prospect for us. Turns out he's now a bench warmer. He's a poor mans Robert Braswell

 

[General Joe]

He doesn't start for his HS team yet many on this board think he is going to step in as a frosh and hang with ACC centers.

Thats why I post his actual games on here. If people who are high on him watched his actual games, he is the 5th option (when he is not on the bench) and knocks down a few open shots because he isnt even on the opposing teams scouting report. Other coaches would rather have him taking 3's than Gaffney or Collier shredding them on the perimeter and Big Frank banging them in the post. He has had a couple games where he hit 50% of open jump shots. Literally nothing else about him says ACC athlete.

AND HE IS NOT A CENTER!!!! I dont get this fascination with this guy... other as a developmental Prospect.

 

[dollarbill44]

Jack i have read and enjoyed many of your posts. However your thinking on JBA is curious. I have watched pretty much all of his games this year and posted many on this site for you to view. If you actually watch his games and not highlights NOTHING about him says ACC player.

I got into a huge fight with folks on this forum back when JBA was the starting PF on his team. I pointed out he wasn't even a center and said he would be a huge Prospect for us. Turns out he's now a bench warmer. He's a poor mans Robert Braswell

Awesome! I look forward to seeing him in the Dome.

 

[General Joe]

Awesome! I look forward to seeing him in the Dome.

That seat way down the bench next to the walkons that Braswell currently sits, is going to fit JBA PERFECTLY for atleast a couple years

 

[General Joe]

In the videos he looks very deliberate and kind of lacking in athletic ability Not sure what would separate him from Sidibe. Not sure that's going to translate well...but I suppose it may.

Except Sidibe was a center in high school who started 3 years and produced, while this kid is the stretch 4 off the bench for his school

 

[OttoinGrotto]

he is the 5th option (when he is not on the bench) and knocks down a few open shots because he isnt even on the opposing teams scouting report... He has had a couple games where he hit 50% of open jump shots.

I mean, that sounds like a pretty good fit for our roster tbh.

 

[General Joe]

I mean, that sounds like a pretty good fit for our roster tbh.

A friend had that same joke. He will fit right in.

 

[moqui]

He doesn't start for his HS team yet many on this board think he is going to step in as a frosh and hang with ACC centers.

nobody has been higher on him than me, and i don't know anyone who claims he's going to step right in as a freshman

jb will have 2 juniors with experience playing the 5 next year. neither jba nor anyone else they might add going forward are going to get serious minutes in real games. would not surprise me to see braswell as the third center if it comes to that before jba

 

[Fly Rodder]

His injury history (also why he isn't starting in HS) is more concerning to me than his size. He's a newcomer to basketball and has already missed significant time with leg injuries. Some of that could just related his age and growing into his body.

 

[money3189]

JBA is a project. Could turn into something good down the road. Im hoping his commitment sets us up to get Noah and Frank.

 

[Alsacs]

nobody has been higher on him than me, and i don't know anyone who claims he's going to step right in as a freshman

jb will have 2 juniors with experience playing the 5 next year. neither jba nor anyone else they might add going forward are going to get serious minutes in real games. would not surprise me to see braswell as the third center if it comes to that before jba

Dolezaj is not a C.
He is totally playing there out of necessity.
Sidibe hasn’t shown any improvement this year. He is a foul machine when he plays.
If JBA can’t even be a rotation piece next year we are screwed if we don’t add another PF/C.
Dolezaj/Sidibe aren’t enough.
It’s terrible roster management to consistently play guys out of position as much as we are doing.
Dolezaj is a SF.

 

[reedny]

Dolezaj is not a C.
He is totally playing there out of necessity.
Sidibe hasn’t shown any improvement this year. He is a foul machine when he plays.
If JBA can’t even be a rotation piece next year we are screwed if we don’t add another PF/C.
Dolezaj/Sidibe aren’t enough.
It’s terrible roster management to consistently play guys out of position as much as we are doing.
Dolezaj is a SF.

Totally agree. We've been over this point 100x and people just don't get it. In the ACC - especially playing zone - you need an anchor in the middle, the taller/beefier the better (as long as he can close out on baseline shooters). So when JB sticks a 180-lb. forward in at the 5 (out of necessity), the zone takes a hit, arguably a big hit. He's fine at forward, great court vision, developing offensive game. High BB IQ. All that. But he's very limited at C - 30 pounds lighter than Lydon ... another forward who took one for the team and played in the middle when Coleman/Chukwu went down. We saw how that worked out.

Saturday was an all-too-familiar story ... when MD came in at center Mucous hit 3-4 shots over him. Chukwu re-entered the game and the threat disappeared. I don't know what Sid's issue is. But we get worse defensively when chukwu goes out and MD takes over the middle. When he comes in at forward next to Chukwu, it's a different team ... much longer front line. So the idea that Bras (an even more desperate option) can play in the middle ... oye ... I wish people would stop it.