Class of 2019 F/C Nate Sestina / Grad Transfer from Bucknell to Kentucky

[orangefog]

I feel pretty strongly that he would fit great on our team because if you look at his name quick it looks like siesta.

Nice, Nap Siesta.

 

[rrlbees]

Get his name to Wellman. Let the process begin.

I’m sure the staff monitors the grad transfer portal.

 

[orange79]

I’m sure the staff monitors the grad transfer portal.

Reading this board, I'm pretty sure they are way too busy just rolling the balls out to be paying attention to anything else.

 

[Footey04]

I'll take this guy or Smits in a heartbeat, instantly make us a better and deeper squad!

 

[FrancoPizza]

What? No, Smits is a much better fit. Smits is a true center from a D1 school.

This isn’t 1980. Or 1990. We don’t need a prototypical old school center. Just need a skilled big who can bang so it’s not 4 on 5.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Sometimes I wonder what people are looking at. He may be undersized, but he knows how to seal, create space and use his feet in the post.

A white onuaku?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Reading this board, I'm pretty sure they are way too busy just rolling the balls out to be paying attention to anything else.

Those balls aren't going to roll themselves out... themselves.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

This isn’t 1980. Or 1990. We don’t need a prototypical old school center. Just need a skilled big who can bang so it’s not 4 on 5.

But what about defense? IMO, we need someone with some size, a potential defensive presence for center. This guy does not appear anywhere near 6'9. We're trying to replace/upgrade from PC, not Marek.

We already have several forwards and have Marek as a converted forward into center for offensive purposes. Another undersized center would make SU midmajor like.

 

[FrancoPizza]

But what about defense? IMO, we need someone with some size, a potential defensive presence for center. This guy does not appear anywhere near 6'9. We're trying to replace/upgrade from PC, not Marek.

Since PC won't be here, a better way of looking at it is -- is this guy better than Marek at the 5? Because that would allow MD to be on the wing where he is more comfortable.

 

[dollarbill44]

But what about defense? IMO, we need someone with some size, a potential defensive presence for center. This guy does not appear anywhere near 6'9. We're trying to replace/upgrade from PC, not Marek.

We already have several forwards and have Marek as a converted forward into center for offensive purposes. Another undersized center would make SU midmajor like.

Bbased on your assessment, what level of play are we currently getting from the center position - high major, mid major or low mid major?
A mid-major center with body mass, decent hands, coordination and a jump shot would be an upgrade to what we've seen the last 2 seasons.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Bbased on your assessment, what level of play are we currently getting from the center position - high major, mid major or low mid major?
A mid-major center with body mass, decent hands, coordination and a jump shot would be an upgrade to what we've seen the last 2 seasons.

PC provides P5 level defense. We are losing him. Replacing him with a Patriot level mid major midget center seems like it would be a mistake.

This guy looks like he would get abused in the ACC. I would rather have PC than him.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Since PC won't be here, a better way of looking at it is -- is this guy better than Marek at the 5? Because that would allow MD to be on the wing where he is more comfortable.

I think you are looking at it from the wrong angle. We're losing our best defensive center and we need to replace him. This guy looks like he'd get abused by ACC bigs. If we use our last scolie on another undersized center SU will be abused in the middle.

Putting Marek on the wing is not much of a factor. Marek looks like the 4th forward next year (after OB/Eli/QG). SU needs a real center, not another out of position forward.

 

[Dave]

I th

A white onuaku?

I think I get the jab. AO created space through force and strength. This dude does it through technique. He is a post is the point I was making. He separates through a shoulder drop and fall away and has a good shooting touch. Knowing how to actually seal, which he does, and use your feet in the post are becoming a lost art. This kid would hirt us offensively in the middle. His game is throwback. A lot to divine from a few clips, but this is all bar room bamter, isn't it?

 

[Fly Rodder]

PC provides P5 level defense.

When he can stay in the game longer than 15 minutes without picking up four dumb fouls for reaching. He also provides D3 offense. He turns the ball over at a rate of every other FGA, which is more than twice the rate similar players in conference. Chukwu isn't even that great at blocking shots or rebounding compared to other conference 4/5s.You gotta pick your poison. The only guy who is similar is Javen DeLaurier at Duke who is K's 7th option in a 6.5 man rotation.

IMO, the okay defense doesn't overcome the negatives of having a non-entity, or worse, a liability on offense.

 

[Melancer46]

When he can stay in the game longer than 15 minutes without picking up four dumb fouls for reaching. He also provides D3 offense. He turns the ball over at a rate of every other FGA, which is more than twice the rate similar players in conference. Chukwu isn't even that great at blocking shots or rebounding compared to other conference 4/5s.You gotta pick your poison. The only guy who is similar is Javen DeLaurier at Duke who is K's 7th option in a 6.5 man rotation.

IMO, the okay defense doesn't overcome the negatives of having a non-entity, or worse, a liability on offense.

He's literally 6th in the entire country (even including the smaller conferences) in block percentage. He's also 6th in the country in DBPM and #1 in the ACC in both of those metrics.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I guess I should prefaced that with "For what he gives back ..." and he gets a lot of fouls trying for blocks that he shouldn't and ends up out of the game where 7'2" on bench plays just like 5'2". His block percentage is similar to that of other bigs in conference play (where's not playing against 6'6" forwards), he's not dominating to make up for the lack of offensive ability.

Since 2009-10, in ACC play there have been 33 players with more than 10 blocks and a block percentage greater than 10%. Chukwu is 14th in block%, dead last in usage rate, close to last in TO% (and dead last for TOs relative to FGA). Blocks may end a specific shot, but they don't necessarily end the possession, TOs do. So while not every block is worth the same, every TO is bad. He's among the mid to worse for personal fouls per block, averages 1.2 PF/block this season. PFs also end the possession, but not in a good way. Compared to other players, he's not enough of an elite shot blocker to make up for his obvious faults.

I don't think that DBPM is a great stat for defense, it overinflates small counting stats (like blocks) with limited minutes (like what Chukwu plays).

 

[Melancer46]

I guess I should prefaced that with "For what he gives back ..." and he gets a lot of fouls trying for blocks that he shouldn't and ends up out of the game where 7'2" on bench plays just like 5'2". His block percentage is similar to that of other bigs in conference play (where's not playing against 6'6" forwards), he's not dominating to make up for the lack of offensive ability.

Since 2009-10, in ACC play there have been 33 players with more than 10 blocks and a block percentage greater than 10%. Chukwu is 14th in block%, dead last in usage rate, close to last in TO% (and dead last for TOs relative to FGA). Blocks may end a specific shot, but they don't necessarily end the possession, TOs do. So while not every block is worth the same, every TO is bad. He's among the mid to worse for personal fouls per block, averages 1.2 PF/block this season. PFs also end the possession, but not in a good way. Compared to other players, he's not enough of an elite shot blocker to make up for his obvious faults.

I don't think that DBPM is a great stat for defense, it overinflates small counting stats (like blocks) with limited minutes (like what Chukwu plays).

Is the takeaway from this supposed to be that of the 33 best defensive players in the ACC this decade, Chukwu is:
1. two of the 33
2. middle of the pack among the best of the past 10 years?

He certainly gives some back with his limitations on the offensive end. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that this Sestina guy would help the team next year more than Chukwu has. But I don't think there's any sensible argument that Chukwu isn't an elite defensive presence.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Is the takeaway from this supposed to be that of the 33 best defensive players in the ACC this decade

If you consider the block to be the most important aspect of defense, then yeah, you could say that those are the 33 best defensive players. I don't.

I don't think the block is the most valuable thing that can happen during a defensive possession (e.g., steals and defensive rebounds are more valuable followed by limiting fouls) and in order to make blocks more valuable, you need a lot of them relative to the number of possessions.

Anyway back to Sestina, you don't need a great shot blocker to have a great defense.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[syrBossHogg]

Ugh

 

[Cusesky8214]

Lol..hes good enough to visit Kentucky but people on here think hes too small and mid majorish for us.

 

[cuseguy]

Lol..hes good enough to visit Kentucky but people on here think hes too small and mid majorish for us.

Comical.

 

[Alsacs]

The player might not be interested in Syracuse.
I am going to give the staff benefit of this doubt. They know we need another frontcourt big for next year.
Kentucky got Travis Reed from Stanford this year as a grad transfer.
They work.
Our team needs a 4/5 who can score inside.

This player may want to go Kentucky.

 

[Cusesky8214]

The player might not be interested in Syracuse.
I am going to give the staff benefit of this doubt. They know we need another frontcourt big for next year.
Kentucky got Travis Reed from Stanford this year as a grad transfer.
They work.
Our team needs a 4/5 who can score inside.

This player may want to go Kentucky.

I totally get that. I also understand that we might not have any interest or maybe he doesnt see himself playing at Syracuse even if we were interested. That's different then what some of the comments are regarding him as a player. Kid is good and will be a big contributor wherever he goes. My guess he will love his kentucky visit...bucknell to Kentucky is a hell of a jump.

 

[moqui]

Kentucky got Travis Reed from Stanford this year as a grad transfer.
They work.

they work for a program like kentucky whose culture is built upon self-interested one-and-done players