General Thought, Why Do We Recruit Undersized Centers?

[Czar]

Just looking at our centers lately, and given our standing as a recruiter, why do we always seem to be settling for "undersized" centers.

Rak is 6'9", DeJuan is a generous 6'9". I know height isn't everything and skill matters, as Baye shows, but there's gotta be skilled centers at 6'10", 6'11" or more out there we can target better, can't there? Melo, god bless him, sucked his freshman year but having a good, possibly great seven footer just does wonders for both our zone and our offense. Looking back at the past decade the only players at 6'11" or more who've played center for us have been Watkins, Forth, and Melo. I know it's not the most impressive group, and Onuaku did well at only 6'9", but I feel it's more an outlier than anything.

Looking over our recruiting, it seems (to me) that we're only getting plan B's at center, outside of Fab, Rak and DeJuan. We missed out on Towns, on Dakari, Nerlens, and Withey.

I feel I'm going to be alone and thinking this, and am willing to be corrected, but it's just my general feeling that despite our great length and height at guard and forward, for our programs statue we focus entirely too much on guys who won't be playing center at the next level.

 

[RF2044]

Personally speaking, I couldn't care less about the next level. Get guys who can play well here, period.

If they end up playing in the NBA, disco. But hardly required nor an indicator of their impact at the collegiate level.

 

[igor]

recruiting is the least of my worries. there is no team in America with more talent and experience than us. our deficiencies remain as they were in the eighties, big men development, developing a bench, and being a one trick pony

 

[Bornorange]

If only those talented experienced shooters could put in the net.

We really don't need the tallest center when you are tall everywhere else.

 

[SUintheVille]

It's not about size. It's about hustle, passion, and skill to go grab those boards. 1 or 2 inches doesn't matter in basketball down low. Rak and Coleman have the size. Grant is one of our best rebounders, he's not 7 ft. The zone affects rebounding to some degree too.

 

[orangefan13]

One of the short awnsers, because we recruit them to play pf, and they end up at center alot.

Tough to find a mobile PF with a Body like Raks in the 2-3. We have experimented with Rak, Dajuan even Keita for a stint at PF. I actually wanted to toy with the idea of Fab at PF even.

 

[RF2044]

recruiting is the least of my worries. there is no team in America with more talent and experience than us. our deficiencies remain as they were in the eighties, big men development, developing a bench, and being a one trick pony

Experience?

What the hell are you talking about? We have three players starting for the first time this year, and a bench primarily comprised of freshman [Keita aside], plus a transfer who'd never played before this year. Experience is the one thing we absolutely did not have this year.