Ja Morant

[two3zone]

I will say this about Chewy, his free throw shooting improved a good deal. That’s all I got. He was a Roberson type, could go off and have a monster game but then he would be gone for a month.

It's no secret as they mentioned almost every game on what got him to improve, question is why every player isn't doing that.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Maybe, maybe not. We had people here thrilled getting Chukwu

Why not? He was a 4 star recruit, 7’2 with offers from Notre Dame, Providence, Pitt, UConn, Nc St, BC etc.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

It didn’t change his star rating nor Murray State’s rank either. Murray State 2017 Basketball Commits

So you are seriously saying that SU fans here would be happy that our assistants offered and accepted a commit from an unranked player? How many threads have we had ripping on the staff for not getting more 4 and 5 star recruits like Duke, UNC etc? It’s all pretty funny actually.

I think if we were in pursuit of an unranked player, those of us on the recruiting side would look for video. Then, if we saw talent, we'd likely wonder why this talented kid was so underappreciated. Then, some of 'us' would say the kid is really a top 25 kid, but because scouts devalue everyone we're interested in, he took a ranking bias. And that if Duke were interested, he'd be ranked a hundred points higher.

Really, people do look at video. "Unranked" would be an extreme, but if the tape showed something, people might be excited to see why the staff was so high on him.

We do, though, pursue a bunch of guys who show "project" on tape, and then there's a bunch of conversation about 'why.' Which is understandable.

And at this point, we really just want talent, however we can get it. If it comes from Siberia or New Zealand or West Bumble F, we just want the best.

Was Marek ranked anywhere? We had members watching his video and thinking he was one and done.

 

[br801]

Maybe, maybe not. We had people here thrilled getting Chukwu

I was thrilled for one, don't think I've ever seen a guy that size with the amount of opportunity be so limited. Other than being tall he has zero basketball skill

I will say this about Chewy, his free throw shooting improved a good deal. That’s all I got. He was a Roberson type, could go off and have a monster game but then he would be gone for a month.

No Sweet 16 run without Chukwu in 2018. No upset at Cameron without Chukwu this season.

 

[two3zone]

No Sweet 16 run without Chukwu in 2018. No upset at Cameron without Chukwu this season.

Well yeah playing 4 on 5 wouldn't put us in a position to win.

All kidding aside putting a replacement level center in his spot and we're probably a better team and still get those wins.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

No Sweet 16 run without Chukwu in 2018. No upset at Cameron without Chukwu this season.

I don't know. You're seemingly imagining the team without a different player in his place. Maybe, if we had a better center, we go further than Sweet 16 in 2018. Maybe we beat Duke twice this season. Unless your "without Chukwu" scenario is a roster with Chukwu on it, but he's either injured or suspended or somesuch... Then yeah. Totally.

 

[djcon57]

Why not? He was a 4 star recruit, 7’2 with offers from Notre Dame, Providence, Pitt, UConn, Nc St, BC etc.

Because he actually played for 2 seasons for Providence and scored 2 points a game.

My point wasn’t to bash Chewy. It was to say our fan base is actually pretty reasonable with trusting the coaching staff with recruiting considering.

And yes I know we have some nuts on the recruiting board. They are the extreme minority

 

[br801]

Well yeah playing 4 on 5 wouldn't put us in a position to win.

All kidding aside putting a replacement level center in his spot and we're probably a better team and still get those wins.

This team was at its best these last two seasons when Chukwu was taking away everything inside and rebounding, and staying away from early foul trouble.

 

[djcon57]

I think if we were in pursuit of an unranked player, those of us on the recruiting side would look for video. Then, if we saw talent, we'd likely wonder why this talented kid was so underappreciated. Then, some of 'us' would say the kid is really a top 25 kid, but because scouts devalue everyone we're interested in, he took a ranking bias. And that if Duke were interested, he'd be ranked a hundred points higher.

Really, people do look at video. "Unranked" would be an extreme, but if the tape showed something, people might be excited to see why the staff was so high on him.

We do, though, pursue a bunch of guys who show "project" on tape, and then there's a bunch of conversation about 'why.' Which is understandable.

And at this point, we really just want talent, however we can get it. If it comes from Siberia or New Zealand or West Bumble F, we just want the best.

Was Marek ranked anywhere? We had members watching his video and thinking he was one and done.

Marek is a perfect example. Was there anyone mad we brought him in? I think people were hoping for a diamond in the rough.

 

[Madbiker]

On TV today they said Ja was 5'10 his senior year in HS. That probably has a lot to do with his not being heavily recruited. Grew to 6'3 as a freshman.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

This team was at its best these last two seasons when Chukwu was taking away everything inside and rebounding, and staying away from early foul trouble.

I think the point is that he didn't do that very often, and so a 'league average' replacement might have had us not relying on Marek or those occasional spells of Sideibe at Center, with a better overall record, and better seeds in both tournaments, etc.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

On TV today they said Ja was 5'10 his senior year in HS. That probably has a lot to do with his not being heavily recruited. Grew to 6'3 as a freshman.

That's what happened to me, actually. But, the article i read said he was 5'9" as a HS freshman, and then grew to 6'0" the next three years. Oh, it's in his wikipedia entry:
Ja Morant - Wikipedia

Morant attended Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina.[2] He grew from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) in his first three years with the basketball team.

 

[br801]

I think the point is that he didn't do that very often, and so a 'league average' replacement might have had us not relying on Marek or those occasional spells of Sideibe at Center, with a better overall record, and better seeds in both tournaments, etc.

He played well often enough to lead the team in PER the last two seasons, so he was better than a replacement level player. He just wasn't as pretty to watch as some players.

 

[PoppyHart]

Some idiot just asked Morant about the future and the NBA draft. Good grief. Some people.

 

[Cowtown]

If you were Morant, would you want to never practice or play man to man defense in College, before going to the NBA?

No crap to you, but every SU player in the NBA played zone in college. And as far as playing D in the NBA goes, it's little more than a suggestion. Sort of like stop signs in Quebec.

 

[Cowtown]

Why not? He was a 4 star recruit, 7’2 with offers from Notre Dame, Providence, Pitt, UConn, Nc St, BC etc.

I don't get the disatisfaction with Chukwu. No, he didn't develop into Ralph Sampson, but he showed up every night and gave what he had. And he took a lot of crap with a lot of dignity. I like kids like him.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Zepharus]