2014 Basketball Recruiting: Interests and Offers

ArvadaHawk said:
SAPP seemed to follow this same path last season and then came on in the 2nd half of B1G season. I think that with RDM gone next season, there is plenty of potential for SAPP to see big minutes and he hopefully sees that. I like the kids game, he's just more of a half court type pg. And, when we get stuck in half court games, you aren't going to pull RDM or MG to play SAPP. Just my opinion.

Regarding Purcell, I didn't notice the handles, I'll hav to take another look. I was too busy projecting how good his dunks would look finishing off Iowa fastbreaks.
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I'm not sure how much RDM the sophomore would play on the current team with RDM the senior and the overall depth of this roster. Clemmons will be fine next year IMO. He and Jok need more game time and it's not available this year. Both should/could take a big step up next year IMO.
 
WindsorHawk said:
I'm not sure how much RDM the sophomore would play on the current team with RDM the senior and the overall depth of this roster. Clemmons will be fine next year IMO. He and Jok need more game time and it's not available this year. Both should/could take a big step up next year IMO.
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I hope you are right about Clemmons, as he seems to be a turnover waiting to happen guy now.
 
AZHAWKFAN1 said:
I hope you are right about Clemmons, as he seems to be a turnover waiting to happen guy now.
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When I played basketball (100's of years ago) I played the point. I can tell you that if you don't get the minutes you can't get in a groove and your timing and court awareness suffers. I think this is what is happening to SAPP. We've all seen him flash, particularly on defense, where I think he can be a lock down type defender with quick hands. But again, SAPP isn't going to get many minutes instead of RDM and MG. He'll be needed and he'll be good, next season. But don't give up on him for some spot minutes in critical situations. Kid can play.
 
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AZHAWKFAN1 said:
I hope you are right about Clemmons, as he seems to be a turnover waiting to happen guy now.
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AC will be fine, I have said for a while he is still learning how to play PG because Valentine at MSU was the focal point of his HS team. AC played off the ball most of the time.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
I'm with you Palm. From the highlights I've seen of all the kids listed on the past few pages of this thread, I'd say this kid needs to be the #1 target as best player available. He is exactly the type of athletic kid we need to "showcase"; someone that essentially thinks dunk first. Personally, I think Jok is this type of player but Purcell has way more hops. And why not have both Jok and Purcell? Both kids, in my opinion, project to be instand points players.
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This guy looks awesome from a dunking standpoint for sure. I just have to be careful not to get too enamored with the dunks because there is a lot more to basketball. These videos are a highlight reel of what looks to be the equivalent of a lot of pick up games. Notice the freeze frame above...refs in shorts, chubby white kid running down court. Pretty much just a dunk reel highlight, hard to garner much else. Not saying he can't play, he obviously is athletic, just Have to trust Fran and Co. to get a good evaluation during a full 40 minute game to assess him.
 
PalmettoHawkFan said:
Fran will watch Atwood work out and then fly to see Dickerson play against Johnny Woodard tomorrow.

Maybe a two offer day?
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Offers may or may not be coming. This article shows IA still interested in Okwarabizie, the Sioux City Center.
http://iowa.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?sid=940&******=/content.asp&cid=1608609
Then there's the recent interest in guys like Purcell. Offers may be coming but the other activity tells me that they may be dependent on the outcome of the visits. Fran wants to be sure, and there may also be the factor of hedging his bets after his experience with Ulis.
 
UncleHawk said:
Offers may or may not be coming. This article shows IA still interested in Okwarabizie, the Sioux City Center.
http://iowa.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?sid=940&******=/content.asp&cid=1608609
Then there's the recent interest in guys like Purcell. Offers may be coming but the other activity tells me that they may be dependent on the outcome of the visits. Fran wants to be sure, and there may also be the factor of hedging his bets after his experience with Ulis.
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okwarabizie is still really, really raw -- more raw than gabe at the same stage

my guess is that they're keeping in contact, but that the forecast for him is either:

* go mid-major
* go prep school or juco to raise his stock

seems like a prep school + redshirt year kind of kid
 
PalmettoHawkFan said:
okwarabizie is still really, really raw -- more raw than gabe at the same stage

my guess is that they're keeping in contact, but that the forecast for him is either:

* go mid-major
* go prep school or juco to raise his stock

seems like a prep school + redshirt year kind of kid
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So, you think he's being shown interest for 2015? If so, that makes sense because we'll be post-Gabe by then and Okwarabizie could be redshirted behind Woody and Meyer.
 
PalmettoHawkFan said:
okwarabizie is still really, really raw -- more raw than gabe at the same stage

my guess is that they're keeping in contact, but that the forecast for him is either:

* go mid-major
* go prep school or juco to raise his stock

seems like a prep school + redshirt year kind of kid
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Just curious and not being judgmental when I ask, but did you see Gabe in HS and now OK to be able to compare them against? Gabe went to Sunrise, pretty much a basketball academy, OK is not, he is in Iowa.

I am just wondering because while I don't discount what you are saying, but is OK really that much farther behind?

Thanks in advance because you have a lot of good recruiting info.
 
no, I'm just going off of the write-ups that are out there on Okwarabizie.

more raw than Gabe? Eh...judging from what the gurus say, he might be about the same as a high school senior. pro body, super athlete, but he only has a year and a half of american high school ball in him right now -- and he had to sit out the fall after transferring to SSC.

any way you slice it, for a high major school he's a five year guy. either prep school, or redshirt.
 
PalmettoHawkFan said:
no, I'm just going off of the write-ups that are out there on Okwarabizie.

more raw than Gabe? Eh...judging from what the gurus say, he might be about the same as a high school senior. pro body, super athlete, but he only has a year and a half of american high school ball in him right now -- and he had to sit out the fall after transferring to SSC.

any way you slice it, for a high major school he's a five year guy. either prep school, or redshirt.
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This is the type of kid that Fran will put in his due diligence and offer if he can be a player. I'm certainly not going to questions Fran's eye for talent after what he has done so far, and the way Gabe is now coming on especially. The nice thing is this kid would be able to RS with Gabe a SR and Woody a JR, if Fran decided to offer.
 
if his character checks out -- if he has anything close to Gabe's work ethic -- then he'd be worth the risk, if Fran feels that the returning frontcourt is good enough to keep the program improving, and that you don't need a juco forward.

you can't teach his size, power, and speed. one thing the staff has shown they can do is develop kids.
 
PalmettoHawkFan said:
if his character checks out -- if he has anything close to Gabe's work ethic -- then he'd be worth the risk, if Fran feels that the returning frontcourt is good enough to keep the program improving, and that you don't need a juco forward.

you can't teach his size, power, and speed. one thing the staff has shown they can do is develop kids.
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Exactly and if he gives Iowa the career Gabe has had to date, I think it is worth the risk. He is 6'11" and 250 lbs. and seems to be grasping the game very quickly after reading that latest article on him. I know Gabe had better teammates, but OK is averaging, minus his first couple of games 17+ ppg and 13+ rpg...pretty impressive so far. The experience factor would come into play and redshirting him would be ideal if he were to come to IC.
 
sportstalent said:
Exactly and if he gives Iowa the career Gabe has had to date, I think it is worth the risk. He is 6'11" and 250 lbs. and seems to be grasping the game very quickly after reading that latest article on him. I know Gabe had better teammates, but OK is averaging, minus his first couple of games 17+ ppg and 13+ rpg...pretty impressive so far. The experience factor would come into play and redshirting him would be ideal if he were to come to IC.
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And playing against Gabe for a year and Woody for 2 years in practice would help him. Fran has proven to have a pretty good eye for talent. Whatever Fran decides is probably the right way to go. With this size the kid will definitely get a free college education and the opportunity to play college ball somewhere.
 
i live in Sioux City and have heard nothing but good things about Okwarabizie. very, very good athlete for his size.
 
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