Filling our 2 Open Scholarships

[boog204]

Atz
Mandeldove, Wayne Garrison, Scottie Harrelson (I know he was pretty highly ranked but totally one-dimensional), Jeff Calhoun, Gilead Katz, the list goes on and on. That was always my one knock on JC. He'd use every scholarship and bring in these 5 or 6 player classes, we'd have success, then they'd all leave and the cupboard would be bare/NIT.

In what universe was Scotty Harralson highly ranked? And from my memory, Gilad was considered a nice pickup. Obviously, he wasn't very good but he did play a bit. You forgot some of our other late season recruits like Ben Eaves, Chad Wise, Jamaal Trice, Robert Swain, DeWitt McCall (never actually played here), Hilton (the only one that worked) ...

 

[Stainmaster]

What about Justin Simon? With the ties to JA, I feel like we have a solid chance at atleast being in the mix for him. If we could conceivably bring in him and hami for 2017, that's enough to make any yarder wet their pants.

According to a Jon Rothstein tweet, we aren't one of the dozen or so schools that's reached out to him.

 

[KemBuckets21]

According to a Jon Rothstein tweet, we aren't one of the dozen or so schools that's reached out to him.

Yeah, I deleted my post after seeing that. Makes sense for him though.

 

[Matrim55]

I think Vital would complement this team nicely as a 4 year player...

How sure of that are you? He's a highly rated 3-star, but... that still makes him a 3-star. So far Ollie has recruited 4 3-star players:

Brimah (starter)
Samuel (transferred)
Lubin (transferred)
Cassell (graduated, then transferred)

I'm wary of going for 3-star guys unless they're academic studs who won't hurt our APR if they leave (Samuel & Lubin both hurt ours a little bit). The fact that Vital initially chose UNLV makes me more than a little bit skeptical on that front.

I trust KO on just about everything, but our track record with 3-star players doesn't inspire a ton of confidence.

 

[tcf15]

@Matrim55 I think that's just the nature of recruiting 3-star players, and not necessarily an indictment on the staff. Brimah was a success, as was Nolan and hopefully Mamadou is as well.

It would be interesting to see the recruiting rankings of the players that decided to transfer every year - it wouldn't be surprising if the majority are three star players.

 

[Matrim55]

@Matrim55 I think that's just the nature of recruiting 3-star players, and not necessarily an indictment on the staff. Brimah was a success, as was Nolan and hopefully Mamadou is as well.

For sure - I'm not super set against it. I just think that we're bending reality a little bit if we automatically assume a 3-star guy is going to be a 4-year player. The numbers lately have not born that out.

Diarra has been moved up to a consensus 4-star from what I've seen, btw.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

How sure of that are you? He's a highly rated 3-star, but... that still makes him a 3-star. So far Ollie has recruited 4 3-star players:

Brimah (starter)
Samuel (transferred)
Lubin (transferred)
Cassell (graduated, then transferred)

I'm wary of going for 3-star guys unless they're academic studs who won't hurt our APR if they leave (Samuel & Lubin both hurt ours a little bit). The fact that Vital initially chose UNLV makes me more than a little bit skeptical on that front.

I trust KO on just about everything, but our track record with 3-star players doesn't inspire a ton of confidence.

From what I've seen (Yes, highlight videos are not usually very trustworthy to judge a player's talent) Vital has a real nice stroke. Plus his main attributes are "good defense" and "plays with a chip on his shoulder" along with a good 3 pt shot. I thoroughly believe that if you are 6'2", can play defense and shoot from 3, you will succeed in college basketball. Brimah is one-dimensional, Samuel couldn't shoot to save his life, Lubin has very little offensive touch/awareness and Cassell was ridden by injuries and ultimately too slow. If I'm building a team, and I'm told my fourth/fifth guard is a 6'2" combo guard who plays with a fire on defense and can stroke the 3, then there's more than enough room on my team for him. Provided he at least somewhat lives up to that billing... But what a nice luxury it would be to bring 2 shooters off the bench in Jackson and Vital. All Vital would have to do is sit in the corner to open up the offense, and provide defensive insurance for Purvis if he's injured/in foul trouble.

 

[Matrim55]

From what I've seen (Yes, highlight videos are not usually very trustworthy to judge a player's talent) Vital has a real nice stroke. Plus his main attributes are "good defense" and "plays with a chip on his shoulder" along with a good 3 pt shot. I thoroughly believe that if you are 6'2", can play defense and shoot from 3, you will succeed in college basketball. Brimah is one-dimensional, Samuel couldn't shoot to save his life, Lubin has very little offensive touch/awareness and Cassell was ridden by injuries and ultimately too slow. If I'm building a team, and I'm told my fourth/fifth guard is a 6'2" combo guard who plays with a fire on defense and can stroke the 3, then there's more than enough room on my team for him. Provided he at least somewhat lives up to that billing... But what a nice luxury it would be to bring 2 shooters off the bench in Jackson and Vital. All Vital would have to do is sit in the corner to open up the offense, and provide defensive insurance for Purvis if he's injured/in foul trouble.

The question isn't "can he do that?" It's "is he willing to do that for four years?"

 

[KemBuckets21]

The question isn't "can he do that?" It's "is he willing to do that for four years?"

Lets hope so. If the kid has dreams of getting paid to play basketball, there should be a spot for a guy with those skills on a team in Italy, Greece, Spain or one of the other foreign leagues.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

The question isn't "can he do that?" It's "is he willing to do that for four years?"

Well if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. He can leave. It's worth a shot if he can shoot and play defense.
Plus it seems like there is a very good chance he wants to come here.

 

[444JR]

Want: Taurean Thompsnon and Alpha Diallo

This for sure. With hopes that Diallo, Larrier, and Jackson(to a lesser extent) all possess shades of the positional versatility, with respect to their individual skill sets, that Hamilton displays(ability to play 2-4). Two more top 100 espn guys would likely push the '16 class back into the top 5, further building on the program's positive momentum and adding quality depth players who could mature into upperclassman studs all in one move.

Taurean Thompson: ESPN Updated 01/18/2016
Strengths:
A developing big man who possesses physical tools and budding skill alike, Thompson is an intriguing long-term prospect up front. He's got a long and solid build that should fill out naturally, good athleticism to run the floor and play up and around the rim, and the skill to knock down mid-range jumpers and even put the ball on the floor once or twice within the flow of the offense.
Weaknesses:
There's a level of fluidity lacking in his game right now, but it probably has less to do with his agility than it does his overall offensive instincts. His feel and understanding for the game is still limited and so he's very much still a work in progress. He doesn't really have a game with his back to the basket just yet and tends to be more comfortable facing up.
Bottom Line:
He was on the verge of a breakout sophomore season before being derailed by injury, but is now starting to rapidly climb recruiting boards around the northeast and beyond.

Alpha Diallo:
Updated 01/18/2016
Strengths:
Diallo has that prototypical Division I frame with extraordinary length. He has the physical tools to be a high-major finesse 4-man due to his evolving ball skills and athleticism. In transition he can slash his way to the rim or pull-up and nail the mid-range jump shot. In the half court set he can get into the triple threat position and take his defender off the dribble due to his quick 1st step. In addition, he showed improved passing skills as he dropped off a few impressive passes.
Weaknesses:
Diallo needs to improve the range on his jump shot. He can knock down the occasional 3-point shot, but his release point on his shot is quite low. In terms of decision making he needs to make more sound decisions with the ball and not try to make a play on every possession.
Bottom Line:
Diallo is one of the more promising prospects in Colorado. If he can improve his perimeter shot and decision making , he will garner interest from the high-major level.