2025 Recruiting: Niko Bundalo Update

[Ricker]

I also like Bundalo, at this point they could even afford to circle back with Ament and wait until spring for his decision. But at this point they're all in on Furphy, he will be a Husky.

Where are you seeing any recent info on Furphy?

 

[Glastonhusky]

Where are you seeing any recent info on Furphy?

I can't say, I wasn't even sure if I should post this. I don't hear a lot, but what I do hear has never been wrong.

 

[CL82]

When we were dating as college students, my wife would have moved on from me but for the fact that I was a much better typist than her and could be — let’s say incentivized — to type her term papers.

Lol, speaking from the other side of this, it's better to get the term paper finished first and avoid post "incentivizing" question "OK, so ready to type my paper?" awkwardness.

 

[CL82]

I don't hear a lot

There's no shame in getting hearing aids. Make an appointment. Good luck.

 

[Ricker]

I can't say, I wasn't even sure if I should post this. I don't hear a lot, but what I do hear has never been wrong.

Thanks for response. To bring in a third 6'5 guard in the same class would certainly surprise me. If it means Bundalo is going elsewhere than maybe we have decided we are playing our 6'5 guards as wings and rolling with Stewart/Ross/Abraham as our only forwards with size, at least for now. (Being close by, do you have Hurley's special room bugged?)

 

[ec33]

There's no shame in getting hearing aids. Make an appointment. Good luck.

When you don't hear voices you need hearing aids. When you do hear voices, you shouldn't listen to them.

Maybe learn to read lips?

 

[DogMania]

I can't say, I wasn't even sure if I should post this. I don't hear a lot, but what I do hear has never been wrong.

...and when you drink beer, you drink Dos Equis.

 

[FearThePups]

When we were dating as college students, my wife would have moved on from me but for the fact that I was a much better typist than her and could be — let’s say incentivized — to type her term papers.

I get. Quid pro quo.

 

[Glastonhusky]

Thanks for response. To bring in a third 6'5 guard in the same class would certainly surprise me. If it means Bundalo is going elsewhere than maybe we have decided we are playing our 6'5 guards as wings and rolling with Stewart/Ross/Abraham as our only forwards with size, at least for now. (Being close by, do you have Hurley's special room bugged?)

I don't have Hurley's house bugged yet, but I'm working on it. Going into next season with 3 pg's on the rooster would really surprise me. In any event, it will be good to wrap up the 25 class and concentrate on winning number 7.

 

[AllHusky]

I don't have Hurley's house bugged yet, but I'm working on it. Going into next season with 3 pg's on the rooster would really surprise me. In any event, it will be good to wrap up the 25 class and concentrate on winning number 7.

This is getting nutty, the speculation that is. I hope the staff is not scratching their heads as much as we are.

 

[alexd]

So @Glastonhusky.... Should we start a Jacob Furphy thread???

 

[RuffRuff]

Doesn’t Hurley live in Glastonbury? He getting his tips from Andrea at the local Banana Republic?

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Thanks for response. To bring in a third 6'5 guard in the same class would certainly surprise me.

I'm still all in on Furphy. I'm probably in minority with this take, but if we get him, I think he will have the most impact in this recruiting class during his career. Not flashy, just does everything right, like AK.

 

[GlastonTim]

I’m here in Glastonbury too and haven’t heard a thing but then I’m in South Glastonbury. Have been hanging around Sayulita’s bathroom, not a peep!

 

[RuffRuff]

Some rumblings elsewhere that Niko has reopened and may visit Arkansas. As quiet as things have been with him and his 4 finalists, now a few days after 3 of them signed guys, sounds like a strong possibility. Tea leaves pretty suggestive that this ship is sailing. Seems Furphy would be the 4th if DH did want to add another and my guess would be a longer term depth guy.



Very weird recruitment. Feels like he was all in on the Huskies and others fillers and the staff just went in another direction.

 

[Devland]

I sucked at typing. Hurt my class rank.

Before I retired, I used to proofread everything 2 or 3 times before I hit send. Typing on a message board I always just hit send. Sometimes I go back and cringe at my English or find out that autocorrect has changed something.

 

[navery12]

I don't have Hurley's house bugged yet, but I'm working on it. Going into next season with 3 pg's on the rooster would really surprise me. In any event, it will be good to wrap up the 25 class and concentrate on winning number 7.

From the little bit I've read I don't think Furphy is a PG. More of an offball guard who can facilitate a little bit the way Spencer did in the offense last year

 

[navery12]

 

[aburks41]

So bizarre. I guess that means we were recruiting him at a 5 instead of a Karaban replacement and he didn’t want to compete with Reed and Reibe for minutes.

Also, staff must feel confident that Ball is NBA bound after this season if we’re going to take Jacob Furphy. Interesting development lol

 

[444JR]

Stud. This coaching staff, as well already know, is well beyond reproach.

 

[RuffRuff]

Total stud - and talk about bringing some character to the table. The kid looks like when he’s not banging threes, he’s killing people on the rugby field.

To little surprise you can definitely see DH is shaping his roster with position-less tall guards that can shoot, around a versatile big/rim protector. Then to also have a true PG on roster as a change of pace, and in the event they need to break pressure.

Not even sure a traditional 4 is part of the scheme any longer, as he’d rather have better
movement. I’d agree that it’s pretty clear Niko was a backup to Reibe and that chances are better than not Solo gets to the draft. No question he wants to keep sending guys to keep the recruiting steamroller moving, as to start filling the league and push the brotherhood into his rear view.

 

[husky429]

Wrote this a while ago and never posted. I watched a couple more games yesterday and edited...

15.6 PTS
5.8 REB
0.8 AST (1.0 potential)

1.6 TO
0.4 STL
2.0 BLK

54% 2FG (7.4 attempts)
21% 3FG (4.8 attempts)
90% FT(2.5 attempts)

Overall:
I watched 7 games and a bunch of highlights from over the past 9 months or so. 6’9/6’10 and 215lbs sounds about right. Skilled for his size and rapidly improving. Athleticism is on the lower-end of our normal recruits. Shooting is not very good right now, but his free throws are pretty, and he’s getting tons of reps from deep with good form, so I expect in a year or two he’ll be an asset on limited volume. He’s in the mold of that Akok/Samson PF recruit we used to be after, but instead of prioritizing speed/hops, we are after some skill. Very different role than AK. I think anyone calling him a pure 4 probably hasn’t watched him play that much. He’s going to need to play both in college as he transitions to a 4 in the league–it will take time. I haven’t loved his attitude on the court at times. Fiery competitiveness is great…but he whines like a Dukie at the refs when things get emotional in games.

Offense:

• His calling card is his skill at 6’10. Driving, shooting, etc at his height is a rare ability. However, that perimeter skill is definitely still growing and needs work. The polish is not there. I see his as someone who could dominate in the NBA, but may not have a huge impact in college. Bigs develop late, especially the ones who are essentially learning guards skills while being 6’10+.
• Nice ball mover and doesn’t turn it over when passing, but doesn’t have really any consistent advanced passing reads. He isn’t hitting shooters when he drives, finding cutters, or posting up and kicking to shooters consistently. Would like to see him take more risks finding his cutters, kicking to shooters, etc.
• I think we need to dial is back on how much of a shooting asset he will be. FT form has improved tremendously and his % is great, so the indications are there he will be an asset in time. But like many young bigs the answer here is TIME. Even many of his two-point land misses are mid-range shots that he missed.
• Really like his shooting %s at the rim. Looks his best doing the dirty work inside. Has a basic jump hook with either hand and a 1-2 dribble post up that, while not polished, is effective enough to get the job done well as an inside-out presence.
• From what I can tell, he is an ambidextrous finisher. Plenty of baby hooks and layups with both hands.
• Loves to drive in the half-court, and since last HS season has gotten much more physical on his drives. IMO the best part of his game long-term and the skill that will get him to the league is his ability to take a big 1v1 to the rim. Seems to do his damage mostly at the left side of the rim.
• Does a lot of screen setting and rolling/popping like you’d expect from a stretch 5. Still learning the intricacies of creating space and sealing, but I see the potential.
• The other place where I see him being a huge asset is in his ability to rebound and run with the ball. Pushes the pace, defense on their heels, and can more the ball up the court well enough to find a guard to attack.
• Not sure if it’s just the teams he’s played for or an IQ/foot speed thing, but I haven’t seen much in the way of successful cutting from him.

Defense:

• He looks his best contesting shots on the drive or helping his teammates (he plays the 5 for his HS and quite a bit in AAU). He does a fantastic job of contesting without fouling. At one point he must have contested 15-20 shots in a half at the rim and only fouled once. Stays straight up almost religiously it seems.
• 1v1 post defense is not good. Both fundamentally with his footwork and balance, and in his size. He gets bullied, falls for fakes, and isn’t stopping even low-ranked bigs.
• His rebounding is improving rapidly. Last HS season I wrote a lot of “he’s soft” and “not violent enough”... he’s not quite there yet (bigs develop late), but I see a clear mental shift in his willingness to sacrifice the body to get the board. More boxing out and hitting people.
• What I don’t see the potential for right now is out-of-area rebounding. His feet are just not quick enough.
• Those not-so-quick feet on the perimeter shows up when he gets switched onto quicker players than him, even some PFs. He can get beat to the rim frequently. He’s got the length to still contest, but would like to see him stay in front more.

 

[ec33]

So bizarre. I guess that means we were recruiting him at a 5 instead of a Karaban replacement and he didn’t want to compete with Reed and Reibe for minutes.

Also, staff must feel confident that Ball is NBA bound after this season if we’re going to take Jacob Furphy. Interesting development lol

It could be about the relative expected minutes next year. Furphy may be on the Ross and (I am assuming) Abraham plan of not necessarily playing all that much as a freshman, whereas Bundolo would require minutes immediately.

This would imply Mullins choosing UConn impacted Bundalo. Now we see that after Mullins commits, Bundalo may be re-opening his recruitment.

 

[aburks41]

It could be about the relative expected minutes next year. Furphy may be on the Ross and (I am assuming) Abraham plan of not necessarily playing all that much as a freshman, whereas Bundolo would require minutes immediately.

This would imply Mullins choosing UConn impacted Bundalo. Now we see that after Mullins commits, Bundalo may be re-opening his recruitment.

Mullins and Bundalo do not remotely play the same position. They have zero impact on each other’s minutes. Bundalo would have been turned off by Reibe’s commitment

 

[superjohn]

If this is true it means UConn, Michigan State and Ohio State are no longer considering adding Bundalo.