Rick Issanza (C, 7'1", 225) to visit

[navery12]

Why only for next year?

People keep talking about him backing up Carlton next year. I think we can do much better than him in 2020

 

[Madmannsucks]

Seems to jump well for a big man. Not a lot of foot speed. Did not see a handle. Looks like a project. If his work ethic is good, he could be worth it.

 

[superjohn]

People keep talking about him backing up Carlton next year. I think we can do much better than him in 2020

Who? Cliff O is going to be really difficult to lock down.

 

[Ewekon]

I need a drowning bucket.

How can a fishy drown?

 

[navery12]

Who? Cliff O is going to be really difficult to lock down.

Cliff would obviously be option 1, but probably not likely. I would take Mark Williams and Dylan Cardwell over him. Probably Josh Gray as well though that's a toss up

 

[GemParty]

What are Mama’s options if he can’t play?

 

[pj]

People keep talking about him backing up Carlton next year. I think we can do much better than him in 2020

We don't know that, but there's room for three centers on the roster, and if we can do better than Issanza in 2020, that just means Issanza won't stop a recruit from coming here.

The guys you're mentioning, Cliff O, Mark Williams are not likely to be deterred by Josh Carlton and Rick Issanza, unless they both surprise on the upside.

I think Issanza will add a lot of value every year he's here, and increasing value each year. Take the bird in hand versus the vacant scholarship for a year followed by two birds in the bush that may never be caught. Bottom line, Issanza has NBA potential and complements the existing lineup. He'd be a great get.

 

[Kenny11]

What are Mama’s options if he can’t play?

I don't know but I wonder if he could be some type of student assistant (if he wants) and kind of learn under Hurley and staff about being a coach. I'm not sure if this has been done before and obviously it would only makes sense if Mama is interested in coaching in the future.

 

[navery12]

We don't know that, but there's room for three centers on the roster, and if we can do better than Issanza in 2020, that just means Issanza won't stop a recruit from coming here.

The guys you're mentioning, Cliff O, Mark Williams are not likely to be deterred by Josh Carlton and Rick Issanza, unless they both surprise on the upside.

I think Issanza will add a lot of value every year he's here, and increasing value each year. Take the bird in hand versus the vacant scholarship for a year followed by two birds in the bush that may never be caught. Bottom line, Issanza has NBA potential and complements the existing lineup. He'd be a great get.

Yeah I agree but it's that then we have 3 bigs because Whaley is still on the roster and at that point we have bigger needs than getting a 4th big.

If the staff thinks he can help, they know better than me. But the talk of NBA potential is absurd, he's tall and that's it

 

[Hey Adrien!]

The '19 options are weak, so I'd rather go grad transfer route this year for depth and then try to get an actually good big who can eventually replace Carlton in 2020.

Tops grad transfer bigs still available:

Kelvin Jones: 6'11 230 from Idaho State. Averaged 10/5.6/1.5b in 20.0 mpg.

Jalone Friday: 6'9 250 from Abilene Christian. Averaged 13.1/4.7 and 1 block in 21.9 mpg.

Jeff Pollard: 6'9 240 from Washington State. Averaged 4.8/2.6 in 18.1 mpg.

Romani Hansen: 6'8 200 from Savannah State. Averaged 9.5/5.5/1 block in 23 mpg.

Eric Hamilton: 6'9 250 from UNC-Greensboro. Averaged 6/4 in 16.3 mpg.

 

[CL82]

We have Sal to deal with that issue. He has a frame that will put on weight. He's not as skinny as Akok, for example.

Really? He looks skinnier to me. Agree about Sal. That takes time though. Again, I like the kid and I think he's a good get. I'm just not looking for a big impact year 1.

 

[pj]

Yeah I agree but it's that then we have 3 bigs because Whaley is still on the roster and at that point we have bigger needs than getting a 4th big.

If the staff thinks he can help, they know better than me. But the talk of NBA potential is absurd, he's tall and that's it

I guess I'm less concerned about Whaley because if he's 4th on the roster then he's not playing at all, and I think he may have enough credits to grad transfer for his 4th year. I like that Hurley is not forcing guys out, and since Whaley likes it here, it makes sense that he's not leaving this summer to go sit a year at an inferior school. I'm sure Hurley won't force anyone out a year from now either, but the calculus changes for the player once he has more players in front of him and can play elsewhere without having to sit. I think the roster issues will solve themselves.

NBA potential for Issanza -- I addressed that in an earlier thread. One-sixth of 7'1" guys play in the NBA. Issanza is ahead of most in high school basketball accomplishment. His odds of making the NBA are at least 50%. If he comes to UConn, they're better than that.

 

[navery12]

I guess I'm less concerned about Whaley because if he's 4th on the roster then he's not playing at all, and I think he may have enough credits to grad transfer for his 4th year. I like that Hurley is not forcing guys out, and since Whaley likes it here, it makes sense that he's not leaving this summer to go sit a year at an inferior school. I'm sure Hurley won't force anyone out a year from now either, but the calculus changes for the player once he has more players in front of him and can leave without sitting. I think the roster issues will solve themselves.

NBA potential for Issanza -- I addressed that in an earlier thread. One-sixth of 7'1" guys play in the NBA. Issanza is ahead of most in high school basketball accomplishment. His odds of making the NBA are at least 50%. If he comes to UConn, they're better than that.

I'm aware of your 1/6th of 7 footers are in the NBA, you seem aware of math so that means 5/6 aren't. I don't know what sort of spin you did in your head to get to 50% chance of the NBA but that's crazy. Top 50 recruits don't even odds that high, he's at best in the 300s and certainly not a lock for the NBA like you're making it sound

 

[pj]

Really? He looks skinnier to me. Agree about Sal. That takes time though. Again, I like the kid and I think he's a good get. I'm just not looking for a big impact year 1.

I could be wrong on skinniness as it is hard to tell from photos. Akok from last summer:

Issanza from 3 years ago:

 

[CL82]

I could be wrong on skinniness as it is hard to tell from photos. Akok from last summer:


Issanza from 3 years ago:

I look at Issanza's base and I think he'll be shoved all over the court against a mature big. I'd be glad to be wrong.

(I forgot how thin Akok was. Wow.)

 

[HuskyHawk]

For me at least the concern is that he doesn't appear to be strong enough to hold his ground in the college game. Don't get me wrong, I hope we get him, but I am not sure he'll have as big impact his freshman year as some posters appear to be hoping for.

In some ways our situation is perfect for him. He can get experience in snippets without the pressure of being relied on for major minutes and gets a year with Sal to build his core and base strength.

I'm not sure I agree with the not strong enough comment. He's not a complete string-bean. He looks fairly solid. Since most teams are rolling out power forwards at the 5 spot, his height alone would bother those players. We are talking about 10-15 minutes a game here. Is he less able to hold his ground that Whaley? I don't see that at all.

When I say "impact", I don't mean freshman Pat Ewing. I'm looking for 2-4 points, 3-4 boards and 1.5 blocks. I want a guy who doesn't immediately cause the other team to run a play to score inside every minute that Carlton sits. If you have this guy, Akok and Sid as your front court, that is going to discourage the ball from coming inside on the defensive end. That's a block party waiting to happen.

 

[pj]

I look are Issanza's base and I think he'll be shoved all over the court against a mature big. I'd be glad to be wrong.

(I forgot how thin Akok was. Wow.)

No doubt, a lot of strong players will get leverage underneath and push him out of position. But with his length and shot-blocking, he will often be able to recover.

I think it's a match-up thing. Carlton will be strong enough with another summer of work to contend with the strong guys. Issanza will add another dimension defensively against the teams that lack strong interior players. Guards won't easily get layups with him in the game.

 

[pj]

I'm aware of your 1/6th of 7 footers are in the NBA, you seem aware of math so that means 5/6 aren't. I don't know what sort of spin you did in your head to get to 50% chance of the NBA but that's crazy. Top 50 recruits don't even odds that high, he's at best in the 300s and certainly not a lock for the NBA like you're making it sound

Most under-20 7 footers aren't playing basketball in US high schools, so he's already way ahead of the 1/6th chance. Issanza has already invested 3 years in US high school and AAU basketball. He's ahead of most of the world's 7 footers. He's the #7 rated 7-footer in his high school class, Rivals.com 2019 Centers . About 7 7-footers per year make the NBA. That to me translates to him being right on the margin, roughly a 30-50% chance of making the NBA.

I never said he's a lock for the NBA. His NBA potential is higher than his college potential. A lot of guys shorter than him will have better college careers, but less chance at the NBA.

 

[cap10dingus]

All the talk constantly about not getting another C because we will have possible better options next year. What in the world will we do if Carlton misses ANY time never mind a large chunk of the season? We need a viable option back there if anything to ensure we show some progress as a program this year if Carlton gets hurt. We don't do that and the unthinkable happens, then we inevitably regress, all the positive momentum could quickly fall into a negative spiral. Who we recruiting then? Trust in Hurley to make the right call but I don't see that being anything but finding a big man that can minimally fight for rebounds if called on. Sure I think we could get away with small ball for a stretch or too but we are INSANELY thin down low and seem to be underestimating that. All that said this is assuming we have a spot to fill if not we are already rolling the dice.

 

[Kenny11]

All the talk constantly about not getting another C because we will have possible better options next year. What in the world will we do if Carlton misses ANY time never mind a large chunk of the season? We need a viable option back there if anything to ensure we show some progress as a program this year if Carlton gets hurt. We don't do that and the unthinkable happens, then we inevitably regress, all the positive momentum could quickly fall into a negative spiral. Who we recruiting then? Trust in Hurley to make the right call but I don't see that being anything but finding a big man that can minimally fight for rebounds if called on. Sure I think we could get away with small ball for a stretch or too but we are INSANELY thin down low and seem to be underestimating that. All that said this is assuming we have a spot to fill if not we are already rolling the dice.

This is a good point which has not been brought up. We always talk about guard depth because of AG's injury history but Carlton could get injured too. Maybe this kid could be a decent back up this season but also show enough growth to be the championship caliber player Hurley wants for the future? That would be the best of both worlds scenario but I have no idea if he possesses that type of potential or not.

 

[husky429]

Most under-20 7 footers aren't playing basketball in US high schools, so he's already way ahead of the 1/6th chance. Issanza has already invested 3 years in US high school and AAU basketball. He's ahead of most of the world's 7 footers. He's the #7 rated 7-footer in his high school class, Rivals.com 2019 Centers . About 7 7-footers per year make the NBA. That to me translates to him being right on the margin, roughly a 30-50% chance of making the NBA.

I never said he's a lock for the NBA. His NBA potential is higher than his college potential. A lot of guys shorter than him will have better college careers, but less chance at the NBA.

The big question to me is a risk/benefit analysis.

Short term less success with a better recruit (ntambwe or a 2020) vs a better next season but a likely longer rebuild

 

[Fishy]

How can a fishy drown?

If you have enough gin, I will show you.

 

[McLovin]

I'm aware of your 1/6th of 7 footers are in the NBA, you seem aware of math so that means 5/6 aren't. I don't know what sort of spin you did in your head to get to 50% chance of the NBA but that's crazy. Top 50 recruits don't even odds that high, he's at best in the 300s and certainly not a lock for the NBA like you're making it sound

Look at our most recent 7 footers: Brimah, Chuck, Thabeet. None are in the NBA / had any impactful NBA career. But all 3 were contributors in college on final four teams, and would take any of them for our current team in a heartbeat.

I also agree w need to pump the brakes on penciling in an unknown 7-footer to NBA because some skewed stat is promising a Yahtzee on the last roll.

 

[HooperScooper]

Look at our most recent 7 footers: Brimah, Chuck, Thabeet. None are in the NBA / had any impactful NBA career. But all 3 were contributors in college on final four teams, and would take any of them for our current team in a heartbeat.

Well....technically Brimah wasn't really a 7 footer (DraftExpress - Amida Brimah DraftExpress Profile: Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook). 6'10.75" in sneakers.

 

[superjohn]

Well....technically Brimah wasn't really a 7 footer (DraftExpress - Amida Brimah DraftExpress Profile: Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook). 6'10.75" in sneakers.

Probably 70% of 7 footers aren't really 7 footers.