under recruited due to questions concerning his amateur status?
Could Samson have been
- Thread starter gary2
- Start date
Pretty sure that was a good part of the reason. I think that in Samson we could have a player similar to Big Fella. Maybe not as dominant but a much better force inside than we have had recently. I like this pick up.
I like this pick up as well but must say that this story about his uncertain amateur status is confusing. How could his status have been so uncertain that it led the school he was committed to to release him and then miraculously less than a week later it gets resolved. Was that just a very big coincidence that Iona had no confidence in the resolution and almost immediately thereafter it gets cleared up.
We've been pretty tissue paper soft since the Gary Mcghee and Nasir days. I suppose Adams briefly brought a little muscle, but it will be nice to see some brute-ness down low again.
Pitt walked away from that center a couple yrs ago who I think ended up at Rutgers because of eligibility concerns .
Although not in the brute category, I'd also nominate Talib Zanna as pretty tough for what he was asked to do. He battled in the paint every night while being outsized by many of his opponents. Certainly not soft.
Completely disagree. Don't know what you were watching. Zanna (and Dante Taylor) spent four years getting pushed under the basket, away from any rebounds. And how many shots did he take inside that weren't blocked on the way up? He was as soft as a warm Brie. No offense...but are you nuts?--Nuts go well with Brie.
No. He's a 0 star recruit, full stop. If you think that he has some upside I can respect that opinion but he's an unskilled 6-7 power forward in a game where that has very little value any more. He might overachieve but he's fairly rated.
You think so? I loved Talib, but I always thought that he was a bit of a soft finisher at the rim.
I completely agree that he he wasn't explosive underneath (we haven't had that in a long time) and didn't finish like you'd want in a BE/ACC big man. I was referring to the player he became by his senior year. He didn't have the bulk that he could throw around with top ACC bigs underneath, but he used RAW STRENGTH and EFFORT--especially on defense. The post I replied to was looking for bigs who (among other things) were not soft. No way was Zanna soft. "Warrior" comes to mind.
He's not "brutish" and isn't Blair, two completely different bodies and games. He describes himself, like 90% of kids these days as a "stretch."
He is lean, not even remotely as thick as Blair, and isn't going to be flipping 7 foot centers over his back.
But, he is wiry, tough and tenacious. Seems to like battling for boards. Not a power player, more smooth and quick inside.
If we are going to reach for the stars in comparing him to Panther greats, Id say hopefully a poor man's Brian Shorter, wo the prototype post offense.
I don't know what makes you think Zanna got bullied underneath the basket. He averaged almost nine rebounds a game his senior year and single handily beat UNC in the ACC tournament grabbing 21 rebounds
Again, though, the catch is that Robinson was a consensus top 75 recruit in the country. That's a pretty big difference.
Well, that's a different thing.
Just comparing to what he might possibly be as a player, Nas seems to be a good comparison, smaller PF type who relies on quickness and tenacity to compete in the paint. This kid hopefully can actually shoot, we will see.
While Nas was fairly well regarded early in his prep career, he sort of rode out the 4 star thing rating wise and wasn't really viewed that way overall by the time he left HS.
But, yeah, this kid is definitely not even that.
Nas a pretty productive double double guy in college as a starter on a winning team, including a #1 seed.
If this kid is half as productive I'll be pleased
Again, none of this is personal. You like these players and I just don't see it at all. Neither one of us has access to any real tape though so we won't know the answer until they get to campus.
Personally I can see Illegomah's upside if I squint a little bit and I hope that as an upperclassman that he can possibly turn into a Zanna type. George though, him I just don't get. He's being projected as a grinder type but he's not a big kid, he could put on that weight but he doesn't have it now, he's really stiff and he isn't even a little bit explosive. He is going to have to shoot his way onto the court because his value as a rebounder isn't going to be nearly as high as everyone seems to be expecting here because he just isn't a high major athlete.
But my real issue with this recruiting strategy is twofold.
Firstly taking zero star kids has a real opportunity cost because it creates a scholarship question for next year which is a much more important class. Yes, Stallings has no problem running kids off but what's the point of recruiting a developmental player if you are going to run him off next year? It just creates too much uncertainty in the next two classes are much more important. None of these kids are going to be a lot of help now and adding George changes us from an 8 win team to an 8 win team.
Secondly, and more damaging, is that you get role players at a higher level by adding players with good attitudes who were stars at a lower level. You don't get them by adding role players from a lower level because the physical changes in the game as you progress become too much for attitude alone to overcome. Adding players who didn't average double digits on the prep level and expecting them to play right away in the ACC is a desperation move and not one that has even a fair chance of being a success.
My comment was not meant to be a personal attack.
DT had singled you out as one of the most, if not the most knowledgeable poster on the board. At the time, I pointed out that I had no definitive feelings about you (nothing that you had posted stuck with me).
Since that time, I have paid more attention to what you have posted. As a result, I am forming a more definitive view of you a poster. I expressed that in my comment. Nothing more was meant by it.
I watched four yrs of Brian Shorter and two yrs of Blair and both are two of the best Panther players of all time . If I had to pick between the two Shorter would be my pick , he was a beast and was unstoppable around the basket . A poor mans BS would be a great compliment to just about anyone . Had he been eligible his freshman yr Pitt would be hanging a national championship banner at the Pete !
Ps ...Billy Knight hands down the best Panther I ever saw play .
Hopefully he can battle for rebound and at least establish some position down low. Those also happen to be skills that translate to any style of hoops. It will be interesting to see what he can contribute going forward.
He was a fun player.
Had that medical condition that really sapped him his last year.
Shorter as a sophomore was as completely dominant as any Pitt player I've watched since 1980-1981. He completely controlled the offense through his post up.
He was a fine player 3 time AA . If KS had recruited him you'd have hated him !
Ps ... missing out on seeing BK and TD you missed out on seeing the two best players at their sport in Pitt hx .
Shorter and Blair for sure , I'd start with Billy Knight and Sam Clancy and although he was at Pitt for a yr Peabodys Mel Bennett was an exceptional talent that left school too early .
I'd like to see a held ball between Blair and Clancy . For those youngsters Sam who never played FB at Pitt went on to a very long career as a defensive lineman in the NFL . ( strongest guy on a bb court I ever saw at Pitt )
Strength #1 and some guys just have the knack for being in the right spot at the right time .
Agree on Billy Knight. he was incredibly fun to watch. that was a fun team that made a run to the elite 8 until they ran into NC State and David Thompson. From the cheap seats, I thought Blairs junior season was one of the best ever by a Pitt player. So was Shorters, but I think Blair was more impressive. his presence alone changed games. Didn't Blair win player of the year ? or runner up to Blake Griffin ? Where is Brian Shorter today ? what physical ailment brought him down, I don't think it was ever clear. Man, I wish Pitt had made the final 4 Blairs sophomore year !
Latest posts
-
-
-
Round 2 NFL mock draft: Best available prospects, predictions- Latest: AvonBarksdale
-
-
