Ish should be third behind the frosh guards. Chances we get any big man worth a damn when he's the 3rd NIL priority are real slim.
Papa Kante Narrative
- Thread starter BballinsiderfromPitt
- Start date
They added Papa a little late in the recruiting cycle so they weren’t really counting on him to provide the inside strength that this team badly needs . What that says to me is that they either grossly overestimated the development of both Fede and the twins or that they struck out in landing a quality big from the portal . My guess is that they struck out and will not make the same mistake again .
By the way what’s wrong with a big with a fade away jumper !
By the way what’s wrong with a big with a fade away jumper !
Finding a quality big in the portal is very hard to do unless you are a blue blood or throwing lots of NIL $$$ behind it.
Why are you changing your tune on papa now? You were high on him last year? You said he would be a key to this years success? @BballinsiderfromPitt
pittsburgh.forums.rivals.com
Are we going to get a Big?
Thanks for replying (nonetheless) Wouldn’t be too concerned. Roster is in fair shape despite being so young. The season is gonna hinge on whether or not Dior can make it thru the season, imo.
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So many of the teams Pitt has played this yr has had 1 or 2 physical bigs than would’ve fit the bill . I’m not talking about an AA type big just a guy who can stand his ground defensively and rebound and score around the basket .
IMO Fede looks far more explosive than PK but in the few times he did it in the film PK has a bit better footwork around the basket.
Based on some of the discussions on this board I though PK was a bit thicker than described and looks like a year or two in conditioning could give him more upside in terms of strength than GDG or his brother.
But I agree with your overall point, if you're expecting a kid whose HS career was based on mostly outside shooting to suddenly provide interior presence on offense, you're going to be really disappointed. Add in the fact that Fede appeared to be more explosive and athletic and hasnt developed much at all offensively and it begs the question as to whether or not any big who deeds to be developed will improve with this staff.
Also given that hes not as tall as GDG and not as explosive as Fede and is light in the pants, I doubt hed be an upgrade defensively next year. In fact, he looks like hed be more of a liability.
Id be more confident in his development if JD were leading the program because there were numerous bigs who they developed.
I’m still high on him? Absolutely nothing has changed from that post except tearing his knee in half, therefore ruining a year of development.Why are you changing your tune on papa now? You were high on him last year? You said he would be a key to this years success?
Are we going to get a Big?
Thanks for replying (nonetheless) Wouldn’t be too concerned. Roster is in fair shape despite being so young. The season is gonna hinge on whether or not Dior can make it thru the season, imo.
I wanted him to play a lot as fede’s primary backup because he does present a much higher upside than him and would hopefully be further along than him now.
Things happened now expectations change. That’s pretty simple. I didn’t expect him to be a savior day 1 as it states at the literal beginning of the post.
My Sanago comparison is way off because sanago is extremely thick and I don’t know if he lost weight not playing or lifting as much but he made GDG look like Hulk Hogan when I saw him.
Many things can be true. He can have the best long term potential on the team. He can be very limited next year based on a year off and an ACL tear. He can be the backup center next year. I’m not ruling that out. But the more I have seen of him, and the more info that becomes available (skinny, ACL tear) it would be unwise to think he comes in and saves the day. Look at the guys who were ranked higher than him and how they’re doing in year 1
It’s funny how player development always falls upon the coaching staff , what about the raw potential and work ethic of the player . Sam Young shot a 1000 jump shots a day , was his improvement because of JD or Sam’s desire to excel . I’d vote on Sam’s desire to excel
Who had more raw potential than JJ Moore ? Was it a failure of JD or was it just JJ never lived up to his potential. ( JJ IMO )
Who had more raw potential than JJ Moore ? Was it a failure of JD or was it just JJ never lived up to his potential. ( JJ IMO )
Do you think Capel has not gotten the benefit of the doubt when players improved? Everyone is in agreement Champ, Toney, Burton, Hinson all developed here?
How can you ignore Hugley/Fede regression and GDG lack of development and think that the staff will either
a) push the right buttons to motivate the player to get better
B) have the necessary tools to develop a big properly?
Most people may hate my opinions on here but I use evidence to back them up and not just silly sayings, put downs or blind faith
You said he was going to be a big part of this year’s success? Your comments last year were very different than they are now.
Guys improve and guys regress and I’m not saying that coaching is irrelevant , but most times I put it mostly on the players work ethic and god given natural abilities . Thinking that all the yrs of experience on the coaching staff that they haven’t seen every drill and motivational trick out there is highly unlikely and they’re not working with 10-12 yr olds .
So do the coaches say hey let’s work really hard with Champ , Burton Toney and Blake and let’s not waste our time with the likes of Fede etc …..I don’t think so . Champ and co are / were just more gifted players .
Great coaches put their athletes in the best possible situations for them to succeed and maximize their talents . Unfortunately Pitt has no other option other than putting Fede and GDG out their .
Fede drops passes , misses layups and dunks and shots 42% FTs and then makes a great play , is that a result of coaching or is that just who he is ? ( that’s who he is )
GDG biggest issue is that he isn’t physically strong enough to man the position and he lacks athleticism . But he has Bb skills and hopefully he’ll continue to gain strength and improve his athleticism , if he does he’ll be a valuable player for Pitt before he’s done .
He tore his ACL and lost a year of development? What is so hard to understand about that? That’s kind of an important part of the information ?
And LOL at thinking Phil, who rips on me constantly, is me. He came to my defense because you clearly didn’t read a word I said
You moved the goal post. .I just find ur flop to be bizarre.
You say he will be our best post player and should start this year in May and then start a thread now saying he would not have helped us or have played this year.
Were u wrong in May? Just trying to understand.
1) he tore his ACL. An important part of the information.
2). He may not reach his full potential year 1, but he needs to play and play a lot. This is how I started it.
His eventually starting was contingent on him playing a lot. Since GDG who has a similar skill set isn’t getting Fede’s minutes, I doubt Papa would. I had no idea how Rail thin he was.
He tore his ACL in September. In May you said he would be our best post and should start.
And then he transfered to Texas after UCF
So programs seem to think he has value
I’m pretty sure I didn’t say he didn’t have value? Good comprehension on this thread.
I said Capel said he was the best offensive player in the ACC. He was the one who was wildly wrong, not me.
It’s like you keep saying the same thing over and over again to make it say something I didn’t say.
I said he had to play and play early. He couldn’t and didn’t. He had the highest upside still.
This is really hard for you, I worry about you functioning in everyday life
It’s just weird how you flip flopped. And there are receipts that can easily be seen.
I would think now you might say you were wrong in may or were overexcited with the commitment at the time. But you are doubling down. Just weird behavior man. Don’t be too proud to admit you were wrong.
Just read what you said dude. And don’t delete it to cover ur tracks!
Why would I delete it? You clearly have issues reading. HE DIDNT PLAY. That was a key component to eventually starting. He tore his ACL. A KEY TWIST TO HIS DEVELOPMENT.
I’m shocked this needs spelled out, but a guy who’s never played college basketball, who looks rail thing, coming off an ACL injury, isn’t gonna replace a 2 year incumbent starter.
Ok bro. Whatever you need to tell yourself. You should have just taken the L but whatever.
Lol taken the L. For a guy missing the season with an ACL injury and not expecting much out of him over a 24 year old 2 year incumbent starter. You’re a weirdo
He does have value. But he's shooting 36.6% on threes and 39.7% on twos (literally, worse than every player on Pitt's team including Will Jefferss), and is a guard with an assist rate significantly lower than Guillermo Diaz Graham.
So he doesn't have a lot of value.
Based on his rank, this is what I would expect:
FR: 10 MPG 3-4 PPG
SO: 15 MPG 5-6 PPG
JR: 25 MPG 10-12 PPG
SR: 30 MPG 14-16 PPG
Elite defensive player in high school basketball, Elite on the hedge, great floor runner, you can switch constantly with him on the defensive end as he can keep smaller quicker players in front of him, good on the glass, plays with 110% tenacity and outwills people with effort on the floor. He plays the game HARD when he plays which is old school Pitt basketball in the golden era. Was the best defensive player on the best defensive team in the entire EYBL. As long as his injury heals fine which all indications it will, he will be the best defender and rebounder on the team on Day 1.
He's in development on offense. Can make some midrange shots and 3s but is inconsistent there, but does most of his damage in the interior. He can pound the offensive glass for putbacks and is a good finisher 10 feet and in. Shot almost 60% in the EYBL which is big time.
This is him at the Pangos All American Camp, which is a selection only camp for the best of the best high school players in the country.
Jeff Capel and staff only go 3 and 4 deep for very, very few select players in the EYBL. Judah Mintz, RJ Davis, Papa Kante, etc.. The former 2 are 2 of the best players in the ACC this year. Capel wanted Kante bad, and the staff thought they were going to get him in the early signing period. In the upcoming EYBL, expect the Pitt staff to be deep 3 and 4 deep for Meleek Thomas and Derek Dixon in the EYBL. They want these 2 players bad too.
Kante is 6'10 with a 7'4 wingspan and weights 235lb. He is far from skinny.
Max Amadasun continues to shine. Like Hugley, his stats are far better than anyone we have brought in the post in years and that includes Mike Young when Young played at St. Benedict's. And unlike most high school schedules, Amadasun is doing it against a Nationally Tough schedule against quality players. His stats are very good and his team is beating everyone else right now. He also has the athletic ability to help him early.
My early prediction for next season is that Hugley, Odukale, and Horton will be significant contributors and Amadasun and Collier will be minor contributors. I expect Amadasun and Collier to help more on defense and on the glass with limited roles. Collier is still quite raw on offense and shooting after this season at Westtown but he will help with our press defense and substantially help in our 2-3 zone defense as Westtown plays a lot of 2-3 zone with traps.
I also think even with Will Jeffress likely coming to Pitt and with Jeffress shot making improvement “this” season, Jeffress is also behind Hugley, Odukale, and Horton at this time in terms of early impact. And while that is not a slight to Jeffress but rather, I am saying that Capel has hit a home run with these 3 players on next years team.
Not sure I’ll take your word for it on his defense when he’s the biggest guy on the court every game with these 2020 predictions, particularly Max Amadasun who if anyone saw in person in HS and thought he was a HM D1 should’ve been reprimanded to watching WPIAL the rest of their lives
I can see Amudusun transferring to a low major next season. Would be a decent NEC player.
He's averaging 6 mins a game at St. Bonnies. Whatever LM staff that is taking him must want to be fired.
Ill leave it to the experts on this board but when I watch tape of PK, I just dont see the explosive high side athlete or strong inside big that would project him being much more than what we've seen from Fede or GDG. He doesnt seem all that quick or strong in the tapes I've seen. I think theres as good a chance that GDG gets a bit stronger or Fede develops as much as this kid developing with this staff and they have a few years of maturity on him.
This staff desperately needs to find a No1 Big. in the portal
This staff desperately needs to find a No1 Big. in the portal
You haven't been paying attention if you haven't noticed that he plays both sides of the coin as much as SMF, yet somehow has an even bigger ego.
Its not the "experts" on this board.
Its Jeff Capel and our coaching staff. Our head coach and the assistants were front and center for Papa Kante and the NY Rens constantly in the EYBL. And the head coach and our assistants thought he was the top prospect to go after in that recruiting class. Now you can play devils advocate and say they were also there for Tylaur Johnson who was also on the same team as Kante, but Jeff Capel stopped recruiting Tylaur Johnson for Jaland Lowe.
You dont need to be an expert, a recruiting analyst or need inside information for this. All you have to do is watch a few EYBL games and see where the head coach and the assistants are. If our head coach and our assistants are consistently 3 and 4 deep for 1 particular player that plays on 1 particular team or at least 2 deep consistently with the head coach present, we want that player badly regardless of what anyone else thinks. You saw this previously with players like RJ Davis and Judah Mintz. If we are only sending 1 assistant coach to watch a player and that assistant coach is walking around watching 3 EYBL games at once while watching that player, then that player is NOT a priority. See Jaylen Curry for an example when we stopped recruiting him as the EYBL sessions continued and the Pitt coaches were no longer going to his games.
You will see it this coming EYBL for Derek Dixon and Meleek Thomas. There may be another player or so that also takes priority by our staff over everyone else that we are recruiting. Does that mean Kante is going to be a star because he was a top priority for Capel? No, it does not. But it was a major recruiting win over many quality power 6 programs that spent countless hours and years trying to recruit him.
Just saying I dont see it thats all. Jeffers was a major get. I could certainly be wrong but to BBInisders point, IMO Fedes tape was more impressive against better competition that Pks. I guess we'll find out beginning next year but again to BBinsiders point, expecting this kid to make major contributions is probably not fair to the kid.
What exactly do you mean better competition? College? The EYBL is the top high school basketball league in the country and it isnt remotely close.
Let me take it one step further for those not familiar with the EYBL. Some EYBL teams may have 3 or 4 five star players playing on the same team. Some EYBL teams have 6 or 7 top 100-150 nationally ranked recruits playing on the same team. Obviously not all EYBL teams are equal, but comparing Kentucky and Duke to Alabama State isnt equal either.
All EYBL teams have at least some talent. Some EYBL teams would completely smash a lot of D1 college teams. It doesn't get any more elite pre college.
Now I see what bballinsider wrote. And that's laughable regarding Juco college vs the EYBL as the top teams in the EYBL would slaughter the juco teams.
Dior Johnson has scored 40+ points 4 games in a row in Juco college. He is completely destroying JUCO. And Dior wasn't even a top 40 player in high school basketball.
I mean for Pete sake, Chris Payton played on a top 5 juco team and I believe was a juco all american. And Payton couldn't get off the bench at Pitt. And Indian Hills is going to beat an EYBL team with 4 five star NBA players on it? Yea right.
LOL. Yeah, I'm sorry that the information on Kante has changed, as of course would his progression, playing time and long term potential with a torn ACL and I don't believe he can be counted on to unseat a 2 year starter at Center now. I should definitely just bury my head in the sand like you and him and use no new information to formulate opinions.
You guys probably drive in your cars with masks on.
I know you're dumb, I know this. But you don't seriously believe that, do you?
Lemme guess, you think Montverde can win low major leagues too because their kids will be pro's eventually too.
You've said thousands of stupid things before. THOUSANDS. Some I quoted from your 2020 class projections in this thread. But MY GOD does this take the cake.
Yes, the best Juco teams in the country are better than the best EYBL teams. That is not an opinion.
You putting stock into anything that happens in high school/AAU where real basketball isn't played is why you're 2/100 on projections.
We are talking about juco basketball.
And Yea, they absolutely would.
And Cooper Flagg would win player of the year. Easily. Cooper Flagg at 16 years old would have been the JUCO player of the year. Easily. Cooper Flagg is going to be the runaway favorite for ACC player of the year next year.
These are the same type of players going to Duke and Kentucky. They would out talent juco without even blinking.
Although then again, you questioned how good Dior was. And he is embarrassing the rest of juco basketball.
He's averaging 13 and 10 for D2 Augusta. Dont tell me he couldnt get time for St. Francis.
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