Rafael Maia
- Thread starter gary2
- Start date
If true, not much to get excited about but we need the help badly, so it's certainly not bad news.
That would be great news Gary!
Thanks.
But, yeah, you never know until you know... and then sometimes...
BB.... I guess I would have preferred Thorne and his 275 but.... this guy can play so we would have a solid 3 man rotation of Young, Artis and Maia... with Nix the 3rd man in at C and Luther the 3rd man in at PF.
If this happens.... THEN we get to see how Dixon handles the rotation. Start Maia and Young, and bring Artis off the bench? Start Artis at SF (which IMO is not a good idea). Start Young and Artis and bring Maia off the bench (if this is what Dixon is telling him I would be surprised if he comes here..... was a starter and all Ivy League honorable mention... the guy is a REBOUNDER). Yeah, I think he would start and the only question is Artis coming off the bench or starting at SF.
@leebeeowh: #huskers #bigten #nebrasketball Source tells OWH that Brown Sr. C Rafael Maia to sign with Pitt. Tim Miles visited Maia last week.
Zero chance this guy starts and Artis goes to the bench. Zero, zilch, nada. As Matt has said, both of the grad transfers understand that they are coming in as complimentary players not starters.
The starting lineup next season is essentially set at the 1-4-5 with Robinson, Artis, Young. 2/3 will probably be Chris Jones and Jeter, but that's not nearly set in stone.
A bench of Sterling Smith, Maia, Newkirk, Cam Johnson and Nix doesn't sound so bad though.
If our starting lineup is basically the same as last year then we have big problems. I hope Nix loses a few more pounds and can play 20 minutes a game.
This guard transfer better score 12-14 per game or it's the same garbage all over again
Jeter and Artis don't play defense and Newkirk is a liability when he gets near the ball
Good Luck Coach Dixon
This guard transfer better score 12-14 per game or it's the same garbage all over again
Jeter and Artis don't play defense and Newkirk is a liability when he gets near the ball
Good Luck Coach Dixon
I doubt Smith is at Pitt to be a complimentary player. Assuming he's the player he appears to be, Smith should get the most minutes of anyone at the 2, and should play as many minutes as he can stay on the floor. Jones and Johnson come off the bench at both wing spots ideally. Neither has the quickness or handle to be a good 2. Both are more natural 3s. We could go small with some mixed combinations of these guys at times. If Maia can bang and rebound, he's got plenty of minutes coming as well. The ACC ain't the Ivy League so the jury's out on that. Hopefully he gets to Pitt, we need the big body. Still don't feel that Nix will be any sort of factor for us. I'll be very happy to be wrong about that.
I do not know who will be on the court for the opening tip, but I bet both S.Smith and R.Maia will play starters minutes. (Of course that would change if we also get Sterling Gibbs)
I have to agree with you on this one also BB.
Remember that Jones was starting to struggle last year and Dixon moved Jeter into the starting slot at SF and used Jones off the bench there.... and he did much better coming off the bench. Meanwhile, Smith is a true guard and is probably a better defensive player at guard than Jones... and he can hit the 3ball for sure which would be a big step up from Wright.
So, I would think it would be Smith and Jeter starting at the 2 and 3... with Jones and Johnson off the bench there.
If Sterling Gibbs were to sign with us... then probably a 3 man rotation at guard of Robinson, Gibbs and Smith with the former two starting. Jeter, Jones and Johnson would split the time at SF.
As far as the inside is concerned.... I haven't seen Maia play but... he reminds me a bit of... Talib Zanna... looks a bit like Talib and about the same size and his forte... is he is a REBOUNDER... and Dixon loves rebounders. So, I could see bringing Artis off the bench but.... I don't know if Dixon would do that. So, I don't know what he would do. BIG PROBLEM, as I see it, of Mike Young getting worn down playing C to the point where he was not playing the hedge as games wore on. And, our biggest problem... as we all know... is we SUCKED on defense last year and one would guess... Dixon is gonna do something about that (yeah, maybe not... only time will tell).
NBC Sports is now reporting the Maia has committed.
I was wrong on one thing though... he does not look like Talib Zanna... that is Brown's OTHER inside player.
More of a bruiser and rebounder. Led the IVY league in rebounding in each of the last three seasons. THAT is saying something. Also averaged 9.9 PPG.
I would guess... Young and Artis still start but you get Maia into the game early and starter minutes off the bench. But, starting Young and Artis still does not do much for our D.
This probably means Mike Young plays like half his time at PF. We will have to see if this means him getting less worn down or not.
NBC Sports is also stating the Sterling Gibbs will be visiting next week.
I was wrong on one thing though... he does not look like Talib Zanna... that is Brown's OTHER inside player.
More of a bruiser and rebounder. Led the IVY league in rebounding in each of the last three seasons. THAT is saying something. Also averaged 9.9 PPG.
I would guess... Young and Artis still start but you get Maia into the game early and starter minutes off the bench. But, starting Young and Artis still does not do much for our D.
This probably means Mike Young plays like half his time at PF. We will have to see if this means him getting less worn down or not.
NBC Sports is also stating the Sterling Gibbs will be visiting next week.
I think this kid is a good get, we need big time a rebounder and from his stats, he is a blocker as well.
Would be a great news also if we get Sterling Gibbs. Don't let him leave the door
without committing to Pitt. Wishful thinking. `.`
Would be a great news also if we get Sterling Gibbs. Don't let him leave the door
without committing to Pitt. Wishful thinking. `.`
Perfectly fine with this get. Goes well with Sterling Smith and Rozelle Nix. Now, if Dixon and Co. can land Sterling Gibbs and either get Wilson qualified or get him to a reliable prep school to enroll at Pitt next season, I think Pitt's in decent shape.
RS SR - Rafael Maia
RS SR - Sterling Smith
RS SR - Sterling Gibbs ???
JUCO - Rozelle Nix
FR - Damon Wilson ???
Really addressed the need at guard there, especially if Gibbs makes his way to Oakland, and give Young much better options to help as C than Uchebo and Randall were... It's a stop gap fix but it's really hard to be down on some of these guys. The only better, realistic option would've been Thorne instead of Maia. But, again, Maia sounds like a nice fit here. Likely a more seasoned, improved version of Randall. With Nix being a a larger version of Uchebo sans the ailing knee issues. And, Smith/Gibbs likely better than Wright at SG as well.
RS SR - Rafael Maia
RS SR - Sterling Smith
RS SR - Sterling Gibbs ???
JUCO - Rozelle Nix
FR - Damon Wilson ???
Really addressed the need at guard there, especially if Gibbs makes his way to Oakland, and give Young much better options to help as C than Uchebo and Randall were... It's a stop gap fix but it's really hard to be down on some of these guys. The only better, realistic option would've been Thorne instead of Maia. But, again, Maia sounds like a nice fit here. Likely a more seasoned, improved version of Randall. With Nix being a a larger version of Uchebo sans the ailing knee issues. And, Smith/Gibbs likely better than Wright at SG as well.
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I think Maia and Nix are a big improvement over Randall and Uchebo (not sure Haughton actually exists).
I'm not sure why some posters think that Nix is going to be a complete non-factor. After Adams and Gilbert left, Randall was the best option only because he was a divison 1 guy who could play immediately because Rice had chucked basketballs at him. Uchebo was worth the risk because he obviously had talent. Unfortunately, he could not run or jump. I'm not sure what kind of JUCO team or league Haughton played for, but it seemed difficult to even find accurate stats for him. And the ones I did find were very unimpressive except for blocked shots.
By contrast, Nix was the first team C in what I believe is a good JUCO conference. He appears to be a good guy and a hard worker with good hands. Now we are adding a guy who was the leading rebounder in the Ivy League. These two guys seem like a nice upgrade to me.
I'm not sure why some posters think that Nix is going to be a complete non-factor. After Adams and Gilbert left, Randall was the best option only because he was a divison 1 guy who could play immediately because Rice had chucked basketballs at him. Uchebo was worth the risk because he obviously had talent. Unfortunately, he could not run or jump. I'm not sure what kind of JUCO team or league Haughton played for, but it seemed difficult to even find accurate stats for him. And the ones I did find were very unimpressive except for blocked shots.
By contrast, Nix was the first team C in what I believe is a good JUCO conference. He appears to be a good guy and a hard worker with good hands. Now we are adding a guy who was the leading rebounder in the Ivy League. These two guys seem like a nice upgrade to me.
I would hope Smith can start over Jones. Jones cant play D and is inconsistent shooting the 3. I dont know about Smith's D but it cant be worse than Jones's. If Smith is the best shooter on the team, he'll start.
Maia is an interesting case. He was the leading rebounder in the Ivy and 43rd in the nation. That's really good and basketball people always say rebounding is one skill that translates to every level. If he can rebound at that level, he has to play a lot.
Say what you want about Smith and Maia but they are probably the best shooter and rebounder on our team and if that's the case, both will either start or play more than complimentary minutes.
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I do think there is a greater chance that Smith starts, no question. A lot of that has to do with my opinion that Chris Jones is really best suited at playing SF instead of SG, but I do think that will be a good battle to see who starts. I could see the 2G minutes being close to split between the two of them. Look, Jones didn't have a great year last year, but at times he was pretty good. Look at both Syracuse games, the game at Duke, the ACC Tournament game, Chris played well in all those games. He was just inconsistent, and like you said the defense was constantly a struggle. That being said, people do get better, and I don't think its a stretch to think Jones would have averaged the same, if not probably better numbers in the MEAC than Sterling Smith. Smith does shoot it better though.
In any event, especially given the defensive struggles of Cam Wright, I think SG combo of these two will be an improvement.
Maia probably leapfrogs Nix in the rotation, at least to start. First big off the bench and can spell either Artis or Young. If he has that role, he's gonna play significant minutes, I just don't see him starting.
I can't see Artis going to the bench either. Would not be shocked if startling lineup was JRob, Smith, Artis, Young, Maia. They may have understood they are coming as complimentary players, but it doesn't mean they will not earn time or be given opportunities. I like both Jones, Jeter, and C Johnson coming off the bench. Luther and Nix in the mix, and hopefully Newkirk uses the summer and gets back on track. Not convinced on paper they will be an NCAAT team, but the depth of quality on the roster is improved (by both deletion and additions).
Chris Jones may be the biggest key -- and as you mentioned -- whether he is best suited to play SF or 2G.
It should also be interesting to see if Jamie wants to retry Jamel as a SF, where he certainly struggled last year.
Accordingly, Shelton was more successful as a three, instead of at the four.
Stinks that Durand's gone. But, admittedly feeling much better with Maia and Smith in the fold. Gibbs opting for Pitt and Wilson becoming eligible would make us all feel a lot better though.
If our starting 5 is Jrob, Chris Jones, Jeter, Artis and Young then I am petitioning the NCAA to allow Pitt to leave the ACC for one year and compete in the WPIAL AAAA section 1.. And then I would still be worried because I doubt that lineup could finish above Latrobe, Kiski Area or Penn Trafford..
Sounds like a good addon. The importance of rebounding to this program's success gets underemphasized.
Don't underestimate Smith as a rebounder either. He has some pretty nice rebounding stats for a guard.
