And has hops like that? Dang. Sight unseen I'd say he's AT LEAST A10/high major level, maybe better. Pitt better take a look. I know its 3A but still. Guess they could always get him in the portal in a few years if he blows up at a mid-major.
Steel Valley player averaging 36 PPG????
- Thread starter Sean Miller Fan
- Start date
And has hops like that? Dang. Sight unseen I'd say he's AT LEAST A10/high major level, maybe better. Pitt better take a look. I know its 3A but still. Guess they could always get him in the portal in a few years if he blows up at a mid-major.
His recruitment is very odd. I don’t know if he has grade issues or what but this kid is a legit mid major player for sure. I don’t understand how Robert Morris doesn’t feast on these types, who unlike the stars they get from out of the area may not leave the second they get a chance to. Unless obviously a big ten or ACC school comes calling.
He had some offers early (I think they’re all dried up) and I’ve had a few coaches ask me about him (I don’t know much other than about his game) but it seems like no one really does much but kick the tires on this kid.
He’s a legit athlete too. Probably HM athlete as you see in the video.
His Twitter says he has a 3.0 GPA.
Doesn't Steel Valley also have a few more potential D1 football recruits, in addition to Brookins? Or maybe I just read that from Steelcurtain55, who thinks our entire roster needs to be comprised of players within a 20-mile radius and we should be the Pitt WPIALs. Nevertheless, seems like they shouldn't loose too many basketball games with this dude and Brookins.
Doesn't Steel Valley also have a few more potential D1 football recruits, in addition to Brookins? Or maybe I just read that from Steelcurtain55, who thinks our entire roster needs to be comprised of players within a 20-mile radius and we should be the Pitt WPIALs. Nevertheless, seems like they shouldn't loose too many basketball games with this dude and Brookins.
I'm pretty sure this kid played football this year, too. Maybe college basketball coaches are worried he is going to try with both like that kid from Montour at VT did years ago?
Reminds me a bit of Thierou I guess in that his rise came from a senior HS season and not AAU. Never saw Thierou play. Havent seen this kid either but with that type of athleticism plus 36 PPG at any level, you are guaranteed D1 somewhere and probably at least A10 level as I said.
Couple other notes on WPIAL kids:
- Vinnie Cugini from Aquinas who broke the WPIAL scoring record, but is playing vs girls teams got a scholarship to PSAC member Pitt-Johnstown, a level way higher than I think many people thought. That's good D2.
- Keondre Deshields from LH. Tell me he isnt better than Rodney Gallagher. I figured this kid was a mid-major to A10 basketball recruit but then I saw he is going to St. Francis (PA) for football, which is the lowest level of FCS ball there is. What???
- Gallagher - I know he decided to focus on football but his basketball game seems to have peaked in 9th/10th grade. Lets say he decided to do basketball now and goes to Prep next year, I'm not even sure he's a Top 250 type recruit. Too small, not a good enough shooter. Not overly quick. Cant imagine he's any better than Nelly was in HS.
- Drexel just offered a kid from the West Hills Area (Montour or somewhere around there I think).
Way off on your Deshields/Gallagher eval.
Gallagher should’ve focused on hoops. He’s an elite level PG. If he learned how to shoot would have an insane college career.
It's funny, but shooting has derailed more basketball careers than anything else. That was Terrelle Pryor's weakness. It is why a kid like Micah Mason who was poo pood here was successful in college. It is what got TJ McConnell to college even when he was way undersized and didn't yet grow.
So many of these great athletes in HS just can get whatever they want on a HS basketball court, they never really focus too much on a jumpshot.
Hell, that was primarily our achilles heel from the guard positions on even our best teams.
What level do you think Deshields is?
You may be right about Gallagher and the reason he hasnt improved is probably largely due to football but some guys do peak early. He may have just peaked. I agree though that he should have chosen basketball. I haven't seen him play football but it doesn't seem like he dominates those games playing band nerds from Southmoreland.
D2. He’s a 6’5 big.
The fact not one team outside of FCS took a chance on him in football is a big red flag
I am assuming Gallagher has his sights set higher than an "insane college career" and dreams of a professional career in America (NBA or NFL), and I would have to think his chances of that are better in football than basketball.
I also cannot fault a kid for wanting to play a couple sports in high school. Sports are supposed to fun and I'm sure he is enjoying the experience. Yeah it probably would have helped his basketball game if he spent time in the gym shooting after school every day in the fall instead of going to football practice, but I don't blame him.
For a HS Senior, he has pretty good handle for someone that size and decent mechanics on his shot. I could easily see him being a good 3 man for RMU.
I do wonder how in the world he fell all the way to SFPA for football though? Character issues? LH was so mediocre in football though despite having 2 D1s in a girls league, I dont get it. I mean I didn't even know Deshields played football but with his size and athleticism you'd think he would be an auto MAC kid at least. But bad FCS???
Agree. Seems like you'd have to be incredibly elite to make the NBA at that height, whereas sneaking onto an NFL roster (even if only playing special teams, primarily) long enough to collect some nice paychecks and a pension should be pretty doable if he works hard enough. Way more sports available, and way more 6'0"ish guys playing in the NFL than the NBA.
I guess the debate gets muddied when you factor in overseas professional leagues, but I imagine the majority of US athletes prefer not to do that if they can help it.
Much easier in football yes. And now the NIL money is better in football. Gallagher isnt very good at football though. Should have played bball and tried to make an upper tier upper European league.
Definitely good money in Euro hoop leagues, but (and I say this as someone who grew up in and still resides in Western PA) if my choices for a career were NFL or basketball in Europe, I'd probably pick NFL despite the wear and tear football puts on your body (maybe if I grew up in a different part of the country I would view the sport of football less favorably). NBA would be first choice, Charlie Ward did it right, but Gallagher's chances of winding up in the NBA if he chose college basketball I would have to think are slim.
About Deshields, he is only 6'3". Definitely not a D1 college forward at that height. He also did not play football until 11th grade, so that is the apparent reason for his light football recruitment. Honestly though, if he is as talented as you say he is, he should go walk-on at Pitt or WVU. The scholarship from St. Francis is nice and I'm sure that financial help is tough to pass down, but I think he'd be better off playing at a bigger school if he has the talent and was just overlooked due to not playing early in high school. A scholarship will come if he has the skill.
Its an interesting argument.
Let's say you can make 500K/year to live in Paris or Madrid playing bball or the same on a scout team in the NFL. Me, I'm picking basketball in Europe but I'm basketball-first.
As for Deshields, I haven't seen him play football but he's an athletic kid. Cant believe a MAC school didn't take him. There has to be some issues surrounding him.
Definitely an interesting debate ... I guess I would like more info on European basketball salaries. Do some leagues really pay around $500k USD on average?
Basketball has always been my favorite sport to play, but as a kid growing up in Western PA, the fairy tale dream was to win a Super Bowl with the Steelers. Plus I'm not that tall, so I was better at football, relatively speaking, and the football dream was at least a bit more realistic. Personally, I'm not big on travel so seeing Europe let alone living there has less appeal to me, but I'm sure that is very appealing to some. The one X factor is that the average NFL career is less than 3 years. I'd like to think you could play basketball professionally in Europe for longer than that, so that boosts your chances for career earnings in basketball.
he’s too small to play corner in NFL. He might be a good slot receiver. Has elite PG skills. Just needed to be able to shoot
Many more opportunities to make money in hoops
Many more opportunities to make money in hoops
I am sick and tired of fantastic basketball prospects getting yinzered into playing football lol
Sometimes the shot never comes. Its possible he would have always been a bad shooter. And with his size, not being able to shoot would have really hindered him. The potential is there but he hasnt progressed. Even if he called Capel today and said he's devoting himself to bball, Im not sure I take him. I dont think he's an ACC level PG. Maybe in a few years in the portal. We agree he has not shot at football
Its a hypothetical example assuming he's a scout team NFL guy vs a higher level Euro player. Higher level Euro players do make that especially if you consider the money isnt taxed and they get free housing and a car. But there's no guarantee Gallagher would be a higher level Euro player. I dont think he would have been. I dont think he makes a scout team either. He can probably play in the XFL or USFL. But I would have chosen a mid level Euro league and 80K-100K per year over that.
Maybe he isn’t anymore because he’s spent the last 2 years dedicated to football and not playing basketball outside of local high school games.
He definitely WAS ACC level, though.
Gallagher has always been really good in basketball. It was just this season about a month ago he gave Brandin Cummings all kind of problems earlier this year when Cummings tried to defend him and couldnt stop him on defense at the holiday classic . His EYBL numbers over 2 years ago were really good and Top 50 nationally caliber. He's quick and can really score in transition and he makes winning plays with assists.
The Valentine kid is really athletic, NBA athletic. He can do 360 type dunks with ease. I got word about him some time ago when he was scoring 50 and 60 on a few teams. The level of competition he is going up against is beyond bad, there wouldn't be much difference if a folding chair was trying to guard him as opposed to the players he is playing against. Carrington or Lowe's team would be beating those teams by 60 or worse. There have been some bigger name schools starting to come around him, Umass for example. He should go to a decent prep school and actually play against real players for a year to get himself some exposure while also adjusting to legit players. He has the tools to be quite good in college, including the power 6. But there is a heavy adjustment from what he is playing up against in comparison to legit D1 caliber high school leagues.
I have a hard time believing 358 schools are passing on a dude with NBA athleticism who is averaging 35ish points per game. Something isn't adding up, although I guess there is still time.
I think this is where Western Pa lacks in not having a strong AAU program. Western PA HS basketball has improved a bit over the last decade, but it is still below most metro areas in the country. If Steel Valley was even one class higher, it would be much easier to get a better evaluation, because the difference in those two classes is probably the greatest of all the classifications. In fact, I would guess the top 4-5 4A teams are better than the top 6A teams this year, save for New Castle, and that is the teams they used to play against (Lincoln Park, Laurel Highlands, Hampton, Highlands) in years past.
He's got some schools looking at him like I said above. Although from what I know, it isn't all that many right now. Umass is one. Chattanooga is another.
Here is one of the in game 360 dunks, took me a little bit to find it again.
Going out on a limb. He is good enough to play for Merrimack, Stonehill, or Southern Indiana. Hot take I know.
dont know anything about the hoops scene as you guys but it just kind of sucks that a talent like him has to go to a prep school to get noticed by D1 schools and simply playing for his home town high school is actually a liability for him..
With the transfer portal, if he lights it up there, then maybe he can get to a bigger school anyways.
Exactly, watching him play the other night, I was thinking about how Pitt and all the people on this board must have thought he was unworthy coming out of high school, was he? Did going to Colgate improve him? Or could he have come straight to Pitt and been good?
identifying under the radar mid major portal transfers. man, this might be the blueprint for Capel at pitt..
Or underappreciated Power Conference types, Hinson, Burton, Elliott where SEC, Big 12, Big East, but seem to have blossomed here.
Sibande also fits the mid major model, like Cummings, had no problem jumping to the ACC.
I've never seen him play in person, but if you watch highlight of him pretty impressive. Can jump out of the Gym, shoot the 3 consistently. Has a Jump shot, that he shoots right in the defenders face. I'm sure he played AAU, wonder how he did against tough competition. I officiate in Maryland, where Carrington plays. He can play with these guys.
The thing is....now with the portal, and it is great for kids like this. Maybe he gets a low D1, low Mid Major. If he comes in and becomes a good player, then the big schools will be all over him.
one of the best local kids I've ever seen play was Tyler Scott... played at Gateway in the 2010 era.
I know he went to Kent, but not really sure what happened. He was the total package ...
@BballinsiderfromPitt did you ever have any run ins with him?
I know he went to Kent, but not really sure what happened. He was the total package ...
@BballinsiderfromPitt did you ever have any run ins with him?
I remember one poster who thought he was very worthy and that Pitt was making a big mistake in not recruiting him.
Would he have been recruited out of high school by JD, Stallings, or both?
Throwing this out there.
There are shades and "potential" comparisons to Deandre Kane. Kane went to Marshall for 4 years before starring at Iowa State. He redshirted a year at Marshall as a partial qualifier if I remember correctly.
Kane went to prep school for a year for better exposure and because of poor grades before going to Marshall. Kane led Schenley to a state championship and was the leading scorer at 33 points per game in the wpial. Kane ended up at 6'4 200lbs.
Now here's the kicker and when you knew Kane had major potential. Kane went to Patterson Prep School in NJ. Patterson had a 34-2 national record and was the #1 ranked prep school team in the country. His first eligible season at Marshall, he averaged 15 /6 / 4 stat splits. The potential was there at the wpial. The talent was obvious at Patterson. The rest of the battle was getting him qualified for college basketball. He transfers from Marshall to Iowa State, he's first team all Big 12 and the Big 12 Tournament MVP winner.
Will be interesting watching how this actually unfolds. Valentine has stated he wants interest from local schools. He has said this multiple times.
There are shades and "potential" comparisons to Deandre Kane. Kane went to Marshall for 4 years before starring at Iowa State. He redshirted a year at Marshall as a partial qualifier if I remember correctly.
Kane went to prep school for a year for better exposure and because of poor grades before going to Marshall. Kane led Schenley to a state championship and was the leading scorer at 33 points per game in the wpial. Kane ended up at 6'4 200lbs.
Now here's the kicker and when you knew Kane had major potential. Kane went to Patterson Prep School in NJ. Patterson had a 34-2 national record and was the #1 ranked prep school team in the country. His first eligible season at Marshall, he averaged 15 /6 / 4 stat splits. The potential was there at the wpial. The talent was obvious at Patterson. The rest of the battle was getting him qualified for college basketball. He transfers from Marshall to Iowa State, he's first team all Big 12 and the Big 12 Tournament MVP winner.
Will be interesting watching how this actually unfolds. Valentine has stated he wants interest from local schools. He has said this multiple times.
He played a little at Green Tree back in the day and looked D2ish. I dont think he did much at Kent.
