MBB recruits 2016

[garyg]

Ros is a walkon...someone very close to the program called him a 20-20 player...meaning he will only get into game if Hofstra is winning or losing by 20 points

[stuball888]

Rokus is our other 20-20 player. 20 points and 20 boards.

[garyg]

Good one Stu....haha....will be interesting to see continued development of Rokas over next two seasons...

[Cards]

About 3-4 weeks ago, someone said that we should be hearing the final word on Djambo by now. Anyone heard anything - or is no word the final word?

[garyg]

i WILL SEE IF I CAN GET UPDATE

[garyg]

I sent email regarding Djambo and received a reply August 5th...I guess that is when we will know definitively if he is on next years team??

[Polito]

Interesting... thanks Gary

At this point, I would really be thrilled with that extra body to use in the 4 or 5 spot as needed throughout the season. Hoping for some great news!

[ProudofPride]

We got a commitment from Stafford Trueheart, 6-8 PF out of Niagara HS. He originally committed to JMU, but decommitted when Matt Brady was fired.
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/st ... ueheart-ii

[dutchalum01]

Love this signing! Top state player - high major projected ranking, solid mid major Atlantic 10 offers along with some high major looks. Great size and athletic player. Very nice!

http://preptalk.buffalonews.com/2016/05 ... s-madison/

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/882

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DwrTaez0j5o


Good job Coach and Staff!!

[garyg]

Appears to be a good one...thanks for the news guys....still would like to see them add Djambo for one season at the 4...would give us size/depth at the PF position but if he does not come not end of the world now that we picked up this kid

[stuball888]

Looks like a 3/4 who has an inside/outside game. Nice get . This should fill out the roster nicely. Djambo would be the icing on the cake. Better late than never. We now have a deeper bench and rotation.

[HUSID80]

This is a GREAT GET for the Pride...Great athlete, size and a freshman! Joe says he can be a "bedrock" for the program for many years to come. Good to see Joe return to his old hunting grounds in Western NY...Get some more good players out of the cold!

[Polito]

And BOOM, the '16 class ends up right! This is FANTASTIC and very unexpected - I will still gladly take Djambo for 1, but really love that ST II a 4 yr guy, perfect scenario to backup and learn from Greer - man, I can't take this sometimes, these guys must have nerves of steel to do this year in and out

Talk about pulling a rabbit out of a hat lol - now '17 is still a program-defining class, so pressure is def on, but there's no denying this staff deserves props for this pull - is this the latest HU has ever brought in a guy for a class??

JMU situation was weird, HC change (which I think was crazy), offer was in question, may have been a prove yourself / walk on for a yr before a 'ship kind of deal... his recruitment in general was a bit weird to be honest, clearly has talent, but recruitment went quiet after '14... my guess is 1) weight/size 2) competition (?) and 3) height grew quickly and he had to adjust - he clearly did that in his Sr campaign, has some great video and accolades to prove it

So to me, all this is HU's gain - this is a KEY get specifically because it is THE position of need that was incomplete for '16, and it was literally last minute

I'm not anointing this guy 1st team CAA, he'll need to develop, but def has potential and can grow into an impact player - I would say a mid-lower A10 level guy at this stage - great stretch 4 mold and ability, latest report is he grew an inch to 6'8 - he's light at that height, but hopeful he's athletic enough to make it work - top 10-15 in NY state, 3* by Future150, and won co-WNY POY this season sharing with a P5 stud - last player for HU to win that? Former star Loren Stokes!

WNY is not NYC, but does have some talent - he elevated his game above guys like Welch (a '17 stud and HU target) and Nwora (a legit '17 P5 stud), and ate up the top large school opposition on his way to 1st team (2nd time), a 2nd league championship, and almost a 2nd Federation title - he was the top dog and go-to guy on his squad, often double and triple teamed, and still put up a double-double 20 / 10 avg and almost 3 blocks and 3 assists per game

Explosive, agile, plays sky high above the rim - makes quick decisions with a quick release - it's just a decision for him to get to the hoop, when he does, it's over. Excellent around the basket, beautiful turnaround jumper, creates his own shot, plays well in traffic, great positioning for both scoring and rebounding, and he loves playing both ends of the floor - strong on D, blocks well, and doesn't quit

Can hit the 3, and has done so in big spots, but def an area he'll need to keep working on in college - not the greatest ball handler, but plenty capable to run the floor with it or put it down for a couple of positioning bounces before making his move

He should evolve well in HU's program, system and player development over the next few yrs - he's a leader and a high character guy both on and off the court - from good stock (dad played), and a quality family.

HU now has CAA level talent 2-deep at every position - great day folks, ROLL PRIDE baby

[Cards]

Very very cool! Coach really kept this one quiet, but that's OK by me as he has delivered. Kid is really athletic with lots of potential.

This is exactly the answer to the lack of depth at the 4 that we have all been lamenting. Great job Joe!

[RollPride15]

Joe pulls through again. At this point you have to trust the guy.

I looked around for info about Trueheart and it seems like he is an interesting story: Waited for high-major/P5 offers that never came and had to double back. He definitely has bounce and the ability to finish around the rim. His three-point shot seems slow but then again Ameen's always did too and he was fine. It's a convenient match for us since we needed a PF desperately and he needed to find a D1 school. This is the kind of move that could be a steal in two years, nice high upside play. Siena board seems high on him, JMU and GW boards less so. I can see him as a bench contributor for the next two years before taking over on the wing.

[Polito]

RP15, agree with you 100% on JM and staff - they have flat out proven that and earned FULL trust when it comes to talent evaluation and identifying potential for their system - I would put this group up against any of the staff's involved in ST's recruitment every day of the week - IMO, they are the best in that area that HU has had in the modern era.

That's why even though ST's recruitment might have gone a little oddly, I have ZERO doubt in JM and Co. NONE. ST needs continued development, but the kid can play. He has big upside. And he can flourish at HU in time. He's also a quality individual, another thing I have complete trust in this staff to determine.

- GW was solid on him for a time, then he went JMU and their fans got annoyed about it, understandably so. But GW would've taken him if he wanted to go.
- UR was also solid on him for a time, and their fans weren't really that enamored. That's meaningless to me because many of their fans have a major Napoleon complex about their program, as we witnessed during the Ford recruitment. And guess who one of their key starters / top players is? None other than JM recruit TJ Cline. Who by the way, was simply a basic solid role guy on JM's teams because of the sheer talent JM recruited to Niagara of all places (Mason, Green, Tanksley, etc.). That to me means JM is to be trusted in his player evaluation more than anyone in that Spider program.
- Siena was high on his potential as noted. And I like the Siena program, very respectable program, so it's a positive when they like a player.
- Canisius wanted of course, but he simply wanted a higher level and probably to try something out of that area.
- JMU clearly wanted him under Brady, who is a respected coach and had JMU going in a solid direction. The new staff took a different stance and wanted him to walk-on. Understandably, he didn't want to do that.

HU has been watching him for a couple of years. When the major need appeared they went back to confirm their interest. ST absolutely showed out his Sr campaign and proved to HU his worth - character was right, offer out, commit in, signed on the dotted line baby! And he's not being tasked to be a starting stud out of the gate - HU has Greer - ST is simply being brought in to provide much needed quality depth at the 4 spot - a super turn of events for HU this yr


P.S. Unrelated but some fun reads on the Siena boards about Iona's ability to accept Jucos and Transfers like a hot knife through butter

[garyg]

Sure am hoping that ST can give us some valuable minutes off bench as a freshman...what does everyone else think? Will he contribute as a freshman ?

[stuball888]

Gary lets take a wait and see attitude. This is a different level. Again no high expectations except for him to give us some quality minutes off the bench to spell Greer.

[ProudofPride]

One article about ST's commitment said it was between us and Northeastern.

[garyg]

That's basically what I said Stu..I said valuable minutes off the bench and you said quality minutes off the bench...