Re: 2014 Recruiting

by Guest Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:32 am

up7587 wrote:
NoPoNeighbor wrote:
@Gus_bball: Kingsley Okoroh's updated list with schools recruiting him: Wichita St, Tennessee, Utah, Purdue, Nebraska, Portland and Oakland.
+ He is 7 feet tall.
- His last name does not begin with T.
+ Kingsley is just a cool first name.

- That's a pretty heavy list of schools also recruiting the big man.

by DoubleDipper Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:58 am

Geezaldinho wrote:you boys on this one?

@Gus_bball: Kingsley Okoroh's updated list with schools recruiting him: Wichita St, Tennessee, Utah, Purdue, Nebraska, Portland and Oakland.

Yea, sort of.

First off, I've heard that Kingsley, who hails from Derby (pronounced Darbby) in England, may reclassify as a 2015 recruit....but that was only a rumor. The reason so many schools are seeing him is because he is now attending prep school in Phoenix. Standing at close to 7-1 and 245 (apparently), just his presence, not withstanding his athletic ability, could really make a difference around the rim.

Although I haven’t seen anything quasi-official, I believe he’s been offered by Purdue, and perhaps other schools also. He’s someone to keep an eye on as he develops and adjusts to the US game, but if he’s already been offered by the Boilermakers, he must have an awful lot of upside.

by DoubleDipper Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:07 am

DoubleDipper wrote:First off, I've heard that Kingsley, who hails from Derby (pronounced Darbby) in England, may reclassify as a 2015 recruit....but that was only a rumor.

False! It turns out Mr. Okoroh spent one year at ~~Oliver Tot's current school, Kimball Union~~ Westwind Prep before returning to the UK for a couple of years. So, now that he's prepping another year in Phoenix, he'd be too old to reclassify. He's Class of 2014!

Another rumor, one we may know the validity of in November....it is thought that Kingsley Okoroh would much prefer a smaller school over a BIG U like Tennessee or Purdue, or Nebraska. Cool

by Geezaldinho Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:10 am

Wait. Kingsley is from Kimball?

by DoubleDipper Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:21 am

Geezaldinho wrote:Wait. Kingsley is from Kimball?

Ha, ha, no, sorry, I meant to write WestwindPrep in Phoenix.

Dang it, Geez, I'm getting too much like you....watching exciting winning soccer and basketball, drinking rather too much beer (I know, I know...there is no such thing) and posting on PN..... Razz

by Geezaldinho Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:30 am

What, exactly, is too much beer?

Civilization was founded when people in China and Mesopotamia started brewing it.

by DoubleDipper Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:36 am

From the Nike International Junior Tournament London Scouting Reports by: Jonathan Givony - May 18, 2013

Kingsley Okoroh

Strengths:
-Has tremendous size at a legit 7-0 plus, with a strong frame and an extremely long wingspan
-Excellent potential defensively with his size, length and decent shot-blocking instincts
-Very good offensive rebounder

Weaknesses:
-Average athlete. Lacks explosiveness in a major way
-Struggles to finish in traffic
-Very limited offensive player
-No real post game
-Struggles from the free throw line (33% at NIJT)
-Lacks significant experience

Outlook: Possesses a rare combination of size, length and strength, but doesn't have any real idea how to use it at the moment. Lacks the athleticism to be considered a top-shelf center prospect, but could develop into something interesting with patient work and good coaching down the road.

Hmmm…I think we’ve been down this path before…..

by Geezaldinho Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:44 am

Explosive seven footers go straight to the pros.

Hell, even some exploded ones do. Look at mr. Odin.

by wrv Sat Nov 09, 2013 12:32 pm

I am assuming there were recruits at the UC Davis game. I do not know whether the explosive Mr. Okoroh was there but there was a rail thin quite tall young recruit a few rows behind the Pilot bench who could have passed himself off as Okoroh. Certainly appeared to be a prospect to me.

But then I was mostly watching the game.

by Guest Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:37 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:Another rumor, one we may know the validity of in November....it is thought that Kingsley Okoroh would much prefer a smaller school over a BIG U like Tennessee or Purdue, or Nebraska.

They don't get any smaller than UP, so there's that going for us. Very Happy

by DoubleDipper Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:28 pm

Four-star center Thomas Welsh is off our board....he's trimmed his list to Stanford, Cal, and UCLA....and DeanMurdoch won't have to FedEx the UP coaching staft 24 of Saskatchewan's finest Pilsner.

I'm betting on Stanford.....

by wrv Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:31 pm

It is the day before basketball NLI day and not a word has been heard from our two esteemed recruiting gurus. I do appreciate all of the information to date even if the NCAA is not particularly keen about it. So, what's up? Are we signing a third commit, a big perhaps, or are we taking only the two, Jason Todd and Gabe Taylor, which Verbal Commits lists as commited to the Pilots? Is Mr. Tot (what a name) coming aboard?

by Guest Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:45 pm

wrv wrote:So, what's up? Are we signing a third commit, a big perhaps, or are we taking only the two, Jason Todd and Gabe Taylor, which Verbal Commits lists as commited to the Pilots? Is Mr. Tot (what a name) coming aboard?

According to Coach Rev on the coach's show, they'll be signing two NW kids tomorrow (Todd & Taylor, obviously). Not sure if that is the only two, or if they're in addition to anyone else.

Don't know what's up with Tot, haven't seen an update on him in quite a while now. Usually those prep schools like to make a big fuss when someone offers/visits/commits and we haven't heard anything since he was supposed to visit Lehigh and W&M.

p.s. I'm no guru. My recruiting knowledge is limited to looking at Verbal Commits and clicking the player's name to see what comes up. Not exactly rocket surgery!

by Guest Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:35 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:p.s. I'm no guru. My recruiting knowledge is limited to looking at Verbal Commits and clicking the player's name to see what comes up. Not exactly rocket surgery!

It's not even brain science! Laughing

by DoubleDipper Tue Nov 12, 2013 3:56 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:p.s. I'm no guru. My recruiting knowledge is limited to looking at Verbal Commits and clicking the player's name to see what comes up. Not exactly rocket surgery!

A. We know you put in way more effort than that....I'm betting your modesty is a very North of the Border kind of thing, eh?

B. I am a rocket surgeon (and have the shirt to prove it), but likewise know nothing more than we've been posting on PN. I expect we'll sign OT, but along with the coaches, will fret every moment until the ink is actually dry, not knowing if it's going to actually happen until it happens.
2014 Recruiting - Page 11 Rocket10

by DoubleDipper Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:54 pm

....on the other hand, OT could just wait until the regular signing period in April...he'd be sure to garner more attention from other schools after a season at his prep school. As it stands now, he's yet to play a game in the US. silent

by wrv Wed Nov 13, 2013 7:39 am

ESPN indicates that Gonzaga’s class of recruits for 2014 is rated 37th nationally—though that obviously may change. Portland recruiting efforts are not mentioned in the ratings.

Oskars Reinfelds apparently intends to sign an NLI for 2014 with Troy University in Alabama.

Dorian Cason is to date not getting much playing time at U of Southern Idaho where the frontline is packed. Don’t know if injury is involved.

Hope the Pilots are able to land the expected commits . . .

by Guest Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:59 am

@CoachReveno wrote:Welcome to the Pilot Family! NLI's signed from Jason Todd (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson HS) and Gabe Taylor (Portland, Ore./Valley Catholic HS)

There you have it, from Rev himself.

by VillaGorilla Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:28 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:
@CoachReveno wrote:Welcome to the Pilot Family! NLI's signed from Jason Todd (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson HS) and Gabe Taylor (Portland, Ore./Valley Catholic HS)
There you have it, from Rev himself.

From the official website: http://portlandpilots.com/news/2013/11/13/MBB_1113131856.aspx

by DoubleDipper Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:25 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:....on the other hand, OT could just wait until the regular signing period in April...he'd be sure to garner more attention from other schools after a season at his prep school. As it stands now, he's yet to play a game in the US.

Purely a guess, but as UP introduced the two new NW recruits, Taylor and Todd, today, but no one else.....I'm going to go out on a limb and say there will be no more signings by UP during the early period which ends next Wednesday.

If Oliver Tot decides to attend UP there will be a spot available for him……and the other scholarship will be used to pick up a transfer or someone else who is suddenly and unexpectedly is available. If OT decides to go elsewhere it will be disappointment, but I’m confident the coaching staff will find a worthy addition to the team.

by NoPoNeighbor Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:30 pm

Seems like maybe Tot got some good advice from someone... to wait until Spring after more schools have had a chance to look at him.

by Geezaldinho Thu Nov 14, 2013 9:01 am

It's only a good choice if there is still a place remaining for him where he wants to go.

by DoubleDipper Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:47 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:Four-star center Thomas Welsh is off our board....he's trimmed his list to Stanford, Cal, and UCLA....and DeanMurdoch won't have to FedEx the UP coaching staft 24 of Saskatchewan's finest Pilsner.

I'm betting on Stanford.....

I guess it's a good thing I did not actually bet.....Welsh chose UCLA.

Early LOI signing period ends on Wednesday November 20.

Regular LOI signing period will run from April 16 to May 21, 2014

by DoubleDipper Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:20 am

DoubleDipper wrote:Jon Averkamp is a 2014 SF from Wisconsin that UP’s coaching staff will be watching this weekend in Las Vegas.

To the best of my knowledge, Averkamp has no offers from D-1 schools yet….I’ll be curious to see if that changes after the 6-7/220 Germantown native and his AAU team, the Wisconsin Swing, hits Vegas.

It would appear they get good crowds for boy's volleyball in Germantown....

Apparently Jon never did receive any D-I offers to play basketball, but he did sign with D-II St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

SCSU is best known for its D-I men's and women's ice hockey.... pirat

by Guest Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:42 am

@Gus_bball wrote:Vasilije Pusica (6-4, '95)has offers from San Diego, Colorado St and Utep. Creighton, Providence, Portland & Maine showing interest as well.

Pusica is a Serbian PG and goes to Sunrise Christian in Wichita.