by cu8493 » Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:59 pm
All I know is that Damon Benning likes the kid a lot. Now, I don't rely on Damon for a lot of basketball recruiting news, but I do think Damon is swayed to a great extent by character and other intangibles that make me believe this kid will fit in really, really well at Creighton and be a pleasure to cheer for. I also heard Damon say the kid is working very hard at improving his game. It sounds like he is the classic late bloomer, who took up basketball (or at least go serious about basketball) relatively recently and is rapidly developing his game. Watched him play a little bit at a local tournament without really knowing who he was. He had really good coordination, could handle the ball reasonably well, and has a really nice, soft touch around the rim. Also looked very comfortable at the free throw line, which is certainly a plus for a big guy. Needs to get a lot stronger and needs to learn to play a lot more physical than he does right now.
All in all, you are looking at a kid who will probably red shrit as a freshman. With two more years to develop, if he works as hard as it sounds like he is willing to do, and if he can carry another 20 pounds or so of muscle in the next two years (and squeeze another inch or two of growth for a bonus), he could anchor our interior for several years. I will have to pay a little more attention if I happen to be at another tournament where OSA is playing.