Recruiting 2019

[bbtds]

Maybe I looked at the wrong reel, isn't he extraordinarily slow of foot?

Smits was an offensive plus for Valpo and he certainly didn't look any faster on the court. The slow pace at which a certain player plays is not a plus but is not necessarily a minus.

[FieldGoodie05]

Maybe I looked at the wrong reel, isn't he extraordinarily slow of foot?

Smits was an offensive plus for Valpo and he certainly didn't look any faster on the court. The slow pace at which a certain player plays is not a plus but is not necessarily a minus.

Point taken, but is he more of a C?  My understanding is he's intended to play PF?

[crusadermoe]

The good thing about these northern European guys is that they think we are a great place because we have longer days and warmer weather than their homelands.    :lo

Seriously, I do think there was a natural fit.  The Danish guy's name sounds like Vanilla Freeze.  Also fits in well. 

[FWalum]

Maybe I looked at the wrong reel, isn't he extraordinarily slow of foot?

FieldGoodie05, I couldn't figure out if you were trying to be funny or what... "extraordinarily slow of foot" now that would be a sight to see for a kid averaging 28 PPG.  Maybe a slapstick comedy with this super slow kid scoring at will while all the average kids around him can't adjust to his extraordinarily slow movement.

He doesn't appear to be really athletic, but the video I relied upon the most is the Junior Year Highlights along with his stats showing that he can certainly shoot the ball and has some decent post moves.  Would be interesting to see some current video, especially since he appears to have grown more based on the Canadian U17 team stats and the North Pole Hoops website. As some others have mentioned, we have had some pretty successful players that I would not have categorized as fleet of foot.

[FieldGoodie05]

Maybe I looked at the wrong reel, isn't he extraordinarily slow of foot?

FieldGoodie05, I couldn't figure out if you were trying to be funny or what... "extraordinarily slow of foot" now that would be a sight to see for a kid averaging 28 PPG.  Maybe a slapstick comedy with this super slow kid scoring at will while all the average kids around him can't adjust to his extraordinarily slow movement.

He doesn't appear to be really athletic, but the video I relied upon the most is the Junior Year Highlights along with his stats showing that he can certainly shoot the ball and has some decent post moves.  Would be interesting to see some current video, especially since he appears to have grown more based on the Canadian U17 team stats and the North Pole Hoops website. As some others have mentioned, we have had some pretty successful players that I would not have categorized as fleet of foot.

Admittedly my wording was overly dramatic.  My concern is that he best mirrors Krutwig (Loyola) but Krutwig appears to be significantly better in the foot work department.  But to your point, I'd imagine most high school juniors would fall short against a college kid with Final 4 experience.

My concern is...can he keep up with legit athletes with size that reside in the MVC?  He's from a part of Canada with limited competition.  See Parker Hazen for comparison purposes.

[humbleopinion]

I'm not concerned. No one is characterizing him as the Messiah for the team. If he can develop like Chris Ensminger I will be pleased.

[VU2014]

I've only seen a few highlight videos from each guy so I don't really have a feel for what they'll bring to the table. The only thing that really stood out was that it looks like all guys can shoot it. Idk how well they can, but it sounds like Krigges via the stats can fill it up but what was the competition level he was playing against? Was he play the same "level" of basketball that Sackey was at his prep school? I'm only vaguely familiar with the Canadian prep system. I know he's from Edmonton which doesn't typically produce the most talent but it could also mean he was "overlooked" and a diamond in the rough. Either way all these guys are very intriguing for varying reasons. They may not be the best athletes but maybe they have the potential to be more complete players and more coachable than most. I think that may have been a pitfall of the coaching staffs recruiting the last few years. They may have have been going for the better athletes with bigger flaws in their games as opposed to guys that have a chance to be more well rounded but "lesser" athletes.

It's seems like the PG Lorange can really shoot it and has a decent feel for the game. My only concern with him is that you can't play him and Sackey at the same time unless the other team is playing small ball. At the end of the season teams were attacking Sackey's size and posting him up in the post and it was clearly working. Good team defense can only help so much in that situation. Now if we have two guys in that situation it could get ugly. It will be interesting to see the lineup combos with these two.

Freese-Vilien is very intriguing to me because he has only been playing basketball for a few years and you can tell through the highlights that he has some decent moves for such an inexperienced player, which suggests he's coachable and he's a good student of the game, as well as having natural coordination for a kid that size. There could be a lot of untapped potential here that could possibly make him a steal. Reminds me slightly of Vashil. Vashil didn't pickup the game till very late in his youth and it was definitely a steep learning curve but the reward was well worth in the the end, because he had so much undeveloped potential to start with. Obviously they have very different physical gifts and will likely have different styles but you get where I'm coming from.

This is a very intriguing freshman class with Donovan Clay. I'm not sure any of them will have as large of an impact as JFL had last year but it's very rare for a freshman to be as polished as he was. I'm thinking it might be wise to fill the roster out with grad-transfer with the final two scholarships unless there is a potential high impact freshman or red-shirt transfer that makes it worth it for the future.


Of the three foreign recruits who do you think has the potential become the biggest impact player (play maker) in the future?

[vu72]

Like JFL, Donovan was a First team All-State Illinois player, except 5 inches taller.  Both are known for the defense (guarding the other teams best player) Donovan showed his ability, holding the reigning Mr. Basketball to well under his averages.  I think he will be the steal of the group and I hold out much hope for the other new guys.  Donovan was overlooked as he grew so much his last year.

[VU2014]

Like JFL, Donovan was a First team All-State Illinois player, except 5 inches taller.  Both are known for the defense (guarding the other teams best player) Donovan showed his ability, holding the reigning Mr. Basketball to well under his averages.  I think he will be the steal of the group and I hold out much hope for the other new guys.  Donovan was overlooked as he grew so much his last year.

Agreed. I think part of the reason is because he was such a late bloomer physically and because he lives in Southern Illinois. If he grew up and played in Chicago there would be more eyeballs on him. The Chicagoland hype train is real.

I'm not sure he'll be as polished as JFL was but I guess we'll find out. He has a lot of room on his frame to fill out and get stronger the next couple years.

[FieldGoodie05]

I've only seen a few highlight videos from each guy so I don't really have a feel for what they'll bring to the table. The only thing that really stood out was that it looks like all guys can shoot it. Idk how well they can, but it sounds like Kronos via the stats can fill it up but what was the competition level he was playing against? Was he play the same "level" of basketball that Sackey was at his prep school? I'm only vaguely familiar with the Canadian prep system. I know he's from Edmonton which doesn't typically produce the most talent but it could also mean he was "overlooked" and a diamond in the rough. Either way all these guys are very intriguing for varying reasons. They may not be the best athletes but maybe they have the potential to be more complete players and more coachable than most. I think that may have been a pitfall of the coaching staffs recruiting the last few years. They may have have been going for the better athletes with bigger flaws in their games as opposed to guys that have a chance to be more well rounded but "lesser" athletes.

It's seems like the PG Lorange can really shoot it and has a decent feel for the game. My only concern with him is that you can't play him and Sackey at the same time unless the other team is playing small ball. At the end of the season teams were attacking Sackey's size and posting him up in the post and it was clearly working. Good team defense can only help so much in that situation. Now if we have two guys in that situation it could get ugly. It will be interesting to see the lineup combos with these two.

Freese-Vilien is very intriguing to me because he has only been playing basketball for a few years and you can tell through the highlights that he has some decent moves for such an inexperienced player, which suggests he's coachable and he's a good student of the game, as well as having natural coordination for a kid that size. There could be a lot of untapped potential here that could possibly make him a steal. Reminds me slightly of Vashil. Vashil didn't pickup the game till very late in his youth and it was definitely a steep learning curve but the reward was well worth in the the end, because he had so much undeveloped potential to start with. Obviously they have very different physical gifts and will likely have different styles but you get where I'm coming from.

This is a very intriguing freshman class with Donovan Clay. I'm not sure any of them will have as large of an impact as JFL had last year but it's very rare for a freshman to be as polished as he was. I'm thinking it might be wise to fill the roster out with grad-transfer with the final two scholarships unless there is a potential high impact freshman or red-shirt transfer that makes it worth it for the future.


Of the three foreign recruits who do you think has the potential become the biggest impact player (play maker) in the future?

PG, only because we HAD a team full of poor shooters.  He's like an oasis in the desert if he can get off shots against quicker/bigger guys.

[wh]

I've only seen a few highlight videos from each guy so I don't really have a feel for what they'll bring to the table. The only thing that really stood out was that it looks like all guys can shoot it. Idk how well they can, but it sounds like Kronos via the stats can fill it up but what was the competition level he was playing against? Was he play the same "level" of basketball that Sackey was at his prep school? I'm only vaguely familiar with the Canadian prep system. I know he's from Edmonton which doesn't typically produce the most talent but it could also mean he was "overlooked" and a diamond in the rough. Either way all these guys are very intriguing for varying reasons. They may not be the best athletes but maybe they have the potential to be more complete players and more coachable than most. I think that may have been a pitfall of the coaching staffs recruiting the last few years. They may have have been going for the better athletes with bigger flaws in their games as opposed to guys that have a chance to be more well rounded but "lesser" athletes.

It's seems like the PG Lorange can really shoot it and has a decent feel for the game. My only concern with him is that you can't play him and Sackey at the same time unless the other team is playing small ball. At the end of the season teams were attacking Sackey's size and posting him up in the post and it was clearly working. Good team defense can only help so much in that situation. Now if we have two guys in that situation it could get ugly. It will be interesting to see the lineup combos with these two.

Freese-Vilien is very intriguing to me because he has only been playing basketball for a few years and you can tell through the highlights that he has some decent moves for such an inexperienced player, which suggests he's coachable and he's a good student of the game, as well as having natural coordination for a kid that size. There could be a lot of untapped potential here that could possibly make him a steal. Reminds me slightly of Vashil. Vashil didn't pickup the game till very late in his youth and it was definitely a steep learning curve but the reward was well worth in the the end, because he had so much undeveloped potential to start with. Obviously they have very different physical gifts and will likely have different styles but you get where I'm coming from.

This is a very intriguing freshman class with Donovan Clay. I'm not sure any of them will have as large of an impact as JFL had last year but it's very rare for a freshman to be as polished as he was. I'm thinking it might be wise to fill the roster out with grad-transfer with the final two scholarships unless there is a potential high impact freshman or red-shirt transfer that makes it worth it for the future.


Of the three foreign recruits who do you think has the potential become the biggest impact player (play maker) in the future?

PG, only because we HAD a team full of poor shooters.  He's like an oasis in the desert if he can get off shots against quicker/bigger guys.

Don't count out Krikke. He looks like a dead-eye shooter. He made a huge variety and volume of shots while the camera continued to roll in that 15-minute practice video. It would take 15 hours of edited Sorolla practice tape to get the same number of makes.

[FWalum]

Found some current video. If anyone is interested in investing the time, there are full videos of the ASAA 4A Jasper Place (Ben Krikke's High School) tournament games on the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ0hxeEdxRbxcJjt5W8Eclg/videos Interesting that they play 10 minute quarters with a 24 second shot clock.

[JD24]

Great find FWalum.

Looks a lot better with the feet in this video. Played more like a forward than a center as well.

[VU2014]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o-XusNwA_Y

[wh]

BTW the 2 schools in the Alberta 4A championship game are from Edmonton (pop. 1 million) and Calgary (pop. 1.2 million). The total population in Alberta is 4.3 million, approximately the same as Kentucky. This is big time HS basketball.

[FieldGoodie05]

BTW the 2 schools in the Alberta 4A championship game are from Edmonton (pop. 1 million) and Calgary (pop. 1.2 million). The total population in Alberta is 4.3 million, approximately the same as Kentucky. This is big time HS basketball.

I travel Alberta for work, THAT's big time high school hockey.

[crusader05]

https://twitter.com/scottybscout/status/1116092292425756682

[govalpogo]

https://twitter.com/scottybscout/status/1116092292425756682

Ash appears to have been a backup most of his career, but seems to fit the high character mold that we believe ML and company are looking for right now.  Was a team captain at NW last year before being shut down early in the season with a knee injury.

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2019/03/18/sports/mens-basketball-jordan-ash-to-transfer-for-final-year-of-eligibility/

[wh]

I'm getting more excited about this new recruiting class by the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JZIJvw4wM&feature=share

[VU2014]

I'm getting more excited about this new recruiting class by the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JZIJvw4wM&feature=share

What's so interesting about Freese-Vilien is that he's only been playing basketball for a few years. Means there could still be a lot of untapped potential.

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1116019575441719296
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1116019813497942017
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1116020449626984448
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1116020907330416640

[valpo84]

I talk a lot on defense, too, so hopefully, he's not using the same phrases I use -- "my bad," "lost him, help," "switch," "that was a really nice [shot, move, rebound, etc.]."

[crusader05]

as long as most of his talking isn't at the refs after they call a foul on him i'll be happy.

[crusadermoe]

Loving the Vanilla Freeze highlights.   

1)  He dunked......twice!
2)  He used both of his hands
3)  He caught a ball in the air and put it on the rim without coming down

Those are three improvements already.      Seriously he does look to have some fluid movement and good feet.

[GoldenCrusader87]

Two Takeaways

1. The infamous hook shot will live on, post-Smarolla
2. Am I the only one who thinks the ball they use in the Euro League makes for a prettier looking rotation than the US ball?

[vu72]

Loving the Vanilla Freeze highlights.   

1)  He dunked......twice!
2)  He used both of his hands
3)  He caught a ball in the air and put it on the rim without coming down

Those are three improvements already.      Seriously he does look to have some fluid movement and good feet.

The American bigs we've had have zero range.  These new guys are more like a Raitis who could shoot the three.  Once you move outside of the key and still have the ability to put up a shot and make it, defenses have to change and that will be more in tune with the MVC and the guys we face.