Transfers

[VU2014]

Someone refresh me on Zion Morgan....

He played at Kenwood with Nick Robinson at high school. He committed to Valpo while Bryce was still the Head Coach, but decommitted to Valpo once Micah Bradford committed because it was rumored that he wanted to play PG. He was going to play for a prep school to up his offers but former UWM coach Rob Jeter got fired and went to UNLV and recruited him there. He didn't have stellar freshman season. He injured his knee and left UNLV. I think he's been playing Wabash somewhere ever since. I'm not sure if the athleticism ever came back, but I haven't seen him play. I'm not sure there is a ton of upside here, but I guess we need to trust the coaches. If I remember correctly he had good length and was more of slasher than a shooter.

Stats: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4066783/zion-morgan
Wabash stats: http://njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2018-19/div1/players/zionmorgangxpd

http://www.wvcwarriorathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/bios/morgan_zion_ofeh?view=bio

Wabash Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaNPGPxHlmQ

HS Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOGlvhM2Pq8

https://www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2015/10/09/henricksen-kenwoods-zion-morgan-chooses-valparaiso/

https://www.prephoops.com/2015/11/zion-morgan-decommits-from-valpo/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-spt-0513-prep-basketball-morgan-unlv-20160512-story.html

[FieldGoodie05]

He was a guard, played 2 I believe that we recruited around the same time as Micah and ended up going to, I believe, UNLV. Unsure how long he stayed there. This is just off the top of my head and it only sticks cause I believe he people though he decommitted after Micah came on board because they both played the same position.

I'd be ok with us passing on him this time around.  Do we need more G that can't shoot from deep?

[vuny98]

He was a guard, played 2 I believe that we recruited around the same time as Micah and ended up going to, I believe, UNLV. Unsure how long he stayed there. This is just off the top of my head and it only sticks cause I believe he people though he decommitted after Micah came on board because they both played the same position.

I'd be ok with us passing on him this time around.  Do we need more G that can't shoot from deep?

He didn't exactly light up the stats in JC. Doesn't mean he can't be/isn't a good player, but I'm not exactly jumping out of my seat here. From his stats, looks to be primarily a true PG, more of a distributor than a shooter. Doesn't foul much. Could be a good fit as I am assuming Robinson/Gordon/Fazekas will all need their shots and we may want a better ball handler than Sakey to run the show. .

Would he have 3 years left? Or 2?

[valpo64]

Have we expressed interest in any available transfers?

[VU2014]

Have we expressed interest in any available transfers?

Jordan Ash and the kid from Idaho State

[VU2014]

Any word on the Zion Morgan visit? Maybe they brought him in to work him out and get a feel for if it would be a fit? Maybe we won't end up offering.

[vufan75]

The official visit day info/tweet i thought mentioned Monday. Question i had was which Monday. This past Monday 4/15 or next Monday 4/22?

https://twitter.com/YkZmo_/status/1118648708659326978?s=19

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[FieldGoodie05]

The official visit day info/tweet i thought mentioned Monday. Question i had was which Monday. This past Monday 4/15 or next Monday 4/22?

https://twitter.com/YkZmo_/status/1118648708659326978?s=19

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Don't most say "this past Monday" if they meant 4/15?  This is future tense to me...

[vufan75]

Agreed. I took the tweet as meaning Monday 4/22 but wasn't positive when the question about the visit was asked. Good point you make though!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[SanityLost17]

My guess is if Ramsey would decide to transfer here he could probably be eligible immediately because at this point the NCAA pretty much grants immediate eligibility to everyone who "moves closer to home" for whatever reason players/families make up.   Think about how many MVC players got immediate eligibility after transferring into the conference this season.  Think MoSt who somehow managed to get Da Silva/Dixon/Ridder all immediately eligible.  Think about how bad they would have been this year if all 3 had to sit out a year.     

If he goes elsewhere he likely would have to sit out a year.   So, perhaps this would be a good destination for that reason alone. 

[Just Sayin]

Transfer proposal shot down:

even the NCAA realizes the [Existing] graduate transfer rule is a good one

The issue was the graduate transfer rule, which allows a student-athlete upon completion of his degree to transfer to another institution and enroll in a graduate program and finish out his athletic eligibility without having to sit out a season before doing so. It's a popular measure, one that 125 Division I basketball players used this past season.

That was too many, in the eyes of some, who saw the rule as being overused by student-athletes who cared more about the athletic than the academic component. These critics proposed that if the student-athlete did not finish his or her graduate degree in a year, then the school would lose a scholarship the following year.

....Case in point, a Stanford grad who played basketball at Kentucky this past season. We're talking Reid Travis, a major asset to the Cats on the floor and surely a contributor in the classroom. The 6-foot-8 forward from Minneapolis impressed everyone with his skill and maturity. While Travis made no bones that he was using the rule to help his chances of playing professionally, so what? That's his choice.

As B. David Ridpath argued in Forbes, Travis and his brethren are not really graduate transfers, they're graduate students. Having fulfilled their obligation by graduating, they are free to enroll at any school and graduate program that will have them. They're not transferring. They're free to move on to the next step in furthering their academic, and in his case athletic, development.

https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/john-clay/article229500834.html

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/scottybscout/status/1120021817182134272?s=21

[wh]

https://twitter.com/scottybscout/status/1120021817182134272?s=21

Doesn't sound like a good fit:

"Akenten appeared in 28 games this season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He shot 36.4% from the field and 30.4% from behind the arc.

Akenten was suspended indefinitely by former coach Tim Miles after the Michigan State game March 5 for a violation of team rules. He didn't play in the final six games.

Nebraska coaches said Monday that Akenten was still with the program but dealing with academic issues."

[valpolaw]

Yeah we have had our fair share of those issues and don't need anyone who can't make the grades

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/jucorecruiting/status/1120135779718709251?s=21

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/scottybscout/status/1120021817182134272?s=21

Doesn't sound like a good fit:

"Akenten appeared in 28 games this season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He shot 36.4% from the field and 30.4% from behind the arc.

Akenten was suspended indefinitely by former coach Tim Miles after the Michigan State game March 5 for a violation of team rules. He didn't play in the final six games.

Nebraska coaches said Monday that Akenten was still with the program but dealing with academic issues."

Stats don't tell the whole story. Take a look at Lavonte Dority's stats before coming to Valpo... worked out pretty well in the end. But I hear what you're saying about the "off the court" stuff but we don't know the whole story but I'm willing to bet the coaches will find out and know what went down. They had a huge strike out with Burton but I'm hoping the that is an outlier in judgement. As long as Nana showed up to class he'd be a 100% improvement from Burton. Need to trust the coaching staffs judgement.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lavonte-dority-1.html

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/jucorecruiting/status/1120135779718709251?s=21

Blake Furcron sounds very interesting and tape looks pretty good as well. A pretty effective shooting stroke. Also some really nice finishing ability at the rim and shows he's willing to fight for boards and tip in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99h6ljDCsQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JAIgPR7QFM

[VU2014]

Heard NKU might be a landing spot for Bakari. Their assistants have reached out. Ironically they don't have a HC yet but they might promote from within.

[valpolaw]

They must have been persuaded by replays of all bakari's game ending winning shots.....

[bbtds]

They must have been persuaded by replays of all bakari's game ending winning shots.....

I think I saw those Bakari videos.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dt0I4mTEdAf8&ved=2ahUKEwiYwe2WreXhAhUR2qwKHWN8B3UQwqsBMAF6BAgHEAo&usg=AOvVaw3QeDXA2ZA0zj92EsCldfl-

[VU2014]

Heard the Valpo staff is showing interest

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kareem-south-1.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1W-iLP51Dw

[valpopal]

[tweet]1120908855456800768[/tweet]

[vu72]

[tweet]1120908855456800768[/tweet]

He would make us an immediate contender and would be perfect to allow Freese-Vilien a year to mature.

[valpopal]

I'm hearing Zion Morgan has committed to Valpo.

[valpopal]

I'm hearing Zion Morgan has committed to Valpo.

Confirmed:


[tweet]1121112610559135744[/tweet]