Early outlook

[Wufan]

Cleanthony Early: 6-8, 220 lb G/F

Two time NJCAA D-III POY and #2 rated JUCO recruit in the country. Career averages of 22.3 points (78% FT, 57% FG, 32% 3FG), 11.1 rebounds (4.4 offensive), 2.1 assists and 3.6 blocks.

Discuss.

[LMS]

A few years back Dana signed the nation's #1 juco recruit Ty Morrison. If you don't remember him it's because he didn't amount to anything at Creighton and ended up transferring.

[Wufan]

A few years back Dana signed the nation's #1 juco recruit Ty Morrison. If you don't remember him it's because he didn't amount to anything at Creighton and ended up transferring.

I do remember him. It seems as if I was surprised that a guy with a low PPG average would be the #1 JUCO…Averaged like 13 PPG or something. How long ago was that? Anyway, in recent history (the past two seasons) all MVC JUCOs that have been ranked in the top 50 have averaged better than 8 PPG in their first year.

I'm not surprised that Dana used rivals as his chief talent evaluator.

[LMS]

A few years back Dana signed the nation's #1 juco recruit Ty Morrison. If you don't remember him it's because he didn't amount to anything at Creighton and ended up transferring.

I do remember him. It seems as if I was surprised that a guy with a low PPG average would be the #1 JUCO…Averaged like 13 PPG or something. How long ago was that? Anyway, in recent history (the past two seasons) all MVC JUCOs that have been ranked in the top 50 have averaged better than 8 PPG in their first year.

I'm not surprised that Dana used rivals as his chief talent evaluator.

I want to make this point clear: I am not insulting Early or WSU. I'm simply stating that jucos don't always translate to D1. A lot of juco ball is individual stat building to get to D1 and it sometimes doesn't mesh with what a coach wants once he is there.

[Wufan]

I absolutely agree that JUCO stats/rankings do not equal D-I success. We've all seen that over and over again. I just pulled Cleanthony's stats from NJCAA.org and was wowed by the numbers…hence my post consisting of facts alone without any speculation of what he may or may not do at WSU.

Here's some quotes about Cleanthony after the summer practices:

August 1, From Shocker beat-writer Paul Sullentrop; "Forward Cleanthony Early is WSU’s highest-profile newcomer after winning two NJCAA Division III Player of the Year honors at Sullivan (N.Y.) County Community College. Marshall describes Early as “raw” and said he made a lot of progress over the summer, in part because he had the most to learn. The task with Early, it appears will be adapting his natural talent and basketball instincts to the demands of Division I basketball. “I told him (Monday) he was probably the most improved from one day to the next, from the start,” Marshall said. “At the beginning, he may have been the worst out there. He had a considerable ways to go, but he certainly improved.” Marshall mentioned screening, cutting, defending, taking good shots as areas Early figured out over the summer."

September 1, Marshall on Cleanthony Early "He's a tremendous talent. He's got all the attributes to be a big time player."

[LMS]

I didn't realize there were 3 levels of juco ball. Does the talent level diminish considerably? I wonder how many d1 guys he was playing against?

[Wufan]

I didn't realize there were 3 levels of juco ball. Does the talent level diminish considerably? I wonder how many d1 guys he was playing against?

There's a small difference between D-I and D-II. In fact, most don't notice the competition disparity as many D-II JUCOs are superior to D-I. There's a large drop off from D-I to D-III and only the elite D-III players have the opportunity to play NCAA D-I basketball.

Here's an exert about Cleanthony Early at the Mullen's Top 100 invitational Camp:

Mullen’s Showcase had plenty of front-court talent, which is rare since most camps are extremely guard heavy. The most talent-laden areas of the country will once again be the Southeast (FL, MS, AL) and Midwest/Southwest (TX, KS, IA, IL) regions. While those areas are absolutely loaded the NJCAA D3 player of the year may have had the best weekend individually. Cleanthony Early (Sullivan CC) proved that he didn’t have any problems playing against the best JUCO players in the country. Early’s length and athleticism gave defenders fits. He is extremely skilled for his size (6’8), can defend multiple positions and excels in transition. Early has excellent body control when attacking the rim and pounds the offensive glass. Here is a look at some of the top performers from the weekend:

Cleanthony Early | 6-8, 220 lbs. | Sullivan CC (NY)
Early had many division 1 junior colleges perusing him when he left Mt. Zion Academy, but he wanted to play near his home town so he chose Sullivan CC. Early was named NJCAA Division 3 Player of the Year as a freshman. Early handles the ball well and is at his best when running in transition. While he is extremely skilled on the offensive end, he may be an even better defender. His length and timing allow him to block or alter shots at will.

[DoubleJayAlum]

GodCleanthonyGod.

Gotta give Marshall some credit - he's done a great job transforming WSU into JUCO U.

[Wufan]

GodCleanthonyGod.

Not at all…just excited for basketball and basketball related discussion.

[Wufan]

A few years back Dana signed the nation's #1 juco recruit Ty Morrison. If you don't remember him it's because he didn't amount to anything at Creighton and ended up transferring.

Did a search on Morrison. He averaged 9 and 6 as a D-II JUCO sophomore. He was diagnosed with Graves Disease at the start of his junior year after losing 40 pounds and the ability to jump. Transferred at semester. Sad deal.