Newcomer Report

[Blers]

I know it's early, but i love hearing about the new talent entering the Valley. Here's the early returns for Loyola:

G Marquise Kennedy- As good if not better than advertised. He's so quick off the dribble and the game seems to be slowing down for him quicker than anticipated. He’s probably not a true point and is more in that Marques Townes combo role, but he’s a creative finisher and has great handles. He’s also starting to find his 3 point shot over the last two games (also had a killer crossover to end the half last night: https://twitter.com/RamblersMBB/status/ ... 89952?s=20). Probably the best freshman guard we’ve had since Doyle. He’ll make dumb freshman mistakes still, but I love his game.

G Paxson Wojcik- A heady guard who’s put together two really nice games after a big injury scare that only caused him to miss the Coppin State debacle (team feared it may be an ACL but it turned out to be just a bad bone bruise). Great defender, big time energy guy and is one of the better shooters in the team. Shows some leadership potential and will definitely be in the Ben Richardson mold, but he’s already further along than Ben was as a freshman.

F Tom Welch- Hard to grade Welch as he’s been filling in as a backup center for Krutwig with Agunanne out. Has struggled with the physicality of the post on defense, but really been nice on the offensive end. Not as strong as Negron was, but more refined. I definitely think he’ll be playing the 4 when Agunanne comes back. Really nice handles and ability to face up at 6’9. Good attitude and lot of potential, but hard to say given he’s out of position.

F Tate Hall- D2 transfer from Indy; expected him to shoot it better than he has from 3 so far but it’s early. He’s been tough as nails and has still been able to score from all 3 levels. Plays strong in every phase of the game; scoring, passing, rebounding, defending… he does a little bit of everything good, probably no single thing great at this point. It’s weird but he’s bit of a Krutwig/Lucas hybrid, as he can post up against smaller players and has shown nifty footwork. Shows leadership on the floor as well, currently leads the team in minutes.

G- Jalon Pipkins- JUCO transfer. Really athletic and a creative finisher at the rim; but at this point he’s playing a bit sped up. Played some nice defense yesterday though; I think he’ll figure it out and be a nice rotational guard with “microwave” potential.

PG- Keith Clemons- JUCO transfer. Ran point for the NJCAA champs, was penciled in as the starter before a minor knee surgery, the hope is to get him back right after Cayman. Unclear if he’ll start with the way Kennedy’s been playing the last two games. Seemed really smooth and under control in the open practice before the season began. Nothing mind blowing, just a solid veteram point.

[Adunk33]

Thanks for the rundown on the Blers. Interesting especially because the Redbirds had offered Kennedy out of high school. I believe they showed interest in Hall, too but I can't recall if they offered.

The Redbirds: Overall, this is a very deep team. Once Bruninga is completely back and healthy, they will be able to play 11 guys with little-to-no drop off. The Birds have been using the full court press pretty consistently so depth is key to keep fresh legs in the game. Just three players average over 25 minutes per game and 10 players minimum have played in each game.

G- D.J. Horne-freshman point guard out of North Carolina. He has showed flashes of the the ability to be a scoring point guard. He can really shoot it and hits at a high clip on threes he gets to step into. He takes good shots. He will strongly benefit from having Ricky Torres as his mentor. His defense is what I like. Reminds me of a very young Paris Lee but has time to develop unlike Lee did as the day 1 starter. Currently averages 4 points in 11 minutes shooting 66% from the field and 50% from three.

G- Antonio Reeves- freshmen guard out of Chicago Simeon. He had a great game against UCF with 11 or 12 points in the first half. He stepped in the pg role a couple of times but flourishes off the ball. He has really good ball skills and isn't just a chucker. He takes good shots can score with a floater, a three, or great backdoor cuts. He's sneaky good and I think some P5's will be sniffing around him by the end of the season. Currently averages 6.3 ppg in 14 minutes shooting 57% from the floor and 40% from three.

F- Abdou N'Diaye (JAI)- FRESH- forward out of a Florida prep school. He was an academic redshirt last season and definitely benefited from sitting a year. His length causes problems around the rim as he blocks and alters a lot of shots. He hasn't been called for a ton of fouls either because he has quick feet for a guy his size (in comparison to the last Redbird named N'Daiye). He has a soft touch around the basket leading to tip ins. At his prep school he shot the three and mid-range well but hasn't made those shots yet at ISU. He rushes his jumper during games. I look forward to his progression. Currently averages 3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 12 minutes of action.

G- Dedric Boyd- SOPH-off-ball guard that comes off the bench that would probably start for most other MVC teams. He just so happens to be behind Copeland at the 2 and Muller likes to start more size in the 3 spot. He is still working on shot selection but has shown the ability to score consistent with Reeves- off the dribble or spotted up for a 3. Off the bench he averages 13 points per game, shooting 45% from the floor and 46% from 3.

F- Keith Fisher III- One of two transfers from San Jose State on the team. He is a hard nosed junior that does things that often don't show up in the stat sheet. He has really been pressing offensively (31% from the floor, and 0-6 from FT) but defensively he has been impressive. He has guarded the 1 through 5 on multiple occasicons and can do it pretty well. Matches up best with the 3-5. He is a vocal leader, provides great energy and body language. All things last year's team was missing. He hasn't had the offensive production expected yet but if he calms down a bit and lets the game come to him, I can see him averaging 10 points a game.

G- Illijah Donnelly- Transfer junior PG out of University of Illinois-Springfield. He's a walk-on and sees the court for about a minute at a time when needed to spell Torres or Boyd. Not really much to report. Won't see the floor much.

G-Ricky Torres- Senior transfer out of Wichita State. I mentioned in the recruiting thread, but he has been great so far and exactly what the Redbirds of the past two years have been missing. He is a true point guard who is looking to run the offense and has no problem slowing the game down if things are getting too sped up. He is a floor general and a leader. He has already made more threes this year than he did at Wichita State. He's started all three games shooting 50% from three, dishing out 15 total assists to just three turnovers. Averages 7 points and three rebounds per game. He's exactly what the doctor ordered.

F-Jaycee Hillsman- Senior transfer out of San Jose State. When Jaycee signed, I didn't have much excitement outside of having someone with a ton of d1 experience- having played in 90 games at SJSU. He has been a real surprise and a Matt Chastain type. Meaning, he gives his all, flies around the court, and just does everything well. He makes the hustle plays and takes good shots. He has started all three games, scoring 7.7 points, collecting 3.3 rebounds, and hasn't missed from the foul line in 8 attempts. Every team needs a guy like Hillsman and I think our team has two of them. With Chastain coming back and healthy, it'll be interesting to see if Hillsman starts coming off the bench or if Chas continues to.

Five of these guys (Abdou, Keith, Jaycee, Dedric, and Illijah) were all out as redshirts last season. There was often reports that as the scout team, they took the starters to the shed last year. Not surprising. The team is night and day different as far as effort and energy level. All of the players hold each other accountable and lift them up if they make a bad play or whatever. There is no pouting on the bench if a player gets pulled, and quite frankly, they all seem to like each other. I admittedly walked out of a couple of games last season because I was tired of caring more than the team. That is not an issue with this team. They will give you their all every game (at least through the first three.) The guys sitting out last year benefited first hand without having to directly take the loss. They saw that no one player can win a game and no win will ever be handed to you. I continue to be excited about this team and hope they can show out against Cincy tomorrow.

[Blers]

Thanks for the rundown on the Blers. Interesting especially because the Redbirds had offered Kennedy out of high school. I believe they showed interest in Hall, too but I can't recall if they offered.

I know UNI was trying to land hall when he transferred, not sure about ISU, but it's always hard to tell with transfers as there's just less info.

Awesome run down though! ISU has looked SO much better early this year. The energy and effort on both ends of the court is exponentially better. It honestly kinda makes me wonder if they would have had more success with out Milik last year...

[Adunk33]

Thanks for the rundown on the Blers. Interesting especially because the Redbirds had offered Kennedy out of high school. I believe they showed interest in Hall, too but I can't recall if they offered.

I know UNI was trying to land hall when he transferred, not sure about ISU, but it's always hard to tell with transfers as there's just less info.

Awesome run down though! ISU has looked SO much better early this year. The energy and effort on both ends of the court is exponentially better. It honestly kinda makes me wonder if they would have had more success with out Milik last year...

It is definitely easy to point to Milik's on and off the court issues. But they were definitely not the only things holding him back. We had a couple more seniors who didn't want to play defense and a lame duck assistant coach that was just cashing a paycheck that just wanted to "wow" the kids with stories from his glory days. Between the completely new team, and assistant coaches, there seems to be a definite culture shift upon us at ISU. Good citizens, good in the classroom, defensive minded on the court. Much more proud as a 2X alum and donor of this year's product on the court than last years.

[BCPanther]

UNI--

F James Betz--6-6 230 Ventura, IA--A kid that everyone expected to redshirt. He was homeschooled, didn't play much AAU ball and played for the worst coached high school team I've ever seen. He's come in as Austin Phyfe's primary backup and reduced Luke McDonnell to mop up duty and Justin Dahl to situational defensive assignments. We were told he compared favorably to Grant Stout as a small school Iowa kid that could do a litlle bit of everything and that's exactly what he is. Has to become a better defender but has done a nice job showing some touch around the basket and does a real nice job in the high post. UNI's most impressive freshman to this point.

G Noah Carter--6-6 225 Dubuque, IA--Typical Valley tweener that can shoot from the perimeter and use his strength to hold his own inside. MILES to go defensively to the point where he can't be on the court for long stretches at this point. Hopefully he'll get more comfortable on that end as the year goes on.

G Antwan Kimmons--Generous 6-0 180 Oakdale, MN--Quick guard with good athleticism that allows Green and Haldeman to play off the ball some. Does a nice job protecting the ball and doesn't seem to feel rushed. Has made a few nice passes when driving to the bucket. Doesn't have the highest ceiling in the world but should be a solid contibutor for 4 years.

C Cole Henry--6-10 215 Oskaloosa, IA--Dislocated knee cap in summer workouts. Redshirting. Late growing point guard that will fit UNI's offense very well as a high post passer.

G Evan Gauger--6-1 165 Indianola, IA--Very good athlete. Needs weight. Redshirting. Some fun dunks in pregame warmups

F Derek Krogmann--6-7 245 Manchester, IA--Big burly kid that will have to develop offensive skill to play consistently. Very good rebounder and defender. The redshit year will help.

G Logan Wolf--6-4 180 Cedar Falls--The Robin to AJ Green's Batman in high school. Is on scholarship in football as a WR after turning down Iowa because they wanted him to play TE (not the choice I would have made). He's going to try to play both after taking a redshirt this year. Not sure how long basketball will stick. His sister is on UNI's Women's team.

[Adunk33]

G Logan Wolf--6-4 180 Cedar Falls--The Robin to AJ Green's Batman in high school. Is on scholarship in football as a WR after turning down Iowa because they wanted him to play TE (not the choice I would have made). He's going to try to play both after taking a redshirt this year. Not sure how long basketball will stick. His sister is on UNI's Women's team.

I thought I read somewhere that if a player wants to play two sports in college, the scholarship is charged to the team with less total scholarships, which in this case would be basketball? I could be wrong though...

[DUBulldog]

For Drake, Roman Penn is averaging 11.4 ppg and 7.4 apg while shooting 67% from the field. Pretty good start for him.

Jonah Jackson has hit twelve 3-pointers in 5 games, and hasn't attempted a 2-pointer yet this year.

Three of the freshmen are redshirting.

Brady Ernst saw his first action tonight and went scoreless.

Joe Yesufu is averaging about 6 ppg, but will probably see less minutes as the competition gets tougher. Lots of potential, but he'll be worked into the rotation slowly.

[BCPanther]

G Logan Wolf--6-4 180 Cedar Falls--The Robin to AJ Green's Batman in high school. Is on scholarship in football as a WR after turning down Iowa because they wanted him to play TE (not the choice I would have made). He's going to try to play both after taking a redshirt this year. Not sure how long basketball will stick. His sister is on UNI's Women's team.

I thought I read somewhere that if a player wants to play two sports in college, the scholarship is charged to the team with less total scholarships, which in this case would be basketball? I could be wrong though...

He's definitely on a football scholarship. All 13 basketball rides are accounted for and he's not one of them. Football is also definitely the priority.

[Countrypanther]

For Drake, Roman Penn is averaging 11.4 ppg and 7.4 apg while shooting 67% from the field. Pretty good start for him.

Jonah Jackson has hit twelve 3-pointers in 5 games, and hasn't attempted a 2-pointer yet this year.

Three of the freshmen are redshirting.

Brady Ernst saw his first action tonight and went scoreless.

Joe Yesufu is averaging about 6 ppg, but will probably see less minutes as the competition gets tougher. Lots of potential, but he'll be worked into the rotation slowly.

Roman Penn will be newcomer of the year.

[BigMacAttack]

For Drake, Roman Penn is averaging 11.4 ppg and 7.4 apg while shooting 67% from the field. Pretty good start for him.

Jonah Jackson has hit twelve 3-pointers in 5 games, and hasn't attempted a 2-pointer yet this year.

Three of the freshmen are redshirting.

Brady Ernst saw his first action tonight and went scoreless.

Joe Yesufu is averaging about 6 ppg, but will probably see less minutes as the competition gets tougher. Lots of potential, but he'll be worked into the rotation slowly.

Roman Penn will be newcomer of the year.

I think DeAndre Williams from UE may prove you wrong on this prediction. He is averaging 17.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 64% overall shooting and 45% from 3 point. Also, he has been been the MVC newcomer of the week the first two weeks of the season.