Echenique

[OkoboJay]

^ Gregory went to St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey, and thus stayed close to "home" in attending Rutgers.

From an interview when he committed:

NJ Hoops: Was the location a factor?
GE: Yes. So far I can say, NJ is like my second home. I went to high school here and I wanted to stay close. I have some friends here. I like NJ. It's my second home and I wanted to stay close.


His offer list included:
- Duke
- Maryland
- Memphis
- Miami (FL)
- Notre Dame
- Pitt

He was ranked 50th in the country and the 11th best center according to Rivals.

I'm not making any predictions, but based on the numbers he put up as a frosh in the Big East, I think Creighton fans have every right to be excited about him.

[Shockerfan13]

^ Gregory went to St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey, and thus stayed close to "home" in attending Rutgers.

From an interview when he committed:

NJ Hoops: Was the location a factor?
GE: Yes. So far I can say, NJ is like my second home. I went to high school here and I wanted to stay close. I have some friends here. I like NJ. It's my second home and I wanted to stay close.


His offer list included:
- Duke
- Maryland
- Memphis
- Miami (FL)
- Notre Dame
- Pitt

He was ranked 50th in the country and the 11th best center according to Rivals.

I'm not making any predictions, but based on the numbers he put up as a frosh in the Big East, I think Creighton fans have every right to be excited about him.

Impressive. And this is NOT a slam on Creighton. My question now is...if he was such a highly touted big man and did such great things in the Big East as a freshman....why Creighton? Perhaps it was posted before, but some have made it sound like he could have his pick of about any school. So what made him choose Creighton? It obviously wasn't closer to "home"

[LJay]

nm

[OkoboJay]

Echenique visited Creighton during his junior year at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark and has a strong relationship with Creighton head coach Dana Altman.

During his tenure as head coach at Kansas State, Altman coached Askia Jones, who later played professionally in Venezuela with Jose Echenique, Gregory's father. Led by Jones, the 1994 Kansas State team upset No. 1 Kansas and later advanced to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden.

"The family felt very comfortable with Altman," the source said. "Dana came on high recommendation from Jose Echenique's former teammates down in Venezuela."


http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100113&content_id=7911754&vkey=21

[WSUbballer]

I'm not trying to insinuate anything either.. however anytime hype starts pumping into certain players, my mind begins to wander.

I'm sure GE will be a great addition to the Creighton program, as they finally have their big man along with Lawson. However, without much of anybody else, teams will simply double-team him and likely play a lot of zone and the Bluejays may be reeling. I know I had Creighton in my No.2 spot in the predictions thread, but I'm starting to doubt myself, especially with McDermott in charge.

[Shockerfan13]

Echenique visited Creighton during his junior year at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark and has a strong relationship with Creighton head coach Dana Altman.

During his tenure as head coach at Kansas State, Altman coached Askia Jones, who later played professionally in Venezuela with Jose Echenique, Gregory's father. Led by Jones, the 1994 Kansas State team upset No. 1 Kansas and later advanced to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden.

"The family felt very comfortable with Altman," the source said. "Dana came on high recommendation from Jose Echenique's former teammates down in Venezuela."


http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100113&content_id=7911754&vkey=21

Thanks for the info. Guess we'll just see how it plays out. I'm sure he'll be a very good big man and one that Creighton fans have wanted for a few years now. Wonder how he'll adjust to the stall ball that Chewy likes to use. It'll be interesting to see how it all develops in Omaha.

[LJay]

I'm not trying to insinuate anything either.. however anytime hype starts pumping into certain players, my mind begins to wander.

I'm sure GE will be a great addition to the Creighton program, as they finally have their big man along with Lawson. However, without much of anybody else, teams will simply double-team him and likely play a lot of zone and the Bluejays may be reeling. I know I had Creighton in my No.2 spot in the predictions thread, but I'm starting to doubt myself, especially with McDermott in charge.

Who knows but CU finished 4th at 10-8 last year and trades Justin Carter and Cavel Witter (Chad Millard doesn't count) for Echineque and three freshmen who all showed pretty good abilities in summer league.

Witter stunk on ice last year (last two years actually) so I'll take the three freshmen against him and say CU at least broke even. Thus, it's down to Carter versus Echineque. Carter was a fine player and will be tough to replace but his knee injury made his senior season less than he and his fans hoped. Will Echineque play at a high level? We'll find out in a few months. However, a kid who averaged 8.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.5 bpg as a frosh in the Big East where he went up against similar size gives Jay fans hope.

[jayball]

If he's as good as advertised, he will be a great addition to the MVC. Is there any concern that he won't stay all 4 (actually 5 considering his redshirt) years. With foreign guys, it seems there is always a risk.

We've only got him for 2.5 years. He played a season and a half at Rutgers.

I'm pretty sure than means we will have 1.5 national titles very soon.

[hot nuts]

We've only got him for 2.5 years. He played a season and a half at Rutgers.

I'm pretty sure than means we will have 1.5 national titles very soon.

Haha!

[Snapshot9]

If I remember right, isn't he on the 'skinny' side?