Scouting the new players this summer

[SubGod22]

Isn't 5+3 still 8?

[Stickboy46]

If his Prime Time League performances translate (and that's iffy in a good year) McCloud will end up being the biggest steal of a recruit ever at UNI, and potentially along the same line as FVV and Ron Baker in terms of what their college career numbers and skill look like.

Sounds like he will be a good one!

In theory. He was underrecruited in high school because of his size. He the heaviest I've seen him listed is 5'11 and 160lbs. Wisconsin and Marquette were starting to sniff around pretty heavily right before he committed to UNI.

http://bit.ly/2a9WZdO


Even the Hawkeye fans that have watched the games have said Juwan is the best player on the court and it isn't close at times.

He needs to bulk up but he has better ball handling, speed, and vision than any UNI player I can ever remember and he has yet to participate in a college practice. He will be a multi first team All Conference player and potentially POY before he graduates, assuming he hasn't already "peaked".


BC nailed it with the youth of this team. This years freshman class (including rFr) is 7 of the 15 players on the roster (5 redshirt and 3 true freshman). Add in the only sophomore on the roster is a transfer sharpshooter (shot 40% as a true freshman at another school) that will redshirt this year and join that class. One of the freshman this year will redshirt though.

This year we have only one senior, Jeremy Morgan.

The future is bright

WSU has zero scholarship seniors this year, UNI has 1.

The next 2 years will be REALLY entertaining

[Redhawk]

Juwan McCloud--5'11 150 PG, Germantown, WI-- Will start from day one, best point guard in the league and not close.

Okay...I know FVV is gone but there are some pretty good PG's returning in the Valley.

[WSUShox88]

Im thinking we should pencil UNI into the final four right now.

[Blers]

Juwan McCloud--5'11 150 PG, Germantown, WI-- Will start from day one, best point guard in the league and not close.

Okay...I know FVV is gone but there are some pretty good PG's returning in the Valley.

I second what Redhawks said. Paris Lee, Dequon Miller, Whoever Wichita puts out... The Valley never seems short on Guards. The Ramblers may even finally have a true point with Clayton Custer becoming eligible. Excited to see them all play.

[Stickboy46]

Juwan McCloud--5'11 150 PG, Germantown, WI-- Will start from day one, best point guard in the league and not close.

Okay...I know FVV is gone but there are some pretty good PG's returning in the Valley.

I don't think he was saying he will be the best PG in the Valley. Very little chance of that from Day one (maybe in a few years). He is saying that he is Best PG in the Prime Time League (Iowa's summer league i guess) which includes players from a couple Iowa schools and some D2,D3 teams.

From what I've read, multiple UNI players that didn't really do a ton last year put up 30+ point games, so can't really take a lot from those games and draw conclusions about how they will perform in the valley.

[uniftw]

Juwan McCloud--5'11 150 PG, Germantown, WI-- Will start from day one, best point guard in the league and not close.

Okay...I know FVV is gone but there are some pretty good PG's returning in the Valley.

I don't think he was saying he will be the best PG in the Valley. Very little chance of that from Day one (maybe in a few years). He is saying that he is Best PG in the Prime Time League (Iowa's summer league i guess) which includes players from a couple Iowa schools and some D2,D3 teams.

From what I've read, multiple UNI players that didn't really do a ton last year put up 30+ point games, so can't really take a lot from those games and draw conclusions about how they will perform in the valley.

Yeah, defense is relatively optional in the PTL, and only the UNI players try to play defense.

Good article from the UNI beat writer on it

http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sport ... e-20160721

NORTH LIBERTY — It’s easy to get carried away with summer league basketball.

The relative lack of defense and gaudy numbers tend not to be fully predictive when it comes to in-season production, but college hoops fans and followers love the chance to get to see future Northern Iowa and Iowa products in the Prime Time League.

For the players, stats don’t matter as much as feel and comfortability. So the last few weeks of PTL games for UNI hoops newcomers have been a tremendous learning experience.

“I’m feeling good now. I’ve played a couple games with college players, know more what it’s like, and I’m feeling good about it,” said incoming UNI freshman Isaiah Brown following his team’s defeat in the PTL quarterfinals Thursday night. “The tempo has been a big change. High school is kind of slow; this has been really fast-paced. I’ve had to get used to that tempo. I feel good about it now.”

Brown joined fellow incoming freshman Juwan McCloud, Kirkwood transfer Hunter Rhodes and Iowa State transfer Jordan Ashton as new-to-UNI products competing in the PTL. They’ll be joined by Tanner Lohaus as the fifth piece to the newest class of Panthers in the fall.

Between workouts in Cedar Falls and PTL games, the new blood have meshed well with their UNI counterparts and have learned a lot in a short period of time.

Brown, a lanky 6-foot-5, 170-pound guard, has shadowed UNI senior-to-be Jeremy Morgan, and has spent a ton of time in the weight room. His build isn’t yet reflective of having been in a college environment, but he said he’s worked hard at it this summer, and plans to continue that process with earnest.

“Coaches want me to stay on the weights, and I’ve gained a couple pounds already this summer, so I just have to stay with it over the summer,” Brown said. “Once I gain a little weight and get where they want me to be, I can start getting into the gym and I’ll be even more comfortable.”

Brown was the only one among the new UNI players to play in Thursday night’s PTL semis, as McCloud sat out as a precaution with shin splints, according to his PTL coach, Matt Gatens.

McCloud, though, impressed many in his first few PTL games with the ease at which he competed with more experienced college players. After the PTL opener, McCloud basically shrugged when asked if the tempo and talent was an adjustment.

He seemed undeterred and extremely confident, and it showed in all his other PTL outings.

“It felt like any other game, to be honest. I’m so ready to be here, so it really doesn’t change anything for me,” McCloud said after the PTL opener on June 30. “I feel like playing through AAU and playing top players got me ready for this. I’m just ready to play.

“I’ve just got to play my game when I come in. I’m coming in here with a whole new attitude. I’m trying to take it all in, get this lifting in. No pressure at all; just play.”

Ashton and Rhodes also looked comfortable in their PTL games, but have the benefit of much more experience to help them. Both mentioned how well they’ve been received by their new UNI teammates — though Ashton has yet to officially get on campus while still finishing his degree online at Iowa State.

Ashton said Thursday night he’s excited and interested to see how the new-look UNI backcourt shakes out, but that guys like Brown and McCloud raise the level of competitiveness, even as freshmen.

Brown said he’s channeled that competitiveness into learning all he can. He’s been compared to Morgan quite a bit so far, but he said he’s tried his hardest to stay away from being like anyone but himself. If he does that, he said, he could find his way into UNI’s rotation right away.

“Everything we do, if we have a partner, coaches want me with Jeremy so he can teach me. I shadow him a lot,” Brown said. “I try to be myself. I know they compare me to Jeremy a lot, and I look up to him, but for the most part I try to be myself. I think it’s very important. If I’m trying to be too much like him, it might take away from something that I’m good at. I’ll be myself and it’ll come.”

[unipanther99]

Yes, "best in the league" clearly (well maybe not so clearly) means PTL, not MVC. Basically meaning better than anyone the Hawkeyes have at point.

[glm38]

Here's an article about one of the Bears New players. I'm not putting much stock in the 70 points due to the non existent defense in these type of games. But this kid can REALLY play.

Our problem is he's a small guard and if he starts with Miller then that's a very small backcourt for the Bears.

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports ... /87387080/

[shockalot]

While the Valley lost some very good senior talent and a few transfers, it seems like there is some decent prospects coming in on more teams this year than usual. Certainly too early to say for sure about untried prospects, but my sense is that recruiting overall for Valley teams is improving.
To me it looks like the MVC's bottom half will be at least a little better than last year, and while WSU and UNI may not be as good, they seem to have the potential to be as good, perhaps even better than last year by the end of the season. ISUr should be better than last year, as should MSU and ISUb. Those 5 I see as the top half at this point. So, all-in-all, I think the Valley could actually be better this year than last.