Re: lets talk '16
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:13 pm
He's contractually obligated to play center, apparently. Those other schools are going to need new assistants, too.
Sean Elliot was a HS center, too ; I watched him play the position his junior and senior year of high school. I am pretty sure Jefferson played C in HS, too.gumby wrote:He's contractually obligated to play center, apparently. Those other schools are going to need new assistants, too.
Jamelle Horne, 5 star. As what, I do not know.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
Fendi Onobun was 5 star too wasn't he?gumby wrote:Jamelle Horne, 5 star. As what, I do not know.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
Scouts seemingly know what is up, except when they don't. Which is often.rgdeuce wrote:Yea, both scouts and coaches get things wrong. But one thing scouts do not know, how the wheels are spinning inside a head coaches head. One man's trash is another man's treasure. A scout says, he can't do this, this and this, and this is a concern, and a head coach goes, man, that dude would be the perfect piece for ________, or he slides in perfectly when we need _____, or are trying to do this ____. I cannot think of a better example of this than Gregg Popovich.
For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.Harvey Specter wrote:I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).
As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.
As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.
Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.
Okay then... Maybe it was a well kept secret, and someone else on the staff recruited Chol to UA as a 3.Longhorned wrote:For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.Harvey Specter wrote:I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).
As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.
As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.
Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.
Either way, I personally agree with you on the point of the comparison.Harvey Specter wrote:Okay then... Maybe it was a well kept secret, and someone else on the staff recruited Chol to UA as a 3.Longhorned wrote:For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.Harvey Specter wrote:I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.Longhorned wrote:The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.
Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.
Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.
And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?
There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.
Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).
As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.
As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.
Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.
Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.dmjcat wrote:Lightfoot sets decision date:
http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank
We have been consistently trending down on him for the last 1-2 months. There hasn't been a single piece of good news for surrounding his recruitment in months. Everything could be fine but I think he is MSU's to lose at this point and Miller has really dropped the ball.Beachcat97 wrote:Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.dmjcat wrote:Lightfoot sets decision date:
http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank
There is so much time left in his recruitment. I wouldn't make him a lock for any team at this point.luteformayor2 wrote:We have been consistently trending down on him for the last 1-2 months. There hasn't been a single piece of good news for surrounding his recruitment in months. Everything could be fine but I think he is MSU's to lose at this point and Miller has really dropped the ball.Beachcat97 wrote:Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.dmjcat wrote:Lightfoot sets decision date:
http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank
Sounds like you didn't buy that recruiting trend-o-meter I had my eye on for you.gumby wrote:We don't know what's happening in his head, but we do know that Michigan has momentum and Miller has dropped the ball.
Or not.
Recruiting speculation. Always makes for strange reading.
Unless this has changed from a spring decision, why would there be news by now?
See the "Or not" part.midnightx wrote:How has SM dropped the ball? There are no guarantees in recruiting. AZ has been a leader or a "finalist" for JJ for quite some time. If Michigan State has gained momentum, how is that AZ's fault? As others pointed out, Rabb was allegedly leaning AZ for quite some time, but circumstances changed that likely had little to do with SM or AZ. JJ clearly likes AZ and SM, but there are other factors to consider that have nothing to do with dropping the ball.
Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.
I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.Longhorned wrote:Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.
That's fair, but why don't you think he can defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.Longhorned wrote:Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.
He can't defend the 4 at the major level for the same reason Brandon Ashley wasn't very good at defending major 4s and that's a lack of lateral quickness. Ashley was able to get away with defending many college 4s though due to a 7'2 wingspan that when utilized closed off driving lanes that made up for his lack of lateral speed. Lightfoot does not have physical attributes like Ashley did to make up for his deficiencies. Like I said a 4 man against lower level programs sure. A 4 man against any respectful team? No.Longhorned wrote:That's fair, but why don't you think he can defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.Longhorned wrote:Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?ChooChooCat wrote:I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.
You named 3 players with superior offensive basketball skills who were drafted by the NBA. Way to go to only one very slanted side of the spectrum. If Lightfoot had those players' skills then the position issue wouldn't be half the problem it is, but unfortunately no one remotely believes he does. I can name numerous NBA players that don't relate whatsoever to Lightfoot's skill set too, but that wouldn't exactly be productive.Harvey Specter wrote:
As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.
ChooChooCat wrote:I'm in the same boat as you. Evaluators could always be wrong, but when they are it typically has to do with guards/wings a la Steph Curry, TJMC, Dame Lillard, etc. They very rarely to never miss a negative evaluation on a big man's athletic ability and ceiling barring a growth spurt of course, which I hope is in Lightfoot's future.
I'll tell you in the spring, but if you send me 10 bucks, I'll tell you which way I'm leaning.Longhorned wrote:Sounds like you didn't buy that recruiting trend-o-meter I had my eye on for you.gumby wrote:We don't know what's happening in his head, but we do know that Michigan has momentum and Miller has dropped the ball.
Or not.
Recruiting speculation. Always makes for strange reading.
Unless this has changed from a spring decision, why would there be news by now?
Per lean. This is important. Plus, I'm setting up a special Friday Night Fights board, where members can drop insider non-definitive tidbits.Longhorned wrote:I hope not $10 per month. That would be outrageous! Is there a discount for an annual subscription?
Sweet!Ih8assu wrote:Markkanen has committed to AZ per Evan Daniels.
Great pick up in a position of need!
This is a huge get. It's reported by Evan Daniels. So yes, it's true.Beachcat97 wrote:http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... ce-jackson
Don't remember hearing much about this guy, but supposedly, we offered him. Going to UConn. Hope the news about Markkanen is true.
Renardo Sidney would've been a great one for you to post. Sometimes a guy's head gets in the way of their actual talent level. It happens often.