This seems like a fun time for one of these discussions. Four (or five) years from now, who will we look back on as having the best career?
A few years ago, people watched Basabe in the PTL and felt like he was going to usher in a new era of basketball. Some compared McCabe to Gordon Heyward, and some felt like Marble was a reach offer made as a favor to his dad. A year after that, people were fascinated with the 24 year old felon, excited for Josh Oglesby (one of the best shooters in the country), confused but intrigued by the gangly redhead who dunked everything, and wondered if Olaseni would ever see the court outside of blowouts.
Wonder how wrong we are now?
The prospects:
ANDREW FLEMING
THE GOOD: He should come ready to play right away. He has confidence and the attitude of someone who is going to work hard and be as good as he can be. His time at Oak Hill and college-ready body will allow him to jump right into the fray, and potentially he'll never look back. He seems like he can do everything well (even defense if you watched some of the Oak Hill games that were close - he could really turn it on when he wanted to at the end of games).
THE BAD: His ceiling may not be as high as some. He's from outside the area - will he stick around? One possible comp is another part-time starter at Oak Hill who originally came from Tennessee. If that comparison holds, expect two great games from Fleming, preceded and followed by a lot of time on the bench, and a transfer to D2. My guess is that he's no David Palmer though.
BRANDON HUTTON
THE GOOD: Seemingly already has translatable defense and hustle. High energy guy and high level athlete. Is willing to put in the work and do the dirty work on the court. Better offensive game than many had thought. Floor seems to be senior year Eric May - defend well, hit some open shots, throw down some monster dunks on steals. Ceiling can be exceptionally high for athletes like this - we've seen comparisons to Victor Oladipo. Is that even possible?
THE BAD: Still working on offensive game. The staff hasn't shown a great track record for teaching shooting. Gasser hinted at some other issues outside of basketball (academics?).
DALE JONES
THE GOOD: 6-8 guy who can shoot. After a growth spurt and knee injury, is potentially just now scratching the surface of what he's capable of.
THE BAD: Not a long track record of success. Took a lot of threes - can he develop a game inside of the arc? Does his JUCO experience translate to D1 success? Is his knee OK?
ISAIAH MOSS
THE GOOD: Excellent athlete who can apparently slash and shoot. People freaked out at his highlight videos. Played at a high level in Chicago, so hopefully doesn't have as much of an adjustment period as some. Potential through the roof.
THE BAD: Any academic issues are scary. Missed the summer. With all of his potential, still wasn't highly recognized in high school, and if I remember right, wasn't the star of his team. Apparently his three point shot is a new thing, and could be considered "developing" which is often slang for "not that good yet".
AHMAD WAGNER
THE GOOD: Athleticism and energy are always great things. He comes at a position of need, so he will have the opportunity to earn good minutes this year and potentially start as early as next year. If he's good enough to jump into football his senior year and become a 1st team All State TE in Ohio, there's certainly loads of potential here.
THE BAD: Not sure how good his game is at this point. Can he shoot with any consistency? (Not knocking him, just haven't seen much of him or heard reports of this). May have picked the wrong sport if he wants to play professionally - we've put much less athletic TEs into the NFL with regularity. 6-6 power forwards? Not so much.
CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS
THE GOOD: RDM part II. Long, versatile wing/combo guard. Good athlete, can apparently shoot/handle/etc. His versatility might be the key to him staying in a lineup that should be chock full of SGs and SFs for his entire career.
THE BAD: If he is so good, where were his scholarship offers? Can he put on muscle with our weight program? Even though he was better than RDM at this stage, Marble developed tremendously over four years here. Williams will probably have to do the same. If he's stuck at PG, does he have the skill necessary to win? It also sounds like his coaches and teammates are trying to instill some confidence in him. Will he develop the "Alpha Dog" mentality like Uthoff apparently has, or will he be the consummate "good teammate" who adds to the team but doesn't break through as a star?
What does everyone think?
A few years ago, people watched Basabe in the PTL and felt like he was going to usher in a new era of basketball. Some compared McCabe to Gordon Heyward, and some felt like Marble was a reach offer made as a favor to his dad. A year after that, people were fascinated with the 24 year old felon, excited for Josh Oglesby (one of the best shooters in the country), confused but intrigued by the gangly redhead who dunked everything, and wondered if Olaseni would ever see the court outside of blowouts.
Wonder how wrong we are now?
The prospects:
ANDREW FLEMING
THE GOOD: He should come ready to play right away. He has confidence and the attitude of someone who is going to work hard and be as good as he can be. His time at Oak Hill and college-ready body will allow him to jump right into the fray, and potentially he'll never look back. He seems like he can do everything well (even defense if you watched some of the Oak Hill games that were close - he could really turn it on when he wanted to at the end of games).
THE BAD: His ceiling may not be as high as some. He's from outside the area - will he stick around? One possible comp is another part-time starter at Oak Hill who originally came from Tennessee. If that comparison holds, expect two great games from Fleming, preceded and followed by a lot of time on the bench, and a transfer to D2. My guess is that he's no David Palmer though.
BRANDON HUTTON
THE GOOD: Seemingly already has translatable defense and hustle. High energy guy and high level athlete. Is willing to put in the work and do the dirty work on the court. Better offensive game than many had thought. Floor seems to be senior year Eric May - defend well, hit some open shots, throw down some monster dunks on steals. Ceiling can be exceptionally high for athletes like this - we've seen comparisons to Victor Oladipo. Is that even possible?
THE BAD: Still working on offensive game. The staff hasn't shown a great track record for teaching shooting. Gasser hinted at some other issues outside of basketball (academics?).
DALE JONES
THE GOOD: 6-8 guy who can shoot. After a growth spurt and knee injury, is potentially just now scratching the surface of what he's capable of.
THE BAD: Not a long track record of success. Took a lot of threes - can he develop a game inside of the arc? Does his JUCO experience translate to D1 success? Is his knee OK?
ISAIAH MOSS
THE GOOD: Excellent athlete who can apparently slash and shoot. People freaked out at his highlight videos. Played at a high level in Chicago, so hopefully doesn't have as much of an adjustment period as some. Potential through the roof.
THE BAD: Any academic issues are scary. Missed the summer. With all of his potential, still wasn't highly recognized in high school, and if I remember right, wasn't the star of his team. Apparently his three point shot is a new thing, and could be considered "developing" which is often slang for "not that good yet".
AHMAD WAGNER
THE GOOD: Athleticism and energy are always great things. He comes at a position of need, so he will have the opportunity to earn good minutes this year and potentially start as early as next year. If he's good enough to jump into football his senior year and become a 1st team All State TE in Ohio, there's certainly loads of potential here.
THE BAD: Not sure how good his game is at this point. Can he shoot with any consistency? (Not knocking him, just haven't seen much of him or heard reports of this). May have picked the wrong sport if he wants to play professionally - we've put much less athletic TEs into the NFL with regularity. 6-6 power forwards? Not so much.
CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS
THE GOOD: RDM part II. Long, versatile wing/combo guard. Good athlete, can apparently shoot/handle/etc. His versatility might be the key to him staying in a lineup that should be chock full of SGs and SFs for his entire career.
THE BAD: If he is so good, where were his scholarship offers? Can he put on muscle with our weight program? Even though he was better than RDM at this stage, Marble developed tremendously over four years here. Williams will probably have to do the same. If he's stuck at PG, does he have the skill necessary to win? It also sounds like his coaches and teammates are trying to instill some confidence in him. Will he develop the "Alpha Dog" mentality like Uthoff apparently has, or will he be the consummate "good teammate" who adds to the team but doesn't break through as a star?
What does everyone think?
