2015 Recruits

[GopherHole]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Don't consider Ian anywhere near where Tony Fiegan was from an athletic side. Ian would have been well served by a redshirt, but lack of depth there necessitated he play sooner. Not giving up on Ian, but he has looked really awful at times even for a freshman.

I'm with SUPERBUNNY, I think Ian has athletic ability comparable to Tony. What made Tony, in my opinion, was that he was an overachiever. He was an undersized post that developed because of his effort and his attitude. It took time to develop, and for him that time started as a true freshman who was needed. If I remember correctly, he was forced into the starting lineup during the non-conference portion of the schedule his freshman year. Tony made the most out of his athletic ability. As his career advanced, he appeared quicker because the game slowed down for him. His anticipation improved and he played much quicker because he could react quickly.

Give Ian a chance. He will never be the athletic post that Larson is. Those posts rarely happen for teams at the mid-major level. As Ian gets accustomed to the game, I think his 6'9" 250 lb. frame will make him very valuable in the future. The other nice thing about his range shooting is that he will be able to pull posts away from the basket, clearing room in the lane for driving and mismatches.

The final thing to compare between the two is their peers on the team. When Tony was a freshman, Mark Engen was the only post taller than him. Ian would have also looked very athletic compared to Engen. Anthony Cordova and Kai Williams were the other forwards on the team and they were both undersized and not the athletic post that Larson is.

[JackJD]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Jackrabbits in the Mitchell area: hearing anything on Mitchell High School's guard, Brown, talking with the Jacks about coming in as a walk-on? The guy has become a very consistent scorer and he's wanted to be a Jackrabbit since he was a little kid.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: 2015 Recruits

I think we got something good in Daum, Doyle, and Theisen.

I agree on Theisen and am hopeful on Daum but obviously haven't seen him play yet. Curious what you've seen from Doyle to allow you to make that statement, but I'm hoping he continues to develop.

[SanDakotaState]

Re: 2015 Recruits

SDSU has 5 players who are 6-8 and over. Only one of them is a senior (Cody Larson) and the rest are sophomores (Devine), freshman (Theisen, Doyle), and a red-shirt (Daum). Bigs are not a necessity for the next 2 classes imo. I think we got something good in Daum, Doyle, and Theisen. Devine can be a solid backup and maybe even a starter next year if he works on his offense and adds probably another 10lbs or so. The Jacks NEED at least 2 true PGs within the next two classes. Preferably 1 juco/transfer in the 2016 class after Moffitt, Bittle, Parks, and Marshall are gone and 1 out of HS in the 2015 class. I have no clue what the coaches are going to do with Broman. Will they try to get him to be more of a PG or a smaller SG? Broman could be a decent PG if he works on his ball handling a little more.

[jacks1]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Don't consider Ian anywhere near where Tony Fiegan was from an athletic side. Ian would have been well served by a redshirt, but lack of depth there necessitated he play sooner. Not giving up on Ian, but he has looked really awful at times even for a freshman.

Fiegen averaged 8.7 minutes, 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds a game as a freshman. Players get better.

[RochJack69]

Re: 2015 Recruits

JUCO bigs have been a subject of speculation in past seasons. I don't have any personal knowledge of the situation but recall TV making the point (over and over) that any decent ones get plenty of high-major calls.

Quality JUCO bigs are a scarce commodity. Usually is some forward or large guard that plays the spot. Usually 4/5 of the team are guards in HS. Have seen some play that probably were good bigs, but could not keep up with the helter-skelter of JUCO play. Rochester CTC had a 6-8' 230 player that absolutely feasted at both ends several years ago.

[NoVaJack]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Not really. College basketball is guard driven. You can win, especially in the Summit, with less than stellar post play. You can't win without good guard play.

This, 3 AND harm...

[Jacked_Up]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Every college and half the pro teams in America are looking for the rare 6-10, 250-pound post who is athletic. But a 6-7 Fiegen type also can be effective. The Jacks are sitting pretty good with Theisen, Devine and Logan developing in the wings. They are all underclassmen and are all at least 6-8. Daum, who is redshirting, is in that height range too, though I understand he's more of a perimeter player.

[Southeast]

Re: 2015 Recruits

JUCO bigs have been a subject of speculation in past seasons. I don't have any personal knowledge of the situation but recall TV making the point (over and over) that any decent ones get plenty of high-major calls.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: 2015 Recruits

I think the right talent at point guard would easily take time away from Moffitt.

You are correct but that could be said for any position. Frankly, its a good trend if we keep getting better that the younger players break in for more and more minutes. That means that the program is on the rise! The best players will play.

Moffitt has been a very pleasant surprise. When he was announced as a starter against FGCU at the Pentagon I was like most Jacks fans looking for a program to find out who is #12? He has been a big help for the team. His defense is underrated and he seems to be rather fearless. He does an adequate job of handling the ball when needed at point. His weakness appears to be shooting from distance. He is only 1-5 which isn't a good percentage but the fact that he has only taken five leads me to believe that he isn't a shooter unless at the last second on the shot clock. He can take it to the rack and post up with his size which is good. He has earned his minutes IMHO.

Bottom line is that the Jacks have some really nice problems to deal with compared to teams that are struggling to get things going!

SUPERBUNNY

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Don't consider Ian anywhere near where Tony Fiegan was from an athletic side. Ian would have been well served by a redshirt, but lack of depth there necessitated he play sooner. Not giving up on Ian, but he has looked really awful at times even for a freshman.

I have to disagree with this. Yes, there has been times where Ian has looked awful but there have been times where I thought he looked pretty decent and has grown quite a bit since the beginning of the year. He does have a nice shooting touch and has the ability to shoot from distance. He also handles the ball well and is a good passer which is critical for our offense. That is why he is getting Connor's minutes. I look forward to him making a big stride forward into his sophomore season. These minutes for him are huge. No, he isn't a big, physical presence but if he can be a smart, effective player in the post it could help us a ton.

SUPERBUNNY

[JACKGUYII]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Any PG coming in would likely redshirt as they would get little ,if any, minutes with Marshall and Moffitt back. That would likely reduce the chances of a JUCO , since most of them are looking to play right away. A transfer , hopefully with more than one year of eligibility would work well.

I think the right talent at point guard would easily take time away from Moffitt.

[bigticket1]

Re: 2015 Recruits

No idea. I'm sure the coaching staff would like to find a 4 year player, but it all depends on who is available. It wouldn't shock me if they went after a transfer, either, as more and more kids are transferring out of their original school than ever before. Plus, we could afford to have a PG sit for a year with both Marshall and Moffit coming back.

Any PG coming in would likely redshirt as they would get little ,if any, minutes with Marshall and Moffitt back. That would likely reduce the chances of a JUCO , since most of them are looking to play right away. A transfer , hopefully with more than one year of eligibility would work well.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: 2015 Recruits

In terms of post play for 2015-16, I'm really not worried about it. No doubt Larson is an exceptional post and his back-to-the basket game won't be able to be replaced next year, but we also don't have to run the offense through the post, either.

We had 2 tournament teams that had strong point guard play but limited post scoring. Theisen is a bigger, but slightly less athletic than Fiegen was, but should be able to fill a similar roll with maybe even a higher potential for back-to-the-basket/ underneath scoring. I can't stress enough how well Ian has played overall considering that he's a true freshman.

I'm also not ready to give up on Devine, either. The kid showed potential of being a very good rim protector early in the season, which can be such a valuable asset for a mid major, as most just don't have this type of player. The key is to get Conner not to be a liability on offense, and I still believe that is coming from a lack of confidence. Hopefully the coaching staff can figure out a way to get him to just play naturally on the offensive end instead of just trying not to make a mistake (which, ironically, usually happens when you think this way).

Also, Logan Doyle will only be a sophomore and Mike Daum will be a redshirt freshman, so both have the potential to take big steps in the off season, especially considering bigs usually develop later than other positions.

Don't consider Ian anywhere near where Tony Fiegan was from an athletic side. Ian would have been well served by a redshirt, but lack of depth there necessitated he play sooner. Not giving up on Ian, but he has looked really awful at times even for a freshman.

[Hip2daHop]

Re: 2015 Recruits

Open to all options I assume.