2013 Recruiting: Wintering + Sharp + Zubizarreta + Gerun

I felt kind of bad for littering the Cason thread with talk about what to do with an allegedly open scholarship, so I thought I'd open this.

Assuming Cason is gone, here's where the Pilots stand in terms of graduating classes -

2014 - Nicholas (PF), Thieleke (SG), Riley (SG)
2015 - K. Bailey (SF), van der Mars (C), Carr (PG), Barker (C), J. Bailey (PF)
2016 - Reinfelds (SG), Pressley (PG), Ehlers (PF), Ahern (PG)
2017 - Wintering (PG)

And projected depth for 2013-14:

PG - Pressley (So), Wintering (Fr), Ahern (So)
SG - Reinfelds (So), Thieleke (Sr), Riley (Sr)
SF - K. Bailey (Jr)
PF - Nicholas (Sr), Ehlers (So), J. Bailey (Jr)
C - van der Mars (Jr), Barker (Jr)
Status unknown - Carr (Jr)

Rev tweet from Tuesday night -

Spoke at Providence Hosp today then hit road recruiting. Saw a GREAT high school game in Canada. No surprise practice went well w/ out me.

Yeah, we're hiding a few gems up here on the frozen tundra. Pretty curious as to who he was up looking at....

KGW Sports did a story last night on Chiles Center renovations. Talked about them as a recruiting tool: http://www.kgw.com/sports/UP-Pilots-soar-into-21st-century-recruitin-184192691.html

Here is a chart of what our team looks like next year in a table format:

	Class of 14	Class of 15	Class of 16	Class of 17
pg			David Ahern (WO)	Alec Wintering
sg	Korey Thieleke Tanner Riley	David Carr	Oskars Reinfelds
sf		Kevin Bailey	Bryce Pressley
pf	Ryan Nicholas	John Bailey (RS)	Jake Ehlers
c		Thomas van der Mars Riley Barker (RS)

We have one open scholarship. Any thoughts on position? JC route or HS Senior?

wrv wrote:In this thread there is a suggestion that we recruit a power forward to replace Dorian. Though I am not opposed to the Pilots bringing in another big, I think our area of greatest need is in the backcourt where shooting, scoring or the ability to make a play if the called play breaks down is limited, arguably more limited than I have seen. We are not getting much production from our back court.

If there is a JC swing player who can shoot and score and perhaps start at the big guard, who can give us an offensive threat from that position, I would take him, leave the boards to our current roster of players.

I certainly don't disagree with you that adding a legitimate outside threat for the 2 would be a definite boost for next year's squad....I just think that adding a juco player this year sets the Pilots up for another year like last year when KB, vdM, DC, Barker, and J. Bailey all graduate in 2015.

My opinion is that you groom a Nicholas replacement next year that would hopefully be ready to step in as a starter when the big group above is seniors, then go the juco route to help replenish when they're gone.

Edit: Also, I think we're all hoping that Wintering is able to provide at least part of the solution for the backcourt issues you mentioned.

Wrv wrote:On a related note, anyone have any insight into who Reveno might have gone to Vancouver BC to watch and recruit?

I know that Luka Zaharijevic (6'8" PF from Kitsilano HS) has been among the most highly touted members of the 2013 draft class from BC. There's some absolutely baseless speculation for you.

I just think that adding a juco player this year sets the Pilots up for another year like last year when KB, vdM, DC, Barker, and J. Bailey all graduate in 2015.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Having our scholarships broken into a 3,6,3,1 format gets us into the same cycle. I'd much rather see a 3,5,3,2 format and eventually even it out more in a couple of years. I'm assuming just looking at what we have/what we need that either another pg will be targeted or a PF/C that can fill in when VDM/Barker graduate. I'd really like to see ehlers get some more minutes as it seems like he has passed up John Bailey on the depth chart.

DTLegend wrote: I'd really like to see ehlers get some more minutes as it seems like he has passed up John Bailey on the depth chart.

While I think that this SHOULD be the case, I don't think it IS the case. Ehlers hasn't played a single minute in the last two games, 1 minute against UK, and did not play against UNLV. At this point, it seems like a shame to have burned a potential redshirt year for Jake.

We gotta get this guy, if only to be able to talk about " Luka the Bazooka."

Oh, snap. Nice find, wrv - Luka even specifically mentions UP in his quote.

I was just throwing crap at the wall with that name...he's the only one I had heard of in the Lower Mainland. Looks like there might be some substance to it!

How can you not like the name Luka Bazooka....

“The CIS wouldn't be bad, of course, but I just want to go to the NCAA, even a low Division One school like Seattle University or the University of Portland. It doesn't have to be one of the high ones like Gonzaga or Washington.”

Well, Bazooka. I'd love to argue with you about Portland being a low Div I school...but I'll wait until we're ranked higher than 211 out of 347 D-1 teams before doing so.

I agree that unless TJ Campbell's clone is available, we should go after a HS player, to keep the scholarship classes as even as possible.

Looking at the chart, where is the next center? I think a true center needs to be added to the roster. Unless Rev has a line on a Class of 2018 guy who could play very quickly, I think a big man should be added who could red shirt next year, get some playing experience as a frosh with two senior bigs, and then be ready to go when VDM and Barker leave. As much as I want to see more ball handlers and athletes, I think another big man is the highest priority.

wrv wrote:Luka references his desire to play in the Oregon, Washington area and to play D1 ball in the linked article. Uof P mentioned prominently. The mystery of Reveno's jaunt to watch what he described on the radio as a really good high school basketball game may well be resolved, as well as his intentions regarding recruiting. Considering that Reveno is no doubt the closer for our recruiting efforts, Luka must be high on the Pilots list.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Bazooka+Demons+trounce+Saints/7657489/story.html

As far as I know, U of P does not offer an architecture program, but, if he wants to play for a coach of big men...Rev is as good as it gets.

onetouchfutbol wrote:As far as I know, U of P does not offer an architecture program, but, if he wants to play for a coach of big men...Rev is as good as it gets.

Agreed!

When you get right down to it, the question is, what is most important to you (and your parents, to some degree) at age 16 or 17? If Luka the Bazooka really wants to stay in Washington or Oregon, and he really wants to get a degree in architecture, and he really wants to play NCAA D-1 ball, he's got five choices: UW, WSU, PSU, OSU, or UO....which has one of the better architecture programs in the Western US.

As a Serbo-Canadian, Luka the Bazooka may have an opportunity to play on a couple of national teams and make some money playing basketball.....if that's what he really wants, then UP and Reveno have a chance at the big guy, and he has a chance of following his basketball dreams.

up7587 wrote:Looking at the chart, where is the next center? I think a true center needs to be added to the roster.

Dunno, I see more of an immediate need at PF with Nicholas graduating a year earlier than vdM/Barker. Don't see John Bailey being able to carry the mail on a full-time basis at PF and (correct me if I'm wrong) does Ehlers not project out more as a SF than a PF?

For those reasons - and the fact that the article indicates that he's a smart kid that would likely be able to handle the academics at UP - I think Bazooka seems like an outstanding fit to fill the last open scholarship.

If you think that Ehlers can indeed step in at PF, then I'll agree with up7587 that a C should be targeted here.

DoubleDipper wrote:If Luka the Bazooka really wants to stay in Washington or Oregon, and he really wants to get a degree in architecture, and he really wants to play NCAA D-1 ball, he's got five choices: UW, WSU, PSU, OSU, or UO....which has one of the better architecture programs in the Western US.

From what I know about the rigors of studying architecture, I doubt that many Division-I athletes are able to get architecture degrees (especially in the Pac-12). Architecture requires A LOT of time in the studio, and requires students to be present for lots of in-person presentations.

PilotNut wrote:I agree that unless TJ Campbell's clone is available, we should go after a HS player, to keep the scholarship classes as even as possible.

Or a Canaan Chatman clone....oh wait there is one....and he's a high school kid!

Canaan played two years on the Bluff after transferring from Oregon St. He was a two-year starter ... led Portland in scoring as a senior ... led the team in rebounding both seasons ... was a two-time Team MVP ...a two-time All-West Coast Conference … WCC All-Tournament team as a senior ... and fastest player in UP history to 1,000 points. Finished with 1021 total points in his two years on the Bluff.

The reason I mention Canaan, besides him being one of the all-time best players at UP, is his son, Kameron will begin playing for Canaan’s one-time UP teammate Sharrief “Doc” Metoyer at Long Beach Poly High School in California later in the spring

Canaan is still very active in youth basketball in Portland, but he sent his son to play for Doc to so he could play on an elite high school team and develop against higher caliber opponents.

Long Beach Poly was rated #1 in California in the preseason, but then junior forward Kameron lost his transfer appeal to the CIF and will be ineligible until March 16, 2013, which is the day the state regional finals begin. Chatman moved from Oregon last March, but he was declared ineligible for following Doc, who also happenes to be his club coach and godfather.

Virtually all the Pac-12 schools have already made offers to Kameron…..but maybe the Pilots will get lucky in 2014.

NoPoNeighbor wrote: From what I know about the rigors of studying architecture, I doubt that many Division-I athletes are able to get architecture degrees (especially in the Pac-12). Architecture requires A LOT of time in the studio, and requires students to be present for lots of in-person presentations.

You are correct, but of course one has to ask, how many Pac-12 players actually graduate in 4 years? If your education is paid for, and you can get a "redshirt" year, GO FOR IT!

I recall that recent UO QB Justin Roper was an architecture major, but dropped it due to the conflicting demands on his time.

up7587 wrote:I recall that recent UO QB Justin Roper was an architecture major, but dropped it due to the conflicting demands on his time.

Ha ha, yea, but as I recall his time on the field was not as in-demand as he'd liked, and he transferred to Montana to play out his eligibility for two years.

PilotNut wrote:I agree that unless TJ Campbell's clone is available, we should go after a HS player, to keep the scholarship classes as even as possible.

Ha ha, I think we may have gotten our TJ clone as an early Christmas present with the signing of Alec Wintering in November. Not only does Alec look up to TJ as his “big brother” and mentor, from everything I’ve been told, Alec will mature into a very similar body type to that of TJ’s.

Now we just have to hope he can develop the outside shot to match…..

Next year’s team, that will include Alec and at least one other new face, will have to adjust to the 10 team WCC that will eliminate Christmas Break non-league games and will dictate a December start to WCC play.

From AD Scott Leykem:

Scheduling basketball non-conference games will be a bigger challenge in 2013-14 with the 10-team WCC starting before the New Year.

Picking up two additional Conference games is a benefit in scheduling landscape, but lose a prime non-conf. week between 12/25 and 1/1.

DoubleDipper wrote:Next year’s team, that will include Alec and at least one other new face, will have to adjust to the 10 team WCC that will eliminate Christmas Break non-league games and will dictate a December start to WCC play.

From AD Scott Leykem:

Scheduling basketball non-conference games will be a bigger challenge in 2013-14 with the 10-team WCC starting before the New Year.

Picking up two additional Conference games is a benefit in scheduling landscape, but lose a prime non-conf. week between 12/25 and 1/1.

If that means we dont have to schedule a UTPA or a Portland Bible, I am all for it. The other added bonus is even travel partners, UP an GU again. No more single game flights to play in California as the Pilots will do against LMU next week.

Hate to see home conference games when the students are not on campus. Oh well.