Re: 2013 Recruiting: Wintering + Sharp + Zubizarreta + Gerun

by Geezaldinho Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:41 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
up7587 wrote:Are JC players under the same NLI rules? I tried to research that, but it quickly confused me.
Hmm, probably need more than one attorney to vote on the correct answer to that question, but the NCAA rule reads (in part):
….only prospective student-athletes who are enrolling in a four-year institution for the first time sign a National Letter of Intent.
The rules do not distinguish between the different types of schools a student-athlete is coming from in this particular situation…..that I can see.

The NLI page does spell out a bit how the NLI works.

This NLI applies only to prospective student-athletes who will be entering four-year institutions for the first time as full-time students. It is permissible for 4-2-4 transfer student-athletes to sign the NLI provided a previous valid NLI does not apply. The terms of the previous NLI are satisfied if a student-athlete graduates from the two-year college.

So you apparently have a fresh slate if you have your two year degree.

by dholcombe Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:27 pm

A shooter sounds like good news to me.

by DoubleDipper Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:40 pm

up7587 wrote:Are JC players under the same NLI rules? I tried to research that, but it quickly confused me.

It's been clarified....any SRJC player named Bobby will have to wait until the NLI signing period, April 17 - May 15, before putting pen to paper at a D1 school.... Basketball

by DoubleDipper Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:39 pm

Conversation on Twitter a couple of hours ago:

Alec Wintering ‏@awintering
S/o to my future teammate @bobbysharp45 he recently committed! Looking to next year

Bryce Pressley‏@BrycePressley S/O to the two new freshman @awintering11 @bobbysharp45 welcome to the fam!

Alec Wintering ‏@awintering yessir let's get it!!

OK, finally something from INSIDE the program (sorta). Bobby will be a junior not a freshman as Bryce described him, but a "new guy" nonetheless.

by Guest Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:43 am

Guess it's time to update the title of this thread. And have a look at the scholarhip situation -

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

The addition of Sharp - while badly needed - makes a large crop of graduating players after 2014-15 even larger! It'll be interesting to see where the staff goes with the three open scholarships next year...maybe a juco big, a HS big, and a HS SF?

by DoubleDipper Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:57 am

Thanks for the update, Deaner....

That IS a heck of a drop-off after the 2014-15 season, but as you said, Sharp is "badly needed" now!

Depending upon Reinfelds' situation, UP could still bring in another freshman next month, but instead of just building for the future, I believe the team will want to increase its chances of winning NOW by bringing in another SG to increase the synergy of the team (and the wins).....

by dholcombe Sat Mar 23, 2013 2:16 pm

If we bring in JCs now and then bring in some JC transfers after 2015 along with some traditional freshmen things will still balance fine with the 2015 JC transfers graduating in 2017.

by goldhelmet Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:48 pm

dholcombe wrote:If we bring in JCs now and then bring in some JC transfers after 2015 along with some traditional freshmen things will still balance fine with the 2015 JC transfers graduating in 2017.

We will need to recruit freshman who will develop and contribute early in 2014. 2015 is a huge hit, and it really needs to be managed with extreme care. Too many JC's can really kill a program.

by wrv Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:13 pm

On the one hand there will exist a clamoring (beyond this year's version) for the head of Reveno if the team does not perform better next year and on the other the internet managers are advising that he should be leery of an imbalance in the recruiting class for 2015.

And we have only one jc transfer, not a number that threatens our desire to recruit preps.

By the way, perhaps it is insensitive to suggest, but because he will already have been attending the U for four years, and presumably will graduate on time, I wonder(speculate) whether John Bailey will take his basketball talents elsewhere after next year, thus serving to correct some imbalance?

Just win baby . . .if you can do that, class balance can wait.

by goldhelmet Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:15 pm

I didn't say that we did have an imbalance presently - hence, my use of the future tense. I only stated that it is a potential danger in the future if we continue down that route. So Rev survives next year. What is to say that he won't be right in the same situation again? Don't recruit freshman because the man's job is on the line? Don't recruit properly, and his job will ultimately be on the line anyway.
The program is bigger than one any one coach's' job security.

by DoubleDipper Sun Mar 24, 2013 9:53 pm

wrv wrote:By the way, perhaps it is insensitive to suggest, but because he will already have been attending the U for four years, and presumably will graduate on time, I wonder(speculate) whether John Bailey will take his basketball talents elsewhere after next year, thus serving to correct some imbalance?

Ha-ha, yea, maybe a bit insensitive, but I have heard that discussed by others too. JB has about a 4.0 GPA and might even graduate a little early becaue of his summer school attendance. And, as we all know, the university and the student-athlete are in a year-to-year contract with one another….

Unless JB shows a much improved game, and in my opinion, a much improved attitude toward wanting to be a starter and an all-star athlete, he will probably be gone when he graduates.

Joel Sobotka recruited him out of Arizona thinking he could be developed, and I have to admit he has developed physically, but so far he has not met (Joel’s) expectations on the court.

by DoubleDipper Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:11 pm

While doing a bit of detective work in attempt to find out where the next potential UP recruit might come from, I noticed a couple of tweets from Rev on March 12 during his journey to Spain and another unknown destination in Europe.

A number of PN readers commented about European cheeses, etc, after this tweet:

Observations from European breakfast. 1) Prosciutto, cheese, bread can be a great addition to any meal. 2) They must laugh at Venti coffee.

But in a subsequent tweet, probably sent from Italy based upon his previous description of the food (I once lived in Aviano, Italy), he wrote:

Good thing it is not an NCAA violation for prospects family to feed a coach a ton of food because I would have to self-report after yesterday.

So, does anyone know of any D-1 level shooting guards playing high school ball in Italy or attending an academy? I suspect our sleuths should start looking there for our next offer overseas.

by Guest Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:29 am

All I'm going to say is that @CoachReveno must laugh his ass off when he comes on here and sees us trying to translate his food-related tweets into which recruits are or aren't coming to the Bluff!

by DoubleDipper Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:54 am

When I am not desperate, I am worthless.
Ivo Andric

by **DaTruRochin** Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:16 am

The thought of Rev sipping a venti sized espresso is kind of comical...

by Geezaldinho Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:41 pm

DaTruRochin wrote:The thought of Rev sipping a venti sized espresso is kind of comical...

Love to see what he is like if the espresso was Turkish coffee.

by DoubleDipper Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:48 pm

More speculation……but what else is there when we’re not playing ball?

With no word from UP, is it time to begin speculating about Oskars’ future? What with privacy laws and all, I doubt anyone is in a position to give us an update before we just notice he’s either on or off the roster for next season. My guess is he will NOT be back next year. Evil or Very Mad

I’ve seen a number of students come and go over the years at UP, and usually in disciplinary situations similar to the one involving Oskars, the student is “suspended” from school for at least one year, and if the now ex-student applies to return, the school sets certain prerequisites that must be met before they’re eligible to return.

Remember, this is total speculation on my part, but knowing the “normal” drill, and seeing what is suddenly NOT being said on social media, he’s probably gone. If he is gone, I suspect he will be given the chance to reenroll for the 2014-2015 school year, if he chooses to do so.

What would any of us do if we were in Oskars’ situation, if he’s suspended? Given the opportunity, I think most of us would simply transfer, burn a redshirt year, enjoy success elsewhere, and not look back.

Again, this is just an educated guess on my part. I doubt anyone from UP will comment on Oskars’ situation even though the decision was apparently adjudicated a couple of weeks ago!

by DoubleDipper Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:31 am

DoubleDipper wrote:While doing a bit of detective work in attempt to find out where the next potential UP recruit might come from, I noticed a couple of tweets from Rev on March 12 during his journey to Spain and another unknown destination in Europe.

So, does anyone know of any D-1 level shooting guards playing high school ball in Italy or attending an academy? I suspect our sleuths should start looking there for our next offer overseas.

Hmm, it turns out Mrs. DD lurks on PN from time-to-time, and she asks, "If you know Rev was in Spain, but you're not sure where else he was, how do you know he's not recruiting a Spanish player?"

Oh yea, duh.....it could he's looking for a ball handle/shooter in Spain! Embarassed

I'm not too good at this detective work, I guess.

by NoPoNeighbor Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:14 am

If we got Sharp, why are we looking for yet another ball handle/shooter? Since Cason is gone, we need a forward to take over for Nicholas. John Bailey is not going to cut it, and Ehlers does not seem to be an inside threat or rebounder.

by DoubleDipper Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:56 am

NoPoNeighbor wrote:If we got Sharp, why are we looking for yet another ball handle/shooter? Since Cason is gone, we need a forward to take over for Nicholas. John Bailey is not going to cut it, and Ehlers does not seem to be an inside threat or rebounder.

1. I’m going on the premise that Oskars will not be back next season.
2. UP’s weakest area, even with Oskars, is at the SG and PG.
3. Jake is going to be good and should fill-in for Ryan nicely.
4. One more year with Ryan (PF), Korey (SG), and Tanner (SG) then three scholarships to use for whatever mix of student-athletes the team needs the most.

by Guest Tue Mar 26, 2013 10:05 am

NoPoNeighbor wrote:If we got Sharp, why are we looking for yet another ball handle/shooter?

I will preface this by saying that I certainly don't disagree with you...if there is indeed a third recruit incoming, there are strong arguments to be made for either another guard or (as you mentioned) help at PF.

If there is a third recruit coming, it would obviously be in place of Reinfelds. If that's true, the team will actually be DOWN in number of guards as it stands right now if Carr is not ready for the start of the season (plus Wintering, plus Sharp, minus Rodgers, minus Reinfelds, minus Carr). Perhaps that is the logic in looking for another guard?

I would assume that the coaches will be counting on continued development by Ehlers (who had a very similar freshman season to Nicholas with a greatly increased role towards the second half of the WCC sched) and/or a JC transfer to pick up when Nicholas leaves.

edit: sooo...basically what DD posted while I was typing out this response drunken

by wrv Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:13 am

I would ask whether the trips to Spain and Australia were connected with recruiting potential student athletes for this coming year--2013-2014? If so, Reveno knew then that he was down a player.

I might add that our greatest need in broadest terms is to improve the offense. That can be done by addition in the front court as well, though I certainly do not disagree with the analysis of where to seek a skill set that would most likely impact the team positively. The bromide of all professional drafts is to take the best player available. If we lose Reinfelds with little time to build a relationship with a potential student athlete, then we should be guided by the same philosophy.

Among the problems confronting Reveno is the late start, but he has been there before.

Go Pilots.

by DoubleDipper Wed Mar 27, 2013 2:25 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:3. Jake is going to be good and should fill-in for Ryan nicely.

Let me be clear, Jake will not be a REPLACEMENT for Ryan when Ryan graduates….he will fill-in nicely in another way, as a skilled PF.

Face it, Ryan is “Rhino;” that is how he plays…with strength and determination. Jake on the other hand takes a more cerebral approach and is a more skilled finesse player.

Both styles will work, and I’m betting Jake will put up similar or better OFFENSIVE numbers eventually.

Remember, he was supposed to redshirt this past season until the defection of Cason, so his body is still catching up.

BTW, I watched Riley Barker in practice yesterday….now feeling healthy again and energized, he was playing above the rim and swatting balls every direction!! It was great to watch....unless you were the swattee... Razz

by DoubleDipper Wed Mar 27, 2013 2:40 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:Hmm, it turns out Mrs. DD lurks on PN from time-to-time, and she asks, "If you know Rev was in Spain, but you're not sure where else he was, how do you know he's not recruiting a Spanish player?"

Oh yea, duh.....it could he's looking for a ball handle/shooter in Spain!

Watched from the sidelines yesterday as a young student-athlete was going through drills and a shoot-a-round with the Pilots at the Chiles Center…..and technically at least, the young man is from Spain.

He and his dad came all the way from the Basque Country to Portland on Monday for the opportunity to see the campus and meet the coaches and his prospective teammates…..but not to meet any fans, as that would be a violation of NCAA rules.

Everyone was in action yesterday (David Carr was shooting free-throws) and I’ve got to say, the young lad from the Basque Country looked a bit less bouncy and slight compared to the much more mature and seemingly more athletic Pilots.

I stated that everyone was in action, but that did not include Oskars. I would say that it is now quite apparent that Oskars will not return next season and UP is looking for someone to replace him. That’s too bad because Oskars’ is a lot of fun to be around and a good teammate.

It’s often quite difficult to evaluate a player coming with a European style and skill set compared to an American player like Alec Wintering who was easy to compare with other guards in the WCC. But our visitor from the Basque Country did not show me the same physical or technical development displayed by Oskars on his first day in the gym last summer.

I don’t know if he’s been made an offer….one would think so if UP flew he and his dad all the way to Portland for the tryout (I guess it could still be a two-way tryout), so Coach Reveno must think pretty highly of him. Again, I only saw him for an hour, and of course it was as if he’d just landed on a different planet with the 9 hour time zone difference and the unfamiliar surroundings, players, coaches, basketball court, food, etc…..but he was not hitting any of his shots, and he was physically much less mature (he’s 18) than his practice mates.

Once I or others feel comfortable giving his name you can take a look at a number of impressive YouTube highlights he’s featured in, but it’s really difficult to assess the level of his opposition in those highlight reels, and of course it doesn’t show his play when it’s NOT a highlight.

My fingers are crossed that he’s actually quite a bit better than my first impression….I just hope his tryout/workout performance was not up to his usual standard because of the difficult circumstances of being thrown onto the court in unfamiliar circumstances.

Regardless, don’t expect the second coming of Ricky Rubio…..

by DoubleDipper Wed Mar 27, 2013 2:46 pm

Ha-ha, I just read tweet from our Basque recruit from last evening, reflecting on his first full day at UP:

This is another world, how important basketball and studies are here at the same time! Uau

That is the same reaction our two Finish women’s players had, and it is also almost word-for-word what Oskars said during his first summer in Portland. Smile