Post#23 » by Hair Canada » Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:00 am
SENIORS
Okay, finally I found the time to write about Seniors. Unfortunately for Canadian college fans (though probably not for the players themselves), the two arguably most interesting juniors – Nate Darling and Isiaha Mike – decided to forego their senior year in college and go pro. Darling got a two-way from the Hornets while Mike will play in Germany and will probably try his luck in the summer league.
Which leaves us with a significantly watered-down senior cohort.
1. Chris Duarte, Oregon (23yo; 6’6 SG; 190lbs; from Montreal, QC). During a 10-games stretch in January 2020, Duarte looked like a future leaguer. He scored 20 points a game with impressive precision from behind the arc, rebounded well (he’s a good athlete), showed decent court vision, and perhaps most notably, was very impressive on defense, including games with 8, 6, and 5 steals. Then he fell off a cliff in the first few games of February before the NCAA was shut down and the hype cooled off. But the potential he showed in January was really impressive. He's a really good defensive player and if he can show more consistency this year, he’s got a shot to get himself into the second round of 2021 (though at age 24 by the draft date that would not be an easy task).
2. Eugene Omoruyi, Oregon (6’6 PF; 235lbs; from Toronto, ON). Another Orangeville Prep product. A transfer from Rutgers, who sat out a year and will now play his senior year with Oregon. Not an NBA prospect, as he is too short and not athletic enough to play in the paint and doesn’t have enough on-ball skills and shooting to play in the wing. But a very strong player, who can really get his own in the paint at the college level. Also showed some surprising outside shooting in his last year at Rutgers, after not shooting any 3s during his first two years. All in all, he was very productive in 2018-19 for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds a game, and he can be a nice rotation player for the Ducks this year, hopefully on his way to an overseas pro career.
3. Stef Smith, Vermont (20yo; 6’1 SG; from Ajax, ON). Another former member of the Canadian junior teams, who’s having himself a really nice college career at Vermont. Last year was sort of a breakout season for him with 12.5 points a game and good shooting. He’s too short and not athletic/fast enough for the NBA, but he continues to make progress and might be one of the best guards in college this year, on the way to an overseas pro career. This year, Vermont will also be his team I think, after being the second-leading scorer (14.2 points a game) last year behind Anthony Lamb.
Vermont will also be interesting to follow because of two other Canadians: sophomore Eric Becket and Freshman Georges Lefebvre. Lefebvre is the more interesting prospect here. Another Montreal native, who is about the same age as Mathurin and O-Max (also reclassified) and played alongside them in the Canadian Nationals on one of the best young teams that la belle province has ever put up. Lefebvre actually bloomed earlier than the other two and was considered to be the more promising talent when they were all 15 years old. But Mathurin and O-Max showed much more progress as guard and wing prospects, while Lefebvre did not cash-in on his combo-forward potential and only plays in the paint (at least last time I saw him). He has good athleticism, size (6’9), and defensive presence, but also a somewhat limited offensive game and creativity. Still, he could prove to be a dark horse among this year’s talented freshmen crop.
4. Koby McEwen, Marquette (22yo; 6’4 SG; 195lbs; from Toronto, ON). McEwen had a pretty terrible season at Marquette last year, playing next to the ball-dominant Marcus Howard (who just signed a two-way with Denver). But you can't really blame Howard for it. McEwen was once touted as one of the top-3 prospects from the Canadian class of 2016 and a clear NBA potential. But he just didn’t live up to the potential he showed at times at Utah State, where he posted 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game on 42% shooting from 3-point range. Now, compare these numbers with those from last year at Marquette, where he had 9.5 points, shooting a horrendous 33% (!) from the field, while not really showing any improvement as a facilitator. And that's after seating a year out. So Koby is on a downward trend in his college career. Hopefully, he can turn things around this year, though by now, it should be clear that any NBA aspirations are out of reach.
5. Abu Kigab, Boise State (21yo; 6’7 SF; 6’9 wingspan; 220lbs; from St Catharines, ON). I also don’t think anyone sees NBA potential with Kigab anymore. But I will always remember the kindness of his youth, that is, that magical U19 title run 3 years ago, in which he was clearly our second-best player. He certainly had a much bigger role last year at Boise State than he had at Oregon, and he started the season nicely with a 33-points and 11 rebounds game and a few more 20-points games. But he faded as the year progressed and didn’t shoot the ball well, especially from behind the arc. We’ll see if he can bring that good form and energy back.
A couple of other seniors to note:
• Jalen Warren (Florida Gulf Coast; 6’3 PG from Milton, ON). Loved him in High school. A fairly small but gutsy and flashy guard. Was also one of the better Canadian college juniors last year and averaged about 15 points and 5 assists in his last 10 games. Could be headed for a big senior year.
• PF Stephan Vrancic from Toronto is another former Team Canada player (was a starter, alongside SGA, NAW, and Brissett on one of the best U18 teams we’ve ever put). He’s now having a nice career at Santa Clara, with about 14 points and 6 rebounds a game. Santa Clara also has two other Canadians – sophomore center, Jaden Bediako (Brampton, ON, also was on that same U18 Team Canada) and redshirt freshman Miguel Tomley, a sharpshooter from Surrey, BC.
• Jahvon Blair (Georgetown; 6’4 SG from Brampton, ON) was yet another member of that U18 Team Canada (also won MVP at the Biosteel All Canadian a few years ago). Last year was his best so far with coach Ewing at Georgetown, with 11 points per game. He’s a microwave scorer who could use a strong final year as a springboard for a career overseas.
Looks like it’s going to be an interesting season and I’m quite looking forward to it. Let’s hope COVID doesn’t shut it down.
“If every basketball player worked as hard as I did, I’d be out of a job.”
— Steve Nash
