NCAA Canadian Watch List part 2: RETURNING PLAYERS (6-10)

[Hair Canada]

The former post, reviewing 1-5:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1761677


6. Kyle Alexander, Tennessee
Profile: 22yo senior; 6’11 PF; 7’6 wingspan (!)
Last year: 5.6 points and 5.6 rebounds, with 1.7 blocks in 20 minutes a game. Somewhat of a breakout season for Alexander. One of the best in D1 last year in field goal percentage (68% from the field; up from less than 50% in the two previous seasons) and a nice improvement in blocks.
2018-19 projection: I suspect we’ll see more of the same. Tennessee is bringing back pretty much the same roster as last year, so it’s likely that Alexander will have a similar role in the rotation. There’s a lot to get excited about with Kyle given his tremendous physical profile, excellent mobility, and the improvement he has shown last year. ESPN are “buying” into him and I’ve seen him projected as high as a low first rounder in 2019. But I don’t see it right now and I think he’ll have to show much more for this to happen.

7. Abu Kigab, Oregon
Profile: 19yo (almost 20) sophomore; 6’7 SF; 6’9 wingspan
Last year: 1.5 points and 1 rebound a game, on very bad shooting, in less than 8 minutes a game. Like Akot, Kigab had a very disappointing rookie season. Didn’t get to play much, but in the minutes he played he shot the ball really well, and so did not really show that he deserves more minutes. That said, especially toward the end of the season, he had a couple of games where he really affected the game in a positive way, mainly through defensive effort.
2018-19 projection: I guess at this point many have already given up on Kigab as a potential future NBA player. I’m not quite there yet. After all, less than a year and a half ago he was perhaps the second best player in the U19 tournament after Barrett (had a spot on the first team), showing not only great defense and rebounding, but also some nice offensive potential, including against top-level competition in the game against the US. His game has always been a bit rough and the decision making somewhat questionable, but he’s the type of player that when given confidence can really help a team with plenty of hustle and heart. Perhaps Oregon was not the best placement for him and I’m also not sure about the decision to come back there this year, but I appreciate the fact that he’s is not a quitter and chose to stick with it and try again. The Ducks did lose two players who were sitting on his position and getting plenty of minutes – senior (Canadian) MiKyle McIntosh and freshman Troy Brown (now playing for the Wizards). Both played about 30 minutes a game. However, they will also be adding a lot of talent, with one of the better-recruiting classes in 2018, including 5-star rookies Bol Bol and small forward Louis King (who might not start the season due to an injury). But I hope Abu can still get some decent playing time and regain his confidence.

8-10 are all transfer players, who didn’t play last year but showed good potential before they transferred. I’ve seen all three much less than the previous seven, so I feel less comfortable to give any strong statements or predictions about them.

8. Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
Profile: 22yo Senior; about 6’8 PF with a long wingspan (couldn’t find more precise estimates; maybe mojo knows?)
Last year: Didn’t play in 2017-18, as he transferred from San Jose State. Clarke had a breakout season at San Jose State in 2016-17, putting up great number in scoring (17.5 points, shooting 59% from the floor), rebounding (8.9), and blocks (2.6).
2018-19 projection: I might be ranking him here a bit lower than his actual value. The reason for that is that when players move from a low-major to a high-major college, it is always hard to assess with certainty (a bit like the move from high school to college), and so the burden of proof is still on him. But I think he’ll do well. From the little I’ve seen, Clarke is a very athletic and long power forward. Not very tall, but mobile and can fit a small ball NBA frontcourt due to his length and athleticism. I also read that he’s been putting tons of work on his shooting, so let's hope he can show more of that, as this was not really part of his game at San Jose State. I realize he’s a personal favorite for mojo, so hopefully, he fits well alongside Rui Hachimura (Japan), Killian Tillie (France), and Philip Petrusev (Serbia), an international frontcourt that might be the best in college next year.

9. Isiaha Mike, Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Profile: 21yo sophomore; 6’8 SF
Last year: Also didn’t play last year. Transferred from Duquesne, where he put up good stats during his rookie year in 2016-17: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and almost one block and one steal in 28 minutes a game.
2018-19 projection: Mike has all the tools to be a successful SF at the next level. He’s long, a good athlete, energetic, and also has a decent-looking 3-point shot. Haven’t seen him enough in full games to evaluate his defense, consistency and general feel for the game, but seems like he at least has the potential to eventually make it to the big league.

10. Marial Shayok, Iowa State
Profile: 23yo senior; 6’6 guard from Ottawa with a phenomenal wingspan (7’2).
Last year: Didn’t play (transfer from the University of Virginia). In 2016-17 he had 9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and one steal, playing 20 minutes per game for the Cavaliers.
2018-19 projection: A good defender, who also had a more significant offensive role during his junior year at Virginia. I think he’s very likely to get more minutes and an even bigger offensive role this year, alongside Wigginton, and the Cyclones should be an interesting “Canadian” team to watch. Shayok is not that young, but if he can improve offensively and show signs of a potential lock-down defender, he might get looks from NBA teams given his exceptional physical tools and great positional size.


A FEW OTHERS

Joseph Chartouny, Marquette. Last year he had 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.5 steals at Fordham. Most notably, he led the entire NCAA Division I in steals (the previous year he was second in the country in steals). Moving to Marquette in the Big East, who might be a top-30 team next year. Most likely, Chartouny is not an NBA prospect, but still, a player that is good to keep an eye on during his senior year.

Elijah Mitrou-Long, Texas. The brother of Naz. Eli is another transfer student (from Mount St. Mary), who sat out last year. Had a great junior year in 2016-17, with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, shooting well from 3. Not very tall (6’1), but a true PG with a great feel for the game, who’ll now get a chance to play for a high-major program and maybe he’ll surprise.

Jahvon Blair, Georgetown. A nice rookie year last season for the 6’3 guard. 9 points, 2 rebound and 2 assists in 21 minutes a game coming off the bench and providing some instant offence. My issue with Jahvon (a former Biosteel MVP and U18 team Canada player) has always been that he tends to be trigger-happy. On the positive side, it means he’s not shy, which I think helped him break into the rotation and put up some good scoring performances. But it also means he only shot a meager 33% from the field last year. Hopefully, he can get some extra minutes and improve his shot selection and passing this year, becoming more of a combo guard.

Jackson Rowe, Cal State Fullerton. Had a very good junior season last year (12 points and 7 rebounds a game, shooting 41% from the 3 and 58% from the field). Led his team to the Big Dance. A big man who’s only 6’7, so NBA potential is questionable.

Marcus Ottey, U of Illinois at Chicago. CG, who’s about 6’2 and mostly a scorer and a terrific shooter. Very good season last year as a junior. Almost 14 points a game on excellent shooting from the field (52%) and the line (84%). Also probably not NBA potential, but if he can continue to improve, he might have a good pro career.

Danilo Djuricic, Harvard. A somewhat disappointing freshman season for Danilo last year at Harvard. The former U19 gold medalist had only 5 points and 2.7 rebounds in less than 15 minutes a game. Not NBA material (not tall or long enough for the position), but a smart PF with surprising athleticism and a very clean outside stroke, who I think can be a very efficient and successful player in Europe one day. Hope he gets more minutes this year, but Harvard is the strongest team in the Ivy League and he’ll need to fight for them.

Finally, Kobe McEwen (going into junior year) and Marcus Carr (sophomore) might both have made it into my top-10 list of returning players, but both decided to transfer and will be redshirted next year. There are some talks lately about Carr being cleared to play this year already (he moved because Pitt changed its coach), but no final decision by the NCAA yet.


In the next post, I’ll start talking about the freshmen class, which is probably the main reason to be excited about next year.

[mojo13]

Brandon Clarke is indeed a personal favorite of mine as I'm a Vancouver guy and a huge Gonzaga fan, so I may have beer goggles on.
He was first team all mountain west his sophomore year leading a league worst SJSU. Making the 1st team all MW on such a crappy team is an accomplishment in itself. Clarke is a mobile high flyer (massive dunker) who defends very well inside and is a great rim protector (2.6 blocks per game at 6'8). He was a real late bloomer, growing 5-6 inches in his senior high school year and was under recruited. The big question about his NBA potential is his shooting, which he showed virtually nothing of in the two years of SJSU and why no one was looking at him too closely as a prospect (too small to be an interior player in the NBA).
This is where the Olynyk Klynyk comes in - Gonzaga has a great rep for a unique process of overhauling transfers turning them into NBA prospects (Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Nigel Williams Goss, Jonathan Williams III) in the last few years.
Stories are saying they completely overhauled Clarke shot and expectations are high (Clarke is starting to pop up on a few mock drafts).

On top of this Killian Tillie just fractured his foot - so it will be all Clarke (and Hachimura) for the next 8-10 weeks). We are going to find out quickly what Clarke is.

I think Clarke is a very athletic, mobile 4, who can score inside, rebound and protect the rim at an NBA level and if he is showing a half decent outside shot, I really think he is another huge breakout candidate. I'd rank him well above Kigab and Akot right now.

[Hair Canada]

Brandon Clarke is indeed a personal favorite of mine as I'm a Vancouver guy and a huge Gonzaga fan, so I may have beer goggles on.
He was first team all mountain west his sophomore year leading a league worst SJSU. Making the 1st team all MW on such a crappy team is an accomplishment in itself. Clarke is a mobile high flyer (massive dunker) who defends very well inside and is a great rim protector (2.6 blocks per game at 6'8). He was a real late bloomer, growing 5-6 inches in his senior high school year and was under recruited. The big question about his NBA potential is his shooting, which he showed virtually nothing of in the two years of SJSU and why no one was looking at him too closely as a prospect (too small to be an interior player in the NBA).
This is where the Olynyk Klynyk comes in - Gonzaga has a great rep for a unique process of overhauling transfers turning them into NBA prospects (Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Nigel Williams Goss, Jonathan Williams III) in the last few years.
Stories are saying they completely overhauled Clarke shot and expectations are high (Clarke is starting to pop up on a few mock drafts).

On top of this Killian Tillie just fractured his foot - so it will be all Clarke (and Hachimura) for the next 8-10 weeks). We are going to find out quickly what Clarke is.

I think Clarke is a very athletic, mobile 4, who can score inside, rebound and protect the rim at an NBA level and if he is showing a half decent outside shot, I really think he is another huge breakout candidate. I'd rank him well above Kigab and Akot right now.

That's great. I hope Clarke really shines and that the rumors about a developing outside shot are founded. Just one thing -- there's another international big guy in the mix, Serbian rookie Balsa Koprivica, who's a really interesting prospect. If I'm not mistaken, he was the MVP of the last European U18 championship, which Serbia won. I watched him quite a bit last year with Montverde. A really good player, with length and good outside shooting.

Anyway, I'm with you on Gonzaga, and not just because of the heritage (Olynyk, Pangos, and another esoteric PG -- John Stockton). I love what they do with "not that talented" players, and in recent years they've also been great in scouting and recruiting the international market. The only mid-major college that's consistently a final-four contender. It was a real bummer when they lost the final to North Carolina in 2017.

[mojo13]

Brandon Clarke is indeed a personal favorite of mine as I'm a Vancouver guy and a huge Gonzaga fan, so I may have beer goggles on.
He was first team all mountain west his sophomore year leading a league worst SJSU. Making the 1st team all MW on such a crappy team is an accomplishment in itself. Clarke is a mobile high flyer (massive dunker) who defends very well inside and is a great rim protector (2.6 blocks per game at 6'8). He was a real late bloomer, growing 5-6 inches in his senior high school year and was under recruited. The big question about his NBA potential is his shooting, which he showed virtually nothing of in the two years of SJSU and why no one was looking at him too closely as a prospect (too small to be an interior player in the NBA).
This is where the Olynyk Klynyk comes in - Gonzaga has a great rep for a unique process of overhauling transfers turning them into NBA prospects (Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Nigel Williams Goss, Jonathan Williams III) in the last few years.
Stories are saying they completely overhauled Clarke shot and expectations are high (Clarke is starting to pop up on a few mock drafts).

On top of this Killian Tillie just fractured his foot - so it will be all Clarke (and Hachimura) for the next 8-10 weeks). We are going to find out quickly what Clarke is.

I think Clarke is a very athletic, mobile 4, who can score inside, rebound and protect the rim at an NBA level and if he is showing a half decent outside shot, I really think he is another huge breakout candidate. I'd rank him well above Kigab and Akot right now.

That's great. I hope Clarke really shines and that the rumors about a developing outside shot are founded. Just one thing -- there's another international big guy in the mix, Serbian rookie Balsa Koprivica, who's a really interesting prospect. If I'm not mistaken, he was the MVP of the last European U18 championship, which Serbia won. I watched him quite a bit last year with Montverde. A really good player, with length and good outside shooting.

Anyway, I'm with you on Gonzaga, and not just because of the heritage (Olynyk, Pangos, and another esoteric PG -- John Stockton). I love what they do with "not that talented" players, and in recent years they've also been great in scouting and recruiting the international market. The only mid-major college that's consistently a final-four contender. It was a real bummer when they lost the final to North Carolina in 2017.

I believe you are confusing Balsa Koprivica (who is a 2019) with Philip Petrusev. Petrusev is indeed at Gonzaga as a freshman as you said and will now be pressed into significant minutes as the third big for Gonzaga with Tille out. Previous to Tillie going down Petrusev looked slated for spot minutes so I doubt he will be a threat to Clarkes minutes - but will now be very important to the Zag out of conference success..

[Hair Canada]

Brandon Clarke is indeed a personal favorite of mine as I'm a Vancouver guy and a huge Gonzaga fan, so I may have beer goggles on.
He was first team all mountain west his sophomore year leading a league worst SJSU. Making the 1st team all MW on such a crappy team is an accomplishment in itself. Clarke is a mobile high flyer (massive dunker) who defends very well inside and is a great rim protector (2.6 blocks per game at 6'8). He was a real late bloomer, growing 5-6 inches in his senior high school year and was under recruited. The big question about his NBA potential is his shooting, which he showed virtually nothing of in the two years of SJSU and why no one was looking at him too closely as a prospect (too small to be an interior player in the NBA).
This is where the Olynyk Klynyk comes in - Gonzaga has a great rep for a unique process of overhauling transfers turning them into NBA prospects (Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Nigel Williams Goss, Jonathan Williams III) in the last few years.
Stories are saying they completely overhauled Clarke shot and expectations are high (Clarke is starting to pop up on a few mock drafts).

On top of this Killian Tillie just fractured his foot - so it will be all Clarke (and Hachimura) for the next 8-10 weeks). We are going to find out quickly what Clarke is.

I think Clarke is a very athletic, mobile 4, who can score inside, rebound and protect the rim at an NBA level and if he is showing a half decent outside shot, I really think he is another huge breakout candidate. I'd rank him well above Kigab and Akot right now.

That's great. I hope Clarke really shines and that the rumors about a developing outside shot are founded. Just one thing -- there's another international big guy in the mix, Serbian rookie Balsa Koprivica, who's a really interesting prospect. If I'm not mistaken, he was the MVP of the last European U18 championship, which Serbia won. I watched him quite a bit last year with Montverde. A really good player, with length and good outside shooting.

Anyway, I'm with you on Gonzaga, and not just because of the heritage (Olynyk, Pangos, and another esoteric PG -- John Stockton). I love what they do with "not that talented" players, and in recent years they've also been great in scouting and recruiting the international market. The only mid-major college that's consistently a final-four contender. It was a real bummer when they lost the final to North Carolina in 2017.

I believe you are confusing Balsa Koprivica (who is a 2019) with Philip Petrusev. Petrusev is indeed at Gonzaga as a freshman as you said and will now be pressed into significant minutes as the third big for Gonzaga with Tille out. Previous to Tillie going down Petrusev looked slated for spot minutes so I doubt he will be a threat to Clarkes minutes - but will now be very important to the Zag out of conference success..

Yes, of course, Petrusev. Both played for Montverde at some point last year, so I mixed up the names. Petrusev was great in the Geico championship tournament. Really soft shooting touch. I think he'll find his way to the NBA eventually. In the meanwhile, I think you are right, and in any case, Hachimura can also play some 3, so at least in principle, all three can be on the court at the same time.

[Patman]

No love for Jaylen Poser?

[Hair Canada]

No love for Jaylen Poser?

Forgot about him a bit, maybe because he sat out for a year. I don't think he's likely an NBA-caliber player, but yes he deserves a mention.