NCAA Canadian Watch List 2020-21

[mojo13]

So what’s up with Fardaws Aimaq?

I know very little about him yet he is leading the ncaa in rebounding. Had a 27 and 20 game last night.
6’11 junior out of Vancouver playing for Utah Valley. Yes it is Utah Valley and the WAC, but he has had some monster games so far.

What’s his upside?

[Hair Canada]

So what’s up with Fardaws Aimaq?

I know very little about him yet he is leading the ncaa in rebounding. Had a 27 and 20 game last night.
6’11 junior out of Vancouver playing for Utah Valley. Yes it is Utah Valley and the WAC, but he has had some monster games so far.

What’s his upside?

Haven't seen him too much over the years. In the one game that I did watch this year, against BYU, he looked quite lost offensively. Of note, that was one of only two decent teams that Utah Valley met so far (the other one is Wyoming). He has a big body and impressive size (7'3 wingspan), as well as good instincts for rebounding. But he's not a great athlete and looks a bit slow to me. Still, these are fantastic numbers even if the competition is weak. Would be interesting to maybe see him play for a high major program in his senior year.

[Hair Canada]

Watched the game between Syracuse and Northeastern today.

Quincy Guerrier continues to intrigue. Had another strong performance today with 18 and 15 and averages a double-double for the season so far. Was very active on the offensive boards and also showed good effort on the defensive end. Beyond being a good rebounder, which is an important part of it, he also plays active and engaged defense, though the Orange defensive scheme doesn't quite lend itself to showcasing individual defensive abilities. All that said, I'm still not sure whether and how all of this translates to the next level. It's unlikely that he'll be able to live in the paint the way he does now. So without a more consistent perimeter game, I'm not sure how NBA teams view him and what role do they envision for him. Both he and Miller are having great seasons and production so far, but both mostly live in the paint.

On the other side (Northeastern), Jahmyl Telfort is also an interesting prospect. Strong and a good athlete, though not quite as big as Guerrier. But he's active in the paint, a good defender, and has more of an outside game. In fact, he's been shooting the ball well so far (6 of 8 from 3, but obviously it's a small sample). That said, he had some pretty terrible live-game TOs (6 on the game) and it looks like he's still adjusting to the different level in terms of decision-making and assessing opponents' speed and anticipation. Still, an interesting one to follow.

[BilboBanginz]

Sam Vecenie on Dalano Banton

https://theathletic.com/2261331/2020/12/17/2021-nba-draft-ron-harper-jr-rising-prospects/

Dalano Banton | Nebraska | 6-8 wing | 21 years old

Early season stats: 6 GP, 13.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Banton is from Toronto and decided to go to a prep school in New York to help raise his profile. He originally was a class of 2019 player but reclassified into the 2018 group to commit to Western Kentucky a year early. That year, NBA scouts went down to Bowling Green in droves to see incoming freshman Charles Bassey. And Bassey piqued their interest, for sure, as a potential one-and-done who ultimately has gone on a bit of a journey due to an underwhelming freshman season followed by a sophomore injury.

But a few scouts who talked to me after seeing those practices noted that Banton was the one who really caught their eye as a bit of a surprise in those settings due to his size and comfort as a perimeter player with ball in hand. They thought he had a chance to emerge as the more interesting longer-term prospect after having grown from 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8. In his first year in Nebraska’s lineup after sitting out as a transfer during the 2019-20 season, Banton has started to fulfill that promise.

Playing as a pseudo-lead guard in Fred Hoiberg’s offense, Banton does a great job of using his long strides mixed with his flexibility when it comes to getting real bend to get past defenders. His ability to cover ground in a hurry with those strides and get downhill is real. He’s also a good ballhandler who can really change speeds then use that stride length to extend past. He’s just extremely fluid and doesn’t move like the typical 6-foot-8 guy when he has the ball in his hand.

His hand-eye coordination at full speed is very good for his size. More than that, though, Banton’s vision and ability to read help defenders is absolutely outstanding. There are few players in the country who can hit the cross-corner kickout pass with as much ease and with as much creativity as Banton. He’ll pass teammates open into corners, or he’ll hit tough-angle kickouts either with touch or on a bullet. Honestly, he has at least two just jaw-dropping passing highlights per night given how big he is.

Ultimately, like many guys with this skill set, it’s going to come down to the shot. Banton has messy shot mechanics that he has to prove are workable before he hits his ceiling as a player. They’re not broken. He makes his free throws at a reasonable clip, and when he has time to set his feet, he can hit shots. But it takes him an eternity to set in order to shoot. And if he’s even remotely rushed, his legs fly everywhere, and his follow-through wavers.

Frankly, he just doesn’t shoot like a guy who thinks the ball is going to go in. He’s tentative when firing, as it’s absolutely not his initial plan. He takes shots because a big part of Hoiberg’s offense is to take the open shot when it’s there, but Banton’s just not there yet as a shooter. It might be better off for Banton to stay in school one more year, really rep out the jumper and turn into a legitimate monster in the Hoiberg offense. His ceiling is very high in terms of draft stock, but I do have him as a borderline top-60 guy right now. It’s just too hard to find guys like this who have this much skill and feel at his size. If the jumper ever truly improves, he’s going to be a first-rounder.

[aminiaturebuddha]

I caught most of the Oklahoma State game last night (their first conference game and first loss, a 1-point loss to TCU), and Moncrieffe is going to be an excellent NCAA player. He's too athletic and engaged on the court to not end up as close to an All-Conference type player some day.

However, I'd also have to agree with Hair's assessment that his skillset is just not suited for the NBA. He really only plays as a 4 and sometimes 5 right now. He has no discernible offensive skills beyond the paint, and at his size, that's just not going to fly at the next level, unfortunately. Still, it'll be fun to watch him in the Big 12 over the next few years.

[frumble]

Kellen Tynes (Montanta State) got the start a few nights ago (due to injury to the regular starter) and had a very good game (16 pts, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists). But the competition was weak (Yellowstone Christian). A bigger test will be tomorrow when the opponent is Washington State.

[Hair Canada]

I caught most of the Oklahoma State game last night (their first conference game and first loss, a 1-point loss to TCU), and Moncrieffe is going to be an excellent NCAA player. He's too athletic and engaged on the court to not end up as close to an All-Conference type player some day.

However, I'd also have to agree with Hair's assessment that his skillset is just not suited for the NBA. He really only plays as a 4 and sometimes 5 right now. He has no discernible offensive skills beyond the paint, and at his size, that's just not going to fly at the next level, unfortunately. Still, it'll be fun to watch him in the Big 12 over the next few years.

To an extent, Moncrieffe, Guerrier, and Miller all have similar stories. They all played the wing in high school and had a chance to work on their perimeter skills. But when they got to college all live in the paint. The thing is that all three are athletic and skilled enough to make it work at this level. But from a developmental viewpoint, I'm not sure it helps them much. All three would be better served being able to work on their perimeter skills if they ever want to be NBA players.

That said, maybe we need to accept that this is who they are, meaning that's their level of talent. Again, they all had years in high school where they did get a chance to develop perimeter skills and maybe they were just not able to reach a sufficient level for this to work in college.

Of the three, Moncrieffe is the one I'm least optimistic about in terms of developing an outside shot. His FT percentage has been really bad going back to high school and so far with Ok State he's at 40%. Guerrier is currently showing that he might be able to shoot (45% so far, but on a rather small sample). Miller hasn't taken a 3 yet, but shoots 80% from the line, so maybe there's hope.

[Hair Canada]

Nebraska meeting a week oponent today. After playing about 17 minutes, he has 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Also 3 blocks. Hope the coach lets him get the TD.

[Hair Canada]

and he got it.

[Hair Canada]

Quincy Guerrier continues to impress with a career-high 27 points. He's now standing at 18 points, 10 rebounds and one steal per game, shooting 44% from 3 and 66% from the field. If he can continue to provide similar efficiency, scouts are bound to eventually notice.

Chris Duarte also with a great season so far. 15.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game, shooting 42% from 3 on a very decent volume (5.5 shots per game), and almost 90% from the line. He's 24 but should still get a chance in the big league next year.

[Hair Canada]

I watched Boise State with Kigab and Akot today. Both finished with 12 points and Akot added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal.

Akot is a bit of a frustrating player at this point. On the one hand, he has it all: strong body, athletic, can handle well for his height (both hands), unselfish and passes well, and has a relaly nice looking jumper. Also a good and engaged defender who can guard 1-5.

But somehow, all this goodness doesn't quite translate. The beautiful jumper mostly doesn't fall. He still seems uncertain at times when to attack and when to pass and fumbles the ball too much. And he doesn't fully take advantage of his physical strengths.

Still, there's so much talent there. If he ever manages to put it all together, later this year or maybe next, there's a really intriguing player there with NBA potential. In particular, if he can make the shots it will open up his game and allow him to penetrate and dish better. I'm really crossing my fingers for this Manitoba native.

[Hair Canada]

Tonight was the best I've seen Marcus Carr play. And that was true even before he had two huge 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds of regulation to bring the Golden Gophers from 6 points down to overtime against Luka Garza and the #4-ranked Iowa. And it would be true even if Minnesota lost the game (which it didn't).

He shot the ball really well today, but also had a masterpiece PG performance, perfectly controlling the pace of the game, not forcing shots, and hitting the open men. He finished with 8 assists (along with his 30 points) but could easily have had 15 of them, as his teammates were missing great open shots that he got for them left and right.

He needs to be drafted. And I'm starting to think a first-round pick is not too high for him.

[Psubs]

Tonight was the best I've seen Marcus Carr play. And that was true even before he had two huge 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds of regulation to bring the Golden Gophers from 6 points down to overtime against Luka Garza and the #4-ranked Iowa. And it would be true even if Minnesota lost the game (which it didn't).

He shot the ball really well today, but also had a masterpiece PG performance, perfectly controlling the pace of the game, not forcing shots, and hitting the open men. He finished with 8 assists (along with his 30 points) but could easily have had 15 of them, as his teammates were missing great open shots that he got for them left and right.

He needs to be drafted. And I'm starting to think a first-round pick is not too high for him.

Ya 8 assists and only 2 turnovers! He should be late 1st early 2nd at worst. Pritchard got drafted in the 1st and he's pretty much looking like an undersized combo-guard.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Some additional praise for Marcus Carr, as he was named NCAA Player of the Week in the ESPN+ college basketball column.

Player of the Week: Marcus Carr, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Carr edges out Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 30 points in back-to-back wins over Penn State and Indiana, for this honor. Carr had 30 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists in Minnesota's 102-95 overtime win over Iowa on Christmas Day, leading the Golden Gophers' late comeback in regulation and then ceding the floor to Brandon Johnson (26 points, eight 3-pointers -- including four in overtime) in the extra session. Carr buried six 3-pointers, including two in the final 35 seconds to help erase a seven-point deficit in the final minute. His 3-pointer with 31 seconds left cut the lead to three, and then after two missed Iowa free throws, he hit one with five seconds left to tie the score. Carr is playing at an All-American level this season, scoring at least 30 points on three occasions and establishing himself as one of the premier point guards in the country this season.

[Hair Canada]

An interesting early mock draft for 2022 by ESPN. They project 5 Canadians:

8. Houstan
13. Primo
37. Banton
43. Carr
55. Nembhard

Interesting to see Primo this high despite some early struggles.

Anyway, this would mean, at best, one Canadian born player (maybe Duarte if he can keep his excellent start for the season) in 2021. But I'm not sure I buy it. Specifically, I'm talking about Marcus Carr. Among high-major college players, Marcus Carr is ranked 3rd in scoring and 5th in assists, shooting 40% on his 3-pointers. And he's leading Minnesota to an 8-1 start, including wins on a few strong teams. If he can maintain this form, or even something close to it, together with some team success, I don't see why he would want to wait till 2022. It's quite unlikely he can improve much on this... Banton is also having a really nice season so far and generating some buzz, so he might want to cash-in on it if he continues to perform.

[Psubs]

An interesting early mock draft for 2022 by ESPN. They project 5 Canadians:

8. Houstan
13. Primo
37. Banton
43. Carr
55. Nembhard

Interesting to see Primo this high despite some early struggles.

Anyway, this would mean, at best, one Canadian born player (maybe Duarte if he can keep his excellent start for the season) in 2021. But I'm not sure I buy it. Specifically, I'm talking about Marcus Carr. Among high-major college players, Marcus Carr is ranked 3rd in scoring and 5th in assists, shooting 40% on his 3-pointers. And he's leading Minnesota to an 8-1 start, including wins on a few strong teams. If he can maintain this form, or even something close to it, together with some team success, I don't see why he would want to wait till 2022. It's quite unlikely he can improve much on this... Banton is also having a really nice season so far and generating some buzz, so he might want to cash-in on it if he continues to perform.

Agreed. There might be too much pressure to put up similar or better numbers and he'll be 22 next year. He peaked at the right time. Maybe he's a late 1st rounder like Pritchard and Flynn.

[Hair Canada]

A nice coming-out party for Ben Mathurin tonight in Arizona's double-over-time win over Washington State. 24 points (including the two that sealed the game) and 11 rebounds, on great shooting from all ranges. Hope he'll be getting more minutes from Sean Miller, as I really like him.

A couple of other Canadians also with excellent games:

* AJ Lawson with 25 points after a hiatus of nearly a month.
* Chris Duarte with 23 and 4 steals (one of his main calling cards). For the second game in a row, he didn't shoot it well and then exploded with a barrage of 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game to secure it for Oregon. Nice to see the confidence and it's really fun to watch him and "Eugene from Eugene", as Bill Walton likes to call Omoruyi.
* Josh Primo with a start and a solid game in Alabama's upset of #7 Tenessee. Had 11 points nad 3-5 from 3.
* Nembhard continues his solid season at Gonzaga (today with 14 and 4 assists, shooting well).
* Emmanuel Miller with 16, 5 and 2 steals in a tight win over Auburn, including some key bucket in the final minutes
* Fardaws Aimaq with 18 points and 20 rebounds continues to lead all of college in rebounds per game.
* And Abu Kigab with 13, 7 and the winner for Boise State.

Anyone else I missed?

*

[mojo13]

A nice coming-out party for Ben Mathurin tonight in Arizona's double-over-time win over Washington State. 24 points (including the two that sealed the game) and 11 rebounds, on great shooting from all ranges. Hope he'll be getting more minutes from Sean Miller, as I really like him.

A couple of other Canadians also with excellent games:

* AJ Lawson with 25 points after a hiatus of nearly a month.
* Chris Duarte with 23 and 4 steals (one of his main calling cards). For the second game in a row, he didn't shoot it well and then exploded with a barrage of 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game to secure it for Oregon. Nice to see the confidence and it's really fun to watch him and "Eugene from Eugene", as Bill Walton likes to call Omoruyi.
* Josh Primo with a start and a solid game in Alabama's upset of #7 Tenessee. Had 11 points nad 3-5 from 3.
* Nembhard continues his solid season at Gonzaga (today with 14 and 4 assists, shooting well).
* Emmanuel Miller with 16, 5 and 2 steals in a tight win over Auburn, including some key bucket in the final minutes
* Fardaws Aimaq with 18 points and 20 rebounds continues to lead all of college in rebounds per game.
* And Abu Kigab with 13, 7 and the winner for Boise State.

Anyone else I missed?

*

Hah... a few actually. But maybe not the ones we are tracking. Big day yesterday fir Canadians.

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[Hair Canada]

A bit more about Mathurin. His numbers per 40 so far:

20.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists. Shooting numbers: 50% from the field, 42% from 3, 83% from the line.

Now, let's compare this to a couple of projected first-rounders (I'll go with Tankathon) who are also freshmen, with similar size/athleticism and playing at a similar position (SG/SF):

* Moses Moody (#8): 19.5, 7.0, 2.0; Shooting numbers (filed; 3s, FT): 46%, 42%, 78%.
* BJ Boston (#12): 15.5, 6.7, 1.4; Shooting: 38%, 9% (!), 76%
* Ziaire Williams (#15): 14.0, 6.8, 2.5; Shooting: 35%, 25%, 88%
* Keon Johnson (#16): 14.6, 6.6, 3.6; Shooting: 43%, 14%, 61%
* Josh Christopher (#27): 21.3, 5.8, 1.4; Shooting: 55%, 29%, 88%

So why is Mathurin not even talked about? He has better per-36 stats than most, with better shooting numbers (in some cases much better). He's not less athletic than the others and has similar defensive upside.

It's true that he's playing fewer minutes (around 21 per game) than most of the guys on this list, though not all (Keon Johnson). You also can't say that he's playing for a weaker team (Arizona is better than Kentucky this year and I think also Stanford).

Mathurin's main weakness so far is that he's not a great ball-handler (though not bad) and that he has a negative assist to TO ratio. But it's not like the others on this list are doing better in this regard (Keon Johnson; Ziaire Williams; BJ Boston).

So I think there's a mix here of early hype and visibility and Ben certainly has a good chance to get into the first-round talk with more performances like the one he gave yesterday (and more minutes and trust from Sean Miller).

[BrianRay88]

Its critical Elijah Fisher gets involved with Canada Basketball to get accustomed to the program and the feeling of representing his country while still young and hopefully experiencing success.