Kante
- Thread starter Lawboy12007
- Start date
If Cliff more likely to return than Hunter Dickinson?
My guess is Howard told Kante he'd play mostly at the 4 and shoot 3's and Pikiell told Kante he wasn't ready to be a 4 and that was a big deal to Kante.
He's a teenager, it's not going to be a 100% rational decision.
100% - especially your last line.
Obviously all high level recruits think they are going to come in and outplay the competition but beating out Clif is a lot harder than Hunter (RU bias but so what haha).
Again RU bias but I can see HC Pike being more truthful with a recruit and their role than other coaches (nothing specific about HC Howard but just in general).
In NCAA14 - I was the worst. Would promise recruits anything they wanted (jersey number, position, depth chart) and then break it.
I am going to have to disagree on this one. If Kante is getting to the next level, it is as a 4, not a 5. He is too small to consistently play center in the NBA, except when teams both go small. Howard can point to using Diabate as a 4, and how It worked out with him getting drafted in the 1st round after his freshman year. They are similar players. I have no idea what we were telling him, but anyone who was telling him that he would mostly play the 5 isn’t helping him with his future.
Diabate was a top 10-15 recruit out of HS. The difference in NBA potential between top 15 and top 100 is immense.
Kevon Looney is 6'9", Robert Williams is 6'8"
Those two started at center for the teams that played for the NBA championship
Clint Capella is 6'10", Bam Adebayo is 6'9"
I'll stop looking after the first four guys I thought of.
Also I'm not saying Pikiell would say he'd NEVER play the 4, just that he's not ready yet. Like Cliff didn't shoot 3's his first two years and now, supposedly, he's going to.
Looney was drafted as a PF and converted to Center by GS based on need. Capella and Adebayo were always thicker more physical players, Kante isn’t built like them, he is more like Diabate. His way to the next level is as a PF, and it is in is interest to focus on playing facing the basket in college to improve those skills and his profile.
I'm not saying he shouldn't work on facing the basket and playing the 4 and knocking down 3's, I'm saying he has shown no signs of being competent enough at those things to get playing time in the Big Ten and it is unlikely he will do so as a FR. He has shown he could likely get playing time as a 5.
He has shown he can hedge and defend ball screens and rebound. There is a path to the NBA as a Kevon Looney, Robert Williams type as that player. Either way it's a long shot for a guy borderline top 100.
When you tell players they'll do things in the B1G that they're not doing in high school or the EYBL that's when you end up with a bunch of transfers every year. It seems like many coaches do that, I'm glad we have a coach who seems like he doesn't.
He has shown he can hedge and defend ball screens and rebound. There is a path to the NBA as a Kevon Looney, Robert Williams type as that player. Either way it's a long shot for a guy borderline top 100.
When you tell players they'll do things in the B1G that they're not doing in high school or the EYBL that's when you end up with a bunch of transfers every year. It seems like many coaches do that, I'm glad we have a coach who seems like he doesn't.
Jordan wasn't exactly Phil Jackson as an NBA coach. And he wasn't exactly Isaiah Thomas as an NBA player.
Same dynamic w the friction between the two fan bases, but no so much class warfare
More competitive re state funding, flagship status, politics, and of course athletics
Bam was playing the 4 when they had Whiteside if I'm not mistaken, he moved over afterwards. Very few true centers in Today's NBA.
I’m in southwest Florida and the nearest public university is Florida Gulf Coast University. I haven’t sensed that same dynamic for UF and FSU, but I could be dead wrong. I do know that UF is first choice, but not sure enmity exists, at the UM/MSU UVa/Va Tech level.
It definitely exists
UF was the original flagship, now it's co-flagship status
UF # 5 in USNRW, FSU # 19
UF with a lot of old citrus money for athletics (BHG) and SEC status
UF played FB longer (too lazy to look up years, around 50 years longer)
Same # of natties and Heisman's (3 each)
Both schools football programs had the luxury of football coaches with outgoing personalities and something to say. Of course winning games makes that a whole lot easier.
I agree. He strikes me as they type that if he was on another team we’d be so damn frustrated by him. Except he’s our guy.
Huge shoulders. He’s a natural beast.
Shiny Pants was one of a kind. Brilliant mind, but a huge prick
Bobby was the old folksy Southern charmer who would give you a hug then hang 50 on you in cold blood
Both are legends that put their schools on the map. While the dynamic is drastically different at each institution, the ultimate goal (championships) remains the same
That may be why Juwan Howard is the perfect coach for him. Juwan played Center at Michigan, and when he got to the NBA, he needed to shift to Power Forword because he was too small to play Center in the NBA. And he adapted just fine.
Sorry. I thought my post was clearly written. None of todays kids grew up watching Howard as an NBA star. By the time they were old enough to watch games Howard was avg'ing no more than 6 pts/game. Im sure they heard "that guy used to be really good" from time to time but that's hardly as impressive as having grown up watching him star in games. I just don't think that's going to be a big draw for kids today. Michigan itself is a much larger draw.