Martins Igbanu Triple Double
- Thread starter cmullinsTU
- Start date
Someone compared Igbanu to Smith in the thread on the Aussie commit. Um...how? Igbanu obviously is someone who is using his freakish athletic ability on both ends of the floor. I like Smith, but you never know which Smitty you're going to get one game to the next. I need to watch more Igbanu highlights to see who he really compares to.
He plays in Division 1 of the Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association (http://www.gicaasports.com/members/)
I'd be very suspect of this player. I mean, he was offered by a bunch of no-name schools with no-name HC's and staffs, all with very little D-1 experience.
School Interest Offer Visit Recruited by
Tulsa COMMITTED (09/17/2015) Offered 08/28/2015
Charleston None Offered None
Cincinnati None Offered None
Georgia St. None Offered None
Iowa St. None Offered None
Liberty None Offered None
Miami (OH) None Offered None
Mississippi None Offered None
Mississippi St. None Offered None
Princeton None Offered None
Rhode Island None Offered None
South Florida None Offered None
Tennessee None Offered None
Troy None Offered None
Yale None Offered None
Not sure what I like best about this offer sheet:
The fact you have a top 10 team in Iowa St. offering, an up and coming URI program offering, 3 SEC schools offering, or the fact that he was offered by 2 Ivy League schools. This tells me 1) KID CAN PLAY 2) KID IS SMART
Exactly.... There are some stats that carry over to High Division I play.....Free throw percentage........same at any level of competition. I did not see that mentioned but I had much rather see these than some of those 9 points and 5 rebounds and didn't start for a JUCO team like we saw 10-15 years ago.
That was my comparison, and it was based off his skill set and the fact that he's a guy that will probably be forced to play inside because of his size and Haith's system when he could do really well as a wing instead.
I'm seeing some posts inferring that Igbanu might not be that good of a player, because of the level of his high school competition. His offers came about due to his play on the AAU D-1 Circuit, where he played against many of the top high school players in the country. Almost all of the college staffs nowadays evaluate high school talent by watching them numerous times while playing on the AAU Circuit and not at multiple high school games. It's much more efficient and cost effective. These players are seen many, many times during the spring and summer by most every college staff in the U.S.
Igbanu played very well against some of the best big men in the nation, averaging 10.1 pts, 7.8 rbs, while shooting 59% of his fgs. He did this over 14 games and at various sites and in various cities.
His play during these 14 games earned him offers from top college programs like Iowa State and Cincinnati and from legendary coaches like Ben Howland (Miss St) and Rick Barnes (Tenn).
I would think the 100's of years of combined experience, coaching and evaluating talent by the staffs that made offers to Igbanu, would be enough to satisfy us bulletin board posters. I, for one, trust the evaluations made by the many coaches that watched him and made a scholarship offer.
Igbanu played very well against some of the best big men in the nation, averaging 10.1 pts, 7.8 rbs, while shooting 59% of his fgs. He did this over 14 games and at various sites and in various cities.
His play during these 14 games earned him offers from top college programs like Iowa State and Cincinnati and from legendary coaches like Ben Howland (Miss St) and Rick Barnes (Tenn).
I would think the 100's of years of combined experience, coaching and evaluating talent by the staffs that made offers to Igbanu, would be enough to satisfy us bulletin board posters. I, for one, trust the evaluations made by the many coaches that watched him and made a scholarship offer.
I don't know much about his AAU team. Was he the best player on the team? 10 + 7 is something I could see him achieving. That's one thing I'm excited to see next season. Who comes in and really show's that they're going to be a force in year 1? In 2012 it was Woodard.
Honestly, I could see it being any one of the recruits, but with how ball dominate the guards tend to be in Haith's squads historically, I would bet it will be one of them. Probably the JUCO.
Honestly, I could see it being any one of the recruits, but with how ball dominate the guards tend to be in Haith's squads historically, I would bet it will be one of them. Probably the JUCO.
He was the 3rd leading scorer behind 2 2017 kids who avg 12 and 11 pts. 1 has committed to Indiana and the other to Ole Miss. He was his teams leading rebounder.
Rhode Island was his 1st official visit. Tulsa was his 2nd and he committed shortly after the visit. He had official visits scheduled to Ole Miss and Princeton, but didn't take after his commitment. I believe he had made unofficials to Ole Miss, Miss St and Tennessee
This year is far from over but I'm excited for next year also, lots of possibilities, lots of unknowns. I'm not going to have high expectations with so many newcomers but it's looking like the talents going to be there. I'm hoping they can do a foreign tour this summer.
I don't see the similarities. Igbanu seems to be able to step out a little more comfortably as well as defend down low a little better. In offense, Igbanu will likely be able to step out if needed and against zones, will probably play the elbow at the top of the lane. If he has the 15ft shot in his repertoire then he will be a zone buster or get the low post player a lot of easy buckets. The size Haith is bringing in (even the wings are bigger than what we have now) will allow for a lot of versatility. I really like how this class is shaping up
They're both 6'7"ish wings that will probably be relied on a bit too much in the post.
He definitely has the best offer sheet of anyone we have coming in. We'll see if he can replicate the stats he has had in HS. Most kids don't show similar stats until their senior years. A 20 ppg scorer in HS can easily become a 10 ppg scorer in college. I'm not saying that he won't be good. I'm just not holding out hope for many 30-10-10 games at Tulsa lol. I'd be happy with 10-5-2 from any of the freshman forwards.
I get that his high school might not be the top level of competition, but his AAU competition was. Plus, as been pointed out - the Ivy interest is promising. They don't bother offering unless the kid has a chance of getting in. Throw in the interest from some serious basketball programs and this is an exciting prospect.
His current free throw percentage is 74% making 78 of 106. This is through 18 games. He's also taken 18 3-pointers, making 6 for 33%. He shooting 52% of his fgs making 130 of 242.
I disagree that he's a bigger Smith. I think Smith is a SF playing the 4 for Haith. IMO, Martins is a PF that can extend to the 3pt line. He should be able to rebound against the bigger teams better than Smith because he has a larger frame and can add weight.
I'll take 74% from the line from a big.
If you watch some tape of Igbanu, he doesn't bang inside like a 4 man on offense or defense (or at least in the tape I've seen) He plays like a 3 that's stuck at the 4 spot. Just like Smith.
Video Evidence (Igbanu is #23 in White):
Here's a fun comparison for you folks. In his senior season of HS, TK averaged 15.4 pts + 14.4 rebounds... leading the state of Arizona. He's been no where near that in his first two years. That's not to say he's not a good player... it's just that the competition is much better at not letting him do that anymore.
Charles Barkley always said rebounding was about attitude and desire. He was one of the best rebounders the game has ever seen and his listed height of 6'6" was pretty generous according to some. Ruffin had that desire and attitude, same with KJ.
I think Igbanu will be a fine player but from this one video I don't see that aggressive inside type guy I had expected. He moves well with the ball and is not afraid to shoot, he expects to score that's good. Have to agree with Aston.