Post by less1brain on Sept 21, 2021 8:52:11 GMT -8
The commitments of Dereck Lively to Duke and Vincent Iwuchuckwu to USC obviously impact UCLA's recruiting. The impact likely isn't in the "Here are two who got away" sense. Lively never expressed the slightest interest in UCLA and Iwuchuckwu was clearly interested in Los Angeles as a destination but not necessarily UCLA. He visited USC twice, an official followed by an unofficial, but never visited UCLA.
As I have noted before, I think the biggest impact will be in the recruitment of Mark Mitchell. The 6-8 slender 4 is often described as a player with raw offensive skill who's a very good athlete, but not an elite athlete, and I'm not sure why he's ranked as a top 10 player (or even a top 25 player). He does have a high motor and makes a big impact scoring around the basket, taking defensive rebounds and protecting the rim, but he clearly needs to extend his range and develop his handle before he can be thought of as a multi-positional player of the sort the NBA drools over and who might be seen as a one and done type.
OTOH, Duke is loaded with those guys and Kyle Filipowski will be a FR in the same class as Mitchell. Adrian Griffin will likely be there as a 6-7 SO and Dariq Whitehead, 6-7 FR, is usually rated on par with Mitchell but certainly seems to be the player more likely to make an impact on the floor.
Filipowski, at 6-11, IMO, is a true 4 who can play 5 and I think he's lottery level after one year of college. The same is true of Lively.
Looking at UCLA, unless a lot of people are wrong both Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang will turn pro next year and be first round picks. Some folk insist Peyton Watson will be one and done, but I don't buy that. But Watson is just one body. I don't think Johnson, Nwuba or Etienne can play any position but the 5. So, Mitchell's primary challengers for a starting role at UCLA will be Jake Kyman (not much of a challenge) and Jaylen Clark (probably a very tough challenge since Clark will be a JR by then and he's been getting a lot of raves out of early workouts).
Mitchell probably won't see Clark as a challenger for a starting spot even though most college teams these days start three "guard" lineups.
Of course, I don't know the young man at all and he might want to go to Duke and sit for a year or two and get a degree. But reports are he's more impatient to get to the NBA than that.
Cronin has a max 4 rides to give for sure (Singleton, Bernard and Riley are SRs and the staff would be foolish not to assume Johnny Juzang is leaving for the NBA after this season) and clearly he's focused on adding a 4th pure 5 as part of his 2022 class. If he does, I will be interested to see if either one or both of Nwuba and Etienne seek PT somewhere else.
Right now, the big two bigs are Yohan Traore and Adem Bona. Traore is taller and stronger, much stronger, and would be more of a power presence inside at both ends. Bona is more fluid and has more offensive skills. There are reports of academic issues that might preclude Bona from attending UCLA and Traore has enrolled in a better academic environment and I think he did that precisely because he wants more options for college.
I expect Bona to commit to Kentucky though I can see him turning pro instead (or after he commits to Kentucky).
Traore, who likely might be in the 7-0 240 range by the time he hits UCLA, is a very long, incredibly athletic big who, unless he gets injured like Anigbogu did, gives UCLA probably its most athletic true low post player since Bill Walton. While Cronin has shown an obvious bias against giving big roles to freshmen, Traore likely is up to challenging both Johnson and Etienne for a starting role and will definitely play a lot of minutes.
If UCLA snags Traore and Mitchell, the 2022-23 UCLA team might reflect what Cronin & his staff are trying to achieve at UCLA: Cincinnati on steroids, but with much better offense. Apart from Lance Stephenson for one season, Cronin typically had allegedly 6-0 guards, 6-5 forwards and 6-8 centers at Cincy. Tyger Campbell might only be 5-11 and an average athlete (though I've heard he looks faster and quicker in workouts), Johnson needs to get better conditioned and Etienne is somewhat of an unknown at this point because he went nearly 11 months without any basketball activity at all and then got thrown into the fire (he was ranked #29 overall in the 2021 class and before he reclassified and enrolled at UCLA the Bruins had what I believe was ranked the #4 recruiting class in the country by 24/7). Kyman will never be mistaken for a high end athlete.
But players like Bailey, Andrews, McClendon, Clark, Watson, Mitchell and Traore? You'd have to go back to UCLA's last championship team to find comparable athleticism and Bailey is UCLA's best guard recruit since Russell Westbrook (but he's much more advanced than Westbrook [and Jrue Holiday] coming out of high school).
Andrews must be close to 6-4 and Bailey is that tall or taller and they're still a year away from showing up in college and it's unusual if a player doesn't continue to grow past his FR year. Tall people tend to continue growing longer than us short folks (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar insists he didn't stop growing until he was 23). McClendon is either 6-2 or 6-3, but is very strong physically as is Bailey and of course Clark is very athletic and very tall for a guard and will pack on muscle as he passes 20 years old.
One thing Cronin won't have to instill in the 7 players I've named is the idea of working very hard at both ends of the court. If you watch them play complete games (especially in person), you would know that McClendon, Clark and Watson seem to enjoy shutting people down even more than they do scoring baskets. That's Mitchell's rep and Traore can dominate on defense. Andrews is very slender, maybe 160, but he's an incredibly high IQ player who works very hard on the defensive side as well without getting much praise for it and he's very quick and speedy. Bailey will need to dial it up from what he can get away with in high school, but it's clear that's one reason why he's going to UCLA: He knows he'll be challenged to step up on defense. At 6-4 190, with hyper-athleticism and a pretty high basketball IQ himself (he can get sloppy and he tries to show off too much, but that's nitpicking when you've got a guy who often gets double-teamed by high major players and might still have 36/8/11 and shoot a good percentage from 3, from the FT line and who can almost score at will taking it into the key in high school), Bailey should contend for not only Pac-12 POY but national POY as a FR. That's how good he is.
So, even with the loss of a lot of experience and go-to scorer Juzang, UCLA will have a mix of experience and hungry young blood and I'd be stunned if Bailey isn't ready to be a true go-to scorer from his very first game.
Johnson, Campbell and Kyman will be SRs (as will be Nwuba, who played a crucial role in UCLA's wins over Michigan and BYU). Clark will be a JR. Johnson was the Big-10 DPOY. It's hard not to imagine that Campbell, despite not being an ideal NBA player, will be one of the top 10 PGs in the country as a SR. He'll be getting more rest for the next 2 seasons and lots of target practice. 5 upperclassmen, including a 4 year starter at PG, and Johnson apparently most likely to be the starting C in his last year of college, with Clark IMO a definite NBA player who might well develop into an all Pac-12 player as a JR, gives UCLA a pretty good group of vets.
Etienne will be both practically and from the eligibility standpoint a SO. If he's as good as his rankings and responds well to strength and conditioning as well as coaching, he might surprise and take the starting C spot. McClendon will be a SO.
Obviously, I'm thinking Peyton Watson will be at UCLA as a SO. He's still pretty slender and he also doesn't play with a "I must score to be me" mindset. He works well with others and perhaps sublimates himself and defers too much to more aggressive teammates. But he might actually stop getting taller and longer by his SO year and packing some meat on those bones.
A 6-10 215 SO Peyton Watson could be a very scary phenomenon.
And Cronin would have Bailey, Andrews, Mitchell and Traore coming in.
I don't see how a lineup of Campbell, Bailey, Clark, Watson and a sort of mix and match of Johnson and Traore, with excellent depth to go around at every position, isn't a Final 4 team that might truly be UCLA's next banner-grabber.
Bailey and Watson could very well both be top 5 lottery picks. When was the last time UCLA had that kind of talent? Or athleticism? With Campbell as a SR PG and Johnson presumably a SR C and Clark IMO an NBA-ready wing at that point who can defend just about anyone.
I'll call it: Barring key injuries, UCLA wins Banner 12 in 2023. We might make it back to the Final 4 this year, but I think the mix of talent and experience will actually be better the following season.
Of course, if one of Nwuba or Etienne bolts, Cronin will have the luxury of taking a grad transfer, someone who emerged over the course of the high school season or just standing pat since the 2023 class is chock full of fun. And the 2024 class likely is better than the 2023 class.
I'll be attending the Pangos FR-SO camp this coming weekend. I hope to see the promised land, Isaiah Elohim, there along with some other promising guys following in the wake of his blazing star. Elohim reminds me a lot of Michael Jordan...
No, he won't come to UCLA. He'll be a lottery pick right out of high school. One and done will be gone by 2024.
As I have noted before, I think the biggest impact will be in the recruitment of Mark Mitchell. The 6-8 slender 4 is often described as a player with raw offensive skill who's a very good athlete, but not an elite athlete, and I'm not sure why he's ranked as a top 10 player (or even a top 25 player). He does have a high motor and makes a big impact scoring around the basket, taking defensive rebounds and protecting the rim, but he clearly needs to extend his range and develop his handle before he can be thought of as a multi-positional player of the sort the NBA drools over and who might be seen as a one and done type.
OTOH, Duke is loaded with those guys and Kyle Filipowski will be a FR in the same class as Mitchell. Adrian Griffin will likely be there as a 6-7 SO and Dariq Whitehead, 6-7 FR, is usually rated on par with Mitchell but certainly seems to be the player more likely to make an impact on the floor.
Filipowski, at 6-11, IMO, is a true 4 who can play 5 and I think he's lottery level after one year of college. The same is true of Lively.
Looking at UCLA, unless a lot of people are wrong both Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang will turn pro next year and be first round picks. Some folk insist Peyton Watson will be one and done, but I don't buy that. But Watson is just one body. I don't think Johnson, Nwuba or Etienne can play any position but the 5. So, Mitchell's primary challengers for a starting role at UCLA will be Jake Kyman (not much of a challenge) and Jaylen Clark (probably a very tough challenge since Clark will be a JR by then and he's been getting a lot of raves out of early workouts).
Mitchell probably won't see Clark as a challenger for a starting spot even though most college teams these days start three "guard" lineups.
Of course, I don't know the young man at all and he might want to go to Duke and sit for a year or two and get a degree. But reports are he's more impatient to get to the NBA than that.
Cronin has a max 4 rides to give for sure (Singleton, Bernard and Riley are SRs and the staff would be foolish not to assume Johnny Juzang is leaving for the NBA after this season) and clearly he's focused on adding a 4th pure 5 as part of his 2022 class. If he does, I will be interested to see if either one or both of Nwuba and Etienne seek PT somewhere else.
Right now, the big two bigs are Yohan Traore and Adem Bona. Traore is taller and stronger, much stronger, and would be more of a power presence inside at both ends. Bona is more fluid and has more offensive skills. There are reports of academic issues that might preclude Bona from attending UCLA and Traore has enrolled in a better academic environment and I think he did that precisely because he wants more options for college.
I expect Bona to commit to Kentucky though I can see him turning pro instead (or after he commits to Kentucky).
Traore, who likely might be in the 7-0 240 range by the time he hits UCLA, is a very long, incredibly athletic big who, unless he gets injured like Anigbogu did, gives UCLA probably its most athletic true low post player since Bill Walton. While Cronin has shown an obvious bias against giving big roles to freshmen, Traore likely is up to challenging both Johnson and Etienne for a starting role and will definitely play a lot of minutes.
If UCLA snags Traore and Mitchell, the 2022-23 UCLA team might reflect what Cronin & his staff are trying to achieve at UCLA: Cincinnati on steroids, but with much better offense. Apart from Lance Stephenson for one season, Cronin typically had allegedly 6-0 guards, 6-5 forwards and 6-8 centers at Cincy. Tyger Campbell might only be 5-11 and an average athlete (though I've heard he looks faster and quicker in workouts), Johnson needs to get better conditioned and Etienne is somewhat of an unknown at this point because he went nearly 11 months without any basketball activity at all and then got thrown into the fire (he was ranked #29 overall in the 2021 class and before he reclassified and enrolled at UCLA the Bruins had what I believe was ranked the #4 recruiting class in the country by 24/7). Kyman will never be mistaken for a high end athlete.
But players like Bailey, Andrews, McClendon, Clark, Watson, Mitchell and Traore? You'd have to go back to UCLA's last championship team to find comparable athleticism and Bailey is UCLA's best guard recruit since Russell Westbrook (but he's much more advanced than Westbrook [and Jrue Holiday] coming out of high school).
Andrews must be close to 6-4 and Bailey is that tall or taller and they're still a year away from showing up in college and it's unusual if a player doesn't continue to grow past his FR year. Tall people tend to continue growing longer than us short folks (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar insists he didn't stop growing until he was 23). McClendon is either 6-2 or 6-3, but is very strong physically as is Bailey and of course Clark is very athletic and very tall for a guard and will pack on muscle as he passes 20 years old.
One thing Cronin won't have to instill in the 7 players I've named is the idea of working very hard at both ends of the court. If you watch them play complete games (especially in person), you would know that McClendon, Clark and Watson seem to enjoy shutting people down even more than they do scoring baskets. That's Mitchell's rep and Traore can dominate on defense. Andrews is very slender, maybe 160, but he's an incredibly high IQ player who works very hard on the defensive side as well without getting much praise for it and he's very quick and speedy. Bailey will need to dial it up from what he can get away with in high school, but it's clear that's one reason why he's going to UCLA: He knows he'll be challenged to step up on defense. At 6-4 190, with hyper-athleticism and a pretty high basketball IQ himself (he can get sloppy and he tries to show off too much, but that's nitpicking when you've got a guy who often gets double-teamed by high major players and might still have 36/8/11 and shoot a good percentage from 3, from the FT line and who can almost score at will taking it into the key in high school), Bailey should contend for not only Pac-12 POY but national POY as a FR. That's how good he is.
So, even with the loss of a lot of experience and go-to scorer Juzang, UCLA will have a mix of experience and hungry young blood and I'd be stunned if Bailey isn't ready to be a true go-to scorer from his very first game.
Johnson, Campbell and Kyman will be SRs (as will be Nwuba, who played a crucial role in UCLA's wins over Michigan and BYU). Clark will be a JR. Johnson was the Big-10 DPOY. It's hard not to imagine that Campbell, despite not being an ideal NBA player, will be one of the top 10 PGs in the country as a SR. He'll be getting more rest for the next 2 seasons and lots of target practice. 5 upperclassmen, including a 4 year starter at PG, and Johnson apparently most likely to be the starting C in his last year of college, with Clark IMO a definite NBA player who might well develop into an all Pac-12 player as a JR, gives UCLA a pretty good group of vets.
Etienne will be both practically and from the eligibility standpoint a SO. If he's as good as his rankings and responds well to strength and conditioning as well as coaching, he might surprise and take the starting C spot. McClendon will be a SO.
Obviously, I'm thinking Peyton Watson will be at UCLA as a SO. He's still pretty slender and he also doesn't play with a "I must score to be me" mindset. He works well with others and perhaps sublimates himself and defers too much to more aggressive teammates. But he might actually stop getting taller and longer by his SO year and packing some meat on those bones.
A 6-10 215 SO Peyton Watson could be a very scary phenomenon.
And Cronin would have Bailey, Andrews, Mitchell and Traore coming in.
I don't see how a lineup of Campbell, Bailey, Clark, Watson and a sort of mix and match of Johnson and Traore, with excellent depth to go around at every position, isn't a Final 4 team that might truly be UCLA's next banner-grabber.
Bailey and Watson could very well both be top 5 lottery picks. When was the last time UCLA had that kind of talent? Or athleticism? With Campbell as a SR PG and Johnson presumably a SR C and Clark IMO an NBA-ready wing at that point who can defend just about anyone.
I'll call it: Barring key injuries, UCLA wins Banner 12 in 2023. We might make it back to the Final 4 this year, but I think the mix of talent and experience will actually be better the following season.
Of course, if one of Nwuba or Etienne bolts, Cronin will have the luxury of taking a grad transfer, someone who emerged over the course of the high school season or just standing pat since the 2023 class is chock full of fun. And the 2024 class likely is better than the 2023 class.
I'll be attending the Pangos FR-SO camp this coming weekend. I hope to see the promised land, Isaiah Elohim, there along with some other promising guys following in the wake of his blazing star. Elohim reminds me a lot of Michael Jordan...
No, he won't come to UCLA. He'll be a lottery pick right out of high school. One and done will be gone by 2024.