August 1, 2018
This will be a very busy year for us on the recruiting trail, since we have five senior players on scholarship. Four of them are centers or power forwards, and one is a point guard. We'll be shopping most often in the Big and Tall section this season.
We spend the month of July filling up our call list and evaluating the players we're in contact with.
Since we have five offers to make, I decide to do something I've never done: offer a player before we've fully evaluated him. And, while we're at it, we aim high.
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#41 C Danny Chestnut
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Height: 6-7
Weight: 247
High School: Southern Huntingdon County High School
Hometown: Three Springs, PA
GPA: 2.65
Test Score: 880
Rating: ****
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 77 19 54 7 45 10 58 22 59 20 6 28 24 73 27 28
Potential: A D C F C F C C B D F D
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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19.0 3.0 10.0 0.2 1.4 0.14 0.4 0.6 2.3
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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6.7 11.4 .586 5.7 8.0 .706 0.0 0.0 .000
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Low
Rankings: #62 Overall, #11 C, East Region #14 Overall, East Region #5 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Georgetown
Danny Chestnut is a four-star big man from Pennsylvania, who expresses a Low degree of interest in playing for us. I liked the look of his statistics, so I went ahead and made him a scholarship offer.
Danny is already an outstanding shot creator, and he's a tough defender. Our offer didn't make him any more interested in our program than he already was, but starting this month, we'll be able to visit him. Coaches Sims and Manion will do so right away.
Chestnut is, admittedly, a long shot for us.
James Zimmer is perhaps a more realistic target.
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#23 C James Zimmer
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Height: 6-10
Weight: 246
High School: Bruton High School
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
GPA: 2.76
Test Score: 1200
Rating: ***
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 37 40 44 0 31 28 36 19 48 16 43 48 33 83 32 50
Potential: B C C F C D C C B D C B
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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21.5 2.8 7.6 1.3 2.1 0.62 2.0 2.0 2.7
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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8.9 15.2 .587 3.7 6.8 .537 0.0 0.0 .000
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: High
Rankings: #31 C, Southeast Region #56 Overall, Southeast Region #6 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *American, James Madison, East Carolina, George Washington, *Hampton
Zimmer has been a productive scorer in high school, and he's the kind of willing, effective defender we expect our big men to be. Two teams have already offered Zimmer, and they're close to his Virginia home.
Our scouts think he has Blue potential. If that's true, I don't think I'd like to see him in an American uniform twice a year. Let's offer him a scholarship and see if we can win a Patriot League recruiting battle. Our recruiting duo of Sims and Manion will also travel down to the colonial capital.
We've never had a Mr. Basketball winner on our roster. Might high-scoring wing
Horace Lucas be our first?
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#53 SF Horace Lucas
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Height: 6-6
Weight: 221
High School: Greencastle-Antrim High School
Hometown: Greencastle, PA
GPA: 2.58
Test Score: 1140
Rating: ***
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 48 36 54 60 34 28 26 0 37 19 48 23 46 61 80 28
Potential: C B B A C D D F C D C C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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22.3 2.3 4.5 2.2 1.6 1.42 2.4 0.9 2.5
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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8.7 16.8 .519 2.9 3.5 .829 2.0 5.4 .361
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Average
Rankings: #68 Overall, #14 SF, East Region #16 Overall, East Region #4 SF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania)
Top 5 Schools: Hofstra, Saint Joseph's, *George Mason, Rutgers, Drexel
The Keystone State's top player can shoot, as evidenced by his high FG% and FT%. He's vulnerable to being beaten on the perimeter, but he's strong enough to hold his own in the post. We're going to offer him a scholarship and see if we can keep him close to home. Coaches Sims and Manion won't have to travel far to visit him.
The most enticing guard we've seen is
Joshua Burke, another Pennsylvania player.
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#0 PG Joshua Burke
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Height: 6-4
Weight: 197
High School: Palmyra Area High School
Hometown: Palmyra, PA
GPA: 2.60
Test Score: 1120
Rating: ****
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 38 70 38 36 47 34 9 5 10 48 36 27 94 32 34 25
Potential: D B D B C C F F D B D B
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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20.1 1.2 2.9 4.4 2.1 2.07 1.8 0.6 2.9
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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9.0 16.5 .545 0.5 0.9 .556 1.6 4.6 .337
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Average
Rankings: #54 Overall, #14 PG, East Region #12 Overall, East Region #3 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Maryland, Georgetown, Michigan State, Duke, *Virginia
More of a lead guard than a pure, pass-first point, Burke is incredibly quick and features a smooth jumper. He also takes pride in his defense.
Most four-star players put Power Five schools on their wish lists, and Joshua is no exception. He holds an offer from Virginia, and he's about to get one from Lafayette, too. Will that turn his Average interest into something more promising? We'll visit him at home, too.
We're looking at two more post players for our last offer:
Chris Bickford and
Jonathan Baldwin.
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#14 C Chris Bickford
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Height: 6-10
Weight: 234
High School: Fremont High School
Hometown: Fremont, MI
GPA: 2.67
Test Score: 1120
Rating: ***
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 31 10 36 0 23 19 58 62 37 25 33 6 31 78 19 9
Potential: C F B F C C A B B D D F
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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21.8 4.5 15.0 1.9 1.7 1.12 1.3 0.9 2.2
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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9.4 14.8 .632 3.1 4.5 .689 0.0 0.0 .000
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Average
Rankings: #40 C, Midwest Region #70 Overall, Midwest Region #10 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Michigan)
Top 5 Schools: *Marquette, Green Bay, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Milwaukee
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#33 C Jonathan Baldwin
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Height: 6-7
Weight: 235
High School: Pikesville High School
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
GPA: 2.76
Test Score: 1010
Rating: ***
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 29 37 48 44 29 36 47 41 62 11 37 23 12 76 29 11
Potential: D B B C D C B B A D C D
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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13.5 3.3 12.1 1.5 2.7 0.56 1.9 0.7 2.1
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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5.2 10.7 .481 2.8 3.8 .737 0.4 1.8 .200
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Very High
Rankings: East Region #94 Overall, East Region #18 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Georgetown, Lafayette, Columbia, James Madison, VCU
Bickford is a better scorer right now, and our staff believe that will always be the case. Both players are god-tier rebounders, with Bickford getting the edge there, too. Baldwin is an exceptional defensive player, and Bickford is "only" good.
Bickford looks like the better player...but Baldwin already really likes us, and Bickford has an offer in hand from Marquette. I choose Baldwin, and because his interest in us is Very High, we can bring him to campus for a visit.