Sima Transferring

Well this escalated quickly :

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels  5s5 seconds ago
St. John's big man Yankuba Sima will transfer from the program, per a release.

I haven't been on in a while. Was this out of no where? What happened.....

He regressed into a shell of his former self, doesnt shoot, and doesn't fit our offense or defense schemes. 

This was inevitable. He looked completely apathetic out there last night. He did not want to be on the court and it's showed for most of this season. Not a major loss and gives Owens and Freud more minutes.

Relatively big loss for this season actually.  Makes us thin in the front court.
But, this season isn't the end goal.

Puts some pressure on staff to make sure Brown is here or they have another big coming in who can play.

Grad Transfer Route Possibly if Brown is not eligible 

The thing is, Sima wasn't imposing his will or using his size to his advantage at all this year. He actually regressed a lot. So I don't really think he will be missed. We definitely need Zach and Clarke next year for sure, and one more big.

Unfortunate, if true.  Seemed like a great kid and I still think he has plenty of upside.  Yes, he's regressed and rightfully poster are upset with his play to date, but I think there is solid potential for sure.  Many quality big in the conference don't develop into players until their 3rd or 4th year.

Good news.  I thought last year he was acceptable for a frosh and had a big upside but his failure to develop makes him expendable.  Need to scout the armed services teams for a bull who can help on the boards asap.

Either way, I don't hate this.  Sima seemed like a good guy, so let's be careful not to bash him on the way out.  He never gave us reason to think he was a problem in practice or the classroom.

I like that this gives Owens and Yakwe a ton of room to play and develop this year.  I think that will pay dividends in the long run.

Sima was the most frustrating player to watch this season. He was completely lost on the court, and when he got the ball in his hands he would panic and try to pass it quickly. He had no idea how to use his size, no idea how to put the ball on the floor for 2 dribbles and try a hook shot consistently. Sure a lot of that is lack of coaching, and the same can be said for Yakwe, but I feel like you could see on the court Sima had no idea what is going on. Someone with his body should dominate in the big east, especially these early games with guards like we have. Utilizing pick and rolls would be brilliant with a guy his size, and should have been a staple in our game plan.

According to Zags - St. John's now has a scholarship for 2017 and will likely focus on a transfer, sources said.

I read something a few weeks ago (it could've been here or Rumble) that Sima probably wasn't gonna come back after this season because he wasn't quite acclimated to the city and the weather. 

Now, that might've been deflection for other reasons, but I do recall reading it.

so let's be careful not to bash him on the way out. 

Ha!  Why not?  It would be the typical thing to do for some posters. 

Seriously, I wish him luck on his future endeavors.  Too bad it didn't work out for him at St. John's.  He seemed to show potential last season, as a potential NBA prospect.  He still may reach his potential, but it'll be somewhere else. 

Once again, good luck to the youngster.

Good news.  I thought last year he was acceptable for a frosh and had a big upside but his failure to develop makes him expendable.  Need to scout the armed services teams for a bull who can help on the boards asap.

+1

http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120916aaa.html

Maybe, the Ward kid scared the dickens out of Sima (per the pic), as that was Sima's last good game during this early season.  Sima's hands seems to engulf the basketball, based on this pic.

Sorry to see him go. Thought he had real potential. Had a rough start to the season.  Good luck to him

I think overall a net positive for Sima and SJU.  We may take a minor hit this season, but truthfully we have more pressing needs that he doesn't fill moving forward.  I thought he'd take more of a leap this season, but has been clearly outplayed by Owens.  We have enough depth with Alibegovic, Freudenberg and Owens this season that provide height.  He still has potential but we need interior scoring and rebounding threat and were out of scholarships for 2017.  I think that win a little time,  we can maybe find a mid-season or grad transfer that provide more for us moving forward.

At the end of the day if sima doesn't want to do what it takes to be a member of the team. The best thing is he leaves. Would of liked to see him work at it and show some perseverance. Good luck  to you. Next man up!