Alex Yetna - PF - PSA - SOUTH FLORIDA

Quote from: wpc77 on April 19, 2017, 08:59:50 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 08:31:39 PM

Yawke was one of the fastest climbers of the class of 2016 before he reclassified.  Was the MVP of the prestigious Peach Jam.  He's a stud.  No doubt he regressed some last year.   But it is not too much to ask that he gets back on the upward plane his physical talents and freshman year promised.

If this staff does their job he should be a legitimate high level BE forward.

Absolutely right.  But who the f is the 4/5 coach? The 24 year old?

Who is Coach K's 4/5 coach??  Jeff Capel?  Jon Scheyer?  The idea that you need a big man or big man coach to specifically coach big men is a myth.  That doesn't mean SJU couldn't use a staff shakeup, maybe it does.  I did hear things could be moving in that direction.  But what you need is a staff of competent people who know basketball, period.

But either way, Chris and his staff get paid handsomely and it's their job.  There is plenty of basketball knowledge on that staff to get it done.  Not to mention it is  their job.

On a larger note the biggest gripe I have is not that they did not bring in a grad transfer big man, people are acting like it is as simple as that.  There were only a handful of real worthy grad transfers, most of them were guards and swing men and most were probably out of reach for SJU.  The gripe was taking a chance on Zach Brown instead of locking up French.  But even then French wasn't going to be the type of impact that Brown could be so it may have been worth the risk because that leads me to my larger point, 2018 and beyond.

It is clear that SJU is going to be all over the country this summer trying to lock up a 2018 class that is balanced and strong.  They believe, I actually believe it to, that the next season will be good and that the type of recruiting class they are lining up for 2018 and beyond will push SJU onto Villanova's level.

Coach K needs a big man coach?

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 09:13:56 PM

Quote from: wpc77 on April 19, 2017, 08:59:50 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 08:31:39 PM

Yawke was one of the fastest climbers of the class of 2016 before he reclassified.  Was the MVP of the prestigious Peach Jam.  He's a stud.  No doubt he regressed some last year.   But it is not too much to ask that he gets back on the upward plane his physical talents and freshman year promised.

If this staff does their job he should be a legitimate high level BE forward.

Absolutely right.  But who the f is the 4/5 coach? The 24 year old?

Who is Coach K's 4/5 coach??  Jeff Capel?  Jon Scheyer?  The idea that you need a big man or big man coach to specifically coach big men is a myth.  That doesn't mean SJU couldn't use a staff shakeup, maybe it does.  I did hear things could be moving in that direction.  But what you need is a staff of competent people who know basketball, period.

But either way, Chris and his staff get paid handsomely and it's their job.  There is plenty of basketball knowledge on that staff to get it done.  Not to mention it is  their job.

On a larger note the biggest gripe I have is not that they did not bring in a grad transfer big man, people are acting like it is as simple as that.  There were only a handful of real worthy grad transfers, most of them were guards and swing men and most were probably out of reach for SJU.  The gripe was taking a chance on Zach Brown instead of locking up French.  But even then French wasn't going to be the type of impact that Brown could be so it may have been worth the risk because that leads me to my larger point, 2018 and beyond.

It is clear that SJU is going to be all over the country this summer trying to lock up a 2018 class that is balanced and strong.  They believe, I actually believe it to, that the next season will be good and that the type of recruiting class they are lining up for 2018 and beyond will push SJU onto Villanova's level.

Coach K needs a big man coach?

This has reached scheppy levels

Quote from: Marco Baldi on April 19, 2017, 09:19:05 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 09:13:56 PM

Quote from: wpc77 on April 19, 2017, 08:59:50 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 08:31:39 PM

Yawke was one of the fastest climbers of the class of 2016 before he reclassified.  Was the MVP of the prestigious Peach Jam.  He's a stud.  No doubt he regressed some last year.   But it is not too much to ask that he gets back on the upward plane his physical talents and freshman year promised.

If this staff does their job he should be a legitimate high level BE forward.

Absolutely right.  But who the f is the 4/5 coach? The 24 year old?

Who is Coach K's 4/5 coach??  Jeff Capel?  Jon Scheyer?  The idea that you need a big man or big man coach to specifically coach big men is a myth.  That doesn't mean SJU couldn't use a staff shakeup, maybe it does.  I did hear things could be moving in that direction.  But what you need is a staff of competent people who know basketball, period.

But either way, Chris and his staff get paid handsomely and it's their job.  There is plenty of basketball knowledge on that staff to get it done.  Not to mention it is  their job.

On a larger note the biggest gripe I have is not that they did not bring in a grad transfer big man, people are acting like it is as simple as that.  There were only a handful of real worthy grad transfers, most of them were guards and swing men and most were probably out of reach for SJU.  The gripe was taking a chance on Zach Brown instead of locking up French.  But even then French wasn't going to be the type of impact that Brown could be so it may have been worth the risk because that leads me to my larger point, 2018 and beyond.

It is clear that SJU is going to be all over the country this summer trying to lock up a 2018 class that is balanced and strong.  They believe, I actually believe it to, that the next season will be good and that the type of recruiting class they are lining up for 2018 and beyond will push SJU onto Villanova's level.

Coach K needs a big man coach?

This has reached scheppy levels

LOL ... so true

Quote from: goredmen on April 19, 2017, 10:18:09 PM

Quote from: Marco Baldi on April 19, 2017, 09:19:05 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 09:13:56 PM

Quote from: wpc77 on April 19, 2017, 08:59:50 PM

Quote from: fordham96 on April 19, 2017, 08:31:39 PM

Yawke was one of the fastest climbers of the class of 2016 before he reclassified.  Was the MVP of the prestigious Peach Jam.  He's a stud.  No doubt he regressed some last year.   But it is not too much to ask that he gets back on the upward plane his physical talents and freshman year promised.

If this staff does their job he should be a legitimate high level BE forward.

Absolutely right.  But who the f is the 4/5 coach? The 24 year old?

Who is Coach K's 4/5 coach??  Jeff Capel?  Jon Scheyer?  The idea that you need a big man or big man coach to specifically coach big men is a myth.  That doesn't mean SJU couldn't use a staff shakeup, maybe it does.  I did hear things could be moving in that direction.  But what you need is a staff of competent people who know basketball, period.

But either way, Chris and his staff get paid handsomely and it's their job.  There is plenty of basketball knowledge on that staff to get it done.  Not to mention it is  their job.

On a larger note the biggest gripe I have is not that they did not bring in a grad transfer big man, people are acting like it is as simple as that.  There were only a handful of real worthy grad transfers, most of them were guards and swing men and most were probably out of reach for SJU.  The gripe was taking a chance on Zach Brown instead of locking up French.  But even then French wasn't going to be the type of impact that Brown could be so it may have been worth the risk because that leads me to my larger point, 2018 and beyond.

It is clear that SJU is going to be all over the country this summer trying to lock up a 2018 class that is balanced and strong.  They believe, I actually believe it to, that the next season will be good and that the type of recruiting class they are lining up for 2018 and beyond will push SJU onto Villanova's level.

Coach K needs a big man coach?

This has reached scheppy levels

LOL ... so true

High five

Quote from: Marillac on April 19, 2017, 06:01:39 PM

Quote from: Foad on April 19, 2017, 05:45:46 PM

Quote from: Marillac on April 19, 2017, 05:01:32 PM

Yakwe has troubling lifting since his hands are exponentially harder than iron.

Yakwe's hand were fine as a freshman. Last year he spent too much time thinking. BY next fall he will have had enough time to think about thinking. Prediction: Yakwe turns it around.

Were Yakwe's hands fine as a frosh? We didn't have anyone driving and dishing to him like Lovett and Ponds. I remember his short stint being lobs and putback drinks with some short drives mixed in.

I don't think we can rely on anything more than 10 minutes and five fouls from him.

Last year he averaged 20 minutes and less than three fouls, which was a 20 percent reduction in fouls from the year before in as many minutes in what should have been his freshmen year in college. Ten minutes and five fouls would be a regression for the ages.

He regressed last year, no question. Visually he regressed a lot. Statistically he regressed not that much. Again, to me he looks like he's doing too much thinking. He needs to stop thinking. And he needs to rebound better, no question. He also needs not to be asked to guard Angel Delgado and Justin Patton and Sean O'Mara and Luke Fischer and all the other things he was asked to do because the roster was deficient. 

I actually thought he looked better against the centers over well-built and more versatile 6'6-6'8 PF's like Wideman and Bullock (which isn't saying much). Don't forget he went for something like 16 and 15 against Delgado as a frosh.

I'm not giving up on the kid and I'm very glad he's on the roster, but I don't think it's prudent to rely on him for anything more than 10-15 minutes and some fouls.  If our stength and conditioning team actually stepped up, it could be a different story. How that kid with his frame didn't enter this past  season at 220, I'll never know. You can't consistently compete at this level as a PF/C weighing 200-205 absent NBA ability. I thought the staff made a huge error wasting a year of his eligibility for 2 1/2 months of meaningless games in a lost season.

Per Corey Evans Yetna ,has committed to South Florida

I'm presuming staff was not that high on this kid and banking on Kante and someone else. Otherwise how can we lose to that trainwreck of a program at South Florida.

I'm a little late to this conversation, but I agree that it's reasonable to expect Yakwe to have a bounce-back season.
The physical tools are there, he's got better players around him.   And he was very young when he came to St Johns.
Junior year could be a breakout season for him.  It could not be too.
But whereas some players have relatively modest ceilings, I think most of us can agree Yakwe has the tools to be a pretty good player.

Yakwe making a big progression next year is a huge if.

I don't see it happening but if this team is going to even sniff the NCAA bubble then he needs to be much better.

I just don't believe KY has the basketball skills and smarts to play at this level. If he could dribble the ball, make a shot, knew where he was supposed to be on the floor....his size, which is good, would not matter. I certainly hope he snaps out of his sophomore funk, but I just don't see it, I'm sad to say.

I just don't believe KY has the basketball skills and smarts to play at this level. If he could dribble the ball, make a shot, knew where he was supposed to be on the floor....his size, which is good, would not matter. I certainly hope he snaps out of his sophomore funk, but I just don't see it, I'm sad to say.

Nobody's going to see anything until the season starts.  Until then it's just guess work by the myriad talking heads on this board.

Yakwe making a big progression next year is a huge if.

I don't see it happening but if this team is going to even sniff the NCAA bubble then he needs to be much better.

He doesn't need to make a huge progression or be much better. He has to grab two or three more rebounds a game and stop dropping the ball on the pick and roll. It's hardly an insurmountable task.

Quote from: Johnny23 on April 20, 2017, 11:02:44 AM

Yakwe making a big progression next year is a huge if.

I don't see it happening but if this team is going to even sniff the NCAA bubble then he needs to be much better.

He doesn't need to make a huge progression or be much better. He has to grab two or three more rebounds a game and stop dropping the ball on the pick and roll. It's hardly an insurmountable task.

Easier said than done. His awful hands, lack of court awareness, and offensive struggles will need to improve a lot.

I actually thought he looked better against the centers over well-built and more versatile 6'6-6'8 PF's like Wideman and Bullock (which isn't saying much). Don't forget he went for something like 16 and 15 against Delgado as a frosh.

I thought he did as well. And I think he did because when he played against players who over-matched him physically he didn't have time to think about what he was supposed to be doing. He just did it. Whereas when he was playing against players he was more athletic than he had time to think about it. I think his problems last year were all mental.

We tend to think that improvement is linear, that it goes up this way / . But really learning is a series of plateaus: you go up and then you have a flat period and then a flat period and then you go up again, like stairs. Hopefully last year was a tread.

'm not giving up on the kid and I'm very glad he's on the roster, but I don't think it's prudent to rely on him for anything more than 10-15 minutes and some fouls.  If our stength and conditioning team actually stepped up, it could be a different story. How that kid with his frame didn't enter this past  season at 220, I'll never know. You can't consistently compete at this level as a PF/C weighing 200-205 absent NBA ability. I thought the staff made a huge error wasting a year of his eligibility for 2 1/2 months of meaningless games in a lost season.

If you look at pictures of him as a freshman and as a soph he's grown quite a bit through his shoulders and biceps. He's pretty jacked up top. If he has Tyra Banks ass he'd be a specimen.

Weight is a funny thing. Maurice Lucas was terrifying at 6'9" 215. Xavier McDaniel was frightening at 6'7" 215. Julius Erving was 6'7" 215. Mel Daniels was 6'9" 220. Yawke is listed at 6'7" 210. Unless you're a golem like that guy on Gonzaga it's not just the weight, it's where the weight is and how you use it.

Quote from: Johnny23 on April 20, 2017, 11:02:44 AM

Yakwe making a big progression next year is a huge if.

I don't see it happening but if this team is going to even sniff the NCAA bubble then he needs to be much better.

He doesn't need to make a huge progression or be much better. He has to grab two or three more rebounds a game and stop dropping the ball on the pick and roll. It's hardly an insurmountable task.

I don't disagree. The Jarvii actually ran some great hands drills when they were here and I witnessed some players come a very long way over the course of one season during those drills. (I guess if you can't coach, you can't afford to lose loose balls and rebkunds).  It's definitely possible. The bigger issue to me is rebounding. How is a kid with that length and athletic ability not hitting the glass on either side of the ball? He was barely over one offensive board per game less than half what he averaged last year. That is just mentality and effort.

This is a kid Calhoun would have recruited to Uconn and either stashed at a prep, redshirted, or buried on the bench intil he was 225-230 lbs.

Easier said than done. His awful hands, lack of court awareness, and offensive struggles will need to improve a lot.

Everything is easier said than done. KY seems like a good kid and he seems to be a hard worker with a good attitude and there's no reason to think he will not improve as people who practice a thing do in the normal course of practicing a thing. I know it happens - Reggie Jessie, Willie Shaw - but few players get worse over the long term. If he takes a step forward and Owens does and Ahmed does the front court won't be as bad as the sky is falling crowd think. I'm not saying that they don't need help or that the fact that there are no reinforcements on the horizon isn't disappointing, but even without any appreciable influx of talent this is still going to be an interesting basketball team assuming a normal progression.

Quote from: Foad on April 20, 2017, 04:26:18 PM

Quote from: Johnny23 on April 20, 2017, 11:02:44 AM

Yakwe making a big progression next year is a huge if.

I don't see it happening but if this team is going to even sniff the NCAA bubble then he needs to be much better.

He doesn't need to make a huge progression or be much better. He has to grab two or three more rebounds a game and stop dropping the ball on the pick and roll. It's hardly an insurmountable task.

I don't disagree. The Jarvii actually ran some great hands drills when they were here and I witnessed some players come a very long way over the course of one season during those drills. (I guess if you can't coach, you can't afford to lose loose balls and rebkunds).  It's definitely possible. The bigger issue to me is rebounding. How is a kid with that length and athletic ability not hitting the glass on either side of the ball? He was barely over one offensive board per game less than half what he averaged last year. That is just mentality and effort.

This is a kid Calhoun would have recruited to Uconn and either stashed at a prep, redshirted, or buried on the bench intil he was 225-230 lbs.

The rebounding is troubling. He has the physical tools to average 8 or 10 a game and those aren't numbers I throw around lightly. Part of it is I think his late entry to the game - he lacks the instinct that other more seasoned  players have - but part of it is desire. That's the only thing that troubles me about him: he's a bit lackadaisical. He needs to want the ball as opposed to be satisfied when the ball happens to come his way. Hopefully that comes as he matures.

Quote from: Marillac on April 20, 2017, 09:18:18 AM

I actually thought he looked better against the centers over well-built and more versatile 6'6-6'8 PF's like Wideman and Bullock (which isn't saying much). Don't forget he went for something like 16 and 15 against Delgado as a frosh.

I thought he did as well. And I think he did because when he played against players who over-matched him physically he didn't have time to think about what he was supposed to be doing. He just did it. Whereas when he was playing against players he was more athletic than he had time to think about it. I think his problems last year were all mental.

We tend to think that improvement is linear, that it goes up this way / . But really learning is a series of plateaus: you go up and then you have a flat period and then a flat period and then you go up again, like stairs. Hopefully last year was a tread.

Quote

'm not giving up on the kid and I'm very glad he's on the roster, but I don't think it's prudent to rely on him for anything more than 10-15 minutes and some fouls.  If our stength and conditioning team actually stepped up, it could be a different story. How that kid with his frame didn't enter this past  season at 220, I'll never know. You can't consistently compete at this level as a PF/C weighing 200-205 absent NBA ability. I thought the staff made a huge error wasting a year of his eligibility for 2 1/2 months of meaningless games in a lost season.

If you look at pictures of him as a freshman and as a soph he's grown quite a bit through his shoulders and biceps. He's pretty jacked up top. If he has Tyra Banks ass he'd be a specimen.

Weight is a funny thing. Maurice Lucas was terrifying at 6'9" 215. Xavier McDaniel was frightening at 6'7" 215. Julius Erving was 6'7" 215. Mel Daniels was 6'9" 220. Yawke is listed at 6'7" 210. Unless you're a golem like that guy on Gonzaga it's not just the weight, it's where the weight is and how you use it.

  How big was Justin Brownlee? He did a very nice job as a 5.

Don't recall JB playing much 5. Burrell and Evans did.

Quote from: Marillac on April 20, 2017, 09:18:18 AM

I actually thought he looked better against the centers over well-built and more versatile 6'6-6'8 PF's like Wideman and Bullock (which isn't saying much). Don't forget he went for something like 16 and 15 against Delgado as a frosh.

I thought he did as well. And I think he did because when he played against players who over-matched him physically he didn't have time to think about what he was supposed to be doing. He just did it. Whereas when he was playing against players he was more athletic than he had time to think about it. I think his problems last year were all mental.

We tend to think that improvement is linear, that it goes up this way / . But really learning is a series of plateaus: you go up and then you have a flat period and then a flat period and then you go up again, like stairs. Hopefully last year was a tread.

Quote

'm not giving up on the kid and I'm very glad he's on the roster, but I don't think it's prudent to rely on him for anything more than 10-15 minutes and some fouls.  If our stength and conditioning team actually stepped up, it could be a different story. How that kid with his frame didn't enter this past  season at 220, I'll never know. You can't consistently compete at this level as a PF/C weighing 200-205 absent NBA ability. I thought the staff made a huge error wasting a year of his eligibility for 2 1/2 months of meaningless games in a lost season.

If you look at pictures of him as a freshman and as a soph he's grown quite a bit through his shoulders and biceps. He's pretty jacked up top. If he has Tyra Banks ass he'd be a specimen.

Weight is a funny thing. Maurice Lucas was terrifying at 6'9" 215. Xavier McDaniel was frightening at 6'7" 215. Julius Erving was 6'7" 215. Mel Daniels was 6'9" 220. Yawke is listed at 6'7" 210. Unless you're a golem like that guy on Gonzaga it's not just the weight, it's where the weight is and how you use it.

Vince Lombardi's 5 time NFL champion Green Bay Packers offensive line averaged 230 lbs.  I'm sure they were plenty big enough to win a championship today.

Quote from: Johnny23 on April 20, 2017, 04:34:29 PM

Easier said than done. His awful hands, lack of court awareness, and offensive struggles will need to improve a lot.

Everything is easier said than done. KY seems like a good kid and he seems to be a hard worker with a good attitude and there's no reason to think he will not improve as people who practice a thing do in the normal course of practicing a thing. I know it happens - Reggie Jessie, Willie Shaw - but few players get worse over the long term. If he takes a step forward and Owens does and Ahmed does the front court won't be as bad as the sky is falling crowd think. I'm not saying that they don't need help or that the fact that there are no reinforcements on the horizon isn't disappointing, but even without any appreciable influx of talent this is still going to be an interesting basketball team assuming a normal progression.

What makes you think that Yakwe is a hard worker? I think a lack of effort in addition to a lack of understanding is why he was so awful this season. Thing is, he played aggressively as a freshman. We know he's capable. We don't know if that matters to him.