First...adding Orlando/Gift/Hooper and possibly Jordan....where does thank put us in the recruiting rankings??? That is a great class regardless if Jordan comes.
Also....Lots of people are dogging Gift for whatever reason. I for one, am excited to see him next year with a full complament of players surrounding him. I think too much was put on his plate and he was forced into a situation where he wasnt fully comfortable last year.
If for nothing else, he is a guy we can throw out there that can give us 5 more fouls. I truely believe he sees more time than us experts expect!!
For goodness sake, he's a PROVEN 9 pt, 6 reb 53% FG Big East player. Of COURSE he's gonna get minutese. He'd be our #3 scorer and #3 rebounder, and LEADING the team in FG% THIS year with his junior year production.
He did that on a team with 5 scholarship players!! All freshmen. All smaller than him. All of whom, frankly, were wing players.
He got numbers because we literally didn't have a bench last season. And, after conference play started - Dunlap played him less and less. An NBA coach preferred starting 5 undersized freshmen than using the 6'8 230+lbs chiseled center that you are heralding so much. What does that tell you about his skill level?
The fact that he's not playing right now speaks for itself. And the notion that coach thought Sanchez might be eligible, is no defense.
If they didn't think Gift could play ahead of Obekpa and Sanchez this year, how is that going to be any different a year from now? Add in a more experienced Sampson, and a potentially improved Jones.... Gift isn't seeing the floor.
Again, I have nothing against Gift. Seems like a good student, and a nice guy. But he's not a very good basketball player. A year of not seeing him has made many of you forget how frustrating he could be.