ADVERTISEMENT

Incoming Freshmen - Pistokache, Johnson, Dominaus

Stork3

Stork3

Star
Feb 23, 2011
1,135
562
113
72
Glen Allen, Virginia
Our freshman players will be moving in this weekend.

Next week, there is a boys' basketball camp. The three Spider freshman will practice (freshmen only) at 4:30 on Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri. I will attend the practices and will post my anything-but-expert opinions on this thread. Welcome, Julius, Jesse, and KoVien!!
 
the life of a retiree, thanks Stork3 -- and welcome aboard
 
Stork, Thanks very much! I would be joining you, but have travel plans for all of next week. I will be interested, especially, in what you perceive to be the strengths and development areas for each of our newcomers. And, it would be interesting to know if we have any dead-eye marksmen, from 3-point range.

The handout given out at the signing party listed Jessee's high-school 3-point shooting percentage at some riduculous figure (I believe it was 57%), and one of the attendees asked Coach Mooney if that was a mis-print. Coach gave an inconclusive response, but did not confirm it was a mis-print or a correct figure. I can only conclude it was a) a mis-print, or b) the official scorer may have been biased, or c) Jessee is an AMAZING outside shooter. You can probably let us know if that 57% looks close to correct... Our other two signees both have reputations as good outside shoters, but I have not seen their HS 3-pt shooting percentages, so please let us know your thoughts!
 
Stork, just want to echo what others have already said, I really look forward to your reports. A coach said that Jesse and Julius will have to play based on their skills. Both are strong, have good size, and can pass and shoot. At 6' 3" and 220 pounds, Julius sounds really ready! Thanks in advance for your reports.
 
oldie, it was a misprint. the numbers were transposed. should have read 75%.
 
Spideroldie said:
Stork, Thanks very much! I would be joining you, but have travel plans for all of next week. I will be interested, especially, in what you perceive to be the strengths and development areas for each of our newcomers. And, it would be interesting to know if we have any dead-eye marksmen, from 3-point range.

The handout given out at the signing party listed Jessee's high-school 3-point shooting percentage at some riduculous figure (I believe it was 57%), and one of the attendees asked Coach Mooney if that was a mis-print. Coach gave an inconclusive response, but did not confirm it was a mis-print or a correct figure. I can only conclude it was a) a mis-print, or b) the official scorer may have been biased, or c) Jessee is an AMAZING outside shooter. You can probably let us know if that 57% looks close to correct... Our other two signees both have reputations as good outside shoters, but I have not seen their HS 3-pt shooting percentages, so please let us know your thoughts!
Click to expand...

It appears Jesse shot 25% his first two years of high school, didn't play his third, but transferred back home to play nine games his senior year and did make 57% in those nine games.
 
180 must have been a couple of years ago. this isn't a 180 lb kid.
IYENAPDQJKHNWGM.20141111224512.jpg
 
OK, I'll bite.... Has anyone ever heard of a basketball recruit who truly shot 57% in his senior year? The 25% figures in the previous two years further suggest that there is something "funky" about the 57%. Does anyone have the number of shots taken, and made by Jesse in those 9 games? And, does anyone have the HS stats (as many as possible) for our other incoming recruits? I love FT% too, since it tells me a lot about practice habits... And Assists to turnover #s (and ratios) are telling too...
 
According to our press release, Jesse only played 9 games his junior year due to transfer issues. Senior year it looks like he played an entire season. So, that 57% appears to be for an entire year, which I agree appears unlikely. I couldn't find game stats, but the all time 3 point high school percentage leader in Ohio shot 54% from 3 for his career. So, yes, I would love to know the number of attempts, because unless this is just a small sample size, Jesse shot at a record clip from 3 his senior year.
 
"GATORS ALSO LOOKING AT JULIUS JOHNSON: Florida Air wing guard Julius Johnson (6-3, 208, Cocoa, FL/Melbourne, FL Florida Air Academy) hit 11-19 from the field as part of a 29-point effort that included four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Averaging 28 points per game this season, the 2015 prospect has a rather impressive offer list which is headed by Kansas, Texas, Florida, Richmond and Michigan State.

Johnson said he maintains a 3.4 GPA and will take the ACT in March along with Kapita.

He plays on the wing now but Johnson knows that he will have to learn to be an effective point guard as well.

“I’ll probably play both (wing and point) in college,” Johnson said. “This summer I’m going to be working very hard on my ball handling. That’s the area of my game that needs the most work to get ready for playing at the next level.”
 
Would love to see more info on our incoming class. Interesting that this (above ) is yet another source for that 57.3% 3-point shooting percentage. I would love to see the individual game stats and re-do the math, and (fingers-crossed) it comes out close to the above number. If he really shot 57.3%, that has to be close to an all-time record for a high-schooler. Anybody else have info on our guys's HS stats?
 
Julius did not have offers from Florida, Michigan St. or Texas. I believe there was an article that stated Florida had expressed interest because they were recruiting another kid on his high school team (Kaputa, I believe). I think his other offers were from Central Florida and possibly Virginia Tech. We locked him in early though.
 
57.3% may sound unrealistic, but I've watched some video of Jesse and I haven't seen him miss yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpiderK
97spiderfan said:
Julius did not have offers from Florida, Michigan St. or Texas. I believe there was an article that stated Florida had expressed interest because they were recruiting another kid on his high school team (Kaputa, I believe). I think his other offers were from Central Florida and possibly Virginia Tech. We locked him in early though.
Click to expand...
Of Course he did! GatorCountry put it on the internet that has to be authoritative, right?
 
BTW if 57.3% is right, then...
The lowest number I see that matches that is 35 of 61 (57.38)
Or maybe 39 of 68, 70 of 122, 75 of 131, 79 of 138, and 90 of 157 (which is a lot for a high school season but he seemed to be 39 of 153 as a freshman)
 
Spideroldie said:
Stork, Thanks very much! I would be joining you, but have travel plans for all of next week. I will be interested, especially, in what you perceive to be the strengths and development areas for each of our newcomers. And, it would be interesting to know if we have any dead-eye marksmen, from 3-point range.

The handout given out at the signing party listed Jessee's high-school 3-point shooting percentage at some riduculous figure (I believe it was 57%), and one of the attendees asked Coach Mooney if that was a mis-print. Coach gave an inconclusive response, but did not confirm it was a mis-print or a correct figure. I can only conclude it was a) a mis-print, or b) the official scorer may have been biased, or c) Jessee is an AMAZING outside shooter. You can probably let us know if that 57% looks close to correct... Our other two signees both have reputations as good outside shoters, but I have not seen their HS 3-pt shooting percentages, so please let us know your thoughts!
Click to expand...
If he shoots better than 9% from 3, it's an improvemnet and he has the job as far as I am concerned!! :).
 
I'm with spiderK, anything above 20% would likely be an improving either at SG or SF...
 
Regarding the incoming true freshman, is the consensus of those who I have seen/heard the guys play that Johnson is the most ready to contribute. While I believe that Trey Davis will open up at the 2, I think by the time the conference schedule starts, we will need someone can be a perimeter shooter, handle the rock and take some of the pressure off SDJ.
 
URWeb95 said:
Regarding the incoming true freshman, is the consensus of those who I have seen/heard the guys play that Johnson is the most ready to contribute. While I believe that Trey Davis will open up at the 2, I think by the time the conference schedule starts, we will need someone can be a perimeter shooter, handle the rock and take some of the pressure off SDJ.
Click to expand...
95, not sure of any consensus, but I was told that both Julius and Jesse are really good and both should play. However, Josh should be improved and with his added muscle should be a force. Roll Spide!
 
Re: Bulking up. Listening to an NBA guy last week and he lamented the bulking up of players and how it has adversely impacted shooting strokes. Josh Jones was no wilting flower last year so if he is bulked up even more, he is going to be impressive physically. Just hope it does impact his shooting stroke.
 
97spiderfan said:
Re: Bulking up. Listening to an NBA guy last week and he lamented the bulking up of players and how it has adversely impacted shooting strokes. Josh Jones was no wilting flower last year so if he is bulked up even more, he is going to be impressive physically. Just hope it does impact his shooting stroke.
Click to expand...

Yes i hope everyone is a big benchpress this year > one day the world will say bench press is like the block the shot. Coach Kerr always likes block the shot and he is Coach worlds champion, oh i forget, he likes the shooter
 
JUNE 22ND PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS:

The four freshmen had their first 30-minute practice with the coaches this afternoon. Generally speaking, all showed up ready to practice, from a mental standpoint. The pace of practice bothered the young guys, with each showing fatigue at different times. I believe that this was to be expected, since the practice was very intense and all coaches participated in the instruction of the new guys.

According to one source, Jesse measured at 6'2" as did Julius. Kovien looks to be more of a 6'5" than a 6'7" - but I couldn't really tell. Keith Oddo, the walk on, looked to be in the 5'11" to 6'0" range.

Jesse: Looks like the kind of kid who brings a "game face" to practice. Does everything full speed - and seems to be, by appearance, someone who is perfectly comfortable running a team from the point guard spot. I thought he looked more refined than the other three freshmen. He appears to have great peripheral vision, from his passes today. Nice stroke as an outside shooter. Looks like he really understands the game and runs the floor well.

Julius: I love the quick release on his jump shot. Handled the ball well and shot reasonably well from outside until fatigue had an impact. Nice body - strong kid. He isn't flashy; but he is confident. Hard to say much more about him after only 30 minutes of observation.

KoVien: Runs the floor well. Seems to have a long wingspan. Shot well from 3-point land until he was fatigued. Has some really nice lift on his dunks. I think he is coming into a nice situation where he can learn under our 3's and 4's and can take some time to develop. There seems to be lots of potential here. There is always the chance that he will develop into something special.

Keith: Had some difficulty with the speed of the game - but seems to understand the game fully. Gave his best effort on the court.

I also heard that Marshall Wood has gotten stronger and is looking good. According to one staff member, TJ is the most improved player on the team since the season ended. He is reportedly looking like an all-A10 type player.

I'll try to keep you guys up on things as I notice them. The kids and the staff - the whole Robins Center staff - are confident that this will be a great year. Go Spiders!
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpiderK, gcarter52 and UR Fan 2
You must log in or register to reply here.
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back