#pcbb Weekly Recruiting Update 9/5/14

Labor Day weekend figured to be quiet with students moving into their dorms on the PC campus but some unexpected news hit that Friday with the apparent addition of German guard Tyree Chambers to the roster for the 2014-15 season.

Chambers visited Providence back in May and an offer was extended about 3 weeks ago. The connection appears to have been fostered by Associate Head Coach Andre LaFleur which is similar to the Kyron Cartwright recruitment. Chambers is at Providence and enrolled in classes but has not yet been given the go ahead by the NCAA Clearinghouse though he told Jeff Ferrucci of ScoutFriars.com “the clearance shouldn’t be a problem because I never signed a contract. I was just a youth player traveling with the team.” There is a highlight video (below) that shows highlights of Chambers playing in the NBBL which he describes as “the highest level for basketball under the age of 19.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7H3CW2KJU&feature=youtu.be]

Chambers described himself to Ferrucci as “a streaky shooter” and a “pass first pg.” With solid size at 6’2 and the fact that he is 20 years old with some experience against older players, Chambers may be able to help out some right away. One thing that worries me a bit about this move is the timing of the offer. There was enough interest going back to May that he came to the US and visited Providence but then an offer didn’t come in until right around the time that the Friars returned from Italy. That makes me wonder: Did the staff see something during the 3 games in Italy to make them feel that they need more guard help/insurance for this season after watching Junior Lomomba and Cartwright handle the point with Dunn being a spectator on the trip? Just some food for thought.

Rivals updated their Class of 2016 top 150 this past week and a number of Friar recruits in that class made the cut. Some notable names include Braxton Blackwell (#38), Bruce Brown (#58) and Wenyen Gabriel (#106). Click the link above to see all 13 names and also to see the entire top 150.

2015 PG recruit Justin Robinson visited Virginia Tech last weekend and told me “it was good, I enjoyed myself.” He did leave Blacksburg without giving a commitment though. His next visit will be next weekend (9/12-9/14) to Maryland followed by a trip to Friartown on 9/19-9/21. His final two visits are the UNLV 10/3-10/4 and to Creighton to what may end up being their Late Night Madness weekend 10/17-10/19. Our friend FriarTV put together this nice highlight mixtape for Justin Robinson:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJs1wXyOaDw&feature=youtu.be]

I spoke with recent Providence commit Drew Edwards last night and he expressed a lot of admiration for Coach Cooley. I’ll hopefully have a feature article put together on Edwards for next week. Stay tuned on that. In the meantime, Kevin Farrahar put this piece together with some quotes from Edwards’ high school coach. It’s worth the read.

FriarTV also put together this awesome highlight mixtape of Edwards:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38C-orFSWoA]

2015 SF recruit Davon Dillard made a last minute transfer to Our Savior New American school in Centereach, NY on Long Island. Dillard had planned to transfer from Bowman to La Lumiere but he changed plans after La Lumiere head coach Alan Huss took an assistant coaching position at New Mexico. OSNA is a very competitive program that plays a national schedule.

A new name popped up Thursday in the class of 2015 and it’s another player from Germany.

Have been told 2015 German Forward Moritz Wagner is drawing interest from UConn, Duke, Providence and UNLV. Report: http://t.co/cW7ACpfik5

— EuropeanProspects (@ChristopheEPcom) September 4, 2014

Wagner is a 6’6 combo forward who is 17 years old and plays on the same German team as former UConn Husky Niels Giffey, former Villanova Wildcat Reggie Redding, former Clemson Tiger Clifford Hammonds and former Xavier Musketeer Jamel McLean.

Here’s a player review from EuropeanProspects.com:

Moritz Wagner – 2m04 – PF/SF – 1997 – ALBA Berlin

The young Moritz Wagner is a really interesting prospect for the future. Used as a PF on multiple occasions, Wagner showed that he has an outside game and that his future should be on the SF position. He can shoot from outside, either on catch-and-shoot situations or in the Pick and Pop when being the screener. Wagner can also put the ball on the floor which works particularly well when used against taller power forwards. He is also able to drive with direction changes and finish against stronger or taller players in the paint. Athletically, he is looking good and with his overall length, he is a good vertical presence on both sides of the court. Wagner really needs to be used on the wing positions in the future as he has the tools to become an interesting long small forward in the future. It will be interesting to see if ALBA can do this as they will lack some inside presence in the next generations of their NBBL roster so that Wagner risks to be used as a pure PF or even center next season.

2015 big man Alex Illikainen cut his list to a final 4 schools: Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin. Providence was always likely going to be fighting an uphill battle with Illikainen and getting Alex Owens to commit at the 4 spot in this class probably lessened the already slim chances. My gut says Illikainen will choose between hometown Minnesota and new offer Wisconsin. Minnesota is home but Wisconsin seems like a really good fit on the court for a 6’9 big with perimeter skills but lacks elite athleticism.

The first annual BallasTV Showcase was held August 29th in Massachusetts and a number of Providence recruits were in attendance. There are full games available to watch but here are some written recaps:

New England Recruiting Report

Jermaine Samuels and Jordan Hartwick shared the Most Outstanding Prospect award…Tyonne Malone shared the dunk contest championship with Hardwick.

Buzzer Beater Basketball

Jermaine Samuels – Samuels was the second best performer at the showcase.  He is a top 25 talent in the country for the class of 2017.  He is only going into his sophomore year at Rivers Academy and stands at 6’6″.  Samuels is one of the most dominate high school players in New England.  He had dunk after dunk that left fans and coaches with their jaws dropped.  Considering he is only a sophomore he has an impressive build physically and uses it to his advantage.  Jermaine Samuels will be an unstoppable player once his outside game catches up to his already impressive skill set.

Tyonne Malone – Malone was one of the most athletic and talented players at the showcase.  He can blow pass defenders and finish with authority at the rim, or hit the outside shot behind the arc. Malone is only entering his Junior season at Putnam Vocational and has offers from BU, Manhattan, St. Peter’s, and UMass.  He is also receiving interest from BC and Providence.  The multifaceted Malone has received interest from UConn, but still needs to earn a scholarship.  He certainly would fit with a team like UConn.  On Saturday, he and Jalen Adams were throwing alley-oops to each other and playing a nice two man game.   Maybe we could see Malone and Adams throwing lobs to each other again in a few years, only they would be wearing a UConn Huskies uniform.

Chris Baldwin – The 6 foot 7 big man knows how to dominate opponents in the paint.  Baldwin dunked almost every time he got the ball.  He plays an athletic forward style and excels doing so.  He has received an offer from UMass and received from interest from Boston College.  Hopefully Baldwin can develop into a well polished big during his senior season at Springfield Central.  He has a certain rawness within his play that could help him develop into a monstrous big man.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDiFLdXCkQ]

New England Recruiting Report released a list of “New Names to Know” on the New England prep basketball circuit. You can see the entire list here. Below are the names that Providence fans should keep an eye on as the Friars have either offered a scholarship or are showing interest:

John Crosby, 6-3, G, New Hampton School, Class of 2015, Uncommitted

The Maryland native turned down an opportunity to stay close to home and star for the Terps in the ACC in order to spend his post-graduate year with the Huskies.  He’ll be critical to their success in the coming year.

Hamidou Diallo, 6-3, G, Putnam Science Academy, Class of 2017, Uncommitted

The repeat sophomore got a jump start on making a name for himself this summer with starring performances at the Super 16 and Elite 75 Showcases, showing why he is expected to be the best of the newcomers in 2017.

Unique McLean, 6-1, G, MacDuffie School, Class of 2016, Uncommitted

An absolutely explosive athlete and highlight reel waiting to happen, McLean has been an honorary New Englander in recent years while competing with Hoosac in the NEPSAC, but he’ll be front and center in Western Massachusetts this year.

Follow me on Twitter: @pcbb1917

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Mike Hopkins

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