I thought it would be good to put all the news and Game recaps In a single thread for the 2013-14 basketball season for Degnan, Segura, Nelson and Lakoju..... And others if you wish. Below is a story about the Super 7 from Hudson county. Degnan is mentioned as a contender for Mr. Basketball in Section 1
Post by mydadwasathappyhr on Dec 1, 2013 12:59:14 GMT -5
Tyler Nelson looking to get back in a week or two per his tweet below. Just saw Central Catholic's schedule and they're playing St. Anthony's (NJ) on 12/28 in Boston. Will get to that game if Tyler is back on the court
"Just got a cast put on until December 9th. Chances are I'll be back around then #comeback"
Post by nashvillestag on Dec 4, 2013 13:16:26 GMT -5
NERR website-NEPSAC, Class C preview today says the following (paraphrased). Ami Lakoju may be the biggest secret in New England at the moment, but don't expect that to be the case too much longer.
Link to full article below. And his Dunk looks pretty strong in Photo below
St. Luke’s – Ami Lakoju may very well be the best kept secret in New England, but don’t expect that to be the case for too much longer. The six-foot-nine big man has already signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Fairfield on a full scholarship next season, and should be expected to quickly assert himself as one of the most dominant big men in all of Class C this season.
Segura is ranked the 42nd best hoops player in Texas by TexasHoops. Sounds like an aggressive guard, that relies on penetration, but needs some work on his 3- Point shooting.
Segura is a speedy and crafty guard who can attack the rim and finish in traffic. He has a strong body, can take contact and get to the rim and finishes strong for his size. He has an explosive first step, can create in the half court and is fast in the open floor. He is a solid defender on the ball who will use his body to create pressure and turnovers. He relies heavily on his ability to create as his 3 point shooting can be on and off at this point of his development.
Four words come to my mind with regards to Lakoju...... Sleeper, Project, Potential, Motor. The article mentions him as a sleeper, but he also is that unusual combination of a "Project with Huge Potential". The last player that Fairfield had that fit those words was Deng Gai. Gai certainly reached his potential in many games, while others he seemed to not be into it 100%. What seems different about Lakoju looks to be his Motor ..... which is always running. Lets hope he reaches his potential. If he does, he could be a special player.
Joe Stag, Deng Gai was not a project. He was a top 50 recruit with many big time schools chasing him.
I would say Deng Gai was a project from the offensive perspective because he really had to learn a lot offensively..... which took a good year. He was rated a top 50 recruit because of his defensive Shot blocking, where he probably turned out to be #1 in his Class and one of the best in College basketball history. IMO, Lakoju seems more advanced Offensively, especially his passing
Joe Stag, Deng Gai was not a project. He was a top 50 recruit with many big time schools chasing him.
Absolutely true, he was highly rated and considered a great "get" for TOT and his staff. If I'm not mistaken the real reason we were able to get him was the Jerry Hobbie conection with the Gai family. And one area where he was way ahead of most big men (especially those who end up at mid-majors) is Deng came equipped somewhat with an offensive game, as opposed to a player who had a large and tall body who had great defensive instincts but yet had a lot of work to do in becoming an offensive force. I can't comment on what we have in Ami yet because I have not seen him play, but I would be very surprised if he was anywhere near the force next year that Gai was as he started his freshman year. I hope I am wrong of course. But JS you are right in stating that Gai didn't always give his best effort , and this hurt him and the team. But the natural talent was there obviously as shown in the many games he was a positive difference maker, and then later when he became only the second former Fairfield player to ever play in an NBA regular season game. So even though his rating as a "sleeper" (unlike Gai) may be true, my hope is that Ami through his tremendous work ethic (as the writeup seems to suggest), might be able to indeed reach his full potential in a Stag uniform. If that happens then we certainly have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
Joe Stag, Deng Gai was not a project. He was a top 50 recruit with many big time schools chasing him.
I would say Deng Gai was a project from the offensive perspective because he really had to learn a lot offensively..... which took a good year. He was rated a top 50 recruit because of his defensive Shot blocking, where he probably turned out to be #1 in his Class and one of the best in College basketball history. IMO, Lakoju seems more advanced Offensively, especially his passing
JS, maybe you are right about Gai his first season offensively, quite frankly I can't remember exactly what he did. But I do know this. Although he might have come in with a very limited knowledge of the general flow and movement of the game, nevertheless he did have the ability to do what most mid-major projects don't have, and that is to shoot the ball. And I also believe that a lot more schools were interested in his services than have been with Ami. For some type of comparison to Gai, I would look at the recruitment of Pascal Chukwu, a top 50 recruit, the biggest reason being because of his defensive shot blocking ability. Certainly there are many schools that are very disappointed (including UConn and Georgetown) that that they lost the battle to Cooley and Providence for him to come to their school. I really don't think you can say the same thing about Lakoju, at least not right now.
Wasnt Anthony Johnson considered a "project" because he had only started playing bball his junior year of HS. He was just pure athleticism when he came in.
Wasnt Anthony Johnson considered a "project" because he had only started playing bball his junior year of HS. He was just pure athleticism when he came in.
Yes 10 I believe you are correct. And if I remember correctly A.J. might have been the first recruit Cooley got to commit when he took over the job in April of 2006. The fact is the cupboard was pretty empty, especially with big men, at that time. So he had to act fast, and he may have been taking a chance. Just goes to show you how natural talent and ability combined with a good work ethic and great coaching can bring out the best in a player. Thank god all these factors worked out in our favor regarding Anthony Johnson!
Besides a college ready body the thing that impresses me the most when I watch Lakoju in his highlight reel is how quickly is able able to hit the outlet man after the rebound. Seems like St Lukes and hopefully the Stags are able to get some fast break points due to his quick decision making and passing ability. The Nets used to get a ton of fast break points when Kidd was there due to his exceptional court vision and ability to rebound for a PG.
I think what Gai, AJ and Lakoju have in common is that they have/had Huge Potential. And just like Gai and AJ, Lakoju is pahyically talented and athletic. Also like Gai and AJ, Lakoju would need time to play against much better competition than was in that video. In addition to his passing, I was impressed with his foot work that made him look like a Linebacker instead of a defensive lineman.