Felix Balamou

Everyone seems happy with the signing, and agrees that if this kid ends up being a good four-year player, it is well worth it. As I said on the other site, I believe, he ends up being a Paris Horne/C-Jack type, we'd all be thrilled. I think some of the lukewarm comments have to do with expecting more of a splash with the first verbal since Branch. If Felix had given his verbal after Sampson or CO, it would be received with praise across the board. 
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True
 
 The kid fits it style, period. He's got the best lateral quickness we have on this team and is a tremendous leaper. Can score real well in transition and has a real solid handle. He certainly doesn't have much perimeter game right now, but right off the bat, he'll be a defensive stopper and really tough in transition game. Solid pickup.
 
Solid signing for St. John's. Might not be a star from day one, but has the makings of a solid four year player for the program.

Most people probably want more, but this is how programs are built. It's not always about the McDonald's All-American; sometimes it's about finding that next piece of the puzzle. If you want an example, read the UCLA article in SI a few issues ago. They were one of the most dominant teams in college basketball at the time despite the fact Ben Howland wasn't bringing in top talent (at least, according to the recruiting experts). From everything I've read, Felix Balamou is a really solid local product with upside to his game.
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UCLA also had Wesbtrook Love Moutahbute and a few other first round picks on it..St Johns after the players lost needs more talent infusion.. a guy whos not even top 150 isnt gonna take the Johhnies to the next level
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That's why you need to read the article. In Howland's first few years at UCLA, he was not able to land the top notch recruits which is why he needed to make due with second tier recruits such as Westbrook and Mbah a Moute. And those players fit niches within the system and led to a phenomenal squad for multiple seasons.

Nobody is claiming Balamou to be the headliner of this recruiting class. I'm pretty sure we are going to land Sampson and/or Obekpa for next year. But you need to bring in solid pieces of the puzzle to surround those headline ballplayers. Will Balamou come in and scoring 15 PPG for St. John's next year? Most likely not. But maybe he becomes that defensive stopper for us in year one or maybe he brings an explosive energy off the bench like Horne did in his time at STJ. Maybe he only logs 10 MPG, but based on his talent level I'm sure they will be productive minutes. And who knows? Maybe he becomes our version of Westbrook. I think we are all crossing our fingers for that.

Either way, I think we should all welcome Felix to the St. John's family with open arms. He is going to be an important contributor over the next four years and I think he's going to be a part of something special.
 
Solid signing for St. John's. Might not be a star from day one, but has the makings of a solid four year player for the program.

Most people probably want more, but this is how programs are built. It's not always about the McDonald's All-American; sometimes it's about finding that next piece of the puzzle. If you want an example, read the UCLA article in SI a few issues ago. They were one of the most dominant teams in college basketball at the time despite the fact Ben Howland wasn't bringing in top talent (at least, according to the recruiting experts). From everything I've read, Felix Balamou is a really solid local product with upside to his game.
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UCLA also had Wesbtrook Love Moutahbute and a few other first round picks on it..St Johns after the players lost needs more talent infusion.. a guy whos not even top 150 isnt gonna take the Johhnies to the next level
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+1

That's why you need to read the article. In Howland's first few years at UCLA, he was not able to land the top notch recruits which is why he needed to make due with second tier recruits such as Westbrook and Mbah a Moute. And those players fit niches within the system and led to a phenomenal squad for multiple seasons.

Nobody is claiming Balamou to be the headliner of this recruiting class. I'm pretty sure we are going to land Sampson and/or Obekpa for next year. But you need to bring in solid pieces of the puzzle to surround those headline ballplayers. Will Balamou come in and scoring 15 PPG for St. John's next year? Most likely not. But maybe he becomes that defensive stopper for us in year one or maybe he brings an explosive energy off the bench like Horne did in his time at STJ. Maybe he only logs 10 MPG, but based on his talent level I'm sure they will be productive minutes. And who knows? Maybe he becomes our version of Westbrook. I think we are all crossing our fingers for that.

Either way, I think we should all welcome Felix to the St. John's family with open arms. He is going to be an important contributor over the next four years and I think he's going to be a part of something special.
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 As per Rivals Felix is committed:

RedStormReport.com learned exclusively of the impending commitment but now that it has happened, has details on why the high flying guard chose to commit to the Red Storm.

"He liked the school and their style of play," said Eric Jaklitsch when asked why Felix Balamou committed to the Red Storm program. Jaklitsch is an assistant coach at Our Savior New American HS in Centereach, NY where Balamou attends.

http://stjohns.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1342346
 
 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-receives-verbal-committment-long-island-recruit-felix-balamou-article-1.1037724
 
 about time...way to go coach and welcomenaboard felix. Hopefully this the proverbial openimg ofnthe floodgates
 
It's funny Westbrook's name was brought up in this thread, because Balamou reminds me more of Westbrook than any other player. I was hesitant to write that, because inevitably some posters would go crazy at the thought of comparing top 150 caliber recruit to an All-Star.

They are similar in size, movements, style, and athletic ability. I think that's where Balamou's ceiling might be, but he's got a lot of work and a lot of mistakes to make before he gets there--if he ever gets there.
 
 Bringing the ball up against 3LO, Greene, Branch, Balamou, Garrett, and Sir Dom, with stoppers behind them, might turn in to swimming with piranha.
 
 I agree that we need size but size in and of itself does not determine if a team will be successful or not. How much size does Missouri have this year? How much size did Villanova have when they made it to the Final Four playing that four guard offense, how much size does Marquette have this year? Size helps and it's great to have but you need good basketball players and you need at least 10 of them, not six. Although, Missouri only plays 7 players and have played only those 7 all year.
 
 We need some size, but we also need a lot of per things. Because we fill one need doesn't preclude us from also filling another with plenty of ships. This move could help us land obekpa. Obekpa would help us a bit in the height and rebounding department.
 
Per NBE Basketball....

Felix Balamou (Our Savior New American 2012) – Balamou is a 6’3” wing from Guinea, West Africa with some serious athleticism. Every time I looked up he seemed to be floating above the rim and making another play for his team. He made 8-14 shots including a couple of dunks that were on par with the best of the day. Balamou’s overall ball skills and perimeter shot are still a work in progress but he is still very new to the game and by all accounts a great kid and a hard worker. 

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-0116/hoophall-classic-2012-sunday-recap/
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We have to grab a kid whos shot is not a work in progress We need a real steady shooter badly
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He's not a bad prospect, and we must remember that we're woefully short in our roster. A kid like Balamou is not bad if he's our 13th man and brings us k. I too prefer some shooter/scorers, but obekpa is a rare shotblocker.
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After seeing balamou on tape I think he is a great pick and could pleasantly surprise us
 
 lets not forget that lavin has built a staff that knows how to develop players, how to spot the raw talent and ability and mold it into something. im sure that if they offered it is for a reason. He WILL surprise
 
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