Maybe the delay with Dillon Mitchell is that he is remaining as a potential draft selection. I believe he would need to remove himself from the draft process before he can commit to any school.
SJU Portal Targets
- Thread starter dk423
- Start date
- Status
Boo Harvey
Well-known member
If Ledlum doesn’t get another year he ain’t sticking around
Don.t know but Dillon may not have much of a shot to be drafted so that might be a moot issue?
SJUWillRockNYC
Well-known member
Ledlum entered the portal so I think if he wins the court case that he's out anyway.
If Dingle wins his case the starters would be:
Smith PG, Kadary/Dingle SG/SF either way. Luis PF? and Zuby/Vince at the 5.
Hoping we can get a true PF.
SJUWillRockNYC
Well-known member
To bad he can't win NC with them, if Rick stayed, he'd have 3/4 with UK.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
No one arguing Rick better coach than Cal, u may be better coach than Cal.
You were disparaging Cal as a recruiter which is essentially arguing against the Earth being round.
Anthony Mattia
Well-known member
Not a portal target, but is it possible we circle back to Qingfang Pang? I don't recall seeing him sign anywhere but that could be wrong
Not a great match for our style.
Blocked by Obekpa
Well-known member
We already have a raw freshman big and need a front court piece who can contribute this season. So, unless he’s gonna be a walk on, it makes no sense.
I view the forward options this way:
Kasean Pryor:
Pros: adds a PF/C option to our defense, increases offensive ceiling & allows us to have a four out offense.
Cons: will need to learn Rick's system, jump up from AAC to Big East, and may hold onto ball too much
Dillon Mitchell:
Pros: elite athlete, elite defender who can switch 1 through five, very good rebounder, will playin within role of offense without ego, has two years of college eligibility, adds another PF/C option on defense, already adjusted to level of play
Cons: no jump shot outside the paint, limited offensive skill set, not familiar with Rick's system
Jamir Watkins:
Pros: very good athlete, very good offensive player, increases offensive ceiling & allows us to have a four out offense, already adjusted to level of play, another good-to-very good defender, may need ball in his hands
Cons: maybe more of a 3 than a 4 (definitely a wing), not a knockdown 3pt shooter (but a threat), may have to wait until after May for a decision
Chris Ledlum:
Pros: familiar with Rick's system, happy to do the "dirty work", captain-material, very good rebounder, will play within his role, maybe some athletic upside (this year he was on his third surgery in two years -- I think. I remember Paultz saying coaches were surprised by how much of it he lost, maybe he can regain some),
Cons: liability on defense, limited offensively, not a good shooter
I don't think we can go wrong with any of the four. The first three are appealing to me more because I think it increases the upside of our team, but Ledlum definitely raises the floor. If you told me Ledlum will return and be the Big East 6th Man of the Year, I'd believe you.
Kasean Pryor:
Pros: adds a PF/C option to our defense, increases offensive ceiling & allows us to have a four out offense.
Cons: will need to learn Rick's system, jump up from AAC to Big East, and may hold onto ball too much
Dillon Mitchell:
Pros: elite athlete, elite defender who can switch 1 through five, very good rebounder, will playin within role of offense without ego, has two years of college eligibility, adds another PF/C option on defense, already adjusted to level of play
Cons: no jump shot outside the paint, limited offensive skill set, not familiar with Rick's system
Jamir Watkins:
Pros: very good athlete, very good offensive player, increases offensive ceiling & allows us to have a four out offense, already adjusted to level of play, another good-to-very good defender, may need ball in his hands
Cons: maybe more of a 3 than a 4 (definitely a wing), not a knockdown 3pt shooter (but a threat), may have to wait until after May for a decision
Chris Ledlum:
Pros: familiar with Rick's system, happy to do the "dirty work", captain-material, very good rebounder, will play within his role, maybe some athletic upside (this year he was on his third surgery in two years -- I think. I remember Paultz saying coaches were surprised by how much of it he lost, maybe he can regain some),
Cons: liability on defense, limited offensively, not a good shooter
I don't think we can go wrong with any of the four. The first three are appealing to me more because I think it increases the upside of our team, but Ledlum definitely raises the floor. If you told me Ledlum will return and be the Big East 6th Man of the Year, I'd believe you.
Last edited:
Anthony Mattia
Well-known member
It was my understanding that he wasn't raw. That he is 6'9, offensively skilled and can shoot it. I understand Marillac's post because he is not quick or very good defensively, but you're post is the first time I've heard him described as raw. I've never seen him play, so if that's true, I appreciate it.
SJUWillRockNYC
Well-known member
Yeah ok, Cal is a great recruiter. Again though, to bad he can't win NC's with those great recruits.
So yeah, I'm agreeing that he's a great recruiter.
To be fair Cal is the best at managing under the table stuff. Somehow he even did it at UMass then jumped from one of the highest paying graft programs at Memphis to the highest at Kentucky and then he created the modern behemoth at RKansas. Now is under the table stuff part of recruitment? Sure, and did Cal make sure he was at schools with absurdly large budgets? Yes he did. Since he's never recruited on an even playing field with his relative competition it's hard to say if he's a great recruiter or not, or just a great envelope passer. But he did make sure he was in the best situations to do that so for that he gets credit.
But you can also argue he recruited on much larger scale than his predecessors at the same schools with absurdly large budgets he took the job at
I think Ledlum is better shooter than we are giving him credit for. He shot well early season before the injury and then tailed off while dealing with the injury mid year. Then he found his shot again at the end of the season after the injury healed.
Is he though? His career 3pt is 29%. This was his career best year. His FT% is a career 66%. Again, career best was 70%.
If we're relying on Ledlum to be a floor spacer, I think plenty of teams will see him taking a three as a good possession.
Agree, Chris’value lies in his rebounding, especially generating second shots, banging on interior not spacing floor. The intangibles of being a quiet leader and role model are positives though.
Also giving extra possessions by going fiercely after every loose ball. A little like Josh Hart in that respect.
Absolutely. Like I said, I think we should all be thrilled if he comes back. The play style comp by NCJohnnie is a solid one, I like to think of him as a guy who makes hustle plays that don't show up on the stat sheet/"fill in the gaps" on the court.
I just don't think his shooting is the thing we are underestimating. He's much better than Mitchell but that really is a low bar to clear.
If Ledlum can regain some of his athleticism from earlier in his career, there is upside we may not have seen yet that can surprise people. But I don't know if we should be counting on that.
- Status