2015 Basketball Recruiting Thread

[lotusland]

How useful is the ability to play underwater basketball though?

[But seriously, good point. He's certainly got good handle from both sides].

He's like a cross between Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson. Maybe a pinch of DeMarcus Nelson thrown in.

I don't really see Singler or G in his game. A south-paw Scheyer will suffice. Is 4-years, All ACC first team and a Natty too much to ask?

[SilkyJ]

He's like a cross between Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson. Maybe a pinch of DeMarcus Nelson thrown in.

Odd picks. I don't see any similarities. G & DeMarc were known for their hops and dunks...not one clip of him dunking. And G could basically only go to his right. None of those guys were known for their handles, and Luke has a really good handle (Demarc was a slasher but not an ankle breaker). I see more of an Elliot Williams/Scheyer combo...though to be honest I don't think there is a good analogue for him. 6'5, ambidextrous SG, with handles and passing good enough to play point...maybe a taller 'Sheed is the best analogue (or maybe I/we should try to stop labeling him. You do you Luke!)

[Nosbleuatu]

How useful is the ability to play underwater basketball though?

[But seriously, good point. He's certainly got good handle from both sides].

He's like a cross between Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson. Maybe a pinch of DeMarcus Nelson thrown in.

I wouldn't recommend pinching DeMarcus (evidence).

[plimnko]

jeter is playing on espnu right now

[tommy]

Odd picks. I don't see any similarities. G & DeMarc were known for their hops and dunks...not one clip of him dunking. And G could basically only go to his right. None of those guys were known for their handles, and Luke has a really good handle (Demarc was a slasher but not an ankle breaker). I see more of an Elliot Williams/Scheyer combo...though to be honest I don't think there is a good analogue for him. 6'5, ambidextrous SG, with handles and passing good enough to play point...maybe a taller 'Sheed is the best analogue (or maybe I/we should try to stop labeling him. You do you Luke!)

Not that he's anywhere near this good as a high school senior, but what about Manu as a sort-of comp for Kennard? 6'5" or so shooting guard, very good spotting up especially, less so creating for himself in the halfcourt, whose handle is good enough to play some point if necessary, and who can get into the lane and finish with either hand. Not terribly athletic in the traditional, measurable senses, but knows how to get things done on a basketball court, always in the right place, etc. Servicable defender. Sounds about right to me.

[Jim3k]

I can't make the video come in, but at 6'5" and with all the skills you guys are describing, I'm betting he's a throwback--say 51 years. The comp might well be Heyman. On a college floor Artie could do it all, and did.

Unfortunately, YouTube has no action film of Art (even the Brown altercation is missing some footage). The only thing I could find was a solicitation from the Jewish Basketball Hall of Fame for its DVD which does have, at :34, a short clip of one of Art's patented drives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kS_faczjKk

(Actually, given the other players in the DVD, it might be worth an investment. At the very least, it shows that yesterday's talent was extremely good.) There are certainly some great basketball players there.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

I can't make the video come in, but at 6'5" and with all the skills you guys are describing, I'm betting he's a throwback--say 51 years. The comp might well be Heyman. On a college floor Artie could do it all, and did.

Unfortunately, YouTube has no action film of Art (even the Brown altercation is missing some footage). The only thing I could find was a solicitation from the Jewish Basketball Hall of Fame for its DVD which does have, at :34, a short clip of one of Art's patented drives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kS_faczjKk

(Actually, given the other players in the DVD, it might be worth an investment. At the very least, it shows that yesterday's talent was extremely good.) There are certainly some great basketball players there.

Luke is supposed to be a great long range shooter; that was not Heyman's best skill. Heyman was more of a power player, a fierce rebounder (10+ rpg); terrific passer. Jabari Parker plays similar to Heyman; great coast-to-coast after a defensive rebound; strong inside scorer.

[roywhite]

Okay, we've had a few tries and most of the comps for Luke Kennard don't seem to work, so I'll throw this out (and likely not hit the mark either).

Luke Kennard reminds me of Pistol Pete Maravich. About the same size, can shoot from outside, creative in the lane, and uses either hand very well. Luke is both a shooter and a scorer.

[Kedsy]

Okay, we've had a few tries and most of the comps for Luke Kennard don't seem to work, so I'll throw this out (and likely not hit the mark either).

Luke Kennard reminds me of Pistol Pete Maravich. About the same size, can shoot from outside, creative in the lane, and uses either hand very well. Luke is both a shooter and a scorer.

According to Dale Brown, if there had been a three-point line then, Pete Maravich would have scored 57 points per game at LSU. I'll take a third of that for Luke Kennard. Deal?

[roywhite]

According to Dale Brown, if there had been a three-point line then, Pete Maravich would have scored 57 points per game at LSU. I'll take a third of that for Luke Kennard. Deal?

Not a bad deal if he could average 19/game.

However, in the category of way-too-early speculation bordering on wishful thinking, I could see Luke Kennard:

Average over 20 points in a given season
Be one of the top 3 scorers in the ACC in a given season
Be our next 2000 point scorer.

[Henderson]

According to Dale Brown, if there had been a three-point line then, Pete Maravich would have scored 57 points per game at LSU. I'll take a third of that for Luke Kennard. Deal?

Dale Brown = blowhard. But 19 ppg from Kennard would work for me. We just need to get him some Pistol Pete socks.
Attachment 4263

[Saratoga2]

I can't make the video come in, but at 6'5" and with all the skills you guys are describing, I'm betting he's a throwback--say 51 years. The comp might well be Heyman. On a college floor Artie could do it all, and did.

Unfortunately, YouTube has no action film of Art (even the Brown altercation is missing some footage). The only thing I could find was a solicitation from the Jewish Basketball Hall of Fame for its DVD which does have, at :34, a short clip of one of Art's patented drives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kS_faczjKk

(Actually, given the other players in the DVD, it might be worth an investment. At the very least, it shows that yesterday's talent was extremely good.) There are certainly some great basketball players there.

John Havelichek? (sp) comes to mine. Another 6'5" guard/forward with a great motor who never tired and was smart with both his offense and defense.

[FerryFor50]

Watched Chase Jeter play last night.

His team (Dream Vision) got blown out by Indiana Elite. Indiana was red-hot from 3 (shot 10-23) and a kid named Ryan Cline went for 25 points on 7-10 shooting from 3. Cline is committed to Purdue.

Jeter played well, but he didn't get as many touche early as he should have - his teammates were pretty much just looking for their own offense much of the game. They finally got Jeter involved more in the 2nd half, but by then, they were down 12.

Jeter went for 24 points (11-21 shooting), 17 boards and added 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Box scores can be found here:

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/score...&to=2014-07-27

Most of his offense came on dunks and putbacks, but he showed some nice touch on hook shots. He had one hook from about 18 feet out!

His jumper looks pretty good, but he didn't connect on many. His FTs were solid, too. He would be a fantastic get for Duke.

[Kedsy]

Not a bad deal if he could average 19/game.

However, in the category of way-too-early speculation bordering on wishful thinking, I could see Luke Kennard:

Average over 20 points in a given season
Be one of the top 3 scorers in the ACC in a given season
Be our next 2000 point scorer.

Really? His various recruiting rankings currently range from 18 to 31, far as I can tell from a web search. While it's true recruiting ranking doesn't say everything, and also that Jon Scheyer scored 2000 points at Duke after an RSCI of 28, pretty much all the others were much more highly regarded recruits than Luke Kennard.

Obviously Luke has plenty of time to hone his game, but based on what we know right now I'd be very surprised if he came close to any of your wishful goals.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Really? His various recruiting rankings currently range from 18 to 31, far as I can tell from a web search. While it's true recruiting ranking doesn't say everything, and also that Jon Scheyer scored 2000 points at Duke after an RSCI of 28, pretty much all the others were much more highly regarded recruits than Luke Kennard.

Obviously Luke has plenty of time to hone his game, but based on what we know right now I'd be DELIGHTED if he came close to any of your wishful goals.

Fixed that for you...

[Kedsy]

Fixed that for you...

Well, yeah, that too.

[Henderson]

Really? His various recruiting rankings currently range from 18 to 31, far as I can tell from a web search. While it's true recruiting ranking doesn't say everything, and also that Jon Scheyer scored 2000 points at Duke after an RSCI of 28, pretty much all the others were much more highly regarded recruits than Luke Kennard.

Obviously Luke has plenty of time to hone his game, but based on what we know right now I'd be very surprised if he came close to any of your wishful goals.

Your caveats save your point. What Luke K. accomplishes at Duke depends on how long he stays (see bolded above). He could easily meet all three all three goals if he stays 4 years. Remember too that he's still got another year of HS (see other bolded above).

Regarding the recruit rankings, remember that big men are always at a premium, and if you look at those rankings you'll see that the 2015 class is loaded with them, at the top naturally. Scout has all the top 5 at 6-7 or better, and Rivals has 10 of the top 11 6-7 or better. Height is hard to teach, rare, and much-coveted. Kennard's smarts and skills will fit in very well at Duke, and I predict that he'll exceed your expectations for him. The kid's a baller.

[Kedsy]

Your caveats save your point. What Luke K. accomplishes at Duke depends on how long he stays (see bolded above). He could easily meet all three all three goals if he stays 4 years. Remember too that he's still got another year of HS (see other bolded above).

Regarding the recruit rankings, remember that big men are always at a premium, and if you look at those rankings you'll see that the 2015 class is loaded with them, at the top naturally. Scout has all the top 5 at 6-7 or better, and Rivals has 10 of the top 11 6-7 or better. Height is hard to teach, rare, and much-coveted. Kennard's smarts and skills will fit in very well at Duke, and I predict that he'll exceed your expectations for him. The kid's a baller.

Yeah, but big men were at a premium when all of Duke's 2000 point scorers were rated as well.

Did you know that all eleven of Duke's 2000 point scorers made some All American team during their time at Duke? Or that in the past 30 years only six Duke players have averaged over 20 ppg in a season (and, again, every one made an All American team; five of the six have had their jerseys retired)? And you're suggesting Luke Kennard, the 20th or 30th best high school junior in the country, might "easily" achieve those things?

It's all good and fine to say a particular player looks good in high school games or on mix tapes, and hope that he'll exceed expectations once he gets to college. It's quite another to compare him to NBA Hall of Famers (like Maravich or Havlicek) or suggest he might be an All American.

[roywhite]

Yeah, but big men were at a premium when all of Duke's 2000 point scorers were rated as well.

Did you know that all eleven of Duke's 2000 point scorers made some All American team during their time at Duke? Or that in the past 30 years only six Duke players have averaged over 20 ppg in a season (and, again, every one made an All American team; five of the six have had their jerseys retired)? And you're suggesting Luke Kennard, the 20th or 30th best high school junior in the country, might "easily" achieve those things?

It's all good and fine to say a particular player looks good in high school games or on mix tapes, and hope that he'll exceed expectations once he gets to college. It's quite another to compare him to NBA Hall of Famers (like Maravich or Havlicek) or suggest he might be an All American.

Well, we'll see.

In general, I think he is currently under-rated on national lists:
He was Player of the Year in Ohio -- certainly a good talent area
Through his junior year, Luke has played football (and reportedly hasn't decided about this fall) as well as basketball
In summer competition, he didn't fare all that well in June, but has been very good in July (to me, this suggests he is making good progress on a learning curve that is somewhat due to his 2-sport participation and small/medium size high school competition)
He has some skills that are fairly rare these days -- good 3-point range combined with a good handle, and yes, he be amphibious

I'm fine with a friendly difference of opinion here; I really like the kid.

[Kedsy]

Well, we'll see.

In general, I think he is currently under-rated on national lists:
He was Player of the Year in Ohio -- certainly a good talent area
Through his junior year, Luke has played football (and reportedly hasn't decided about this fall) as well as basketball
In summer competition, he didn't fare all that well in June, but has been very good in July (to me, this suggests he is making good progress on a learning curve that is somewhat due to his 2-sport participation and small/medium size high school competition)
He has some skills that are fairly rare these days -- good 3-point range combined with a good handle, and yes, he be amphibious

I'm fine with a friendly difference of opinion here; I really like the kid.

I admit I haven't seen him play. But it's quite a burden to place on a kid to say you expect him to have All-American caliber seasons and be one of the ten best single-season scorers of the K era.