2014 Recruiting

So I've heard Monson is expected to take a two year LDS Mission so that will essentially put him in the 2016 class.

Also, can't believe we all missed this but Alex Kirk, who used to be the Director of Basketball Operations tweeted yesterday that one of his players, SG Max Livingston, from Clark College committed to Portland. It's expected that Livingston will walk on next season, and considering our plethora of scholarships in 2015, I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive one of those.

DTLegend wrote:So I've heard Monson is expected to take a two year LDS Mission so that will essentially put him in the 2016 class.

Interesting. Come back bigger and stronger, more mature. Could be good. I understand that any LOI is reopened upon return from a mission.

up7587 wrote:

DTLegend wrote:So I've heard Monson is expected to take a two year LDS Mission so that will essentially put him in the 2016 class.

Interesting. Come back bigger and stronger, more mature. Could be good. I understand that any LOI is reopened upon return from a mission.

Could be a letter of acceptance. Here is an article on the changing landscape.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765621816/Some-coaches-are-losing-interest-in-mission-bound-LDS-athletes.html?pg=all

DTLegend wrote:Also, can't believe we all missed this but Alex Kirk, who used to be the Director of Basketball Operations tweeted yesterday that one of his players, SG Max Livingston, from Clark College committed to Portland. It's expected that Livingston will walk on next season, and considering our plethora of scholarships in 2015, I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive one of those.

If Alex is to receive a scholarship in 2015, he's going to have to make some big strides in his overall game.

I watched Clark College and Livingston play six games this year....and yes, I was impressed by his 3-point shooting that would really pump up the crowd, but he's got a way to go before being a complete D-1 player.

Contrary to an article I read that states Livingston played two years at Clark, it's my recollection that Livingston graduated from Lake Oswego HS in 2011, well before Jazz Johnson arrived there, and spent a redshirt year at D-2 Hawaii Pacific followed by a season sitting on the bench there before transferring to Clark.

With two years of eligibility left he certainly has the chance to increase his strength and speed while developing his shooting even further....I hope he does earn a scholarship.

Si.com / west coast convo has an article.

http://westcoastconvo.com/2014/05/01/portland-pilots-land-pair-commits/

48% from the arc sounds ok.

Great, the one write up I pass on to Josh catches PurpleGeezer's eye!

A few thoughts:
The Livingston add is solid in my opinion for a few reasons. Let me start by saying that I've never seen him play and am going strictly on looking at the stats and what DD is saying. Finding playing time as a walk-on is extremely difficult (unless you're Doug McDermott), but being extremely proficient in some area-3 point shooting, ball handling, rebounding, defense- can force the coaches hand in certain situations. Even if Livingston needs to get stronger and quicker, his skill is a valued by Rev and his staff. We all saw how stagnant the offense was when we didn't have any deep threat, and we also saw how having a "Sharp" shooter can make the entire team more proficient from deep. Livingston gives us another weapon and some insurance. Additionally, we are in pretty good shape as it stands now (knock on wood) at least for the next year or so. He won't have a lot of pressure to come in and contribute from day 1 like Sharp did last season. As I see it he's pretty far down the depth chart with Pressley and Sharp for sure in front of him on the depth chart, and Tyson in the mix as well. 
 Next, his timeline helps with balancing the recruiting classes. If he in fact does walk-on this year, and then earns a scholarship next year, it takes the scholarship distribution from

This	to	This
6	2015-2016	5
1	2016-2017	2
2	2017-2018	2
4	2018-2019	4

That's a step in the right direction and if Portland can add a JUCO transfer to next seasons class the distributions could be 4,2,3,4 which is close to ideal. 

Overall I'm pretty stoked about both additions from this week. Hopefully I can find more information on Monson in the next couple of weeks and give a more in depth write-up.

Well said, DTL....

Although the likelihood of such a move is still unknown, an additional year for Voldy could also help in a huge way from both a team standpoint and class distribution.

The NCAA acts in mysterious ways regarding so many issues, but it would seem they may be starting to lighten-up a little on a number of fronts since the "player uprising" began.

I don't think we should get our hopes too high, but two more seasons of Voldy could keep the Pilots in contention for upper-half finishes in the coming years.

PurpleGeezer wrote:48% from the arc sounds ok.

48% from BEHIND the arc would be fantastic! Booya! 

Are you referring to the little arc right under the rim?

PilotNut wrote:Are you referring to the little arc right under the rim?  

Well, it is the HS arc, but still....

Dominic Artis is leaving Oregon, which frees up thei scholarship issues. Jaquan Lyle is a 5 star recruit at the point coming in.

PurpleGeezer wrote:Dominic Artis is leaving Oregon.......

Probably not of his own free will, is my understanding.

Coach Altman is reaping a little of what he has sewn with a few of his transfers finding themselves in trouble more than they are in found in the classroom.

DeanMurdoch wrote:Buster Souza is a 6-7 PF/C from Lafayette, CA...apparently not only has an offer from UP, but is down to his final two schools (Pilots and UC Riverside).

I'm 99.99% sure Souza never received an offer from UP.....regardless, he is headed this direction, but will stop in Monmouth to attend Western Oregon University in the fall.

PurpleGeezer wrote:Dominic Artis is leaving Oregon, which frees up thei scholarship issues. Jaquan Lyle is a 5 star recruit at the point coming in.

Seems Damyean Dotson is also out. The school confirms he is not currently participating in team activities.

DoubleDipper wrote:

PurpleGeezer wrote:Dominic Artis is leaving Oregon.......

Probably not of his own free will, is my understanding.

Coach Altman is reaping a little of what he has sewn with a few of his transfers finding themselves in trouble more than they are in found in the classroom.

The three who are no longer with the team are the three implicated in this mess. Doesn't look too good to say the least.

http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2014/05/damyean_dotson_suspension_foll.html#incart_river

Of the 16 players on Oregon's roster following its season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin on March 22, four remain in good standing: guards Joseph Young, Jalil Abdul-Bassit, forward Elgin Cook and walk-on guard Theo Friedman.

 

up7587 wrote:

Of the 16 players on Oregon's roster following its season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin on March 22, four remain in good standing: guards Joseph Young, Jalil Abdul-Bassit, forward Elgin Cook and walk-on guard Theo Friedman.

 

And yet Craig Robinson is the coach who was fired this weekend...

PurpleGeezer wrote:48% from the arc sounds ok.

Max Livingston is a shooter!!

Only watched a couple minutes. He won't get those open looks in the WCC.

up7587 wrote:Only watched a couple minutes. He won't get those open looks in the WCC.

He'll have a ways to go to get up to Division I speed, for sure. His release is pretty darn slow compared to Sharp's. But he's accurate! We'll see what the coaches can do with him.

Glad to see another local guy on the roster, too! More NW guys in the program/pipeline than in recent years.

Oregon: Carr, Taylor, Livingston, Johnson
Washington: Nicholas, Riley, Todd, Tyson

Monson is offical: UP Link

Welcome aboard, Alec!  

The rich get richer while we wonder if it is realistic to assume we can compete. Competition just got even better. USC leading scorer to Zags:

Byron Wesley to transfer to Gonzaga
Updated: May 18, 2014, 2:24 PM ET
By Jeff Goodman | ESPN.com

Former USC guard Byron Wesley is heading to Gonzaga for his final season and will be able to play immediately.

The 6-foot-5 transfer, who led the Trojans in scoring last season, told ESPN that he has opted to play for Mark Few and Gonzaga over Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh

Byron Wesley averaged a team-leading 17.8 points per game last season at USC.
"It starts with the winning culture," Wesley told ESPN on Sunday of his decision to pick Gonzaga. "They've been to the NCAA tournament 16 straight times, and it's an opportunity for me to play in the tournament in my last year."

Wesley will take advantage of the NCAA's graduate transfer rule in which players are able to play their final year of eligibility immediately if they have graduated and want to pursue a degree that isn't offered at their current school.

Wesley averaged a team-high 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season for a USC team that finished 11-21 overall and 2-16 in Pac-12 play.

He will fill a huge void for a Gonzaga team that will have a pair of senior guards in Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr., also returns big man Przemek Karnowski and adds transfer Kyle Wiltjer and two talented freshmen -- point guard Josh Perkins and skilled power forward Domantas Sabonis.

"It's a team that returns a lot of veterans and will be ranked somewhere in the top 15 or so in the preseason," Wesley added. "I built a great relationship with the coaching staff, and one thing they stressed is that it's a great situation for me because they don't have anyone like me. It's a perfect fit."

Former LMU commit Elijah Stewart is taking Wesley's spot at USC.

wrv wrote:The rich get richer while we wonder if it is realistic to assume we can compete. Competition just got even better. USC leading scorer to Zags:

We have known for a while now that with Wiltjer coming, it's shaping up to be an up year for Gonzaga. Goodman's new Top 50 that came out yesterday has them at No. 9 in the nation.

Kyle Dranginis was slated to start at the "3" for Gonzaga before Byron Wesley transferred over. I doubt it's even a given that Wesley will start over Dranginis, but for sure his addition only bolsters what will be a deep and talented Gonzaga team. Good thing they can only put five on the floor at a time!