Huffman offered

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I thought Alex (1 x and 1 A ;-) turned out real well after he left us and always wondered how much of what he learned while with us played in to his becoming a solid player. I may be wrong but I seen to recall from something I read that the kid credited Roy with really helping him early become a solid college player. I felt he was going to be better than Deon and hated that he left us.

I get your point on offering the kids in the 200's but would counter with 2 things. First, would ya take Deon and Alex today and be able to add one more player and be happy? I could make the case both deserved to be top 50. For me it is about how they play and how they fit more than where they are ranked before they ever play their first NCAA game.

Second, I don't think Huffman or Stokes would be guys that would stand in our way from a 5 star recruit joining us. Do you think a 5 star rated big man would see 2 big men in his same class each outside of the top 100 be road blocks for a starting role or playing time? Most good teams have guys on their roster that are projected to still be there when these 5 stars play their first college game, will Jeter scare Carter off and Jeter was much higher ranked than either Huffman or Stokes. How badly do we need a 5 star big man that would be scared to commit to us because we have 2 big men outside of the top 100?

I certainly agree that seeing Huffman or Stokes on the roster shouldn't scare anyone off. But it will use up scholarships.

And, yes, I'd take Deon and Alex. But Deon and Alex were top 50 recruits (depending on whose rankings you use) while Huffman and Stokes aren't. I'm not convinced that because someone reminds us of those guys that that means the kid ranked 219 is going to be as good. Not impossible, of course, given how squishy ratings are.

Then again, ratings are better than most people here think they are - especially when talking about big gaps like 43 vs 219. The low ranked kids that end up really good are often kids who flew well under the radar or kids who matured physically (grew) more than usual. Stokes may be a guy who is flying under the radar because he comes from football. Like David Noel or Julius Peppers. If we get him, I certainly hope that's the case.

Roy doesn't have much of a track record at spotting diamonds in the rough. But that could be a bad rap. He's seldom needed to spot diamonds in the rough before, because he could always land high-ranked players. But the point is, this is foggy territory. Maybe, if we land Huffman to go with Platek and Luke Maye, we'll see if Roy or his staff are good at this.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

BTW, I was wondering where 247 was projecting Stokes to go and was surprised to see that they still don't show him with a UNC offer. I wonder why? The 10 predictions they have for him all point to Tennessee. But most of them are a year or 2 old and none since February of this year.

I'm hoping the offer - and UNC predictions - will show up soon. The kid may be a bit short but I like his energy and strength.

If we are going to strike out with the top-ranked bigs, I'd like to see us get Stokes. And from what you guys are saying, Huffman sounds good, too.

Still very much want a higher-ranked, ready-to-play big in the 2017 class, though. It's too easy to imagine Stokes getting in early foul trouble and Huffman needing a year to get ready. So the ready-to-play part is important.

 

[imajericho]

I think the Stokes stuff is all from when he was classified as a football player.

 

[Archer2]

Not that 247 is considered too highly around here (by me included) but they have Huffman's crystal ball at 100% UNC

Hope they're right, I like what I see.

 

[Archer2]

And I love that Stepheson, Thompson, Wright analogy. Huffman, Stokes, PJ/Knox is what I've been hoping for lately.

Agreed. Huffman, Stokes, PJ/Knox, Felton, and Platek would be berry, berry good to me.

 

[DSouthr]

BTW, I was wondering where 247 was projecting Stokes to go and was surprised to see that they still don't show him with a UNC offer. I wonder why? The 10 predictions they have for him all point to Tennessee. But most of them are a year or 2 old and none since February of this year.

I'm hoping the offer - and UNC predictions - will show up soon. The kid may be a bit short but I like his energy and strength.

If we are going to strike out with the top-ranked bigs, I'd like to see us get Stokes. And from what you guys are saying, Huffman sounds good, too.

Still very much want a higher-ranked, ready-to-play big in the 2017 class, though. It's too easy to imagine Stokes getting in early foul trouble and Huffman needing a year to get ready. So the ready-to-play part is important.

As jericho says, his 247 rating is for football, my guess is he may not be rated for basketball, he is late to the sport. But I absolutely LOVE his face up mid range jump shooting. I remember when we had Deon and Alex as freshmen, it always looked like Alex had the more potential but Deon blew me away with his mid range shooting as a frosh. I actually could see Stokes produce earlier but Huffman having the more upside and if either develop in to clones of Deon and Alex, fine by me to take both!

Only concern I have for Stokes is can he dunk the ball without having to gather himself and take a step, that was a problem for Deon as well.

 

[Archer2]

I've no doubt he can if he drops a little weight. Hopefully Huffman will commit very shortly and Stokes will quickly follow suit.

 

[DSouthr]

I certainly agree that seeing Huffman or Stokes on the roster shouldn't scare anyone off. But it will use up scholarships.

And, yes, I'd take Deon and Alex. But Deon and Alex were top 50 recruits (depending on whose rankings you use) while Huffman and Stokes aren't. I'm not convinced that because someone reminds us of those guys that that means the kid ranked 219 is going to be as good. Not impossible, of course, given how squishy ratings are.

Then again, ratings are better than most people here think they are - especially when talking about big gaps like 43 vs 219. The low ranked kids that end up really good are often kids who flew well under the radar or kids who matured physically (grew) more than usual. Stokes may be a guy who is flying under the radar because he comes from football. Like David Noel or Julius Peppers. If we get him, I certainly hope that's the case.

Roy doesn't have much of a track record at spotting diamonds in the rough. But that could be a bad rap. He's seldom needed to spot diamonds in the rough before, because he could always land high-ranked players. But the point is, this is foggy territory. Maybe, if we land Huffman to go with Platek and Luke Maye, we'll see if Roy or his staff are good at this.

That is a fair point WWJD but I respectfully think you are missing is WHY both those kids are ranked or in the case of one (not sure if Stokes is ranked for bball) not ranked. Huffman, played in Alaska, I think his first game for WOG will be this season, you are not going to get a ton of pop when you play the lesser competition and especially when you play it in Alaska unless you are a can't miss Carlos Boozer type. Now with Stokes, he was a football player that decided he loved basketball more and re-shaped his body, dropped a ton of weight, there is not a lot to rate him on, kinda same with both.

Now I am not saying either will have the careers that Deon or Alex had BUT from what I see they have similar movements and from those I do expect some what similar careers. Rankings are fine things but they are to me like stats, they tell part of the story but not all but they don't tell the whole story and many times it is what they do not tell you that is the most important. Alex & Deon were 4 stars when they came to us but they played decent competition and there was more to base their rankings on.

Further, let me ask YOU, why do YOU think Roy offered them both? For that matter why did he offer and accept Platek? It is for 2 reasons, first is Roy clearly does not feel there are 3 Five star big men knocking down our doors to take his offers. And second, he has seen enough of both of those guys to feel he can coach them in to becoming solid college players, same with PLatek.

I want BOTH Huffman and Stokes and I would love to see us add a 5 star big man in this class. I would feel a TON better knowing we had these 2 kids locked up so no matter what happens we have 2 big men that can play with Tony and we do not have to put combo guards at the 4 or 5 spots. Then we can afford to wait and see on the 2017 big 5 star kids that are still considering us.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

There are only two things you can't teach in bball: 1. Height/Size (did you see the size of this kid?) 2. Motor/Attitude/Toughness( Did you see the mean streak in this kid?)

Anybody who doesn't understand what a steal this kid is in the 200s doesn't deserve to even talk about bball! In a few years, some peeps sure are going to look silly. I really hope he commits soon because UNC could use a little mean to offset all that pretty we seem to play with lately. (not that I mind a little pretty from time to time!) Emotion, long arms, obvious coaching(did you see him chin the ball?), muscles, hustle, good form on his shot, willing defender and rebounder, not afraid to be big,developing O with a tendency to dunk when in doubt: What's not to like?

Join the Family Big Fella! I promise we will make you famous!

 

[Spacegrass]

I don't even think he's that big of a project. Saw a lot of Deon Thompson in him when I watched him and that would be phenomenal if he got to that level.

Deon had way better footwork in the post. I would compare him more to Alex Stepheson than Deon.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Much better hands than Alex. Much meaner than Deon

 

[HeelFan58]

I thought Alex (1 x and 1 A ;-) turned out real well after he left us and always wondered how much of what he learned while with us played in to his becoming a solid player. I may be wrong but I seen to recall from something I read that the kid credited Roy with really helping him early become a solid college player. I felt he was going to be better than Deon and hated that he left us.

I get your point on offering the kids in the 200's but would counter with 2 things. First, would ya take Deon and Alex today and be able to add one more player and be happy? I could make the case both deserved to be top 50. For me it is about how they play and how they fit more than where they are ranked before they ever play their first NCAA game.

Second, I don't think Huffman or Stokes would be guys that would stand in our way from a 5 star recruit joining us. Do you think a 5 star rated big man would see 2 big men in his same class each outside of the top 100 be road blocks for a starting role or playing time? Most good teams have guys on their roster that are projected to still be there when these 5 stars play their first college game, will Jeter scare Carter off and Jeter was much higher ranked than either Huffman or Stokes. How badly do we need a 5 star big man that would be scared to commit to us because we have 2 big men outside of the top 100?

These guys aren't going to scare off 5 stars but a bird in the hand....

 

[UNC&ME]

I wonder what's on his mind about his potential..fans have their ideas..maybe he wants to start asap and develop quickly..who knows..these days I dont assume anything

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Further, let me ask YOU, why do YOU think Roy offered them both? For that matter why did he offer and accept Platek? It is for 2 reasons, first is Roy clearly does not feel there are 3 Five star big men knocking down our doors to take his offers. And second, he has seen enough of both of those guys to feel he can coach them in to becoming solid college players, same with PLatek.

I want BOTH Huffman and Stokes and I would love to see us add a 5 star big man in this class. I would feel a TON better knowing we had these 2 kids locked up so no matter what happens we have 2 big men that can play with Tony and we do not have to put combo guards at the 4 or 5 spots. Then we can afford to wait and see on the 2017 big 5 star kids that are still considering us.

Those are the same reasons I would give for Stokes and Huffman.

As for Platek, I think there's an additional possibility. With only a few exception (2009 comes to mind) Roy teams are not generally noted for being good perimeter shooting teams. We not only tend not to be all that good at it, but we don't do it very much. Too often, we have only 1 good 3-pt shooter.

But if you look at lots of Roy's recent recruits, you might suspect that Roy is making a concerted effort to make sure the team has plenty of sharp shooters - Williams, Robinson, and still looking at Randolph. Platek fits that mold. As I suggested previously, I can see him shaping into a Scott Wood kind of player. Wood was not that high ranked and wasn't noted for quickness, but he was deadly and got better every year until he scared everybody.

With Joel and Justin (assuming his 3-pt shooting is back on track), we could be just 1 player away from being a very good outside shooting team this year. And we have several guys who could be that player.

With a shallower front line this year, and perhaps even more so next year - and until our recruiting recovers - being able to hit from outside becomes more important than ever. Both for scoring and to open up the middle.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

There are only two things you can't teach in bball: 1. Height/Size (did you see the size of this kid?) 2. Motor/Attitude/Toughness( Did you see the mean streak in this kid?)

Anybody who doesn't understand what a steal this kid is in the 200s doesn't deserve to even talk about bball! In a few years, some peeps sure are going to look silly. I really hope he commits soon because UNC could use a little mean to offset all that pretty we seem to play with lately. (not that I mind a little pretty from time to time!) Emotion, long arms, obvious coaching(did you see him chin the ball?), muscles, hustle, good form on his shot, willing defender and rebounder, not afraid to be big,developing O with a tendency to dunk when in doubt: What's not to like?

Join the Family Big Fella! I promise we will make you famous!

I watched the video and liked what I saw. I agree about his ranking. If you showed me the video and told me he was ranked in the 90s or something like that, I would believe you.

OTOH, when I rewatched some of the video, I realized that he was almost never facing kids anywhere near his own size. And a lot of the defenders were fronting him. Meaning he was rarely challenged at the rim. It will be interesting to see how he can do against college level centers.

 

[DSouthr]

I watched the video and liked what I saw. I agree about his ranking. If you showed me the video and told me he was ranked in the 90s or something like that, I would believe you.

OTOH, when I rewatched some of the video, I realized that he was almost never facing kids anywhere near his own size. And a lot of the defenders were fronting him. Meaning he was rarely challenged at the rim. It will be interesting to see how he can do against college level centers.

WWJD, you just nailed an important point, pretty sure you could find videos out there some place that would make Desmond Hubert look like a great offensive talent, pretty sure there are vids out that that make Joel James look like a dominating big man. Have to realize, most of these videos we see on kids are like Glamour Shots for ugly girls, what ya see ain't always what ya think ya gonna get.

I prefer the vids of a single game not one mixed with nothing but highlites. You do have to consider who the kid is playing against as well as who he is playing with. I don't tend to watch so much the ball going in as I do how a kid moves, does he look like he has good form on his shots, does that big get up off the floor quickly or does he constantly have to gather, does that big man need a step to dunk?

 

[Archer2]

There are only two things you can't teach in bball: 1. Height/Size (did you see the size of this kid?) 2. Motor/Attitude/Toughness( Did you see the mean streak in this kid?)

Anybody who doesn't understand what a steal this kid is in the 200s doesn't deserve to even talk about bball! In a few years, some peeps sure are going to look silly. I really hope he commits soon because UNC could use a little mean to offset all that pretty we seem to play with lately. (not that I mind a little pretty from time to time!) Emotion, long arms, obvious coaching(did you see him chin the ball?), muscles, hustle, good form on his shot, willing defender and rebounder, not afraid to be big,developing O with a tendency to dunk when in doubt: What's not to like?

Join the Family Big Fella! I promise we will make you famous!

Amen. Very attentive to his coach when he was being instructed. Love the way he chins the ball in traffic, nobody's going to steal that baby when he grips it with both hands. Looks like he has good athleticism, good hands, and a bit of a mean streak that makes him want to dunk anything in close. We've been missing that for a few years. He also knows his domain is within 10 feet of the basket and has no pretensions about proving he has "skills outside". IOW, he's a true back to the basket guy which I love and think we need.

If we sign Huffman and Stokes, I'll be satisfied even if we wind up not signing another big. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to sign PJ or Knox. But I think we can bridge the gap with those two to go along with Tony.

 

[imajericho]

Rather have Stokes than any of the other 3, tbqh. Be happy with any of them though.

 

[DSouthr]

I certainly agree that seeing Huffman or Stokes on the roster shouldn't scare anyone off. But it will use up scholarships.

And, yes, I'd take Deon and Alex. But Deon and Alex were top 50 recruits (depending on whose rankings you use) while Huffman and Stokes aren't. I'm not convinced that because someone reminds us of those guys that that means the kid ranked 219 is going to be as good. Not impossible, of course, given how squishy ratings are.

Then again, ratings are better than most people here think they are - especially when talking about big gaps like 43 vs 219. The low ranked kids that end up really good are often kids who flew well under the radar or kids who matured physically (grew) more than usual. Stokes may be a guy who is flying under the radar because he comes from football. Like David Noel or Julius Peppers. If we get him, I certainly hope that's the case.

Roy doesn't have much of a track record at spotting diamonds in the rough. But that could be a bad rap. He's seldom needed to spot diamonds in the rough before, because he could always land high-ranked players. But the point is, this is foggy territory. Maybe, if we land Huffman to go with Platek and Luke Maye, we'll see if Roy or his staff are good at this.

I do think both Huffman and Stokes will over play their current ratings and it would not shock me to see both move close to the top 50, I think easily within the top 75. OK, I am gonna use the word, desperate... That is how I feel when I think about how badly we need big men from this 2017 class. I don't see how we can wait til the season is over in the HOPE we can snag a 5 star or 2, we have to get the pressure off now, we can still wait on a 5 star but we need at a very minimum Huffman now and I would love Stokes now as well committed. With 2 big men in hand, we can wait and see what the spring committing 5 stars want to do but we need to get the pressure off now IMO.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I do think both Huffman and Stokes will over play their current ratings and it would not shock me to see both move close to the top 50, I think easily within the top 75. OK, I am gonna use the word, desperate... That is how I feel when I think about how badly we need big men from this 2017 class. I don't see how we can wait til the season is over in the HOPE we can snag a 5 star or 2, we have to get the pressure off now, we can still wait on a 5 star but we need at a very minimum Huffman now and I would love Stokes now as well committed. With 2 big men in hand, we can wait and see what the spring committing 5 stars want to do but we need to get the pressure off now IMO.

I feel pretty much the same way.

Anybody have any info on Stokes? I know it's unreasonable and that we shouldn't put much weight on the 247 predictions in any case, but I'm annoyed that they don't seem to recognize that Stokes is being recruited for basketball.

Checking ESPN, I see that they have him ranked #60 (vs #129 on 247 and not ranked on either Rivals or Scout). I also see that 42 of ESPN's top 100 are already off the board.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Am I correct in thinking that Huffman is visiting this weekend?

Should we expect a commitment?

 

[UNC&ME]

the mystery and madness of recruiting, we know these kids(or family and associates) read about this and that...so some prefer to take their time not wanting to be "pushed or pressured"- the coaches feel pressured(though they will not admit it) ...so the off season is more stressful than the real season...I use to crave more info, but now not so much there's enough to do eventually time passes and news will happen..I understand RW needs golf as way to be at peace/relax...in sales they say-ABC or Always Be Closing...you can only pressure so much...LNWR,will Stokes visit? Huffman? or will there be another big?

 

[UNC&ME]

North Carolina, the basketball program, needs a 5 star type big "short term benefits" and 3/4 star as project-long term benefits..RW, his record as HOF is established-successful cannot be erased, but the program will continue....visited thursday-long weekend so maybe tuesday, if not, just watch what they do not what they say

 

[DSouthr]

I feel pretty much the same way.

Anybody have any info on Stokes? I know it's unreasonable and that we shouldn't put much weight on the 247 predictions in any case, but I'm annoyed that they don't seem to recognize that Stokes is being recruited for basketball.

Checking ESPN, I see that they have him ranked #60 (vs #129 on 247 and not ranked on either Rivals or Scout). I also see that 42 of ESPN's top 100 are already off the board.

For Stokes, I think it is pretty much us vs Tenn and the kids brother just played for Tenn so their hand is stronger than it may appear. But a kid in his position has to realize that he is raw and really needs to be developed if he wants to play for pay and Roy has shown us he can take a kid and get the best of his ability for those kids that will do what he asks them to do.

If I am Roy, I am going to show this kid clip after clip of Deon and I am going to explain to him how he could be used as a zone killer by stepping in to the middle of those zones and showing off that sweet mid range jumper he is so solid with already. I am going to show him clips of Brice doing exactly that this past season, then remind him that both are getting paid good money right now to play basketball.

 

[Spacegrass]

Much better hands than Alex. Much meaner than Deon

I don't know about that. Folks forget how strong of a rebounder Stepheson was. His issue was no post moves. I find it hard to say this Huffman guy is better than Deon or Alex were coming in.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I agree with all that was said about Huffman. The fact that he was playing against peeps smaller and weaker than him has nothing to do with my evaluation though. I look at size/strength, fundamentals, attitude, hustle, coachability, athleticism, form on his shot, willingness to play D and rebound, etc. These things seem to stand out in this kid in a big way! I stand by the fact that he has a great shot to develop into something we will absolutely love in Tar Heel blue!

I really want this kid to be a Tar Heel!

 

[DSouthr]

Am I correct in thinking that Huffman is visiting this weekend?

Should we expect a commitment?

Huffman visited last week, I think the way I would ask the question you posed would be more like " Can we expect a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT of his commitment in the very near future".

 

[Archer2]

Let's get the big man ball rolling Mr. Huffman.

 

[Bur-Heel]

Am I correct in thinking that Huffman is visiting this weekend?

Should we expect a commitment?

Kid may be a silent verbal already!!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

There was something about Huffman that made me think of Rasheed Wallace. A little bit of that attitude maybe.

 

[Archer2]

I was committed hoping Huffman would have committed by now.

 

[dadika13]

Much better hands than Alex. Much meaner than Deon

But much less athletic than Alex and much less polished offensively than Deon. We have to show both sides here, he's a 3 star for a reason.

 

[RoseHeel]

I was committed hoping Huffman would have committed by now.

Also wondering about this. The guy didn't have any major offers and has visited UNC twice. Hell, he didn't even have a favorite before we offered.

I'm all for taking his time, but if he actually wants to go to UNC, it really shouldn't be this much of a decision.

 

[Ned Cota]

But much less athletic than Alex and much less polished offensively than Deon. We have to show both sides here, he's a 3 star for a reason.

You really think he's less athletic than Stepheson? His physique is less impressive. He's less chiseled for sure, but Alex was a little stiff at times. Just look at the way Huffman gallops after a made dunk. I think he's bursting with athletic energy. Alex looked better coming off the bus, but I'm not convinced he was more athletic.

Less polished offensively than Deon? Absolutely. No argument there.

And as to why he's a 3 star...I think it has mostly to do with his level of competition he played all the way up in Alaska, and the fact that he's pretty raw. He may come out this year and struggle against bigger, better players, not improve his skills very much in the process, and justify that 3 star ranking. But if he continues flying around dunking everything at WoG then he's gonna get on some top 150 charts and may even be a 4 star with a great year. Don't mistake that for me saying he should already be ranked higher. I just think he's in a great position to move way up the charts.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Alex had hands of stone.

 

[alabamaheel]

You really think he's less athletic than Stepheson? His physique is less impressive. He's less chiseled for sure, but Alex was a little stiff at times. Just look at the way Huffman gallops after a made dunk. I think he's bursting with athletic energy. Alex looked better coming off the bus, but I'm not convinced he was more athletic.

Less polished offensively than Deon? Absolutely. No argument there.

And as to why he's a 3 star...I think it has mostly to do with his level of competition he played all the way up in Alaska, and the fact that he's pretty raw. He may come out this year and struggle against bigger, better players, not improve his skills very much in the process, and justify that 3 star ranking. But if he continues flying around dunking everything at WoG then he's gonna get on some top 150 charts and may even be a 4 star with a great year. Don't mistake that for me saying he should already be ranked higher. I just think he's in a great position to move way up the charts.

I agree Ned. There is a reason he flies around and dunks everything. Because he can. I like it. I don't believe it for a second that big men think its prettier or better to lay the ball in or tip it. If they can they will cram it down your stinkin throat. We need a little of that tude!!!

 

[DSouthr]

I was committed hoping Huffman would have committed by now.

arch, don't worry about this one, it is going to work out one of 2 ways, either a commit right after late night with Roy OR we keep something that is silent silent so as to be able to point to Tony as our ONLY big man after next season. Some times the fool speaks when the wise man is busy listening...some times I talk to much! LOL

 

[DSouthr]

Alex had hands of stone.

Yeah he did, at times I thought if you combine the hands of Alex and Joel James, you may have enough stone to re-build Stone Hinge...

 

[DSouthr]

There was something about Huffman that made me think of Rasheed Wallace. A little bit of that attitude maybe.

Rasheed? Man, you bogartin again? You got the puff puff part, did ya forget the pass pass?

Joshin ya but really, I don't see any Rasheed, maybe a lil of the same joy over a fun flush we saw with brice but Rasheed was next level!

 

[DSouthr]

Rather have Stokes than any of the other 3, tbqh. Be happy with any of them though.

I fell in love when I saw that mid range turn around Stokes shows off, I saw Deon in that, think of those same sweet turn around jumpers Deon showed us as a frosh. No way this kid does not sky rocket in the rankings if he hits that this season. When I saw the clips of Stokes I saw at a minimum Deon but with more of an aggressive mean streak and I absolutely love that in a big kid. My only concern is I wish he could elevate stronger and quicker to flush anything inside, his hopes seem Deon like as well and I would love for that to be a little more.

As for Huffman and Alex, the knock on Alex, besides his hands, he was a bit stiff and really needed more flexability, something he improved before he finished college. Huffman, if anything seems to be a bit more flexible and seems to have at least decent hands, flushes everything, sorta like Hicks does now days.