Basketball

[SisyphusMiner]

On the board that must not be named there are lots of rumors of basketball possible signings and transfers.  Obviously nothing confirmed yet.  Have we lost interest though?  No news here, no rumors here, no comments here.  I hate that other damn board, and hate having to go there for news.  Come on guys!

Strong rumors of a couple transfers from Fresno.  Isaac Likekele who someone tweeted was transferring here.  Looks like a great pickup.  Possible Efe Odigie who is a very large man.

Nigel Hawkins, Cypress Falls.  Only a two star, but watched video and one of the few that actually impresses me on high school video.  Usually I worry about high schoolers finding the college game too fast.  But he looks like he finds the high school game very slow.  He doesn't rush but always mentally ahead of the other players.  Amazingly soft touch on his shots.  And willing to play some D.

[Dawgma]

There hasn't been a whole lot on twitter Sis.  I did see that a sophomore from San Diego asked for his release yesterday but until I see some other tweets that might indicate an interest in UTEP, there's nothing out there.

[Chanson]

You are correct about other boards getting recruit info 1st. That is because those members have nothing better to do and follow the Twitter world. You also have to deal with Trolls, bickering, & self image rants. I will take getting news a little late here than deal with the other sites B.S.. plus, this site more trustworthy on relaying facts & our opinion on facts. I'll get a few gems here & there.
When I have time, I'll sift through Twitter & the other sites & post the relevant stuff.
That being said, it looks like a couple of kids that were Fresno bound/transfers have UTEP as the top option. No o e of relevance or that jumps off the page. We're talking about the same talent level as the kid's that just transferred out of  our program. All under the radar talent. If a big name comes up, you can pretty much bet I'll be on top of it.

[Chanson]

So I did a little extra digging on Odigie & Likekele.

Odigie is 6'9" big guy that looks like a project. Because of his size, he doesn't play above the rim and seems uncoordinated with footwork. He does have a soft touch & likes to use the hook shot & fade away.
Likekele is listed as a 6'4" 4star wing player. He's built on the strong side as opposed to long. Which means he doesn't play above the rim either. He performs well with contact, has an OK release on his shot, some video shows his defense looking OK as well. He likes to drive to the hoop, but relies on strength & not speed. He will get destroyed with D1 level big men in the paint if he doesn't get quicker. The one thing that stood out to me was he has large hands which gives him better ball control.
Conclusion: Odigie is visiting this weekend and looks more than likely to sign. He doesn't have Titus Smith power which is a good thing, because he won't get in foul trouble. Likekele also needs work transitioning to the D1 level, however, he plays very smart and will have a shorter transition period than most.
Personally, these players look to be like Floyd recruits for a Pro style offense, than the run & gun type of player Terry claims he likes to play.
We still have a lot more slots to fill & I hope we pick up some quick SF's. As y'all are, I'm curious to see how this year plays out.

[SisyphusMiner]

Thanks Chanson!

Having a job does make it harder to keep up with the Miners. 

I've long said the main thing wrong with this country is too many people with way too much free time on their hands.

[Minermojo]

"He will get destroyed with D1 level big men in the paint if he doesn't get quicker. The one thing that stood out to me was he has large hands which gives him better ball control." Chanson quote.

This reminded me right away of Matt who was slow and had terrible hands in his first three years. Shorter guys would just wait until he grabbed the rebound and then hit his hands to take it away and they usually succeeded.

[Dawgma]

 Efie Odigie on visit to Utep this weekend according to Texashoops/GAZO.  Kappy mentioned it a bit this afternoon on Sportstalk.

[Dawgma]

Jon Rothstein CB Sports insider says PER source that Efie Odigie has committed to UTEP.  He tweeted that Saturday night at 8:52 mst.  He's a big kid!

[Chanson]

What I forgot to mention about Odigie is he can finish with either hand. The kid needs to get to 265lbs. He looks above 300.

[SisyphusMiner]

Sometimes it seems like its harder for underweight kids to add weight than overweight kids to lose it.  Hope thats the case here.

[Dawgma]

 Utep has offered 3 star 6 1 guard Neftali Alvarez of San Juan, Puerto Rico and plays at Miami Christian Academy.  Main interest on his website was Wichita State.  Others interested
 are Akron, dayton, FIU, UMass, Virginia...

[Dawgma]

@alvarez2neftali offer from UTEP! @UTEP_MBB

https://twitter.com/alvarez2neftali/status/985696740425764865

[Minermojo]

It's gratifying to know that he is going full bore on recruiting. More happy with the Efie signing. We needed a BIG man and we got him. Now, with only one guard with talent I hope we get Neftali too.

I was watching his career video skills and I'm afraid. Afraid that he might be a one and done. He has some mad skills. He can rebound with force, smart in defense and he can shoot with both hands accurately. We got ourselves a GEM. I hope we keep him for four years. I can just imagine how good he will be in his senior year. He reminds me of LeBron with maybe LeBron a little bit better in his dribbling skills. Otherwise, he's our next Jim "Bad News" Barnes. 

[Chanson]

It's gratifying to know that he is going full bore on recruiting. More happy with the Efie signing. We needed a BIG man and we got him. Now, with only one guard with talent I hope we get Neftali too.

I was watching his career video skills and I'm afraid. Afraid that he might be a one and done. He has some mad skills. He can rebound with force, smart in defense and he can shoot with both hands accurately. We got ourselves a GEM. I hope we keep him for four years. I can just imagine how good he will be in his senior year. He reminds me of LeBron with maybe LeBron a little bit better in his dribbling skills. Otherwise, he's our next Jim "Bad News" Barnes. 

Comparing to Lebron is a lot much. Lebron plays above the rim, moves like a guard, and shoots like a wing. This kid has none of that. This kid is a touch more advanced than Tirus was. This kid separates better, can finish with either hand, and is a smarter player. Tirus was all power and hops which got him in trouble with fouls. We really need an experienced big until this kid gets used to D1 play. Also, that Puerto Rican kid looks to be signing with us pretty soon. This comes from a somewhat credible source.

[Ronstr]

the guard?