Center of Attention

[ShuBall]

Should be an interesting matchup on the low post as 2 centers battle it out between A Ousmane (North Texas transer) and J Bediako. I lot of folks were upset when we lost out on Ousmane which if I recall Xavier handed over an impressive NIL offer. So far Bediako has deliverd more than I could have ever expected. Lets keep it rolling JB and keep playing with that chip on your shoulder.

 

[dehere23]

Should be an interesting matchup on the low post tomorrow as 2 centers battle it out between A Ousmane (North Texas transer) and J Bediako. I lot of folks were upset when we lost out on Ousmane which if I recall Xavier handed over an impressive NIL offer. So far Bediako has deliverd more than I could have ever expected. Lets keep it rolling JB and keep playing with that chip on your shoulder.

Yet another example of why NIL isn’t the be all end all.

 

[Halldan1]

There was a very good chance Ousmane would have come to the Hall but his academic status was questionable over the summer and the Pirates could not roll the dice on his eligibility.

I would think if he came then either Bediako or EHE would not be on the roster this season.

 

[Piratz]

Bediako has been much better than him. Not that Ousmane has been bad, just not as good as JB.

 

[Hall84]

Bediako has also been better than our other almost get, Supreme Cook.

 

[Seton75]

I love having a center who plays well and plays like he is a center and likes it

 

[ShuBall]

I love having a center who plays well and plays like he is a center and likes it

And being able to consistently hit clutch Free Throws is the icing on the cake!

 

[SPK145]

Could be a story of who gets in foul trouble first. I’d go with Ousmane there.

 

[shu67]

Don't sell EHE short either. Jaden has been great that is evident.

EHE missed 4 weeks or so of practice and getting in shape with a concussion. So he a bit behind everyone but I expect he will produce more as the season progresses and be a very good backup center to Bediako.

 

[SHallguy2]

Don't sell EHE short either. Jaden has been great that is evident.

EHE missed 4 weeks or so of practice and getting in shape with a concussion. So he a bit behind everyone but I expect he will produce more as the season progresses and be a very good backup center to Bediako.

Totally agree on EHE, I think we see a diiferent player by mid January.

 

[dehere23]

There was a very good chance Ousmane would have come to the Hall but his academic status was questionable over the summer and the Pirates could not roll the dice on his eligibility.

I would think if he came then either Bediako or EHE would not be on the roster this season.

NIL was a reason given at time.

 

[newshu1]

There was a very good chance Ousmane would have come to the Hall but his academic status was questionable over the summer and the Pirates could not roll the dice on his eligibility.

I would think if he came then either Bediako or EHE would not be on the roster this season.

This is false, I know his handler. But anyway turned out best for us we dodged 150k commitment and Bediako has been better for fraction of the cost.

 

[dehere23]

Right my recall is this was among the long line of recruiting misses where the message relayed from the staff and insiders was that we were outbid. I never know if that’s true or not, but that was the reason given if I remember correctly.

Recruiting from the portal seems just as volatile as recruiting out of prep. Why I’ve been saying the NIL doom is overblown.

 

[newshu1]

Rule #1 whenever you get outbid you let the public know "academics" were the reason. Feel free to believe whatever narrative you want

 

[TheHall87]

Another name I recall being mentioned over the summer is Josh Cohen from St. Francis (PA). I don't remember if there was much interest either way.

He ended up at UMass where he pitched a perfect game early this morning (ET) at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii against Portland. 9-9 from the floor including a three and 9-9 on free throws for 28 points in 29 minutes as UMass rolled 100-78. Cohen added five boards and three assists.

For the year he's averaging 18.3 and 7.1 on 60.7% shooting in 28.3 mpg.

 

[Burnsly]

Against GaTech in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic he was 2-6 from the FT line & UMass lost by 3. Tech shot 5-17 from 3 & turned the ball over 21 times but won mainly because UMass was only 9-18 on FT's.

 

[Piratz]

And ofc Ousmane has his best game at Xavier against Seton Hall. 🤣

 

[TheHall87]

Against GaTech in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic he was 2-6 from the FT line & UMass lost by 3. Tech shot 5-17 from 3 & turned the ball over 21 times but won mainly because UMass was only 9-18 on FT's.

Yeah, FTs are not his strength, I think he's at 64% even after Friday's game.

Looks like a nice player but other than Tech and WVU, UMass hasn't played a challenging schedule.

 

[Halldan1]

This is false, I know his handler. But anyway turned out best for us we dodged 150k commitment and Bediako has been better for fraction of the cost.

Never trust what a handler says. There's no way they are going to confirm academic issues.

This info came directly from the Hall.

 

[shupat08]

Never trust what a handler says. There's no way they are going to confirm academic issues.

This info came directly from the Hall.

But he qualified at Xavier. So no academic issues.

 

[Halldan1]

He had to take summer classes that were not available at the Hall to get the needed credits to be eligible.

Sha would have loved to get him but the circumstances were not right.

 

[shupat08]

Seems the academic issues were on our side? A National University doesn't have classes in the summer that an athlete needs to qualify but a peer school (who just became a national university in 2022 according to USNWR) does have the classes in the summer?

And I just checked Xaviers website, he's a Liberal Arts major. Not a molecular biologist or something. So SHU didn't offer courses that a Liberal Arts major needed in the summer? El oh El.

 

[Seton75]

But he qualified at Xavier. So no academic issues.

Come on. If we desperately need a center we cant take that risk.

 

[shupat08]

Come on. If we desperately need a center we cant take that risk.

Seems our academics were the problem. We didn't have courses available for a liberal arts major to take over the summer session. But X, a regional university until 2022, had the coursework available.

 

[SPK145]

I don’t believe anything a handler, a school, or a coach says. All are self-serving.