Oak Hill on ESPN2

[Stampede]

good report...Hoop Fan. You know the game of basketball and one should trust your evaluation.

Bamba, by the way, has been getting really good reviews by other college coaches.

Don't worry ..be happy ...Bamba is a Mustang.

[Hoop Fan]

Yea, I'm pretty sure I'm astute enough to identify and watch our recruit thanks. I actually Tivoed the game too. Bamba Fall STARTED the game. You could see his name in black and white as a starter. The play by play guy mentioned Fall was heading to SMU at least 3 times, although Bill Rafftery did not comment or acknowledge at all. He was #21 and played the first 5 or 6 minutes of the first quarter. He came back briefly in the second quarter and started the second half also. Its correct that he only played briefly in the second half. It was not obvious why. My observations come mainly from his playing time to start the game, which I have easily rewatched twice through the power of TIVO. I don't know what else to tell you other than if you guys admittedly werent paying close attention, why would you queston somebody else's observations? I dont get it.

By the way David Palmer the soft commit to Illinois didnt start the game and didnt play that much either. That team is loaded.

[mavsrage311]

like most of you said already, this was like watching 2 college, i'll even say, Acc teams playing eachother. There is no doubt that Oak Hill could get some wins in the WAC this year. That Bamba didnt play much doesn't bother me at all, look at the kid in front of him (I can't remember his name but he was 6'9" and an NBA prospect). I am just happy we are getting a 7 footer off the best team high school team in the country

[The XtC]

Yes, Bamba was #21, and yes, everyone on the court was a D1 prospect. Besides the 5 starters, Oak Hill has 3 seniors and 1 junior on their bench who have already recieved multiple scholarship offers, most from major conferences. One of the bench players has already signed with Clemson. St. Patricks best players were juniors and sophomores, but I think most peeople could see that there were several top prospects there as well.

Bamba started, but played less than half the game. He didnt play at all in the 4th quarter, which was mostly garbage time, with Oak Hill ahead by more than 30. If you didnt watch the first or 3rd quarter, you probably didnt see much of him.

The "other tall, lanky kid" was Kevin Durant. He and Bamba have about the same build, and if you cant see the jersey numbers clearly its easy to mix them up. Durant isnt a post player, though, he's expected to be a small forward in the NBA. Most observers believe he and St, Patricks Derrick Caracter will be lottery picks in 2006.

I taped the game and watched it again, so I could focus on Bamba. Here's my impression:

The good: He easily outjumped Caracter on the opening tip, beat him by a good six inches. Oak Hill got an easy dunk off the tip. He grabbed several nice rebounds. I counted 4 blocked shots, and several more he altered just with his presence and wingspan. Oak Hill opened the game in a 3-2 zone, with Bamba playing on the left baseline. He covered the space from the paint to the corner VERY quickly, he has such a long stride it was really just 2 steps for him. As already noted, Caracter was completely stymied by the Oak Hill defense in the first half. He finished with 13 points, but almost all of it came in the 2nd half, after Oak Hill was up 25 points or more.

In the first quarter, every time Bamba did anything one of the announcers mentioned that he had signed with SMU. That kind of mention during a national broadcast of 2 top high school programs is exposure that money cant buy.

The Bad: He only took 2 shots, and missed them both. One of them he tried to put up flatfooted, and Caracter slapped it back into his face. He should have had a wide open dunk on a fastbreak, but he couldnt hang on to the pass. He's as skinny as a broomstick, he has GOT to gain weight and get stronger.

The downside of playing on a team like this is that he has a very minor role in their offense. He's asked to be a defensive stopper and rebounder, while 6 other guys take most of the shots. His own offensive game isnt going to develop until after he gets here.

So, there's the botttom line. He's 7'1", and genuinely athletic. He can run and jump. Basketball skills are still a bit raw, and he absolutely has to gain weight. I've seen him play before, and he has nice form on his jumpshot (didnt show it Friday night) but his low post offense is going to need work when he gets here. Redshirting him might be a good idea, but I think he'll play as a true freshman. Defensively, he's good enough to help right away.

I have the game on tape if anyone wants to see it.

[Pony_Fan]

This sounds like Shawn Bradley

[Hoop Fan]

This sounds like Shawn Bradley

that would be great if he had the impact Bradley had in college, he was the #2 overall pick in the draft once upon a time. Fall is not as tall as Bradley, but looks more agile for sure.

[SoCal_Pony]

XtC, do you think he will redshirt or play next year?

[Ponymon]

Sounds to me like he would be smart to redshirt to give hime time to gain weight, maturity, and develop a shot. This would not only benefit the school, but would help him later on in his attempt to move on to the NBA.

[mavsrage311]

just based on the last few years and especially our NEED for next year, i'd say he has to play. Castro and Simpson are graduating next year, those are our best 2 post players. I didn't see anything out of Rack last year to warrant him 30 minutes a game, and I don't know if Tubbs has any confidence in Chris Reay. Paulus is built more like a small forward than a power forward or post, and Devon is undersized. So I think if Bamba shows much of anything, he could even start from day 1.

[LA_Mustang]

Thanks for the report, X.

Even though I've never seen him play, I agree with mavsrage, there's a good chance he will start next season. We are going to be very thin in the middle next year.

[PK]

He looks like one of those guys who has to run around in a shower to get wet, but then, I should be so lucky...looking like a beached whale has not done much to bolster my self image.

[The XtC]

[quote="SoCal_Pony"]XtC, do you think he will redshirt or play next year?[/quote]

Like I said, I think he'll play. I think Donatas will start if he's healthy, and his rehab seems to be going well. Bamba's weakness is on offense, but out of the group of Reay, Ritter, and Ofeogbu, none of them bring anything more at the offensive end than he does, and Bamba will be a better defender. At least thats my evaluation now. Ask me again in October, after he's had some time to practice and play pickup games with our team.

[ALEX LIFESON]

I hope he finds the weight room, and LOTS of protein shakes!

[Hoop Fan]

speaking of Ofeugbu, any word on where his brother will end up after leaving Tech mid-season?

[Buddha]

Fall will play, I assume. With Castro and Simpson graduating, our inside game will be Rack and Ofuegbu and Fall. Ritter and Reay will be there to bang folks around, but I don't know if the coaches will suddenly look to them for offense. I agree that Fall would benefit greatly from a redshirt year (Bamba, meet Chuck Faucette -- your new boss), but I don't know that we can afford it.