Giant Basketball Recruit

by **PerunaPunch** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:09 pm

Bamba Fall, the 7-foot kid who visited SMU this weekend, committed to SMU over Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Clemson.

by **Corso** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:50 pm

Dare I say this is a .... HUGE commitment?

Way to go, Coach Tubbs! Actually, I hear Coach Lineburg (with his Virginia connections) had a major role in this, too. Kudos to the entire staff, and to the players who hosted him and showed him what a great place SMU is.

by **50's PONY** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:12 pm

Corso, you are right on the money -- with each point!

by **Cheesesteak** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:31 pm

Great news. SMU basketball just made sizeable progress.

Go Mustangs!

by **Stallion** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 2:21 pm

by **Stallion** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 2:47 pm

Stallion wrote:just for accuracy sake-in honor of the "National Top 15 Center" Dontas Raskascus-where exactly has anybody seen that he was offered by any other school? He is listed in both Rivals and the Insiders database but no real info on schools. He didn't break the starting lineup as a junior. He didn't seem to light it up during the summer with Team Texas either-although admitedly the only info I could find on the net was the fact that he averaged .5 points and 1.5 rebounds in two games in the Nike Peach Jam. He is listed as the No. 24 player in Texas by TexasHoops.com-pretty darn average and probably based on his size. Is this another kid we have to wait 3 years on to get in the lineup while our opponents are beating our brains in with JUCO players. He must not be a huge unknown because everybody seems to know about him-but he just ain't rated high. Sounds like the next great T.J. Robinson.

by **Eddie P** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 3:11 pm

If he was genuinely offered by all of the schools listed, do you think this might be a good find?

by **Stallion** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 3:22 pm

I'm not even saying he wasn't-I'm just hoping for some accurate info that supports the usual media blurb-which is often wriiten or released by the SID or based on hearsay about "visits" and "interest". The persons releasing or printing this info often don't know the first thing about it-(I used to work in the SIDs office). So come on someone that knows-what's the truth. What has he accomplished on a BB Court in HS or with Team Texas. Should we start making March Tournament plans after stealing an aircraft carrier from the ACC and SEC or should we be more realistic with the kid and hope he develops after 3 years. With some of these SMU fans hope has gotten a lot of coaches fired around here.

by **EastStang** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 3:47 pm

My guess is that he's a project. However 7'1" is a nice place to start. Will he be a bust or the next Dkembe Mtumbo? Who knows? Like I said, I'll look to see if Oak Hill is playing up here in DC area this winter. If so, I'll watch him up close and personal. Also, Oak Hill is kind of a basketball mill (like Fork Union is in football).

by **Roach** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:17 pm

Even if he turns out to be the next Manute Bol, he'll have value. Bol blocked 9+ shots a game in college, and altered a hell of a lot more. And from what I hear, this guy already can shoot a little bit and runs pretty well.

by **Stampede** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:19 pm

Bamba came to the U.S. approx. ten months ago. Oak Hill went undefeated last year and Bamba spent his time getting adjusted to his new surroundings.

I watched Team Texas several times this summer and, as a whole, they did not have good team chemistry. They never really shared the ball much. In spite of this, I have it from several knowledgable sources that Bamba is the second best player on the Team Texas roster. (probably behind Miles) He is left handed, runs the floor and has a better than average "J" for a man his size.

Bamba played sparingly in the Peach Jam due to a sore back. Did not think he would play at all.

He is a personable yourng man and will provide GREAT seasons for us at SMU. It will be a pleasure to watch him mature during the next four years.

by **Hoop Fan** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:23 pm

its a valid question Stallion asks. A release from reputable Hoopscoop.com refers to Fall as a "top 30 junior nationally". I'm wondering if that is by position or overall. The fact that Oak Hill took him says something I think. In any case, if you step back, look what Jimmy Tubbs is doing here. He already got Ike Ofegebu, a relatively big guy with athleticism. Now add Bamba Fall. Even if Fall is a project like The Rack, it really took Dement 7 years to even land a "project" big man. WE have used forwards at the center position for years now. And no one ever thought Rack had much athleticism coming in. Somebody said that Fall can get off the floor. That makes a huge difference to start with.

by **jtstang** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:46 pm

Stallion wrote:The persons releasing or printing this info often don't know the first thing about it-(I used to work in the SIDs office).

Man, don't be so [deleted] yourself...you seem to have gotten a reasonable grasp on things since you left the SID office.

by **LA_Mustang** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 9:39 am

HF, your right. This is going to be a different brand of SMU basketball. Coach Tubbs loves athletic, defensive-minded players and those are the type of guys he will go after. His system will use defensive pressure to score easy buckets.....something that rarely happened under Dement. BTW, it's exactly the type of system that Hop flourished in at Lincoln.

by **Stallion** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 9:48 am

Team Texas had about 4 of the Top 50 players in America at least at the Nike Peach Jam roster -I remember Eaton, Terrell Harris, and Miles off the top of my head from the story plus junior Darrell Arthur. If he's the second best recruit then he's a big-timer-just haven't really seen any real tangible evidence of it. Does he excell at one particular phase of the game or is he just being recruited for height and athleticim.

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