Vick commits
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http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/may/17/lagerald-vick-commits-kansas/
LaGerald Vick, a 6-5, 175-pound senior shooting guard from Douglass High in Memphis, has committed to play basketball at Kansas University, Vick’s AAU coach confirmed to the Journal-World on Sunday night.
Vick, who recently reopened his recruiting after decommitting from SMU, chose KU over Kentucky, Kansas State, Auburn and others.
Team Thad AAU coach Norton Hurd told the Journal-World Vick had a great visit to KU from Wednesday through Friday. He visited Kansas State the previous weekend. He is still officially a member of the recruiting Class of 2016 where he is ranked No. 137 by Rivals.com. He will soon decide whether to reclassify to 2015 and play for KU this season. Hurd said there’s a good chance he’ll be in the Class of 2015.
“He loved the facilities and people at Kansas,” Hurd told the J-W. “He is confident Kansas is the place for him. He’s really happy with his decision.”
Hurd compared Vick’s potential to that of former KU player Ben McLemore. Indeed, Vick is known as a natural scorer.
Vick originally committed to SMU last October over offers from Georgia Tech, Alabama, Memphis, Mississippi, Providence, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Auburn, California, Baylor, Indiana, Florida State and others.
He averaged 26.0 points and 11.0 rebound a game for Douglass this past season. He averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.0 steals in 2013-14.
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Great news! I don’t get this whole reclassify thing, but obviously it’s a trend now and if it helps us out, and young Mr. Vick, then great!
6-5, 175 sounds a bit skinny though. We’ll have to set him up with Ms. Hudy for a few sessions!
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@dylans Really happy with this signing. From watching the scant vids of him, I think he’s a year off from being strong enough and explosive enough to contribute a large number of meaningful minutes, but he’s creative and confident taking it to the hole and has good handles, while also having a nice looking shot to keep defenders honest. I’m sure he’ll get his sh-- packed a bit and have to adjust to D-I, but once he figures it out and fills out, he could be a real weapon.
He reclassified to 2016 after committing to SMU, saying he’d do a year of prep school. I wonder if Larry had told him to hit the weight room hard. At the risk of incurring the wrath of @HighEliteMajor … Underrated! (if he can put on 20+ pounds of muscle)
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Looks to be thin as a rail. If KU should catch the intent to commit by another more college ready perimeter body, I would not be surprised to see Vick spend that optional year in prep school, bulking up and honing his skills before coming to Lawrence. I wonder what Larry Brown’s story is regarding this de-commit.
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I really like his addition, I would have been happy with Eubanks as well but we might have a player with a much higher ceiling down the road. The intention has to be that he re-classify’s to this class and I’m sure Self wouldn’t have made him a priority that he said we made him without that belief that he’s coming to play this year.
I think we won big with this signing. We got some needed depth especially for Korea, he’s not going to scare off any of our guys on the team because he’s not a 1 year loan. He has a lot of upside and physical development left that can be built on. He should get some valuable minutes this summer that can maybe get him ahead of the curve for playing time this year. Projecting him down the road, us fans could be saying this was a steal 2-3 years down the road and praising the staff. Snacks btw was the point man on this guy so that has to feel good for him.
Looks like Self is really after Williams as well and the selling point for him or any big we are after that might have to sit, is they can play this summer and then develop with the year off. What a spring it has been so far!!
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For anyone that has not seen his game, check this out:
http://www.courtsidefilms.com/news_article/show/508059?referrer_id=1156386
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@RockChalkinTexas I absolutely love him. Love the ball handling skills, and the scorer mentality. He is a great addition.
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@KUSTEVE Agreed. Had wondered about his visit. Just maybe he really really liked the new dorm :-).
JayhawkSlant @JayhawkSlant · 11h11 hours ago Olathe, KS
@CoachJHoward put in a lot of work recruiting @Vicklovekicks (LaGerald Vick). Was a big factor in the end. #kubball
So now we know Snacks is still out there doing his job.
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@RockChalkinTexas I love the fact he cancelled his scheduled visit to Kentucky to sign with us. He plays with a different speed than Wayne or Brannen, so I think the contrast will be good.
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@KUSTEVE Me too. The fact that UK is striking out this off season on a number of their targets is really wonderful.
What I really don’t understand is why this guy is ranked so low but KU lands him and other huge programs are after him? Is it another Frank Mason situation where everyone knew the ranking was too low? Or Trey Burke or Shabazz Napier? We can only hope.
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@KUSTEVE That sounds great! Couple questions for you all. First, is it a done deal that he will reclassify for '15?
If he does, will he crowd our back court players? What I mean is, we are pretty deep already, will he cause one of our other guys to transfer or something?
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@joeloveshawks Who knows about those rankings… the clips I saw showed a very talented ball handler and passer, with an absolute zeal for driving to the rim. Not sure if the jumper is quite ready, but the dude plays quick. There are guys that are fast, and some are quick, and a few of them are fast- quick, and Vick is fast-quick. The best part is watching the guy make great decision after great decision when leading the break. Wayne, and to a lesser degree, Frank, both made poor decisions at times when attacking the rim. i think this guy will help.
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It was Eric Bossi who said he’d be moved up to 50-75 range regardless of class. They won’t put him in the final rankings because of it being so late. But as far as coaches that have seen him this spring, they have said he is much improved and they didn’t realize how good he was. If he didn’t have the reclassification lingering over him it seems like this spring and summer would have brought a lot of attention to him. KU was the first to get on him after de-committing and we have to feel pretty good that we landed a guy with a ton of upside for the future.
So it definitely sounds like he was an under the radar player until re-opening and his play this spring that has really turned people’s heads. And in the end KU stands to benefit from his high ceiling as a prospect.
I don’t think it has any impact on the players we have. He’s a year away in the weight room but skill wise might get minutes here and there depending on opponent and injuries. Korea should be a great starting point for him assuming he does stay in the 15 class. I don’t think anyone on our team currently looks at him as a threat immediately.
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For what it’s worth 247Sports has him ranked #49.
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@Lulufulu I don’t think he comes in and crowds the back court. I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see him redshirt. If he was already planning another year of prep school like they say, then he probably is open to the idea if it means more PT down the road.
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I like him a lot. I did notice that he is a bit like Rush in his tendency to go to his right hand when going to the basket. Graham and Mason have spoiled us with their ability to go either way. He does have a better handle than both Svi and Greene though. Svi won’t lose his job if he has gained enough quickness and strength to fight through a screen. With the short clock this year anyone who goes under a screen will regret it.
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I am wondering out loud if Wayne moves to the 3. Start Devonte and Frank, with Vick backing them up, and have Svi back up Wayne. Greene could still back up either the 2 or the 3. I think our team would much better with Wayne at the 3. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part, as I would sure like to see the ball in his hands less next year.
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Vick has unlimited potential.
He is thin, but we shouldn’t just assume he has to muscle up with Hudy before being an impact player in D1. He’s a guard that averaged 11 rpg. That is the number that sticks out to me. He must be a guy with a motor and a nose for the ball to go for 11 rpg. Imagine if he can even average half that many in D1.
Others have mentioned it, and I will, too… I like that he represents a totally different look from the 2 instead of BG or Wayne. He could become a deadly weapon as soon as this March, if he takes to D1 quickly and Self’s system. And he is a guy that can create his own shot, something Wayne and BG have a problem doing.
Thumbs up all the way with Vick! He’s a nice addition and definitely not a OAD so he’ll add to our extended depth.
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@KUSTEVE I tend to like that idea as well. The biggest issue is who comes in to play PG when both Mason and Graham need rest or are both in foul trouble?
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@drgnslayr Thin guards run faster…lol. This kid has to get minutes with those skills.
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I’m not sure how much I like shuffling several players around in different positions. It sounds good on paper, but I think only certain players can be capable for mastering more than one position in a Self offense. There is so much complexity to Self’s system, I think when guys move around in different positions they are doing too much thinking instead of just playing.
Bill has always said he could play Wayne at anything from 1 to 4… but it took him all year to get to where he could just produce at the 2. We take a huge gamble of wasting his year if we shuffle him around and he can’t make the adjustment. Then he gets down on himself and we spend all year playing psychiatrist trying to get him on track. I think I’d tell Wayne right now he is a 2 and a 2 only. And that he needs to build on what he started doing late in the year last year. We need that Wayne showing up to more games if we want any hopes of a Final Four year.
Perry, on the other hand, is a guy that is already playing a big chunk of the role of the 3 and should get some of those minutes to help sell his game for next year’s draft. The role of the 3 is to play aggressive and drive the ball, creating your own shot. Perry has some capabilities there, it is all about keeping him playing aggressive, and giving him minutes at the 3 might keep him sparked in a game. Hard to tell until it happens.
Svi is a natural 2. Not sure I see him as a real threat at the 3 until he strengthens up considerably. Since he is so young, it is possible he has another growth spurt and adds another inch or two and maybe even some natural expanding girth. Wouldn’t that be something!
We’ve had some real luxury at the 3 for most of Self’s tenure… it may be our weak spot this year… or not!
Anyways… Bill has his “utility guard” signed now with Vick! Let’s see what he is molded into. I’m very glad we signed him and see the potential he brings to our squad. I’m thinking of his motor on the court along with Cheick… That is a lot of motor to have on the court with one team! Vick could turn into quite a defensive asset in the not so distant future!
Rock Chalk!
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@joeloveshawks I thought Vick could play point. I know, I know…I get new signee tingles…lol.
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@KUSTEVE I honestly have no idea. I literally no nothing about this kid or what he can do for KU this coming year. I do know that Mason and Graham are the best PG duo we have had in a very long time and I am incredibly excited about that!
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My cup runneth over.
I’ve been immersed in bBall this week. KU signed another, the rockets win win win, and watched my daughter play in four AAU games.
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One thing to remember is that the NBA requires players to be one year removed from their graduating classes, in addition to being 19, in order to be eligible for the draft. The new trend seems to be to reclassify, even if they have no intention of playing college basketball, so they meet the “one year removed” rule and are elegible to be drafted. The talk is that this is exactly what Thon Maker is doing, reclassifying, going back to prep school for an extra year and then jumping to the NBA skipping college altogether.
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I love how they have UK leading in his CB these guys know HS kids better than anyone!!!
http://247sports.com/Bolt/WATCH-LaGerald-Vick-at-Under-Armour-37144400
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And then you’d think they would go back and cover their tracks better by fixing this page one second after a recruit declares.
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This is what Vick’s coach had to say. “There’s a good chance (of reclassifying). I’m meeting the coaching staff and going to sit down soon and look into everything,” Hurd said. “It’ll be public in about 10 days. We’re just getting the hard part out of the way now, and then that’s the next step we’re looking into." I guess we will know pretty soon?
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Jesse Newell @jessenewell · 2m2 minutes ago
"[W]e’ve been talking about him probably anywhere in the top 50-60, maybe 75 range, somewhere in there … " http://cjon.co/1KeYCCo
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LaGerald Vick retweeted
Harold Rivera @memphishoopers · 8h8 hours ago
Team Thad defeats Supreme Court 67-65 behind @KUAthletics commit @starboomain74 dbl dbl 27 pts n 12 rebs. rebs.
