| chris, the big man is always elusive. we had a seven footer some years back and he was tall and that's about it. sometimes the big west will land one, like irvine did, about five years ago, but for the most part the true center is confined to either high DI or the kid is a project like the monster riverside just signed.
coach k. has become successful in recruiting what coach steve wachs calls the "tweener," the player not big enough to play forward in DI but not quick or surehanded enough to play guard. that's what got us jeff bonds, david sybesma, larry gordon and donelle booker--the guys in the 6-5 to 6-7 range--among others. in each of these cases there are many, many DI coaches who would happily trade even a starter for these guys.
my sense (and this is merely conjecture) is that coach has focused heavily on this type of player, given that even a 6-7 sybesma could play point and generate some serious mismatches and scoring opportunities.
rashad is the real deal, just give him time to mature. but time will tell whether we next go to a DI bounceback (like mike ridgway, who was a great add) or the juco route if we need another luis pulido type fireman next year. coach bannon has his eyes on several prospects and huge props to him for landing gordon who could be an all american before he finishes. |