UMassHoops.com

Jackson96 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:09 pm Couldn’t find too much on Baptiste in Vandy forums, but what I did see is that he never really developed offensively but that he plays hard and can contribute on the glass and defensively...kind of what most of us thought. And also he did seemed to be very well liked as a person.

Thanks for the intel Jackson, but I am more excited that he has a Good Motor.....

Baptiste was a 4-star recruit according to espn services. This seems like a really promising get.

"
ESPN Analyst
Updated 01/21/2015

Strengths:
Baptiste owns the type of physical tools which simply can't be taught. He's incredibly long, very cut, and equally mobile and athletic. He's as intimidating an interior defenders as you'll find in the 2015 class, especially playing wide in the back-line of a 2-3 zone. He runs the floor like a deer, instinctively blocks shots without necessarily understanding how he's doing it, and has an amazing ability to cover the court at his size. Also he is a powerful above the rim finisher when he receives drop off passes created by dribble penetration. Baptiste will also snap any rebound within reach.

Weaknesses:
For all of Baptiste's natural physical tools, he arrived in this country totally raw, both in terms of his basketball skills and understanding of the game. He's made noticeable strides in the time since, but still has a long way to go as his basketball training was literally starting from scratch. Needs to add valuable playing experience for continued game development.

Bottom Line:
His physical tools, defensive impact, and learning curve are all off the charts. As his offense begins to catch up, his stock will only rise in the national class of 2015.
"

A keeper! How will this affect our recruiting?

Acer71 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:03 pm A keeper! How will this affect our recruiting?

I'll let Niles get into this in more detail, but we will have 1 scholarship open after this season (Holloway will be gone). That's the only absolute we know of. I have no idea what we'll do with the 1 scholarship. There are 3 or 4 guys that we are high on so maybe we take the first one that commits. As i said, Niles keeps closer tabs on this than most of the rest of us do maybe he can expound on this.

@UMassBasketball has just put up a Djery highlight video on twitter that you might enjoy. Only a minute long.

I also saw a video from his HS days. I think if hes in shape and the staff does what they do, he could do well in the A10. He will be bigger and more athletic than most in our league.

I don't know if this has been stated explicitly, he redshirted his freshman year

69MG wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:46 pm

Acer71 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:03 pm A keeper! How will this affect our recruiting?

I'll let Niles get into this in more detail

I had a series of Tweets that addressed this. You can check that out if you want the full details. The short version is that I think they’ll still get a guard, then quite possibly oversign with a second player in the early period, I’d guess a wing, but if there’s a big man they really like and he’s ready to commit maybe they go in that direction.

So either a guard, wing, or big guy?

^ To put it simply, yes. I suspect a guard (and more specifically a PG, or a true combo guard who can legitimately play PG) is their #1 priority. I'd be surprised if they sign more than 2 players in the early period, but by the time the 2019 season rolls around I think the 2019 class will probably have 3+ recruits (2+ transfers out).

Here are a couple of names who feel like the most likely to commit to UMass for each of the three categories they seem to be most looking at.

Guard:
Noah Fernandes
Daniel Buie

Wing:
Preston Santos
Tyler Burton

Bigs:
Wildens Leveque
Hason Ward

Understanding that you can't always get what you want (Thanks, Mick), wouldn't it be logical to try to restock what you are losing? We know RH is going and we're not deep at the 5 so I would start there. If you can't get a big, then go to option 2.

I'm a little biased because I really like Leveque.

I'd say it depends on how well Clergeot/Wood do at PG vs how well Baptiste/Turner-Morris do at C.

So Baptiste will play starting mid Dec of this year and then play through 2019-20 and then be done, correct? I think it's been posted but I'm too lazy to look.

^ Correct. As far as I can tell we're not sure of his exact starting date, but it is in December and then all of the following year.

Regarding Roadtrip's post, good point. Both will be positions of need. It's a matter of which one we need first.

I'd go big first, tougher to fill those spots. Leveque would be a nice addition, plus don't forget about Sy who could continue to grow. I think we got a good player in him.

We have Pip 2 more years and I think Tre will be good as well. Fernandes would be a nice pickup to get. Wings are probably the most available as there seems to be more of them, and we seem to have lots of young talent there