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Post by fryer4three on May 6, 2014 15:52:04 GMT -5
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Post by slblions08 on May 6, 2014 16:23:50 GMT -5
Interesting pick-up. For awhile I thought it was the kid from Latvia so I'm a little bummed, but he seems experienced. Seems like this Canarias basketball academy is the Findlay Prep of Spain. According to this article from November, there are a few DI signees on the squad. They have guys going to Maryland, Pittsburgh and Louisville. Those guys seems to range around 3-stars. If this kid is a notch below, than I guess he could be considered a 2 star-ish based on ESPN and Eurobasket rankings. 6-1 PG means that he has at least average size if he's really that tall. I think he will be a decent ball-handler in the WCC despite early reviews. Probably an upgrade over Flint for long stretches, but who knows how good he'll be in critical situations. If he's pushing 20 years old, he's been around the block for awhile playing for his country so he should be able to handle the environments. from November 2013 www.eurohopes.com/news/1868/cba-main-attraction-at-national-prep-showcase/from Feb 2012 Nike International Junior Tournament Kaunas: Best of the Rest by: Jonathan Givony - President February 15, 2012 Notes on a number of international prospects who participated in the Nike International Junior Tournament in Kaunas Lithuania. Nike International Junior Tournament Coverage Elite Prospect Scouting Reports Simon Krajcovic, 6-1, Point Guard, Canarias Basketball Academy, Slovakia, 1994 Jonathan Givony Strengths: -Solid athlete -Good speed in open floor -Competitive -Puts good pressure on the ball defensively -Crashes the glass -Gets in passing lanes -Distributing mentality -Will hit an occasional jumper Weaknesses: -Wild in half-court -Turnover prone -Ball-handling skills improvable -Shot selection average -Streaky outside shooter -Struggles to get all the way to rim and finish -Not an efficient overall scorer Outlook: -Interesting player with nice upside to continue to improve. Could be a very solid D1 player due to his versatility and athleticism, especially if he can improve his shooting and limit his turnovers. From DraftExpress.com www.draftexpress.com |
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Post by longtimelionfan on May 6, 2014 16:49:09 GMT -5
SLB,
From the RealGM basketball website that tracks international kids, Simon is already 20 years old. Indeed, he'll turn 21 on February 14, 2015, during next season. So, he has plenty of international seasoning and experience.
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Post by LIONS90045 on May 6, 2014 21:00:09 GMT -5
As they say on Facebook, "Like!"
Good size for a PG at 6'1" and nice handoffs which seems his first thought from the video (yes, they are edited and some moves were shown at least 3 times).
Anyway, a nice prospect. I take it he has 4 years eligibility?
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Post by uncurselmu on May 6, 2014 21:50:05 GMT -5
He looks crafty. I like that he's got such a consistent impact on the passing end, as well as in the steals. I'm not really sure if this comes from his on the ball pressure or him reading passing lanes well or what but him gobbling up steals should be huge for us. Between him and Siame (hopefully), Wyatt, and Okonji we'll have the ability to get some turnovers and get out in transition. Humphries looks like he should be a tough defender and Evan has all the tools to be a great defender it's just a consistency in mentality w/ him so hopefully w/ dunlap he's a more refined player. In addition to that w/ Levin and Humphries you have players that can get the rebound, put the ball on the floor, and make a smart pass up to our guards.
Overall these two signings are both looking strong and should both be immediate impacts. This guy looks like a true point guard and we haven't had one of those in a while.
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Post by LIONS90045 on May 7, 2014 12:02:57 GMT -5
Uncurse - hey AI was a true PG, no ?
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Post by ALioninWinter on May 7, 2014 12:23:12 GMT -5
Some will argue that he was a scoring guard because he liked to score and was quite good at it. However, I would argue that he was a very, very good point guard who looked to pass. It's not his fault that he never had much in the way of waiting targets for his passes. He always had his head up looking for his teammates. There were times when he definitely gave up on his teammates and said, "I've gotta do it myself." Sometimes (IMO) he gave up too soon and should have worked a bit harder at get his teammates into position. However, I can't blame him for being frustrated. I doubt there are very many coaches in the entire country that would not have wanted AI for their point guard over the past four years. He was a treat to watch .... as both a complete player AND as a point guard.
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Post by uncurselmu on May 10, 2014 16:30:38 GMT -5
Some will argue that he was a scoring guard because he liked to score and was quite good at it. However, I would argue that he was a very, very good point guard who looked to pass. It's not his fault that he never had much in the way of waiting targets for his passes. He always had his head up looking for his teammates. There were times when he definitely gave up on his teammates and said, "I've gotta do it myself." Sometimes (IMO) he gave up too soon and should have worked a bit harder at get his teammates into position. However, I can't blame him for being frustrated. I doubt there are very many coaches in the entire country that would not have wanted AI for their point guard over the past four years. He was a treat to watch .... as both a complete player AND as a point guard. I love AI and still think he has room to grow as a point guard and can make it at the next level. He really will thrive as a pick and roll point guard and it's a shame we didn't allow him to develop that, or provide the pieces to help him. I think he has some PG intangibles: exceptional ball handling, leadership, decision making, passing and most of all, balls. That all being said he maxed at 5.3 apg, Vernon Teel has him beat in best APG average at 5.6 and that guy was a blackhole in many ways. I think true point guards can tally that kind of mark in 25mpg. AI just always, to me, seemed like less of a pure PG and like he was less hands on in running the offense. He almost always brought the ball up but our stand around offense often left him static and he really didn't spend a ton of time w/ the ball in his hands once it was advanced. He would eventually get it and either break down his man, pull up, or find an open teammate but we surprisingly underutilized him in many ways. I think some of it may have to do with injuries and the amount of energy he had to expel in carrying our team, playing an insane amount of minutes, guarding the opposing pg, always bringing the ball up the floor and playing the game at a high energy like he does. He may have just lacked some of the energy to really do more in creating our offense. |
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