Ike Nwamu to visit Reno the next few days

[BleedRebelRed90]

http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/col...e-recruit-ike-nwamu-visit-wolf-pack/26457261/

Nwamu has visited UNLV, Pitt, and UNR will be his final stop before he decides where to transfer now that he is leaving Mercer.

The big reason that UNR is one of the "final three" choices for Nwamu is "(UNR) assistant coach Jermaine Kimbrough, who was an assistant coach at Cleveland State when Nwamu played there as a freshman."

It is unclear why he is leaving Mercer and what he is looking for in a program, especially if he ends up at Nevada. At Mercer he was on track to get all the minutes he could handle and be the featured scorer. He spent his freshman year at Cleveland State, then transferred to Mercer for his sophomore and junior years because he "belonged in the South".

Nwamu is a dynamic scorer and will contribute wherever he ends up.... but UNLV, Pitt, and UNR are three very different programs with very different situations in very different cities. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.

 

[j. spilotro]

Maybe it's because of just how depleted UNLV was by the end of the season, but I do like the sounds of adding this kid. I wouldn't be excited if he were a freshman - adding somebody with experience - I don't know, it sounds good to me.

Of course you risk some disruption, but that happens with anybody you bring on board at any time.

Two things I don't want - to be in February without enough players. To be stuck without shooters.

 

[the Florian Trout]

i don't want any 1 year hired guns. in my mind it tells your current roster that the coach doesn't think they can cut it and that's a recipe for more of what we've been going through.

if he ends up at UNR, expect some more of this:

 

[j. spilotro]

i don't want any 1 year hired guns. in my mind it tells your current roster that the coach doesn't think they can cut it and that's a recipe for more of what we've been going through.

if he ends up at UNR, expect some more of this:

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I think you have to be able to adapt to the times and that includes transfers and even fifth year guys. I'm guessing there are around 1000-1200 HS signees to D1 every year. And there are more than 700 D1 transfers every year. The recruiting pool is around 60/65 percent HS kids and 35-40 transfers. You can't just ignore them. Not a school like UNLV.

Withiut a certain one year hired gun, UNLV is probably winless in the NCAA tournament since 1991.

 

[LetsRun]

Got to ask why is he transferring for a third time? From what I heard its not from lack of playing time.

 

[the Florian Trout]

I think you have to be able to adapt to the times and that includes transfers and even fifth year guys. I'm guessing there are around 1000-1200 HS signees to D1 every year. And there are more than 700 D1 transfers every year. The recruiting pool is around 60/65 percent HS kids and 35-40 transfers. You can't just ignore them. Not a school like UNLV.

Withiut a certain one year hired gun, UNLV is probably winless in the NCAA tournament since 1991.

i get it, but i think we have a great core who i'd expect that they believe their minutes/roles should increase. the coach needs to show confidence in his recruits and he needs stability. that's what i think anyway.

i really like who we have right now which is about 10 deep and that's too many. there will already be some of those that think they deserve more than they get and will look to transfer. bring in Ike and i don't think that will go over well.

if i never see a transfer again, i'd be pleased.

 

[Dloch002]

The state of the game has drastically changed, and guess what, it's not just at UNLV. Transfers are as big a deal as HS recruiting. If you can fill a need, and improve doing it, that's positive.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

i don't want any 1 year hired guns. in my mind it tells your current roster that the coach doesn't think they can cut it and that's a recipe for more of what we've been going through.

if he ends up at UNR, expect some more of this:

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Shawn Marion... one year hired gun
Larry Johnson... one year hired gun who elected to stay for a second year (which was not so uncommon back then)

I get what you're saying about team chemistry and disrespecting the guys we already have but our top two scorers just bolted and abandoned a combined five years of eligibility... so adding a scorer with a single year of eligibility shouldn't be that shocking.

 

[GreedyGreg]

Yes, let's get a whole bunch of transfers so we can have a constant revolving door of players. Screw continuity, stability, and the guys who wanted to be Rebels from the start!

We already have BC & JS, how many more transfers do you guys want?

 

[Dloch002]

Yes, let's get a whole bunch of transfers so we can have a constant revolving door of players. Screw continuity, stability, and the guys who wanted to be Rebels from the start!

We already have BC & JS, how many more transfers do you guys want?

Not the point

 

[the Florian Trout]

The state of the game has drastically changed, and guess what, it's not just at UNLV. Transfers are as big a deal as HS recruiting. If you can fill a need, and improve doing it, that's positive.

what need do we have that none of the 10 deep on the roster can provide?

over recruiting is also a big deal.
who transfers if we bring in Ike or who suffers from not enough meaningful experience?

Shawn Marion... one year hired gun
Larry Johnson... one year hired gun who elected to stay for a second year (which was not so uncommon back then)

I get what you're saying about team chemistry and disrespecting the guys we already have but our top two scorers just bolted and abandoned a combined five years of eligibility... so adding a scorer with a single year of eligibility shouldn't be that shocking.

i don't think either Johnson nor Marion were hired guns (in the sense i mean (1 year max)). it was not a foregone conclusion that they would only stay 1 year.

i understand we are losing 33 ppg, but the year before we lost our top 4 scorers and our scoring average didn't drop to 14 per game. incoming or established players stepped it up and would do it in this case as well.

 

[Doubleyew]

Rice said in a recent article that he's learned to definitely be more selective about transfers and guys who could potentially have chemistry problems with other guys on the team. We've had plenty of 'hired guns' as you guys put it that have contributed greatly, and others that don't, but that's the nature of the game now.

Some other recent transfers that greatly helped, even knowing they weren't going to be around long:
Khem Birch - mid-season defensive man.
Roscoe Smith - Transfered after UCONN had sanctions. Developed well at UNLV
Kevin Kruger - Instant leadership and experience
Bruce Jones - Instant offense, didnt gel well with teammates
Cody Doolin - Instant experience. Brought leadership and organization. Didn't translate stats from USF as expected.
Mike Moser - length and can stretch teams out. Fun guy. good pickup.
Jelan Kendrick - Ok player, didn't translate expectations, but good defender. Brought experience to an otherwise young team
Quintrell Thomas - rough around the edges. Had good upside but needed a ton of development.
Chase Stanback - great shooter, good length. Fantastic mid range and decent defender
Reggie Smith - Just didn't really develop and didn't pan out on a loaded back-court team
Derrick Jasper - athletic guy. Needed work on offense. Bad injuries kept him back.
Chop Jones - ...everyone has their opinions
Tre'von WIllis - instant offense after some development, needed some work still on 3pt shot. Played hard with a chip on his shoulder.

I'll stop there. It's a mixed bag of course. Personally, I enjoy transfers. Coaches know exactly what they are going to get at the college level when looking at transfers, whereas high school can be a crap shoot. Every circumstance is different. You may have a coach leave a program and players want to transfer, most of the time players are searching for more playing time. Sometimes they don't get along with teammates/coaches. Sometimes they feel they need better development.

 

[the Florian Trout]

all valid and i agree if something is needed, you get what you can. the ones that redshirt are ones i like. i think BC & JS will be way better in that they've been practicing for a whole year before actually playing.

if we needed a shot blocker, i'd be all about bringing one in. last year i would've loved to have brought in any type of big to help with depth. i don't feel this team needs anything other than court time.

which recruit would you like to see go or relegated to the bench in order to bring in Ike?

 

[Doubleyew]

I haven't seen Seagears, but I wasn't impressed much at all with Cook while I saw him play. I like the kid, and he's developed some, but if I had to see one guy ride the pine, it would still be him. I'd rather take a chance with Seagears, coming from a Rutgers team where he put up some numbers as a 3-year starter, and has a redshirt year with UNLV.

 

[Bleed_Red702]

With some of the things Ike has been tweeting out, it looks like he will be choosing unlv shortly

 

[rebelluver]

I am leaning towards agreeing with trout on this one. Transfers are part of today's game and sometimes are necessary. Even though we have had some good players transfer in in recent years put up sone decent numbers, what we haven't done is win enough.

It takes players time to learn to play together, and what that takes is continuity.

I would rather, say a sophmore get more playing time, put up less numbers, and learn to play within the system and with teammates than a guy play one year and leave.

 

[Doubleyew]

Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely love for guys to stay for 4 years but there's no way this day in age that's going to happen with the system put in place. I think it's also unfortunate that players MUST have a year of college ball before they jump to the NBA. Take that out and let them shoot to the D league immediate or be drafted like it used to be instead of mucking up the college game.