Mid-major Basketball Recruiting: Rick Pitino keeps adding to Iona’s 2020 class
Recruiting is heating up in the Mid-major Basketball world. Find out what’s going on at Iona and other schools.
has continued retooling Iona’s 2020 roster this week. Pitino, who has been on the job for two weeks, picked up his
first two commitments in junior college
transfer Tahlik Chavez (Sunday) and
(Monday), who is a three-star recruit according to Rivals. Since then, he picked up four more prospects, with the addition of Johan Crafoord, Osborn Shema, Berrick JeanLouis, and then Nelly Junior Joseph.
Joseph was the latest as he verbally committed on March
26.
Crafoord committed to the Gaels on Wednesday. The 6-9 versatile big man played at Impact Academy in Sarasota (FL). He also held an offer from South Florida and Boston College.
Crafoord is long, athletic, and strong. He can play inside as well as out and can handle the ball well and is a good passer. Crafoord, who is also very good in transition, is a capable finisher through contact.
Shema also committed to the Gaels on Wednesday. The 7-1, 200-pound center is still raw offensively, but he is an outstanding rebounder and shot-blocker. He also can stretch the floor with his shooting and is a good passer though he does need to improve his efficiency. Shema averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1..9 assists, and 2.8 assists while shooting 42.8% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc at New Mexico Military Institute last season.
Shema, who originally committed to Florida Gulf Coast, has three years of eligibility left. The Rwanda national reportedly drew interest from Texas A&M, St Louis, St John’s, Texas State, UConn, South Florida, Georgetown, and New Mexico.
JeanLouis is also a junior college transfer as he spent the past season at Florida Southwestern State, where he averaged 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 48.1% from the field though just 29.5% from long-distance. The 6-4 shooting guard is super fast and highly explosive athletically who excels in the open court though he can finish in traffic as well. Additionally, he has a quick release and potential on the defensive end due to his length and quickness.
JeanLouis has two years of eligibility left. The Lehigh Acres (FL) native spent his freshman year at New Mexico State before going the JuCo route.
Joseph is a product of the NBA Academy Africa and is a Nigerian national. The 6-8 post player possesses a strong, sturdy base with plenty of length and athleticism. He is seen as a strong rebounder who will be able to score around the rim.
Rider loses pair to transfer porter
In consecutive days, two players who the Rider Broncs planned on counting on heavily for the 2020-21 season have entered the NCAA transfer portal. Third Team All-MAAC selection Frederick Scott announced his intention on March 26 and then first-team all-conference choice Dimencio Vaughn followed with his announcement on March 27. Neither of the players’ decisions was a surprise, according to Kyle Franko of The Trentonian.
Scott spent the past three seasons with the Broncs after transferring from DePaul. The 6-8 forward averaged 12.6 points along with 1.3 triples and 5.2 rebounds this past year. He produced four double-doubles while also shooting 46.8% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
Vaughn led Rider in scoring (14.8), steals (1.8), blocks (0.8), while finishing second in rebounds (6.6). The 6-5 guard tallied five double-doubles and shot 48.4% from the field and 39.3% from long-distance as he connected on 1.2 treys a contest.
Both players will be grad transfers meaning that they will be immediately eligible to play wherever they land. With Scott and Vaughn’s departure, Rider will have to replace its top five players from a squad that went 18-12 this past year, which includes a third-place finish (12-8) in the MAAC.
Rider, received a verbal commitment from junior college transfer Rodney Henderson Jr. on March 26, has five commitments from the class of 2020 though none have signed a letter of intent at this point. Henderson played three games at Cal State Northridge this past season before transferring to Santiago Canyon College. He also spent the 2018-19 campaign at CSUN, where he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 threes, and 3.4 caroms.
The Broncs currently have two more scholarships to dole out and are expected to add grad or JuCo transfers with those.
Other Mid-Major Recruiting News:
- UT Martin guard Parker Stewart has declared for the NBA Draft though he has left open the possibility of returning to school. Stewart, who played at Pitt in 2017-18, averaged 19.2 points a game along with 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists this past season. He shot 41.2% from the field while averaging 2.8 triples at a 34.8% clip. UT Martin went 9-20 and finished 10th in the OVC at 5-13. If Parker does leave, the Skyhawks will lose its top three players as Quintin Dove and Derek Hawthorne Jr. are out of eligibility.
- UT Martin received a commitment from Shelton Community College guard Tyler Stallworth on March 23. The 6-5 sophomore did not appear in a game this past season. The Skyhawks have at least one scholarship remaining to allocate, and possibly two depending on Stewart’s decision, they are reportedly interested in Tallahassee CC shooting guard Tariq Silver as well as 2020 high school graduates Jackson Sivills (Paducah, KY) and Quentin Hodge (Sumter, SC).