4th basketball recruit announced!

[ZachTheZip]

Found this on UA's Twitter

Alex Abreu from Puerto Rico

Prep school player from a school with an unnecessarily long name.

[ZachTheZip]

I can't find him on any recruiting website. Here's a blog post about him.

Little PG from Puerto Rico is making some noise

[Hilltopper]

Some Video.

[Quickzips]

Great, we run off two undersized PG's and replace them with an undersized PG? Not exactly the kind of signing I was looking for.

[Blue & Gold]

Some Video.

He looks like Ronnie Steward.

[vmd9]

Some Video.

It's good he can play good games in empty arenas. He should feel right at home at the JAR!!! hahaha

[Quickzips]

Looking a little more into him it looks like Abreau has some skills that could really help us. He looks like more of a pure point than anyone on the roster at this moment (presuming the S-clan defections are true) but also has enough ability to score to keep defenses honest. I still don't like the idea of another 5'9" (although the Gozips PR is the only place I've seen him listed at 5'9", everyplace else has him at 5'10", not much of a difference, but...) guard. The MAC is trending towards bigger and quicker guards. I hope I am wrong, but I just feel like we're going to end up with another short guard who has the skills to play at this level but whose size perpetually holds him back.

Presuming the transfer news is true I think we still have one more scholarship available. I would like to see it used on a 6'3" to 6'5" SG who has the ability to break down a defense off the dribble. That is presuming we don't hold onto it to use at another time.

[Big Zip]

According to Elton we are expecting another guard...one of the 6-6 variety Quincy Diggs from The University of New Orleans....apparently their Div 1 basketball program is going away.

[Zip_ME87]

Great, we run off two undersized PG's and replace them with an undersized PG? Not exactly the kind of signing I was looking for.

+1

And more of this... "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy."...Give it a rest, KD.

[Blue & Gold]

<br />According to Elton we are expecting another guard...one of the 6-6 variety Quincy Diggs from The University of New Orleans....apparently their Div 1 basketball program is going away.

Where did you hear or read this? Do you have a link to share?

[Quickzips]

And more of this... "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy."...Give it a rest, KD.

I'm not sure I understand this. Are you openly lobbying KD to take on low-character players from broken families? I may not agree with everything KD does, and I am suspicious of this signing as I stated above, but I don't think that high quality players on the court and high quality players off the court are mutually exclusive.

I am actually quite interested in this Diggs kid. Looks like he got some more playing time for New Orleans late in the season and was making the most of it. Looks like a kid who could help out. Any idea on how the NCAA would treat his transfer based on the New Orleans program shutting down? Would he still have to sit out a season?

[Hilltopper]

According to Elton we are expecting another guard...one of the 6-6 variety Quincy Diggs from The University of New Orleans....apparently their Div 1 basketball program is going away.

Per the PD

http://www.unoprivateers.com/ViewArticle.d...TCLID=204791931

[UAZip0510]

Amazing to see how many people are down on Abreu...I don't get the Steward comparison, and don't understand why we're against a shorter PG (Dru Joyce worked out, didn't he?) I also think the fact that other major programs came in late to offer him a scholarship says a lot...UA might have just found a diamond in the rough.

[ZachTheZip]

As a prep school player, he needs to be prepared to step into his role immediately. If he's not good enough to be the starting PG next season, it's a wasted scholarship. That's the trouble with JUCOs and Prep school players: if they can't contribute immediately, they're a loss. High school players can develop over time, but Abreu doesn't have that luxury.

Diggs was a true freshman at UNO, I think. He might not have to sit a year because his school is dropping the program, but he might redshirt anyway.

Where did you see that Abreu had other programs offer him?

[UAZip0510]

As a prep school player, he needs to be prepared to step into his role immediately. If he's not good enough to be the starting PG next season, it's a wasted scholarship. That's the trouble with JUCOs and Prep school players: if they can't contribute immediately, they're a loss. High school players can develop over time, but Abreu doesn't have that luxury.

Diggs was a true freshman at UNO, I think. He might not have to sit a year because his school is dropping the program, but he might redshirt anyway.

Where did you see that Abreu had other programs offer him?

http://insidepuertoricobasketball.blogspot...ects-akron.html

Utah and Colorado are listed here...I also know from "someone in the know" that there were a few other offers, and a ton of teams interested.

A) The kid can play...trust me

KD didn't bring him here if he's not going to contribute

C) He's better now and has more potential for the future than any of Sullivan, Swiech, and/or Steward.

I also don't think Diggs will redshirt...he'll be a major contributor next year.

[UAZip0510]

Great, we run off two undersized PG's and replace them with an undersized PG? Not exactly the kind of signing I was looking for.

+1

And more of this... "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy."...Give it a rest, KD.

Give what a rest, recruiting high-character guys? I take pride in the fact that we win with good basketball players that are also good people that represent the program well...a lot of programs can't say the same. I say keep it up, KD.

[Dave in Green]

Boy are we slow around here or what? Inside Puerto Rico Basketball had the scoop on Abreu coming to UA way back on March 24. Not only that, he selected UA over Utah and Nebraska, following "the path that Puerto Rico greats JJ Barea and Carlos Arroyo took selecting a "mid major" over a "major"." Berea and Arroyo are both in the NBA. Obviously, no guarantees on Abreu being NBA material. But if Utah and Nebraska were after him, I'd say Abreu deserves a little respect on ZN.O.

Inside Puerto Rico Basketball Link

[vmd9]

As a prep school player, he needs to be prepared to step into his role immediately. If he's not good enough to be the starting PG next season, it's a wasted scholarship. That's the trouble with JUCOs and Prep school players: if they can't contribute immediately, they're a loss. High school players can develop over time, but Abreu doesn't have that luxury.

Diggs was a true freshman at UNO, I think. He might not have to sit a year because his school is dropping the program, but he might redshirt anyway.

Where did you see that Abreu had other programs offer him?

http://insidepuertoricobasketball.blogspot...ects-akron.html

Utah and Colorado are listed here...I also know from "someone in the know" that there were a few other offers, and a ton of teams interested.

A) The kid can play...trust me

KD didn't bring him here if he's not going to contribute

C) He's better now and has more potential for the future than any of Sullivan, Swiech, and/or Steward.

I also don't think Diggs will redshirt...he'll be a major contributor next year.

Man...that article is from last month? why did it take us so long to find this out, these NE ohio reporters are slacking big time

[UAZip0510]

As a prep school player, he needs to be prepared to step into his role immediately. If he's not good enough to be the starting PG next season, it's a wasted scholarship. That's the trouble with JUCOs and Prep school players: if they can't contribute immediately, they're a loss. High school players can develop over time, but Abreu doesn't have that luxury.

Diggs was a true freshman at UNO, I think. He might not have to sit a year because his school is dropping the program, but he might redshirt anyway.

Where did you see that Abreu had other programs offer him?

http://insidepuertoricobasketball.blogspot...ects-akron.html

Utah and Colorado are listed here...I also know from "someone in the know" that there were a few other offers, and a ton of teams interested.

A) The kid can play...trust me

KD didn't bring him here if he's not going to contribute

C) He's better now and has more potential for the future than any of Sullivan, Swiech, and/or Steward.

I also don't think Diggs will redshirt...he'll be a major contributor next year.

Man...that article is from last month? why did it take us so long to find this out, these NE ohio reporters are slacking big time

Yeah...they've been chasing him awhile. He was talking about Akron on his Twitter page during the MAC tourney lol.

[Dave in Green]

Had to dig pretty hard to find anything interesting about Quincy Diggs. Not much available about his early years, so I suppose we can all hope that he's a late bloomer who took up basketball late in his youth and possibly has a big upside. From his stats at New Orleans, it looked as if he slowly built up his minutes as his freshman season went on, and his best games were toward the end of the season.

Here's an interesting Feb. 24, 2009, item from the The Hoopscoop Online on the National Prep Alliance National Invitational Tourney:

From there University Park, which once again was led by Moore with 18 points, went on to beat Denver (Southwest Academy) CO, 68-57, in the championship game of the Prep Division. And, believe it or not, Southwest Academy got this far with only five players and without its coach who did not make the trip due to a near death experience by a member of his immediate family. Southwest Academy's best player was 6'7 Quincy Diggs, who is multi-dimensional wing player with excellent skills and big time athleticism.

The Hoopscoop Online Link

Now here's a really intriguing recent Twitter exchange between @highmajorscoop and @JeffBoals mentioning Diggs and his NO teammate Billy Humphrey:

@JeffBoals are you just tweeting the rest night?

8:47 PM Apr 9th via UberTwitter

@JeffBoals Retweet War! I'm with @coachtriggs heading back from Cincy. Kids are working out at the Nike clinic at RMU tomorrow and Sunday.

8:51 PM Apr 9th via UberTwitter

@highmajorscoop Quincy Diggs & Billy Humphrey. Bring the camp back!

8:55 PM Apr 9th via UberTwitter

Twitter link

[RootforRoo44]

And more of this... "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy."...Give it a rest, KD.

I'm not sure I understand this. Are you openly lobbying KD to take on low-character players from broken families? I may not agree with everything KD does, and I am suspicious of this signing as I stated above, but I don't think that high quality players on the court and high quality players off the court are mutually exclusive.

I am actually quite interested in this Diggs kid. Looks like he got some more playing time for New Orleans late in the season and was making the most of it. Looks like a kid who could help out. Any idea on how the NCAA would treat his transfer based on the New Orleans program shutting down? Would he still have to sit out a season?

I would be all for it, if they were good.

btw, no he would not have to sit out if the program is folding.

[Zip_ME87]

And more of this... "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy."...Give it a rest, KD.

I'm not sure I understand this. Are you openly lobbying KD to take on low-character players from broken families? I may not agree with everything KD does, and I am suspicious of this signing as I stated above, but I don't think that high quality players on the court and high quality players off the court are mutually exclusive.

I am actually quite interested in this Diggs kid. Looks like he got some more playing time for New Orleans late in the season and was making the most of it. Looks like a kid who could help out. Any idea on how the NCAA would treat his transfer based on the New Orleans program shutting down? Would he still have to sit out a season?

Good question. I didn't mean that I want low character players. We have great players on and off the court. I'm just personally tired of hearing KD go out of his way to stress "He also comes from a great family and is a high-character person – things that are first and foremost in our recruiting philosophy." How does he define "a great family" and "high character person"? What does that mean? I've met a lot of great people in my life that someone else might say is a trouble-maker just because they like to have fun. Everyone's human and imperfect.

What do these players bring to the team? I can guess, in fact I have to, because KD didn't really say anything about how the team is strengthened. That was my point.

[Zip_ME87]

Give what a rest, recruiting high-character guys? I take pride in the fact that we win with good basketball players that are also good people that represent the program well...a lot of programs can't say the same. I say keep it up, KD.

No, I mean give it a rest as to rambling on and on and on about character. Do you read that from Caleb Porter. No, he emphasizes what his recruits bring to the game. Recruit "high chacter" players, but tell me how they help the team.

[Dave in Green]

Billy Humphrey, mentioned in my previous post as Diggs' teammate at UNO, might be considered a good example of a kid with problems that got him kicked off the Georgia Bulldogs team, but who was apparently a good citizen when given a second chance at UNO. He's also a graduating senior with enough shooting ability to perhaps get an NBA tryout.

It's always hard to say when a good kid from a good family might go bad, or a previously bad kid from a bad family might go good. But I do think it's important to emphasize getting players who are less likely to disrupt team chemistry than some of the true bad boys who can't separate college basketball teams from street gangs. I have no problem at all with KD repeating this every time he signs a new player with good character.

Link to Billy Humphrey Story in New Orleans Newspaper

[zippyman23]

As a prep school player, he needs to be prepared to step into his role immediately. If he's not good enough to be the starting PG next season, it's a wasted scholarship. That's the trouble with JUCOs and Prep school players: if they can't contribute immediately, they're a loss. High school players can develop over time, but Abreu doesn't have that luxury.

Abreu will have four years here to develop just like any other high school kid. It's nonsense to think if he isn't the starting PG in year one that he is a wasted scholarship.