4th basketball recruit announced!

[Zip Watcher]

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.

+1

[Blue & Gold]

My two cents:

$0.01: With Ronnie transferring out and Dylan Ennis already verballed for the following year, KD is probably looking for an immediate impact w/ Alex Abreu.

$0.01: With Abreu's high-level international experience I'm hoping he becomes our version of St. Mary's Patty Mills!

Welcome aboard, Alex! Can't wait to see you in the blue and gold!

Also, can someone clarify, is the New Jersey prep school a one-year school along the lines of Hargrave Military Academy or is it a high school? Consequently, did Alex graduate high school in the States or in Puerto Rico (not that it matters)? More importantly, will Alex have 4 years of athletic eligibility remaining with @ UA?

Oh, and as a p.s. concerning the above conversation regarding KD's signing day comments. I do understand where the poster is coming from who said, "Give it a rest KD," when KD said high character is "first and foremost" in our recruiting philosophy. I don't care so much if our basketball scholarship recipients are Eagle Scouts. I do however, want them to be able to hoop like bad @ss s.o.b.'s. I think that should probably be our "first and foremost" criteria. If they also want to help @ the church Vacation Bible School? Well that's simply icing on the cake. Lol

Now someone will say, "You want them knocking off the 7-Eleven?!" Lol. Insert "roll-eyes" here.

[UAZip0510]

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.

1) KD has said how he helps the team. He said so (without naming him) at his year end interview, and did so in the press release (you don't think he told them what to write?).

2) Why bother telling people how he'll help the team when so many have written him off as a waste after viewing a 2 minute video on YouTube?

3) I think you're being naive if you think that's the top thing they look at...they obviously aren't going to recruit a kid because he's a good kid. However, if they have two similar players talent-wise, they will take the "better kid"...and I like that. I like that we don't have a team full of convicts like Can't State...I take pride in that.

4) It's very good to brag about and maintain having a team full of "high character" players. In recruiting, you need any advantage you can get. If Akron has a positive image, even a "family-type" image, that helps sway the parents, and sometimes even the student themselves. Case in point - judging by Zeke Marshall's mother's posts and what I know about her, she seems to be a smart woman that wanted her son to be in a positive environment and be around players who will be a good influence on her son. You don't think that mattered during the recruiting process? I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to guess it factored in.

[zippyman23]

Also, can someone clarify, is the New Jersey prep school a one-year school along the lines of Hargrave Military Academy or is it a high school? Consequently, did Alex graduate high school in the States or in Puerto Rico (not that it matters)? More importantly, will Alex have 4 years of athletic eligibility remaining with @ UA?

He'll have four years. Not sure on his academic background. As for the prep school, although you hear a lot of times about kids going there for one year after they graduate, they still operate as regular high schools. A place like Hargrave enrolls students from grades 7-12, but also takes in graduate kids in which they re-enroll them into 12th grade.

[Dr Z]

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.

Nothing makes me happier than KD addressing the PG. I think it's the place where our team can make the biggest improvement that will benefit the team the most. Point guard seems to be getting a lot of attention/respect in the NBA right now. I was listening to CP3 talk about the talent at PG in the NBA right now. I'm watching the LBJ team get outplayed at that position in this current round of playoff games thus far. ESPN has a headline story on the PG right now. I'm hoping Abreu can come in and make an immediate impact. I'll hold my breath until I see him play in a Zips uni.

[johnnyzip84]

ESPN now has him rated fairly high at an 80.

Link

edit: I guess an 80 isn't all that high in this system, since Euton is at 85, Egner is at 84, and Green is at 80. But there seems to be a fair amount of good pub for Alex out there nonetheless.

[Dave in Green]

Anyone who watched the Cavs-Celts game last night got to witness what a difference a great ball distributor can make at PG. Rajon Rondo was a magician at getting the ball to the open man in scoring position, and the Celts made the Cavs defense look like swiss cheese. If the Zips had a ball distributor with a fraction of Rondo's talent, they would be knocking off some of the stronger teams they've been losing to.