Tree

[Dave in Green]

It was nearly 2 1/2 years ago when gczip22 stirred up Zips Nation with this thread about signing a mystery recruit, and made the following comment:

..... be assured, he is a Big East/high major caliber of a player .....

I've been so impressed with Tree's total performance in all aspects of the game over the last few games that it reminded me of the Big East caliber comment. We all knew Tree was a great rebounder from day one. When he latches his meathooks on a rebound, it looks like he's going to squeeze the air out of the ball. His shooting, on the other hand, was a bit rougher in the beginning. But this season it has improved dramatically. He has a soft touch around the basket that's rarely seen in a player who rebounds so ferociously.

Understanding that he missed the first 3 games of the season due to the silly clerical error, and that it took him a few games after that to get up to speed, I took a look at Tree's stats over the last 4 games. He's averaged 8.2 rebounds per game -- not a huge suprise, but still impressive. His shooting has been just plain extraordinary. He's averaged 14.2 points per game over the last 4 games, hitting 26-36 from the field for a remarkable 72% FG average. His turnaround jump shot, which was his main weapon in HS, has become deadly.

Now, consider this. Tree played only 1 season of HS basketball, and has played only 1 full season plus a few games of college basketball. Is there any other college player in the country playing at this high level of performance with so little experience in organized basketball? And if he continues improving at the rate he has been, what will he be like in his senior season? Is there a chance that Tree could end up with an NBA career ahead of him? It's still too early to tell. But the early signs are promising, and getting better and better with each passing game.

[Zipmeister]

It was nearly 2 1/2 years ago when gczip22 stirred up Zips Nation with this thread about signing a mystery recruit, and made the following comment:

I've been so impressed with Tree's total performance in all aspects of the game over the last few games that it reminded me of the Big East caliber comment. We all knew Tree was a great rebounder from day one. When he latches his meathooks on a rebound, it looks like he's going to squeeze the air out of the ball. His shooting, on the other hand, was a bit rougher in the beginning. But this season it has improved dramatically. He has a soft touch around the basket that's rarely seen in a player who rebounds so ferociously.

Understanding that he missed the first 3 games of the season due to the silly clerical error, and that it took him a few games after that to get up to speed, I took a look at Tree's stats over the last 4 games. He's averaged 8.2 rebounds per game -- not a huge suprise, but still impressive. His shooting has been just plain extraordinary. He's averaged 14.2 points per game over the last 4 games, hitting 26-36 from the field for a remarkable 72% FG average. His turnaround jump shot, which was his main weapon in HS, has become deadly.

Now, consider this. Tree played only 1 season of HS basketball, and has played only 1 full season plus a few games of college basketball. Is there any other college player in the country playing at this high level of performance with so little experience in organized basketball? And if he continues improving at the rate he has been, what will he be like in his senior season? Is there a chance that Tree could end up with an NBA career ahead of him? It's still too early to tell. But the early signs are promising, and getting better and better with each passing game.

Don't know, good and yes.

[Valpo Zip]

Tree is currently the MVP of the team in my book. I will add to your notes that he seems to be our go to guy at the beginning of every game. He is the one who takes (and mostly makes) the first few shots of the game and get every one going. It is not normal to see a Sophomore taking that role with 3 seniors and a Junior in the starting line up.

Last year, when I first saw him, I thought to myself that tree would be another rebound/defense Matt Futch type of player, boy did he prove me stupid! Tree is shooting, handling the ball, and passing it like a guard. All that with only one playing year in college (2 total).

The only thing that concerns me about his NBA potential is his size. At 6'7, he would be a bit undersized for the 4 and I am not sure that he has the skills to play the 3 (yet). I hope I am wrong though.

[GoZips]

Tree is currently the MVP of the team in my book. I will add to your notes that he seems to be our go to guy at the beginning of every game. He is the one who takes (and mostly makes) the first few shots of the game and get every one going. It is not normal to see a Sophomore taking that role with 3 seniors and a Junior in the starting line up.

Last year, when I first saw him, I thought to myself that tree would be another rebound/defense Matt Futch type of player, boy did he prove me stupid! Tree is shooting, handling the ball, and passing it like a guard. All that with only one playing year in college (2 total).

The only thing that concerns me about his NBA potential is his size. At 6'7, he would be a bit undersized for the 4 and I am not sure that he has the skills to play the 3 (yet). I hope I am wrong though.

Tree is 6'-7" ...???? Since when? Try 6'-9" and still growing. Big D is BIG. I adopted him.

[Valpo Zip]

Tree is 6'-7" ...???? Since when? Try 6'-9" and still growing. Big D is BIG. I adopted him.

Since the Athletic Department reported it on the roster page.

[johnnyzip84]

Tree is 6'-7" ...???? Since when? Try 6'-9" and still growing. Big D is BIG. I adopted him.

Obviously, we can't say enough about how well Tree has played this year. Please don't misconstrue my following comment as not appreciating his considerable basketball skills.

Ever since I saw him on the court I couldn't help but wonder if he's ever even considered playing football. Now I wouldn't count out a possible NBA career for DT, but I'm sure many of us remember DE Sam Clancy of the 80's-90's Browns who starred as a shorter center for the Pitt Panthers in hoops (never played a down of college football). I can't help but wonder, given the much larger rosters in the NFL, would Tree have a better shot there?

[plowerman78]

just my 2 cents on Tree......i absolutely love watching him play. We saw glimpses of what he could do last year especially against Buffalo and the Can't game in the MAC Tournament. (which you can watch right here

) We all know that he is a ball hawk on rebounding but what has been most impressive to me is that his offensive game has taken a jump. Looks comfortable, not out of control like he did at times a year ago. Sky is really the limit for him seeming the jump he made from year 1 to year 2 imo this is what we could of got out of Wood if he stayed healthy for a full 4 years

[akronzips71]

Not to polish my own apple, but I have been saying this since the first time he played last year.

He is not a future 6th man of the year, he is the future MAC MVP.

Down the road he is going to play 30+ minutes, and hit a double double just about every game. He has an NBA body and hops, it is just a matter of the skills being polished.

[Hilltopper]

KD remarked after the game the other night that Tree had started to take his time and it was really helping his offensive game. Last year when he got the ball he was in too big of a hurry and often put up awkward shots. I think KD said he was like a bull in a china shop. This year he is getting better at using good footwork to get an open shot.

[wadszip]

Obviously, we can't say enough about how well Tree has played this year. Please don't misconstrue my following comment as not appreciating his considerable basketball skills.

Ever since I saw him on the court I couldn't help but wonder if he's ever even considered playing football. Now I wouldn't count out a possible NBA career for DT, but I'm sure many of us remember DE Sam Clancy of the 80's-90's Browns who starred as a shorter center for the Pitt Panthers in hoops (never played a down of college football). I can't help but wonder, given the much larger rosters in the NFL, would Tree have a better shot there?

I grew up playing with Sam Clancy Jr., and Sam Sr. would be at all our practices (it was the year after he retired after playing for the Colts). He was in his mid-to-late 30s, and he was still an athletic specimen. We'd get him to start dunking after our practices and he'd throw down reverses and windmills like it was nothing. In short, I love Tree (by far he has turned into my favorite player on this team), but he would have to gain 50 pounds (Sam Sr. was 6-7, 285) and not lose an ounce of athleticism even to have a chance at the NFL (and that's even if he likes football). That's not a knock on Tree, but Sam Clancy Sr. is/was so freakish, his situation is so rare, I don't think it is realistic. Plus, I believe Sam Sr. did play football in high school, something Tree didn't do.

I think Tree's future is definitely in basketball. In fact, I think he has as the same type of potential that Sam Clancy Jr. (who was an All-American at USC and played a year or two in the NBA) had. Clancy Jr. had his dad's size , but not quite the athleticism. In fact, I'd say Tree is the better athlete than Clancy Jr. was at the same age. Sam Jr., being a basketball player his whole life was more skilled. But if Tree continues to work on his game, there is no reason to think that he can't at least get a sniff at the NBA.

As for Tree, the more I watch him, the more I think he can be Paul Millsap-esque ... undersized, but big-bodied 4, who makes up for the lack of height with a quick first step and a face-up game .... the ability to either knock down a 15-footer or put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. They both also have a nose for the ball.

After watching Tree the last year and a half, I can't help seeing similarities in their games (obviously, Tree much, much more raw than a 6-year, borderline all-star NBA vet):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mxYnNPnR6w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mxYnNPnR6w

I'm not saying that Tree is the next Paul Millsap, but just watching those clips vs. what we are seeing out of Tree this year, you can see the similarities.

Finally, since I never saw Millsap at Louisiana Tech, I decided to look up his college stats to see how they compare to Tree's.

Millsap, in his freshman year, played 35.1 minutes per game and averaged 15.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, .7 assists, .9 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. He shot 58.7 percent from the field and 64.1 from the line.

When matching Tree's freshman stats on a per-minute basis, it's not too far off. Tree, at 35.1 minutes, "averaged" 15.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He shot 49.7 from the field and 49.4 from the line.

Sophomore year, Millsap played 36.6 minutes per game and averaged: 20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. He shot 57.5 percent from the field and 60.1 percent from the line.

Tree (on a minute-per-minute basis so far) is at: 19.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, .9 steals and .2 blocks per game. He is shooting 63.9 percent from the field and and 50 percent from the line.

Of course, this is what Millsap actually did vs. what Tree would've done playing the same minutes (and the sophomore numbers are not even half complete), but even with that said, there is some correlation that can be drawn since the two guys are almost the same size, have the same type of game and both played a mid-major schools. Just something to think about.

[johnnyzip84]

I grew up playing with Sam Clancy Jr., and Sam Sr. would be at all our practices (it was the year after he retired after playing for the Colts). He was in his mid-to-late 30s, and he was still an athletic specimen. We'd get him to start dunking after our practices and he'd throw down reverses and windmills like it was nothing. In short, I love Tree (by far he has turned into my favorite player on this team), but he would have to gain 50 pounds (Sam Sr. was 6-7, 285) and not lose an ounce of athleticism even to have a chance at the NFL (and that's even if he likes football). That's not a knock on Tree, but Sam Clancy Sr. is/was so freakish, his situation is so rare, I don't think it is realistic. Plus, I believe Sam Sr. did play football in high school, something Tree didn't do.

I grew up in Pittsburgh when Sam Sr was playing for old Fifth Avenue High School, and later for the consolidated Brashear HS after Fifth Avenue closed. He was two years ahead of me in class (obviously, I'm an old fart). It's possible that I missed it, but I don't recall him playing HS football. There is no doubt he was a man among boys on the basketball court, but the size you're listing above is after the NFL got a hold of him. He played at 6-6", 250 LB for Pitt as indicated in the link below. Former Pitt football coach Jackie Sherrill never stopped hounding him to come out.

I always appreciate your insight and you're probably right that Tree isn't headed for football, but I'll bet Terry Bowden wouldn't mind seeing him come out for a tryout

I have one last thought. Size is one thing, but speed is another. I'll bet Tree is considerably faster than Sam Sr was, so if Tree is not big enough to play DE in the NFL perhaps TE isn't out of the question? He certainly has the hands.

Sam Clancy

[zen]

Since the Athletic Department reported it on the roster page.

clerical error

[Dave in Green]

With Tree's strong and sure hands, the logical path for him if he ever considered football would be to follow in the footsteps of Antonio Gates in converting from power forward to tight end. If a football was thrown anywhere near Tree, I think he'd catch it with the same intensity with which he snags rebounds, and he wouldn't drop it or let any defender take it away from him.

But with his skill set, Tree probably has a much better shot at pro basketball. NBA power forwards generally range from about 6-8 to 7-0 and 240-260 pounds, but the tallest and heaviest ones are not always the best. @wadszip brings up a good example with Utah's Paul Millsap. He's been measured at 6-6 without shoes, yet has been one of the better rebounding power forwards in the NBA, averaging 7 rpg (and 12 ppg) over his 7-year professional career. It should be noted that Millsap is the only player in history to lead NCAA D1 in rebounding 3 times, and he would have likely done it a 4th time had he not entered the NBA draft after his junior season. Whether or not Tree can go as far as Millsap did is a big question. But the two players are similar in size and in rebounding intensity, and Tree appears to be improving his game at a high rate.

[akronzips71]

I think you guys are forgetting about Domenik Hixon. If he can play WR in the NFL, well Tree has him beat all over in size, and would be a huge target.

Which is not to say that he can run fast enough or catch well enough to be a football player.

But size wise, he is in the Plaxico Burris arena. Of course, he also may not be able to take a hit, so it is all just speculation at this point.

[johnnyzip84]

Obviously, I'm not curious about Tree's NFL chances based on his gridiron prowess. I need to be clearer about what is really my only argument for the NFL over the NBA: NUMBERS.

The NFL roster size is 53 (not counting the practice squad), and about 7 of those positions (DE/TE) are filled by players who fit Tree's physical profile. The NBA roster size is 12, and about 4 of those positions (3/4) are filled by players who fit Tree's physical profile. There are 32 NFL franchises and 30 NBA franchises.

32 x 7 = 224

30 x 4 = 120

Keep in mind that the NBA, especially in the "bigs" category, has a large influx of foreign players. This eats into the available roster spots for a guy like Tree. While there are a few foreign players in the NFL, there aren't many Serbs, Lithuanians, Croats, etc

Clearly, from purely a numbers only standpoint there is a better chance (probability) for a given player to land in the NFL. Of course, if it turns out that Tree has absoutely no knack for picking up the game then he has no chance (just to preempt anyone wanting to throw the obvious statement at me) in the NFL.

[akronzips71]

Back in the glory days of Turner, we had a guy named Don Williams who skipped an NBA shot to try out for the NFL. Didn't make it. He was a darn good hoops player.

Someone may have his physical stats. He graduated in '67 I think.

[zippy5]

To the Pittsburgh people posting here.. Dejaun Blair left Pitt early and got drafted by the Spurs. He was a 6-7 4 man.

[Hilltopper]

Of course, he also may not be able to take a hit, so it is all just speculation at this point.

He can take a hit just fine.

[B4110]

He can take a hit just fine.

I assure u , he could adapt to football pretty well. What may surprise u is how far he can throw. It's impressive. But this young man is not going anywhere near the Football field. Not for lack of confidence or any other reason along that line , but because of his passion for basketball. He is obssesed with the hoop game. A true student. Time will reveal what he's capable of ( god willing ), but I assure u, the best is yet to come. I've had the privelage of watching him play for a number of years , and the phrase" diamond n the rough" could never be more fitting. A true fan 4 life!! LET'S GO!!!!!

[wadszip]

I grew up in Pittsburgh when Sam Sr was playing for old Fifth Avenue High School, and later for the consolidated Brashear HS after Fifth Avenue closed. He was two years ahead of me in class (obviously, I'm an old fart). It's possible that I missed it, but I don't recall him playing HS football. There is no doubt he was a man among boys on the basketball court, but the size you're listing above is after the NFL got a hold of him. He played at 6-6", 250 LB for Pitt as indicated in the link below. Former Pitt football coach Jackie Sherrill never stopped hounding him to come out.

I always appreciate your insight and you're probably right that Tree isn't headed for football, but I'll bet Terry Bowden wouldn't mind seeing him come out for a tryout

I have one last thought. Size is one thing, but speed is another. I'll bet Tree is considerably faster than Sam Sr was, so if Tree is not big enough to play DE in the NFL perhaps TE isn't out of the question? He certainly has the hands.

Sam Clancy

You were around in the days of Fifth Avenue HS? You definitely are an old fart ... that school sounded old to me when I was a kid 20 years ago

Seriously, though, you're right, I was going off of Clancy's NFL weight, so during his college days, he and Tree were closer in size. Still, Sam Sr. was a freak. I witnessed him at 35 or 36 years old and 290 pounds (still not an ounce of fat on him) throwing down windmill dunks. It's actually scary to think how good he could've been if he actually played football (and you are probably right about him not playing in HS).

I do agree though with you and Dave that Tree, if ultimately choosing football, could go the Antonio Gates rout, and become a dangerous TE. He has the size, hands and speed to be a big-time threat. Still, he has too much potential in basketball to even think about a profession change. Plus, even if Tree isn't quite NBA caliber, he could carve out a long career overseas in a high Euro League and make a very good living (see Jimmal Ball).

This is all fun speculation, but it seems that B4110 has this pegged. Tree is a basketball player, and has the potential to become a very good one if he keeps working on his game (the skills are there, it's all about refining them).

Since this thread is about Tree, I came across this video from the summer. It has Tree, Alex, Nick, Deji (in sandals) and some other local guys ... Brad DuPont (the glue guy on the Jackson team that won the state title with Egner and Henniger), Porrini (I know Akron fans love to hate him, but he's really a good, personable guy) and Devonte Beard (who played at SVSM and went to Siena, and apparently transferred to Walsh).

While a summer league game, this video just shows more of the immense potential Tree has (also Harney at that).

[Valpo Zip]

The only thing that concerns me about his NBA potential is his size. At 6'7, he would be a bit undersized for the 4 and I am not sure that he has the skills to play the 3 (yet). I hope I am wrong though.

After tonight's game, I am so glad I used the keyword "yet" in my previous post. I was absolutely amazed watching tree's ability to handle the ball and dribble smoothly and slash to the basket. All what he needs is a consistent jumper and maybe in a couple of years tree will have the skills to play the 3 in the NBA.

[akzipper]

After tonight's game, I am so glad I used the keyword "yet" in my previous post. I was absolutely amazed watching tree's ability to handle the ball and dribble smoothly and slash to the basket. All what he needs is a consistent jumper and maybe in a couple of years tree will have the skills to play the 3 in the NBA.

Tree played well to start the game tonight, but seemed to fade away. My biggest hope is that he can become a more consistent double digit scorer and potentially the same in rebounding. While it's okay to have balanced scoring I think we need a "go-to" scorer. I think it can be him.

[Dave in Green]

Double doubles in points and rebounds the last two games.