Jalen Hudson

[tomzip]

Hi all...any ideas where? Please reunite with your fellow st v running mate

 

[wadszip]

No idea where he will end up, but he is from Richmond, Va., and transferred into SVSM as a junior, so its not like going to Akron would be going home, which is why it was no shock he ended up at Va. Tech to begin with.

 

With that being said, his Va. Tech bio does say he was born in Akron, and he has a history of transferring from a Virginia school to an Akron school after his sophomore season ...

 

With that being said, I imagine he will end up at another high major. He isn't leaving an ACC school because it's above his head. He'll have plenty of options.

 

However, fellow Va. Tech teammate Satchel Pierce is also transferring. He is from Barberton (also played at SVSM). He's a 7 footer, who put up OK numbers as a freshman ... 3.2 ppg, 2.4. rpg, .5 apg and .7 bpg in 13.8 minutes a game. Last year, he seemed to fall out of the rotation for whatever reason.

 

He would be a solid replacement for Big Dog in 2017, and would have two years remaining.

 

I'd take them both for sure, but of the two Pierce seems more realistic, IMO, if there is even room for him scholarship wise.

[akronzips71]

They can always find room for a high major.

 

[wadszip]

11 hours ago, akronzips71 said:

They can always find room for a high major.

 

I hope so. Part of the reason Pierce is transferring is because he wants more playing time (meaning he is probably looking toward a Mid Major program). Akron fits the bill there and it's the hometown team, who will just so happen to have an opening at center when he would be eligible in 2017. Getting to go up against Big Dog in practice in his sit-out year could also be huge for his development, since Big Dog is going to be one of the top college big men in the nation next season. 

 

This team is going to severely lack any sort of height once Big Dog and Kwan leave after next season. Pierce could come in and at least give Forsythe-type production, which would be needed as the other big men so far in the fold are in the 6-6 to 6-8 range, with absolutely zero college experience, collectively. That could get you by in the MAC, but I thought this program was looking "bigger" than that.

 

Plus, Pierce seems like a guy who also could've been a developmental player at an ACC school. He did shoot 51 percent (51/100) and 67 percent from the line (29/43) in his limited playing time as a freshman/sophomore at Va. Tech. Looking at his game log from this past year, I'm not sure why he didn't see more time. But he saw a decent amount of minutes in six games: (five against high majors .. Northwestern, West Virginia, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Syracuse). The other game he saw double-digit minutes was against our personal favorite Arkansas Cream-Puff. So, it doesn't appear that his albeit limited stats, were the product of feasting upon the low-to-mid-majors on VT's schedule then not playing at all against the better teams.

 

His freshman numbers are far more encouraging:

 

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/3147502/year/2015/satchel-pierce

 

Not sure what happened this year, other than VT wanting to play smaller, that meant such a decrease in minutes. His freshman, ACC-only numbers looked like this:

Games played: 20

Minutes: 319 (15.95 per game)

Points: 68 (3.4 per game)

Rebounds: 51 (2.6 per game)

Assists: 11 (.6 per game)

Blocks: 16 (.8 per game)

Turnovers: 29 (1.5 per game)

FG%: .509 (28/55)

FT%: .600 (12/20)

 

That looks like pretty solid production for a freshman playing in arguably the best conference in college basketball (7 of those 20 games against top 20 teams). I know you can't extrapolate stats in a vacuum, but for shits and gigs, I'll do it here. Per 30 minutes, as a freshman, in only ACC games, here is how Pierce's per game production looked:

 

PPG: 6.4

RPG: 4.9

APG: 1.1

BPG: 1.5

TPG: 2.8

 

To me, seems like the kid can play in the ACC. So, he can definitely play in the MAC. Hopefully, KD can sell him on not just coming home, but going up against a potential NBA big-man prospect in Big Dog for a year in practice, then putting him in the lineup after that and letting him see what he can do in 25-30 minutes per game in the MAC, with what will be a very experienced backcourt by that time (including playing with another Barberton/SVSM guy in Josh Williams).

 

Maybe we should rename this thread "Jalen Hudson/Satchel Pierce". ... Since both guys are ex-Virginia Tech guys (with some Akron ties) who are looking for new homes. To bring it back to Hudson, if he wants to come here, you make room for him, for sure, just don't see that happening. But if somehow Akron is able to get both, man, would the 2017-18 season look promising, even with the losses of Big Dog and Kwan.

 

 

[UAZippers]

I would love to get both of these players, but we are already 2 over the scholarship limit for next year. KD is going to have to make some tough decisions with his players. I don't see him inviting 2 more players in.

[zippy5]

I'm not sure we're a great destination for anyone wanting a lot of playing time

[wadszip]

17 hours ago, UAZippers said:

I would love to get both of these players, but we are already 2 over the scholarship limit for next year. KD is going to have to make some tough decisions with his players. I don't see him inviting 2 more players in.

Unfortunately, you may be right. I'm not going to name names because it wouldn't be fair because the guys coming in/or who redshirted haven't had an opportunity to prove themselves. But from the little that I've seen (and also heard from talking to some other people), it looks like there is a lot of marginal, or redundant, players that will be on this roster, especially in the front-court.

 

Hudson is a high-major talent. Pierce has an elite attribute (his 7-foot, 245 pound frame). If both would happen to say they want to go to Akron, but get turned down to being out of scholarships, it's a massive failure on KD's part. I know he's in a tough spot, but he's making $700,000 a year to put the best team he can out there. As of right now, 2017 and beyond looks pretty meh, especially with the rest of the MAC improving.

 

I'm willing to see how things play out, but as of right now, it looks like we better enjoy 2016-17, and the only reason I'm really optimistic about next year is due to Big Dog's emergence. I think he is going to establish himself as the best player in the KD era, and probably his first NBA draftee (though almost 100 percent will be second-round due to age and not being the athlete NBA teams covet, but somebody will take him).

 

We'll have solid guard play after Big Dog (and Kwan) leaves, though those guards will continue to be undersized and defensively challenged. And unless this team can get somebody who can somewhat do what Big Dog will do next year (cough, cough, Pierce... or a take-over wing talent ... cough, cough, Hudson), our undersized guards, countered with undersized and unproven big men, probably equals a mediocre MAC team.

 

I've said what can be said. I guess we'll just see where Pierce (and Hudson) end up. If both end up at other high majors, all of this is moot. But if one (or both) end up at a program on the same level of Akron, I think it's reasonable to question why KD didn't land them (whether that is due to scholarship issues, or flat-out whiffing).