2020 Recruiting.

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Are we actually recruiting Sotto?

I have not seen Miami mentioned with his name.

I can only confirm that Dylan Cardwell and Daniel Batcho are the only high school senior bigs with a Miami offer and Miami in their final list. Cardwell has already had his official visit and Batcho will probably take one after the season.

It is possible that Miami will offer Sotto but I have not found any confirmation yet.
 
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We badly need another big and a perimeter shooter in this class, whether it be high school players (my preference) or grad transfers..

With Lykes, McGusty, Wong, Beverly, Timberlake and Cross already on the roster, do we have any minutes available for another perimeter player?

I am not saying your line of thinking is incorrect, I just want someone to discuss that in more depth why another perimeter shooter or point guard is needed. I am not saying it is not, I am just trying to determine where the priority on the roster should go.

I think the biggest priority should be two high school bigs. Only because after next season, Miller, Brooks and Wardenburg will be gone. That leaves Deng Gak as the only big (6'10 or above) on the roster. That means Miami needs two bigs now and two in the 2021 recruiting cycle. My thought process is that the two high school bigs will redshirt next season to get stronger, bigger and improve on their skillset as there will be an abundance of minutes available on the roster.

Tell me what you think, I want to know if I am overthinking this.
 
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For as good Prosper was on Saturday, Kai Sotto was just as good on Friday. The ambidextrous big man is not quick-twitch by any means, but his composure and feel in the post, coinciding with his all-around skill set, sets him apart.

Talk has begun that he could sit out all of next year in preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft. If not, Auburn, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and USC are among the group that he will pick from later this spring.
 

CHICAGO – One of the players scouts and NBA executives were excited to get a look at during the Basketball Without Borders camp was 7-foot-2 center prospect Kai Sotto.

Sotto had a solid performance through three days of camp, showing off his high skill level. Sotto has tremendous scoring touch around the goal and is equipped with good hands, deft touch and an array of moves both with his back to the rim or facing it.

After camp 247Sports caught up Sotto, who ranks No. 61 in the Composite Rankings, but No. 51 in the Top247, to discuss the event, his development and where he’s at with the recruiting process:

How was camp for you?
It was good. I think it was a great camp, a lot of very talented players here and great coaches. Just a great environment, I would say.

How do you think you played?
I think I played as well as I expected. I think I can play better but everything happens for a reason and I really took it positively. After this I saw a lot of things that I can improve on and that’s the positive part of coming to this BWB camp, just to learn from what I did wrong and what I can improve on.

In what ways do you think your game has progressed since the summer?
I think I got better, I got more confidence in my game, I improved on every aspect of my basketball skills and I’m just hoping to improve more and be ready for the next level.

Where are you at with your decision into of pursuing college or professional options?
As of now, before I came here, I blocked everything about that, I just focused on BWB Camp but now after this, that’s the time that I will try to focus on looking to the colleges.

Have you done any visits recently?
Recently, I think home-visits with Boston College.

What about on-campus?
I took unofficials to Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia Tech.
 

For as good Prosper was on Saturday, Kai Sotto was just as good on Friday. The ambidextrous big man is not quick-twitch by any means, but his composure and feel in the post, coinciding with his all-around skill set, sets him apart.

Talk has begun that he could sit out all of next year in preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft. If not, Auburn, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and USC are among the group that he will pick from later this spring.

Lol at this kid sitting out in preparation for the 2021 draft. Some of these dudes are in for rude awakenings. Going to be a sea of undrafted/gleague players when the NBA allows HS kids to go into the draft.

But on another note, we need to recruit more of these basketball without borders, FIBA U17-U19, and NBA basketball Academy kids. There are a lot of gems in those groupings every year and we ignore them completely. We could've had Santi Aldama on our roster right now or one of the 6'6-6'8 wings with long arms that go to play at other D1 schools.
 
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Lol at this kid sitting out in preparation for the 2021 draft. Not even ranked top 60 in his graduating class. These new dudes are different man.

But on another note, we need to recruit more of these basketball without borders, FIBA U17-U19, and NBA basketball Academy kids. There are a lot of gems in those groupings every year and we ignore them completely. We could've had Santi Aldama on our roster right now or one of the 6'6-6'8 wings with long arms that go to play at other D1 schools.

I think the main reasons why he is not ranked is due to international players not being allowed into the top 100.

You bring up a great point about international recruiting. This would require our coaches to go to the FIBA U16 and U17 games every June. That is where most of the top international guys play. One kid to keep an eye out for is Jean Montero. He is a 2022 point guard from the South Florida area. He is from the DR and he plays with Team Breakdown in the Summer. He performed really well at the Basketball without Borders event and he already has a Miami offer.
 
I think the main reasons why he is not ranked is due to international players not being allowed into the top 100.

You bring up a great point about international recruiting. This would require our coaches to go to the FIBA U16 and U17 games every June. That is where most of the top international guys play. One kid to keep an eye out for is Jean Montero. He is a 2022 point guard from the South Florida area. He is from the DR and he plays with Team Breakdown in the Summer. He performed really well at the Basketball without Borders event and he already has a Miami offer.

he is ranked. he is 51 on 247 and in the 60s in the composite. He goes to a school in Atlanta. He will end up on a NBA roster because only so many 7' foot dudes w/ his arms that can move up and down, but the rush to go to the NBA instead of playing in college for 2-3 seasons baffles me. Not everyone is ready for that pressure right away and that's ok. Dudes are ready to sit on the bench or go undrafted. If Naz Reid came back in this weak draft class he'd have a chance to be a 1st rounder and make a lot more money.

Jean Montero looks like a lottery pick (still really early). Hope we get him but the big dogs (possibly the NBA if the rules change) will come calling too.
 
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he is ranked. he is 51 on 247 and in the 60s in the composite. He goes to a school in Atlanta. He will end up on a NBA roster because only so many 7' foot dudes w/ his arms that can move up and down, but the rush to go to the NBA instead of playing in college for 2-3 seasons baffles me. Not everyone is ready for that pressure right away and that's ok. Dudes are ready to sit on the bench or go undrafted. If Naz Reid came back in this weak draft class he'd have a chance to be a 1st rounder and make a lot more money.

Jean Montero looks like a lottery pick. Hope we get him but the big dogs (possibly the NBA if the rules change) will come calling too.

Good point. I forgot, Kai plays at TSF. A high school called The Skill Factory. That says all I need to know. I have watched him play. I agree with you, he needs a lot of work on his game. Given his desire to bypass college or go to a college where he can start immediately to showcase his skills, that would pretty much eliminate Miami.

In the 2022 and 2023 recruiting periods, Miami has a lot and I mean a lot of in-state talent they can pick from. Jean Montero would be my pick for point guard easily. Even if it is for only one year, let's make it one really good year.
 
With Lykes, McGusty, Wong, Beverly, Timberlake and Cross already on the roster, do we have any minutes available for another perimeter player?

I am not saying your line of thinking is incorrect, I just want someone to discuss that in more depth why another perimeter shooter or point guard is needed. I am not saying it is not, I am just trying to determine where the priority on the roster should go.

I think the biggest priority should be two high school bigs. Only because after next season, Miller, Brooks and Wardenburg will be gone. That leaves Deng Gak as the only big (6'10 or above) on the roster. That means Miami needs two bigs now and two in the 2021 recruiting cycle. My thought process is that the two high school bigs will redshirt next season to get stronger, bigger and improve on their skillset as there will be an abundance of minutes available on the roster.

Tell me what you think, I want to know if I am overthinking this.
You make some good points. I was thinking we need another perimeter shooter because it doesn't look like Beverly is a great shooter and I don't think that's Timberlake's forte either.

Lykes is a great 3 point shooter but he will be a senior. Same with Kam
Wong is a good 3 point shooter but his preference is to attack.
Honestly not sure about Cross

And of course we lose DJ, and while he's in a slump, that is a lot of 3's to have to replace.

We have a lot of guards who can attack but I don't see a ton of outside shooting on the roster, especially after Lykes and Kam graduate. That is why I'd love to add a sharp shooter to next year's roster.
 
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