Scholly offer to Donivine Stewart .....

[BuB]

I have said this before, I have been watching DS play since he was in 3rd grade. He is a special player, not flashy, a very high basketball IQ and he has a nose for the ball, very good passer, sees the floor very well. Good Job JL !!

I too have been watching him for a long time. You are right on with his strengths, especially his basketball IQ. I would add that he is a very good ball handler. His weakness is well known to those who watch him alot. He is a below average shooter and on the ball defender. He can create a layup for himself anytime he wants due to his ball handling ability but making 4 of 10 fifteen to eighteen foot shots is a real challenge especially off the dribble. I realize alot of it is due to his shot form/mechanics and those should improve with proper instruction in college. But he will have to change to get better. His defense also needs to improve alot. We ask our guards to be good on the ball defenders and make it difficult to drive the lane. DS will need to get alot better before Les or any D1 school would give him minutes. His defensive skills are way behind his offensive skills.

[AZ BU Fan]

Nothing against DS, but

Sorry to say, all that high school instinct, nose for the ball, hustle, sees things before they happen, toughness etc don't necessarily transfer to success at the major college level, and I include BU and the MVC in my definition of major college ball.

Looking at the other guards the MVC is recruiting and starting (other than BU), DS will be competing against other playrs who also have instinct, a nose for the ball, hustle, see things before they happen, toughness etc, and oh yeah, they will also be bigger and can shoot....

[Braves4Life]

Nothing against DS, but

Sorry to say, all that high school instinct, nose for the ball, hustle, sees things before they happen, toughness etc don't necessarily transfer to success at the major college level, and I include BU and the MVC in my definition of major college ball.

Looking at the other guards the MVC is recruiting and starting (other than BU), DS will be competing against other playrs who also have instinct, a nose for the ball, hustle, see things before they happen, toughness etc, and oh yeah, they will also be bigger and can shoot....

I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with this AZ BU Fan. I've not seen the kid play live but from what I have heard he has been playing on the regional and national circuit for awhile and has more than held his own. He's obviously got a certain level of skill to draw the attention of the "big boys". Unfortunately, he may be just a notch below the caliber of player that they are able to get (just like Prosser was). I would be estatic if this kid fell to BU; I think kids like this can really excel and find themselves (rather than riding the pine at a school like Duke) by playing at the mid-major level. Most of the players he would play against would be some of the same guys he "made his name on" at the high school level and AAU circuit.

[AZ BU Fan]

Fair enough B4L....If DS has been holding his own vs other folks in the club team circuit...BU has had lots of smaller slashers at the PG position, but they struggle to get an outside shot off vs taller guards, and, without credible outside shooting, can't get to the hoop vs a packed in defense. DSE's ability to get to the hoop anytime he wants in HS may not translate in college with better defense and bigger players to contend with. All things being equal, I guess I'd take some more size and ether shut down defensive skills or pretty good outside shooting skills vs slashing guards with other intangibles...

While I was still in Peoria attending BU games, it seemd our point guards were getting beat off the dribble causing all sorts of havoc with BU defense, and leading to open 3's if the other team was able to kick the ball back out or reverse the ball away from BU's help defense.

Its gets confusing sometimes, some posters say college coaches can teach players to shoot better, other posters say that college coaches can't improve players' shooting, particularly free throw shooting.

Interesting discussion on one of ESPN's shows the other day...can basketball players dramatically improve while in college. The consensus in the discussion was if players aren't making an impact by their soph year, not likely to be impact players over their junior/senior seasons....ie impact players have developed and shown skills early on in their college careers (like TB). Perhaps this applies more to "Major" college players vs Mid Majors....

[ph]

JC was mostly non-existant his sophmmore year, but made an impact in the world of college b-ball by leading the nation in 3 point % his junior year.
Look at Drake a few years ago, led by a senior walk-on.

I agree more with the assumption that no one is likely going from being a bench player to a proto-typical lotto pick, but there are many players that improve enough to make an impact (in w/l for their team) as seniors

[Da Coach]

Jeremy's shooting struggles early in the 2005-2006 season, along with the emergence of Will Franklin kept JC mostly on the bench his sophomore season. But rather than sulk, he worked hard and came back his junior season.

[Big Mike]

PJS on Donivine Stewarts BU offer....

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1903563742/Limestone-guard-gets-offer-from-Bradley

PS.....time to close the door Monday JL!

[Da Coach]

The PJ Star now reports the BU scholarship offer to Donivine Stewart-

http://www.bradleyhoops.com/homepage/x1669485797/Limestone-guard-gets-offer-from-Bradley

Donivine Stewart says he has offers from Bradley, Illinois, and West Virginia.

However, the article is mistaken about the NLI signing period and rules.
The article says-
"When asked if he wanted to sign with a school this spring, Stewart was noncommittal."

But Stewart is only a junior, and he will not be eligible to sign this spring. The earliest he could sign a NLI would be next November.

[Buesch N Chips]

Aren't there very strict rules regarding recruiting juniors?

[Da Coach]

There are rules, but the coaches are aware of them and closely follow them. The recruits can attend games as often as they want, and during contact periods like now, they may talk to coaches all they want.

[dogsrus]

Rumor is D. Stewart got one last nite. He was apparently in the BU locker room last nite.

Good to see my source gave me excellent info....and to think it was questioned.

[amckillip]

The PJ Star now reports the BU scholarship offer to Donivine Stewart-

http://www.bradleyhoops.com/homepage/x1669485797/Limestone-guard-gets-offer-from-Bradley

Donivine Stewart says he has offers from Bradley, Illinois, and West Virginia.

However, the article is mistaken about the NLI signing period and rules.
The article says-
"When asked if he wanted to sign with a school this spring, Stewart was noncommittal."

But Stewart is only a junior, and he will not be eligible to sign this spring. The earliest he could sign a NLI would be next November.

WOW, thats pretty bad, even casual fans generally understand the NLI process - A sportswriter should really know that, even if they remained unnamed... Great quality writing...

[Braves4Life]

Donivine Stewart says he has offers from Bradley, Illinois, and West Virginia.

If BU pulls this off it just might be our highest profile signing since the Versace days.

[amckillip]

If BU pulls this off it just might be our highest profile signing since the Versace days.

I may be showing my age, but who was higher profile than JP or MS (if you're going to throw a transfer from Cleveland in my face) during the Versace days?

[Da Coach]

I don't know who was meant-
But back in those early 1980's there weren't recruiting experts who graded recruits like there are today. So it was much more subjective to evaluate recruits then.
However, some of Versace's recruits were thought to be extremely high profile- Mitchell Anderson, Pierre Cooper, and Voise Winters to name a few who were recruited by some very high level programs like Big Ten schools, Marquette, and others.