BBQ Discussion (formerly Welcome to SLU KC Hankton!)

[The Wiz]

39 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/kc-hankton/EN5A-KUIEeaAdqA2nzwY6g/gendersport/basketball-stats.htm

Not that it is important, but here are the stats from Maxpreps.  I took the 17-18 season and reported them.

Assuming those high school stats are correct ...and that is a big IF....using his career stats (2 years.....53 games)...his MADE baskets line looks like this...73/20 /27 which grades out as S3....small sample size....ie  he is an unknown quantity at this point. = you will have to trust Ford on this one.

[hoppybeer]

All of his numbers had a big drop his senior year when you look at his maxpreps stats. Something seems wonky.

[VeniceMenace]

Best summary on KC Hankton, from Phenom Hoop Reports look at top unsigned players from North Carolina:

 

6’8 KC Hankton (United Faith)
KC Hankton is a skilled hybrid forward that can really play. The southpaw has a unique skill set for his size/position. He has a soft velvet touch and excellent body control around the rim. While he does need to add additional strength, it’s not often to find a player like Hankton that is still available with his skill set, fundaments and overall basketball IQ. He sports over 10 offers. (UTRGV, Eastern Kentucky, Hofstra, Utah State, Kent State, Winthrop, Charlotte, Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo, Hartford, Campbell, and Eastern Washington)

Back in February it was reported that Hankton he’d visited Toledo and Eastern Washington, and that he would not commit until after his three other official visits were complete....so, he was taking his time.

I question the accuracy of the Maxprep statistics. Junior year he averaged 15/10....senior year late in the season he was averaging 16/8 — NOT the Maxpreps ppl of only 11......and in the team’s final playoff game had 24 points against a team featuring a Duke recruit.

Steals: Suspect more inaccuracy from Maxpreps....saw many Charlotte Observer entries where Hankton had double-doubles and 4 or 5 steels. Quick hands are slways a good sign.

Couple more things: Last I saw, he was ranked 26th in the state. Sounds awful for a D-1 recruit. But each player in the top 10 is going to a power 5 school...each from 10-20 is going D1, and several D-1s  were 20-30. 

Hankton played on a strong team that advanced to the state playoffs two straight years with three stars...one of whom will go to Hartford....Hankton appears to be very consistent, as he made all stare two years in a row.

Underweight much like Micky Pearson, but like Pearson 6-8 and can hit the 3....Seems a good addition for perimeter threat depth for now and a dual inside/outside threat long term. Having 6-8 players at both the 2 and 3 spots who aren’t stiffs is a huge change from years past. And, yes, this fills the JJ void.

[Franchise_08]

I see his Father played for the Carolina Panthers

[VeniceMenace]

9 minutes ago, Franchise_08 said:

I see his Father played for the Carolina Panthers

Good find....also see UNLV and the new coach for Evansville were after Hankton in recent weeks.

[cheeseman]

I am sensing some mixed messages here from the other posters.  I am not sure what to think of the commitment at this point - I guess I will wait for Pistol's evaluation.

[Box and Won]

Ima Pitbull this.

[HoosierPal]

10 hours ago, The Wiz said:

Ahhh...what to believe.

If I use HoosierPal's numbers the grade slash looks like this.....C+ / F- / F-...overall grade F-....Not pretty

If I use SLURadioBoy's numbers.....then it looks like this....A+ / A+ / A+....overall grade ...A+...not to mention he breaks the magic 180 number.....easily.... with a 194.....which would make him golden

Let me know when someone comes up with the real numbers.

Also for the grades to be significant you need ....100 / 25 / 50....those are all  "made shots"

I know nothing more than anyone else - I certainly agree MaxPreps has been wrong more than right, but if he is an A+ shooter, why Eastern Michigan and Toledo as the main interested schools?  Let's hope he is a golden shooter that completely went under the P5 radars.  

Keep expectations low, let him get on campus, put on some weight and muscle, lace them up this fall, and re-evaluate after OOC.

[Billiken Rich]

Freshman Jalen.  Got it.

[Band Legend]

Every team in America has a couple of scholarship players at the end of the bench.  I have no problems taking a shot on a kid with size and a smooth stroke.  Every once in a while you hit the jackpot on a late signee like K.C.

[Pistol]

9 hours ago, The Wiz said:

Assuming those high school stats are correct ...and that is a big IF....using his career stats (2 years.....53 games)...his MADE baskets line looks like this...73/20 /27 which grades out as S3....small sample size....ie  he is an unknown quantity at this point. = you will have to trust Ford on this one.

 

49 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

I know nothing more than anyone else - I certainly agree MaxPreps has been wrong more than right, but if he is an A+ shooter, why Eastern Michigan and Toledo as the main interested schools?  Let's hope he is a golden shooter that completely went under the P5 radars.  

Keep expectations low, let him get on campus, put on some weight and muscle, lace them up this fall, and re-evaluate after OOC.

MaxPreps stats are incomplete and unreliable. I'll dig for more reliable stats this morning and update this post if I can find better numbers.

[RiseAndGrind]

4 minutes ago, Band Legend said:

Every team in America has a couple of scholarship players at the end of the bench.  I have no problems taking a shot on a kid with size and a smooth stroke.  Every once in a while you hit the jackpot on a late signee like K.C.

I envision KC going HAM in a couple years while we are in the Sweet 16 and then there is some 2 minute B-Roll clip about how he wasn't heavily recruited like his teammates (goodwin, french, and Gordon) but now he's an all conference player. 

*A man can dream*

Also - get Isabell to commit in the next couple of days and this turns out to be a great way to head into the Summer. 

[Pistol]

9 hours ago, VeniceMenace said:

Best summary on KC Hankton, from Phenom Hoop Reports look at top unsigned players from North Carolina:

 

6’8 KC Hankton (United Faith)
KC Hankton is a skilled hybrid forward that can really play. The southpaw has a unique skill set for his size/position. He has a soft velvet touch and excellent body control around the rim. While he does need to add additional strength, it’s not often to find a player like Hankton that is still available with his skill set, fundaments and overall basketball IQ. He sports over 10 offers. (UTRGV, Eastern Kentucky, Hofstra, Utah State, Kent State, Winthrop, Charlotte, Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo, Hartford, Campbell, and Eastern Washington)

Back in February it was reported that Hankton he’d visited Toledo and Eastern Washington, and that he would not commit until after his three other official visits were complete....so, he was taking his time.

I question the accuracy of the Maxprep statistics. Junior year he averaged 15/10....senior year late in the season he was averaging 16/8 — NOT the Maxpreps ppl of only 11......and in the team’s final playoff game had 24 points against a team featuring a Duke recruit.

Steals: Suspect more inaccuracy from Maxpreps....saw many Charlotte Observer entries where Hankton had double-doubles and 4 or 5 steels. Quick hands are slways a good sign.

Couple more things: Last I saw, he was ranked 26th in the state. Sounds awful for a D-1 recruit. But each player in the top 10 is going to a power 5 school...each from 10-20 is going D1, and several D-1s  were 20-30. 

Hankton played on a strong team that advanced to the state playoffs two straight years with three stars...one of whom will go to Hartford....Hankton appears to be very consistent, as he made all stare two years in a row.

Underweight much like Micky Pearson, but like Pearson 6-8 and can hit the 3....Seems a good addition for perimeter threat depth for now and a dual inside/outside threat long term. Having 6-8 players at both the 2 and 3 spots who aren’t stiffs is a huge change from years past. And, yes, this fills the JJ void.

If I were writing a bio on a newly offered Hankton, it'd look like this (VeniceMenace has a nice summary above, so I'll try not to be redundant):

KC Hankton - F, 6-8, 200 - Charlotte, NC (United Faith Christian Academy) - Twitter: @iHankton

Offers: SLU, Ole Miss, Charlotte, Kent State, Toledo, Valpo, Evansville, Eastern Kentucky, Winthrop, UNC-Asheville, Campbell, USC-Upstate, Hofstra, Hartford, James Madison, Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, Eastern Washington, Utah State, Southeastern Louisiana, UT-Rio Grande Valley.

Interest: St. Joe's, DePaul, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, UCF, East Carolina, Ohio, Loyola-Chicago, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Radford.

Latest News: Hankton committed to SLU. (5/31/18)

Scouting Report: Hankton is a high-level shooter with a smooth, compact left-handed stroke. He's a stretch forward with a lean 6-8 frame that he needs to add muscle to, but he still rebounds well. He runs the floor well, can score on all three levels, and can shoot it off the dribble. He uses his length and quickness (for his size) to create a good amount of steals and blocks.

-Despite being 6-8, he doesn't look anything like Pearson to me. Pearson has tremendous length. Hankton has a more conventional frame for a guy that tall. They're both shooters, lean, and can run the floor. But they just have a different look.

He transferred from Harding University HS to United Faith Christian Academy, both of which are in Charlotte, heading into his junior year. He played alongside Nate Springs, headed to Ohio; Rafael Jenkins, a VMI commit; and Jaylen Sims, who will go to UNC-Wilmington. Just going through Twitter and Charlotte Observer articles, it seems like Hankton was a double-double machine and usually the top scorer for a very good, deep team. Like VM points out above, he also contributed big block and steal numbers a lot of nights.

A lot of his offers and higher-level interest came in the past two months. It's hard to tell whether Ole Miss offered or was just showing a lot of interest; VC says they offered, but there isn't a lot else about an offer, just that they'd been calling and watching.

His dad indeed played for the Carolina Panthers - Karl Hankton, a wide receiver. He started out with Washington in 1997 but didn't play, then a couple light-usage years in Philadelphia, and then seven years in Carolina, where he only missed 8 total games. He was mostly a special teams player.

[ACE]

45 minutes ago, Band Legend said:

Every team in America has a couple of scholarship players at the end of the bench.  I have no problems taking a shot on a kid with size and a smooth stroke.  Every once in a while you hit the jackpot on a late signee like K.C.

My preference was for a quality transfer to sit out a year, but this may not be a bad idea. Six is too many in one class, so I hope the plan is for him to redshirt. There will be more potential playing time the following year at the 3/4 after Bess and Foreman graduate. 

As for the video, agree that he appears to be a slightly taller version of JJ. His stroke looks smoother than JJ's, but looks like he could eventually fill a similar role. As for next year, I expect Pearson to be more likely to try to fill the JJ role. Hopefully the kid is patient and in year 2 or 3 he is a contributor.

[JMM28]

17 minutes ago, ACE said:

My preference was for a quality transfer to sit out a year, but this may not be a bad idea. Six is too many in one class, so I hope the plan is for him to redshirt. There will be more potential playing time the following year at the 3/4 after Bess and Foreman graduate. 

 

Until any changes in the transfer rules, I think the redshirt a scholarship player days are numbered. There is no real benefit to player or team anymore.

The classes will naturally balance out when Gordon jumps to the NBA after his sophomore season as well as any other transfers, injury redshirts, weathersing, etc. 

[bauman]

8 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

Until any changes in the transfer rules, I think the redshirt a scholarship player days are numbered. There is no real benefit to player or team anymore.

The classes will naturally balance out when Gordon jumps to the NBA after his sophomore season as well as any other transfers, injury redshirts, etc. 

See the D. Roby recruiting class.

[Scoop]

He was offered by Ole Miss late.  Looks like there was also a stud guard on his team that lit up the points column.  I like the commitment.  Would be an awesome redshirt.

[slu72]

He doesn't seem like a Brad type fill in player. First, we needed to go into the season with more than just 11 scholarship players. Second, per Pistol he was drawing more interest from higher quality mids and a possible from an SEC school. Kids develop at different paces, so why not take a shot a guy who appears to be a later bloomer? I see him more as insurance for Wellmer not recovering from his foot problems. As the Trumpster says, We'll see what happens.

[HoosierPal]

31 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

Until any changes in the transfer rules, I think the redshirt a scholarship player days are numbered. There is no real benefit to player or team anymore.

The classes will naturally balance out when Gordon jumps to the NBA after his sophomore season as well as any other transfers, injury redshirts, weathersing, etc. 

I agree that the benefit for the team is diminished, but for the player, eyeing a grad transfer certainly can be beneficial.  Particularly if a player can earn his bachelor's degree in 3 years, he could be an attractive two year grad transfer. 

So we start with 6 frosh, any bets on how many are left when they are seniors?  I'm guessing (not betting) two.

[CBFan]

I am hoping he is the next Virgil Cobbin who signed late and scored 1107 for his career at SLU.

[HoosierPal]

More info to digest on Hankton.  Ranked 33rd in state per phenomhoopreport, whatever that is.  12 NC players going P5, 3 to AAC, now one to A10.  Anyone know how that compares to MO?

http://www.phenomhoopreport.com/rankings/2018-north-carolina-rankings/

[757billiken]

Thatch EYBL stats from last year

GP    PPG   2PM    2PA     FG%   FTA     FTM   FT%   3PTM  3PTA 3PT% 

16

6.8

38

88

.432

27

38

.711

6

26

.231

 Hankston EYBL stats from same year.  They actually played each other so I'm sure Ford saw him play there.

16

6.4

34

67

.507

13

19

.684

11

36

.306

Jacobs EYBL Stats from same year

15

13.5

69

123

.561

49

61

.803

11

35

.314

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, JMM28 said:

Until any changes in the transfer rules, I think the redshirt a scholarship player days are numbered. There is no real benefit to player or team anymore.

The classes will naturally balance out when Gordon jumps to the NBA after his sophomore season as well as any other transfers, injury redshirts, weathersing, etc. 

i agree that with the grad transfer rules, redshirting a player might only be developing a player to yield results for some other program when at their peak.   imo it almost seems medical reasons or transfer sit out season, are the only logical reason to redshirt a player any  more.   i certainly dont want to waste a roster spot on a player (not talking about hankston or any other current specific billiken) for a lesser player in hopes they can develop but no guarantee of such.   you could be taking up a roster spot for another season that could better be used by a more talented or better fitting player in future years.    

[moytoy12]

12 minutes ago, 757billiken said:

Jacobs EYBL Stats from same year

15

13.5

69

123

.561

49

61

.803

11

35

.314

[HoosierPal]

50 minutes ago, 757billiken said:

Thatch EYBL stats from last year

GP    PPG   2PM    2PA     FG%   FTA     FTM   FT%   3PTM  3PTA 3PT% 

16

6.8

38

88

.432

27

38

.711

6

26

.231

 Hankston EYBL stats from same year.  They actually played each other so I'm sure Ford saw him play there.

16

6.4

34

67

.507

13

19

.684

11

36

.306

Jacobs EYBL Stats from same year

15

13.5

69

123

.561

49

61

.803

11

35

.314

What ya got on Pearson?  He or Thatch may be our best incoming shooter.  He was 38% on 3's in HS last season, but with a significant sample size, 73 of 190.  I have Jacobs at 10 of 23 in HS last season and Thatch at 41% last season, but with no idea on sample size.  (His 6 of 26 raises eyebrows, in a negative way - but a very small # of shots.)