Scouting Report 2024
The Dragons are coming off a 2nd place finish but due to graduation and transfers, Coach Spiker and his staff needed to replace over half the roster in this recruiting class. The departures included all of the primary starters and over 70% of the scoring from last year.
The biggest area of need was at point guard. With Justin Moore (Loyola Chicago) and Jamie Bergens (Fairfield) transferring out that left zero natural point guards on the roster. There was also a massive hole at the 4 spot with Lucas Monroe graduating and Lamar Oden transferring to Charleston Southern. Other than that they just needed to add depth and potential star power through the portal.
This class really filled the biggest needs, bringing in multiple guys who can play point and slot into the 4 spot, along with adding plenty of playable depth. Where this class lacked though was adding proven D1 star power/production from the portal. All of the transfers with D1 experience averaged less than 2 points per game at their previous D1 institutions.
Lack of proven production doesn’t mean this class lacks talent (I think there is a good amount of talent in this class) but it would have been nice to bring in players that have produced at a high level in the D1 ranks.
Below are player evaluations and ratings for the seven incoming players in this year’s recruiting class.
Josh Reed (PG/SG) 2.75
Josh is a strong, springy combo guard that is at his best attacking downhill and in transition. He was very productive at the high school level as a senior. He dunks with ease, finishes around the hoop very well with both hands (runners & layups) but will force some really tough close range shots in heavy traffic. He does need to use his body better to shield the defender as he gets blocked around the rim more than he should. I don’t think his handle is good enough to run point at the next level yet but he uses change of pace, paired with crossovers and spins to get to the hoop. He also gets out fast in transition and finishes effectively. Josh is a decent passer hitting cutters and really does a nice job of driving in and finding open 3 point shooters. He does have a tendency to drive into too much traffic and will lose the ball.
His biggest limitation is his jump shot though. While his mid range jumper seemed fairly effective in limited use, his 3 point attempts were even more sparse. Over 17 games I personally watched he only went 3 for 9 from behind the arc. On defense I like his potential due to his strength and athletic ability. He displayed the ability to stay in front of guards and didn’t allow larger players to back him down. His quick hands and anticipation to jump passing lanes can result in a decent amount of steals. Impressively he barely seems to get beat defending one on one. Josh also contests well using his leaping ability but struggles to recover when picked as he just doesn’t seem to go fight through the screen or rush to recover. He’s strong on the glass as he aggressively goes after boards but doesn’t really box out, he more runs in to crash or tries to just out leap people.
While I like his strength, athletic ability, high rate of finishing around the hoop and defensive potential, his sparse jump shooting and inability to play the 1 at 6-2 kept his rating at 2.75. If he can knock down his outside jump shot at a high rate or transition into playing point, that would increase his upside significantly. I don’t expect him to play big minutes right away but he definitely can contribute right away defensively and scoring around the basket.
Clemson Edomwonyin (PF/C) 3.0
Clemson has a lot of potential at 6-9 with great length and athletic ability. On the other hand though he is very raw, with developing basketball instincts as he has only played basketball for 2 or 3 years. He is really still learning how to play basketball. Clemson doesn’t have a natural feel for the game at this point and needs to greatly improve his overall basketball skill set. As an example he just seems lost in pick and roll, while he sets a good screen, he can’t seem to give his teammate a good angle to pass to and even if he does that then can’t seem to catch the pass. This all comes with his lack of experience and should greatly improve with more reps. Production wise now he is mainly a rim protector and defensive presence. He does play hard and makes plays defensively just but hustling.
Clemson flashed the ability to score in the post and finish with both hands but on a very limited basis. His footwork also looked impressive at times but he just showed that so few and far between. On the few jump shots attempts he took, he did so with confidence but none of them went in while I was watching. Occasionally he will make a really impressive offensive play that makes your jaw drop but then will completely brick a put back in any traffic. Clemson needs to improve his rebounding as well. He boxes out for rebounds but doesn’t grab that many, sometimes he will box his man out but put himself out of position to get the rebound, other times he just won’t make the grab. He will get pushed around inside at times and just doesn’t seem to have a good feel for going after boards. There are times where he isn’t even in for rebounds on FT’s and standing at 6-9 this shouldn’t be the case.
This is a good pickup for his potential and shot blocking abilities but he would do best with a redshirt year as he needs a lot of seasoning. With Garfield Turner out for the year the Dragons may not have the luxury to redshirt him though. Clemson isn’t ready to contribute offensively, it might be 2-3 years, but he could provide some valuable rim protection right away.
He has the body and athletic ability of a high level prospect but he is so raw at this point that it will take a lot of hard work on his end to reach his full potential. His lack of experience though doesn’t leave him with a lot of bad habits and he does seem to be improving quickly. He looked more comfortable playing in the latest game I watched which was an all star game after the season. His comfortability might have been due to it being less structured and more free flowing than a prep school game but he looked better offensively. He hit an impressive reverse after a baseline cut and had a nice short one handed shot after an offensive board to go along with a trio of dunks. This was way more production than any game I saw from him in prep school.
Ralph Akuta (C) 3.25
Ralph is a legit 7+ footer and moves pretty well at that size. One issue he has though is that he looks stronger than he plays. He does have the frame to really put on muscle though. His lack of playing strong shows up on the glass and in the fact that he really doesn’t use his size advantage to back payers down to get closer to the rim. On the boards he should be dominant but he isn’t all that effective. He boxes out but doesn’t seem to have great awareness as to how the ball will come off the rim.
Offensively he is inconsistent finishing around the hoop as his touch isn’t great. Ralph can put the ball on the ground some and showed some post moves. He is a righty but is willing to finish and shoot hook shots with left hand. His hands need to improve for rebounds and catching passes, he seems to catch passes he is ready for but won’t catch them if he’s not expecting them.
Ralph will contribute defensively quicker than offensively as he does block and alter a lot of shots, At 7-1 and decent enough athletic ability this is a quality pickup based on future potential. Much like Clemson, Ralph would be best suited to redshirt a year. If he can get stronger and sharpen his interior skills he could be an impact player down the road for the Dragons but he has a ways to go.
Kevon Vanderhorst (PG) 3.5
JUCO stats: 13.0 ppg, 4.4 apg
Kevon is an athletic floor general with a lot of scoring ability. He handles the ball well with both hands and regularly beats his man off the dribble. Kevon will use a variety of moves to get by his defenders but what really sets him apart is his ability to change speed and rapidly accelerate. This allows him to get all the way to the hoop but also creates a lot of separation for his pull up jump shot. His mid range jump shot is very reliable and can knock it down right over defenders. While his mid range game is one of his biggest strengths, he can rely on it too often instead of getting all the way to the hoop and it does lead to some difficult shots early in the shot clock. His range does extend out to beyond three point range and he is already good enough from there to more than keep defenses honest. When he does get closer to the hoop he can knock down floaters or finish some difficult layups with his right hand. He’ll pass on an easier angle with his left hand to get to the right.
Even with all his scoring ability Kevon is an unselfish player and good passer. He does a great job driving in and kicking out for open threes and can create easy inside looks for his teammates as well. Kevon can however be a little loose with the ball at times and will force overly difficult passes that can result in TO’s. In transition he excels, finishing strong at the hoop and always seemingly throws right pass. His athleticism really shines in transition when he easily throws down two hand slams. Kevon is very good on the other side of the ball as well. He’s a tough defender that plays with a lot of effort and doesn’t get beat off the dribble often. When he does get beat it’s usually just a mental error as he has the lateral quickness to stay in front of most players. When playing help defense he can generate turnovers with quick hands and good anticipation.
Kevon has 3 years of eligibility left and should be an impactful starter right away. I have him rated as a 3.5 due to his high ceiling with his athletic ability, shot creation and playmaking ability. The fact that he is a plus defender is an added bonus. If he can improve his shot selection and get to the hoop more when his jump shot isn’t falling he could be even better. Kevon had an injury that he was recovering from last year but once he got back in the swing of things he averaged 15.8 ppg, 4.2 apg, 52% fg, 33% 3pt.
Victor Panov (PF) 2.5
JUCO stats: 13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Victor is a guy that plays hard and is active on defense with the ability to defend multiple positions whether out on the perimeter or inside. Although he can get beat some by quicker guards off the dribble and bigger forwards in the post. When he gets beat though, he always sticks with the play to try and contest from behind and does so successfully a lot. He does provide some level of rim protection at only 6-7 and contests well on jump shots. He’s also strong on the glass and usually finds his man to box out.
His offense comes primarily in the post or cutting to the hoop but he can hit open 3 pointers as well. I’d like to see him hunt his outside shot more as he mostly just takes wide open 3’s with his feet set but he’s very efficient there (37.7% last season). He has a smooth stroke with high arc but his release is a little slow and he barely elevates, which maybe why he mainly takes open looks. In post he looks to get to the left side of the hoop for layups but can hit short fadeaway jumpers or hook shots albeit inconsistently. He almost exclusively finishes with his left hand which limits his post ability some and is inconsistent finishing with contact but does have nice touch with left around hoop without contact. On the perimeter Victor will take larger players off the dribble. He also works well setting the screen and rolling in pick and roll. He’s also a good passer hitting cutters or finding open shooters on the perimeter.
Victor should be an instant contributor and likely starter at the 4. He’s physically strong and although he looks a little stiff, in reality moves well and is a solid athlete. He’s a great fit for a Spiker 4 as he rebounds, defends, passes well, can post up or knock down the outside shot. With Garfield out for the year we could see him at the 5 spot as well in certain situations. Victor however will need to be more aggressive from 3 and learn to finish with his right hand to be more than a high level role player. With that said I have him rated as a 2.5 with only 2 years of eligibility remaining.
Jason “Deuce” Drake (PG) 2.5
JUCO stats: 9.6 ppg, 3.7 apg
Deuce is a point guard with good vision, passing ability and is very unselfish looking to pass before getting his own offense. He successfully makes some very difficult passes, creates open looks off the dribble for his teammates and will pass guys open or find the open man creating easy buckets. Deuce is pretty steady with the ball in his hands but will occasionally just lose his dribble. He can hit difficult step back jumpers and is a creative finisher with nice touch using his dominant right hand around the hoop but he doesn’t seem to score with his left hand often. Deuce can finish through contact, uses his body well to shield defenders from blocking him and finishes well in transition.
What concerns me most about him is that he doesn’t seem to have a way to generate easy looks for himself. Deuce struggles to beat his man all the way to the hoop and doesn’t create a lot of separation for jumpers. Out of the pick and roll he can generate offense or create for his teammates though. He shoots a high percentage from 3 (42.1% last season) but doesn’t look to shoot it often enough and has a very reliable mid range jumper. Defensively he gets beat too often off the dribble and will get beat very badly at times by players with the ability to quickly change direction. He does have quick hands and will knock the ball away in help D.
Deuce will be best suited as the backup point guard as long as Vanderhorst is healthy. Deuce should be able to run the offense at a high level but he isn’t the scoring threat that Vanderhorst is and isn’t as good defensively either. This is a much needed pickup for the Dragons though, as they needed to add depth at the one.
William Garcia Adsten (SF/PF) 3.25
Transfer from Pacific D1 stats: 1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Villiam has great positional size and brings versatility to play and defend multiple positions (3-5). While he’s best suited to play the 3 or 4, he could play as a small ball 5 with the right matchup or due to injuries. However, he is better taking advantage of mismatch’s with a smaller players by scoring over them, rather than trying to use quickness to get by larger defenders. Longer defenders do give him some problems inside and with his jumper. Villiam is very smooth finishing around the hoop with both hands though. He also handles the ball well with both hands in space but mostly drives north/south straight at the hoop with little to no moves. He will score driving all the way to the hoop if he sees an opening though. Villiam didn’t show any real post game as he scores around the hoop more by driving or cutting. He’s also effective in the pick and roll finding open spots for jump shots and also getting out in transition. Villiam doesn’t create his own shot too often but he’s is a smooth confident jump shooter with three point range that can shoot over top of defenders. While his release point could be higher and his release isn’t the fastest, he gets away with it because he’s 6-8.
Defensively he’s better guarding big guards on the outside, rather than battling inside where he can get pushed around. Hitting the weights and getting stronger could help him hold his ground better. On the perimeter he has good enough foot speed to stay in front of guards and has good length to contest jumpers. While he’s not a flashy passer, he will find the open man on the perimeter and passes well within the offense. Occasionally he will create open looks for teammates off the drive but at times will turn the ball over on a sloppy or lazy pass. In transition he makes the right passes but can also go coast to coast and score himself. He’s also a good rebounder when he’s not getting pushed around trying boxing out.
This is a great late pickup as Villiam adds a lot of versatility with ability to play multiple positions and brings needed size and length to the roster, which is even more imperative now with Garfield out. He has a silky smooth feel to his game, provides another shooter to space the floor and he doesn’t need to ball in his hands to be effective. Villiam didn’t play a lot at Pacific in his freshman year but he did have a couple of impressive games including a 9 point outing at Gonzaga. With three years of eligibility remaining and excellent positional size I really like his potential despite the lack of production at his previous stop. If he showed the ability to generate his own offense more I would have rated him a little higher but he graded out to a 3.25.