Post by derhut on May 21, 2015 7:12:52 GMT -5
May 20, 2015
Another grad transfer visits
Matt Steinbrink
Panther-lair.com Basketball Analyst
Talk about it in Center Court at the Pete
Richmond transfer Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is back in the recruiting process, and he had a good time in Oakland from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning.
Nelson-Ododa spoke with Panther-Lair.com after his visit.
"It was a good visit," he said. "The coaches told me that they need a player with my defensive ability inside. From what I understand, the four and five spots are basically interchangeable, so I could rotate between the two spots inside.
"Coach (Jamie) Dixon showed me some stats and said that they gave up too many easy shots last year. It was actually the highest field goal percentage allowed by a Jamie Dixon team I believe."
The 6'9", 235-pound post player from Atlanta would help the most in that category. Last season, he blocked 1.7 shots per game, which was down a bit from his 2.4 average as a sophomore. His blocks per minute were pretty impressive, even if it happened in the A10.
For his part, Nelson-Ododa doesn't think there would be a big adjustment.
"I do like the ACC, but the A10 was a good league last year," he said. "We had a lot of good teams and I feel like the level of play was high. Obviously you get the exposure and everything in the ACC, but I don't think it would be a huge step up for me."
The Pitt coaches seem to agree. Despite adding Rozelle Nix and Rafael Maia to help Mike Young inside, Dixon and his assistants would clearly like to bring in Nelson-Ododa to compliment the group. Along with Maia and Sterling Smith, the graduate transfer scholarship has become very valuable. A player like Nelson-Ododa, even if only contributing in a specialized role, is a better option than an empty spot heading into the season.
While he enjoyed his time at Pitt, Nelson-Ododa is currently contemplating more visits. The plan now is to speak with his family and decide what is next. Any more visits over the next week or so could be tricky, though, as a dead period is coming up to finish the month of May.
"I have heard from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Providence and some others," Nelson-Ododa. "Pitt is definitely right there for me.
"All of my questions were answered and I feel like it is a good situation. Now I just need to decide what visits I need to schedule, if any. This was my first visit, so we will see. "
Another grad transfer visits
Matt Steinbrink
Panther-lair.com Basketball Analyst
Talk about it in Center Court at the Pete
Richmond transfer Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is back in the recruiting process, and he had a good time in Oakland from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning.
Nelson-Ododa spoke with Panther-Lair.com after his visit.
"It was a good visit," he said. "The coaches told me that they need a player with my defensive ability inside. From what I understand, the four and five spots are basically interchangeable, so I could rotate between the two spots inside.
"Coach (Jamie) Dixon showed me some stats and said that they gave up too many easy shots last year. It was actually the highest field goal percentage allowed by a Jamie Dixon team I believe."
The 6'9", 235-pound post player from Atlanta would help the most in that category. Last season, he blocked 1.7 shots per game, which was down a bit from his 2.4 average as a sophomore. His blocks per minute were pretty impressive, even if it happened in the A10.
For his part, Nelson-Ododa doesn't think there would be a big adjustment.
"I do like the ACC, but the A10 was a good league last year," he said. "We had a lot of good teams and I feel like the level of play was high. Obviously you get the exposure and everything in the ACC, but I don't think it would be a huge step up for me."
The Pitt coaches seem to agree. Despite adding Rozelle Nix and Rafael Maia to help Mike Young inside, Dixon and his assistants would clearly like to bring in Nelson-Ododa to compliment the group. Along with Maia and Sterling Smith, the graduate transfer scholarship has become very valuable. A player like Nelson-Ododa, even if only contributing in a specialized role, is a better option than an empty spot heading into the season.
While he enjoyed his time at Pitt, Nelson-Ododa is currently contemplating more visits. The plan now is to speak with his family and decide what is next. Any more visits over the next week or so could be tricky, though, as a dead period is coming up to finish the month of May.
"I have heard from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Providence and some others," Nelson-Ododa. "Pitt is definitely right there for me.
"All of my questions were answered and I feel like it is a good situation. Now I just need to decide what visits I need to schedule, if any. This was my first visit, so we will see. "
