Welcome Blake Jones

[He15man]

Would concur - I think this can be done with strength conditioning without "bulking him up[" - you can be strong and execute those moves without adding 20-25 pounds. I like the fact that despite his height - he can move well, has moves, and a solid shot. His size can help with defense - which we need - and he can also be an outside threat that would be hard to defend against.

I watch those videos and it reminds me of Scottie PIppen - 6'9 guy who can handle the ball, pass, shoot from the perimeter, etc... but also had the strength to take contact on his way to the rim, and work with his back to the basket like a traditional big man on occasion. His size and skillset makes him really versatile. With the right coaching and development we might be looking at a legit NBA prospect in a few years.

 

[psyclone]

Fingers crossed he isn’t the next Vlad Moldoveanu

Or Danny Dixon!

 

[Quentin Daniels]

This will end up being a debate that Coach L didn't use him correctly, which may have some merit

Him and Louis Birdsong are two I think he missed on.

 

[Petey Buckets]

Him and Louis Birdsong are two I think he missed on.

Coach L's system needed two post bigs. Vlad and Birdsong would've been great stretch 4s but L either didn't know how or had no interest in letting them play that way. Vlad found a better system for his skills, Louis stuck it out and rolled a boulder up a hill for 4 years.

 

[GMUgemini]

Would concur - I think this can be done with strength conditioning without "bulking him up[" - you can be strong and execute those moves without adding 20-25 pounds. I like the fact that despite his height - he can move well, has moves, and a solid shot. His size can help with defense - which we need - and he can also be an outside threat that would be hard to defend against.

Not that he's going to be KD, but whenever I think of tall, lanky, perimeter based college forwards Kevin Durant comes to mind. Famously couldn't bench 185 at the combine, but that didn't stop him from straight dominating as a freshman.

Looked it up, he was listed at 6'9 215 at Texas.

He's listed as 6'10 240 right now.

I think Vlad came in at 205 his freshman year and put on something like 25 lbs by his sophomore year. He got down to 215 as a senior at American. He's 231 lbs right now.

Jones is coming in at under 200 lbs it looks like? At his height, you probably would barely even notice if he got up to 215.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I watch those videos and it reminds me of Scottie PIppen - 6'9 guy who can handle the ball, pass, shoot from the perimeter, etc... but also had the strength to take contact on his way to the rim, and work with his back to the basket like a traditional big man on occasion.

Yeah, I got none of that.

Pippen was a 50th Anniversary, NBA Top 50 all time player that had a 7" growth spurt in college and had developed as a guard prior. If Blake was close to that, he's not coming to George Mason.

I saw nothing in any of his highlight videos of a back to the basket big man. He's a SF, not a PF and saw him driving the open lane but not backing down anyone.

 

[MasonSAE4]

The forums rock cause in any given recruiting thread you get opinions like “his highlight tape sucks and he’s underweight” and then you scroll down three responses and see “he reminds me a bit of KD”

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Coach L's system needed two post bigs. Vlad and Birdsong would've been great stretch 4s but L either didn't know how or had no interest in letting them play that way. Vlad found a better system for his skills, Louis stuck it out and rolled a boulder up a hill for 4 years.

I think it was less that then we were lacking a second big man to play along Darryl Monroe and Birdsong was forced into the PF role. By the time Pearson and Morrision came along, they tried to switch him back to a SG/SF combo role and just hadn't been developed for it. His minutes went from 23 to 24, to 13 Soph to Sr. years.

Vlad just sucked on defense and L wasn't playing anyone that couldn't do that.

 

[JPgmuswim]

Seems like a great kid with a level head and good personality.

Not sure how he’s going to do on the court but the kid is going to slay off the court, basketball player rocking an Australian accent.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Yes that’s your rotation at the 5. The way KE has said he wants to play, the other 4 spots are going to be perimeter-oriented.

Also since Josh Oduro stayed I am guessing the five will be more perimeter oriented this year as well.

For good or bad.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Wait, what?? That's frowned upon now?

Everywhere east of LA now, if you can believe it.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Not sure how he’s going to do on the court but the kid is going to slay off the court, basketball player rocking an Australian accent.

Yeah like he's not going to pull GC Marcicinni melted Italian Ice/CEO type a**, but the kid is clearly going to pull a**.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Yeah like he's not going to pull GC Marcicinni melted Italian Ice/CEO type a**, but the kid is clearly going to pull a**.

The minkies like a "Digger Down Under".

 

[Patriotsince81]

Not sure how he’s going to do on the court but the kid is going to slay off the court, basketball player rocking an Australian accent.

- Flat out like a lizard drinking. - Say what?

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[He15man]

Yeah, I got none of that.

Pippen was a 50th Anniversary, NBA Top 50 all time player that had a 7" growth spurt in college and had developed as a guard prior. If Blake was close to that, he's not coming to George Mason.

I saw nothing in any of his highlight videos of a back to the basket big man. He's a SF, not a PF and saw him driving the open lane but not backing down anyone.

Good lord... all i'm saying is the kid is tall and skinny and he has point-forward skills. Saying i was reminded of Scottie Pippen is not the same as saying "Blake is the next Scottie Pippen." I'm simply alluding to the fact they have the same height and point-forward skills, and ... gee whiz ... wouldn't it be nice if he put on weight and muscle so he could develop into someone that could also take some abuse under the basket - like Scottie did. I'm not trying to draw a literal comparison here to a Dream Teamer. I fully realize that "the next [insert your HoF'er here]" is not coming to George Mason.

 

[GreenLantern]

He reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain and Mugsy Bogues. Absolute mirror copy!

 

[He15man]

He reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain and Mugsy Bogues. Absolute mirror copy!

I don't get it.

 

[GreenLantern]

I don't get it.

Just covering all my bases

 

[He15man]

Just covering all my bases

literally.

 

[Falco]

I'm not sure what the bad highlights talk is about. I really like what I saw here.

Not a PG but can handle the ball and drive to the basket, range out to the 3-pt line and doesn't hesitate to shoot, and a relatively aggressive rebounder. More of an inside player than I had immediately assumed.

He's rail thin and will need to bulk up but has long arms and can hopefully can develop some shot-blocking skills.

Deceptively athletic..