Does Okoro Commit tomorrow?
- Thread starter Mclovin-
- Start date
He wants to commit before the end of the summer from all that I have read. It seems to be between Oregon and Purdue with Illinois and Missouri closely behind.
Oregon is selling how they play with big long athletic centers that can run. Purdue is selling that nobody develops bigs better or gets them more touches.
If he reclassifies it will be very interesting. Apparently he is already almost 20 years old, so a reclassification would make sense for him. Personally I think that Illinois and Missouri would be a mistake, but Oregon and Purdue both make a lot of sense. Hope he picks Purdue.
I look at age differently for international players who got a late start on their development. He probably isn’t close to fulfilling his potential, yet.
The fact that he is older tells me that reclassifying makes a lot of sense. I have absolutely no basis for guessing where he'll end up, but Purdue and Oregon have the strongest cases by far. I like our odds.
I like our chances before the week is out . Total guess but I think he commits and reclassifies .
"Still a candidate to reclassify to 2018 upon taking an SAT test, Okoro declined to comment on the likelihood of a change, but did clarify his current status as a 2019 prospect.
"Right now, that's what I am," he said. "I'm still a junior, that's what I am. I haven't taken the SAT yet."
Regardless of what transpires with his academic path, Okoro intends to end his recruitment "between now and May," in part, because of his desire to end the hectic recruiting process that comes with being an elite basketball prospect."
http://www.oregonlive.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2018/04/francis_okoro_2019_4-star_cent_1.html
"Right now, that's what I am," he said. "I'm still a junior, that's what I am. I haven't taken the SAT yet."
Regardless of what transpires with his academic path, Okoro intends to end his recruitment "between now and May," in part, because of his desire to end the hectic recruiting process that comes with being an elite basketball prospect."
http://www.oregonlive.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2018/04/francis_okoro_2019_4-star_cent_1.html
Get on board the train Francis! We would love to see you in Gold and Black most definitely! 
Not positive, but pretty sure it was a multi-day visit. All of the posts I've seen say Francis "starts" his visit on Wednesday.
Painter is holding the Taylor scholarship he may have gotten Ryan Welage who transferred from San Jose to Xavier and another kid who chose Iowa St . But mainly just a guess . A Illinois paywall guy I know wrote an article about Okoro having Tutors help in his bid to reclassify he also speculated it was related to Purdue . Of note is Emmanuel Dowuona I see little to no difference in these two players . I am told that Dow has been logging endless hours working on his outside shot and open court ball handling . My source 100% would know exactly what Dow has been doing .
I have been Dow's biggest fan on here.....as I'm sure you all know by now LOL. This type of info confirms my beliefs. Thanks OB52.
I like Dow too, but I wouldn’t say he and Okoro are similar. Dow is a little more skilled, but Okoro is more explosive and athletic. If we can take both, we should and worry about rotation later. I myself prefer TJD, but Okoro is way better than a consolation prize. If Okoro is smart, he should come to Purdue. What he lacks is exactly what our staff has been teaching JJ, Hammons, Biggie, and Haas.
C'mon, Okoro is much better than ED. Kansas doesn't just offer anyone.
His addition would make for one heck of a recruiting class. We would be awash in front court players.
Espn has Okoro at 34......Dow at 87.......so, yeah, there is some separation there
Position rank: Okoro 8............Dow 11........not as much separation
Hope they both BTFU!
Position rank: Okoro 8............Dow 11........not as much separation
Hope they both BTFU!
Rivals is much better than ESPN for high school basketball rankings IMO. Okoro is 42nd in 2019 on Rivals. He likely won't drop that much if he reclassifies to 2018. ED isn't even ranked in the top 150 in 2018 and is 30th among centers. There's a big difference between Okoro and ED. Not that I don't think ED can be good in several years, but Okoro is a different level recruit Painter doesn't often get.
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I think this is where a # can't rank a raw player. They both are very athletic, can run the floor, jump out of the sky, raw, do not have a great shot and have a huge upside. If you were to look at just the player and not a number would you feel the same?
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From videos I’ve seen they both look similarly talented defensively but Okoro is much more polished offensively. Better post moves, better jump shot, better handles, ability to beat people off the dribble and score at the rim. I’m no expert but it’s pretty apparent that Okoro is noticeably better right now. That doesn’t mean ED can’t improve and be as good or better but that’s where things are today. All in my opinion of course.
All good points fellas. I was impressed by how Dow, who hasn't been playing basketball that long, rose to a 4 star. Obviously he was getting people's attention. His attitude toward defense was also a selling point for me. I'm sure Okoro is better currently. Hope PU lands both these guys.
Dow is going to be very good, but would really benefit from having a year to improve. He could stand to learn the system and fine tune his skills. He hasn't been playing very long so he is still a bit raw, but the upside is tremendous.
Williams will play right away because of his ability to rebound. EB will have experience and an inside track to immediate play time. Dow seems to be the most likely for a redshirt if Okoro reclassifies.
The questions for me will be Haarms and Wheeler. Can they make the sophomore jump. Haarms was promising, but at times he over helped and it caused rebounding issues and he wasn't a threat to put up big points. If he can improve his scoring, he will be a monster.
Wheeler is athletic and looks like he can shoot. He gained muscle but he could still stand to add some more weight. He has so much potential it's scary. A lineup with Carsen, Wheeler, Okoro, and Eastern could cause some headaches for the other team. That's a crazy amount of athleticism and skill. Wheeler likely moves to a 3 if Okoro commits and reclassifies due to all of the big players Purdue has. He appears to have the handles and athleticism for it to be more of a wing player and be able to attack off the dribble or pull up and shoot. Not to mention the length to give the other team fits.
Keep an eye on Williams and his weight. If he can drop 15-20 pounds, he would still maintain bulk, but would get even more explosive. Either way, as a Sophomore I expect him to be dominant. As a freshman he should still be very good because of his size and skill set.
I think the Big drop in Dow 's ranking was because he wasn't playing until the end of the season. Out of sight ,out of mind.
There was no drop in his ranking on 24/7 - he was always in that range.
I think you might have been thinking of Trevion Williams. At one time he was top 75 (I think) and then he got hurt and put on the weight and his rating slid
Pretty sure ESPN was the only one who had Dow as a top 100 kid. He was maybe 125-150 range elsewhere.
If we can land Okoro, the 2 of them playing together will improve both of their games.
Hopefully Okoro has a great weekend in Westfield and he springboards that to a commitment and reclassification to Purdue!
I'm a big Dow fan too. I think people are under estimating, some not even putting him the rotation. I think it's due to limited video. This guy is long and athletic and a rim protector at the least until he improves his basketball skills which 52 says he is working Hard ON.
I like the 5 rotation of these two in the lane... Opponents will want to avoid Haarms way and dealing with
E D.
I like the 5 rotation of these two in the lane... Opponents will want to avoid Haarms way and dealing with
E D.
if they linked Toto's 'Africa' it would be much more foretelling...
You make a good points.
This could also be the team's reaction to peace on the Korean Peninsula or ABBA putting out a new album......
