UGA MBB
2024
New 2025 offer
*Activity in the last 24 hours
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**RJ Melendez SF Illinois 6-7 205 SO PR 6.0 3.5 0.9 (Visit this weekend)
UGA Sports: Transferring to Georgia was an easy choice for R.J. Melendez
https://uga.rivals.com/news/transferring-to-georgia-was-an-easy-choice-for-r-j-melendez
Gwinnett Daily Post: Georgia Basketball Lands Commitment from R.J. Melendez
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/a...cle_0e7b5cae-63d6-5980-85d4-aa9f5926132a.html
Daily Illini: Melendez enters transfer portal
“Melendez faced severe shooting slumps during his sophomore season and lost his starting job halfway through the schedule. While the sophomore guard wasn’t the most consistent scorer in the first half of the season, he was able to string together a few double-digit performances including a career-high 17 points against Lindenwood on November 25.
However, upon entering 2023, Melendez was unable to find his footing, often finishing games with only a few points to his name. The inconsistent scoring kept the Puerto Rico native out of head coach Brad Underwood’s starting five until late February, as team injuries allowed Melendez a chance to re-enter the lineup.
Despite the struggles, Melendez managed to close out his second year on a high note from an individual point of view. Despite losing out to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Melendez was one of Illinois’ most in-form players on the night with 10 points and six rebounds.”
RJ Melendez enters transfer portal after 2 seasons with Illinois - The Daily Illini
Dunk vs Michigan and Dickinson
The Pantograph: RJ Melendez finds breakthrough for Illinois after recent slump (2-21-2023)
“He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, one of his best performances of the season after a sophomore year that has had its ups and downs.
He began the season as a starter and breakout candidate who was on the edge of NBA radars, but he was shuffled out of the starting lineup in late December during a slump where he shot 23.6% from the field during a 15-game stretch leading into Monday's game. He also was suspended for the Feb. 11 game against Rutgers for violation of team rules.
That version of Melendez was put in the past, at least for a night. Melendez ran the floor for easy buckets and hit the clutch 3 when needed while providing energy on defense and the glass…
Melendez has focused on the rebounding and defensive parts of his game over the past few months. With his shots not falling, those are the areas he provided the most value. He said he’s learned more about himself as a defender and found out how good he can be on that end of the court.
While learning those things, he’s kept his head down and worked through his slump without wavering…
Belief. People believe,” Underwood said. “People want RJ. Nobody is against him. Sometimes you think the whole world is against you. That’s where kids get destroyed by social media — destroyed by that nonsense, that venom that’s out there. You start reading that stuff and all of a sudden that feel-good goes away pretty quick. Now he’s sitting there tonight and to hear 15,000-plus cheering you on and knowing they’ve got your back? That’s all you need. We all need that. We all want to have those moments where we’ve got people behind us, people helping us. That’s pretty cool. That means a lot. It means a lot to me.”
https://pantagraph.com/sports/colle...cle_5e96b380-b208-11ed-963a-d7e6d3079b13.html
SB Nation: RJ Melendez: The Big Ten’s Next Breakout Star (August 18, 2022)
“On the season, Melendez averaged just 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Extrapolated over 40 minutes however, that translates to 18.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. While this is an admittedly flawed analytical method, it shows just how much of an impact Melendez was able to make in his mere 8.5 minutes per contest as a freshman.
Just imagine what he can do in a far more expanded role, one that should be available to him with the departures of Alfonso Plummer, DaMonte Williams, and Jacob Grandison at the wing position.
Melendez’s efficiency over his freshman campaign was particularly impressive. Though we’re drawing from a small sample, he shot 56.9% from the floor and 60% from 3 on the season. His 1.217 points per possession registered in the 99th percentile among all college basketball players nationally.
The eye test suggests that this efficiency — to an extent — can be continued over a much larger sample due to his willingness to attack the rim; take high-percentage, open 3-point shots; and get out and run in transition for some HAMMERS.
Speaking of his transition play, that’s something that can really help take his game to another level. Melendez made the most of his transition possessions last season, scoring 17 points across 10 opportunities, according to Synergy Sports Technology. Just look at him fly down the court to create a fast break out of thin air on this play:
In order to become a star on the wing for the Illini, Melendez will have to be a reliable threat from outside. So far, all signs point to that being a strong possibility as a sophomore. His over 50% shooting as a high school senior at Central Pointe Academy and 60% (9-15) shooting as a college freshman from 3-point range prove he’s more than capable of being a high-level spot up shooter. He’s got a quick release and smooth stroke that should create a deadly kick out option for Illinois’ young guards off dribble penetration.
To fully blossom, he’ll need to be able to create for himself consistently off the dribble. His natural quickness and athletic ability should allow him to take that step with enough ball-handling work this offseason.
As Brad Underwood highlighted last spring, he has “a tremendous amount of gifts” athletically that can make for a true 3-level scorer with the right development.
One of the biggest question marks Melendez faced when he came to Champaign last summer was whether or not he’d be able to handle the physicality of Big Ten play with his relatively skinny 6’7 frame — he weighed in at 180 pounds on the first day of summer workouts in 2021.
By the sound of Brad Underwood’s latest press conference, he and strength coach Adam Fletcher have been working hard to ease those concerns.
“RJ was 210 the other day which is the first time he’s hit that,” Underwood said a few weeks ago.
Pairing improved strength and physicality with his already elite athleticism, Melendez will be a scary sight for opposing Big Ten teams this year.
Here’s a few more RJ Melendez metrics from his freshman season that I haven’t yet covered:
https://www.thechampaignroom.com/pl...hting-illini-ncaa-basketball-illinois-preview
Contacted:
**Amaree Abram PG Mississippi 6-4 190 FR TX 8.0 2.0 2.0 (Visited last weekend)
Transfer Portal Spotlight: Amaree Abram
(W/Video)
https://www.cougcenter.com/2023/3/3...dates-washington-state-potential-amaree-abram
The Athletic
“33. Amaree Abram | 6-4 guard | Three years of eligibility | Ole Miss
“This is a fun one. Abram is an electric scoring guard that frankly just kind of moves differently than other guys on the court. He’s extremely long and has that kind of wiry bounce you look for in prospects. He’s a crafty lefty finisher in the paint with all sorts of weird runners, push shots and floaters. As a ballhandler, he constantly has control over the ball and seems to have big hands that allow him to gather into quick moves once he gets around the basket. The numbers don’t pop off the page, but he was a freshman playing in the SEC for a bad team. He averaged eight points, two rebounds and two assists, but did so while shooting a solid 36 percent from the field. The next steps will come when he can start making even more plays for his teammates off of a live dribble, and when he can really start to weaponize that driving ability to get all the way to the rim more often. He averaged under one free throw attempt per game, which is pretty surprising given the way he can get defenders into awkward positions on the ball. He’s definitely a high-major type player, and one that I think has real upside to be a very good one by the time he hits his third season.”
twitter.com/amareeabram?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
RaeQuan Battle SF Montana State 6-5 190 JR WA 17.7 2.9 0.9
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina 6-8 235 JR NC 15.4 8.6 0.5
Matthew Cleveland SG FSU 6-7 200 SO GA 13.8 7.4 1.8
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU 6-9 215 SO GA 9.7 6.9 1.0
The Athletic
“Part of the mass exodus of VCU players following Mike Rhoades’ decision to go to Penn State, DeLoach will be a very popular portal entry if he doesn’t just decide to head up north to State College. A third-team All-Atlantic-10 player this year, DeLoach blossomed, particularly over the second half of the season, into the kind of versatile big man that schools around the country crave. It starts on defense for DeLoach, where he was a lengthy, versatile defender that dealt with both bigs on the interior as we all as bigger wings and forwards. He’s mobile and extremely active, showcasing a real competitiveness every time he’s on the floor. He gets into passing lanes to try to get steals, then will swat shots on the interior. Then on offense, he’s going to try to dunk everything he gets on the interior and finish through contact. He crashes the glass hard, creates second-chance opportunities, and just continually forces his man to keep track of where he is. A late bloomer that shot up from 6-foot tall when he was a freshman in high school, DeLoach is still growing into his frame a bit. As he gets stronger and fills out, it’s very easy to imagine him continuing to grow into being a defensive monster at even higher levels. Penn State could obviously use someone like this, as the team played very small last year.”
Joe Girard SG Syracuse 6-1 190 SR NY 16.4 2.8 3.0
Reggie Luis SF Massachusetts 6-7 196 FR FL 11.5 4.6 1.3
*Great Osobor PF Montana 6-8 245 SO EN 10.1 4.6 1.0
Shawn Phillips C LSU FR 7-0 245 FR OH 1.4 2.2 0.2
Jordan Riley SG Georgetown 6-4 200 SO NY 4.6 2.8 0.3
**Russell Tchewa C South Florida 7-0 280 JR Cameroon 11.1 8.8 0.9 (Visited last weekend)
TB Times: After summer ordeal, Christmas brighter than ever for USF’s Russel Tchewa
“The 7-footer’s basketball career blossomed last season, then was derailed in the summer.
“He’s the best ball-screen-coverage big man in the country,” sixth-year USF coach Brian Gregory said. “We have multiple ball-screen coverages, and he’s the best at it. In this day and age, there’s nobody better than him.”
Preceding this prosperous winter was arguably the most harrowing summer of his 22-year-old life.
“It was really awful,” he said.
Stranded at home
Tchewa’s physical enormity is complemented by other equally fascinating dimensions. At his core, he’s a renaissance man who happens to rebound.
Born in the west-central African country of Cameroon and educated for part of his youth in Italy, he speaks four languages (English, French, Italian and Cameroonian English, an English dialect). One of five siblings, his father’s an electrical engineer. At Texas Tech, where he spent one season before transferring to USF, he majored in math. Earlier this month, he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications.
“Sometimes, he’s too smart,” Gregory said. “Smarter than me.”
Two summers ago, he returned to his native country — with nary a student-visa complication — for his first extended quality time with family in nearly a half-decade. His initial plan this past summer was to remain in Tampa, but he asked to return home when his father, Samuel Tchamadeu, became ill with COVID-19.
Tchewa made it to his sprawling hometown of Douala (population of nearly three million) on May 6 with no logistical glitches, turning in all required paperwork with the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital city. Before his scheduled return on June 11, he planned to compete with the Cameroon National Team, which was playing in an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) qualifying competition.
As that team began its travel plans, Tchewa discovered his student visa had been flagged.
“I made a mistake on my visa application,” he said.
“So basically, they asked me where I was born and where I’m staying. So I said I was born in the U.S. and I stayed in Cameroon. It was supposed to be the opposite. But I made a mistake because they asked that question more than five or seven times. So I was confused.”
That seemingly benign error begat a summer of trepidation.
Tchewa scurried to correct the application and get it through proper channels but heard nothing regarding approval. A month became two, then three. Suddenly, his graduation schedule was being jeopardized; Tchewa took some courses online, though connection issues and the five-hour time difference made things tricky.
Grocery bills also ballooned as the bustling household — which featured visiting relatives almost daily — suddenly had a 280-pound athlete to nourish regularly.
“At some point, my parents would say, ‘Hey Russ, when are you going back? You eat all the food,’” he said with a chuckle.
Meantime, his basketball development came to a screech. While the Bulls went through an eight-week summer workout program, Tchewa didn’t even have access to an open gym.
“He had nothing, nothing,” Gregory said. “He sent videos of (him) running in the mud and on the dirt, trying to stay in shape.”
As the summer lingered, Gregory solicited the help of USF’s Office of International Services, as well as state and local congress members, or anyone with any bureaucratic pull.
“It was really, really frustrating because I was waiting for a long time,” Tchewa said.
Finally, right at the dawn of September, fortune pivoted.
“It was 4:35 (a.m.),” Tchewa recalled. “I’m a big-time morning guy, so I love to wake up in the morning. So every (morning at) 4:35, I’m just awake. And I just checked my phone, and I saw my coach sent me a message: My visa application had changed from ‘processing’ to ‘administrative processing.’ So that means they are looking for it now.”
Later that same morning, he learned the visa had been approved. Tchewa made the four-hour drive to Yaounde for the visa and returned to Douala for his flight back to the U.S.
He landed at Tampa International Airport on Sept. 3, the day of the USF football team’s home opener. Bulls assistant Larry Dixon was there to greet him. His first American indulgence upon returning?
“Chipotle,” he said with a robust laugh.
“The first thing I did was give him a big hug, because I was so happy to see him,” Dixon said. “It was just a joy and excitement because of the whole ordeal. We didn’t didn’t know if he was going to get back.”
Finding his old form
In a sense, Tchewa’s just now getting his sea legs under him. The performances he recently has pieced together probably would’ve manifested themselves earlier were it not for his extended absence. He averaged 11.6 points and seven rebounds in the final nine games of the previous season, and the hope was the momentum would spill into the summer and fall.
“But we’re just now getting (that momentum) back,” Dixon said.
“All it was was getting in shape and getting balance and getting his timing back. Because again, he was over there (in Cameroon) running and doing some stuff, but he wasn’t playing and getting his everyday workouts.”
At least that beaming, broad grin never lost its midseason form and will widen as winter segues into spring. Tchewa has begun his masters program, and though he formally earned his undergraduate degree earlier this month, he won’t participate in a commencement ceremony until May — so his family from Cameroon can attend.
Meantime, there’s Christmas. He’ll spend it with the sprawling collegiate family he feared he may never see in person again.
“Coach BG (Gregory) was calling me every day, he was trying to get me back,” Tchewa said. “He called everybody, congressmen, he did his best. I really, really appreciate what he did for me.”
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bul...el-tchewa-cameroon-visa-issues-brian-gregory/
twitter.com/russelltchewa?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
**Noah Thomasson SG Niagara 6-3 195 SR TX 19.6 3.8 3.5 (Visit 4-21)
Niagara transfer Noah Thomasson will visit San Francisco on April 14-15 and Georgia on April 21-22, he tells @hoopgate.
Niagara transfer Noah Thomasson (@NoahTheShow) has scheduled a visit to St. John’s April 25-26th, he tells me.
Averaged 19.5 PPG this season.
Buffalo News:
“Noah Thomasson toted a bag of garbage to his dormitory’s community trash receptacle when he saw the alert on his phone last April from Marcus Hammond.
Hammond, a guard on the Niagara men’s basketball team and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer in 2021-22, told the world through his social media accounts that he planned to transfer to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility.
For a few seconds, Thomasson was startled by the announcement. Then, he thanked Hammond for what he did as a teammate. Then Thomasson realized something: His role at Niagara was about to become more significant, going into the 2022-23 season.
“I was happy for him, and that’s one of the closest teammates I’ve ever had,” Thomasson said of Hammond, who averaged 18.1 points in 29 games last season. “I also looked at it as an opportunity for me to showcase my talent and my ability.”
His first year at Niagara, Thomasson went through homesickness, adjusting to new teammates and learning a new system and style of basketball as a transfer from Butler (Kan.) Community College.
The prospect of taking a bigger role in his second season with the Purple Eagles terrified Thomasson a little bit, too. How does a team replace its leading scorer and the spark plug of its offense, anyways?
Ultimately, the challenge energized him.
“I thought, I’ve got to work,” Thomasson said. “I’ve got to step my game up. I’ve got to do more.”
Thomasson, a 6-foot-3 senior, is one of two co-leaders in scoring in the MAAC; he and Marist’s Patrick Gardner each average 18.9 points. Thomasson averages 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 24 games for the Purple Eagles (14-10, 9-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), who play at 7 p.m. Friday at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., and then at 2 p.m. Sunday at Marist in Poughkeepsie.
The Purple Eagles are fourth in the 11-team MAAC with five games left in the regular season; the top five teams in the conference earn a bye to the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament, which begins March 7 in Atlantic City, N.J.
“Going into this upcoming season, we had 10 new guys, and for him, with his experience, his leadership, he’s somebody that we’ve talked about who has dependability and consistency,” coach Greg Paulus said. “He’s a guy that has really demonstrated that, each and every day, whether it’s practice, film or games. Last year he may have thought it was Marcus’ team, or someone that’s been in the program for a couple years. This year, Noah, with experience and who he’s becoming, we want him to lead us. That’s something he’s done a terrific job at.”
From Houston to Kansas
As a freshman at Houston Baptist, which is now Houston Christian, Thomasson lived in a dormitory that was less than 15 minutes from his home in Houston, and he’d split time between his family’s home and campus. He worries he spent a little too much time at home.
He averaged four points and 1.1 rebounds in 24 games in 2019-20, and Houston Baptist won only four games that season. Thomasson realized he wanted a different college basketball experience.
“I felt like I wanted a lot more,” said Thomasson, who grew up in Houston. “I had high expectations for myself.
“I’m not saying Houston Baptist didn’t have aspirations to win, but it was a tough year and I really didn’t make the right decisions at school. And I just said, ‘Maybe I need a new start. Maybe getting away from home might be the best thing for that.’ ”
Butler coach Kyle Fisher, though, saw a project when Thomasson got to Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., in August 2020.
“He was not in any condition to be a college basketball player,” Fisher said. “He came in after the Covid shutdown. There was no NCAA Tournament. Most of the gyms were locked up. The first thing he had to work really hard on was to get his conditioning back.”
‘Be yourself, Noah, be yourself’
Acclimating to another new space was not easy for Thomasson. For the second time in as many years, he had to learn about new teammates, new coaches, new classes, a new campus and a new routine.
Paulus sensed that uneasiness in Thomasson last fall, and set a goal for the new guard: Be yourself.
Easier said than done, right? In Thomasson’s case, it took some patience.
“We were trying to get him to be more aggressive, trying to get him just to be himself,” Paulus said. “That’s what we kept saying, ‘be yourself, Noah, be yourself.’ Over the course of the season, you saw it evolve. You saw the hard work he put in, and the development that he’s really done here, over the last year and a half, I think it’s shown from the first game (in 2021) he’s been here to where he is, now.
"But we had to continue to push him outside his comfort zone. And he’s a guy that wants to be coached. He wants to be better. He wants to learn what he can do, to improve on and off the court.”
It also took a team effort for Thomasson to reach that point. Thomasson said he doesn’t naturally ease into a new setting, that the process comes with small struggles.
He averaged 7.1 points and 2.8 assists in his first 12 games with the Purple Eagles last season as a transfer. He continued to find a balance, but players such as Hammond, Shandon Brown and Justin Roberts were quick to offer him encouragement as he absorbed more information, then produced.
“When I started to get the hang of, it, that’s when you really saw it start to take off,” said Thomasson, who averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 30 games last season. “But my teammates helped me out, too. They were just telling me, every day, ‘you know, you can play like you’re a good basketball player, and that’s why they brought you here.’
“When I started hearing that, it was like, alright, they have confidence in me, they believe in me. Now, I’ve got to start doing it, and believing in myself.”
Nobody expected Thomasson to be the next Hammond when the guard left for Notre Dame in the spring. Paulus didn't want Thomasson to be the next Hammond, either.
Instead, the focus was on making Thomasson into a better version of Thomasson.
“They’re two different players,” Paulus said. “We want him to be Noah. Who he was last year to where he is now, it’s something he’s worked really hard for.
“There were some challenging moments last year and as you go through that, that’s where you learn a lot about yourself. We were just watching tape the other day and talking and said to him, ‘we’re going to keep working to push you to continue to grow.’ ”
https://twitter.com/noahtheshow?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
**Sahvir Wheeler PG Kentucky 5-9 180 SR TX 7.7 2.3 5.6 (Visited weekend before last)
Tedrick Wilcox SG St. Francis, NY 6-6 188 SR RI 11.3 3.7 2.1
Latrell Wrightsell SG Cal Fullerton 6-3 189 JR NE 16.3 4.5 2.4
UGA Follows on Twitter:
Amaree Abram PG Mississippi
Ricky Bradley PG VMI
**Blue Cain SG IMG (Georgia Tech) (Followed by multiple UGA coaches, visited weekend before last)
Nate Calmese SG Lamar
Chico Carter SG South Carolina
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina
Batcho Daniel C Texas Tech
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU
Jared Garcia PF Salt Lake CC
Brandon Gardner PF Christ King HS, NY
Jacob Groves SF Oklahoma
Keshad Johnson SF San Diego State
Reggie Luis SG Massachusetts
**RJ Melendez SF Illinois
UGA Followers on Twitter:
**Amaree Abram PG Mississippi
Ricky Bradley PG VMI
**Blue Cain SG IMG Georgia Tech
Chico Carter SG South Carolina
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU
Jared Garcia PF Salt Lake CC
Asher Woods SG VMI ( Following UGA Coaches and Charles Mann)
2023 HS Signees affected by coaching changes we would love to talk to:
Contacted: Blue Cain SG IMG - Georgia Tech (NIL release) 6-4 180 (UGA Contact) (UGA follows him and his parents on social media and they follow back) (Visited weekend before last)
twitter.com/bluecain1?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Silas Demary PG Charlotte, NC - USC , released from NLI, contacted)
Brandon Gardner PF Christ the King - St.John’s (Originally from Waynesboro) (Released from NLI)
Committed Elsewhere:
Bradley Dean SG UVA Wise - Miami, OH
Tyler Houser C VMI - Delaware
Xander Rice PG Bucknell - Monmouth
BJ Mack PF Wofford - Not in his final 10
Lawson Lovering C Colorado - Utah
EJ Jarvis PF Yale - Florida
Jaykwon Walton SF Wichita St - Alabama
Ta’lon Cooper PG Minn - South Carolina
Kadin Shedrick C Virginia - Not on final list
Jerome Brakefield PF Miss - Mississippi
Johnny O’Neil PF American - Santa Clara
Jordan Minor PF Merrimack - Virginia
Jayden Pierre PG Providence - Providence
Primo Spears PG Georgetown (Not in his final list)
Josh Cohen PF St. Francis Massachusetts
John Hugley PF Pittsburgh - Oklahoma
Denver Jones SG Florida International - Auburn
Chris Ledlum PF Harvard - Tennessee
Nicolas Timberlake SG Towson - Kansas
Kowacie Reeves SF Florida - Georgia Tech
Caleb Mills SG FSU - Memphis
Damian Dunn SG Temple - Houston
Maxwell Land SG St. Francis, Pa - South Alabama
Keshon Gilbert SG UNLV - Iowa State
Jalen Cone PG Northern Arizona - California
Johnathan Pierre SF Nova Southeastern - Memphis
Jayden Epps PG Illinois - Georgetown
Micah Handlogten C Marshall - Florida
Jackson Paveletzke PG Wofford - Iowa State
Justin Harmon SG Utah Valley - Illinois
Quincy Olivari SG Rice - Xavier
Jayden Taylor SG Butler - NC State
Brice Williams SF Charlotte - Nebraska
AJ Storr SG St. John’s - Wisconsin
Isiah Pope SF Utah Tech - Fresno State
Jesse Edwards C Syracuse - West Virginia
Ishmael Leggett SG Rhode Island - Pittsburgh
Myles Stute SF Vanderbilt - South Carolina
El Ellis SG Louisville -Arkansas
Nigel Burris F Idaho - Utah State
Chance Westry SG Auburn - Syracuse
Ben Middlebrooks PF Clemson - NC State
Carlos Stewart PG Santa Clara - LSU
Julian Roper SG Northwestern - Notre Dame
*Evan Taylor SG Lehigh - Vanderbilt
Dalton Knecht SG Northern Colorado - Tennessee
2024
New 2025 offer
*Activity in the last 24 hours
**Interaction
Commit!
**RJ Melendez SF Illinois 6-7 205 SO PR 6.0 3.5 0.9 (Visit this weekend)
UGA Sports: Transferring to Georgia was an easy choice for R.J. Melendez
https://uga.rivals.com/news/transferring-to-georgia-was-an-easy-choice-for-r-j-melendez
Gwinnett Daily Post: Georgia Basketball Lands Commitment from R.J. Melendez
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/a...cle_0e7b5cae-63d6-5980-85d4-aa9f5926132a.html
Daily Illini: Melendez enters transfer portal
“Melendez faced severe shooting slumps during his sophomore season and lost his starting job halfway through the schedule. While the sophomore guard wasn’t the most consistent scorer in the first half of the season, he was able to string together a few double-digit performances including a career-high 17 points against Lindenwood on November 25.
However, upon entering 2023, Melendez was unable to find his footing, often finishing games with only a few points to his name. The inconsistent scoring kept the Puerto Rico native out of head coach Brad Underwood’s starting five until late February, as team injuries allowed Melendez a chance to re-enter the lineup.
Despite the struggles, Melendez managed to close out his second year on a high note from an individual point of view. Despite losing out to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Melendez was one of Illinois’ most in-form players on the night with 10 points and six rebounds.”
RJ Melendez enters transfer portal after 2 seasons with Illinois - The Daily Illini
Dunk vs Michigan and Dickinson
The Pantograph: RJ Melendez finds breakthrough for Illinois after recent slump (2-21-2023)
“He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, one of his best performances of the season after a sophomore year that has had its ups and downs.
He began the season as a starter and breakout candidate who was on the edge of NBA radars, but he was shuffled out of the starting lineup in late December during a slump where he shot 23.6% from the field during a 15-game stretch leading into Monday's game. He also was suspended for the Feb. 11 game against Rutgers for violation of team rules.
That version of Melendez was put in the past, at least for a night. Melendez ran the floor for easy buckets and hit the clutch 3 when needed while providing energy on defense and the glass…
Melendez has focused on the rebounding and defensive parts of his game over the past few months. With his shots not falling, those are the areas he provided the most value. He said he’s learned more about himself as a defender and found out how good he can be on that end of the court.
While learning those things, he’s kept his head down and worked through his slump without wavering…
Belief. People believe,” Underwood said. “People want RJ. Nobody is against him. Sometimes you think the whole world is against you. That’s where kids get destroyed by social media — destroyed by that nonsense, that venom that’s out there. You start reading that stuff and all of a sudden that feel-good goes away pretty quick. Now he’s sitting there tonight and to hear 15,000-plus cheering you on and knowing they’ve got your back? That’s all you need. We all need that. We all want to have those moments where we’ve got people behind us, people helping us. That’s pretty cool. That means a lot. It means a lot to me.”
https://pantagraph.com/sports/colle...cle_5e96b380-b208-11ed-963a-d7e6d3079b13.html
SB Nation: RJ Melendez: The Big Ten’s Next Breakout Star (August 18, 2022)
“On the season, Melendez averaged just 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Extrapolated over 40 minutes however, that translates to 18.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. While this is an admittedly flawed analytical method, it shows just how much of an impact Melendez was able to make in his mere 8.5 minutes per contest as a freshman.
Just imagine what he can do in a far more expanded role, one that should be available to him with the departures of Alfonso Plummer, DaMonte Williams, and Jacob Grandison at the wing position.
Melendez’s efficiency over his freshman campaign was particularly impressive. Though we’re drawing from a small sample, he shot 56.9% from the floor and 60% from 3 on the season. His 1.217 points per possession registered in the 99th percentile among all college basketball players nationally.
The eye test suggests that this efficiency — to an extent — can be continued over a much larger sample due to his willingness to attack the rim; take high-percentage, open 3-point shots; and get out and run in transition for some HAMMERS.
Speaking of his transition play, that’s something that can really help take his game to another level. Melendez made the most of his transition possessions last season, scoring 17 points across 10 opportunities, according to Synergy Sports Technology. Just look at him fly down the court to create a fast break out of thin air on this play:
In order to become a star on the wing for the Illini, Melendez will have to be a reliable threat from outside. So far, all signs point to that being a strong possibility as a sophomore. His over 50% shooting as a high school senior at Central Pointe Academy and 60% (9-15) shooting as a college freshman from 3-point range prove he’s more than capable of being a high-level spot up shooter. He’s got a quick release and smooth stroke that should create a deadly kick out option for Illinois’ young guards off dribble penetration.
To fully blossom, he’ll need to be able to create for himself consistently off the dribble. His natural quickness and athletic ability should allow him to take that step with enough ball-handling work this offseason.
As Brad Underwood highlighted last spring, he has “a tremendous amount of gifts” athletically that can make for a true 3-level scorer with the right development.
One of the biggest question marks Melendez faced when he came to Champaign last summer was whether or not he’d be able to handle the physicality of Big Ten play with his relatively skinny 6’7 frame — he weighed in at 180 pounds on the first day of summer workouts in 2021.
By the sound of Brad Underwood’s latest press conference, he and strength coach Adam Fletcher have been working hard to ease those concerns.
“RJ was 210 the other day which is the first time he’s hit that,” Underwood said a few weeks ago.
Pairing improved strength and physicality with his already elite athleticism, Melendez will be a scary sight for opposing Big Ten teams this year.
Here’s a few more RJ Melendez metrics from his freshman season that I haven’t yet covered:
- 15-10 assist-to-turnover ratio (a perfectly fine ratio for a non-primary ball-handler)
- 79th percentile nationally as a defender (according to Synergy Sports Technology)
- 16.4% defensive rebound percentage (tied for second on the team with Coleman Hawkins, only behind Kofi Cockburn)
- 133.1 offensive rating (first on the team)
- 11.5 box plus/minus (first on the team)
https://www.thechampaignroom.com/pl...hting-illini-ncaa-basketball-illinois-preview
Contacted:
**Amaree Abram PG Mississippi 6-4 190 FR TX 8.0 2.0 2.0 (Visited last weekend)
Transfer Portal Spotlight: Amaree Abram
(W/Video)
https://www.cougcenter.com/2023/3/3...dates-washington-state-potential-amaree-abram
The Athletic
“33. Amaree Abram | 6-4 guard | Three years of eligibility | Ole Miss
“This is a fun one. Abram is an electric scoring guard that frankly just kind of moves differently than other guys on the court. He’s extremely long and has that kind of wiry bounce you look for in prospects. He’s a crafty lefty finisher in the paint with all sorts of weird runners, push shots and floaters. As a ballhandler, he constantly has control over the ball and seems to have big hands that allow him to gather into quick moves once he gets around the basket. The numbers don’t pop off the page, but he was a freshman playing in the SEC for a bad team. He averaged eight points, two rebounds and two assists, but did so while shooting a solid 36 percent from the field. The next steps will come when he can start making even more plays for his teammates off of a live dribble, and when he can really start to weaponize that driving ability to get all the way to the rim more often. He averaged under one free throw attempt per game, which is pretty surprising given the way he can get defenders into awkward positions on the ball. He’s definitely a high-major type player, and one that I think has real upside to be a very good one by the time he hits his third season.”
twitter.com/amareeabram?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
RaeQuan Battle SF Montana State 6-5 190 JR WA 17.7 2.9 0.9
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina 6-8 235 JR NC 15.4 8.6 0.5
Matthew Cleveland SG FSU 6-7 200 SO GA 13.8 7.4 1.8
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU 6-9 215 SO GA 9.7 6.9 1.0
The Athletic
“Part of the mass exodus of VCU players following Mike Rhoades’ decision to go to Penn State, DeLoach will be a very popular portal entry if he doesn’t just decide to head up north to State College. A third-team All-Atlantic-10 player this year, DeLoach blossomed, particularly over the second half of the season, into the kind of versatile big man that schools around the country crave. It starts on defense for DeLoach, where he was a lengthy, versatile defender that dealt with both bigs on the interior as we all as bigger wings and forwards. He’s mobile and extremely active, showcasing a real competitiveness every time he’s on the floor. He gets into passing lanes to try to get steals, then will swat shots on the interior. Then on offense, he’s going to try to dunk everything he gets on the interior and finish through contact. He crashes the glass hard, creates second-chance opportunities, and just continually forces his man to keep track of where he is. A late bloomer that shot up from 6-foot tall when he was a freshman in high school, DeLoach is still growing into his frame a bit. As he gets stronger and fills out, it’s very easy to imagine him continuing to grow into being a defensive monster at even higher levels. Penn State could obviously use someone like this, as the team played very small last year.”
Joe Girard SG Syracuse 6-1 190 SR NY 16.4 2.8 3.0
Reggie Luis SF Massachusetts 6-7 196 FR FL 11.5 4.6 1.3
*Great Osobor PF Montana 6-8 245 SO EN 10.1 4.6 1.0
Shawn Phillips C LSU FR 7-0 245 FR OH 1.4 2.2 0.2
Jordan Riley SG Georgetown 6-4 200 SO NY 4.6 2.8 0.3
**Russell Tchewa C South Florida 7-0 280 JR Cameroon 11.1 8.8 0.9 (Visited last weekend)
TB Times: After summer ordeal, Christmas brighter than ever for USF’s Russel Tchewa
“The 7-footer’s basketball career blossomed last season, then was derailed in the summer.
“He’s the best ball-screen-coverage big man in the country,” sixth-year USF coach Brian Gregory said. “We have multiple ball-screen coverages, and he’s the best at it. In this day and age, there’s nobody better than him.”
Preceding this prosperous winter was arguably the most harrowing summer of his 22-year-old life.
“It was really awful,” he said.
Stranded at home
Tchewa’s physical enormity is complemented by other equally fascinating dimensions. At his core, he’s a renaissance man who happens to rebound.
Born in the west-central African country of Cameroon and educated for part of his youth in Italy, he speaks four languages (English, French, Italian and Cameroonian English, an English dialect). One of five siblings, his father’s an electrical engineer. At Texas Tech, where he spent one season before transferring to USF, he majored in math. Earlier this month, he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications.
“Sometimes, he’s too smart,” Gregory said. “Smarter than me.”
Two summers ago, he returned to his native country — with nary a student-visa complication — for his first extended quality time with family in nearly a half-decade. His initial plan this past summer was to remain in Tampa, but he asked to return home when his father, Samuel Tchamadeu, became ill with COVID-19.
Tchewa made it to his sprawling hometown of Douala (population of nearly three million) on May 6 with no logistical glitches, turning in all required paperwork with the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital city. Before his scheduled return on June 11, he planned to compete with the Cameroon National Team, which was playing in an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) qualifying competition.
As that team began its travel plans, Tchewa discovered his student visa had been flagged.
“I made a mistake on my visa application,” he said.
“So basically, they asked me where I was born and where I’m staying. So I said I was born in the U.S. and I stayed in Cameroon. It was supposed to be the opposite. But I made a mistake because they asked that question more than five or seven times. So I was confused.”
That seemingly benign error begat a summer of trepidation.
Tchewa scurried to correct the application and get it through proper channels but heard nothing regarding approval. A month became two, then three. Suddenly, his graduation schedule was being jeopardized; Tchewa took some courses online, though connection issues and the five-hour time difference made things tricky.
Grocery bills also ballooned as the bustling household — which featured visiting relatives almost daily — suddenly had a 280-pound athlete to nourish regularly.
“At some point, my parents would say, ‘Hey Russ, when are you going back? You eat all the food,’” he said with a chuckle.
Meantime, his basketball development came to a screech. While the Bulls went through an eight-week summer workout program, Tchewa didn’t even have access to an open gym.
“He had nothing, nothing,” Gregory said. “He sent videos of (him) running in the mud and on the dirt, trying to stay in shape.”
As the summer lingered, Gregory solicited the help of USF’s Office of International Services, as well as state and local congress members, or anyone with any bureaucratic pull.
“It was really, really frustrating because I was waiting for a long time,” Tchewa said.
Finally, right at the dawn of September, fortune pivoted.
“It was 4:35 (a.m.),” Tchewa recalled. “I’m a big-time morning guy, so I love to wake up in the morning. So every (morning at) 4:35, I’m just awake. And I just checked my phone, and I saw my coach sent me a message: My visa application had changed from ‘processing’ to ‘administrative processing.’ So that means they are looking for it now.”
Later that same morning, he learned the visa had been approved. Tchewa made the four-hour drive to Yaounde for the visa and returned to Douala for his flight back to the U.S.
He landed at Tampa International Airport on Sept. 3, the day of the USF football team’s home opener. Bulls assistant Larry Dixon was there to greet him. His first American indulgence upon returning?
“Chipotle,” he said with a robust laugh.
“The first thing I did was give him a big hug, because I was so happy to see him,” Dixon said. “It was just a joy and excitement because of the whole ordeal. We didn’t didn’t know if he was going to get back.”
Finding his old form
In a sense, Tchewa’s just now getting his sea legs under him. The performances he recently has pieced together probably would’ve manifested themselves earlier were it not for his extended absence. He averaged 11.6 points and seven rebounds in the final nine games of the previous season, and the hope was the momentum would spill into the summer and fall.
“But we’re just now getting (that momentum) back,” Dixon said.
“All it was was getting in shape and getting balance and getting his timing back. Because again, he was over there (in Cameroon) running and doing some stuff, but he wasn’t playing and getting his everyday workouts.”
At least that beaming, broad grin never lost its midseason form and will widen as winter segues into spring. Tchewa has begun his masters program, and though he formally earned his undergraduate degree earlier this month, he won’t participate in a commencement ceremony until May — so his family from Cameroon can attend.
Meantime, there’s Christmas. He’ll spend it with the sprawling collegiate family he feared he may never see in person again.
“Coach BG (Gregory) was calling me every day, he was trying to get me back,” Tchewa said. “He called everybody, congressmen, he did his best. I really, really appreciate what he did for me.”
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bul...el-tchewa-cameroon-visa-issues-brian-gregory/
twitter.com/russelltchewa?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
**Noah Thomasson SG Niagara 6-3 195 SR TX 19.6 3.8 3.5 (Visit 4-21)
Niagara transfer Noah Thomasson will visit San Francisco on April 14-15 and Georgia on April 21-22, he tells @hoopgate.
Niagara transfer Noah Thomasson (@NoahTheShow) has scheduled a visit to St. John’s April 25-26th, he tells me.
Averaged 19.5 PPG this season.
Buffalo News:
“Noah Thomasson toted a bag of garbage to his dormitory’s community trash receptacle when he saw the alert on his phone last April from Marcus Hammond.
Hammond, a guard on the Niagara men’s basketball team and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer in 2021-22, told the world through his social media accounts that he planned to transfer to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility.
For a few seconds, Thomasson was startled by the announcement. Then, he thanked Hammond for what he did as a teammate. Then Thomasson realized something: His role at Niagara was about to become more significant, going into the 2022-23 season.
“I was happy for him, and that’s one of the closest teammates I’ve ever had,” Thomasson said of Hammond, who averaged 18.1 points in 29 games last season. “I also looked at it as an opportunity for me to showcase my talent and my ability.”
His first year at Niagara, Thomasson went through homesickness, adjusting to new teammates and learning a new system and style of basketball as a transfer from Butler (Kan.) Community College.
The prospect of taking a bigger role in his second season with the Purple Eagles terrified Thomasson a little bit, too. How does a team replace its leading scorer and the spark plug of its offense, anyways?
Ultimately, the challenge energized him.
“I thought, I’ve got to work,” Thomasson said. “I’ve got to step my game up. I’ve got to do more.”
Thomasson, a 6-foot-3 senior, is one of two co-leaders in scoring in the MAAC; he and Marist’s Patrick Gardner each average 18.9 points. Thomasson averages 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 24 games for the Purple Eagles (14-10, 9-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), who play at 7 p.m. Friday at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., and then at 2 p.m. Sunday at Marist in Poughkeepsie.
The Purple Eagles are fourth in the 11-team MAAC with five games left in the regular season; the top five teams in the conference earn a bye to the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament, which begins March 7 in Atlantic City, N.J.
“Going into this upcoming season, we had 10 new guys, and for him, with his experience, his leadership, he’s somebody that we’ve talked about who has dependability and consistency,” coach Greg Paulus said. “He’s a guy that has really demonstrated that, each and every day, whether it’s practice, film or games. Last year he may have thought it was Marcus’ team, or someone that’s been in the program for a couple years. This year, Noah, with experience and who he’s becoming, we want him to lead us. That’s something he’s done a terrific job at.”
From Houston to Kansas
As a freshman at Houston Baptist, which is now Houston Christian, Thomasson lived in a dormitory that was less than 15 minutes from his home in Houston, and he’d split time between his family’s home and campus. He worries he spent a little too much time at home.
He averaged four points and 1.1 rebounds in 24 games in 2019-20, and Houston Baptist won only four games that season. Thomasson realized he wanted a different college basketball experience.
“I felt like I wanted a lot more,” said Thomasson, who grew up in Houston. “I had high expectations for myself.
“I’m not saying Houston Baptist didn’t have aspirations to win, but it was a tough year and I really didn’t make the right decisions at school. And I just said, ‘Maybe I need a new start. Maybe getting away from home might be the best thing for that.’ ”
Butler coach Kyle Fisher, though, saw a project when Thomasson got to Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., in August 2020.
“He was not in any condition to be a college basketball player,” Fisher said. “He came in after the Covid shutdown. There was no NCAA Tournament. Most of the gyms were locked up. The first thing he had to work really hard on was to get his conditioning back.”
‘Be yourself, Noah, be yourself’
Acclimating to another new space was not easy for Thomasson. For the second time in as many years, he had to learn about new teammates, new coaches, new classes, a new campus and a new routine.
Paulus sensed that uneasiness in Thomasson last fall, and set a goal for the new guard: Be yourself.
Easier said than done, right? In Thomasson’s case, it took some patience.
“We were trying to get him to be more aggressive, trying to get him just to be himself,” Paulus said. “That’s what we kept saying, ‘be yourself, Noah, be yourself.’ Over the course of the season, you saw it evolve. You saw the hard work he put in, and the development that he’s really done here, over the last year and a half, I think it’s shown from the first game (in 2021) he’s been here to where he is, now.
"But we had to continue to push him outside his comfort zone. And he’s a guy that wants to be coached. He wants to be better. He wants to learn what he can do, to improve on and off the court.”
It also took a team effort for Thomasson to reach that point. Thomasson said he doesn’t naturally ease into a new setting, that the process comes with small struggles.
He averaged 7.1 points and 2.8 assists in his first 12 games with the Purple Eagles last season as a transfer. He continued to find a balance, but players such as Hammond, Shandon Brown and Justin Roberts were quick to offer him encouragement as he absorbed more information, then produced.
“When I started to get the hang of, it, that’s when you really saw it start to take off,” said Thomasson, who averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 30 games last season. “But my teammates helped me out, too. They were just telling me, every day, ‘you know, you can play like you’re a good basketball player, and that’s why they brought you here.’
“When I started hearing that, it was like, alright, they have confidence in me, they believe in me. Now, I’ve got to start doing it, and believing in myself.”
Nobody expected Thomasson to be the next Hammond when the guard left for Notre Dame in the spring. Paulus didn't want Thomasson to be the next Hammond, either.
Instead, the focus was on making Thomasson into a better version of Thomasson.
“They’re two different players,” Paulus said. “We want him to be Noah. Who he was last year to where he is now, it’s something he’s worked really hard for.
“There were some challenging moments last year and as you go through that, that’s where you learn a lot about yourself. We were just watching tape the other day and talking and said to him, ‘we’re going to keep working to push you to continue to grow.’ ”
https://twitter.com/noahtheshow?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
**Sahvir Wheeler PG Kentucky 5-9 180 SR TX 7.7 2.3 5.6 (Visited weekend before last)
Tedrick Wilcox SG St. Francis, NY 6-6 188 SR RI 11.3 3.7 2.1
Latrell Wrightsell SG Cal Fullerton 6-3 189 JR NE 16.3 4.5 2.4
UGA Follows on Twitter:
Amaree Abram PG Mississippi
Ricky Bradley PG VMI
**Blue Cain SG IMG (Georgia Tech) (Followed by multiple UGA coaches, visited weekend before last)
Nate Calmese SG Lamar
Chico Carter SG South Carolina
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina
Batcho Daniel C Texas Tech
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU
Jared Garcia PF Salt Lake CC
Brandon Gardner PF Christ King HS, NY
Jacob Groves SF Oklahoma
Keshad Johnson SF San Diego State
Reggie Luis SG Massachusetts
**RJ Melendez SF Illinois
UGA Followers on Twitter:
**Amaree Abram PG Mississippi
Ricky Bradley PG VMI
**Blue Cain SG IMG Georgia Tech
Chico Carter SG South Carolina
Tyzhaun Claude PF Western Carolina
*Jalen DeLoach C VCU
Jared Garcia PF Salt Lake CC
Asher Woods SG VMI ( Following UGA Coaches and Charles Mann)
2023 HS Signees affected by coaching changes we would love to talk to:
Contacted: Blue Cain SG IMG - Georgia Tech (NIL release) 6-4 180 (UGA Contact) (UGA follows him and his parents on social media and they follow back) (Visited weekend before last)
twitter.com/bluecain1?s=11&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Silas Demary PG Charlotte, NC - USC , released from NLI, contacted)
Brandon Gardner PF Christ the King - St.John’s (Originally from Waynesboro) (Released from NLI)
Committed Elsewhere:
Bradley Dean SG UVA Wise - Miami, OH
Tyler Houser C VMI - Delaware
Xander Rice PG Bucknell - Monmouth
BJ Mack PF Wofford - Not in his final 10
Lawson Lovering C Colorado - Utah
EJ Jarvis PF Yale - Florida
Jaykwon Walton SF Wichita St - Alabama
Ta’lon Cooper PG Minn - South Carolina
Kadin Shedrick C Virginia - Not on final list
Jerome Brakefield PF Miss - Mississippi
Johnny O’Neil PF American - Santa Clara
Jordan Minor PF Merrimack - Virginia
Jayden Pierre PG Providence - Providence
Primo Spears PG Georgetown (Not in his final list)
Josh Cohen PF St. Francis Massachusetts
John Hugley PF Pittsburgh - Oklahoma
Denver Jones SG Florida International - Auburn
Chris Ledlum PF Harvard - Tennessee
Nicolas Timberlake SG Towson - Kansas
Kowacie Reeves SF Florida - Georgia Tech
Caleb Mills SG FSU - Memphis
Damian Dunn SG Temple - Houston
Maxwell Land SG St. Francis, Pa - South Alabama
Keshon Gilbert SG UNLV - Iowa State
Jalen Cone PG Northern Arizona - California
Johnathan Pierre SF Nova Southeastern - Memphis
Jayden Epps PG Illinois - Georgetown
Micah Handlogten C Marshall - Florida
Jackson Paveletzke PG Wofford - Iowa State
Justin Harmon SG Utah Valley - Illinois
Quincy Olivari SG Rice - Xavier
Jayden Taylor SG Butler - NC State
Brice Williams SF Charlotte - Nebraska
AJ Storr SG St. John’s - Wisconsin
Isiah Pope SF Utah Tech - Fresno State
Jesse Edwards C Syracuse - West Virginia
Ishmael Leggett SG Rhode Island - Pittsburgh
Myles Stute SF Vanderbilt - South Carolina
El Ellis SG Louisville -Arkansas
Nigel Burris F Idaho - Utah State
Chance Westry SG Auburn - Syracuse
Ben Middlebrooks PF Clemson - NC State
Carlos Stewart PG Santa Clara - LSU
Julian Roper SG Northwestern - Notre Dame
*Evan Taylor SG Lehigh - Vanderbilt
Dalton Knecht SG Northern Colorado - Tennessee
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