Transfer Talk II : 3-29 Bobby Pettiford Thoughts

 

 

 I'll start another writeup since the last is over is a 10-minute read at this point.

3-27

Farmville native Justin Wright who we talked about in the previous thread
Commits to...... Loyola Marymount.   He reportedly didn't fit what the staff wanted. My question would be does he fit better than LaCount? He averaged 16ppg and shot 40% from three the last 2 years.

 

If Wright goes to Los Angeles and ECU keeps LaCount who they went to LA to get it instead of recruiting Wright harder that would be some tradeoff. That is a program ECU can compete with and Wright had already stayed home before at NC Central. He's probably just looking to get to the best level of the conference he could at this point more than being in love with LMU. 

7-2 and 270lb ECU target David Craig committed to Tennessee Tech.  We saw Craig when ECU played them and he looked like he was running in slow motion. While he wouldn't have been my first pick in the portal I would certainly take him over Pinedo. He was a freshman to so after the transfer he's locked in for multiple years. He also was highly productive in the 13 minutes a game he did play averaging 5.5pg, 4.2rpg with a 19.5 PER. That's the kind of young freshman big man you could take a chance on at the back end of your roster. I would have been fine with Schwartz signing him and moving on from a freshman.

 

Pinedo is 6-7 playing center and averaged 1.0ppg,0.4rpg with a 6.2 PER vs a somewhat similar SOS in 21 games. I think Craig has much more upside. He may never be a 25+ minute player but there would be times he could play and be effective I believe. If Craig lost 20lbs he might even be more effective and playable.

We'll see what they end up with but if LaCount and Pinedo return these were clearly transferrs the staff was aware of by reports and that were gettable.  Some want to make excuses about everything that keeps ECU from getting upgrades in the portal. There are some good transfers going to mid major level places.

 

3-28

I thought Paxon Wojick was gettable early when I wrote him up in the previous list. UNC took him.  Maybe he will be successful but that's a little high level for him if you are asking him to start. I thought he would be an underrated type of get for schools like ECU but that's a little bit of a reach for Hubert Davis IMO depending on the role. 

 

3-29

 

Another player ECU was in contact with Dom Campbell from Notre Dame has landed at Howard. Campbell wouldn't have been on my list as a player that played 35 minutes on the season as a freshman at Notre Dame. I think their are lots of better players but as a freshman prospect you could burn a transfer and lock in I'd still trade him for Pinedo.  

Bobby Pettiford

I don't get the fascination with Pettiford or Styles in the fanbase. Styles especially. Pettifford cracked the rotation at Kansas at least but he pretty much stunk when he played with a 7 PER as the 9th man.  What's worse is he doesn't even take three's forget actually making them. He was apparently so bad he  was coached not to even take them only going 3-13 in 46 games. You can't play a 6-1 guy that doesn't even attempt three's in 2023 and expect to be successful unless he's elite in other areas. You also better have three point shooting out of 3 or 4 of the other positions which puts big pressure on the team build. 

Pettiford also never got to the free throw line.  How does the guy even project to score if he's not getting to the line and never taking a three with lesser players around him.  What did he do on the court there that was positive.  He doesn't have elite size either and I get why he's leaving.  He had a -13.3 net rating at Kansas and a very poor 103 defensive rating.  

Pettiford shot a bunch of three's in high school and was fairly successful his senior year, that's at least hopeful a new coach could give him a greenlight.  I just think their are so many equivalent or better options out there.  Ones that likely don't come with the same kind of ego as a former top 100 recruit from a blue blood. Give me the low major that actually did it and made three's that I don't have to try to project on a short three point line what it might look like. A guy that's a hall of fame coach wouldn't even let shoot a three at a position you have to.