Rishad Gaston

[casualfan]

Visiting next week.

Averaged 16 and 9 at Norfolk State.

Would sit then have one year left.

[MHettel]

Visiting nect week.

Averaged 16 and 9 at Norfolk State.

Would sir then gave one year left.

We've had alot of luck with transfers, but I think it's situational dependent. In this case, this kid would take a roster spot for 2 years and only be eligible for one. That the highest cost possible for a transfer.

The lowest cost possible are the immediately eligible graduate transfers where you have a one-year invetsment and one year worth of returns. And, more often than not the scholarship you give to a grad transfer would likely have gone unused anyway, so the cost is essentially zero.

Younger transfers are preferred as you get a better "return period"

[spursy]

We've had alot of luck with transfers, but I think it's situational dependent. In this case, this kid would take a roster spot for 2 years and only be eligible for one. That the highest cost possible for a transfer.

The lowest cost possible are the immediately eligible graduate transfers where you have a one-year invetsment and one year worth of returns. And, more often than not the scholarship you give to a grad transfer would likely have gone unused anyway, so the cost is essentially zero.

Younger transfers are preferred as you get a better "return period"
Yeah, but not many people are predicting Reynolds to be back after the upcoming season. I think Gaston would be a great stopgap in the rotation that year.

[casualfan]

For whatever it is worth here's how he did against teams from the high major leagues this past year:

5 pts 3 rebounds vs Vandy
6 pts 10 rebounds vs Baylor
9 pts 6 rebounds vs Georgia

He had some monster efforts in league play including a 30 pt 18 rebound game but I don't know a whole lot about the MEAC.

Maybe if brew is reading he can comment on the league.

He is also apparently visiting Dayton tomorrow.

[GoMuskies]

The MEAC would make a bad Division II league.

[XUFan09]

We've had alot of luck with transfers, but I think it's situational dependent. In this case, this kid would take a roster spot for 2 years and only be eligible for one. That the highest cost possible for a transfer.

The lowest cost possible are the immediately eligible graduate transfers where you have a one-year invetsment and one year worth of returns. And, more often than not the scholarship you give to a grad transfer would likely have gone unused anyway, so the cost is essentially zero.

Younger transfers are preferred as you get a better "return period"
Your reasoning here is sound, but you also have to consider the situation. Xavier has two scholarships open for this next year, and we're at the point where I doubt they will fill both of them. That essentially makes him a fifth year transfer who gets a year in the system to prepare. It would obviously be different if we were down to our last scholarship, because then it would be risky. As it is, we only need to worry about whether he's worth it for 2016, and we would still have a scholarship handy for a late recruit or late transfer for 2015.

[GoMuskies]

Plus, at least one more scholarship will come open. One always does.

[MHettel]

Your reasoning here is sound, but you also have to consider the situation. Xavier has two scholarships open for this next year, and we're at the point where I doubt they will fill both of them. That essentially makes him a fifth year transfer who gets a year in the system to prepare. It would obviously be different if we were down to our last scholarship, because then it would be risky. As it is, we only need to worry about whether he's worth it for 2016, and we would still have a scholarship handy for a late recruit or late transfer for 2015.

Got it. Now distill the entire situation down to just 2 options. We have one open scholarship and could take either;

- A Senior transfer who would redshirt a year and then play for a year.

or

- A freshman big-man project that would redshirt and then be eligible for 4 years after that.

Now, there is a pretty good chance that the transfer player would have a better year in his only season of eligibilgity than the redshirt freshman would have in their first season. But in BOTH cases your shortened your bench in the prior year becasue these guys had to sit out. However, the freshman still has 3 additional years to contribute and potentially could be a real contributor if not a star someday (think Jason Love, who if recruited by XU as a Big East member right now would most certainly be a project an dwould also just as certainly be a great big man by the time he graduates).

Also, many projects flame out, so there is that....

Tough decision in my mind on this one.

[XUFan09]

You also have to consider the relative needs:

- In 2016-2017, we really need a legitimate big to replace Reynolds and Farr. Both are presumably gone, and the only real big is O'Mara (not combo forwards London and Gates), plus whichever freshman/freshmen the staff gets from the 2016 recruiting class. Freshman bigs are generally unreliable, though, so it's safe not to count them.
- In 2017-2018, we don't need a legitimate big nearly as much. O'Mara will still be here, plus the big or bigs from the 2016 class will be sophomores and much better prepared for D1 ball.

Basically, Xavier needs a stopgap for Reynolds's likely unfulfilled senior year (2016-2017) much more than they need a guy who is still around for 2017-2018. If they get a guy (like Kyle Washington) who is still around, that's just gravy but not nearly as needed. Because of that, any transfer who would still be "project-y" in 2016-2017 but eligible for year(s) beyond that would not be as valuable as a seasoned player who is only eligible for 2016-2017. The other route is to get a fifth-year transfer a year from now, but that carries risks:

1) The fifth-year transfer rule might be getting eliminated (which is BS, but that's another issue altogether).
2) There's a lot of unpredictability in terms of fifth-year transfers when we're still a year away, and there might not be anyone who is (a) the right position, (b) good enough to make an impact at Xavier, and (c) interested in going to Xavier. Even if they find players who fit all three criteria, they still need to get a commitment from one of them, which doesn't necessarily happen even when the player would have a great opportunity to succeed (like Alex Oriakhi back in 2013, but he chose Mizzou over Xavier).

[casualfan]

You also have to consider the relative needs:

- In 2016-2017, we really need a legitimate big to replace Reynolds and Farr. Both are presumably gone, and the only real big is O'Mara (not combo forwards London and Gates), plus whichever freshman/freshmen the staff gets from the 2016 recruiting class. Freshman bigs are generally unreliable, though, so it's safe not to count them.
- In 2017-2018, we don't need a legitimate big nearly as much. O'Mara will still be here, plus the big or bigs from the 2016 class will be sophomores and much better prepared for D1 ball.

Basically, Xavier needs a stopgap for Reynolds's likely unfulfilled senior year (2016-2017) much more than they need a guy who is still around for 2017-2018. If they get a guy (like Kyle Washington) who is still around, that's just gravy but not nearly as needed. Because of that, any transfer who would still be "project-y" in 2016-2017 but eligible for year(s) beyond that would not be as valuable as a seasoned player who is only eligible for 2016-2017. The other route is to get a fifth-year transfer a year from now, but that carries risks:

1) The fifth-year transfer rule might be getting eliminated (which is BS, but that's another issue altogether).
2) There's a lot of unpredictability in terms of fifth-year transfers when we're still a year away, and there might not be anyone who is (a) the right position, (b) good enough to make an impact at Xavier, and (c) interested in going to Xavier. Even if they find players who fit all three criteria, they still need to get a commitment from one of them, which doesn't necessarily happen even when the player would have a great opportunity to succeed (like Alex Oriakhi back in 2013, but he chose Mizzou over Xavier).

I agree with a lot of this.

For what it's worth Washington is down to Marquette, UC, and Providence.

[XUFan09]

I agree with a lot of this.

For what it's worth Washington is down to Marquette, UC, and Providence.
Yeah, unfortunately that was a competitive race that Xavier wasn't likely to win.

[MuskieCinci]

If he is good enough this is a perfect situation for us. We have two unused scholarships right now, and he will only be around for two years. It won't hurt future recruiting by blocking anyone since he will only be around for at most one future recruit's season. He gets to sit out a year to focus on learning the system and provide better practice depth. He will help fill a big void after Farr and Reynolds are gone and only O'Mara and London plus whatever we get from that freshman class are around. I don't see many downsides.

[XUFan09]

If he is good enough this is a perfect situation for us. We have two unused scholarships right now, and he will only be around for two years. It won't hurt future recruiting by blocking anyone since he will only be around for at most one future recruit's season. He gets to sit out a year to focus on learning the system and provide better practice depth. He will help fill a big void after Farr and Reynolds are gone and only O'Mara and London plus whatever we get from that freshman class are around. I don't see many downsides.
Exactly.

[casualfan]

If he is good enough this is a perfect situation for us. We have two unused scholarships right now, and he will only be around for two years. It won't hurt future recruiting by blocking anyone since he will only be around for at most one future recruit's season. He gets to sit out a year to focus on learning the system and provide better practice depth. He will help fill a big void after Farr and Reynolds are gone and only O'Mara and London plus whatever we get from that freshman class are around. I don't see many downsides.

I tend to agree with most of this.

It will affect our 2016 class in that we'll now have one less ship to give if we get him.

I'm not sure if that would qualify as hurting future recruiting, but that's really the only effect it should have from a recruiting perspective.

[MADXSTER]

I'd rather hold the scholly open. Xavier can do better IMO.

[XUFan09]

I'd rather hold the scholly open. Xavier can do better IMO.
For who? It's already June, and we're not getting Kyle Washington. It's highly unlikely that both the open scholarships will be used. Two years from now, we need a seasoned legitimate big, or the team will have no one with real size after O'Mara, except for maybe a freshman big, who are notoriously unreliable.

If we don't get a traditional transfer this year or a fifth year transfer next year (which might not even exist then), it's close to a guarantee that Xavier is going really small in 2017-2018. Heaven forbid O'Mara gets hurt at some point during the season; then we'd see London and a freshman splitting all the time at the 5.

[casualfan]

Fairly certain his visit starts today.

Sounds like Kent State and USF are also in the mix so I would think we can get him if we want him...

[XUFan09]

Fairly certain his visit starts today.

Sounds like Kent State and USF are also in the mix so I would think we can get him if we want him...
I believe Dayton is also in there, and they're probably the only legitimate contender (unless he wants to be a star at a mid-major).

[casualfan]

I believe Dayton is also in there, and they're probably the only legitimate contender (unless he wants to be a star at a mid-major).

Yes, i only mentioned Kent State and USF because they had not been mentioned yet in this thread.

Those two being in the mix tells me he may not be a take for either Dayton and/or us.

If you definitely have an offer from us or Dayton you don't consider visiting Kent State

[xudash]

Yes, i only mentioned Kent State and USF because they had not been mentioned yet in this thread.

Those two being in the mix tells me he may not be a take for either Dayton and/or us.

If you definitely have an offer from us, you definitely don't consider visiting Dayton or Kent State

Fixed it for you.

[casualfan]

Yes, i only mentioned Kent State and USF because they had not been mentioned yet in this thread.

Those two being in the mix tells me he may not be a take for either Dayton and/or us.

If you definitely have an offer from us, you definitely don't consider visiting Dayton or Kent State

Fixed it for you.

And I fixed it for you :smile:

[Milhouse]

UD just took a transfer that's 6'7" and plays the 3/4 I would have to think UD is out for him now

[XUFan09]

UD just took a transfer that's 6'7" and plays the 3/4 I would have to think UD is out for him now

I thought Dayton had a pretty small frontcourt, though. If so, they have room for some big bodies.

Edit: I just checked and they were really small this year. After dismissing Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson, they had no one on the team bigger than 6'6". In the 2015 class, they have guards and wings. They do have one legitimate big in redshirt freshman Steve McElvene, but they aren't going to put all their eggs in that basket. It's probably easy for them to sell the opportunity for playing time to a real big, just as it for Xavier who only has Sean O'Mara in 2016-2017.

[casualfan]

By the way his name is spelled 'Rashid'. I tried to go back and change it, but I can't figure out a way to change a thread title.

[LA Muskie]

I'd rather hold the scholly open. Xavier can do better IMO.
I can't recall too many (if any) instances where we really wanted someone, and he really wanted us, and there wasn't a scholly available.

[Juice]

I can't recall too many (if any) instances where we really wanted someone, and he really wanted us, and there wasn't a scholly available.

For who? When? They have 2 open.

[GoMuskies]

For who? When? They have 2 open.

Pretty sure that's LA's point. It's never happened, so no reason to save scholarships worrying about it happening now.

[LA Muskie]

Pretty sure that's LA's point. It's never happened, so no reason to save scholarships worrying about it happening now.
Exactly. (But you said it better.)

[MADXSTER]

I guess I'm just a bit disappointed in the recruiting thus far this year. I really thought with last year's recruiting class, this year's success in the tourney, BE conference, that Xavier would have a recruit or two already in hand. Arg.

[XUFan09]

I guess I'm just a bit disappointed in the recruiting thus far this year. I really thought with last year's recruiting class, this year's success in the tourney, BE conference, that Xavier would have a recruit or two already in hand. Arg.

I think a lot of that just has to do with when most of our priority recruits are deciding. Simpson looked like he was getting ready to decide, but he's pushed it back a little. Most other guys aren't going to be ready to decide until August or September, maybe even October for some of them.

[Juice]

Pretty sure that's LA's point. It's never happened, so no reason to save scholarships worrying about it happening now.

I quoted the wrong guy, my mistake. I agree with LA.

[casualfan]

As time goes on without any word on a possible commitment I'm starting to think we may have passed.

[ammtd34]

As time goes on without any word on a possible commitment I'm starting to think we may have passed.

He visited this weekend.

[casualfan]

He visited this weekend.

That's exactly my point. The further away we get from him leaving campus the more I think the possibility of him committing drops.

For a commitment to happen both parties need to be ready for the marriage.

In this case, with this guy's other options being Dayton (maybe), Kent State, and USF I think he'd be jumping at the chance to come here.

Since he hasn't committed that tells me it is likely the other side holding things up.

In other words, I'm thinking we decided to pass.

[Juice]

That's exactly my point. The further away we get from him leaving campus the more I think the possibility of him committing drops.

For a commitment to happen both parties need to be ready for the marriage.

In this case, with this guy's other options being Dayton (maybe), Kent State, and USF I think he'd be jumping at the chance to come here.

Since he hasn't committed that tells me it is likely the other side holding things up.

In other words, I'm thinking we decided to pass.

That's not accurate at all.

[casualfan]

That's not accurate at all.

Ok, fair enough.

Would expect we'll be getting word of a commit soon then because the competition for him is very weak.

[mistabeecee41]

COMMIT. XAVIER.

from my top secret sources

(okay I lied, Shannon just tweeted).

[KabeX]

Gaston committed. Welcome to the Muskie family.

[kyxu]

Must sit a year, and has just one year of eligibility remaining. Hopefully, he can contribute right away.

[xufan02]

I guess I'm just a bit disappointed in the recruiting thus far this year. I really thought with last year's recruiting class, this year's success in the tourney, BE conference, that Xavier would have a recruit or two already in hand. Arg.

I can understand your frustration if you are talking about immediately eligible transfers, 5th year, or sit out transfers. Gaston committing will help in that regard. As far as 2016 guys, I'm not really worried. Of our 6 commits in the 2014 class only one committed before the July recruiting period, Sumner. All the other guys committed between August and October, and Larry Austin was a late signee. Some kids just take time. I would much rather get solid verbals later then a early verbal and a de-commit, ala DSR.