gtmoBlue wrote:2 highly regarded PFs on the 2016 transfer list.
Both would have to sit out a season...
C/PF 6-9 So. Goodluck Okonoboh from UNLV...
PF 6-9 Jr. Jermain Lawrence (NYC) from Cincinnati/Manhattan U (NYC)
Jermaine Lawrence was one of the most heralded recruits in University of Cincinnati basketball history, but the former Bearcat continues to underwhelm as a transfer in his first season with the Manhattan Jaspers.
Lawrence, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward ranked as high as No. 19 nationally in his high school class by Scout.com, is averaging just 4.1 points and 1.5 rebounds for Manhattan. As he did at UC, Lawrence battled a toe injury earlier this season. He just recently worked his way into the starting lineup.
Jaysker12 wrote:Okonoboh made it about halfway through UNLV's noncon slate before asking to be relegated to a bench role, then requesting a transfer. A quick google search did not reveal anymore information. You never turn away a really talented player like him, but something seems fishy there. I'll be interested to see how his story plays out
By Matt Youmans
Las Vegas Review-Journal
A highly touted prospect in high school, and a starter as a UNLV freshman, Goodluck Okonoboh probably never envisioned he would be playing a shrinking role as a sophomore.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 15.2 minutes and 3.5 points in the Rebels' first six games, a decline from the 26.7 minutes and 5.7 points he averaged in his first college season. But when he walked into coach Dave Rice's office Friday and revealed his plan to transfer, he did not mention a lack of playing time as the reason.
The meeting happened a day after the team returned from the Maui Invitational. Rice said Okonoboh did not complain about a reduced role or indicate a desire to return close to home in Boston.
"He thought it was time to make a change," Rice said. "He said he had been doing a lot of talking with his family and felt like it was in his best interest at the time to move on."
BostonBlueJay wrote:Jaysker12 wrote:Okonoboh made it about halfway through UNLV's noncon slate before asking to be relegated to a bench role, then requesting a transfer. A quick google search did not reveal anymore information. You never turn away a really talented player like him, but something seems fishy there. I'll be interested to see how his story plays out
Where did you hear that (asking to be relegated to bench role)? What I found says something completely different...By Matt Youmans
Las Vegas Review-Journal
A highly touted prospect in high school, and a starter as a UNLV freshman, Goodluck Okonoboh probably never envisioned he would be playing a shrinking role as a sophomore.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 15.2 minutes and 3.5 points in the Rebels' first six games, a decline from the 26.7 minutes and 5.7 points he averaged in his first college season. But when he walked into coach Dave Rice's office Friday and revealed his plan to transfer, he did not mention a lack of playing time as the reason.
The meeting happened a day after the team returned from the Maui Invitational. Rice said Okonoboh did not complain about a reduced role or indicate a desire to return close to home in Boston.
"He thought it was time to make a change," Rice said. "He said he had been doing a lot of talking with his family and felt like it was in his best interest at the time to move on."
http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/unl ... -dave-rice
To me, that's a BIG difference between asking for a reduced role, then asking for a transfer and asking for a transfer AFTER getting a reduced role... The article does allude to him being "homesick" for the northeast, which makes the PC rumors even more plausible (and likely damaging to CU's chances of landing him...well...Omaha technically is closer than Vegas...)
Rice said that on Sunday, Nov. 15, Okonoboh approached him about coming off the bench in the following day’s game against New Mexico Highlands, saying he thought it would be better for the team. Rice said he told Okonoboh to sleep on it, and when he felt the same the next day that’s the move they made.
“That is 100 percent accurate,” Rice said. “One thing I’ve never done is misled.”
There have been reports that Okonoboh attempted to buy a plane ticket out of Maui after the UCLA loss, and that he had to be talked into even dressing for the Chaminade and Indiana games. When asked if Okonoboh tried to fly back before the team, Rice replied in a text, "I am absolutely not aware of that."
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