MBB May have the needed big guy ...... Texas Tech transfer

[Triple B]

23 minutes ago, jchem1995 said:

But he said he wants minutes now. 

If he gets a waiver and plays this year his only true competition for minutes at center here should be Durr. He got around 5 min a game at TTU so barring something unforeseen he should have no problem getting a lot more minutes here ...

[Brad]

20 hours ago, JTrue said:

But did he pray before making the decision? I'm going to hold off on my excitement if he's only coming here because he and his coaches figured it was the best basketball opportunity for him.

[Brad]

Courtesy GoUSFBulls.com:

 

BULLS ADD TEXAS TECH BIG MAN RUSSEL TCHEWA

May 08, 2020

 

 

 

TAMPA, MAY 8, 2020 – The USF men's basketball team added another big piece to its 2020 recruiting class on Friday, when head coach Brian Gregory announced the addition of 7-foot, 260-pound center Russel Tchewa, a Texas Tech transfer.

Tchewa appeared in 23 games last season as a freshman at Texas Tech and helped the Red Raiders to 18 wins and nine victories in Big 12 play. His presence in the post helped Texas Tech feature one of the top defenses in the NCAA in 2019-20, finishing the season ranked 29th in the country in scoring defense (63.5 ppg) and 28th in turnovers forced (16.0 tpg).

"We are pleased to welcome Russel into our Bulls' family," Gregory said. "Russel is a gifted, young post player who impacts the game on both ends of the court. He has great size, strength and athletic ability, and his energy on the court is high level. We are excited about his work ethic and his skill level. Russel has a bright future in our program."

A native of Douala, Cameroon and a three-star recruit, Tchewa played one season at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut before enrolling at Texas Tech. Putnam Science Academy is the same school current Bull Alexis Yetna attended.

Tchewa played three years of prep basketball in Italy for Grissin bon Reggio Emilia and scored a career-high 30 points in a win over Virtus Bologna. He also helped lead his team to the semifinals of the conference championship tournament.

Tchewa competed at the Adidas Next Generation tournament and averaged 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 64 percent from the field in helping his team reach the Final Four in Belgrade.

Link

[Brad]

 

[Triple B]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

Courtesy GoUSFBulls.com:

 

BULLS ADD TEXAS TECH BIG MAN RUSSEL TCHEWA

May 08, 2020

 

 

 

TAMPA, MAY 8, 2020 – The USF men's basketball team added another big piece to its 2020 recruiting class on Friday, when head coach Brian Gregory announced the addition of 7-foot, 260-pound center Russel Tchewa, a Texas Tech transfer.

Tchewa appeared in 23 games last season as a freshman at Texas Tech and helped the Red Raiders to 18 wins and nine victories in Big 12 play. His presence in the post helped Texas Tech feature one of the top defenses in the NCAA in 2019-20, finishing the season ranked 29th in the country in scoring defense (63.5 ppg) and 28th in turnovers forced (16.0 tpg).

"We are pleased to welcome Russel into our Bulls' family," Gregory said. "Russel is a gifted, young post player who impacts the game on both ends of the court. He has great size, strength and athletic ability, and his energy on the court is high level. We are excited about his work ethic and his skill level. Russel has a bright future in our program."

A native of Douala, Cameroon and a three-star recruit, Tchewa played one season at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut before enrolling at Texas Tech. Putnam Science Academy is the same school current Bull Alexis Yetna attended.

Tchewa played three years of prep basketball in Italy for Grissin bon Reggio Emilia and scored a career-high 30 points in a win over Virtus Bologna. He also helped lead his team to the semifinals of the conference championship tournament.

Tchewa competed at the Adidas Next Generation tournament and averaged 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 64 percent from the field in helping his team reach the Final Four in Belgrade.

Link

Awesome. Always a little worry until they actually sign ....

[Triple B]

4 hours ago, brybull1970 said:

I still think he's someone that will wind up playing smaller than his frame as he plays too low to the ground and lacks any vertical explosiveness.

How much vertical explosiveness does a 7 footer really need? Assume it would help with shot blocking, although he did have 7 blocks in his freshman year so it would have been nice to see more of those in his highlights ......... and besides, if he already had vertical explosiveness, he'd probably still be at TTU or at a more traditional hoops school.

[Brad]

A 7 foot sophomore is good to have.  Hopefully he has good feet.  

[Triple B]

6 minutes ago, Brad said:

A 7 foot sophomore is good to have.  Hopefully he has good feet.  

Omo, bless his heart, was a 7' sophomore but this guy moves a wee bit better. I think bry's comment about him being a 3 or 4 and growing into a 5 sounds right after watching him move ...

[CousinRicky]

36 minutes ago, brybull1970 said:

7 footers should be dunking virtually any time they are around the basket. There were several instances in the highlight package where he finished soft and was surprised he didn't flush it. The AAC has some superior defensive teams and the lack of explosiveness and playing low to the ground will put a ceiling on his effectiveness around the basket.

Michael Durr didn't dunk a whole bunch this past year either. Yetna, if healthy, will have more than both of the biguns.

[Dave_Glaser]

I like his hands. Watch him handle those interior passes in the highlight clip. How many times do you see big guys fumble those away trying to get a handle? Some good upside here for sure and good movement from a young guy who’s that big. Nice addition for depth now and maybe more later.