6-9 sharpshooter Gokhan Sirin

[Vega]

wants to visit South Florida. He visited Charlotte last weekend and could go there if the South Florida visit doesn't happen.

Gokhan is as pure of a shooter as you will find in the 2009 class. However shooting isn't all he can do. He has good court vision, skilled at passing, and can handle the ball some. He's a good athlete that has a little fade to his shot making it hard to block. His only weakness is he has to get bigger and stronger. He weighed in at 190lbs last year is currently around 201-205lbs. His coach  Dave Tallman describes him as a very hard worker that will most definately play professional once he gets up to around 220-225lbs.

Well that's the best info I can gather on this guy so what do you guys think?

Just like Charlotte we have 1 scholarship left and a 6-9 shooter with upside sounds like a player that would fit in nicely with our future plans. Gokhan sounds like a guy that could turn into a very, very good player after he gets on a college weight program.

His scholarship offers are Charlotte, South Florida, Georgetown, Duquesne, and Loyola(Md).

Remember he plans on visiting USF once something can get setup.

[Vega]

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/basketball/boys/news/story?id=3964092

Sirin learns the game and possibly earns a scholarship

When 6-foot-9 Gokhan Sirin arrived at St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) in August as an exchange student from Istanbul, Knights head basketball coach Dave Tallman saw a 190-pound big man who was athletic and could shoot, but didn't really understand how basketball is played in America.

Sirin picked up American basketball well enough in one season to earn college recruiting interest.

By the end of the season, Sirin made the adjustment and is likely to earn All-Conference and All-State accolades for his senior year.

"The physical, competitive side of how basketball is played here, as well as the fast pace and the athleticism of American players were all new to Sirin," Tallman told ESPN RISE. "Gokhan can really shoot the ball -- he also sees the floor well and has good floor skills."

Sirin has three formal Division I college scholarship offers and Tallman believes that more schools will offer Sirin before the next NCAA signing period in April.

"Gokhan has firm scholarship offers from Duquesne, Loyola and Charlotte, but some high Division I colleges are watching him," Tallman said.

"I do want to play basketball in college in America," Sirin said. "I want to play basketball here and get a good education. I am working hard on lifting weights, getting stronger and making myself better as a player."

Sirin increased his weight to a more solid 201 pounds and according to Tallman is working hard in the weight room to improve his strength.

St. Mary's Ryken plays in the ultra-competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, which features powerhouse programs like Bishop McNamara, DeMatha, Gonzaga (D.C.) and Good Counsel.

"We were pretty young and we had to integrate some new players, bring along some younger kids, but we played better as the year went on and Gokhan was a big part of us improving," Tallman said. "Gokhan averaged about 17 points and seven rebounds this year, but he averaged about 22 points over the last five or six games."

In the Knights' win over Carroll, Sirin scored 27 points and hit five 3-pointers. In the team's loss to DeMatha, Sirin was one of the team's leading scorers with eight points.

"Gokhan is a really great kid. He is a very hard worker on the court and wants to be successful in school and basketball," Tallman said. "He is very motivated to be successful and be as good as he can be. He is a real gym rat and a real hard worker."

[Velcro]

6'9 pure shooter?  Sounds worth the risk to me.  Can never have enough shooters, especially tall ones.

[Vega]

6'9 pure shooter?  Sounds worth the risk to me.  Can never have enough shooters, especially tall ones.

[basketbull229]

He played in the Tampa Hoops Classic so he is at least slightly familiar with what USF has to offer. Though obviously an official visit would help.

[bcgruber]

Nice find on that one.  I would like to sign him seems worth the risk.  At this point you probably aren't going to get a superstar.  You can always open up scolarships later if you need them  I say go for him

[Held_AccountaBull]

sign him up

[TyBull]

Could he be another Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic forward, a 6-10 sharp shooter @ 220 lbs from Turkey?

Hope so, hope that Coach Stan takes a long look at him.

Ty

[Velcro]

the fact that he wants to come here for a visit is enough where we should be open arms, at least to give him a look.  How many players say "i want to come to south florida".  That is 2 this signing period, including fitzpatrick.

[Vega]

the fact that he wants to come here for a visit is enough where we should be open arms, at least to give him a look.  How many players say "i want to come to south florida".  That is 2 this signing period, including fitzpatrick.

Gokhan Sirin- If Sirin isn't a pure shooter, then he is awful close to being one. The 6-foot-8, 180-pound face up four man from Turkey started out the day hitting jumpers over small defenders. As the day wore on he got more aggressive with the ball and started making plays off the dribble. Getting stronger is a must for Sirin, who has only been lifting weights for the four weeks that he has been in the States, to be able to defend and rebound at the high major level. His offensive skill level, however, is definitely high major caliber.

In his short time in the United States, Sirin has already been visited by head coaches Bob Huggins and Herb Sendek and assistant coaches from Miami, Pittsburgh, Kansas State and George Mason.

This pick-and-pop forward has range beyond the 3-point line and a textbook stroke. Sirin is ready to shoot on the catch and gets off his shot before the defense can recover. He runs the floor in transition, spotting up on the 3-point line and daring his man to help on penetration. In the half court, he reads guard penetration and does a great job locating the open area and getting to the vision of the passer ready to pull the trigger. Sirin also makes plays off the dribble with foot and shot fakes to move the defender to set up drives to the rim or his pull up jumper. He plays hard and has an excellent basketball IQ. Sirin lacks strength and avoids contact but his skill level is big time for a player his size. He is a decent rebounder and streaky athlete who will throw it down with a clear path to the rim. He understands how to defend on-ball screens and uses his length to defend quicker players off the dribble. This kid has great upside, and when his strength catches up to his skill, watch out!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=3615490

After reading that...what is Coach Heath waiting for? We are not going to get a player better then Gokhan at this point in the recruiting process. We provide the perfect situation for him. With guys like Gus, Espinosa, and Toarlyn taking care of the 4 spot, Gokhan can get minutes at the SF for his 1st two seasons here until he gets stronger and can move to the 4 his junior season. We are always on the lookout for players that will make us better, Gokhan makes us a better team next season and beyond imo.