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C Daniel Giddens (transfer to Alabama, transfer to Vermont)

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wigmon said:
I am not sure that is Matta's inclination as Sully, Mullens and Koufos were certainly guys that were much better offensively than defensively and he's gone after Tony Parker who was much more of an offensive center than defensive presence. I think its just a matter of reality that there aren't many good offensive centers who also have the athletecism that top programs are looking for. I think its true that Matta would rather have an elite athlete that isn't so good on offense than a good offensive center who isn't very athletic, but I think he covets a guy in the middle that he can dump the ball down to and force double teams where the 4 out 1 in offense can really shine.
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3 bigs from Ohio is your proof that I'm wrong? I'm sorry, but my standards are higher than to believe that landing 2 5-stars from Columbus and a 3rd from prime OSU recruiting territory is clear evidence that he prefers anything more than highly rated big men close to home. He didn't have to go all the way down to Georgia to find a big man, clearly he values the trait of shotblocking highly in his centers (when he can't get the top ones close to home at least). Amir Williams is another guy who probably was recruited more for his defensive potential rather than offensive skill. Dallas Lauderdale most certainly as well.
 
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Honestly I feel that Matta is equally satisfied if he gets a great defensive center or a great offensive center. Of course you want the best of both worlds but when the likes of KY and KU are snapping up the top big men every year, you're not going to get your pick of the litter.
 
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I showed 4 different centers and that is not the end of the list. The class of '11 has almost no good centers to speak of (hence AW was an McD AA), but AW was not Matta's first choice. He went hard after AD and some thought we had a lead at one point. When you are left with a choice between a defensive minded center or no center, then I am not sure I'd call the only choice a preference. Parker was the pick in '12 and he was clearly an offensive guy. With Parker dragging things out, we really never had a chance with any '13 guys. The '14 class had a lot of highly ranked centers and we went after everyone of them. It was pretty clear from the beginning that Okafor (better offensive player than defensive) was Matta's #1 choice. The '15 class also has a bunch of highly ranked guys, but most of them for their defensive abilities. Matta has made a pitch to just about every one of them ranked in the top 30. He's aware that we flat out need one in this class and since none of them truly stand out, I don't think he really cares which one he gets.
 
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OhioState001 said:
How is a guy with those stats rated so highly? Even Amir did better.
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Keep in mind he's losing minutes to Ben Simmons, arguably the top frontcourt player in his class. You could nearly double every stat Giddens has if he were playing more. Even so, 8 ppg is nothing special for AAU, but Matta's MO in the past has been to go after the low maintenance big men who will defend and finish around the basket when he can't get an elite 5-star big who can score. Giddens is one of the premier shotblockers in the class and is a very athletic 6'9" big man, that is why he is rated where he is IMO.
 
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DZ83CK said:
Honestly I feel that Matta is equally satisfied if he gets a great defensive center or a great offensive center. Of course you want the best of both worlds but when the likes of KY and KU are snapping up the top big men every year, you're not going to get your pick of the litter.
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agreed. matta doesn't have a particular style. he's a defense-first coach, but he's shown to be malleable in his approach. i think that's a major reason for his outstanding recruiting. for the most part, the roster determines his direction, which is one reason why i think we'll see zone next season.
 
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The prohibitive favorite has been Ohio State by most accounts, and the Buckeyes are still hard on the trail for the big man.

“I talk to them every week; twice, three times a week maybe. There is a great relationship with Coach [Thad] Matta,” Giddens told SNY.tv. “They just [have] really told me how they are going to use me in the system.”

Matta sees him as a David West-type player. West played for Matta at Xavier from 2001-2003.

“They want me to be their power forward guy,” Giddens said. “They just want me to come in and fill a role for them, they are losing three people.”

The list of schools is staying at six for now and in the near future, but he will make by the end of the calendar year.

“I’m definitely committing in 2014 but I’m not planning any cuts to the list yet,” Giddens told SNY.tv.
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http://zagsblog.com/articles/ohio-state-remains-favorite-for-6-10-daniel-giddens/
 
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According to Rivals reporter Jeff Rabjohn(sp?) who covers IU, Giddens will announce his college decision July 4th. Usually Matta reels in his recruits prior to fall signing period. On the other hand, usually they don't commit to Matta when they announce a decision date, as most of his commits just happen without any pre-planned decision event.
 
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I like OSU's chances of getting Giddens. He has slipped recently in the rankings, though I believe that to be partly the product of backing up Ben Simmons (#1 big man in the country arguably) in AAU. I would be real happy for OSU to get Giddens, though, as he is known to be very athletic and a fierce defender and rebounder.
 
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Simmons played in less than half of E1T1's games and is more of a combo FW. Giddens averaged the third most minutes on the team (nearly 20 mpg), but the minutes were pretty evenly spread for the team. His block numbers were good and rebound numbers OK for the number of minutes played. Just didn't get many opportunities offensively.

Seems most likely that Giddens is choosing OSU. That gives us 3 athletic centers that you expect to be good defenders and rebounders, but not really much of an offensive presence (at least early on and depending on development). I do think we will give out one more ship (after Giddens). Esa appears the most likely to take it, but I wonder if Brown can be swayed by Giddens.
 
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