West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

His one year audition at WL would at least find him a home in the Atlantic Region next season should he choose to come back. It's a very odd move altogether. Was the 'D1' jump confirmed to be the reason he left or was it something else (grades, etc.)?

I haven't taken the time to look but does Tallahassee have a track record of being a feeder system? Some of those elite JUCO's are legitimately D1 factories.

But, Boat, as your buddy Joe Lombardi says ... "I get calls from 5'10" point guards all day long"

Seems like WLU is becoming a "feeder" for IUP! First was "Everything West Liberty is is Because of ME Dyer" a few years ago, now it's "I'm a Can't Miss D1 Superstar Humphrey" and perhaps his replacement will be "I Should Have Been An All-American Hill!"

I'm sure Hill has Joe's number on speed dial!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Yea...Tallahassee CC seems to be a "player mill" were players who couldn't find ANYWHERE else to go "park" for a year. First chance they have they seem to head for greener pastures...typically at another JUCO if they have any eligibility left. I'd be willing to bet his "Academic Major" is listed as - "The easiest courses possible to maintain my eligibility."

His one year audition at WL would at least find him a home in the Atlantic Region next season should he choose to come back. It's a very odd move altogether. Was the 'D1' jump confirmed to be the reason he left or was it something else (grades, etc.)?

I haven't taken the time to look but does Tallahassee have a track record of being a feeder system? Some of those elite JUCO's are legitimately D1 factories.

But, Boat, as your buddy Joe Lombardi says ... "I get calls from 5'10" point guards all day long"

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Yea...Tallahassee CC seems to be a "player mill" were players who couldn't find ANYWHERE else to go "park" for a year. First chance they have they seem to head for greener pastures...typically at another JUCO if they have any eligibility left. I'd be willing to bet his "Academic Major" is listed as - "The easiest courses possible to maintain my eligibility."

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I feel even worse for Yahel Hill.

Talahassee CC appears to be a school that churns and burns players.
Massive roster turnover each year.

NONE of the 4 freshmen from the 2017-2018 team were on the 2018-2019 team.

Chris Agbo played one year at Talahassee and then transferrred to Pearl River CC - then committed to Indiana State (D1)
Jaquan Morris landed at Blinn College (neither D1 nor D2)
Chris Swiney transferred to Rowan (neither D1 nor D2)
Bamba Jaye transferred from Gillette WY to Talahassee and is at Shaw as RS Jr (D2) and averaged 0.2 points per game and was shooting 10% FG

The 3 Sophomores on the 2018-2019 team were all transfers. The remainder of the roster were freshmen..

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

But they won't be ashamed...these people are un-shamable! When Hill does not sign with a D1, they will simply move on to the next player and fill his head full of D1 non-sense. Of course they will trumpet the few "success" stories were they convinced a DII player that he was D1 and that player actually ended up at a D1 while totally ignoring the probably hundreds of players he influenced that ended up back at a DII or the uncounted that ended up giving up on basketball (and college).

Unfortunately you are right... they are just exploiting kids.
BTW, I looked at TCC roster. There is only one other guy 6-0 on the entire roster and he is a soph.
Also, TCC is getting a lot of D1 transfers (my guess is academic casulaties) so it is not a given that Yahel will walk right in and start. One thing in his favor is that playing a year at WL has improved his understanding of the game (provided the new coach at TCC shares the philosophy of teamwork and unselfishness). From verbalcommits transfer list

2 SG DeAndre Gholston FR 6-2 170 Kent State Tallahassee Community College
3.3 PG Eric Hester SO 6-3 175 Akron Tallahassee Community College
2 PF Isaih Moore FR 6-10 180 College of Charleston Tallahassee Community College
2 SG Tariq Silver RS FR 6-5 185 Eastern Michigan Tallahassee Community College
2 SF Daivon Stephens FR 6-5 185 Eastern Michigan Tallahassee Community College

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

So sad. He had a bright future at WL. He was in such a good situation there.
Terrible academic decision as well as sports decision.

Whoever influenced him with the siren song of d1 stardom should
be ashamed

But they won't be ashamed...these people are un-shamable! When Hill does not sign with a D1, they will simply move on to the next player and fill his head full of D1 non-sense. Of course they will trumpet the few "success" stories were they convinced a DII player that he was D1 and that player actually ended up at a D1 while totally ignoring the probably hundreds of players he influenced that ended up back at a DII or the uncounted that ended up giving up on basketball (and college).

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I can't imagine Yahel thinks this is going to be the outcome after he walks into Ben's office at WL at the conclusion of the season to tell him he's transferring.

A Freshman Guard starting on a perennial Top 10, D2 team goes to Tallahassee CC his sophomore year!!! I guess it's believable in some regards, but where are you gonna end up! Bad decision...

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

This whole process was very Chucky'isk!!! We'll see where he ends up after next season when he realizes that he's not a D1 player!

Probably in the Atlantic.

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I can't imagine Yahel thinks this is going to be the outcome after he walks into Ben's office at WL at the conclusion of the season to tell him he's transferring.

A Freshman Guard starting on a perennial Top 10, D2 team goes to Tallahassee CC his sophomore year!!! I guess it's believable in some regards, but where are you gonna end up! Bad decision...

This whole process was very Chucky'isk!!! We'll see where he ends up after next season when he realizes that he's not a D1 player!

[IUP Extra Mile]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Yeah ... they run some serious talent through there. They are typically stacked with academic non-qualifiers, ... those types.

I can't imagine Yahel thinks this is going to be the outcome after he walks into Ben's office at WL at the conclusion of the season to tell him he's transferring.

A Freshman Guard starting on a perennial Top 10, D2 team goes to Tallahassee CC his sophomore year!!! I guess it's believable in some regards, but where are you gonna end up! Bad decision...

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Very questionable move on his part. He will be on a team that was pretty good (at the level they play at) and that was freshman heavy last year (12 of 15 players). Doesn't seem like Yahel is much interested in sitting out a year so presumably this is a one and done thing with hopes of catching the eye of a D1. He's going to have a lot of experienced "traffic" to negotiate his way through to get into the starting line-up.

Yeah ... they run some serious talent through there. They are typically stacked with academic non-qualifiers, ... those types.

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Yahel to Tallahassee CC ... same as recent kid from WJ

Very questionable move on his part. He will be on a team that was pretty good (at the level they play at) and that was freshman heavy last year (12 of 15 players). Doesn't seem like Yahel is much interested in sitting out a year so presumably this is a one and done thing with hopes of catching the eye of a D1. He's going to have a lot of experienced "traffic" to negotiate his way through to get into the starting line-up.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Yahel to Tallahassee CC ... same as recent kid from WJ

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Louisville, Ky. native went to prep school in W.Va. that lost in the national prep championship game. Pretty well put together at 6-6, 200 pounds. Good hops, good handle, nice stroke. 3.6 GPA, 30 ACT. Sounds like a pretty good get for Ben.

He played against very high level competition such as Huntington Prep, Oak Hill Academy, etc.

Totally unverifiend internet data follows:
FT % somewhere between 88% and 93%
46% 3 pt shooting
36 inch vertical

Really smart guy. I could see him or Hazelbaker next on the Academic All American list after Bolon. Right now, we have had at least one academic All American for each of the last 7 years.

[timbertopper]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Louisville, Ky. native went to prep school in W.Va. that lost in the national prep championship game. Pretty well put together at 6-6, 200 pounds. Good hops, good handle, nice stroke. 3.6 GPA, 30 ACT. Sounds like a pretty good get for Ben.