Santa Clara is rumored to be recruiting Davide Casarin, a 21-year old player in Italy. 6’5" guard who probably would line up as a 2/3 for SCU if he comes.
9 Likes
Do we really need another guard?
2 Likes
I believe we have 12 scholarship athletes for next season, and I think seven of those 12 would be considered guards. So probably not, especially in this era of play now or leave.
Sounds like we’ll be playing the same scheme again for next season. Seems coaches love 6’2 - 6’ 6 guards. Perimeter 3 balls first and then drive the paint as a last resort before the shot clock expires….
Same movie - different actors…..
3 Likes
Never hurts to have more shooters. We currently have a bunch of guys who ‘could’ be great shooters but are unproven at the D1 level…so adding one more to improve the odds of having the desired level of 3pt shooting wouldn’t hurt.
Knapper is proven 3pt shooter, Mahi shoots a good % but is low-ish volume shooter.
Hammond, Normand, Gavalyugov, Longcor, and Cochran are all highly regarded perimeter shooters but limited to no proven D1 production out of that bunch as of yet. There is power in numbers…don’t need all them to pan out, just need two or three out of that bunch of 5 to become reliable 3pt shooters and scorers.
…but of course, I want us to land Caffaro 2.0; we’re still lacking one big and physical forward/center IMO…Tadjo is the only one as of now.
1 Like
To that end, there’s also a rumor about recruiting an international big man who absolutely fits our desired mold. But he’s also getting looks from the likes of Kansas, so it’s a big stretch.
I don’t see an issue with bringing on a guy like Casarin if there’s another addition still to be made with a burly big guy. It looks like that’s the recruiting strategy if you string the various rumors together: they want a tall guard who is a proven scorer at a high level already (Jacob Dar, Davide Casarin) and the brick-wall center that still looks like the most glaring need. If they land both, I’ll be happy. But the latter should definitely be the higher priority.
Also, I have no true inside info (I just scour the internet a little too much), but I wonder if the staff has figured out some way to at least try to lock in players for multiple years. I only notice that all of the incoming transfers have multiple years of eligibility left which seems like a good strategy only if you’ve figured the retention piece out.
2 Likes
Skilled big guys in college come at a premium. Tilly was more special than he got credit for. Its especially coveted at the mid major level because the high majors have more resources and opportunity. Ultimately Tilly left for Ohio State.
I ultimately think the Broncos have a dual priority right now. Getting a skilled big guy or a rim protector is equally as important as getting a scorer.
Currently, Mahi feels more like a playmaker with efficient high volume shooting. We have many 3 point shooters but nobody that is a 3 level scorer and can get to the cup and put pressure on the defense. Ultimately, that feels like its been the Broncos challenge. It isn’t that they shoot 3’s its that they must rely in them against certain calibur of defense.
The Broncos need both a big guy and a score wing to complete this roster and they know it.
Casarin looks like a quality scorer. Dar committed to Washington; I wish it was easier to gather this info. Thanks to those of you who put this info out
Coming in at 5 I have Davide Casarin ranked which he’s coming in as maybe the most experienced pro looking at to go college
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) February 28, 2025
Casarin is not the youngest prospect at 21 years old but he’ll serve as a transfer that a lot of programs are looking to add high end older euros for 2… https://t.co/Azlgab9TOk pic.twitter.com/SsG52Biamt
Hopefully Santa Clara can land Casarin or someone like him. While I would love to have a big body that can rim protect, I think the Broncos need a physical perimeter defender just as bad. It looks that might be Casarin’s specialty. Not sure who I would pencil in to defend the opponent’s best perimeter player when looking at the known players on next year’s roster.
3 Likes
Just to recap, committed recruits to date consist of:
6 newcomers;
4 guards, a forward, and a center;
3 (C, G, G) are out of high school, 3 (G, G, F) are transfers;
transfers are from Villanova, Michigan State, and Iowa.
Center was ranked #14 center of 2025 class. One guard was top-150 recruit 2025 class.
After looking at the entirely of the roster, I’m less discouraged than I was immediately after the season ended. Also, I’m less critical about bringing on 4 guards after looking at our holdovers from the 24-25 squad. Excluding Yarusso and Malachi, we have three “guards” including Ensminger, who I’d argue is really a forward. And among the holdovers who are likely to get substantive minutes, only Knapper is “small”. Hammond is 6’4", Mahi 6’7", Graves 6’9", Ensminger 6’9", and Bukky 7’1". Incoming forward is 6’8" and incoming center is 6’10". So, 4 new guards isn’t horrible, provided we can land the highly-sought big body. Filling that last spot with another guard would be a disappointment.
And hopefully all of the newcomers (6 or more likely 7) can gel quickly.
Kudos to SCU Athletics for adding the roster names now. In years past, we’d have to wait until August to see the updated roster on the website.
11 Likes
I do not have the keen eye for talent, exactly, but I would be fairly surprised if Chukwudebelu shows himself to be ready for D1 in his first year. The end of his HS career seemed ho hum for someone with his physical advantages. Bukky may be ready for the leap and perhaps Graves can backup the center spot (though you’d have to move Ensminger or Mahi down to the 4 at times).
But I don’t love the front-court plan being basically Tadjo/Graves + Bukky/Chukwudebelu. Not a single player has averaged more than 5 min per game yet in their D1 careers. Big, big gamble on being able to develop not just one player but two or three in a single off-season for starting potential.
7-footers with broad shoulders don’t grow on trees. But even a 6-10 guy with some girth would reassure me a bit.
5 Likes
Agree Patty…..I’m still pining for a big, strong true post, 6-10+, Caffaro v.20 as we’ve said a hundred times. Right now, Tadjo is the only post we have with some muscle and ability to bang in the post. Aside from Tadjo at 240lbs, every other forward is listed at 220lbs or less.
With the roster as is I expect that Tadjo and Graves will be on the court at the same time for a solid period of time each game with Tadjo effectively filling Tongue’s role from last season; hopefully Tadjo will also get some time at the 4 with Bukky at the 5. I suspect or at least hope that Ensminger splits time at both the 3 and 4.
At the perimeter spots, I’m optimistic that we’ll be OK. Knapper and Mahi (plus Ensminger when he plays the 3) provide adequate experience. And while they haven’t played a ton, Hammond (3rd season), and Normand and Gavalyugov (entering 2nd season) aren’t fresh. Hammond should fully understand what Sendek wants and expects and Normand and Gavalyugov spent last season practicing against Power conference teammates; that aids in the adjustment and readiness for D1 ball. And both the frosh are highly regarded with nice size, each 6-4. We don’t need all of those 5 (Hammond, Normand, Gavalyugov, Longcor, Cochran) to make big contributions. As long as two out of that group can provide solid scoring (10+ pts/game) and 3rd can contribute in some fashion then we’ll be fine.
3 Likes