We have to assume Podz is not returning based on draft forecasts, but the coaching staff may have a particular player or two in mind they plan to target from the transfer portal to fill out that 13th scholarship.
To echo 92…Will miss Parker and wish him well in his final collegiate year and beyond.
While the learning curve is steep for freshman bigs, maybe Luke can give us some positive minutes since he doesn’t need to fill out physically like so many other true freshmen.
@SantaClaraHoops is getting a huge steal with the commitment of '23 Luke Mceldon. He will be a great addition right on and will be ready to cause havoc in the @WCCsports.@CushingBBball https://t.co/pIHEfDWKv1
— NE prep hoop reprorts (@neprepreport) March 8, 2023
Parker played the 5 a lot in 2021/22 and probably would have some in 2023/24. With Parker gone, McEldon becomes the de facto 3rd string center behind Tilly and Caffaro.
How much McEldon plays will depend on how well he picks up the offense and defensive schemes, in particular pick and roll coverages. And he’ll need to block out and rebound on D and not turn the ball over on O. He doesn’t need to score much, If he can do all of the above then he could challenge Caffaro for the back-up minutes. If he can’t do those core things then Sendek won’t play him unless he has to due to injury our foul trouble.
From video I’ve seen of McEldon he already finishes stronger at the rim than Bediako; looking to dunk whenever he can.
And as 'Bob notes, he’s already there physically. I’ve seen him listed at 260 and from video, clearly has a big frame. No need to add weight or mass…if anything, the staff may try to get him to lean out and lose 5-10 pounds while adding strength and quickness.
I wish Parker well. He was a good player for us. The guy had a lot of moves with his back to the basket - maybe too many, since I never felt he had a single reliable go-to just try to stop power move. It will be interesting to see how it all works out for him.
There’s usually a longer adjustment phase with bigs. Even Gonzaga greats like Timme and Karnowski didn’t really pop in their first years. Tilly is a bit special because he is older and had multiple years of pro ball.
Having Caffaro as an option for a year is probably the best case scenario. If McEldon is game ready on day one, then he will have the opportunity to compete for time. If not, then he will get a year to develop before getting thrown into a critical role.
From video I’ve seen of McEldon, it appears he’ll need a year to get leaner and work on his quickness and agility. Glad we have Cafaro to back up Tilly.
Carlos Marshall is back for another year per his Instagram. That should be the end of the roster movements hopefully and gives SCU a pretty strong backcourt in addition to the deep front court.
And…
over by one scholarship now, yeah?
I don’t know the answer to this but is there technically even a scholarship limit anymore if you can give a player an NIL package that exceeds his tuition/ room and board? Maybe only the roster limit of 15 is what matters?
I’m fairly certain the NCAA has allowed schools to go over their scholarship allotment with the extra years of COVID eligibility. They’ll still need to account for things related to Title IX, but they are allowed.
I’m possibly misremembering that, but that’s my memory of how they were going to rule it when they announced everyone got that free year.
I was under the impression that Parker leaving left us at 12 roster spots, assuming that Carlos Marshall was moving on. Carlos confirming that he is coming back puts SCU at a full 13-person roster:
Edit: I see the confusion. Bukola (Bukky) Oboye is classified as a 2023 recruit which would put SCU one above the limit. ESPN has him listed as 2024, but it looks like he reclassified recently to 2023.
Here’s a random tweet from October listing him as 2024. The more recent info seems to confirm 2023. The reclassification would make sense for him being underrecruited since most big programs were probably focusing on the transfer portal and not looking at a potential project (which almost all big men are).
If he is a 2023 recruit, then SCU is over by one scholarship. Unclear if that matters w/NIL money, but it is potentially an issue.
This seems muddled.
One of 3 things going on here:
Maybe there are other possibly explanations that don’t immediately come to mind.
I don’t think NIL has anything to do with it.
I thought the COVID max roster exemption applied only to the 2020/21 season and/or 2021/22 seasons but maybe it extends for as long as there are players with remaining/extra eligibility from the ‘free’ COVID year.
And on the roster breakdown…Ensminger redshirted last season so will be a RS Freshman with 4 years of eligibility remaining.
Good catch. I updated accordingly.
Question: If a student is a two-sport intercollegiate player, say like a Randy Winn who played baseball and basketball, does the scholarship only count against one of the two allotments? Perhaps one of these players has a scholarship for a different sport, like track? Just a thought.
Not sure how that works at the DI level but I assume the NCAA has some policies/restrictions in place to deter schools from taking advantage. Otherwise the SEC type schools would have a scholarship bowling team full of football players.
Don’t recall Randy’s situation. Clearly he was more adept at baseball so I have to assume he was on a baseball scholarship. At the D1 level, I believe basketball (plus football and a few others) are ‘full scholarship’ sports; players only get full scholarships, can’t have a 1/2 basketball, 1/2 baseball scholarship as example. That’s they way it used to be…maybe things have changed.
Practically…my understanding is that some of our Varsity sports like track/XC, tennis, etc. are not fully funded for a the max # of scholarships. I doubt those coaches would want to use one of their scholarships on an athlete who isn’t legit and committed to their program. Plus our track program is really a ‘distance’ program populated mostly (maybe entirely) by XC runners. We don’t have sprinters, hurdlers, throwers, etc…at least not yet, nothing stopping us from expanding the program aside from $ and a desire/interest to do so.
My brain is not working this morning…
How does one “reclassify” themselves? And how does one make a decision so late to enter college for the following Fall?
For regular students, the deadline is usually early May. For transfers I believe it is late May to early June.
Do the rules not apply to athletics?