How many PG's under 6' are we going to recruit??????????  Just sayin...........

PistolPete wrote:

How many PG's under 6' are we going to recruit??????????  Just sayin...........

Not under 6’0 but under 5’9 and of course from Ohio. Not ripping on the kid, just the judgement of our recruiting strategy. The Dukes got to expand on our domestic players to include players from the east coast. I hope he succeeds, because I always root for the smaller point guard.

Ranked as the 17th overall recruit for OH's 2024 class & 4th best PG.

This is from 7-6-23
Aekins is one of the smallest 17 U players at the PIT or Peach Jam and has had some moments with his quickness and ability to get into the lane. Watching the All Ohio Red 17 U team twice on Monday, Aekins was able to get into the lane and typically looked for the floater as a shot. Struggling from the perimeter to make jumpers, Aekins will look to be more efficient on the perimeter. Defensively, Aekins was really getting after ball handlers and making their lives tough. With nine steals in 68 minutes, that’s been the one area of the game where he’s had a real positive impact for his team. I expect low major coaches to have close eyes on Aekins this weekend.

This is from 6-22-23
Walnut Ridge has some of the top talent in the Columbus City league, Aekins is a must watch for low major and Division II programs this weekend.


 

Phil95 quotes a report saying he is a "must watch" for "low major of Division II programs."
Really? And Duquesne signed him. Is this the kind of player we want at the point? A Division II "must watch"?

kneeguy wrote:

Phil95 quotes a report saying he is a "must watch" for "low major of Division II programs."
Really? And Duquesne signed him. Is this the kind of player we want at the point? A Division II "must watch"?

I have some questions about this one as well but, the point of my post is that he went from low D-1/DII quality to someone low major D-1 schools will have eyes on in under a month. He must be having a tremendous summer.

Getting him committed now is what a "steal" looks like in the recruiting world.

I think some people are going off the deep end based on one basketball recruiting "expert" observations at one event.  This is another comment from another guru:

.@DomAekins1 was the most electrifying player at the @OhioStateHoops team camp. He scored effortlessly and played great defense. Aekins has made significant strides as a playmaker and it was on full display this weekend.

When I see this kid he looks to me to be a young Tevin Brewer, who turned out to have a pretty good college career.  I see him as a future piece for the Dukes.  It is not like we won't have some pretty good point guards returning next year. 

Dambrot is losing it? Really? Every publication or prediction I have seen shows the Dukes to finish in the top three this year.  I think he knows the way to succeed.

I live 10 miles from Walnut Ridge,home of the fighting Scots.Will be watching Aekins providing reports this winter.Columbus has a lot of talented basketball players,good place to recruit, Most famous alumni was
Ed Stahl ,a 6-10 center who led the Scots to a state championship in early 1970s.

Duquesne has a connection with Walnut Ridge.Vince Clarno was a walk on at Duquesne who played at Walnut Ridge.

Even though it is impossible to deny that Brewer,TDM, Jackie Johnson, & Rozier were/are all low to mid-level A-10 talents, I don't care for KD's proclivity for bringing in mini-guards because there is just such a low probability of such players becoming top 50 players in the conference; let alone stars. I also don't have much faith in KD's ability to maximize the contributions of these smaller players while not playing them 25 minutes a game or 10 minutes a game, as appropriate to their production, while keeping them happy enough to remain the program. (See TDM & JJ.)

Both because of the recent uptick in interest in Dom & the changes in recruiting philosophies/NIL policies, I see this signing differently than those others. It is now clear that there will be 15ish scholarship worthy players on the roster each season for the foreseeable future. This makes taking a calculated risk on a high probability "steal" of a prospect early in his recruiting cycle a reasonably solid decision.

phil95 wrote:

kneeguy wrote:

Phil95 quotes a report saying he is a "must watch" for "low major of Division II programs."
Really? And Duquesne signed him. Is this the kind of player we want at the point? A Division II "must watch"?

It was "low D-1 & D-II" programs & then quickly upgraded to low-Major D-1 programs based on Dom's summer play. That is quite different from what you wrote above.

I would be thrilled if at any time in the future DU would be considered a low-major D-1 program.

I have no better idea than anyone else on this board if Dom will be a hero or a bust but, I do know that no other guard in the program has been described so favorably as a rising high school senior.