| Favorite team: | LSU  |
| Location: | Covington |
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| Number of Posts: | 1421 |
| Registered on: | 8/25/2004 |
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Constanza is still out there. Some were reporting that he visited. Not sure though, and don't think he'd be one Wade would want to "pay" as one of his top 8-9. Would love to have him though.
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re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/15/26 at 1:11 pm to ForeverLSU5
Any insight as to how Luis could be eligible without court battles? That would be incredible if Wade can pull it off.
Well it's just one game from a year ago but his teammate Deni Avdija scores 24 points per game in the NBA so not surprised he wasn't the best player on his team. He scored 17 in the game with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 24 minutes...not bad. France had multiple guys that play/played in the NBA.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/15/26 at 7:45 am to Sweep Da Leg
He's part of the "Basket Under Review" group which includes the Trilly Donovan discord where he's posting this stuff. Runs something called "PDT Scouting". He seems to have better intel on what the international guys are doing/where they are going than anyone.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/14/26 at 9:44 am to BillyBobfan24_7
This was the write up on Spagnolo -
Matteo Spagnolo
Solid size for a PG, he’s very strong, downhill savvy guard, has legit on-ball creativity, pretty quick, athletic and just a really fun watch attacking and drawing contact, missed a few at the rim looks that he should have converted, 58.6% this season so he should be fine scaling to college. He does not space it well enough nor take a lot of 3s generally, so he’s very much just a slashing playmaking guard, went up vs some high-level EL and NBA players and looked the part should be pretty good in terms of EU guards in college, but without much a shot he’s firmly behind Ellis and Madar for me
Stats: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4/10 FG, 23 mins.
Matteo Spagnolo
Solid size for a PG, he’s very strong, downhill savvy guard, has legit on-ball creativity, pretty quick, athletic and just a really fun watch attacking and drawing contact, missed a few at the rim looks that he should have converted, 58.6% this season so he should be fine scaling to college. He does not space it well enough nor take a lot of 3s generally, so he’s very much just a slashing playmaking guard, went up vs some high-level EL and NBA players and looked the part should be pretty good in terms of EU guards in college, but without much a shot he’s firmly behind Ellis and Madar for me
Stats: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4/10 FG, 23 mins.
If we close Madar he's going to start and be a lot better than people here are thinking IMO. Still need another guard though.
Dessert and Santos (again there are clips but have to be in discord to see)
Game 3 This match was Brazil vs Panama
Date: February 2025
Prospects scouted:
Marcio Santos- LSU commit
Mathias Vazquez- 2026 has done visits with Nebraska, Texas and Michigan
Reynan Dos Santos- did the G-league combine, trying to get draft, his agency is leaving the NCAA door open as well
Nathan Mariano- Seton Hall commit
Marcio Santos- LSU commit
Santos is listed around 6-9, I think he’s about 6’8 and also more of a forward than a true C but anyway I wanted to go on synergy the moment after this game because by all accounts his rebounding numbers at Maccabi are awful, just 1.7 per game, however I came away impressed with how physical he is in this game, he’s strong, uses his body well, he lacks athleticism or traditional twitch not very quick, but was a monster in the paint, drawing contact and rebounding. Shot is pretty slow, form isn’t great but he does have a solid career 3PT and FT%, he’s played in 376 pro games over his career and shot 34% from 3 and 76.5% from the line so I can buy the shot being serviceable but not great. On defense he’s got slow feet and athletic Bigs give him issues but more so had issues switching onto wings that are quick twitch, I don’t think his defensively he's horrendous but not a big plus in his game either. Playmaking chops are solid, makes some nice extra reads and in a good system I think he has value as a playmaking option
Grade: B
Stats: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers ( 3 of which game from illegal screens) 2 blocks, 3/7 FG, 1/3 3PT, 7-9 FT.
Match 4 was Efes vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
No link here, watched on Synergy. Tel Aviv won 103-89
Date: April 2nd 2026.
Prospects scouted:
Brice Dessert- LSU
Marico Santos- LSU
Marcio Santos:
Back to Back games yesterday were Santos viewings, haven't watched a ton prior so wanted more viewings, I feel pretty certain to call Santos more comfortable as a stretch 4 than a true 5, he’s got physically imposing strength but camps out in the perimeter a lot so you don’t really see him going for rebounds, if he can get two 3’s on any given game that’s a win, his defense again is not the best, he’s aggressive but struggles to defend quicker players so resorts to a lot of hand checking, I see the clear vision of a playmaking big, you can run some hand-off action with him as he rolls out he can find guys. LSU's lack of spacing could hurt but throw in guys like Niang cutting off the ball and you can have some offense there. Missed some gimmes this game, he has a good understanding of how to play in the HC and has the right ideas but again can’t afford to miss easy looks and that’s the main difference between him and Brice.
Grade: C+
Stats: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2/5 FG, 2/2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 15 mins.
Brice Dessert:
Brice played great but for a euro league game the defensive effort was very underwhelming from Maccabi, so this was a stronger Brice game than usual, but it is pretty clear who’s better as a true 5 man via the two. Brice is a legit 6’11/250 big with a 7-4 wingspan, he’s got great positioning, not a vertically explosive athlete but he’s more than fine in that regard, I think he’s a better 1v1 defender than rim protector, had a defensive sequence vs Lonnie walker, regardless of allowing the points, he embraces the tough 1v1 matches and I never see it as an easy matchup if you're going against Brice. His effort can be an issue prompting to some dumb fouls but it’s good to have both Santos and Brice to split minutes with.
Grade: A
Stats: 16 Points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 7/9 FG, 18 minutes
Game 3 This match was Brazil vs Panama
Date: February 2025
Prospects scouted:
Marcio Santos- LSU commit
Mathias Vazquez- 2026 has done visits with Nebraska, Texas and Michigan
Reynan Dos Santos- did the G-league combine, trying to get draft, his agency is leaving the NCAA door open as well
Nathan Mariano- Seton Hall commit
Marcio Santos- LSU commit
Santos is listed around 6-9, I think he’s about 6’8 and also more of a forward than a true C but anyway I wanted to go on synergy the moment after this game because by all accounts his rebounding numbers at Maccabi are awful, just 1.7 per game, however I came away impressed with how physical he is in this game, he’s strong, uses his body well, he lacks athleticism or traditional twitch not very quick, but was a monster in the paint, drawing contact and rebounding. Shot is pretty slow, form isn’t great but he does have a solid career 3PT and FT%, he’s played in 376 pro games over his career and shot 34% from 3 and 76.5% from the line so I can buy the shot being serviceable but not great. On defense he’s got slow feet and athletic Bigs give him issues but more so had issues switching onto wings that are quick twitch, I don’t think his defensively he's horrendous but not a big plus in his game either. Playmaking chops are solid, makes some nice extra reads and in a good system I think he has value as a playmaking option
Grade: B
Stats: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers ( 3 of which game from illegal screens) 2 blocks, 3/7 FG, 1/3 3PT, 7-9 FT.
Match 4 was Efes vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
No link here, watched on Synergy. Tel Aviv won 103-89
Date: April 2nd 2026.
Prospects scouted:
Brice Dessert- LSU
Marico Santos- LSU
Marcio Santos:
Back to Back games yesterday were Santos viewings, haven't watched a ton prior so wanted more viewings, I feel pretty certain to call Santos more comfortable as a stretch 4 than a true 5, he’s got physically imposing strength but camps out in the perimeter a lot so you don’t really see him going for rebounds, if he can get two 3’s on any given game that’s a win, his defense again is not the best, he’s aggressive but struggles to defend quicker players so resorts to a lot of hand checking, I see the clear vision of a playmaking big, you can run some hand-off action with him as he rolls out he can find guys. LSU's lack of spacing could hurt but throw in guys like Niang cutting off the ball and you can have some offense there. Missed some gimmes this game, he has a good understanding of how to play in the HC and has the right ideas but again can’t afford to miss easy looks and that’s the main difference between him and Brice.
Grade: C+
Stats: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2/5 FG, 2/2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 15 mins.
Brice Dessert:
Brice played great but for a euro league game the defensive effort was very underwhelming from Maccabi, so this was a stronger Brice game than usual, but it is pretty clear who’s better as a true 5 man via the two. Brice is a legit 6’11/250 big with a 7-4 wingspan, he’s got great positioning, not a vertically explosive athlete but he’s more than fine in that regard, I think he’s a better 1v1 defender than rim protector, had a defensive sequence vs Lonnie walker, regardless of allowing the points, he embraces the tough 1v1 matches and I never see it as an easy matchup if you're going against Brice. His effort can be an issue prompting to some dumb fouls but it’s good to have both Santos and Brice to split minutes with.
Grade: A
Stats: 16 Points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 7/9 FG, 18 minutes
Here are a couple he did for Saliou Niang. There are clips too but think you have to be in the discord for that:
- Spent the night watching some matches that took place during the 2027 World Cup European qualifiers
The Matches were around March 2nd so very fresh.
But a really good watch, if nobody has watched Niang before this would be a fantastic first impression, my goodness he was incredible during that first half, but GBR’s defense in the paint was very questionable
Niang is gifted athletically and really knows how to channel it. I thought he ultimately processed the game well outside of maybe a few sequences where’s charging full speed without a plan.
His first initial step was fantastic this match, makes a major impact with or without the ball, always moving, a really fun player to watch, just loaded with energy.
Doesn’t typically space it out, and not physically strong but ultimately a very rounded glue guy that’s defense first
Niang finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
And with Niang the combination of speed, handle, motor and some playmaking really pops, I think at LSU a lot will depend on coaching in how good he can really be. He is not someone who needs the ball to be effective, but Niang has showed that he's very capability of taking things into his own account and this game he came away with some nice flashes.
-
Game 5 Italy vs Greece during the 2025 EuroBasket. Date: August 2025
Greece won 75-66 (By far the highest level of any match I watched, lot of NBA/EL players in this game including Giannis)
Prospects scouted:
Matteo Spagnolo- Baskonia’s reporters already reported that he’s leaving for the NCAA, so did Travis Branham, TBD on where.
Sailou Niang- LSU
Sailou Niang:
Said it before, i’ll say it again, Niang is an awesome prospect and if he can develop a semblance of a jumper he’ll be playing in the NBA for years to come. Long, absurd raw athleticism, his first step is lethal, he’s great rolling off and slashing to the rim, makes a lot of great sudden reads as a playmaker, has so much defensive juice as well, I mean I just love watching the kid, he’s a joy to watch. Right now I think he’s LSU’s best player.
Grade: A
Stats: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 19 mins.
Also right here, Sailou helping trying to cause a Giannis turnover does and then splits the gap vs two Antetokounmpo's. Just has a nimble enough handle and does have a lot of start the fast break upside if LSU deisres to play fast.
Niang just goes after it on defense, full 100% no break mindset, such a gifted athelte with a elite motor.
- Spent the night watching some matches that took place during the 2027 World Cup European qualifiers
The Matches were around March 2nd so very fresh.
But a really good watch, if nobody has watched Niang before this would be a fantastic first impression, my goodness he was incredible during that first half, but GBR’s defense in the paint was very questionable
Niang is gifted athletically and really knows how to channel it. I thought he ultimately processed the game well outside of maybe a few sequences where’s charging full speed without a plan.
His first initial step was fantastic this match, makes a major impact with or without the ball, always moving, a really fun player to watch, just loaded with energy.
Doesn’t typically space it out, and not physically strong but ultimately a very rounded glue guy that’s defense first
Niang finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
And with Niang the combination of speed, handle, motor and some playmaking really pops, I think at LSU a lot will depend on coaching in how good he can really be. He is not someone who needs the ball to be effective, but Niang has showed that he's very capability of taking things into his own account and this game he came away with some nice flashes.
-
Game 5 Italy vs Greece during the 2025 EuroBasket. Date: August 2025
Greece won 75-66 (By far the highest level of any match I watched, lot of NBA/EL players in this game including Giannis)
Prospects scouted:
Matteo Spagnolo- Baskonia’s reporters already reported that he’s leaving for the NCAA, so did Travis Branham, TBD on where.
Sailou Niang- LSU
Sailou Niang:
Said it before, i’ll say it again, Niang is an awesome prospect and if he can develop a semblance of a jumper he’ll be playing in the NBA for years to come. Long, absurd raw athleticism, his first step is lethal, he’s great rolling off and slashing to the rim, makes a lot of great sudden reads as a playmaker, has so much defensive juice as well, I mean I just love watching the kid, he’s a joy to watch. Right now I think he’s LSU’s best player.
Grade: A
Stats: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 19 mins.
Also right here, Sailou helping trying to cause a Giannis turnover does and then splits the gap vs two Antetokounmpo's. Just has a nimble enough handle and does have a lot of start the fast break upside if LSU deisres to play fast.
Niang just goes after it on defense, full 100% no break mindset, such a gifted athelte with a elite motor.
Arman Jovic doing film reviews on international prospects. This is what he wrote about Yam Madar:
Final game I ended up watching was Israel vs France in the 2025 EuroBasket as well. LINK Israel won 82-69
Prospects scouted:
Yam Madar- LSU lean
Yam Madar:
This was the lone, one prospect game, crazy to think a guy like Madar is even college bound because he was going toe to toe with his NBA star teammate Deni Advija this game, plus France was loaded with EL superstars and NBA rotation players yet he came out looking like the second best player this game, wild. He’s not Montero but if he does end up at LSU, their fans should not worry about not having a good lead guard. He's better than most NCAA guards right now, also much older so naturally is going to be better. He’s very fast, a quick twitch, pretty slender guard but an overall solid enough defender, Did a good job on hifi, shoots it confidently, his handle is pretty nice, can really create his own shot, good player was the reason Israel pulled the upset vs France.
Grade: A
Stats: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 7/15 FG, 2/6 3PT, 24 mins.
Final game I ended up watching was Israel vs France in the 2025 EuroBasket as well. LINK Israel won 82-69
Prospects scouted:
Yam Madar- LSU lean
Yam Madar:
This was the lone, one prospect game, crazy to think a guy like Madar is even college bound because he was going toe to toe with his NBA star teammate Deni Advija this game, plus France was loaded with EL superstars and NBA rotation players yet he came out looking like the second best player this game, wild. He’s not Montero but if he does end up at LSU, their fans should not worry about not having a good lead guard. He's better than most NCAA guards right now, also much older so naturally is going to be better. He’s very fast, a quick twitch, pretty slender guard but an overall solid enough defender, Did a good job on hifi, shoots it confidently, his handle is pretty nice, can really create his own shot, good player was the reason Israel pulled the upset vs France.
Grade: A
Stats: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 7/15 FG, 2/6 3PT, 24 mins.
I wouldn't rule out Graves at all. He didn't test great at the combine. Will be a matter of whether teams are guaranteeing him they'll take him in 1st round if available.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/13/26 at 11:27 am to Chalkywhite84
Don't disagree there, hoping the main solution is RJ Luis or Ryan Hampton.
We're getting Niang and Dessert and both are starters. I think the either/or question is Graves or Burks.
It's being reported in Europe that the biggest clubs are going after Montero for over $3 million euro. Don't think that's happening for us. We already offered over $6 million and he doesn't seem interested. Starting PG is likely to be Yam Madar.
It's being reported in Europe that the biggest clubs are going after Montero for over $3 million euro. Don't think that's happening for us. We already offered over $6 million and he doesn't seem interested. Starting PG is likely to be Yam Madar.
re: I'll Admit it - I Have No Idea How Basketball Recruiting Works Anymore
Posted by covtgr on 5/12/26 at 2:35 pm to RummelTiger
I know one thing - Will Wade is going to do whatever it takes to win games and not give a single F what anyone outside LSU thinks about it. When he's through putting together this squad it will be a lock to make the NCAA tournament.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/12/26 at 7:34 am to TigerLunatik
Should be reported shortly by stateside media. Sounds like they agreed to a buyout and it’s done.
Kind of all over the place. From mid teens to very early 2nd round. Selfishly hoping the low combine numbers push him down a bit.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/11/26 at 9:46 pm to moldy_tiger
6’7 3/4 to be fair which is pretty standard when they are measuring in bare feet. I don’t think anyone expected him to light up the athleticism numbers but they look pretty low and he didn’t shoot the ball all that well. Also it sounds like he’s not going to scrimmage.
There’s no way he doesn’t play college basketball if he’s not a near lock to be in the 1st round. No guarantees in 2nd round. Would be a very poor move to stay in 31-40 if is correct.
Graves looks to be testing at the very bottom of any non shooting testing going on of all the bigs tonight. Feeling very good about this right now.
re: MBB Offseason '26 Transfer Portal / HS Tracker
Posted by covtgr on 5/11/26 at 12:30 pm to thunderbird1100
I’m going to trust Wade’s eval on Madar if that’s our guy. He’s been drafted by the NBA. He’s excelled at times (led his team to Eurocup championship last year which by all estimates is higher level than the SEC). Doesn’t look like he’s done much in the Euroleague but still young for that and has good numbers in the Israeli pro league. Sounds like we’re going to pay him and obviously that money could have gone to a domestic point guard if Wade wanted a guy (other than Ugo) that was on the market.
quote:
Purely speculative and not info based but I think Burks is in a waiting situation for a Graves announcement.
This makes a lot of sense. There's no other reason for him to be waiting. LSU must have a good enough offer to where he's willing to hold tight for another week or so.
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