Jays Land TCU Transfer Guard

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
TCU’s Farabello

Argentine Shooter is Accurate, Reliable…

The transfer portal is in full swing…with just 2 weeks left in this year’s cycle. Many of the faithful (me too) were thinking that Creighton had to go full bore, looking to replace scoring lost by 2 outgoing transfer teammates. Ryan Hawkins-13.8 ppg and Alex O’Connell-11.8 ppg accounted for 35.7% of total scoring this past season. Given this Jays squad was low scoring as a whole at 70 ppg, as compared to seasons past, this appeared to be an issue…at least on the surface of things.

Bluejays – Let it Fly

However, as time passed in the portal it recently became evident, that the staff was not looking for a pure shooter/athletic scorer. The underlying belief is that our 4 sophomores/1 RS Frosh will make the standard sophomore jump, as they now have a full season of experience under their belts and have a full grasp of the system, along with the experience of playing at the Div 1 level through late March. So getting another Hawk or AOC is not needed. What is called for is another wing for depth…a seasoned, experienced, and accurate wing to augment the current rotation. Enter Francisco Farabello.

Frankie has been a consistent and vocal leader for Jaime Dixon’s crew in Ft Worth. Whether he was asked to play a little or a lot. He answered the call. He’s a team player and a glue guy. He has weathered injury and rebounded to contribute as required. This past season he bounced back from the injury season of 2020-21 to contribute in 30 games/7 starts. Francisco averaged 20 mpg in his 2 non-injury seasons at TCU and has career splits of: 40% FG, 40% 3PT, 81% FT. I believe the word is he has 2 years of eligibility left. Coach Miller knows him very well and spearheaded the efforts to bring Frankie to the Hilltop. He, along with Reef, Rati, John C., and Ben, will bring experience and scoring off the bench this season.

While I was surprised to see the interest, given the popular fan notion we’d go after a hi-rep/hi-percentage shooter. This is a good pickup, good addition for the Jays. Provides another team player/glue guy and doesn’t undercut the chemistry already built by this team. Frankie adds a good ‘changeup’ to lineups, gives the starters opportunity for a break, while maintaining continuity and tempo for the team. He’s a guy who can also provide a lift when needed, coming in to hit a few 3s to break a drought or build a lead. Lastly, should the injury bug strike, Francisco has the chops to start, to play all game, as needed.

Good transfer pickup for depth for this Preseason Top 10 team. Way to go Jays.

NOTE: According to Jays insider Helmzy, Creighton will get an OV by 2022 Ctr Fredrick King, 6-10/220 (4-Star, Rivals) on Tuesday, the 19th of April. King is a Louisville decommit (after the departure of Coach Mack). Fredrick is from Andros Island, Bahamas, by way of the NBA Academy, Mexico City, MEX. Jays staff has been going after him hard (again). Fingers crossed to get the commitment from Fred.

gtmo

#RollDamnJays

This is Our Time…Our Great Opportunity

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

Standing strong – for a great, great future.

Well here we are…Spring of 2022. Recruiting season is in full swing. Jays are lookin’ for two players to fill out the roster. We have gained two early signees in CG Ben Shtolzberg and Fwd Jasen Green, and are looking for more. Last week, Fwd Modestas Kancleris entered the transfer portal. Thus opening a second billet for the Jays.

Transfer Portal

Transfers –

While the transfer list is huge, with hundreds of players, the Jays list of transfer candidates is guard-heavy (12), with only 7 fwds/ctrs. None of which (Fwds/Ctrs) appear to be a priority for CU. The staff had gone in on LSU transfer Mwani Wilkinson, but he has since returned to Bayou U. No other transfer BIG appears to be moving the needle for the Jays.

Transfer guards are falling like autumn leaves…but none our way. The scuttlebutt is to wait for other notable guards/wings to enter the transfer portal. Huh?? Not being Edgar Cayce nor Nostradamus, I am a bit baffled by that suggestion. However, the staff evidently has significant info I am not privy to.

https://www.bluejayunderground.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5809&start=360

The situation seems to suggest looking for a pure shooter vs a bucket-getter. The quest is to get a guy who can consistently hit the 3-ball, whether from a shooter (Wragge-type) or an all-around player (ie: Marcus Foster-type). Such a scenario begs the question as to the confidence our staff has in the returning SGs and in incoming recruit CG Shtolzberg. Trey will be better with a season of play under his belt. John C was noted as coming on strong prior to his injury. Shtolzberg is noted to be a smart cookie and should pick up our system in short order. Should we take this search as insurance? I think not as one generally does not pickup seasoned transfers to ride the pine – Keyshawn Feazel not withstanding. It appears they are looking for another Ryan Hawkins (Hawk) to lead the team. Big Ryan & Shereef are both Juniors.

As of this writing, only two guys still on CU’s list meet the criteria. Both are grad transfers, with extensive playing time and experience. Neither are Wragge. Both look to move up from lesser leagues. NOT!

Ethan Wright** 6_3 14.7 50/40/71 Princeton
Souley Boum** 6_3 19.8 41/37/85 UTEP

UPDATE -16 Apr 22: Not. The guys which were on our list have moved on – committed elsewhere. Evidently, the confidence is firm, is high, irt our returnees. Some, if not most, will have the Sophomore bump to their games. It now appears that the focus is on an experienced transfer guard/wing spot player, not a prolific scorer. One who can reliably enter, play, and give a break to our starters. We shall see.

Frosh –

Behind the scenes, the Jays appear hot-to-trot on a Frosh BIG…Louisville de-commit, Fredrick King, of the NBA Academy, Mexico. Judging by BJU message board commentary, a commit by Fredrick is imminent. King is a Bahamian with recent basketball development (since 14 y/o) and has blossomed at the NBA Acad this past year. Supposedly, the staff visited the Bahamas just recently. Presumably the King family on Andros Island??

Fred is a relatively unknown recruit, with the exception of the handful of schools recruiting the academy in Mexico. He decommitted from L’ville with the firing of Coach Mack this month. CU was deeply in the mix last year on King and was 2nd to L’ville. We are back in hard this time around. Would be a great pickup for the Jays. Fredrick is skilled, raw, and young (17 y/o). He will back up Big Ryan this season and take charge when Ryan goes pro next Spring. Again…we shall see.

Fred King

UPDATE – Apr 17, 2022 Bluejay Underground – Creighton team insider Helmzy posted…
Re: 2022 Ctr Fredrick King

by Helmzy » Sun Apr 17, 2022 12:54 am

Visiting Tuesday. Has Georgia Tech before us.

Will keep my nose to the wheel and update reports as the recruiting season progresses.

PS: Planning to go to Maui in November. Looked at the host advance packages & received the required “sticker shock”. The Earlybird discounts end on Apr 18th. So if you’re gonna do it, now is the time. Was gonna go ahead and tough it out, but Ma said no. She’s been crying about “going to Maui” for years now – I thought she’d be excited. She was until she saw the hotel/ticket price – $5K. Not inclusive/Incluido…just hotel and game tickets. Golf Event, golf luncheon, Kid’s Run, Team/Guest dinner at the hotel – all extra. Auto rental, Island tourism (Botanical Gardens, beach, etc.), golf, shopping – (Hawaiian shirts for folks back home), eating (hotel-other places), parking, is on my dime.

The flights are cheap to reasonable, given we’re six months out. Will look to Expedia, Travelocity, Trivago, Kayak, etc., for a potential workaround. Ma says “go solo”. Nah, she’s the one who loves Maui. Will sell a few more items at the Tee Spring store…it’ll work out. Definitely don’t want to miss our 1st Maui Invitational Championship… gtmo

#RollDamnJays