Jordan Lathon (G) - 2018

[SaveFerris]

Jordan Lathon's (2018 PG) scholarship was revoked by Northwestern. He now has offers from Ole Miss, Oregon State, Louisville, and Depaul, interest from Gonzaga, Va Tech, Seton Hall and others. Noticed he's following Tim Marrion among many others assistants.

He's a pretty big and physical guard. Someone to maybe keep an eye on over the next little bit.

 

[ElComanche]

Oklahoma State has now offered him. He is one ot the top remaining targets for this recruiting cycle. NW has very high academic standards which probably has led to their withdrawing their offer.I guess we will soon see if Franks returns or not.At this point,call me insane, but i would not mind if he does not return. This guy would be a excellent get for the cougs. However,many big schools are now involved in his recruitment.

 

[etowncoug]

Franks leaving would be a huge blow to the team. We don't have anyone who can match his production and we likely are looking at a flier to replace him. I'd rather get a years production out of Franks and bring in a HS talent next year with the scholarship.

 

[avabob1]

I want to see Franks return too. Even if he does, I have visions of Hawkinsons junior year when we loaded up on JC kids. I do think this current group is an upgrade over that class, but it does concern me

 

[7ICoug]

Getting Franks back would be a big boost for the team. Suspect we will hear in the next week or so.

 

[etowncoug]

I want to see Franks return too. Even if he does, I have visions of Hawkinsons junior year when we loaded up on JC kids. I do think this current group is an upgrade over that class, but it does concern me

That class brought in Suggs, Callison, King and Clifford as JC's with Franks and Daniels as HS talents. The recruiting class was fine, but the team lacked a point guard which derailed the offense. And Hawkinson/Clifford/Que didn't run the floor well enough to win games on the defensive end.

I think this team will be more talented, plus they fit together better than teams have in past years. I would like a better defensive presence in the middle, but I think they should win more than they lose next year.

 

[gazooks2]

Agreed

 

[SaveFerris]

That class brought in Suggs, Callison, King and Clifford as JC's with Franks and Daniels as HS talents. The recruiting class was fine, but the team lacked a point guard which derailed the offense. And Hawkinson/Clifford/Que didn't run the floor well enough to win games on the defensive end.

I think this team will be more talented, plus they fit together better than teams have in past years. I would like a better defensive presence in the middle, but I think they should win more than they lose next year.

I like both groups (JC/high school) more. than the other Kent class.

 

[avabob1]

I agree too, just my long term discomfort with too many JC kids. On the bright side Franks is coming back accirding to tweets

 

[ElComanche]

Thus the only real loss is Flynn. The team should be much improved over last year. Kent basically re-recruited Franks and he deserves kudos for that.i still believe that the overall PG play will be improved next year.Franks is a proven outside scorer. He needs to work on his inside game and defense.

 

[jourdand]

How can we say this team will fit together better than teams in the past or will be more talented than past teams when a large number of players who will be called upon to contribute have never stepped foot on a D1 court? Before the return of Franks I would have said this is the worst roster I have ever seen in the PAC 12 now adding back a potential first team all PAC 12 player and we might move up to #11 roster wise next year and that’s only because CAL has little returning but their recruiting class is better than ours. I would love to be as optimistic as you guys but sorry the facts don’t bare it out. Our new point guard would have to improve on his JC numbers just to match Flynn and that simply isn’t going to happen. I thought this could be a breakout year for Coach Kent but losing Flynn then Aquuah put us right back to the same old spot hoping for a JC savior which is very rare.

 

[avabob1]

We basically now have 4 starters returning. Nobody like Flynn more than me, but if you look at the entire group that left compared to the additions its pretty hard to argue that this team isnt improved. We dont need to get 15 ppg from the point. Might be better with more assists and better D.

As for fit I agree, but fit (chemistry) and talent are 2 different things. Last years team seemed to lose its chemistry during the season.

 

[jourdand]

Who replaces Bernstein? My problem is not with the guys we recruited. I like this class but we can’t expect them to walk into the PAC 12 and produce numbers even close to what they did in JC ball. I don’t care if you are on the best JC team playing in the best JC league you are not seeing anything close to PAC 12 caliber competition. I’m just tired of every year we talk about how great Acquaah is going to be or Ergas or King or Chidom or Cooper or Suggs or the transfer from Huston or who ever the flavor of the month is. Very few players ever step on to the PAC 22 floor and are instant successes and even fewer at WSU.

 

[ElComanche]

Nice opinion but Flynn is a big loss on paper. I do think this is a breakout year for Kent.If the PG s are consistent then the play will be better. if the defense picks up outside then the team will be better.Losing Milan is a potential loss just as the potential gain of the new point guards. The only real loss based on output is Flynn. But the team in many instances had to resort to a zone to cover his defensive liabilities.I also like the new jucos who are higher rated than the past crops of jucos. The potential of players like Chidom and Elleby are a reason for the optimism. The ratings of recruiting classes are based on rated players. As you should know most juco players are NR which leaves a big unknown. We will see who is right

 

[avabob1]

Going to say this, not a rap on the kid, but Bernstein is more than replaceable. I was very disappointed last year. Tons of turnovers, no jumper at all, decent rebounder, but not a lock down defender like you would expect in a grad transfer.

 

[SaveFerris]

I don't know who replaces Bernstine at this point. Pollard has trouble staying healthy and Wade/Cooper are unknowns. My guess at this point is Pollard to start the season if the shoulder (or whatever the injury) is healthy.

I think Ali was an important addition in the backcourt. I was definitely concerned when Flynn left and even after signing Robinson. That said to basically bail from Acquaah is also a concern. He struggled a lot and I think got a bit too big but he also showed some flashes late. I wonder why they decided to pull the plug with 3 years of eligibility?

No idea how the lineup shakes out other than Franks and Daniels start. Most likely Pollard and I am hoping Chidom pushes somewhere as well.

 

[ElComanche]

Likewise i was disappointed in Bersteine s production He can be replaced and it would be nice to have some inside scoring. It would be nice to be a Kentucky and recruit the five stars. The schools like WSU have to rely on the coaches' evaluation of the recruited players. The new players are more athletic and i hope they can adjust rapidly to the occasion.

 

[SaveFerris]

Likewise i was disappointed in Bersteine s production He can be replaced and it would be nice to have some inside scoring. It would be nice to be a Kentucky and recruit the five stars. The schools like WSU have to rely on the coaches' evaluation of the recruited players. The new players are more athletic and i hope they can adjust rapidly to the occasion.

That is who we are and it's not changing any time soon. While there is a lot of unknown with most of the players we typically sign we need coaches who know how to project and we seem to have improved in that area.

As for fit I agree, but fit (chemistry) and talent are 2 different things. Last years team seemed to lose its chemistry during the season.

As Ava noted we need the pieces to fit and compliment each other better than they have over the last few years. It's hard for me to see a scenario at this point where we don't miss Flynn but I do have hope Ali along with others can make up for the point production lost. Just not sure about the clutch gene although I could see Ali eventually helping there as well.

 

[avabob1]

Not to sound like a Colin Cowherd, but we need an alpha dog to emerge. Flynn looked like he was going to be that guy, but despite the gsmer mentality I wonder if there werent issue's

 

[SaveFerris]

Not to sound like a Colin Cowherd, but we need an alpha dog to emerge. Flynn looked like he was going to be that guy, but despite the gsmer mentality I wonder if there werent issue's

Maybe we find out in a year if Flynn is in some sense a bit of our own William-Goss? Hopefully his departure isn't a statement on the program as a whole. Still, we seemed to just want to move him off the point and coupled with the losing maybe it just pushed him out the door? He's capable of playing the point but had his issues with "bad" turnovers and consistency for some stretches. Maybe leadership as well? Two more years of eligibility and definitely hit his fair share of big shots. Personally I still wish he was coming back.

We are longer, more athletic, and appear deeper with Franks back. It's going to be interesting to read the different takes heading into next year.

 

[CougPatrol]

Who replaces Bernstein? My problem is not with the guys we recruited. I like this class but we can’t expect them to walk into the PAC 12 and produce numbers even close to what they did in JC.

I think you can absolutely expect young basketball players to contribute and produce immediately. You see it across the NCAA every year. I’m not saying these kids will, but true freshmen are now routinely among the best players in the Nation. There’s no reason not to expect quality JC kids to contribute immediately.

 

[Coug1990]

Maybe we find out in a year if Flynn is in some sense a bit of our own William-Goss? Hopefully his departure isn't a statement on the program as a whole. Still, we seemed to just want to move him off the point and coupled with the losing maybe it just pushed him out the door? He's capable of playing the point but had his issues with "bad" turnovers and consistency for some stretches. Maybe leadership as well? Two more years of eligibility and definitely hit his fair share of big shots. Personally I still wish he was coming back.

We are longer, more athletic, and appear deeper with Franks back. It's going to be interesting to read the different takes heading into next year.

It would have been interesting to see if Flynn had moved off the point like Derrick Low did.

 

[jourdand]

True freshmen are routinely the best players in the country and most are not back for their sophomore year, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news we don’t get those players at WSU. Our new players may very well be capable of doing great things next year but that is not the norm at most D1 schools, like most things in life a quick fix is usually not the best answer and get rich quick schemes don’t work. We need to recruit freshmen and develope those freshmen into productive upperclassmen then fill in the blanks with JC players

 

[ElComanche]

I agree with your statement but one has to build a winning program to attract the better rated recruits. At schools like WSU,it has to be a mixture of jucos and freshmen. Nevada has done it with transfers but they have some built in recruiting advantages which Pullman does not have. I do like Elleby and Kunc and one hopes with the new coaches being the top recruiters ,that things will take a quick turn upwards.

 

[SaveFerris]

We basically now have 4 starters returning.

How do you get to 4? Franks, Daniels, and I guess Skaggs. Just wondered who you counted.

 

[ElComanche]

Flynn is a nice kid but is/was not a leader. He has a scorer s mentality and that is not always good in a PG. When his 3 pt shot was on the cougs were a different team. last year,it was unclear who the play maker was on the team. This year a clear leader has to emerge for the team to be successful on a consistent basis. I wonder who the PG will be? It is different playing at a higher level. It takes a combination of skill and mental toughness. Ali was the higher rated player but his small size may hurt him on the defensive end. He has a better shot than Flynn did and his ball handling is OK with good passing ability. Robinson has the better overall PG skills and seems to have leadership ability. However,it remains to be seen if both can play as efficiently at the D 1 level.

 

[avabob11]

I was counting Skaggs, but should have said 3. SR article this morning says Franks really struggled with decision and didnt totally decide until the day before the deadline to return. He was told he needs to work on rebounding and defense but improvement in those areas would get him drafted next year.



Also, apparently Flnn and Franks are fairly tight. Franks declaring may have been a bigger factor in Flynns transfer than other issues.

 

[SaveFerris]

Love Franks coming back. He's easily our best returning player and it's really not that close regardless of how things play out next year. I am really not sure why the decision was difficult other than his want versus the NBA wanting him. He said he was surprised he didn't get a combine invite. It was good for him to go through the process and receive feedback but the consensus was essentially that he wouldn't get drafted and to go back to school young fella'. I still am not sure what position he plays in the NBA.

I think you are correct that Franks decision played a major role in Flynn transferring. It also is out there that Flynn didn't receive the kind of interest he expected although he decided on 2 good programs in Creighton and SDSU. Interestingly enough if he had waited a few weeks he might have received some Gonzaga interest after their higher targets fell through (Brandon Williams and Joe Cremo).

 

[SaveFerris]

I wonder who the PG will be? It is different playing at a higher level. It takes a combination of skill and mental toughness. Ali was the higher rated player but his small size may hurt him on the defensive end. He has a better shot than Flynn did and his ball handling is OK with good passing ability. Robinson has the better overall PG skills and seems to have leadership ability. However,it remains to be seen if both can play as efficiently at the D 1 level.

Ball handling concerned me a bit with Ali. He seemed to get in some trouble the game I watched and he's not a burner in the open court by any means. I would like to see his offense at the point but he should see minutes at the 1 and 2. I think his defense will be ok even at his size and he has that knack for finishing off of penetration. He will remind probably good and not so good of Faisal Aden. Probably will have a similar period of adjustment but projects well to replace Flynn's production.

I don't have a great feel for Robinson but if he can make good decisions, be the primary ball handler, make teams defend him, and improve defense from the point then that's a good addition. At least there's some coverage. I would also like to see Daniels expand his game. I think he's more explosive than he has shown in games.

 

[ElComanche]

Hmm my take on Daniels is of an undersized guard who plays hard on defense and who can shoot the three.He does not seem to be an overall offensive threat and is not a lock down defender.Perhaps there is more to his game than he has shown. i see him as a capable reserve who will have his moments during the season.

 

[SaveFerris]

That matches my thoughts but Daniels is coming off a season of 30+ minutes per game and starting. I hoped he would become a rotation player (more toward 20 minutes/game) but he was one of our most consistent players on offense even though he would disappear for stretches. So to think he's going to suddenly come off the bench or see his minutes drastically reduced is a bit of a stretch. Same with Skaggs until someone steps up and take the minutes from him.

Biggest threats to Daniels is Ali (dependent on Robinson taking over the point). To Skaggs probably Elleby or Hinson unless they think about moving toward Chidom/Franks at the 3/4. Daniels and Skaggs are rock solid with what they give you both good and not so good. The trust factor has value.

 

[ElComanche]

I think that Elleby, and Cannon will vie for major minutes. Skaggs,to me,was but a fall back player who had his minutes but his slowness and defensive liability may limit him to situations against zones. The cougs really need to ratchet up their defense. Daniels minutes may decrease if the other players play well enough to take the minutes.What players want and what they earn may be two different things. The coaches want to win and their record last year with some of those players was not sterling

 

[ElComanche]

Three thoughts. One,Flynn maybe way overestimated his ability and found out the reality of how relatively few colleges were interested.Two,the sterling endorsement of Kent by Franks may be a little unsettling to the Kent Haters.The endorsement makes the little nerds on brand X look like crap and their consensus that Kent had lost the whole team. Three,Someone needs to take those little brand x monitors short britches down and give them a good spanking. They are of a collective thought that they actually know something about sports

 

[ElComanche]

Verbal commits has WSU offering Lathon on 6/2 . I thought that the cougs did not have any scholarships left? I will guess that with Franks returning they have withdrawn their offer

 

[SaveFerris]

Just like Acquaah someone else could move on.

 

[Coug1990]

Ball handling concerned me a bit with Ali. He seemed to get in some trouble the game I watched and he's not a burner in the open court by any means. I would like to see his offense at the point but he should see minutes at the 1 and 2. I think his defense will be ok even at his size and he has that knack for finishing off of penetration. He will remind probably good and not so good of Faisal Aden. Probably will have a similar period of adjustment but projects well to replace Flynn's production.

I don't have a great feel for Robinson but if he can make good decisions, be the primary ball handler, make teams defend him, and improve defense from the point then that's a good addition. At least there's some coverage. I would also like to see Daniels expand his game. I think he's more explosive than he has shown in games.

I am thinking that Ali may be used similar to how Eddie Hill was used.

 

[SaveFerris]

I am thinking that Ali may be used similar to how Eddie Hill was used.

That would make a lot of sense.

 

[etowncoug]

Just like Acquaah someone else could move on.

Maybe Kunc delays enrollment.

 

[SaveFerris]

Maybe Kunc delays enrollment.

Only thing that might make some sense although that's rarely done in hoops and Kunc reclassified to 2018. The other alternatives are pushing out a senior. That's not.as bad as rescinding a scholarship ala Bone but in the same ballpark.

 

[ElComanche]

The report could be wrong. Perhaps the offer was made before Franks announced he was coming back?.Kunc was eager to get to Pullman so he could start a weightlifting program in early June. i really want o see this guy play. He looks so young and one hopes he can grow an inch or two put on 20 plus pounds. Hie videos look great. I know one cannot count on videos. But he skills and athleticism displayed seem to hold much promise