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Indiana doesn’t want Sparks because Bloom doesn’t like him!Ball State freshman Payton Sparks talks transfer portal, schools involved
Ball State freshman Payton Sparks' phone has been very busy since entering his name into the transfer portal. The 6-foot-9 big man averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds
Bailey I wish you could read what Bloom posted on the premium board about Sparks!
Yeah me too but I am will too but i am not paying for information I can mostly get for free. I remember paying for premium peegs back in the day. What a waste of money. The question is has he passed on his insight to Woodson to tell him to stay away from Sparks???
I am sure Woodson checks with Bloom before he talks to recruits!
Physically he's more ready to go than Duncomb. He's a TJD-lite player but has nowhere near the athleticism, but can bull his way to the basket. Undersized center and plays below the rim. Doesn't have a jumpshot.
Well if he can get off the bench at IU he is better than Duncomb. Duncomb could not even sniff the floor and given his size that is not good.
He did hit 70% on FTs as a freshman....does that translate into a 10-15 ft shot? Don't know, as I've never seen him play. People who have have said he's slimmed down and gotten stronger since HS.
Don't think he transfers to sit on the bench, but who knows. Anxious to see who is going and coming for IU.
I didn't say anything about his ability to play....I answered a question on how he compares to Duncomb.
Definitely a strong kid. From the limited Ball State games I watched this year (2-3 tops) he was a very good player for them. But his skill-set was limited and about 90% of his points come right at the rim. He's listed at 6'9 but also plays like he's 6'9. Doesn't have the vert or lift that a player like TJD does.
I think he's taller than 6'7 but his skill set is that of a traditional center. Doesn't play out on the perimeter and hasn't shown a consistency to hit jump shots.
Getting off the bench next year if there's no RT/TJD and maybe MD, and with a year of practice and strength training is vastly different than getting off the bench this past year. Folks need to relax in LD... he may not pan out, but there's nothing to suggest he's a bust at this point.
This is correct. TJD was healthy all year and played 30 minutes at the 5. Durr being an upperclassmen was physically more capable of playing than Duncomb, Duncomb just wasn't there yet. I like Logan's skill-set but needs to add a lot more muscle to be able to play extended minutes in the B10. His time is coming though.
I wouldn't especially expect a kid who went from 6'7" to 6'9" and added 30 lbs in a year or two to be a jump shooter coming out of HS. Hell Leal is two years in and still isn't. I think 70% as a freshman shows some potetial for growth is that area.
He moves a lot better than Williams, not sure I see the passing ability there though. Here's a small highlight tape I found of him. Strong-bodied kid who shields himself well from defenders, but as you can see doesn't play above the rim. Pretty limited skill-set but again it's only about a minute long.
true..........not a perfect fit for Woody but beggars can't be choosers. 2 guards and SFs are a dime a dozen in the portal----not so centers.
I like the skill where he's knocking people out of the way and slamming the ball through the net.
Right, but again, how well does that translate to the B10? Not knocking the kid and there obviously has to be some potential if Woodson is reaching out to him, but do we need another undersized center without a jump shot?
ha Well yeah, he's listed at 6'7 and Trevion is 6'10. I would hope he moved better. He isn't a starting C in the B1G.
Most 6'9 basketball players should be able to dunk with ease. That's not what playing above the rim means either. Look at his layup attempts. There's no lift and his release is below the rim. That stuff flies in the MAC, not sure it does in the B10.
Not true that most 6’9” players can easily dunk off of 2 feet with bodies surrounding them. I think you are the one who doesn’t understand what playing below the rim means. He isn’t TJD. But he also isn’t Durr - who does play below the rim.
I'm with you. Especially the last sentence.
If he's a Marco Killingsworth with a better attitude, I'd take that and say thank you very much.
I get it but if he could not play in front of Durr that means he has a very long ways to go before he could play legit minutes on a good team. With Geronimo coming back and maybe Race along with likely a grad transfer I wonder if he would even see much time next year. I had forgotten DunComb and Stewart were Archie recruits and Archie did not exactly have the best eye for talent.
This guy is not a stiff like Durr. He had more FTs than any other NCAA freshman and hit 71% in conference play. He's going to end up being a 75% FTer.......that shows some flexibility & instincts & touch.
