Angelo Chol

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by Craig Yamada

Update @ 9:25 pm: Angelo Chol has reportedly cut Washington and Alabama from his list of five.

Chol’s twitter: “Man it was a tough choice Washington and Alabama were both great schools.”

At 12:45 pm PST on Thursday, 2/17 the world will learn where Angelo Chol will be playing his collegiate basketball in 2011. He will be having a public announcement at Hoover High School in San Diego which can be seen at Kbcsports.com.

Yes, that’s right folks. Another high school gymnasium online broadcast which is sure to draw the fans and all the drama that comes with it. For those of you who still haven’t shaken your fatal illness of the Jones, I would just close your eyes and wake up when this thing is over.

Chol will be sitting down with Coach Ollie Ghoulston following tonight’s league championship game to discuss his choices. Word on the street is that he may even eliminate two choices tonight. As it stands now, the schools in the running for Chol’s services are (in no particular order): Arizona, Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina and Washington.

No one really has gotten a definite beat as to where he is headed. However, those following this story closely in Seattle are feeling good about their chances after Chol’s official visit.

This sets up to possibly be yet another a huge day for the University of Washington and Lorenzo Romar. Romar has had the longest standing relationship with Chol since his recruitment began and according to a recent article released by PointguardU (Arizona recruting website), Romar may be the closest to him as well.

And for those of you following Twitter this weekend, Tony Wroten tweeted the following:

“Talkin to angelo chol right now and he said. He really don’t care bout the state or school. He just cares bout the coach. Welp coach ro is the best for u. “

I know what you are all thinking. Why Craig, oh why are you hyping us up for a potential let down? Call me a glutton for punishment, but I am feeling positive about what I have read on the NET the last couple of days. Am I certain? Absolutley not. But Wroten and Stewart have definitely provided us hope that we have a legit shot.

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by: Griffin Bennett

We all know that there will be a huge hole in the front court for the 2011/12 season after MBA and Justin Holiday graduate. Romar must bring in some new size and talent in this recruiting class to pair up with his back court depth. Angelo Chol and Kevin Davis seem to be the only two potential options to solve this problem. While there is nothing notably new to announce on either player, I figured an update on both of their situations would be helpful for those who are asking.

Kevin Davis:

He is a 6’9″ “pogo stick” that weighs 200 somthing. He’s a Husky commit. He will be joining the Huskies in 2011/12 and no one should think anything different. There have been speculation about his grades not being up to par or Romar losing interest in him, but I have yet to read anything substantial to report that. His coach at Tacoma Community College says that Davis is on track and that his grades are just fine.

As far as what he brings to UW remains to be seen. Through 7 games for TCC this year, he is averaging 10.1 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. He seems to have foul trouble in most games but his block numbers are very impressive. 2011/12 Upside: He becomes a lesser version of Derrick Williams and thrives on rebounds and alley-o0ps from Wroten/Gaddy/IT. 2011/12 Downside: He can’t work his way out of the 8th man role and struggles against better opponents. There is limited video on him and I am basing this all off of his stats and expert’s opinions. We’ll just have to wait until the Summer to really know what Romar has with Davis.

Angelo Chol:

Chol is 6’8″ big man with range. He has a great 15 footer and can really stretch a defense. He is currently narrowed his list of schools down to Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, and Washington. This last weekend, he went to Chapel Hill to visit Roy Williams’ Tar Heels team. Here’s the link to UNC Scout article (subscriber only) that details his trip. In summary, he talks about how if UNC’s John Zeller goes pro that he would be able to start immediately and then when asked to describe his trip, he said ““I enjoyed it and I liked the trip. I wouldn’t have a problem going there. It was a good trip.” Read what you will into that, but it sounds like UNC is far from locking him up.

He still has two more visits two go; one at Arizona and then one here at UW. He is set to announce his decision on February 17th after his last trip to UW. The fact that Romar has the last opportunity to make an impression seems like a good sign. The Dawgs was once his favorite school earlier this year and he has said that he will give UW some real credit for being with him since the beginning.

I think Alabama has almost zero chance to land Chol and Kansas is still in the lead to add another big man, DeAndre Daniels. If the Jayhawks do land Daniels, then I think Chol might shy away from them. UNC has the legacy that could tempt Chol, but he is a west coast kid who might not want to play every game on the other side of the country. Arizona seems to scare me the most. They have yet to lose a recruit that they want and seem to be putting together a super-class. Even though they have already signed a big man in Sidiki Johnson, Arizona is close to his home in San Diego and has the legacy to entice him. Where does that leave UW? I say we’re still in the thick of it. As far as percentages, I’d say it breaks down like this:

With Daniels to Kansas:

  • Alabama – 5%
  • Arizona – 30%
  • Kansas – 10%
  • UNC – 25%
  • UW – 30%

With Daniels NOT to Kansas:

  • Alabama – 5%
  • Arizona – 25%
  • Kansas – 25%
  • UNC – 20%
  • UW – 25%

To be honest, I’d factor in a +5% UW bias into those numbers. All things considered, I wouldn’t bet on Chol playing for the Huskies last year. There are some quality programs after him and a 25-30% chance isn’t something that I’ll be counting on. We just have to wait and see how his next two trips go and if his gives us any more clues as to which way he is leaning. You gotta love recruiting speculation.

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chol

 

 

By Griffin Bennett – Staff Writer

 

 

 

After 2010/11, the only big men left on the team will be Aziz N’Diaye, Darnell Gant, and Tyrese Breshers. With upwards of 5 scholarships available, you can certainly bet that at least 2 of them will go to big bodies that can help our young stable of guards. Here’s a look at one of them who I think Romar really likes:
 

Name: Angelo Chol

Height: 6’8”  

Weight: 205 lbs.

Position: PF/C

Class: 2011

Scout Ranking Overall: #22(#3 C)

Location: San Diego, CA

AAU Team(s): Dream Vision

High School Team: Herbert Hoover High

Interested Schools: Alabama, UCONN, Georgetown, Kansas, Washington
 

If you haven’t seen him, here are a couple decent highlight videos:

What’s his game like?
 

He’s a lefty big man!!!! That’s exciting enough. I don’t know why lefties are so fun to watch, but seeing a sky hook from a left-hander is a thing a beauty. He is still raw and scouts continue to be disappointed that he can’t put his flashes of brilliance into a consistent package. He has improved over his junior year but slower than most were expecting. His national rankings have fallen due to that, but his up-side is sky high. He is a little slower than MBA with a better mid range shot but less athleticism. His game fits the 5 spot better than the 4, but his lack of size does not help. Let me break him down a little bit more:

  •  Speed: Above average up and down the court which lends itself favorably to Romar’s high-octane game. His fast break ability is just what Romar wants to see out of his 4/5’s
  •  Quickness: A little slower with his lateral quickness which quicker players tend to take advantage of offensively. He looks like a natural 5 defender when you watch him play
  •  Shot: Lefty with great touch under the hoop. He’s an excellent finisher  with a nose for follow-up shots. His lefty hook is amazing and cannot be touched. He has also recently developed a mid-range shot that goes in at a decent rate, but his shot is long and needs work if it will be effective at the next level.
  • Defense: This is where he shines. His blocking ability is even better than MBA’s. He gets off the floor quickly and can block with force  from both hands. As I said, he is slow laterally at times which can cause him problems against quicker PF’s.
  •  Passing: His above-average passing skills are really nice as he rarely turns the ball over and can usually see when the play calls for the extra pass. You could easily play through him in the post with his passing ability.
  •  Athleticism: His body is built to play in the post. His vertical is slightly above-average, but he’s not MBA in terms of jumping ability, although, he can slam it down with ease. 
  •  Potential: High major potential with a constantly improving game. He’s a prototypical 4 year prospect who could be a first-team all-conference player later in his career.
     

Background on Angelo Chol:

Angelo moved to San Diego when he was 7 after being born in Sudan and briefly living in Egypt. In a common fashion, he had never heard of basketball when he arrived and quickly learned that his height lent itself favorably to the sport.
 

Here is a great article  year that really does an excellent job in explaining his background but I’ll pull out some key points.  He didn’t start playing until the 7th grade when his biggest struggle on the court was “layups, I guess,” said Chol. “Running down court and laying it up. That was quite a struggle for me when I first started playing.”
               

He has come a long way with the help of his high school coach Ollie Goulston. Goulston says that before his sophomore year he could already “see the difference. But it’s not all about his size. Angelo is willing to get up at six o’clock in the morning just to work on stuff like his ball handling. It’s all about developing his game – he’s willing to do whatever it takes. He’s a special kid and a high character person.”
               

After his sophomore year he led the nation in blocked shots with 210! Let me repeat that if you didn’t read that correctly: HE LED THE NATION IN BLOCKED SHOTS AS A SOPHOMORE! He averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 blocks that season. A triple-double with blocks is not easy to do on any level.
              

“It’s a reaction, really,” Chol said when describing his ability to block shots. “They want you to leave your feet, but the key is to not jump before they leave their feet.” Goulston noted, “He has unbelievable timing. You don’t find many kids like Angelo Chol around,” his coach continues, “and it’s not just because of his size and his basketball potential – we’re talking about his personality and dedication. There are two basic things that Angelo brings to our team; one, he dominates the game without scoring, and two, he makes everyone around him a little bit better. Where are you going to find a guy that leads the nation in blocks who is willing to take a charge? We have him right here in Angelo Chol.
 
Will UW get him?
Earlier in the year, we were the clear cut favorite for Angelo’s talents as Romar focused a lot of his earlier energy on garnering his trust which Chol’s coach says is very important to the former “refugee from a war-torn country”. With that said, a lot of other schools have come on strong with a below-average big-man class. In May during a Scout.com interview Chol said “I just don’t know yet,” when asked if he had a timeframe for a college decision. “I’m going to have to wait until spring of next year. They are all coming at me with good stuff.”  This means he won’t be an early signee or even an early commit. It will be interesting to see if Romar will be willing to wait for Chol and reserve a scholarship for him. In my opinion, it would be well worth it as his high defensive ability, upside, and character are just what Romar and all of Husky Nation love to see out of their Dawgs.

 

Thanks for coming!

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Chol USA copyHighly touted 2011 prospect Angelo Chol trimmed his list of potential schools to a tidy group of 11 schools. UW is on the list. Many of the usual suspects on there as well. And, then there’s Wyoming(?). You can see the list at The Shiver, a Kansas Jayhawks site.

The article also says he wants to take a bunch of unofficial visits this year, and take all five of his officials before he chooses.

Scroll down for Midnight Madness videos.

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uw_seal copy 2011In case you missed it, please check out our State of the Recruiting 2010 Class post. I’ll give you an update on what’s changed since I posted the 2010 column soon, as some players mentioned have indeed made commitments.

As promised, here’s a breakdown of who we could be looking at in Husky uniforms two years from now. These are guys who will play their junior seasons this year, and (likely) make their commitment to a school sometime between now and spring 2011.

By the time any of the players below would don a Husky uniform, Quincy Pondexter, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Venoy Overton, and Justin Holiday will all have graduated. Abdul Gaddy will have played the two seasons he’s required to before considering a jump to the NBA, due to his age. And, Isaiah Thomas would be a senior.

All of these guys have been linked to UW as possible targets. Height/weight info courtesy of ESPN. Players are listed in order of their (generally-accepted) rating with the first listing being the most highly-touted, and the last being the least prominent recruit.

recruit a Tony Wroten copyAnthony (Tony) Wroten, Jr.*
Guard, Garfield HS (Seattle)
6′5″, 206 lbs.
ESPN rank: #5 overall, #2 Point Guard
Scout.com rank: #8 overall, #2 Point Guard
Video link: here

The skinny: Wroten is clearly a gifted guard, who can score, jump, and dish off oh no, he didn’t! passes, but he has a bit of a reputation of trying to push the issue and being a little too flashy at times. Of all the negatives you could say about a guy, that’s the best one to bring into the UW program, since Coach Romar has a long history of reining guys in without stifling their creativity and natural talent.

*Wroten tore his ACL two weeks ago on the football field, and will miss the entire upcoming high school season. Whether he pushes it to get back for AAU ball is an unknown, but he’ll still have his senior season to bounce back. Given his age, it’s a distinct possibility that he comes back at 90-100% of what he was before, but there’s no way to know for sure.

UW’s chances: Wroten just belongs at the Dub. His father went here. He’s a local kid, and he fits into the system here. And, just as Abdul Gaddy might be leaving after his sophomore year, and Venoy Overton is graduating, it would make all the sense in the world to slot Tony into the backcourt. There have been rumors he might want to explore going east to play, but I think this one is going to end happily for us. I’d guess we’ve got a 60% chance of landing Wroten.

recruit b Angelo Chol copyAngelo Chol
Power Forward/Center, Hoover HS (San Diego, CA)
6′8″, 204 lbs.
ESPN rank: #25 overall, #6 Power Forward
Scout.com rank: #32 overall, #5 Center
Video link: here and here

The skinny: Chol is a lefty with a good jump hook who projects to be a skilled shot-blocker. ESPN has compared him with to “a young Chris Bosh.”

UW’s chances: In July, he did an interview with Scout.com and said UW, UCLA and ASU had shown the most interest in him, with UW and ASU offering scholarships. But, Chol said UW was the favorite at this point, pointing to how much he likes Coach Romar. I think there’s a 50% chance of landing Chol.

recruit c Norvel Pelle copyNorvel Pelle
Power Forward/Center, Price HS (Compton, CA)
6′10″, 189 lbs.
ESPN rank: #46 overall, #14 Power Forward
Scout.com rank: #17 overall, #4 Power Forward
Video link (pay link): here

The skinny: Pelle is long and lean and looks like he could be a nightmare as a shot-blocker. I’m seeing a Darnell Gant-type with better hops and a more consistent jump shot, but with less intensity to his game. Also, Pelle’s ceiling seems high. Like, NBA high.

UW’s chances: UCLA and Arizona are on Pelle’s list, but UW is the leading contender as of late August, according to Scout.com. I see this kid in purple, but he’s said that we’ll have to wait until his senior year to find out for sure. I think there’s a 60% chance of landing Pelle.

recruit d Jabari Brown copyJabari Brown
Shooting Guard, Findlay Prep – Henderson, NV (Richmond, CA)
6′3″, 185 lbs.
ESPN rank: #58 overall, #20 Shooting Guard
Scout.com rank: #57 overall, #12 Shooting Guard
Video links: here and here

The skinny: A true slasher with a good mid-range jumper, Brown is sometimes described as a combo guard, but seems more suited to the shooting guard spot. The biggest knock on him seems to be that he’s not a long player and that his body isn’t prototypical for a big-time college baller.

UW’s chances: At this point, there’s nothing to tell me that we’ve got any better chance at Brown than the nine other schools (including the Arizona schools, the Oregon schools and Cal) on his list. I think there’s a 10% chance of landing Brown.

recruit e Gary Bell copyGary Bell, Jr.
Shooting Guard, Kentridge HS (Kent, WA)
6′1″, 175 lbs.
ESPN rank: #28 Shooting Guard (actually, ESPN has him mislabeled as a PF, but based on his rating, he’d come out about #28)
Scout.com rank: #75 overall, #17 Shooting Guard
Video link: here

The skinny: An under-sized shooting guard, word out of his AAU games this summer was that Bell was putting in time at the point guard position too. His stock seemed to rise more than other 20’11 classmates this summer as he continued to develop a more consistent jump shot.

UW’s chances: UW is one of three schools to offer Bell as scholarship at this point (Cal and Gonzaga are the others), but he’s in no hurry to make a choice, which means it could be a year before we know anything. He has mentioned UW in interviews, and he is a local kid. I’m going to guess, assuming we’ve got enough spots left, we have a 40% chance of landing Bell.

recruit f Byron Wesley copyByron Wesley
Small Forward, Etiwanda HS (Etiwanda, CA)
6′5″, 190 lbs.
ESPN rank: #8 Small Forward
Scout.com rank: #74 overall, #16 Small Forward

The skinny: Lauded for his inside/outside game, Wesley is a solid jump-shooter with a good game in the post. Noted for his hard work at both ends of the court, Wesley has been criticized for jacking up too many three-balls.

UW’s chances: UW is in the mix for Wesley, although so are several other schools. Wesley named Wake Forest the favorite back in January, and says he might choose early just to get it over with. Who knows, but I feel like this kid is a longshot for us. I think we have a 5% chance of landing Wesley.

recruit g spencer dinwiddie copySpencer Dinwiddie
Point Guard, Taft HS (Woodland Hills, CA)
6’3″, 160 lbs.
ESPN rank: #19 Point Guard
Video link: here

The skinny: Rail thin, but with time to grow into his long frame, Dinwiddie would fit well into UW’s go-go-go system. His improving jump shot will serve as a good accompaniment to his slashing style if he’s able to bulk up so he can better take a hit on his way to the hoop.

UW’s chances: I hear Spencer’s name bandied about in Seattle more than recruits like Brown or Wesley. We’re on his list of favorites along with four other Pac-10 schools and Pepperdine (don’t tell me you wouldn’t at least consider playing in Malibu). All said, there’s enough buzz here for me to say we’ve got a 20% chance of landing Dinwiddie if some of our more high-profile point guard options don’t pan out.

recruit h Christian Behrens copyChristian Behrens
Forward, Tahoma HS (Maple Valley, WA)
6’8, 190 lbs
ESPN rank: #22 Power Forward
Video link (captions will clue you into which player he is): here

The skinny: Behrens will likely need to bulk up wherever he plays, but particularly to hang in a major conference. But, his length, athleticism and defensive instincts should help make him a success wherever he plays.

UW’s chances: Christian told us recently that he had a long list of schools recruiting him, including UW, but that he hadn’t ordered his list yet at all. I don’t get a sense that we’re in any kind of driver’s seat here, but he is a Washington kid, so I’ll say we’ve got a 15% chance of landing Behrens.

And here are some other names loosely linked with UW who could become more serious possibilities in the coming weeks and months. When they do, you’ll hear it here:

Nick Johnson: ESPN’s #24 prospect in the entire 2011 class, Johnson will play for Findlay Prep this season. The combo guard would’ve been the second player listed above if I had any sense that UW was something more than a needle in a haystack of schools in the running. Johnson looks to be warmest to the two Arizona schools at this point in the process, but will likely wait until next summer to narrow his list further.

Darius Perkins: A smallish shooting guard (6’0″) with a sweet stroke, Perkins has suffered in the past from bad shot selection and too many turnovers. The Florida baller hasn’t tipped his hand much as to the front-runners recruiting him, but at least one major site includes UW on the list of possibilities.

Jonathan Davis: Davis is a 6’5″ forward out of Simi Valley, CA. Looks like he’s pretty sweet on ASU at this point, but a year ago, he did list UW as one of the schools going after him.

Ryan Anderson: Anderson, out of Long Beach, CA, is a skilled power forward still growing into his frame. Not projected to be a banger, he’s said to have good range from 16-18 feet. No sense of where UW ranks on his list, or how seriously he’s on the Dawgs’ radar.

Kiwi Gardner: ESPN’s #52 point guard in the 2011 class, Gardner is a guard from Manteca, CA, and he’s quite small at this point (5’7″, 150 lbs.) but Coach Romar doesn’t tend to shy away from mini-guards. Seems like Kiwi might be part of our backup plan for 2011 if some of the more prestigious recruits spurn the Dub.

Darius Nelson: A fast-rising 6’5″ forward prospect out of Sacramento, Darius is still very early in the process, and considering a host of schools back east, as well as some in the Pac-10.

Hey, thanks for coming!

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