The 7-foot-1 junior averaged 8.8 points, 7.9 boards, and 1.0 blocks per game this season.
Let's get it #Hokies 🦃🦃🦃 pic.twitter.com/OrVMwISDmE— Michael Durr (@mikeprobound) April 7, 2021
Are we allowed to have players this tall?
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
Does this mean we get to have nice things after all? Tallest player since Robert Krabbendam?
Not if you count football. Remember Bucky Rodgers?
Didn't he also wear really large gloves? Like 6XL or something?
Luke Minor 7'3"
Nah, this guy is 2" taller than Krabbendam
Anyone know what his style of play is? If he is mobile and athletic, than I will be much more happy with him than someone like Pemsl.
Pemsl is leaving the team per Twitter.
Pemsl had a knack for getting in the right spot at the right time on offense and by that nature got some easy layups that not every player is smart enough to find the spot for, he was just over matched on the defensive end and his ability to create offense was very inconsistent
I don't mean to trash Pemsl, but in the modern game your big man has to be able to matchup with guards on switches and Pemsl isn't the best for that.
That said, apparently Durr only shot 41% from the field last year, which seems absurdly low for a 7 footer, so Pemsl might have him beat there
I think Pemsl's body didn't match his skill - in that his best numbers came as a freshman before he started suffering from injuries. That's the downside with really any big - feet, knees, and back can go at any moment. His actual instincts on the court looked useful but his actual movement always looked labored at best.
Pemsl never was able to get into a good rhythm. He was out for a month-month and a half with his back then came back to the two Covid pauses
Durr isn't going to matchup on the perimeter on switches any better than Pemsl.
Durr is basically best case of what we hoped Ojiako could be next year. Big guy, some post moves, physical player, a little bit of a shot, gets after it on the boards.
He basically Cordell Pemsl + 2". He's a role player on our team, assuming Aluma returns, but an important role (as Pemsl showed when healthy).
Michael was one of the first offers by newly hired Patrick Ewing at Georgetown in 2017, fwiw.
A rim protector, that will allow Aluma to play some 4. Not a huge scoring threat but does add nice size.
I'm very interested in what CMY sees as his role. I don't think he's good enough to move Aluma to the 4 full-time (their best lineup will still involve an Aluma-Mutts front court imo).
His potential really intrigues me though, seems to have a nice touch from 18 feet out. Can he extend it to the three?
All of these highlights are on offense. I was hoping for a few rejections on the tape. Can he really be the rim protector we would like to have on defense?
He averaged just over 26 minutes per game this past season...I don't imagine he would transfer for a significant cut in floor time, but I think he could give us 20 or so minutes a game. Will be interesting to see if Ojiako stays or not, this gives us 5 big men at the 4/5 spot (David, Aluma, Mutts, Ojiako, and Durr). I guess against bigger teams (UNC, FSU) we could have times where we slide Mutts to the 3 as long as we have 2 other shooters on the floor.
Ojiako should be a RS Sophomore (I think) next year. He would be a sophomore if he hadn't left HS early. He could end up being the starter for his final two years, which is more normal for big man development, so I'm not sure this impacts him staying that much.
Ojiako will be a c-SO this fall. He's played 2 years, but all players are getting a free '20-21 because of COVID. He has 3 more seasons to play, plus an available redshirt season.
David N'Guessan for anyone like me who couldn't remember his first name.
Unless Ojiako makes a big leap (which can happen), my guess right now is Durr will primarily be the back up to Aluma. Ojiako is still pretty damn raw. Watching what highlights I've seen of Durr, he looks more comfortable out there. We'll probably see some Durr/Aluma cross over minutes as well.
I'm pretty positive Durr will start with Aluma and Mutts
His FT percentage climbed each year from 53%-63%-79%, one of my personal preferred indicators for shooting ability, if that 79% is real and he has worked on his shooting stroke a 3 pointer is more than possible
Looks like he has played 3 years. But with the Covid freeby, he should have 2 years left.
A 7+ foot player in Blacksburg and he's on our team.....that's allowed now?
10 points on 50% shooting, 7 rebounds and 2 steals against us this past season.
Hey remember when we used to whine about having to go up against the sequoias that FSU had?
yeah, that seems like so long ago now.
Torvik Ranking
I can't see this
the way that site is describing each players class is a bit off.... it's not accounting for the free covid season everyone got for '20-21. For example Maddox and N'Guessan are FR again this fall, with 4 more seasons to play.
Hey, an actual center! I didn't think those were allowed to play in Blacksburg.
I fully believe CMY will use him as such, too.
I am simple man, I see tall basketball recruit, I give turkey legs.
Obviously a TE in the making, just has to get a little taller...
Then they'll just move him to QB and TKP will melt down. It'll be a whole thing.
a 7'1" center seems like he'd have bad leverage in pass protection tho
Watched him while I was at Houston. Great pickup.
In all seriousness, this kid should see if he has what it takes to be a TE. Doesn't seem like he's NBA bound so why not try football where he's got the potential to be an incredibly dangerous weapon the redzone. He's athletic, has good weight for someone who's 7' tall, and likely has XXXXXXXL hands. A 6'3" LB has no chance at stopping that.
If it doesn't work out, he goes back to basketball and ends up playing overseas somewhere.
I would think it's really tough for a 7' guy to block a 6'3" Edge rusher, so that limits them to being a big WR that plays close to the line. Most big recievers/recieving TEs are 6'5" and can easily go up over DBs, so I'm not sure what the extra 6" gets you.
Breathing room for an inaccurate QB /s
"I'm not sure where the extra 6" gets you." Something, something ...
Bucky was at least that tall.
I think Bucky was like 6'15" by the time he graduated, right?
Legend says that he continued to grow...
...and that he now hunts geese with rake.
hehe, tall player go durrrrrrrrrrr
Wellllll thats a shame
new coach is bringing a big with him, AND still leaves a spot for Tre Mitchell, cool cool
/s...?
Well, that's fun
I have seen this movie before, did not care for the ending
My favorite song by Taylor Quick
This situation is full of Durrp
Remember those three days in the Spring of 2021 where we got to crack wise about having a player this tall?
Good times, man, good times.
Ah yes, I remember it like it was yesterday
Was Frazier his primary recruiter? That would be my 1st guess.
We'll know for sure when he signs with Illinois.
Fuente can't close. Unreal.
We really need depth at OL but I didn't really think bringing in another transfer center made sense. We already have Hoffman and Jordan coming in, I don't really see how Durr makes sense unless we can shift both Hoffman and Jordan to OG. Also, I don't see how a 7'1" center can be effective but maybe Vice saw something on his film that caught his eye.
The recruiting woes keep hitting the football program. Maybe Fuente needs to talk with CMY because Mike Young would never get a guy to commit to VT and have him de-commit afterward. I mean, think about all of the high-level players that have transferred from the football program, that doesn't really happen to the basketball program (besides Nolley...and Blackshear...and Cone...and Bamisile...and Wilkins...and Horne).
Maybe if Fuente wasn't too busy watching the Masters, he would have developed a better relationship with Durr and Durr would be playing center for us this year.
I know this comment is filled to the brim with sarcasm, but non of these transfers are especially concerning.
1. Blackshear: Sucked to lose Blackshear, but he was too good to stick around with a team that was barely put together when it was time for him to make a decision.
2. Nolley: Was not a good cultural fit here at all. I was glad to see him leave and find a better role elsewhere.
3. Cone: Seems like a great kid, but I am not sure he was cut out to play ACC ball for a contending team.
4. Maddox: Will be a rising sophomore at Virginia Tech
5. Wilkins/Horne: Two diamonds in the rough that Buzz Williams left with us. I liked the heart that they brought, but again, these two probably don't get playing time on contending ACC teams.
This decommit is a bit concerning, but assuming this is not related to Frazier departing to Illinois, then we shouldn't be worried. In all likelihood Durr learned that his playing time would be limited and wanted to seek opportunity somewhere else. If that is the case, then it says something about the talent we already have.
Blackshear being "too good to stick around" didn't really hold up. Going to Florida instead of being the centerpiece of the Tech team didn't seem to benefit him at all considering he only got second team SEC honors and ended up playing overseas anyways.
I think your main point that how the transfer happened wasn't concerning is correct though.
Hindsight is 20:20 though. Florida was expected to be much better than they turned out to be, and the Hokies overachieved in the ACC. I think Kerry absolutely made a rationale choice based on the facts at the time.
Also holding CMY accountable for losing a senior that he didn't recruit is ridiculous.
I think his girlfriend was down at Florida...and that's where he grew up. My take is that 75% of him just wanted to head home to be closer to his girl and his family.
Obviously, I was trolling in my initial post but it's funny to see the reaction between CMY transfers and Fuente transfers. Haven't crunched the numbers but I'd venture to think CMY ~= Fuente in terms of transfers players/number of scholarships available. Program narrative makes the perception of the transfers look differently.
cool
apples to asparagus
Fuente has done great at bringing talent in via the Portal. But he has also lost a lot of promising talent to the Portal. A lot of folks are concerned that his record on the recruiting trail isn't great. CMY has overachieved relative to the expectations. Fuente has arguably underachieved relative to the expectations. Is that fair? No. But IIWII. VT has been, and still is, a football school.
If you accept that making the tourney is the rough equivalent of playing in the ACCCG, then 2020 CMY is roughly equal to 2016 CJF. The difference is that the football program has been consistently trending down in the four years since then, so it's reasonable to view them differently. If in 2024 we're in an analogous position with bball, you'll probably see a similar attitude towards CMY.
Maddox transferred? I hope you meant Bamisile since he's missing from this list but there are enough replies to this comment that I'm concerned I missed something.
Lol, sorry. Changed.
Chris Arvin said on the free 247 boards Durr was concerned about PT. Like every
oneother confused fan, I'm not sure what he thought it would be at the time of his commitment.because illinios has guys...
Cockburn is a beast, there's no reason for Durr to transfer to Illinois
Yep, that's what I was trying to say. they are a legit top 10 type team.
i think they make stuff to prevent that
It's what you get when you're watching a Fuente press conference, AMIRITE
I don't want to know what you're doing while watching those press conferences...
disgusted clint eastwood dot gif
via GIPHY
Seven layers of...something
I'm expecting he ends up a lower level school. Not sure he would have got the time most were thinking here, he wasn't all that good at USF and they were awful. I'm sure we sold him on Aluma being gone and I'm sure he's hearing now that Aluma will return.
He would have been a role player for us. I personally hoped Ojiako was going to beat him out anyway because I'd rather give Big Jon those minutes to prepare him for his last 2-3 years than for a one year guy like Durr.
Of course, now there's talk Ojiako might be looking elsewhere, too, with Frazier departing.
Well, that certainly hits the entire gambit of transfer self-justification
Role player or not we need more height. He would have helped us I think even if only a little bit.
USF is awful, but that is coming from me who graduated from Houston in 2020. We pummelstomped them every time.
Brian Gregory is the worst current head coach by a sizeable margin. He was terrible at GT and now he's somehow worse.
Thinking Sam Foggin.
ok then
So much for playing time
Indiana has been pretty bad, so there's probably playing time available
He is 6' 13".
Wow to Indiana. Weird pickup, but if it's for a rebuild or so, go for it.
Watched Durr play while I was at UH for undergrad. Scored 14 against us, which was more that 25% of their total score that day.