BeeJay is the big guy we need out of this class. He is way more mobile than Kennedy Meeks. Sure, he’s not as mobile and athletic as Marcus Lee, but I think he’s more athletic than most give him credit for. Give him a summer in Bloomington and he’ll be a Gazelle….. ok… maybe a freight train with wings… well…. you get the point.
jqwest
I can’t decide if CTC is in the coaches area or not. There’s never really a perfect shot of him, but I think that it is him. BeeJay is just a mean guy on the court. Just like Vic, he doesn’t feel sorry for making you look bad. I like that about him, just wish he would lose like 10 lbs.
Freight train with wings.. Perfect. I’ll say Beejay impressed me as he looks like he’s slimmed down a bit (could stand to lose a bit, but it’s just enough weight for him to lose it his first summer in Bloomington). He’s got those long arms, and he looks really muscular here. I think he would be able to run with us after a summer conditioning program. I definitely like Beejay more after this video.
Arch_Puddington
I’ve seen 8 or 10 videos of Anya, and I just can’t get over the fact that with perhaps an exception or two, I have never seen him do any of the following things: dribble, take a shot other than a dunk or tap-in, use a low post move to create space or get off a shot, receive the ball with his back to the basket, fill a lane in transition, or pass out of the low post (there actually is a pass is this particular video, but it is the only one I remember seeing). Maybe he does those things really well, but all that shows up in his highlight reels are dunks and blocks (well, and fouls). I’m not running him down or arguing that he can’t contribute to IU, but I sure don’t see anything other than a big body that says “top 30”. What I see says “Tom Pritchard with longer arms”. Feel free to disagree…
SCHoosier
I’m not disagreeing..but the guard and wing players dominate these AAU events. I didn’t see a play run for either center..or any feeds off the post for that matter..its just up and down..go to the hole or shoot the three. Anya did have 3 blocks..two of which were called fouls (awful). tough to score when you are not being looked for. Speaking of that..who was the little left handed white kid with the deadeye 3 pointer? Anya or any other bit man who comes to IU will get a chance to play a role in the offense. Not the case in these street games.
IUeconAlum
Bring on BeeJay
MillaRed
The guy is a force in the middle. He had 3 clean blocks in this game that were terrible calls, otherwise game changers in a tight battle. Not to mention the fact his very presence will limit penetration in the first place.
He is an intimadator. Something we don’t see often in candy stripes.
Unfortunately, these “mixtapes” or highlight reels, usually don’t highlight a recruits fundamental skills… they are more interested in the dunks. Have you ever seen a video of Hanner that wasn’t 99% dunks?… I have seen a few videos (of the game film variety) in which BeeJay knocks down a few 15 foot jumpshots, and to be honest, he doesn’t have a bad stroke. Keep in mind, his body is still transitioning to a leaner more mobile player, and honestly, at least for me, I would think it would be hard to ignore the potential this kid has… especially after he has a summer to train and condition with Je’Ney Jackson and the rest of his staff.
hoosierdaddy3
Just like Jurkin last year. All reports out of Bloomington are glowing, yet he wasn’t even an option for his high school team and his AAU squad.
Intimidator or not, I am just not sold on Anya as an elite player. There are plenty of ways for one-dimensional players to help a team — three point shooting, rebounding, shot blocking, etc. — but players like that are not typically rated and recruited the way Anya is. If he were ranked 85th I wouldn’t think a thing of it, but players in the top 20 or 30 are normally more dominant and more well-rounded than he seems to be.
As an aside, I would point out that in Jurkin and Perea we already have two shot blocking monsters on the team. We also have Fischer and Lyles on the way, neither of whom is quite the stopper that Anya is, but both of whom are considerably more versatile. With some serious talent still in play for 2013 and 2014, and a crunch already likely for next year, I just find it strange that we are so committed to this particular player. Not to worry, though; if he ends up here I will happily cheer for him and value whatever contribution he makes.
That first block (called a foul), he showed some nice quickness in getting over to get the shot. He may not be a fast dude, but his quick reactions appear to be there.
b_side
And yet you fail to mention the biggest difference when comparing Anya to Jurkin/Perea and Fischer/Lyles: the guy has a B1G body…now. We need a guy of his size to compete with the guys Izzo tends to recruit. Sure it’s nice when Cody can beat his man down the court, but when playing half court, never hurts to have a space eater.
Going back to your original post up top, I saw a very soft touch at the free throw line – a concern of some posters early on during his recruitment.
And he did have a low post move, scoring a bucket, but the ref/other players blocked the angle.
Arch_Puddington
Basketball is not a tug of war. Kentcky won the national championship with no space eaters. The Heatnwon the NBA title without one. People are fascinated with Anya’s size the same way they are fascinated with Perea’s leaping ability. Both are fine attributes, but neither by themselves mean much. Anya will be a fine player, but until I see him do more than be big, I will project him as a role player rather than a program changer. I’d take any of the big men we already have, including Fischer, over Anya.
Remy Willing and Abell
I hate Kentucky . ( just felt like saying that …. again )
As I look at some of these recruits these days I have trained my eye to now look at them on what they will become and I have to say if you look at BJ Anya based on what he can become he could be an absolute monster that IU has never seen.
+ With improved physique and conditioning he would be hard to handle.
+ Developing his face up game like Cody is doing now
+ Has great timing in shot blocking
+ His post game will get better and develop more
He comes from a winning program in high school and AAU, two very important things. I don’t let AAU summer highlights influence me as any post player looks about the same. Luke Fischer doesn’t wow you during AAU games in the post but he is really good. I am all in with allday anya
Kelin Blab
Lebron is a space eater on the wing easily but I get your point. Anya is far far from a role player.
Arch_Puddington
A well made point.
b_side
You’re absolutely right – basketball is not a tug of war. BUT it is a chess match. Having a mix of a different pieces allows Crean the flexibility to a) match up with different opponents or b) force them to match up with us.
You cannot discount a player of Anya’s size and skill set just because Kentucky won without a space eater – they had the #1 player in the country + 5 other NBA players on their roster! And let’s be honest, while Unibrow may not take up room in the paint, his level of intimidation is akin to how Crean would use Anya.
Please don’t try to compare apples and oranges with the NBA. Besides, that Heat team has 3 Hall of Fame’ers, one of whom is the best in the game right now by far (not best ever…yet).
Unless you’ve seen Anya in person, please leave the expert analysis to the scouts who go to these games in person. Clearly a few video clips doesn’t do this guy justice.
