Surprised that quite a few people are so down on this signing, although respectfully, I think some of your expectations for this last scholarship were a bit unrealistic. Mickle is exactly the kind of guy this roster needed. Not every player on the roster has to be a major offensive threat. With Carter and Taylor, along with the freshman bigs, our low-post offense should be fine. What the team really needed was a defensive cog in the paint. That's exactly what Mickle forecasts to be.
As Jeff mentioned, if we'd signed Mickle straight out of Juco ball last year with the stats he put up, people would have been very excited. No, he didn't play 30 minutes per game at FGSU, but FGSU was also an excellent, deep team last year. Their primary big, Demetris Morant, was a transfer from UNLV. Their other best returning forward, Marc-Eddy Norelia, was coming off a year in which he'd posted 17 and 10 per game during his junior season. Fellow back-up forward Antravious Simmons was a 6'9" VCU transfer in his third year in the FGSU program, and yet only played a couple minutes more per game than Mickle. This was an experienced, deep, and talented front court.
Neither Terren Harbut or Jon Smith lit the world up from an offensive perspective (both averaged under 10 points and 5 boards per game), yet both provided an invaluable post presence for two of our NCAA tournament teams. Neither of those teams would have made the dance without their often overlooked contributions. Whether Mickle can make a similar impact remains to be seen, of course, but good teams depend on guys like this. We're lucky to add a player like this at this juncture in the recruiting cycle. [/QUOTE][QUOTE=Bobcat1998] Played 15 minutes and had four boards in a close 86 to 80 loss to Florida State in NCAA Tourney. Saying you would rather have Wadley is insane. And stop saying Donnal or William and Mary big. They are going bigger.
Jon Smith NCAA Tournament
v Michigan 21 minutes
4 Points, 1-2 from field, 2-2 from line, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Turnovers
v USF, 19 minutes
2 Points, 0-1 from field, 2-2 from line, 3 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 0 Turnovers
v UNC, 18 minutes
0 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Rebound, 1 Block, 1 Steal, 2 Turnovers
Kevin Mickle
2016 NCAA Tournament
v UNC 16 minutes
6 points, 2-3 from field, 2-2 from line, 2 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 2 Turnovers
2017 NCAA Tournament
v FSU 15 minutes
2 Points, 1-1 from field, 4 rebounds, 1 Steal, 0 Turnovers
Saul has easily emphasized his recruiting on offense more than any coach we've had during the time I've followed the Bobcats and I'm guessing this would stand true looking at coaches before I was following the program.
Saul has LOADED our roster with shooters... I love it. Not only are we going to be tough to beat when we really start clicking with our ball movement (I believe that is this year) which will lead to us draining 3's with an efficiency that we haven't seen in the Convo... But "Saul Ball" is also going to be fun to watch. People love points and we're going to score A LOT. That's huge for building excitement around the program for the longer-term.
The focus on shooters has left a decent chunk of fans on this board clamoring for freak athlete. I understand this mindset and you can go back in time on this recruiting board and find me gushing over guys who can jump out of the gym... Mickle is very gifted athlete, and to top it off he isn't a "project" like the gifted athletes you sign straight out of high school. We got a guy who averaged double digit minutes at a respectable program that has been in the NCAA Tournament the last two years. Mickle is the perfect fit for this roster. We got an athlete who is not raw and will contribute from Day 1.
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Additionally, I think his offensive abilities are being significantly underestimated.
Article when FGCU signed him along with his JUCO stats.
http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/college/fgcu/2015/... /
http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/div1/players/k... As discussed earlier in this thread, Mickle scored a decent amount at a pretty good JUCO. The article discusses Mickle's offensive game and notes that while he is athletic enough to drive he also has a jump shot... Sound familiar? Sounds like the ideal fit for Saul's system.
The narrative people have painted is that he is leaving FGCU due to playing time. Two 6-10 transfers are eligible this year for FGCU from Michigan and VCU. They probably would've played more than Mickle, but I'd argue a big part of that is solely because of the style of play at FGCU. 6-10 players are great, but I bet you if we played FGCU next season Jason Carter and Kevin Mickle would give them fits with their ability to step outside and shoot.
Thinking about the Jon Smith comparison... It's almost a little scary how similar are 3 big men this year compare in style to that Sweet 16 team.
Smith-Mickle (both 6-7 with skinnier athletic frames)
Ivo-Carter (both 6-9 with medium builds)
Keely-Taylor (both 6-7 with bulkier frames)