Ohio Basketball Recruiting Topic
Topic: 6'8"/225 F Kenny Kaminski (Medina HS/Michigan St.) - Ohio Transfer
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GPro31
8/2/2014 8:35 PM
What do you think of four man Kenny Kaminski transferring from Michigan State? Looking for horizon or Mac school. Any thoughts on him? He's a Medina kid.

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BOOM!!!!
8/2/2014 8:52 PM
I was just over on the MSU 247 Site reading about Kenny leaving. From the sound of it he was much of a 4 or 5 but more of a 3
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ohio9704
8/2/2014 8:55 PM
His high school coach is now an assistant at Toledo I believe.  BGSU great Anthony Stacey.  My guess he has a landing spot at UT.
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The Optimist
8/3/2014 11:15 AM
Kind of surprised by this. Looking at his various internet accounts, not really any obvious signs he was unhappy. He was suspended earlier this season for academic violations. Also heard he had an injury earlier this month.

Depending on why he transferred, I would think he could be looking at Ohio. Toledo and Akron seem like the other obvious landing spots. He would be worth a look from a basketball standpoint. Little undersized for a 4, but he has an outside game including a decent stroke from 3. He'd be a solid addition for us, even if he couldn't play this year he would give us another body in practice which I think we need badly.
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The Optimist
8/3/2014 11:59 AM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
Kind of surprised by this. Looking at his various internet accounts, not really any obvious signs he was unhappy. He was suspended earlier this season for academic violations. Also heard he had an injury earlier this month.

Depending on why he transferred, I would think he could be looking at Ohio. Toledo and Akron seem like the other obvious landing spots. He would be worth a look from a basketball standpoint. Little undersized for a 4, but he has an outside game including a decent stroke from 3. He'd be a solid addition for us, even if he couldn't play this year he would give us another body in practice which I think we need badly.


I watched some video of Kaminski from this past year. He has grown from what I remember of him. Seems like he has grown into a true "4" who can really bang around down low. Doesn't have the mobility of a guy like Setty but the thing is Kaminski can really hit the treys. He played limited minutes this past year because MSU was so stacked but he shot almost 50% from three and hit some big shots when they needed him. He was expected to compete for a starting spot at MSU.

IF he could somehow get a waiver from the NCAA (not sure how likely that is seeing we have no clue why he transferred) this would be a huge add. Bring him in and pair him with Ndour and Campbell down low this year and we are really in great shape.

It would not shock me if OSU made a push for him. They went after him out of HS.

 
Last Edited: 8/3/2014 12:00:08 PM by The Optimist
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akroncat
8/3/2014 12:58 PM
The OSU probably won't happen since you can't get a athletic scholarship to another Big 10 school.  Unless his parents are independently wealth, my guess is Toledo or Akron.
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The Optimist
8/3/2014 9:21 PM
Good point. Forgot about that rule.

I think these two played AAU together....


 
Last Edited: 8/3/2014 10:10:36 PM by The Optimist
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OU_Country
8/4/2014 9:56 AM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
Good point. Forgot about that rule.

I think these two played AAU together....


 


That would be a nice influence to help get a kid like him to Athens.
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UpSan Bobcat
8/4/2014 5:09 PM
Jeff Goodman just tweeted that he actually was dismissed, so that is the reason he is transferring.
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The Optimist
8/4/2014 5:42 PM
Per David Harris (MSU reporter) this is a statement from Izzo...






I am suprised Izzo released such a lengthy statement. Usually you see "wish him well in future endevours" and that is about it. This kinda rips into Kaminski a bit. Not saying he does or does not deserve it, just surprised such a statement was made. I would say that along with Coach K, Izzo is the only coach in college hoops widely respected enough to pull this without any fear of it coming back to bite him.
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GoCats105
8/5/2014 11:25 AM
That is the Webster's Dictionary version of WWHWIHFE.
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perimeterpost
8/5/2014 9:48 PM
Izzo straight up put that kid on blast.
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100%Cat
8/6/2014 10:39 AM
perimeterpost wrote:expand_more
Izzo straight up put that kid on blast.

I agree, he went a little above and beyond the usual "wish him the best in his future endeavors" line. 

 
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The Optimist
8/10/2014 10:27 AM
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Last Edited: 8/10/2014 10:37:16 AM by The Optimist
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Monroe Slavin
8/10/2014 12:00 PM
What's SP's history with somewhat 'outlier' players such as Kaminski?  Has he tested these waters?  Has it worked out?  Is he likely to go this way?
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Deciduous Forest Cat
8/10/2014 2:25 PM
Monroe Slavin wrote:expand_more
What's SP's history with somewhat 'outlier' players such as Kaminski?  Has he tested these waters?  Has it worked out?  Is he likely to go this way?


I don't know, but based on anything that requires such a wordy dismissal from coach Izzo, I'm thinking I don't want this guy as a Bobcat.
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The Optimist
8/10/2014 11:11 PM
When we hired Saul, he stated his focus was on building a program primarily with four-year guys out of high school.  He did add that he wasn't opposed to adding a transfer if the situation was right.

So far, he has added two transfers in Simmons and Thomas. Thomas isn't really your traditional transfer since he is coming in as a graduate player.
Based on what we know of Phillips so far, I highly doubt he would add Kaminski if he wasn't convinced of his commitment to academics.

If the staff is convinced he won't be trouble off the court, I do think Kaminski is a great fit for Phillips style of play. Additionally, beyond Izzo's strong statement, we don't really know much about Kaminski's off-the-court problems... No arrests and after the first suspension Izzo stated the academic problems weren't him being ineligible but rather not meeting Izzo's standards. Team rules about attendance or study tables?? Hard to speculate, but we have certainly taken chances on guys with much sketchier histories.
Last Edited: 8/10/2014 11:14:54 PM by The Optimist
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Monroe Slavin
8/11/2014 1:08 AM
Good thoughts.

Seems to me that one of the circumstances of not being considered an A-list school (not BigEleven or SEC or PAC12 etc) is that we have to in-fill by taking reasonable chances on guys who wash out from the so-called bigtime schools.

It's tough for us to straight on directly recruit prime talent--well has been until a coach establishes that he's really got it going on (a la Groce).

 So long as we do diligence re what we're getting into and make very clear what the standards will be and stick to those standards, we can consider this path.

We've certainly had some success stories in taking in guys who started at other schools (though most of our successes are probably re guys who chose to, not had to, transfer, right?!).

 
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intrpdtrvlr
8/11/2014 2:43 PM
100%Cat wrote:expand_more
Izzo straight up put that kid on blast.
I agree, he went a little above and beyond the usual "wish him the best in his future endeavors" line. 


Yeah, all the MSU fans noticed that.  Izzo has sent a few kids packing in recent years (Korie Lucious, Chris Allen) and none of them got thrown under the bus like Kenny.  Izzo must be pretty frustrated with him.  As someone noted, he was suspended twice last season.  Clearly a last straw issue.  There's no way this is a basketball decision.  MSU is now pretty thin in the frontcourt and has lost a guy who hit 50% from three.  He was expected to be a major contributor and maybe starter if MSU went big. 

The knock on Kenny last season was that was a painfully weak defender, even against slower 4's.  Also, he's (at this stage) a below average rebounder for his size and the B1G.  He's in much better shape than high school (just saw him a few weeks ago at a Summer League) but he's very much a power forward at the college level, especially MAC.  I don't see him guarding any 6'5" wing guards very effectively. 

I'd love to see him come to Ohio and play for us though he'd have to get his act together once he got to Athens. 
Last Edited: 8/11/2014 2:43:51 PM by intrpdtrvlr
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intrpdtrvlr
8/25/2014 9:27 AM
Kenny Kaminski to Ohio U!  That's a great pickup for us.
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The Optimist
8/25/2014 9:31 AM
Nice!!!
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intrpdtrvlr
8/25/2014 9:34 AM
I'm still a little nervous about this one.  I don't know if Athens is the best place for Kenny to get away from whatever held him down at MSU.  From a basketball standpoint, huge for us though.  He's a legit 6'8", in improved shape, and a lights-out shooter of the highest magnitude.  He still has to prove he can hold up as a student-athlete. 
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The Optimist
8/25/2014 9:52 AM
WOAH.

Just saw that Arkley stated he is looking for a waiver to play this year. That would be huge. Huge. 

 
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Andrew Ruck
8/25/2014 9:53 AM
I am not surprised by this move, it seems to make sense for Kenny, an Ohio native, who was going to have trouble finding a spot at another high major program...and of course Ohio would be interested.  This man was a 4 star recruit out of high school, rated by some as high as 50th or so in the nation I believe.  And despite apparently being a headache to the coaching staff, he played fairly significant minutes for a freshman in the Big Ten.  He is no doubt a great talent to have in the MAC.

That said, his dismissal was certainly not just a case of trying to get rid of dead weight, and I'm pretty sure that head coach they have at MSU is a pretty respected and fair dude.  I trust that Saul did his due diligence and got comfortable that Kenny showed a renewed commitment.  I hope Kenny took responsibility for his dismissal rather than tried to say he was "wronged."  I'll be interested to see the quotes from Saul and Kenny.

Roster wise - He should fill the shoes of Ndour very nicely.  Exactly what we needed for next year.
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