Aziz Leeks: Snow

[n.ogdencat]

He spent a redshirt season here at Weber before transferring down to Snow. I have a feeling that Weber placed him down there to keep an eye on him. I know that the coaches liked his game, but felt he needed to become a better shooter and refine some of his other tools a bit. After a season at Snow (he averaged 8 and 5 playing around 18mpg) he looks like he is starting to develop a bit. I wouldn't doubt that the coaches are keeping an eye on him to see if he progresses enough to get a spot on the team after his Sophomore year. He would be one of the few exceptions to be brought in as a JR JUCO transfer, since he has already played a season here at Weber.

Just a big man to keep an eye on. I remember that he actually got some playing time in the purple and white game. Something that doesn't happen very often for Weber State Walkons. Could be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so. Weber will need some more depth in the middle. It would be great if his game were to continue to improve. the biggest thing I would want to see is his defensive intensity and rebounding prowess. I would hope his rebounds per game goes up to 7 or 8 and he averages around 11 or 12 points per game. To make a case for bringing him back.

 

[Midmajor??]

He spent a redshirt season here at Weber before transferring down to Snow. I have a feeling that Weber placed him down there to keep an eye on him. I know that the coaches liked his game, but felt he needed to become a better shooter and refine some of his other tools a bit. After a season at Snow (he averaged 8 and 5 playing around 18mpg) he looks like he is starting to develop a bit. I wouldn't doubt that the coaches are keeping an eye on him to see if he progresses enough to get a spot on the team after his Sophomore year. He would be one of the few exceptions to be brought in as a JR JUCO transfer, since he has already played a season here at Weber.

Just a big man to keep an eye on. I remember that he actually got some playing time in the purple and white game. Something that doesn't happen very often for Weber State Walkons. Could be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so. Weber will need some more depth in the middle. It would be great if his game were to continue to improve. the biggest thing I would want to see is his defensive intensity and rebounding prowess. I would hope his rebounds per game goes up to 7 or 8 and he averages around 11 or 12 points per game. To make a case for bringing him back.

I don't see bringing him back as an option. Frankly we can do better! If he had the potential I'm confident Rahe wouldn't have sent him away. We have 13 scholarships...... Have to use them wisely.

 

[Da Bears]

what do you call a big? he was skinny s a rail!!! :rofl:
one thread is how Rahe has to raise his game and the next is about bringing back former walk ons!

I'm shocked that we fall in love with former players that frankly didn't perform and dream about bringing them back!! Rahe is fighting for his future..... why would he run after a former walk on with less than stellar performance at Snow?

Lets get better next year!

 

[n.ogdencat]

8 and 5 is a "less than stellar" performance as a freshman? What were your averages mycats in college? As for the post just throwing something out there on a boring day.

I'm not condoning bringing Leeks back immediately. Just saying that he is a kid that got favorable reviews and could have been placed at Snow as a way to watch him develop. He will end up playing DI ball somewhere. Just got to see how much he develops over the next year to see if he can compete or challenge for a potential spot on the roster. I tend to agree with mid though and feel that Rahe will keep the scholie for a freshman big instead.

 

[catscratched]

Aziz is a legit 6'6'' with good skills within 5' of the basket. He was a high level athlete with almost no outside shot. If he had an outside shot, he would be a high, mid-major prospect. Mook was in that same mold, but was a little better in the ball handling area. He would be a prospect for us, I think, if he were to develop an outside game. The likelihood of that happening over the next year are slim, but you never know. I just want to see him develop to his potential, where ever he goes. He seemed like a really nice kid. :nod:

 

[Da Bears]

Aziz is a legit 6'6'' with good skills within 5' of the basket. He was a high level athlete with almost no outside shot. If he had an outside shot, he would be a high, mid-major prospect. Mook was in that same mold, but was a little better in the ball handling area. He would be a prospect for us, I think, if he were to develop an outside game. The likelihood of that happening over the next year are slim, but you never know. I just want to see him develop to his potential, where ever he goes. He seemed like a really nice kid. :nod:

It's becoming apparent that you guys don't know much about basketball! Most bigs are good within 5' ft of the hoop and have no outside shot, but they get developed. He's not tall enough, not strong enough and not skilled enough. Rahe sent him away because we can do BETTER! Quit settling for marginal talent and then blasting Rahe because we suck!

Tal his stats are not good for a red shirt freshman playing at his level trying to get to D1! If he had the potential Rahe would've kept him here!

I know the season is over, but don't create crap that doesn't make sense! And cat scratch mid to high major???? Man quit taking the drugs! It clouds your judgement! Snow is a great place for him! We are short on scholarships..... It's not like candy!

 

[Midmajor??]

Aziz is a legit 6'6'' with good skills within 5' of the basket. He was a high level athlete with almost no outside shot. If he had an outside shot, he would be a high, mid-major prospect. Mook was in that same mold, but was a little better in the ball handling area. He would be a prospect for us, I think, if he were to develop an outside game. The likelihood of that happening over the next year are slim, but you never know. I just want to see him develop to his potential, where ever he goes. He seemed like a really nice kid. :nod:

It's becoming apparent that you guys don't know much about basketball! Most bigs are good within 5' ft of the hoop and have no outside shot, but they get developed. He's not tall enough, not strong enough and not skilled enough. Rahe sent him away because we can do BETTER! Quit settling for marginal talent and then blasting Rahe because we suck!

Tal his stats are not good for a red shirt freshman playing at his level trying to get to D1! If he had the potential Rahe would've kept him here!

I know the season is over, but don't create crap that doesn't make sense! And cat scratch mid to high major???? Man quit taking the drugs! It clouds your judgement! Snow is a great place for him! We are short on scholarships..... It's not like candy!

Mycats,,, don't be so harsh! They don't know the difference in d1, d2 and juco's. Leeks is in the perfect place for his skill level! Tal is a good guy, but doesn't get the talent part of the game. Rahe isn't going to risk his career on marginal players.... He's already went down that road last season.

 

[n.ogdencat]

Aziz is a legit 6'6'' with good skills within 5' of the basket. He was a high level athlete with almost no outside shot. If he had an outside shot, he would be a high, mid-major prospect. Mook was in that same mold, but was a little better in the ball handling area. He would be a prospect for us, I think, if he were to develop an outside game. The likelihood of that happening over the next year are slim, but you never know. I just want to see him develop to his potential, where ever he goes. He seemed like a really nice kid. :nod:

It's becoming apparent that you guys don't know much about basketball! Most bigs are good within 5' ft of the hoop and have no outside shot, but they get developed. He's not tall enough, not strong enough and not skilled enough. Rahe sent him away because we can do BETTER! Quit settling for marginal talent and then blasting Rahe because we suck!

Tal his stats are not good for a red shirt freshman playing at his level trying to get to D1! If he had the potential Rahe would've kept him here!

I know the season is over, but don't create crap that doesn't make sense! And cat scratch mid to high major???? Man quit taking the drugs! It clouds your judgement! Snow is a great place for him! We are short on scholarships..... It's not like candy!

Mycats,,, don't be so harsh! They don't know the difference in d1, d2 and juco's. Leeks is in the perfect place for his skill level! Tal is a good guy, but doesn't get the talent part of the game. Rahe isn't going to risk his career on marginal players.... He's already went down that road last season.

I think you are a good guy too Mid!! :thumb: Thanks for the love brother.

Anyway, PLEASE guys realize that I am not CONDONING that Rahe bring Leeks back. I was just interested in his numbers and curious as to why he was at Snow. I had heard that coaches send preferred walkons to local JUCO's to keep an eye on them.

Did coach do that with Leeks?? Not that I am aware of. It was pure conjecture on my part. Leeks is where he needs to be right now and doing well (not great, not bad...he is doing well). But his game has improved and will continue to improve. He has a lot of upside and potential. Does that mean he will end up back at Weber?? Personally, I don't think so. I do think he will end up at a DI (not UCLA or Colorado or such, but more like a Grand Canyon or UC Davis). I'm just saying that he is primed to really shine next year, since Snow is losing their top offensive players who were all sophomores (one is headed to Montana) and he is going to be a returning starter. YES...I'm sure that Rahe and Weber will find another big who will fit our system better, but why not keep an eye on Leeks during his sophomore year to see how much he develops. If he is a 12/13ppg and 7or8rpg guy then why not give him a look?

 

[Webergrad02]

Rahe isn't going to risk his career on marginal players.... He's already went down that road last season.

I am not sure I would even call Coston-Johnson marginal. Maybe from coaches shorter perspective Coston looked to be 6'6. :lol:

I really liked Leeks. He practiced really hard and any player that has a close resemblance to Harold "The Show" Arcenaux has spot at the end the bench as far as I am concerned. But in all honestly he just doesn't have the skills to compete at this level.

 

[sacstateman]

Rahe isn't going to risk his career on marginal players.... He's already went down that road last season.

I am not sure I would even call Coston-Johnson marginal. Maybe from coaches shorter perspective Coston looked to be 6'6. :lol:

I really liked Leeks. He practiced really hard and any player that has a close resemblance to Harold "The Show" Arcenaux has spot at the end the bench as far as I am concerned. But in all honestly he just doesn't have the skills to compete at this level.

[/quote]


What I fail to understand is who or how in the world was Coston-Johnson ever put on a JC All American team?? He didn't have the numbers let alone the ability to be an ALL AMERICAN.....who picks the team?? Whoever it is he doesn't watch or know much basketball. I think him being named to an All American team is a big part of the reason he got a scholorship to Weber....someone didn't do their homework very well...

 

[catscratched]

He certainly did not have the skill set to be competitive at our level as a freshman. Young players can develop. Will Aziz develop into a D1 prospect? Who really knows? If he does, I am sure that weber will look at him. Would he be the best prospect for us as a PF? Probably not, but who really knows?

I would ask myself this, before I recruited him out of Snow: Are his skills high enough to beat out Nzekwesi for PT at the 4, or has his outside game developed enough to play on the wing at our level? If the answer to that is NO, then you don't recruit him. It's really that simple. You don't recruit a guy to sit on the end of your bench. Those are they guys who will find another place to be successful.

Will Aziz play at the D1 level somewhere? I think that there is a good likelihood of that, but it will take a lot of hard work on his part and a lot of good coaching. :twocents:

 

[PURPLEFORLIFE]

Ha! This is the clearest example of one of Tal's many ulterior motive posts. Mycats hit this on the nose. Tal is pushing his agenda. He thought Leeks was better than what he really was. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Tal doesn't know talent. On occasion he does catch us with our pants down and makes a pretty good analysis on a player, but pushing for a former walk-on is worse than his obsession with Fuller. He did have a fairly accurate write up about Bamforth many years ago and said that Jefferson would most likely RS last season (look at that I'm defending you, you putz).

Leeks was a good practice player for the Cats. Got a great opportunity to learn what is expected from a player who is a DI athlete and ended up in the right place. Will he make it to the next level? I think yes, if the next level includes both DI and DII. He has an outside chance of making it to a low-level DI team. Maybe, if he has an outstanding season, a Mid-Major.

 

[oldrunner]

OK. You have baited me into this. Johnson-Coston was a mistake. Everybody involved has admitted it. He is most likely going to a low D1 or a D11 program to be able to contribute. Both Fuller and Leeks were better prospects, and we sent them packing to bring him in.

I wish that I could say that we will not make those kind of mistakes in the future, but the unfortunate truth is that mistakes are more common than successes in recruiting. You don't stumble into a Lillard, a Harvey, or a Cherry every time out on the recruiting trails. Players don't come with their destinies known. Even at the highest levels, they swing and miss more often than hitting the homerun.

Aziz was not a miss. He was a walk on. In practice he showed signs of developing D1 skills. He is at the right place for him to develop those skills. That is all that needs to be said. I wish him nothing but the best.

 

[sacstateman]

Honestly olds, I was not trying to bait anyone....was genuinely baffled how he could have made a Junior College All American team....usually that would be a strong indicator of D1 ability...didn't work out this time..

 

[n.ogdencat]

WOW!! I was only trying to show where the kid is and the slight potential he might have to being able to come back to Weber. I wasn't, once again, CONDONING or saying (for those who don't know what condoning means) that I want Rahe to bring him back. I was just saying that he is someone worth keeping an eye on.

As for Coston...He was a JC All-American. Maybe he got that because he was the leader of his team that won the conference and went far in the NJCAA National Tournament. I agree whole heartedly with Olds that Randy second guessed himself on Coston and probably should have kept either Fuller or Leeks over Coston. The JC All-American title really helped him get recruited. Not ripping on Coston. I really liked his game and feel he should have gotten more mins on the floor. He did a lot of things well. He had a nice mid-range jumper, was tenacious and tough, and knew how to get to the rim. He could take guys off the bounce. He just wasn't big enough to be consistently effective on defense and rebounding.

 

[Webergrad02]

WOW!! I was only trying to show where the kid is and the slight potential he might have to being able to come back to Weber. I wasn't, once again, CONDONING or saying (for those who don't know what condoning means) that I want Rahe to bring him back. I was just saying that he is someone worth keeping an eye on.

As for Coston...He was a JC All-American. Maybe he got that because he was the leader of his team that won the conference and went far in the NJCAA National Tournament. I agree whole heartedly with Olds that Randy second guessed himself on Coston and probably should have kept either Fuller or Leeks over Coston. The JC All-American title really helped him get recruited. Not ripping on Coston. I really liked his game and feel he should have gotten more mins on the floor. He did a lot of things well. He had a nice mid-range jumper, was tenacious and tough, and knew how to get to the rim. He could take guys off the bounce. He just wasn't big enough to be consistently effective on defense and rebounding.

Really.... Coston needed more minutes on the floor? He was one of our biggest defensive liabilities. He pounded his chest after he made a basket even when we were getting are butts handed to us. He liked to dribble off of his feet, knees and liked to miss dunks and lay ups.

 

[n.ogdencat]

WOW!! I was only trying to show where the kid is and the slight potential he might have to being able to come back to Weber. I wasn't, once again, CONDONING or saying (for those who don't know what condoning means) that I want Rahe to bring him back. I was just saying that he is someone worth keeping an eye on.

As for Coston...He was a JC All-American. Maybe he got that because he was the leader of his team that won the conference and went far in the NJCAA National Tournament. I agree whole heartedly with Olds that Randy second guessed himself on Coston and probably should have kept either Fuller or Leeks over Coston. The JC All-American title really helped him get recruited. Not ripping on Coston. I really liked his game and feel he should have gotten more mins on the floor. He did a lot of things well. He had a nice mid-range jumper, was tenacious and tough, and knew how to get to the rim. He could take guys off the bounce. He just wasn't big enough to be consistently effective on defense and rebounding.

Really.... Coston needed more minutes on the floor? He was one of our biggest defensive liabilities. He pounded his chest after he made a basket even when we were getting are butts handed to us. He liked to dribble off of his feet, knees and liked to miss dunks and lay ups.

In my opinion...Hill wasn't much of an improvement. Most of the time Hill would just stand around with that deer in the headlights look, and I feel that Coston had more to give the Cats offensively. Hill usually lost the ball whenever he tried to dribble or attack the basket. Yes, he could hit a 3 and started to look better at the end of the season, but for the majority of the season, I felt it was sixes when it came to Hill or Coston.

 

[Itiger]

Tal.... Give up the ghost! We need D1 talent that has potential to improve, not D2 or JUCO talent that can develop to D1. We had Leeks at Weber and returned him to the industry..... You don't watch him in hopes of bringing him back!

Baker was a D1 miss, but has the talent to play! Weber needs to be more selective in the talent that we bring in and maximize the Lilliard factor! I know we have favorite players, but Leeks had a bite at the apple and the evaluation was he couldn't take us to the next level! We lost a lot games last season...... I'd be disappointed if Rahe was scouting his former walkons...... He needs to be out finding top talent..... Not betting the team's future on kids that aren't starting at a lesser level today! Scholarships are precious. We need to treat them like gold and build a program that has a deep bench and players primed for the future. You can't ask Rahe to beat BYU and other top programs with players that just don't have the talent to compete. I'm willing to bet that you're going to see a major change in our coaching staffs behavior..... Last year was embarrassing and hopefully was an aberration........ I'm not sure Rahe can survive two years of that in a row. That's why players that didn't perform will be leaving the program.

 

[Cats meow!]

Does Tal want to bring back Fuller too? I hear there's not a waiting period for transfers from D3.......

When do our fans finally figure out that talent wins? Last season sucked..... lets not do that again :rockon:

The program wants to win, not be a social experiment! I agree Leeks was a good kid, but that doesn't mean he should be a Wildcat!

I usually like Tals post, but this one just doesn't make sense.

 

[n.ogdencat]

Fact Weber only has 5 legitimate bigs. Three are freshman who have never played a game against DI competition. At the end of next season Weber will only have 4 and it doesn't look like there is anyone being recruited at either the 4 or 5. We could lose more than 1 too. I really hope not! I really like the guys coming in but who knows. Players leave all the time.

What I'm advocating is depth not Leeks per se, but depth. We need a solid role player big. A guy who can come in and give the Cats 5-10min if needed. We know our best players will get the most mins. This season Bolomboy, Hill, Braxton and either Dallas or Nzekwesi. Next year, sans Bolomboy, the four remaining will get the most mins with three being underclassmen, which is great, but the Cats will need more bigs in case of injury, foul issues and the like, more depth inside. I'm not advocating that depth be Leeks. Just saying he is developing nicely and will likely end up at a DI (low-major to mid-major program).

Like the rest of you, I'd like to see Rahe grab an extremely talented big 3-star like Braxton or Dallas and have him come in as a freshman with the potential to redshirt. But do you really want to waste a year of eligibility on a guy with that much talent? Fact of the matter every team has a guy who is the 4 or 5 best player. I just don't want to waste talented guys eligibility on garbage mins.

To me...I would love to see a couple 6-9/6-11 225-245lb centers being recruited. Weber has enough wings. I know coach wants to find that Berry type player who is 6-5/6-6 who can slash, pass, shoot and if need be post up. But he can't forget the importance of having a Tresnak or Panos type big who can shut down the middle and keep teams honest.