Scouting report on Jordan Lathon and Pete Nance

[lou v]

Rivals' Eric Bossi and Corey Evans give us a scouting report on new Northwestern commits Jordan Lathon and Pete Nance.

Story: Scouting Northwestern's dynamic duo

 

[jjjjjjj]

"Evans thinks that Lathon will continue his development at the next level."

It's good to have write ups, but this one was mailed in.

 

[lou v]

"Evans thinks that Lathon will continue his development at the next level."

It's good to have write ups, but this one was mailed in.

Huh? That was my intro sentence to Evans' scouting report, which follows it. Read what Evans says -- that's the scouting report. I got both Evans' and Bossi's take on each player.

 

[CommodoresAndCats]

I'm in agreement on Nance. Watching his tape, he doesn't seem like the kind of player that's going to come in and be a high impact guy from day 1. I expect that after working through some adversity in his freshman season, he will make big leaps in his sophomore and junior seasons. If he doesn't leave early for the NBA, I think he could be a Big Ten first team type player as an upperclassmen when he is relied upon for being a leader in playmaking and scoring.

 

[DaCat]

Huh? That was my intro sentence to Evans' scouting report, which follows it. Read what Evans says -- that's the scouting report. I got both Evans' and Bossi's take on each player.

Ban him, Lou!

 

[jjjjjjj]

Lou, the Lathon "scouting report" is almost as generic as your intro. Evans says he is "the type of prospect that should continue to improve each year at Nothwestern." I mean really- just about every recruit is expected to improve each year (even though some do not).

I guess the message is one of damning with faint praise and that Lathon is not expected to do much.

 

[scru]

I think what jjjjjjjj (is that too many??) is saying is that the "scouting report" is a bit lacking. If I were to send a request for a professional scouting request for a PG, I might frame it with questions such as:

- how would you rate his ball handling skills at this point? who is a good comparable?
- how does he distribute the ball? is he a drive and kick player, pick and roll, etc? with respect to passing and assists, how would you rate him and who is a good comparable?
- on ability to drive the ball, is he equally adept at going to his right and left? how does he finish? can he finish with both right and left hands? does he play above the rim on finishes? who is a good comparable?
- initiation of the break - does he show ability to push the ball up the court quickly and initiate the fast break? who is a good comparable?
- how is he on defense? does he show good on-the-ball defensive ability? how does he communicate and rotate on defense? does he generate a high or low % of steals? who is a good comparable?
- how does he demonstrate leadership qualities? does he bring his teammates up, or put them on his back when needed?
- how is his level of athleticism? rate his quickness, speed with the ball, leaping ability, etc. Again, who is a good comparable?

Answering these questions would provide a thorough scouting report. Saying that he is "long and athletic" and "will develop at the next level", the former can be seen by his photos and measurables, the latter should be assumed for any D1 recruit.

All that said, I'm very excited about the commitment, glad he is going to be a Wildcat, and fully trust CC and staff's judgement on talent. They've had a very high hit rate so far. But, this is a "professional" scouting, recruiting, and news outlet, so I don't think the reporting quality expectations are entirely unreasonable. I hope you take this as constructive criticism as it is intended. I am and will remain a faithful reader and participant.

 

[JournCat]

Nance seems to have Shurna-like potential. Playing behind some good prospects in Falzon and Rap will hopefully help him develop in practice and achieve the kind of leap Shurna did in his second year.