Rutgers Basketball has a HIDDEN GEM in Lathan Sommerville!

[IMARUFAN]

No idea who JBP Talks Sports is, but he/they have dozens of posts on various topics, teams and sports.

In this recently posted vid, he talks about how he thinks Rutgers fans are overlooking Sommerville (with Ace and Dylan garnering all the attention). His main message? Don't sleep on Lathan!

Rutgers Basketball has a HIDDEN GEM in Lathan Sommerville!​

 

[FastMJ]

completely agree....this kid is a keeper

 

[ScarletKid2008]

Unfortunately or not, seems like we’re going to have to rely on him to be delivering near perfect performances against veteran dudes 3-4 years older on a big stage.

Difficult expectation to put on a young big man in this league.

 

[RU84]

With Edey moving on who are the stud 5's in the Big 10?

 

[IMARUFAN]

If Pike can somehow manage to get an experienced "rim protector", I can see Lathan playing more power forward than center.

He doesn't seem to have the same enthusiasm for defense as he does for offense based on vids of actual games I've watched him play in. But, offensively, he's a bit of a freak for his size. He can actually dribble, pass, shoot 3's and he almost never misses when he gets the ball in the lane. I'm seen him referred to once as a 6' 10" guard. Very interesting dude.

 

[socaldave]

No idea who JBP Talks Sports is, but he/they have dozens of posts on various topics, teams and sports.

In this recently posted vid, he talks about how he thinks Rutgers fans are overlooking Sommerville (with Ace and Dylan garnering all the attention). His main message? Don't sleep on Lathan!

Rutgers Basketball has a HIDDEN GEM in Lathan Sommerville!​

View embedded media

As I have been saying all along, I am not overlooking this guy.
Others on this board. “O, he can only play 15-18 minutes per game, WE ARE DOOMED!
Cliff, Cliff Cliff!” 😂😂😂😂
As I said, had Cliff stayed his weak heart would have been demoralized, as this kid would have been eating his lunch in practice everyday and challenging his starting roll.
The locker room would have been a mess!
Fan 4, time for your laughing emoji responses.

 

[socaldave]

The footwork on the inside move at the 1:20 mark 😳!!! The fadeaway jumper at the 1:51 mark insane!
Are you kidding me! Never mind defending teams other 5’s. Teams are going to have a hard time defending him!
And with the roster Pike has built how are you going to double him? Especially with his passing ability.
As been mentioned on this Board, maybe Pike doesn’t want to create any doubt in his young freshman recruit.
I wouldn’t in this fluid roster age. This dude is the real deal!
Fan 4 insert your laughing emoji response here.
I can’t wait to watch this guy on the court it going to be entertaining, and a large upgrade especially offensively from what we have ever seen on the banks.

 

[satnom]

Unfortunately or not, seems like we’re going to have to rely on him to be delivering near perfect performances against veteran dudes 3-4 years older on a big stage.

Difficult expectation to put on a young big man in this league.

Ogbole is a grown man and defensive presence. He can give a solid 20-25 mins on the defensive side while Lathan breaks in gradually.

Where is this narrative coming from that RU is relying upon Lathan playing 30+ mins?

Ogbole is that 3-4yr older dude and RU has him.

GO RU

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

We will see. Sounds like the Gavin hype from last year before games started.

 

[satnom]

We will see. Sounds like the Gavin hype from last year before games started.

Don’t see it as same. True frosh Gavin was hyped as a 10+ pts/game type player and possibly going pro in a couple years.

Older Ogbole who is stacked physically and is being considered a serviceable center that can play half a game to provide solid defense, get rebounds and not foul out.

If you were referring to Lathan then I somewhat agree. Let’s see how he looks surrounded by NBA talent which Gavin did not have.

Otherwise, don’t see the parallel.

GO RU

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

We will see. Sounds like the Gavin hype from last year before games started.

It takes 2 minutes of tape watching Gavin (who I really like by the way) and watching tape of former commit Baye Ngongo and now Lathan Sommerville and there is a very distinct difference in footwork, competitiveness and ability to improvise and make shots. I am already stating the likely talent of Sommerville and Grant is being wildly overlooked because Gavin struggled, suddenly any frosh is also going to struggle?? I don't think so.....

 

[IMARUFAN]

Other than the fact that Lathan is 2 inches taller, broad shouldered, barrel chested and weighs about 100 lbs more than Gavin, yeah sure, I can hardly tell the difference between the two. Practically twins.

 

[Ray6232010]

No idea who JBP Talks Sports is, but he/they have dozens of posts on various topics, teams and sports.

In this recently posted vid, he talks about how he thinks Rutgers fans are overlooking Sommerville (with Ace and Dylan garnering all the attention). His main message? Don't sleep on Lathan!

Rutgers Basketball has a HIDDEN GEM in Lathan Sommerville!​

View embedded media

Not really as hidden as one would think

 

[RUBOB72]

Be happy we have Emmanuel Ogbole at 6’10” -7’0” 270-280 lbs. the issue will be can he improve his hands? If they don’t have this kid carrying a basketball around day and night I would be surprised. Yes using the jugs machine is his best chance of learning to hold onto the ball. His hands are like the size of a peach basket.

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

The more I think about it, I think Big O and Lathan are our big guys we're going to battle with.

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

I like Big O. Could take a big leap next year.

 

[RU_DIO]

Ogbole is a grown man and defensive presence. He can give a solid 20-25 mins on the defensive side while Lathan breaks in gradually.

Where is this narrative coming from that RU is relying upon Lathan playing 30+ mins?

Ogbole is that 3-4yr older dude and RU has him.

GO RU

A lot of people have been saying Ogbole was not a B1G center or end of bench center but you feel he can give us a solid 20-25 minutes a night. I hope you're right but Ogbole would need to make a big jump to become an average B1G center. Let's hope he can step up.

 

[Sweet Peas Corner]

RU should have armed security at the RAC with all these hidden gems captured the past 20 years,

 

[seansherm]

Hidden gem? Top 100 or so players aren't hidden gems. Way too much is being put on this kid as a freshman. He'll be a shorter center playing guys his size that are just as quick for the first time in his life. He's got good offensive skill, but there will be an adjustment period.

 

[SBP]

We will see. Sounds like the Gavin hype from last year before games started.

Fair

 

[SBP]

I like Big O. Could take a big leap next year.

It’s Big E… just sayin

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

A lot of people have been saying Ogbole was not a B1G center or end of bench center but you feel he can give us a solid 20-25 minutes a night. I hope you're right but Ogbole would need to make a big jump to become an average B1G center. Let's hope he can step up.

In context, the fans who complained about Ogbole not being a “BIG” center in the game strings (and after) were in my opinion venting misplaced frustration. He wasn’t at all the reason why we struggled last year. Cliff’s output took a hit too because that’s what happens to BIGs when they are surrounded by weaker guards.

Ally oops are nice highlight reels, but just because Ogbole failed to field a few of those the way Cliff might’ve (those turnovers charged to him really should’ve been on our guards for poor decision making - you need to know the skill set of your personnel). Not being able to make those Tarzan type plays doesn’t mean Ogbole is this massive liability on O who can be left wide open unguarded. Simply not true. Pretty much all of his turnovers were that or not hanging onto his own offensive rebound because he didn’t make a quick enough decision. Hopefully he improves with that but then again - he also grabbed more offensive boards per minute than anyone else too - if the opponent gets the defensive board - he doesn’t commit a turnover and we’re in exactly the same place - right?

How’s this - I’ll go as far as saying that if Ogbole could’ve replaced Mag on the prior season roster when Mag got hurt, we win at least one more game and make the tourney. Maybe more. That team fell apart because without Mag we couldn’t press which meant that even with Cliff and Caleb playing 33 minutes of half court D there were still inevitably stretches with Oskar and Wolf together at the 4-5. The drop off when that happened was massive on D. Ogbole would’ve helped with that - not just a little.

 

[Knight Owl]

Other than the fact that Lathan is 2 inches taller, broad shouldered, barrel chested and weighs about 100 lbs more than Gavin, yeah sure, I can hardly tell the difference between the two. Practically twins.

Yeah, I see Lathan is listed at 245 lbs on ESPN…heftier than Cliff. And if I had to guess, I would say that Lathan is even bigger than his listed weight.

 

[RUbacker]

Unfortunately or not, seems like we’re going to have to rely on him to be delivering near perfect performances against veteran dudes 3-4 years older on a big stage.

Difficult expectation to put on a young big man in this league.

I expect good things from him but he is still a freshman playing the 5 in the Big. We need a good , experienced back up. And he is right , if we had big cliff we would be a big time threat of a team.

 

[Degaz-RU]

RU should have armed security at the RAC with all these hidden gems captured the past 20 years,

 

[satnom]

A lot of people have been saying Ogbole was not a B1G center or end of bench center but you feel he can give us a solid 20-25 minutes a night. I hope you're right but Ogbole would need to make a big jump to become an average B1G center. Let's hope he can step up.

To me just from an eye test, putting Cliff aside, Ogbole is put together and in better shape than most RU centers in the last 20 plus seasons. Doorson, Agee, Myles, kid who transferred for a year at beginning of Pike tenure and many more that don’t come to mind did not have Ogbole’s built. Granted RU center history is not good but Ogbole is a physical specimen and should be able to provide a presence on the defensive end.

His offensive production is yet to be determined but if he can make shots in the paint using the back board he’s already one step ahead of Cliff.

GO RU

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

To me just from an eye test, putting Cliff aside, Ogbole is put together and in better shape than most RU centers in the last 20 plus seasons. Doorson, Agee, Myles, kid who transferred for a year at beginning of Pike tenure and many more that don’t come to mind did not have Ogbole’s built. Granted RU center history is not good but Ogbole is a physical specimen and should be able to provide a presence on the defensive end.

His offensive production is yet to be determined but if he can make shots in the paint using the back board he’s already one step ahead of Cliff.

GO RU

Hes not close to Cliff. Cliff is an above average passer. An excellent defender. And an elite dunker. Ogbole is none of these things. At this point - he’s a decent defender, and good on the offensive glass. We don’t know much else.

 

[willisneverrana43]

As to the video that started this thread, that guy rambles on.

 

[Eagleton96]

To me just from an eye test, putting Cliff aside, Ogbole is put together and in better shape than most RU centers in the last 20 plus seasons. Doorson, Agee, Myles, kid who transferred for a year at beginning of Pike tenure and many more that don’t come to mind did not have Ogbole’s built. Granted RU center history is not good but Ogbole is a physical specimen and should be able to provide a presence on the defensive end.

His offensive production is yet to be determined but if he can make shots in the paint using the back board he’s already one step ahead of Cliff.

GO RU

Ogbole isn't just big and in shape. He showed agility and power that is very rare in a big man. That's still not a guarantee of success. But it's not nothing.

 

[PaKnight]

Hes not close to Cliff. Cliff is an above average passer. An excellent defender. And an elite dunker. Ogbole is none of these things. At this point - he’s a decent defender, and good on the offensive glass. We don’t know much else.

Cliff was a poor passer.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Ogbole isn't just big and in shape. He showed agility and power that is very rare in a big man. That's still not a guarantee of success. But it's not nothing.

There are no guarantees in life. There’s never a guarantee in terms of injuries, etc. He showed enough where I think we can feel confident it wouldn’t be a circus disaster if he had to be on the floor for a lot of minutes.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Hes not close to Cliff. Cliff is an above average passer. An excellent defender. And an elite dunker. Ogbole is none of these things. At this point - he’s a decent defender, and good on the offensive glass. We don’t know much else.

You lost me at "Cliff is an above average passer."

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

You lost me at "Cliff is an above average passer."

He is. There was nobody to kick out to. We couldn’t shoot.

 

[willisneverrana43]

Ogbole isn't just big and in shape. He showed agility and power that is very rare in a big man. That's still not a guarantee of success. But it's not nothing.

He had hands like feet, and his free throws were like demolition work on the backboard. I have a feeling that, like many RU players before him, Ogbole is going to become much, much better during the off season on this board.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

He had hands like feet, and his free throws were like demolition work on the backboard. I have a feeling that, like many RU players before him, Ogbole is going to become much, much better during the off season on this board.

His free throws can’t be any worse than MJs and he would command over 1M easily.

Nobody is going to be saying Ogbole projects to be an amazing double double type. The comments are refuting the ones claiming that if we have to play Ogbole for long stretches it will be a circus disaster.

 

[willisneverrana43]

. . . and he would command over 1M easily. . . .

Wait. Who, what?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

if MJ was in the portal as a rising super senior - he would be worth over 1M. No question. I don’t care how little he played at UCLA. He’d be a top portal prospect for sure.

 

[satnom]

Hes not close to Cliff. Cliff is an above average passer. An excellent defender. And an elite dunker. Ogbole is none of these things. At this point - he’s a decent defender, and good on the offensive glass. We don’t know much else.

Man I don’t want to turn this into a shit on Cliff feast but he is an elite dunker and athlete.

Ogbole does not need to be elite in any category. Just good in a lot of categories. That being said, Ogbole looks physically imposing.

GO RU

 

[willisneverrana43]

if MJ was in the portal as a rising super senior - he would be worth over 1M. No question. I don’t care how little he played at UCLA. He’d be a top portal prospect for sure.

I'm glad you're certain. But Myles could catch a ball and pass and had qualities that Ogbole hasn't even remotely shown.

Oh, the off season.

 

[IMARUFAN]

Personally, I couldn't care less if Ogbole scored a single point the entire season. Okay, I'm exaggerating (a little).

It's all about rebounds and blocks for him in my mind. That's it. Rebound and then immediately get the ball into the hands of a guard (before the defense knocks to ball lose yet again).

Then we don't have to worry about his poor FT% since he won't be fouled because he's not attempting shots. And he would probably not be in the game if it's late and it's close to avoid being intentionally fouled.

Yeah, yeah .... I know. I'm grossly over simplifying things. My point is I suspect Pike will impress upon him that there's only one ball. Get the ball to Ace, Dylan, JWill, Acuff, etc asap.

Unless we bring in a center, seems like he's going to be the starting 5. So unless he dramatically improves offensively, this needs to be the basic game plan for him.