6-foot-10 South African center Tshilidzi Nephawe will be on campus this weekend on a visit with the NMSU men's hoops team. I have just been able to find a couple articles about him but it looks like Marvin Menzies is going to continue seeking talent abroad. Nephawe is a 2010 recruit. I guess with another project player in Abdoulaye Ndoye and Hamidu Rahman set to be a junior, it would make sense to go after some more size.
The Aggies women's program also had a couple of visits on campus over the weekend. Jasmin Rutledge, a 6-ft wing from California, and Andrea Chenier from Cali, a 5-10 player who can play any of the three guard positions were in Las Cruces on official visits. Rutledge is a top 150 player and Chenier is a top 70 player who played on the same club team as current Aggie freshman Camilla Rosen. Other WAC schools are interested in both players. Fresno State and Utah State are on Rutledge and Chenier has a visit to Hawaii. The Aggies have two spots available with the departure of Areyal Ledeatte from the program and the graduation of Ashley Scroggins.
8 comments:
If NM State can find foreign kids that are willing to give 100 percent and represent the Aggies well, I'm all for it.
I saw this kiddo Tshilidzi Nephawe at the beginning of the Aggie-Miner game. Obviously, he was tall, but very very skinny. Lets hope he fills out if he comes to NMSU.
I like Menzies' recruiting of foreign student-athletes. They are typically grateful for opportunities and work a little harder than most US players that NMSU brings in. Imagine Troy Gillenwater with the work-ethnic and gratefulness of a student-athlete from Africa. He'd be playing at a major DI program right now and working his way toward a pro career.
At least lets hope it rubs off on our current players.
If you don't believe me about their work-ethic, hopefully we'll get a quote from Menzies sometime in the near future.
Groves,
The official WAC preview (wacsports.com) lists a Lamine Diame (6'6", Senegal) and a Jacoby Patton (6'4", New Orleans) on the NMSU roster. What's the good word on those guys?
Also, any word on NCAA Clearinghouse qualification for our new players? It always seems to be an issue for us.
How much of the budget goes to recruit these kids? Senegal, France, Canada, South Africa, etc. Yet no real effort was made to get the kid from los alamos.
How much of that budget do we as fans have to eat as a season ticket holder or even just a single game ticket? I know that given the football teams woes this year(i know it's early) we are probably looking at buy 1 get 1 free tickets by the time Nevada rolls around. Then another letter from Mac Boston in the off season explaining the hardships of D1 and how he hopes I renew my seats.
Who cares about the kid from Los Alamos. He's unproven. He plays in NM and in 4A ball. I'm sure he'll be a decent player somewhere, just not Las Cruces. Menzies has proven that he has an eye for talent, and he has signed it. He just needs to help the kids stay out of trouble. His coaching improved last year as well. I think the team will be good, and by the time Mckines and Gillenwater return, the team will be very deep with the other guys getting playing time. I'm looking forward to the season.
Pistol Pedro,
If you're going to say some moronic, I suppose this is the place to do so since it's anonymous.
How can you say he' unproven? He's somewhere in the top 75 of all highschool basketball players on Rivals.com. Yes, he plays in New Mexico, but he also plays from an AAU team in Houston and has been playing against some quality comp with that squad; that is how the scouts and recruiters have heard about him. He's good and Menzies would freakin JUMP at the chance to sign him. Menzies would hand-deliver the scholly paper-work to sign him. And most of the new recruits who are coming in are from another country where they were unproven. If a player IS proven, he sure isn't coming to Las Cruces; which is why Kirk won't be here.
007--I'm not being sarcastic at all. I really liked your post on 9/21.
All I'm saying is that the kid plays against Capital, Bernalillo, and Espanola HS on a yearly basis. A 6' 10" kid will dominate those guys all day long. I'm sure he's very talented but he has not been tested his entire HS career. Now I never said that Menzies wouldnt want him. You read entirely too much into my post.
I like your passion though!
Did NMSU offer the big 6'10 african kid?
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