Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Saint Mary's Basketball Producing NFL Talent?

If someone asked me which former Gael would be getting offers from an NFL team my guess would be the loudmouth tough guy Omar Samhan, but he's playing basketball in the Philippines and not the right answer. The answer is Rob Jones, and it makes some sense when you think about it.

The Minnesota Vikings, who are in desperate need of a tight end, offered Jones the chance to join their rookie mini-camp to compete for a spot at that position. Jones is a 6'6'' 237lbs beast, and he absolutely dominated the WCC with his size and physicality over the past couple seasons. Jones had 20 double-doubles over the course of his senior season, thanks in large part to his ability to out muscle opponents for rebounds.

Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, and Tony Gonzalez are three very successful tight ends who played college basketball before making the switch to the gridiron. Graham, like Jones, played only basketball while at college. He then went on to become Drew Brees' favorite target last season, during which Brees set the NFL single season record for passing yards. The athleticism that made Jones so dominant this past season(leaping ability, quickness, strength, catching and maneuvering the ball) are the traits that make him (and those other three players) such a good fit for the tight end position.

Quality Over Quantity: Przemek Karnowski is a Zag!

Gonzaga has finally secured a recruit, a very big and big time one, for the 2012 season. Przemek Karnowski is a 7'1'' 250lbs Polish center who just committed to Gonzaga. Karnowski was recruited the hardest by Gonzaga but also received considerable interest from Califorina, which he visited after visiting Gonzaga in mid-April. Marquette, Kansas, and Duke also courted the big man but he spurned their offers and turned down the chance to visit.

Up until Karnowski committed to Gonzaga, the Zags had lost every single recruiting battle they were engaged in for 2012 talent. What's interesting about that is the Zags had lost out to schools that were on Gonzaga's level or had the added help of being in a BCS conference. Anrio Adams, a shooting guard from Seattle, chose Kansas over Gonzaga. Demarquise Johnson, a shooting guard from Phoenix, engaged in a Evergreen State three way but chose Washington State over UW or Gonzaga. Another shooting guard, Tyrone Wallace of Bakersfield, chose to stay in state and play for Cal. Chris Reyes, another product of the Golden State, went to Saint Mary's. Most recently there was Amadeo Della Valle, an Italian shooting guard who chose Ohio State.

Karnowski was recruited exclusively by schools who made the NCAA tournament in 2012. He passed up the Big East's Marquette, the 2010 national champion and all time great program (with Polish speaking Coach K) in Duke, defending national runner up Kansas, and then the scenic California to play his college basketball with Gonzaga. I was worried by this year's recruiting losses until Karnowski committed. Gonzaga is able to recruit with and beat out the big dogs for top prospects, they just can't win most of the battles, yet.

Read more about Karnowski after the jump.