Iyen Enaruna SOPH Juco Committ - 6'9

They say he hasn’t played that long and his upside can’t be determined yet. The video posted here shows he’s quite athletic and has a real nice jump shot past the 3-point line. I like the fact that he’s a shot blocker too. Combine all that with his rebounding ability and he’s not a project. We certainly have more to work with for next year than we had last year once Williams was out. We will have to see how he handles the Valley athletes though.

Stats: www.kjccc.org/sports/mbkb/2019-20/players/iyenenarunahi6z

Pros: 6’9” and very agile with a high skill level for a big man...he could be a real sleeper since he has not played basketball long and had significant improvement between is freshman and sophomore years (at least in his stats). He also seems to anticipate well and has some shot blocking skills. Looks like our best rim protector from the video.

Cons: No bulk; no other offers (on verbalcommits). Shooting percentages (especially from three) are low. Would have to work really hard to bulk up and get his percentages up to succeed in the valley.

He is definitely no Kevin Durant but he reminds me of when I saw KD in a preseason game his only year at UT. At first I thought he was going to get pushed around in the post because he was so skinny but the one thing I underestimated was his skill level. This kid’s skill level and versatility is high enough to try to model his game after KD (as long as he doesn’t get carried away trying to be a guard and lets the game come to him).

It is going to be real interesting to see how he develops and improves. What I wouldn’t give to see DeAndre and Iyen go against each other in practice and then see them compete against a bulkier player like Peace and watch their development and chemistry improve.

Again he needs to hit the weights hard and improve his shooting percentages for starters. It will be neat to watch his journey and development.

Go Aces!!!

I heard he was on the Dutch national team, I’m impressed with all of the recruits. Time will be the judge, but looks like someone has a plan.

Simply from the video he has better skills than I thought he would have. Has some quickness and moves his feet. My hope is that Coach Lickliter can elevate his game to the MVC level. If anything he looks like an upgrade from what he have in the middle. You never know with a juco, but seems like a good pickup for the Aces

Interesting that Iyen’s brother Tristen is similar in size and athletic ability and was considered a Top-50 to 100 recruit by the best evaluators. His struggles at Kansas as a freshman show how difficult the upper levels of D-1 are to adjust to. The article states how high everyone was on the future for Tristen once his adjustments are made.

Now apply that to Iyen. His freshman year at Cloud showed he needed to learn more about the American game and improve his skills. His sophomore year showed he made those adjustments and his performance greatly improved. Has he reached his peak or does he have a really high upside? Only time will tell. Unfortunately Iyen like all college athletes have had their development and progress interrupted just when they need it the most. If they can just crack the college doors just a little so these young kids can continue their workouts and begin practicing so that their athletic futures are not taken away from them. This goes for all ncaa sports.

Agreed and Peace is still are only bulk in the middle.