Players Tobi Lawal transferring to Virginia Tech

[rammad90]

Haha! We learned that GMC Yukon Denali is frequently stolen there and it probably went straight to Mexico.

We went to TX for the eclipse and other than the car issue it was a fantastic trip!

Hope you purchased the insurance.

 

[SpiderRAM]

Easy…..true though, that thing was in a chop shop in west Dallas before the cops showed up.

They said it was probably in Mexico.

 

[ramsareus]

So maybe someone can help me out here. First of all I love Tobi and do not want to see him leave. That being said I would like to know how he can be effective against a season long power 5 level opponent. First I may have missed it but I have never seen him make a basket more than two feet from the rim. He can not get significant minutes at this level because he can’t stay out of foul trouble. He will be playing against BIG and skilled centers for the most part at the next level. With his build I can’t see him backing in on a big. Sure he can dunk but how is he going to do that if he can’t get close to the basket or is in constant foul trouble trying to keep the center he is guarding away from the basket. I just can’t see the justification for a power 5 school paying him big $$$$. College sports have lost their minds!

 

[RamStrut]

So maybe someone can help me out here. First of all I love Tobi and do not want to see him leave. That being said I would like to know how he can be effective against a season long power 5 level opponent. First I may have missed it but I have never seen him make a basket more than two feet from the rim. He can not get significant minutes at this level because he can’t stay out of foul trouble. He will be playing against BIG and skilled centers for the most part at the next level. With his build I can’t see him backing in on a big. Sure he can dunk but how is he going to do that if he can’t get close to the basket or is in constant foul trouble trying to keep the center he is guarding away from the basket. I just can’t see the justification for a power 5 school paying him big $$$$. College sports have lost their minds!

He actually made a couple big threes last season.

 

[MobileMunchies]

Some elder (to me) fans, especially a fellow Benedictine grad in that pack that we were blessed to have surrounding us this season were BIG Lawal fans. I know they're gonna take his departure hard, and I feel especially for him.

 

[Ram14]

Yeah pretty sure there is a threshold that international players can make as "income" and if they go over that amount they lose their student Visa and would have to get a work Visa. I am not 100 percent on this but I thought that was what I heard but could be wrong. BUT if that is true...it begs the question what drove Tobi to enter?

Let's hope and pray he entered because he totally missed out on the wine and dine recruiting process the first time around and wants to experience it before just staying where hie is happy and will be taken care of...

 

[Ramlove81]

Haha! We learned that GMC Yukon Denali is frequently stolen there and it probably went straight to Mexico.

We went to TX for the eclipse and other than the car issue it was a fantastic trip!

Should have come to Ohio. It was spectacular and the weather couldn't have been better.

 

[VCU Finance 2008]

Too be honest, while I think it is unlikely, I think he can return. However, when you have real NBA traits but aren’t ready for the NBA, go get a bag or see what you are worth. I don’t really get pissed at kids or coaches when I would do the same thing. Good for Tobi and probably bad for us but life goes on.

Also might not be good for Tobi but it is what it is.

 

[VCU Finance 2008]

Haha! We learned that GMC Yukon Denali is frequently stolen there and it probably went straight to Mexico.

We went to TX for the eclipse and other than the car issue it was a fantastic trip!

You went to see the sun disappear and your darn car disappeared.

 

[bighornn]

Pretty sure those money losers have as much if not more success than our basketball program. I’m sure tennis has been losing money but their success is absurd. Only big program underperforming is soccer. Golf is probably expensive but they do well especially this year they are a top 30 team in the coach’s 2nd year.

Been to any tennis matches or golf games recently? Know anybody who has? Any conversation on talk radio?

They're like the giant oak that falls deep in the forest .... nobody hears or cares, although I have written about VCU's French tennis players.

 

[Ramaholic]

Been to any tennis matches or golf games recently? Know anybody who has? Any conversation on talk radio?

They're like the giant oak that falls deep in the forest .... nobody hears or cares, although I have written about VCU's French tennis players.

I heard one of our tennis players is going to donate over $1m to the construction of the Athletic Village. His former VCU coach asked him to do it. Baseball had brought the college lots of exposure by having players in MLB and has created a few multi millionaires.
I agree with you that the non revenue sports should be pruned down now that we have a new normal. But I think there is a tiny sliver of people that care about non revenue sports and I think they help develop & produce successful people. Much like an internship of working in a lab or Wall Street over the summer. Heck, your career was shaped by covering some of these sports. Any you have had your words read by millions of people over several channels. And ultimately that is what colleges are supposed to do.

 

[skramnewton]

Lawal has a higher vertical than anyone in NBA history. Michael Jordan is the historical leader at 48”. He is also raw, having only balled for a few years prior to D1. He’s also demonstrated the ability to develop. NBA wants potential and Lawal should be cheap. The math isn’t too complicated.

He’s also competitive and driven which is often lacking in elite athletes. I struggle to imagine an NBA team not giving him a chance.

The vertical graphic TV broadcasts kept showing was for the NBA combine. Unlike the NFL combine, there are a lot of guys that don't attend it that aren't invited that make rosters, so the numbers are skewed. Obviously his vertical is still elite, but the highest in NBA history isn't necessarily true.

Has he really shown the ability to develop? Or has he just gotten better in his role? What did Tobi show us this year that he wasn't doing his freshman year? A lot of dunks, OReb due his vertical and motor, help side blocks, etc. all of which he was doing year 1, just in less volume. His skillset hasn't changed at all. He became a much better FT shooter but that's not getting you a contract.

He's Derrick Jones Jr. without the ability to handle the ball and score outside of 7 ft. And this isn't hate directed at Tobi (I've been saying this all year), but objectively, the NBA is still a long shot. NBA wants potential yeah, but IMO he hasn't shown the potential to play at that level. At his size he can't strictly be a lob threat. Unless he develops around the perimeter he'll get a late 2nd round or undrafted G-League deal and a summer league roster spot

 

[BradRamFan]

Some elder (to me) fans, especially a fellow Benedictine grad in that pack that we were blessed to have surrounding us this season were BIG Lawal fans. I know they're gonna take his departure hard, and I feel especially for him.

Why do you feel for Tobi? He'll be making several hundred grand to dunk the ball when he sees the floor. Although Tobi has a lot of upside, I suspect he will be in the same shoes as Hasan and DeLoach their first year in the big leagues. But one of Tobi's main weaknesses is dribbling the ball down low. He dribbles it 3-4 ft away from him and about 4 ft high for each dribble. If a player is on his back, he can keep the ball away but he is very prone to turning it over trying to dribble that far away from his body and so high in the air. He needs to really work on that in the low post. Wish him the best of luck. Will be sorry to see him go.
Now we are in serious need of a strong big down low.

 

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

I heard one of our tennis players is going to donate over $1m to the construction of the Athletic Village. His former VCU coach asked him to do it. Baseball had brought the college lots of exposure by having players in MLB and has created a few multi millionaires.
I agree with you that the non revenue sports should be pruned down now that we have a new normal. But I think there is a tiny sliver of people that care about non revenue sports and I think they help develop & produce successful people. Much like an internship of working in a lab or Wall Street over the summer. Heck, your career was shaped by covering some of these sports. Any you have had your words read by millions of people over several channels. And ultimately that is what colleges are supposed to do.

Same for golf. Those players that get to the pga get VCU mentioned to millions every weekend. With our team now a major contender again likely we put out some more pga talent.

 

[Mistachill]

The vertical graphic TV broadcasts kept showing was for the NBA combine. Unlike the NFL combine, there are a lot of guys that don't attend it that aren't invited that make rosters, so the numbers are skewed. Obviously his vertical is still elite, but the highest in NBA history isn't necessarily true.

Has he really shown the ability to develop? Or has he just gotten better in his role? What did Tobi show us this year that he wasn't doing his freshman year? A lot of dunks, OReb due his vertical and motor, help side blocks, etc. all of which he was doing year 1, just in less volume. His skillset hasn't changed at all. He became a much better FT shooter but that's not getting you a contract.

He's Derrick Jones Jr. without the ability to handle the ball and score outside of 7 ft. And this isn't hate directed at Tobi (I've been saying this all year), but objectively, the NBA is still a long shot. NBA wants potential yeah, but IMO he hasn't shown the potential to play at that level. At his size he can't strictly be a lob threat. Unless he develops around the perimeter he'll get a late 2nd round or undrafted G-League deal and a summer league roster spot

To me, shooting starts with free throws. If the kid can improve from 29% to 67% in one year, that gives me hope that (with a lot of work and reps) he can develop a competent perimeter game. He even took a few threes this season. So I definitely think he can develop his shooting which is going to be vital for not only to get into the pros but if he's advancing to a P6 school.

Like I said previously, he has a lot he needs to work on. But he has some natural attributes you just can't teach. Plus he's relatively new to the game. If Tobi came out of the AAU factory and this was the result, I might be a little skeptical. If his work ethic is on point, I really think he has the potential to get to the league.

And keep in mind, he doesn't need to have all-NBA potential. He just needs to find a niche. Heck, if Jacob Gilyard can get in the league why not Tobi?