Topic: GAZETTE: Herd signs big guard from Serbia

[biggreenarms]

HUNTINGTON — So who is going to play point guard in coach Dan D’Antoni’s inaugural season as Marshall’s basketball coach?

Shawn Rigot, one of the two new members on D’Antoni’s first coaching staff, thinks he found one answer in Serbia native Aleksa Nikolic, whose signing was announced Thursday.

Rigot has been an assistant coach at South Carolina, Alabama-Birmingham, Hawaii, Kentucky and Duquesne, along with a successful stint at Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist. More recently, he spent time in China and came to Marshall from a stint in Israel. On Thursday, he said he was a bit choosy on picking a path back into American college basketball.

“I went to China, I did some consulting work,” he said. “You meet people. It was a great opportunity for me in China, because I got to be a head coach for two years, I worked for Li Ka-Shing’s foundation, so it was great for me to have that opportunity.”

In his considerable international networking, he came across Nikolic, who grew up in Serbia as an ordinary point guard, size-wise. But he has had a 3-inch growth spurt in a little more than a year, and suddenly he is 6-foot-5, with a 6-10 wingspan.

He is the first European MU has signed in 14 years, going back to Estonian Ardo Armpalu (2000-04). If he has the requisite skills, he could be a good find for the Thundering Herd.

“He entered high school at 6 feet, and he left high school at 6-5 and change,” Rigot said. “You saw the arm span; he doesn’t have to leave the bed to turn the lights off. He’s got an advantage that way.

“And remember, he’s always been a guard, a small guard. So he’s retained all of his small-guard skills to go with his body, so he really hasn’t figured out, really, how to use that size yet.”

D’Antoni has worked with and coached against a few Eastern Europeans in the NBA, so he sort of knows what to expect. He doesn’t know how many Serbians are in the league, but he knows one thing:

“I will say this: Their reputation in Europe is they’re one of the three, four strongest countries in producing players. They usually have big kids, they usually play hard, they’re very smart, and they’re skilled. Pretty good combination.

“We’re going to have this kid. I’m sure there will be an adjustment in language, there will probably be an adjustment in physicality, but that’s where that conditioning program is extremely important. Conditioning and strength, if they’re workers, is probably the quickest fix.”

Rigot and Chris Duhon were announced Thursday (finally, after perhaps a week of serving on staff already) as the new assistants. Mark Cline, previous coach Tom Herrion’s top assistant, was retained.

D’Antoni said two of Herrion’s three signees, Shane Hall of Johnson Central in Paintsville, Ky., and Jay Johnson from Versailles, Ky., via John Logan (Ill.) College, are still coming to Marshall. Another recruit has been signed, Hedgesville guard Calvin Burkes.

http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140522/GZ02/140529632/1144

[MUonium]

good morning...
i don't follow the nba much....after viewing the list of 2014 nba draft prospects i was really surprised to see so many Serbs, Croats, Bosnians and Russians.  and also not a follower of euro/asia ball, i guess that mechanical, predictable style is a thing of the past now?

[biggreenarms]

I haven't followed the NBA regularly in a long time but I do listen to sports talk radio and have heard it said many times by multiple sources that in the near future (don't remember the years given) that the majority of the NBA players will be European/international players.

[lovetheherd2]

good morning...
i don't follow the nba much....after viewing the list of 2014 nba draft prospects i was really surprised to see so many Serbs, Croats, Bosnians and Russians.  and also not a follower of euro/asia ball, i guess that mechanical, predictable style is a thing of the past now?

Serbian athletes -- If anyone on the board follows professional tennis, you have seen what Novak Djokovic has accomplished in the last three years. One of the top two ATP players. Was #1 for over a year, had an amazing run for almost 14 months.

Novak is extremely athletic, exceptionally smart and very mentally tough. His fexibility and speed on court are among the best ever.

The Serbian Davis Cup team is also strong. So must have a very good overall sports conditioning and development effort in the country.

[MUsince96]

I'm cautiously optimistic about these foreign commits. Part of me feels if they were really great they would just go pro out of high school in their foreign countries.

[wasbarryb]

I'm cautiously optimistic about these foreign commits. Part of me feels if they were really great they would just go pro out of high school in their foreign countries.

Certainly see some merit to your why not go pro at home.

I suspect they may be like American youth, they want it all. Why go pro at home and have a good life when you can go pro in the NBA and have it all may be their thoughts. If so I have no problem with the attitude and only hope they can deliver on the dream.