RECRUITING: Prentiss Nixon commits

BryceC

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I'm just not sure how I feel about our recent trend of bringing in all these 1 year players? When we were good, it was because we had guys like Niang, Naz, Monte, Thomas, etc for years and years playing together and developing a great chemistry.

We also had Lucious, Allen, White, Clyburn, etc. You're misremembering the past.
 

isufan2

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We also had Lucious, Allen, White, Clyburn, etc. You're misremembering the past.

This kid can hit free throws, defend, & score. Great get.

Finished his junior year at 1,058 points in 20th in CSU history.

2017-18 (JUNIOR): Started in 25 of the 27 games he played during the season, missing five due to a pair of injuries… Led CSU in scoring at 16.1 points per game (10th in the Mountain West) and hit a team-best 66 three-pointers (seventh in the league and 18th best single season at CSU)… Grabbed 1.48 steals per contest, ranking fourth in the MW and was second in the conference at 84.3 percent on his free throw attempts… Posted double-figure scoring 22 of 27 games played, leading the Rams in scoring in 15 games… Also continued to do the job on the defensive end, drawing 55 offensive fouls (a season-high five against Fresno State, Jan. 6) along with grabbing a team-best 40 steals (career-high five against New Mexico, Feb. 28) -- a staggering total of 95 turnovers created (23.4 percent of CSU’s opponent turnovers)... Scored a career-high 31 points on 8-of-13 field goal attempts (5-of-8 three pointers) and 10-of-11 free throws along with four rebounds at Arkansas (Dec. 5)… Followed it up with 25 points at Oregon (Dec. 8)… With his 27-point outing at Nevada (Feb. 25) surpassed the career 1,000 point mark and become the 28th Ram to accomplish that feat.

2016-17 (SOPHOMORE): Earned All-Mountain West Honorable Mention honors from the league's media for his play his sophomore year... Started all 36 games for the Rams in helping lead the team to 24 wins, a school record-tying 13 Mountain West wins, a spot in the MW Championship final game and the NIT second round... Ranked third on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game in 32.0 minutes per contest... Was among the top players in the league in scoring at 13.3 points per game, ranking 17th... Led the Rams and ranked seventh in free throw percentage at .813 (117-of-144)... Also handed out 72 assists and had a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio on the year... Had a career-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting (4-of-8 on 3-pointers) against Kansas State (Dec. 17)... Connected on a three-pointer with 3.6 seconds to play to give CSU a 78-76 win over Wyoming (Feb. 28) part of his team-best 23-point effort... Scored 23 points in the MW final against Nevada (March 11) and averaged 18.0 points per game, earning MW All-Tournament team honors... Was also been stellar on the defensive end of the floor, drawing a team-high 37 charges/offensive fouls this season and creating 30 steals, fourth on the team... Scored in double figures in 27 games, including a streak of 10 straight to end the season and five of 20 or more...

2015-16 (FRESHMAN): Played in 31 games as a true freshman, starting in seven consecutive in Mountain West play… Averaged 4.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.7 minutes per game… Was a solid threat from outside, hitting 37.8 percent (31-of-82) of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc… Had season bests of 16 points and five assists in the home win over USC Upstate (Dec. 21)… Had 15 points each against Boise State (Feb. 10) and at San Diego State (Feb. 2)… Played a season-high 38 minutes in the double-overtime win over the Broncos… Was 6-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-4 beyond the 3-point arc, at San Diego State (Feb. 2)… Scored 11 points, including 3-of-4 from the 3-point line, in just 16 minutes of action in the dramatic home win over UNLV (Jan. 6)… Tallied double-figure scoring in six contests… Grabbed a season-high five rebounds in the victory over Loyola Marymount (Nov. 19)…

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Ill., graduating in 2015...Rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN.com as the No. 9 player from the state of Illinois, the No. 31 overall recruit in the Midwest region, and the No. 25 point guard in the class of 2015...Earned four varsity letters in basketball and was a three-year captain or the Bollingbrook Raiders...Named team MVP as a senior in 2015, leading the team to a third-place finish in the Class 4A State Championships, the program’s first appearance in the state tournament, averaging 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the year...Helped BHS to a conference championship as a junior in 2014, averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game...Selected as a three-time all-state selection, and earned a trio of all league honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015...Closed his high school career as the Player of the Year on the all-area basketball team as selected by the Joliet Herald-News .

PERSONAL: Born in Chicago, Ill. ...Son of Tracey and Tashona Nixon...Has two older brothers, Demereo Allen and Desmond Allen, and one younger sister, Madison Nixon...Major is Liberal Arts with a minor in Sports Management...Father, Tracey Nixon, played basketball at Langston, University...Played for the Illinois Wolves Club Team...Chose Colorado State over scholarship offers from Bradley, Drake, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, SMU, UIC and Wright State...Also recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin.
 

MartinCy

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Apologies, I could have been clearer. But yeah there's been rumblings since the announcement that it was politically driven. Which is unfortunate

A lot to dissect in this thread over the last 20 or so hours. Nice to see rochclone continuing with his straw man.

First off, Herro is definitely the best player coming out of Wisconsin this year. No question about that. There definitely could of been some politics involved, but I wonder if him being injured for a few weeks hurt his stock in the Gatorade/Mr Basketball awards as well. You also mentioned Haliburton being the 4th best recruit in Wiscy but the #2, Joey Hauser (Marquette commit), missed almost the entire season and graduated+enrolled early in college for the Spring semester so that eliminated him from contention. Rankings and on court performance you could probably make a case either way on McCabe/Haliburton.
 

Psiclone

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This kid can hit free throws, defend, & score. Great get.

Finished his junior year at 1,058 points in 20th in CSU history.

2017-18 (JUNIOR): Started in 25 of the 27 games he played during the season, missing five due to a pair of injuries… Led CSU in scoring at 16.1 points per game (10th in the Mountain West) and hit a team-best 66 three-pointers (seventh in the league and 18th best single season at CSU)… Grabbed 1.48 steals per contest, ranking fourth in the MW and was second in the conference at 84.3 percent on his free throw attempts… Posted double-figure scoring 22 of 27 games played, leading the Rams in scoring in 15 games… Also continued to do the job on the defensive end, drawing 55 offensive fouls (a season-high five against Fresno State, Jan. 6) along with grabbing a team-best 40 steals (career-high five against New Mexico, Feb. 28) -- a staggering total of 95 turnovers created (23.4 percent of CSU’s opponent turnovers)... Scored a career-high 31 points on 8-of-13 field goal attempts (5-of-8 three pointers) and 10-of-11 free throws along with four rebounds at Arkansas (Dec. 5)… Followed it up with 25 points at Oregon (Dec. 8)… With his 27-point outing at Nevada (Feb. 25) surpassed the career 1,000 point mark and become the 28th Ram to accomplish that feat.

2016-17 (SOPHOMORE): Earned All-Mountain West Honorable Mention honors from the league's media for his play his sophomore year... Started all 36 games for the Rams in helping lead the team to 24 wins, a school record-tying 13 Mountain West wins, a spot in the MW Championship final game and the NIT second round... Ranked third on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game in 32.0 minutes per contest... Was among the top players in the league in scoring at 13.3 points per game, ranking 17th... Led the Rams and ranked seventh in free throw percentage at .813 (117-of-144)... Also handed out 72 assists and had a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio on the year... Had a career-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting (4-of-8 on 3-pointers) against Kansas State (Dec. 17)... Connected on a three-pointer with 3.6 seconds to play to give CSU a 78-76 win over Wyoming (Feb. 28) part of his team-best 23-point effort... Scored 23 points in the MW final against Nevada (March 11) and averaged 18.0 points per game, earning MW All-Tournament team honors... Was also been stellar on the defensive end of the floor, drawing a team-high 37 charges/offensive fouls this season and creating 30 steals, fourth on the team... Scored in double figures in 27 games, including a streak of 10 straight to end the season and five of 20 or more...

2015-16 (FRESHMAN): Played in 31 games as a true freshman, starting in seven consecutive in Mountain West play… Averaged 4.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.7 minutes per game… Was a solid threat from outside, hitting 37.8 percent (31-of-82) of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc… Had season bests of 16 points and five assists in the home win over USC Upstate (Dec. 21)… Had 15 points each against Boise State (Feb. 10) and at San Diego State (Feb. 2)… Played a season-high 38 minutes in the double-overtime win over the Broncos… Was 6-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-4 beyond the 3-point arc, at San Diego State (Feb. 2)… Scored 11 points, including 3-of-4 from the 3-point line, in just 16 minutes of action in the dramatic home win over UNLV (Jan. 6)… Tallied double-figure scoring in six contests… Grabbed a season-high five rebounds in the victory over Loyola Marymount (Nov. 19)…

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Ill., graduating in 2015...Rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN.com as the No. 9 player from the state of Illinois, the No. 31 overall recruit in the Midwest region, and the No. 25 point guard in the class of 2015...Earned four varsity letters in basketball and was a three-year captain or the Bollingbrook Raiders...Named team MVP as a senior in 2015, leading the team to a third-place finish in the Class 4A State Championships, the program’s first appearance in the state tournament, averaging 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the year...Helped BHS to a conference championship as a junior in 2014, averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game...Selected as a three-time all-state selection, and earned a trio of all league honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015...Closed his high school career as the Player of the Year on the all-area basketball team as selected by the Joliet Herald-News .

PERSONAL: Born in Chicago, Ill. ...Son of Tracey and Tashona Nixon...Has two older brothers, Demereo Allen and Desmond Allen, and one younger sister, Madison Nixon...Major is Liberal Arts with a minor in Sports Management...Father, Tracey Nixon, played basketball at Langston, University...Played for the Illinois Wolves Club Team...Chose Colorado State over scholarship offers from Bradley, Drake, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, SMU, UIC and Wright State...Also recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Good info, thanks for sharing. While many are understandably concerned with his shooting percentage, his defensive prowess in steals and drawing charges appears to offset that. Drawing charges and getting steals is as important, if not more so, than his shooting percentage which should improve with another year of practice/coaching. I think we'll see the benefits of defense-first coaching this year with Shayok and, hopefully, again the following year with Nixon. It's the type of mentality that can spread to the whole team. I think this is a solid pickup.
 

KKramer

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Although I don't love the idea of using up a scholly for 2 years and only getting one year out of the player, I'm looking at it like at least we get Shayok this year and Nixon next year at least.

But this sit one play one thing isn't something I'm real keen on.

But I do like Nixon's game. Welcome aboard Prentiss!
I agree in a certain sense, but I would argue having the guy sit out, learn the program and establish rapport with teammates is more beneficial than using a scholarship on an immediately eligible transfer, or reaching on a high school kid that might not play in his first couple years on the team. Nixon will at the very least contribute 20 minutes a game in his one playing season, and practicing against Big XII competition will only make him better.
 

VeloClone

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We also had Lucious, Allen, White, Clyburn, etc. You're misremembering the past.
Here are all of the scholarship players who came in with less than two years of eligibility in a 10 year stretch:
2010-11
Jake Anderson (grad)
2011-12
Chris Allen (trans)
2012-13
Korie Lucious (trans)
Will Clyburn (trans)
2013-14
DeAndre Kane (grad)
2014-15
DeJean-Jones (grad)
Jameel McKay (trans 1 1/2)
2015-16
Deonte Burton (trans 1 1/2)
2016-17
Merrill Holden (grad)
Darrell Bowie (grad)
2017-18
Hans Brase (grad)
Jeff Beverly (grad)
2018-19
Marial Shayock (trans)
2019-20
Prentiss Nixon (trans)

That's 14 players with less than 2 years of eligibility and 12 players with just a year of eligibility in a decade that includes the longest run of consecutive NCAA tournaments in ISU history.
 

Sigmapolis

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Good info, thanks for sharing. While many are understandably concerned with his shooting percentage, his defensive prowess in steals and drawing charges appears to offset that. Drawing charges and getting steals is as important, if not more so, than his shooting percentage which should improve with another year of practice/coaching. I think we'll see the benefits of defense-first coaching this year with Shayok and, hopefully, again the following year with Nixon. It's the type of mentality that can spread to the whole team. I think this is a solid pickup.

I always thought you should get a steal for a drawn charge.

Kind of like you get an RBI (for yourself) on a HR.
 
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rochclone

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A lot to dissect in this thread over the last 20 or so hours. Nice to see rochclone continuing with his straw man.

First off, Herro is definitely the best player coming out of Wisconsin this year. No question about that. There definitely could of been some politics involved, but I wonder if him being injured for a few weeks hurt his stock in the Gatorade/Mr Basketball awards as well. You also mentioned Haliburton being the 4th best recruit in Wiscy but the #2, Joey Hauser (Marquette commit), missed almost the entire season and graduated+enrolled early in college for the Spring semester so that eliminated him from contention. Rankings and on court performance you could probably make a case either way on McCabe/Haliburton.

So what exactly have I discussed/complained on Prentiss Nixon and Mooney that wasn't brought up by Jared and Chris yesterday. I see you disagreed with the post so I'm curious.
 

Cyinthenorth

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Nixon is an intriguing piece, and I think Prohm will find a way to utilize him in 19-20. I am a bit concerned if he has the ability to play PG (ala Donny J). His stat line doesn't scream or even whisper PG to me, but his frame will limit him in the Big 12 as a 2. We saw it all year with Donovan. He might be a Donny J clone, honestly. Which I don't think is a bad thing, considering the team he'll be playing on should be deeper/more skilled than this years team was.

And who knows? He says he's going to be a new Prentiss when 19-20 rolls around. Maybe Prohm is going to groom him into a true PG? If not, Haliburton will hopefully be ready, and we can keep Nixon at the 2. I'll take a stab at a lineup:

PG Nixon/Haliburton
SG Lewis/Nixon/THT
SF THT/Griffin/Lewis
PF Young/Jacobson/Griffin
C Lard/Jacobson/Conditt

All of this completely ignoring attrition, plus 2 or 3 new unknown scholarship players for 19-20
 

MartinCy

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So what exactly have I discussed/complained on Prentiss Nixon and Mooney that wasn't brought up by Jared and Chris yesterday. I see you disagreed with the post so I'm curious.

They pretty much acknowledged that ISU didn't have much of a shot with Matt Mooney the way the roster currently sits. You've went round and round with people on this and we all agree Mooney is really good, however, Mooney to ISU was just not going to happen.

I have said and agree with many others that PN's shooting efficiency will have to improve and defensive versatility due to his size is a concern. I tend to think that those shooting numbers will go up if he's not asked to launch 200 three's in the season but we'll have to wait a year and a half and see on that. As for his defense, a guy who's already proven to create turnovers at a high rate and can be a plus defender at the point can be a great asset. I guess overall where we disagree is myself and others think he can be a nice piece if he's a 3rd or 4th option. I like the comp to Donovan Jackson's role in 16-17. I think he could make positive contributions as that type of guy.

Edit: Just an extra note... Getting one of these 4 or 5 highly rated lead guards the staff is after in 2019 is my #1 want in that recruiting class. We're after a handful that are Day 1 starter types.
 
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Sigmapolis

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They pretty much acknowledged that ISU didn't have much of a shot with Matt Mooney the way the roster currently sits. You've went round and round with people on this and we all agree Mooney is really good, however, Mooney to ISU was just not going to happen.

I have said and agree with many others that PN's shooting efficiency will have to improve and defensive versatility due to his size is a concern. I tend to think that those shooting numbers will go up if he's not asked to launch 200 three's in the season but we'll have to wait a year and a half and see on that. As for his defense, a guy who's already proven to create turnovers at a high rate and can be a plus defender at the point can be a great asset. I guess overall where we disagree is myself and others think he can be a nice piece if he's a 3rd or 4th option. I like the comp to Donovan Jackson's role in 16-17. I think he could make positive contributions as that type of guy.

Edit: Just an extra note... Getting one of these 4 or 5 highly rated lead guards the staff is after in 2019 is my #1 want in that recruiting class. We're after a handful that are Day 1 starter types.

DJack was career 41.6% from three (139/334).

Nixon is a career 33.3% (152/457).

DJack was about the Platonic ideal of a bench gunner -- suspect size and defense, not much of a PG, but he could GO OFF and drill it from range.

Nixon is going to have to be something else. I think he can, but I think the comparison breaks down when you look at their shooting numbers.

I suspect that is going to need to be defense.

Go out there when others are tired and pick a few pockets/draw a charge or two.
 

VeloClone

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Everyone is focusing on what he can contribute in 2019, but what about what he can contribute this year? It would be really nice if our guards looked forward to game day all season because they didn't have to be defended by him. I remember Mike Nurse being asked about playing a tough Big 12 opponent and him responding that game days were like a day off because practices were so hard. Having a Eustachy coached defensive minded guard to practice against every day has got to help.
 

CliveClone17

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I like this addition just for the fact that we will have a full roster and be able to practice 5v5. Seems like Nixon will be a pesky defender on the scout team next year. Can only make our guys better - especially the youngsters.
 
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OnlyCyclones

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CSU was full of turmoil on their way to an 11-24 mark last season. Along with the injury he missed four games with, I wouldn't worry about any dip in efficiency from sophomore to junior year. The more I read, the more I think this is a great pickup. True value of any player depends on how they accept/adapt their role in the program though. He's saying all of the right things, we've just got to see it.
 
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ForeverIowan

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I do find it hilarious that Chris and Jared's podcast was verbatim what many of us had mentioned regarding concerns about Nixon. Volume jump shooter, poor asst/To and 6"1 which limits his positions to the one or two.

I also found it incredibly entertaining when they said that Mooney was a no brainer and would have started over Babb. I'm fairly certain me and others got eviscetated for that same take.

All that being said. Welcome aboard Prentiss and I hope you are a valuable piece in 19-20.

Im curious if you were an advocate of Tyler Harris to Iowa State? Be honest. I only ask because you seem very hung up on the fact that Nixon is only 6'1" and a volume shooter. Last I checked Tyler Harris is 5'9" and if he is going to score at a high clip in college it will be from the perimeter.

Point being - I'll take a 5th year senior in Nixon in 2019/2020 over a sophomore Tyler Harris.
 

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