Civil Bear said:
calumnus said:
Civil Bear said:
BC Calfan said:
Alajiki Interview Feb. 18 - Hoopsfix
Nice interview with Sam Alajiki here. Clears up a lot on his Irish/English upbringing. Has some good insight on how he fits into the team next year. Seems like a great guy and a great addition to the team. Rooting for ya Sam!
Sounds like a good kid, but all the jumping around and stated desire to turn pro as quickly as possible sounds like a red flag.
He made it clear Cal is his dream school. His last statement was in the next five years he wants to be in the NBA or failing that making an impact in the PAC -12, with no option after that but being very unhappy. I think that is the same as any confident player coming in and I'm good with either. He is a 4.0 student whose parents push education. Most likely he is a 4 year player at Cal, but if he blows up and has a chance to jump to the NBA that is probably even better news.
Admittedly, I didn't sit thru the whole interview. I just got a sense he is always reaching for the next best opportunity, and Cal was his first and only major conference offer. I hope I am wrong and as you say he either blows up or is a strong four-year player **at Cal**.
I said 4 year player. Strong? We will see. He moved around for basketball, including a move to the US to get more exposure to US colleges. He always wanted a strong academic school in a high major conference so Cal was perfect and when Fox offered he jumped on it. He is solid on Cal and I don't see him leaving without a degree unless the NBA looks likely, which would be great for us if he turns out to be that good.