Podziemski competition might not be good, but he’s dominating it like he should. His shooting ability will translate to D1 basketball, I guarantee that. He has serious range, he shoots well of the dribble. The one thing I really like is the improvement from some of his older videos to the newer ones. He’s also put on a lot of muscle and his growth plates are still open!!
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (February 2021)
- Status
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Melendez: anyone got a scouting report? Am curious about how he compares with Goode too.
From videos, he's tall and lanky, very quick, loves to dunk and can jump, good shot from the perimeter.
He has said he needs to work on his ball handling because he sees himself as a 2/3. Coach said he may be a bit too aggressive on defense, but that he's a potential NBA player.
ESPN ranks him #64 in the nation.
In comparison to Podziemski, Melendez is taller, quicker, better leaper, and plays against better competition. Podziemski looks like a better shooter and more solidly built.
Ramses Melendez - Found this from November 2020...
www.si.com
Comments in the botttom from Coach C Morales Jr. says he is 6'7"
SI All-American Candidate Ramses Melendez Highlights and Evaluation
Ramses Melendez is a small forward prospect from Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla. Melendez is an SI All-American candidate.
www.si.com
Comments in the botttom from Coach C Morales Jr. says he is 6'7"
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Melendez plays against better competition, no doubt, but the opponents he's facing don't exactly appear to be the A team. Both kids seem to have a lot of promise, but are wild cards, to a certain degree (Podz probably the larger wild card).
DB11Headband
- Chicago Burbs
Melendez fits more in the Tev Jones mold (who is finally tapping into that HIGH potential at Southern Utah). RJ is a lot lankier and a better athlete, and at 6-7 he would be bringing a skill set to the roster that we currently do not have and haven’t had in a while. He might be a bit of a project, but his potential is through the roof.
altenberger22
- South Carolina
RJ. I like the tape.RJ Melendez's Crystal Ball Predictions
247sports.com
Piper CB
Looks like he belongs on Maryland's 20-21 roster this season (tall, slender, slasher and 3-pt shooter).
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
No expert but appears to be a pretty solid conference, Keegan Murray from Iowa is from there. Other guys have gone to Auburn, Kansas state, Rutgers, and a lot of mid majors. Wesley Cardet plays in the same league.
Melendez plays for a team (Central Point Christian Academy) that is part of the nationally elite Grind Session. He plays on one of the top Addidas AAU teams, plus he was one of the stars for the Puerto Rican U17 team. His offer list is full of top 25 teams.
Antigua's recruiting talents are very good but I think his talent projections and evaluations are truly off the charts..Remember that Kentucky has never won a National title since he left there.
I live about five miles from where he played HS basketball (Jacobs). Both Notre Dame, Marquette and Wisconsin are closer drives than Illinois. That's just off the top of my head. Now, if one thinks that DePaul is a good program because they're in the Big East.....add that to the list.
All that said, this might be all about nothing.
Krutwig did say in a recent Tribune interview that he wants to continue playing after his Loyola career. Now it's anybody's guess, that could mean the NBA, overseas or transfer portal. Correct??
Gotcha and agree. Quite a bit left for interpretation there.
Thought all along seems like a Whisky guy and they lose their big guys and have some younger talent.
The one that transferred.
That is who I was talking about. Not throwing shade at all. Had a good 3 ball and is 6'4" and pretty ripped. Most of the highlights against inferior opponents. The only HS competition Mark Smith has was ESL, most the rest were cupcakes. Thats what I seen.
I just keep picturing guys like Goode, BBV, Hawk, Grandy, and Melendez playing with Belo. Kinda of 1988-89 type team with a maestro. Don’t know if they would be good but fun to watch.
Is Melendez taller? I’ve seen both listed at anywhere from 6’5 to 6’7. Both have different styles of games and would fit well with Goode.
He looks taller than 6'7" but that's probably because he's so skinny
Weird I thought BU did not talk with recruits.Maybe Jaylen Blakes is a possibility as well:
What college programs have been reaching out to you the most recently?
"Yeah, as I said, my recruitment is still open but the schools that have been contacting me the most right now are DePaul, Illinois, Texas, VCU and Yale."
What has each of those programs been telling you and what sticks out about them?
Illinois: "Coach Underwood along with the Illinois coaching staff have spoken to me about how they see me fitting in with my toughness and competitive spirit. They play fast and up-tempo, they like to get up and down and score within several seconds of the shot clock and they really pride themselves on developing their guards."
Q&A with Jaylen Blakes, the top available point guard in 2021
With just 13 prospects available in the 247Sports Composite Rankings Top150, Jaylen Blakes remains the top available point guard. Blakes, the current No. 101 overall prospect
Unfortunately we have not won one since he's been here.
sacraig
- The desert
But then again neither has Canisius
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
He really means he wants to play next in a men's rec league and achieve the elusive 30/20/10/10 quadruple double stat line
- Status