Great News!!  

Welcome Zamoku! There's some definite upside here, although his shooting stats are pretty rough at Barking Abbey where he got actual playing time - he shot under 40% from the field in the last two seasons (hopefully just a product of poor shot selection). At the very least, he can provide some rebounding and I think he may be able to translate defensively with some games under his belt.

I think there are definitely some high upside players for next year, but that's now seven players who have either not played a game in college/seen limited action. Hopefully we can fill the remaining spots with some more experienced players to back up JB's decision to return for his COVID year.
 

Welcome Zamoku.  This has to rank among Pops's top assists.  (Admittedly not a huge part of #21's game way back when.)

Zamoku's stats should be rendered practically meaningless.  He appeared in just 12 of the team's 36 games, averaging under 11 minutes of playing time.  (His team incidentally is 32-4.)  I agree though with FQ; the experience of being on this team, working with and against teammates during practices, should be considered invaluable experience.

Looks like a great addition!

GW does best with a heavy dose of international players

No better destination for them than GW with its massive international student body in the heart of the nation's capital

6'8 with some hops and a legit stroke from 3.  Skilled Euro quick first step

Last edited by The Dude (5/08/2023 12:12 pm)

He made the final roster


 

Leading scorer in 72-63 win

15pts , 5/8 FG, 3-5 3pt

Team includes James Okonkwo who just transferred from WVU to UNC

Yes, some nice touches, including a smooth 3. And actually put his body in the line a couple of times.
But in accordance with analysis above, seems more comfortable outside than inside, at least in this game.
 Has to hit the boards. But certainly, some nice potential and Zamoku has time to develop.

I don't think Zamoku touched the ball in the first five minutes of the Portugal game.  He was just camped out in the corner waiting for the pass.  He eventually became more active and contributed more.  The Portugal PGs were super pesky (21 TOs by GBR) so there wasn't much flow to the game.  Saw more than one would-be driver make a U-turn when they saw Zamuko between them and the basket.  He was on the bench for less than five minutes. 

Less to say about Luxembourg game.  Played less and had a quiet 11/5 (pretty much every game has been a "quiet --/--".

Flat three point shot, but it's worked for him (5-9).  Free throw shooting has been abysmal (3-10).  ORtg after three games is 126.

Overall he seems very agile for his size and has a nice outside stroke, but way too deferential on rebounds and rarely drives.  He needs some of Benny aggression.

Last edited by BM (7/09/2023 12:20 pm)

Must get this guy on the team!

https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2023/player/Peteris-Pinnis

Benny and Zam both need to improve their finishing near the rim, but I'm looking forward to seeing both develop next year. Right now, Benny is definitely a bit ahead in development.

I'm especially excited to see Zam in an offense with actual coaching. The potential was there, but it was extremely frustrating to watch Great Britain play. They were fortunate to even get out of group play honestly. Unlike Germany, I didn't see a lot of passing and team play. It just looked like a bunch of guys playing pickup. Zam might as well have participated at Kenner with the way England played. The lack of ball movement was especially glaring given his team didn't really have a go-to guy either. Team rebounding and boxing out was spotty at best.

Zam played many minutes but it largely looked like cardio because he got the ball inconsistently and when he did get a touch he felt like he had to get a shot up. Despite that, he was one of the few players who actually tried to make the extra pass/ the right play and I think his willingness to potentially be a lower usage guy/connector piece on the court at least in year 1 may help him get some minutes here and there. I'm willing to excuse his shot selection/stats somewhat because his team was terrible.