Despite the explosion of talent evaluation websites like Rivals.com, Scout.com and the like that rate and rank high school basketball players around the country, college basketball recruiting is far from an exact science.
Invariably, there are players who are projected to be stars on the next level who simply don’t pan out – that is, the considerable and oftentimes rough transition from the high school to college ball proves to be too overwhelming.
Yet on the other hand, there are the proverbial diamonds in the rough, players who, for one reason or another, were looked over during the recruitment process and have blossomed into stars or key contributors on top teams.
On the mid-major level, this trend is incredibly evident. Teams like Butler University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Morehead State University have utilized the talents of players like Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Jamie Skeen, Joey Rodriguez and Kenneth Faried, among others, who were passed over by bigger-name programs in bigger conferences.
While not on the level of any of the aforementioned players, at least not yet, Boston University men’s basketball coach Pat Chambers feels that for his 2011 recruiting class, he has uncovered an overlooked player who he believes could pay major dividends for the program – Zach Chionuma.
Chionuma is a six-foot-four shooting guard out of Marianapolis Prep in Thompson, Conn., where he just completed a post-graduate season. Chionuma, along with Quinnipiac University commit Ousmane Drame, led Marianapolis to a 19-10 record this past season.
He is ranked as the No. 51 player in New England, 13 spots behind fellow BU commit James Kennedy, by the New England Recruiting Report.
A major asset of Chionuma’s game is undoubtedly his ability and instincts to score the basketball. The aggressive nature of his offensive game has been lauded by several major recruiting outlets, but in the same respect, it was also criticized by some as being reckless and lacking a sense of control especially when it came to his shot selection.
However, there is a prevailing sentiment that Chionuma’s occasionally erratic offensive play was, if anything, a product of being the primary scorer on a team in a challenging conference.
“Chionuma was in a position this year where he was required to aggressively look to make plays,” said Adam Finkelstein of the NERR. “He was the best creator on a team that competed in a highly competitive league and so was relied on to be aggressive offensively. While he won’t be required to play the same way next year, his situation isn’t all that different from a lot of high-level guards who go from being the man in high school to having to learn to score within the context of the offense at the next level.”
Chambers echoed this notion that Chionuma’s play may mislead some who don’t take into account the situation that he was so often forced into, all while reiterating his feeling that his BU program got a hidden gem in the young guard.
“Zach did what his team needed, John Holland did what BU needed, and sometimes he took some bad shots,” Chambers said. “As a scorer, if you’re playing with great confidence, you’re going to take some bad shots. Zach is a flat-out scorer, he’s got a great handle, he’s fast, he’s long, he’s athletic and he can shoot it.
“I think we got a real steal there, to be honest with you. We’re really excited that he’s coming here. He’s going to take some bad shots, but as long as he defends and rebounds, he’s got a good chance to play.”
While he is officially listed as a shooting guard, the conventional wisdom surrounding Chionuma seems to be that he possesses a versatility that will be mutually beneficial for him and the Terriers under Chambers’ motion offense.
For a mid-major-level player of his physical size, he has been described as a good ball handler who is more than capable of playing the point guard position, but also has the length, speed and dynamic scoring ability to be able to clock minutes at the small forward position as well.
Chionuma’s ability to play the point will be especially helpful when next season’s graduation of junior guard Matt Griffin will leave BU with nobody to back up America East first-team all-freshmen honoree, guard D.J. Irving.
Heading into next season, Chionuma will have to fight for time in what will be a crowded backcourt featuring established returning players like Irving, Griffin, junior guard Darryl Partin, freshman guard Mike Terry and freshman guard/forward Travis Robinson. But some, including Finkelstein, think Chionuma will be able to make an impact on a BU team that will be among the preseason favorites to capture the AE title.
“He certainly has the ability to make an instant contribution,” said Finkelstein. “Whether or not he is able to will probably have a lot more to do with the playing time that is available at his position, given who BU returns there.”
Like his fellow incoming freshman in Kennedy, Chionuma played an additional season at a preparatory school after previously graduating from high school, giving these players not only extra years in age, but also added maturity compared to the prospect who went directly to college after the standard four years in high school.
Paired together, Chambers feels that Chionuma and Kennedy will be able to use this maturity to help the Terriers in their attempt to get back to the NCAA Tournament and in their attempt to build a distinct brand of BU basketball going forward into Chambers’ tenure on Commonwealth Avenue.
“You’ve got mature kids who are a year older, who lived away, who had study hall hours and long days and lived on their own,” Chambers said.
“I think they can be a little more ahead of the curve than the average senior coming out going to college, the four-year kid. I think these kids should be a little ahead, but the leap from high school to college is a big leap.”
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