Eric Katenda update

Via Dave Telep on Twitter:

"Unsigned senior combo forward Eric Katenda told ESPN Recruiting that he's going to visit Wake Forest next weekend."

We need him. If we can get Katenda and Jankovic for the future then I would be quite happy.

Would he be ready to play immediately? The term "combo forward" doesn't exactly fill me w/ confidence. We need a rebounding beast - can he fill that need?

Not a banger, but a finesse guy from what I've heard. I think he would be a great get for us. Honestly I do not know a ton about him, but he has what we need down low from an offensive/face up POV.

Well this switches a bit from what "King" told us! I hope it is right.

This visit date had been planned for a while now.

I don't think it is any different than what King said. We knew we were getting the first visit. Just have to lock him down and get a commit. If he ends up taking his visit to ND after (which I'm pretty sure is planned) then I think we are in trouble.

Must be remembering what King said differently.

I wonder if the AD can influence his host to NOT watch the ND Sweet 16 game? Take him for a culture-filled trip to Benson instead!

deacvision7 said:

Well this switches a bit from what "King" told us! I hope it is right.

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Nah, I think it's been settled for a while that he had his WF visit planned for next weekend, and then his ND trip planned some time after the tourney ends.

Sad panda. What King said was really disheartening.

I'm sure that Heir Wellman will orchestrate a fun-filled trip to Hanes Mall so that Katenda can get the perfect socks. Why would a young player want to watch the sweet 16 when he can be getting socks instead?

I do think that it's a good sign that he is visiting here while the other school he could go to is playing in the Sweet 16, even if it has been planned for a while.

There's a decent chance FSU knocks Notre Dame out of the tourney in the round of 32.

FSU is just an extremely difficult team to play because of their defense.

Agreed that FSU is a bad matchup for anyone, but Notre Dame matches up well with them. Their whole team can shoot it, and 4 of their starters are 6'8". They'll present matchup problems for anyone.

Also, check out ND's freshman guard Eric Atkins when they play. Kid can ball, but not in a flashy way. He's like CJ Harris last year. Calm, cool, cerebral, and can shoot it.

Just to confirm Katenda is indeed visiting this weekend. Expect Travis to play the role of "host." The staff is going "all in" on this one, with Coach Battle running point. Notre Dame losing last week was big in my opinion, so cross your fingers!

IrishSlim said:

Would he be ready to play immediately? The term "combo forward" doesn't exactly fill me w/ confidence. We need a rebounding beast - can he fill that need?

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While he is not the big bruising post player we need, Katenda will definitely raise the talent level on the team and is a good rebounder from the wing. He would easily be the headliner for the 2011 class.

He was 240 pounds before getting his appendix out last summer and dropping 30 pounds. He's working hard to regain the weight and should be in the 230-240 range by the time the season starts.

Here's ESPN's take on him.

Strengths:
Katenda is a long and athletic hybrid forward who has a very high ceiling. He runs the floor very well, moves well laterally, is extremely bouncy, and plays high above the rim. He has a good skill base facing the basket as he is very smooth handling the ball in the open floor or facing up and attacking his man in the quarter court. He has a soft touch in the mid-range area and can even step out and knock down the occasional three-pointer. His mobility is a major weapon defensively and he is already a good shot blocker and high volume rebounder.

Weaknesses:
While Katenda is very skilled for a player his size, he gets a little too enamored with the perimeter at times. He is much more comfortable facing the basket then playing with his back to it and would do well to capitalize on his athleticism more consistently in the post instead of settling for so many long jumpers. He isn't a big fan of contact inside the paint on either end of the floor and needs to develop the killer instinct to be great.

Bottom Line:
Katenda is an undeniable talent with great size, length, athleticism, and skills for a player his size. He needs to become a little more physically assertive and concentrate on impacting the game more in the paint instead of constantly trying to prove his worth on the perimeter.

Notes
Native of Cameroon...

We just need really good rebounders. A couple more guys like Travis and we won't have to worry about that anymore.

I want him because he will provide a bit more size. Hope they impress him this weekend!

That would be good news. We need more scoring punch with Ari leaving in the frontcourt.