As Minnesota gets closer to the Early Signing Period with no commitments up to this point, it has become apparent that Richard Pitino and his staff will look at an alternative form of recruiitng.
As the high school talent pool of unisgned seniors begins to dwindle, the Gopher staff has begun to look at the junior college and prep school routes. Sardaar Calhoun and Dereon Seabron are the first two names with offers that come to mind.
Deang Deang is now another one to watch. The 6-foot-4 point guard is a redshirt soph at Highland Community College in Illinois. He attended East High School in Madison, Wisconsin where he was a four-year starter. Deang was his league's Player of the Year in 2016 which was his senior season. Despite that success, he had no offers coming out of high school.
Deang opted for the junior college route. The move was a wise one. He had an outstanding freshman season. In thirty-one games, Deang averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, and five rebounds per game. He also proved to be a strong outside shooter from the point guard spot, making 43.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.
He helped lead Highland to a conference title, a Region IV Championship, a District 4 Playoff win, and a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. During that dream season, Deang was named First Team All-Conference and All-Region, plus winning the Region MVP.
Deang was set for a big 2017-18 season, but he suffered a stress fracture to his tibia that required surgery.
Although, Deang has yet to play any organized basketball since March of 2017, he still was able to take advantage of an opportunity to catch the eye of coaches from Minnesota. He participated at the Top 100 JUCO Camp at Wichita State last summer. Despite not being close to one-hundred percent, the staff liked what they saw.
"Honestly, I played well, but I wasn't at my best. It was only my second week back after being released. But I thought it was a situation I had to take advantage of, " Deang told The Gopher Report over the weekend.
Deang still says he isn't back to where he would like to be even though Highland's season opener will come on November 3.
""I don't feel one-hundred percent yet, " he admitted. "But it's time to get ready to go. I do feel strong enough to compete."
Despite being away from the game for an extended period, Deang says there are major improvements he has made in his time in JUCO. These are the reasons he has gotten Minnesota and Gonzaga interest as well as new offers from Illinois State, Utah Valley State, Louisiana-Monroe, Jacksonville State, and Cal-Poly.
"I have a better understanding of the game. I'm bigger and stronger. I'm a leader, not only by example but a vocal leader on the floor. Winning has also helped me get better."
Before he returns to a full season's schedule, Deang has taken advantage of enough spare time to start building a relationship with Minnesota. This consisted of a couple of face to face meetings.
"They came to a practice recently, " Deang shared. "Coach (Richard) Pitino, Coach (Rob) Jeter, the whole staff came. They let me know that they have started recruiting me."
That visit led to one by Deang as well; an unofficial on the Iowa football weekend.
"I toured the facilities and watched practice. It was all very nice. I was amazed by the facilities. I liked how the conference room and field room were set up. It offered a great view of the city. That's what I will remember the most."
Deang came away equally impressed with the practices session in the team.
"The practice was constructed really well. I like the way he communicates with his players. That bond with your coach would be nice to have. The team has a lot of length. I really like their bigs too. They could make a nice run in the conference."
For now, Deang has no idea if he will get a Minnesota offer. He correctly said that decision is up to the coaches. But he is also rightly aware of how he can fulfill his end of the bargain.
"I've just got to be humble and stay In the gym. I will be patiently waiting. Hopefully they will recruit me."
As the high school talent pool of unisgned seniors begins to dwindle, the Gopher staff has begun to look at the junior college and prep school routes. Sardaar Calhoun and Dereon Seabron are the first two names with offers that come to mind.
Deang Deang is now another one to watch. The 6-foot-4 point guard is a redshirt soph at Highland Community College in Illinois. He attended East High School in Madison, Wisconsin where he was a four-year starter. Deang was his league's Player of the Year in 2016 which was his senior season. Despite that success, he had no offers coming out of high school.
Deang opted for the junior college route. The move was a wise one. He had an outstanding freshman season. In thirty-one games, Deang averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, and five rebounds per game. He also proved to be a strong outside shooter from the point guard spot, making 43.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.
He helped lead Highland to a conference title, a Region IV Championship, a District 4 Playoff win, and a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. During that dream season, Deang was named First Team All-Conference and All-Region, plus winning the Region MVP.
Deang was set for a big 2017-18 season, but he suffered a stress fracture to his tibia that required surgery.
Although, Deang has yet to play any organized basketball since March of 2017, he still was able to take advantage of an opportunity to catch the eye of coaches from Minnesota. He participated at the Top 100 JUCO Camp at Wichita State last summer. Despite not being close to one-hundred percent, the staff liked what they saw.
"Honestly, I played well, but I wasn't at my best. It was only my second week back after being released. But I thought it was a situation I had to take advantage of, " Deang told The Gopher Report over the weekend.
Deang still says he isn't back to where he would like to be even though Highland's season opener will come on November 3.
""I don't feel one-hundred percent yet, " he admitted. "But it's time to get ready to go. I do feel strong enough to compete."
Despite being away from the game for an extended period, Deang says there are major improvements he has made in his time in JUCO. These are the reasons he has gotten Minnesota and Gonzaga interest as well as new offers from Illinois State, Utah Valley State, Louisiana-Monroe, Jacksonville State, and Cal-Poly.
"I have a better understanding of the game. I'm bigger and stronger. I'm a leader, not only by example but a vocal leader on the floor. Winning has also helped me get better."
Before he returns to a full season's schedule, Deang has taken advantage of enough spare time to start building a relationship with Minnesota. This consisted of a couple of face to face meetings.
"They came to a practice recently, " Deang shared. "Coach (Richard) Pitino, Coach (Rob) Jeter, the whole staff came. They let me know that they have started recruiting me."
That visit led to one by Deang as well; an unofficial on the Iowa football weekend.
"I toured the facilities and watched practice. It was all very nice. I was amazed by the facilities. I liked how the conference room and field room were set up. It offered a great view of the city. That's what I will remember the most."
Deang came away equally impressed with the practices session in the team.
"The practice was constructed really well. I like the way he communicates with his players. That bond with your coach would be nice to have. The team has a lot of length. I really like their bigs too. They could make a nice run in the conference."
For now, Deang has no idea if he will get a Minnesota offer. He correctly said that decision is up to the coaches. But he is also rightly aware of how he can fulfill his end of the bargain.
"I've just got to be humble and stay In the gym. I will be patiently waiting. Hopefully they will recruit me."
