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The Raiders have landed multi-dimensional players who have made instant impacts in each recruiting cycle — Tanner Holden, Skyelar Potter and Jaylon Hall would all qualify as breakout stars as freshmen — and Nagy hopes he’s hit another home run in the versatility department with the three prospects in the 2020-21 class whose signings were announced Thursday.
Andrew Welage, a 6-7 forward from Greensburg, Ind.; Alex Huibregste, a 6-3 guard from Grafton, Wis.; and Brandon Noel, a 6-8 forward from Chillicothe are all highly decorated players who fit Nagy’s recruiting profile.
“All are our kinds of kids. They’re great students. They all can shoot it and handle it and pass it, and that gives anyone a chance to play right away. The question is, can they transfer it from high school to college on the defensive end,” Nagy said.
But the trio should have lofty goals.
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“We encourage freshmen to compete and even start, and we have one doing it right now in Tanner,” he said.
The Raiders will lose three seniors in forward Bill Wampler and guards Cole Gentry and Jordan Ash, and Nagy filled needs at those positions.
He’s especially high on the front-court players, who are a little harder to acquire because of supply and demand.
Noel “moves his feet great. He’s a tremendous defender. And he can shoot it — he’s a tremendous shooter for his size,” Nagy said. “He’s a very skilled big man and a very good fit for us.”
He said Welage plays like “a 6-7 point guard. He can really handle it and is really skilled. So, we’re getting back to our guards being bigger and our ‘bigs’ being able play on the perimeter.”
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