Nikita article

[HoyaSinceBirth]

mdvarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=691427

nice little interview nothing really new, but lets us know a little bit more about him.

[FairfaxHoya]

Seems like a good guy and I wish him well, but I have to wonder how he got a schollie.

[GIGAFAN99]

doogie said:

Seems like a good guy and I wish him well, but I have to wonder how he got a schollie.

I don't think Nikita is the long shot we're making him out to be. After the perpetually pudgy but enthusiastic Sead and the signing of the marginal Wattad, I think Nikita is being thought of as some hybrid of those two.

But this guy seems like he's getting very little attention because he's only been here a year. His brother was a very successful local college player and a successful European pro. He knows what it takes to make it in college basketball. In short, I'm not sold this kid is a certain benchwarmer.

[MCIGuy]

He can play. Its a worthy investment.

[hoyaboy1]

At the very least he has shown much more than Wattad in Kenner.

[RusskyHoya]

There's a brief article I found on one of the Belorussian sites called "In the footsteps of Iverson," I'll try to find it again.

Another article here: www.basket.by/?pg=8162

My quick translation:

As reported by the official site of the American university "Georgetown," Belorussian forward Nikita Meshcheriakov will take part in games of the summer student league "Kenner League", which will take place in July in the university's sports complex.

Earlier, representatives of the school St. John's Catholic Prep, for whose team Nikita played last season (14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.0 blocked shots average per game), confirmed the information that the Belorussian received a scholarship offer from Georgetown and will spend the next season in the NCAA, defending the colors of that university.

Basketball coach Silas Cheng [dunno if that's how his last name is really spelled] (St. John's) , who worked with Meshcheriakov-junior [to distinguish him from his bro, I guess] during the 2006/2007 season, muses that, on the college level, his ex-subordinate will, possibly, reinvent himself as an attacking guard: "Just two years ago, Nikita's height was around 185 centimeters," noted the expert. "Only recently did he 'stretch out' to over 2 meters. So his whole life Meshcheriakov was, per se, a guard. Yes, now he's a 3, fully capable of playing with his back to the basket when necessary. But at the same time, Nikita has at his disposal all of the abilities and skills necessary for a backcourt player."

The player himself commented on the interest shown him on the part of the prestigious university thusly: "Georgetown's offer is a dream come true. I think that, first of all, I caught the scouts' eye because I always try to notice my teammates and know how to pass. I also think, that I will need to work on my long-range shot, become a 'shooter.' In general, I prefer to play with my face to the basket, but I'm ready to follow any of the coach's instructions. I will do everything that is in my power to help the team."

We will note that Nikita landed at a university with a glorious basketball past and an impressive present. Less than a month ago, Georgetown graduate [oops. Well, one day] Jeff Green was picked by Boston as the fifth overall pick in the draft. 220-centimeter tall Roy Hibbert, another leader of the team that in the 2006/2007 season made it to the NCAA Final Four, by all prognostications should have been in the top 15 of the draft, but preferred one more season of stewing in the cauldron of college basketball [yes, that's literally what it says].

Aside from Hibbert, Meshcheriakov's new teammates will be, among others, the offspring of legendary basketball families Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Jeremiah Rivers, the son of the famous player, and now coach of Boston, Glen "Doc" Rivers.

[Jack]

Thanks for the translation, especially the new sig line.

[GIGAFAN99]

"Stewing in the cauldron." Wow, stay in school kids.

[MCIGuy]

With the guy's shooting ability couldn't he at least be the next Darrel Owens down the road? Sure Owens was a very good defender but he never drove to the hole or rebounded like he was capable of doing. Instead he became a spot up shooter. With Nikita's height and shooting ability he could do something similiar. Maybe. And, if unlike Owens he decides to present a more versatile game on the court (driving, rebounding, passing) than DJ then all the better. Is that totally out of the realm of possibility?

[mapei]

I don't see this guy as a perpetual bench-warmer. Based on the two KL games I saw, he can absolutely play. He's more athletic than one would expect, and has those Euro-skills we sometimes see in passing, shooting, and court vision. It's easy for me to see why a good team would want him, though if I were he I might prefer someplace with less competition for playing time. It's going to be hard to find the minutes this year, though maybe next if, say, Jon and Tyler graduate and DaJuan leaves.

[FHillsNYHoya]

Maybe I'm crazy, but let's say Nikita is someone who rarely sees the court. Is that horrible? Has our recruiting gone down the toilet b/c we have someone on the team who was not a McD's AA or a consensus Top 100 HS player? In my mind, there's a ton of value to have one or two guys on the team who might be a step slower than others but bring many other intangibles to the table during a 35-40 game season. Can't imagine he's going to be complaining about PT - seems like he absolutely recognizes his role and will hopefully embrace it, as others have.

Having a 12 man rotation is incredibly unrealistic, and would never give us the best chance of winning on a game-to-game basis.

[prhoya]

His stated goal is to be a starter by his junior year. He's not going to another school. I like the fact that he's played as a guard and now can use those skills in our offense.

[jumbo7676]

I watched Nikita play on Sunday in the Kenner League game. I was very impressed with his court vision and passing ability and I thought his ball handling seemed above average for a guy his size. I guess his recent growth spurt explains that since he was closer to 6 feet up until two years ago. I certainly don't expect anything from him this year, but if he can put on some muscle and learn to play inside a little bit I think in the future we could see plenty of Freeman and Wright points off backdoor cuts assisted by Mescheriakov.

[the_way]

Could be a diamond in the rough. The thing about JTIII is that he develops players, no question about that. So if this kid is a diamond in the rough, i think we may have something special.