Dub
Well-known member
right. so it's about this year..... landing players like this is starting to pique my interest again SLIGHTY
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Bradley gets commitment from Bulgarian point guard Georgi Gerganov
- Thread starter Da Coach
- Start date
Bradley8792
Active member
It’s great that he has good stats for his home league. But it all comes down to how quickly he adapts to an American style of play.
Disclaimer: I am not making any predictions or projections, or saying Georgi will have any specific level of success...
But after watching multiple videos of him playing, I'm liking him more and more. I think he does have the ability to become a good player at this level. He will be 23 years old in July, so he is physically more mature than most freshmen are. He looks like he is an intelligent player with good ball-handling and passing skills, high assist and steals numbers and an acceptable turnover rate considering he plays 36.6 minutes per game.
Watching the videos, the player I thought that his style resembled a little was Leif Moeller of Evansville. Again, I am not saying he will be another Moeller. But he's about the same size, plays a similar way- usually bringing the ball up the court a bit more deliberately, as opposed to a run-and-gun pace like Duke Deen or Montana Wheeler, making accurate, quick passes, yet not risky passes (5.8 apg). And, he makes an effort to play defense (2.2 steals per game), hits open shots, and he goes after rebounds (5.6 rpg is terrific) yet is still able to get back on defense.
I think Bradley needs an additional true point guard from the portal or juco for depth, but I think Georgi will be getting a lot of playing time next season.
But after watching multiple videos of him playing, I'm liking him more and more. I think he does have the ability to become a good player at this level. He will be 23 years old in July, so he is physically more mature than most freshmen are. He looks like he is an intelligent player with good ball-handling and passing skills, high assist and steals numbers and an acceptable turnover rate considering he plays 36.6 minutes per game.
Watching the videos, the player I thought that his style resembled a little was Leif Moeller of Evansville. Again, I am not saying he will be another Moeller. But he's about the same size, plays a similar way- usually bringing the ball up the court a bit more deliberately, as opposed to a run-and-gun pace like Duke Deen or Montana Wheeler, making accurate, quick passes, yet not risky passes (5.8 apg). And, he makes an effort to play defense (2.2 steals per game), hits open shots, and he goes after rebounds (5.6 rpg is terrific) yet is still able to get back on defense.
I think Bradley needs an additional true point guard from the portal or juco for depth, but I think Georgi will be getting a lot of playing time next season.
I agree. I think what stands out most to me is his passing ability. Some of the dishes, like you said aren't super risky, but are still really tough. He plays with a lot of confidence in his abilities, it looks like to me at least. I found a Bulgarian basketball fan elsewhere and was able to get this insight from them regarding GG:
"It will be interesting to watch. He really flourished last 2 years playing in Bulgaria and deserves this chance. He quickly got too good for the Bulgarian league and this chance will help him get better. Anyway, I was surprised by this college transfer. Better choice than staying in Europe for him at this stage of his career. One of the really good things from NIL transformation in US. Many European talents get to develop as still American system is better than European especially for guards."
MacabreMob
Member
Makes me think about what is going on with US players in the US system... what is causing this influx of so many players from out of the country? Why is the home talent (US talent) not completely dominating the competition for the nil money? Is their something about players from out of the US that makes them more appealing to get all these scholarships and nil? Are they developed better outside of the US? Seems they are developed differently, and so how are they developed differently? If basketball is an American sport, why aren't techniques for development mastered in the US? Now... I know statistically of ALL the players in college hoops and nil, it's still dominated by US players... but something is evolving.
When Tony Kukoc came to the Bulls in 1993, he received little respect from his teammates for some time. He was one of the first European players to play in the NBA. It seems that most, if not all NBA teams now have players from Europe. I believe that their development system encourages teamwork, passing, rebounding and defense. It appears that US players concentrate more on individual scoring. One exception is Alex Caruso, who is more valued for defense than offense.
YESSS... Go Georgi!
On the DAY AFTER GEORGI SIGNS WITH Bradley... he goes off for 33 points (and 6 assists) .....
... and gets named
"top scorer of the day in the world"
Also- he hit 6-9 from 3-point range (same disatance as NCAA Division I) - and raised his season 3-pt shooting to 35%
They play again tomorrow, then next Saturday to end the regular season, then they will compete in the playoffs.
They currently sit in the 6th seed spot for the playoffs (only the top 8 teams qualify). The race is tight and even with just 2 games left,
they could finish anywhere from 4th or 5th to even 7th.
LINK
On the DAY AFTER GEORGI SIGNS WITH Bradley... he goes off for 33 points (and 6 assists) .....
... and gets named
"top scorer of the day in the world"
Also- he hit 6-9 from 3-point range (same disatance as NCAA Division I) - and raised his season 3-pt shooting to 35%
They play again tomorrow, then next Saturday to end the regular season, then they will compete in the playoffs.
They currently sit in the 6th seed spot for the playoffs (only the top 8 teams qualify). The race is tight and even with just 2 games left,
they could finish anywhere from 4th or 5th to even 7th.
LINK
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Game just completed.......Georgi Gerganov had another career performance today (Sunday, 4/19)
He TOPPED his career high of 33 points that was just set Thursday, and his team, Botev, won 90-71
Here's Georgi's stat line- 33:23 min played, 14-21 overall, 4-6 from 3-pt, 2-4 on FT's, 34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
He ups his scoring average to a league leading average to 22.0 ppg to go with 54.1% FG%, 36.2% 3-pt shooting, 5.4 rpg, 5.7 asst,
Something tells me the kid just may have some talent....here's a short video clip - LINK
ps- I am so glad we got this guy signed... just as he's blowing up and getting mentions on major & international websites...
He TOPPED his career high of 33 points that was just set Thursday, and his team, Botev, won 90-71
Here's Georgi's stat line- 33:23 min played, 14-21 overall, 4-6 from 3-pt, 2-4 on FT's, 34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
He ups his scoring average to a league leading average to 22.0 ppg to go with 54.1% FG%, 36.2% 3-pt shooting, 5.4 rpg, 5.7 asst,
Something tells me the kid just may have some talent....here's a short video clip - LINK
ps- I am so glad we got this guy signed... just as he's blowing up and getting mentions on major & international websites...
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Georgi and his team Botev play again Saturday - the final regular season game with the chance to lock in to the 5th spot for the playoffs.
Their opponent is the current #2 team Balkan. (possibly the game will be streamed somewhere...)
Georgi is pretty much a lock on owning the league's scoring title. He's far enough ahead of the 2nd place guy (22.0 ppg to 19.1 ppg)
that with one game left, even if Georgi goes scoreless, the 2nd place guy would need to score 80 points in his final game to catch up.
Their opponent is the current #2 team Balkan. (possibly the game will be streamed somewhere...)
Georgi is pretty much a lock on owning the league's scoring title. He's far enough ahead of the 2nd place guy (22.0 ppg to 19.1 ppg)
that with one game left, even if Georgi goes scoreless, the 2nd place guy would need to score 80 points in his final game to catch up.
Did you tell him to check in on Bradleyfans.com?
It's hard to tell how Georgi's game will translate to D1 basketball, but he has incredible skills for someone playing at his level in Europe. Every team in that league has mostly experienced pro players, including 2 or 3 American ex-college players on each team. Yet Georgi, who is not a true pro, is leading the league in scoring, by far. Each team can have developmental players like Georgi. They are not contracted the same way as the pros, or on yearly salaries, though they are paid a stipend to cover expenses. They retain their amateur status, and can play college ball without requiring a special waiver like we see the NCAA granting to some of the Euro pros now.
Does this mean he'll receive full eligibility? I was thinking he'll get two years based on what UVA's Thijs De Ridder was granted, but I'm unaware of his pro status when he played in Belgium / Spain
It will be reviewed by the NCAA, and they make their decisions on a case by case basis depending on how strong of an experience the player had in Europe, plus they review the contract details they signed. Thijs De Ridder was penalized a couple years of eligibility because he played at a high level of pro ball with a top team in the highest pro league in Spain. Previous Bradley Euro recruits like Timo and Rienk Mast played at lower level pro leagues and had no trouble getting 4 years (or in Rienk's case, 6 )
I don't know the full details about Georgi's deal with his current team. But reports we've seen have said he had planned for a couple years to try college ball in the US, so that leads me to believe he did not sign a typical pro contract. And the Bulgarian NBL is a much lower level league. It might be wishful thinking, but I think he'll get 4 years. But it's yet to be determined.
)I don't know the full details about Georgi's deal with his current team. But reports we've seen have said he had planned for a couple years to try college ball in the US, so that leads me to believe he did not sign a typical pro contract. And the Bulgarian NBL is a much lower level league. It might be wishful thinking, but I think he'll get 4 years. But it's yet to be determined.
you'll notice a lot of those Euro games don't have very big crowds...
Hopefully he'll be pretty impressed at Carver