Jnixon's Countdown to the 2012 Draft: 60 Prospects in 30 Days (50&49)

50: Tu Holloway, 5’11 185, PG, Xavier, Sr.

Tu Holloway had a very nice career for Xavier out in A-10 land. He was a great PG who was among the nation’s elite as both a Jr. and Sr., and he was the leader for 3 Xavier squads that made it to the tourney. Was the A-10 POY as a Jr., and was one of 3 players to average 20 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg that season. Regressed some as a Sr., but was still one of the very best in the country at PG. Was the initiator of the Xavier and Cincy brawl, and was suspended for a few games due to that. Doesn’t have a character concern history to my knowledge past that though. Physically, Holloway is not great. He’s short for a PG at 5’11 or maybe 6’, but he does have a real good wingspan for his size at 6’5. Has a solid build though, and plays strong. Athletically, Holloway is subpar. He’s not particularly fast, agile or quick, and shows limited explosiveness and leaping skills.

On offense, Holloway’s biggest strength is his jumper, which isn’t real great but he’s really confident in it. He is a good shooter with his feet set, but he likes to shoot off the dribble a lot more than spot up due to his role and team defensive attention. He is a solid shooter off the dribble too, even though he usually shoots these shots heavily contested. Has a compact shot and a quick release. Will struggle against better athletes some with it though, because even though he’s got the confidence, he rarely ever gets a clean enough blow by to make these shots good shots, in terms of shot selection. Off the dribble, Holloway isn’t very quick, but he has enough strength and a low enough center of gravity to keep defenders on his hip. Shows good handle, and can use it to set up his 1st step pretty well at times. Struggles to beat quicker guards off the dribble still. Not likely to get to the rim or the paint with consistency in the pros. Operates well in the pick and roll, and is a threat to pass or shoot. More likely to shoot than pass though in those situations. Does his best driving when the defense is already broken down. In the instances me makes it to the rim, he lacks the explosiveness to finish efficiently, especially against athletic teams. Does show good touch around the rim when he can show it off. Has a floater in his arsenal that’s fairly effective. Can run an offense, and is pretty good organizing sets. Still learning the position though, and is a bit too TO prone. Pretty solid in the drive and kick. Likes to look for his shot more than set guys up to score. Not going to excel in transition. Got too the FT line really nicely, and usually doesn’t make many mistakes when there. Isnt afraid of taking big shots. Plays with urgency. A vocal leader.

Defensively, Holloway is a tough bulldog who plays physical, as you’d expect from a Xavier guy. Has the strength and length to make things tough for smaller guards on the ball. Lacks the quickness to keep the quicker guards out of the lane consistently well, but does show good energy and effort. Closes out on everything. Pretty quick hands and can get steals if you are loose with the ball. Willing rebounder for a PG.

Holloway is a throwback guard who uses strength, confidence, and improving PG skills to be effective. He was productive in college, and developed into a standout. He is limited by a lack of size and athleticism, but he does have backup PG skills. All he can do now is show teams that he can play against quicker guards. I like his game though, he’s not flashy at all but he gets the job done.

49: Terrell Stoglin, 6’1 185, PG/SG, Maryland, Soph.

A fairly interesting prospect with a lot of natural talent and production, Stoglin was one of the most dynamic scorers in the ACC this past year. Led the ACC in ppg (21.6 ppg) as a Soph. Still, no one thought he’d declare as he did directly to end the season. He doesn’t have a rounded out game, and it seems as though he didn’t get along with their new coach Mark Turgeon from last year. Also was suspended for a year at Maryland because he failed too many drug tests. Was pulled from a game against Duke for bad shooting and for basically being a ballhog and notdoing what Coach Turgeon asked him to on offense. He has a lot against him, and teams will surely be getting to the bottom of it. Physically, Stoglin has sufficient size for a PG. He’s 6’1 and has a decent 185 lb frame that will need to get stronger. He plays off the ball a lot too, and is small for that. Athletically, Stoglin is solid. He shows good quickness and speed, and is a smooth, fluid type with nice body control. He’s not real explosive or a big-time leaper, but adequate.

Offensively, Stoglin is talented. He can slash and is an effective shooter. Likes to shoot the 3 ball a whole lot. He is a lefty with a nice shot spotting up and off the bounce. Real good touch, form, and elevation on his shot. Flashes NBA range. Likes to shoot off the dribble and can do so with promise. Able to crossover and dance with the ball and then go into his shot pretty nicely. Needs better shot selection though. Settles for jumpers more than he should, often bailing out the D. Has a habit of shooting jump shots early in the shot clock or without ever passing the ball. Really confident, sometimes overconfident though. Off the dribble, Stoglin is decent too. He has a smooth 1st step and real solid handles and moves. Can get into the lane pretty well, but has struggled against quicker guards at times in halfcourt sets. More than decent quickness. Likes to go all the way to the rim when he drives, doesn’t show that much from mid-range. Favors his strong hand, but is adequate with his right. Wasn’t a great finisher around the rim in terms of efficiency (43% from 2 point range). Sometimes flashed crafty ability to finish amongst the trees, with scoops and reverse lay-ins, and he has really good touch, but more often than not he forced wild shots in these situations. Likes to utilize in-and-out and Eurostep moves in the lane, and does so effectively. As a PG, Stoglin struggles. He’s got the size to play mostly as a PG in the NBA, but he really, REALLY likes to look for his own shots as opposed to being an unselfish floor leader. Likes to drive to score instead of dish most times, and looks for his own shots most times in the pick’n’roll game. Played a very significant amount of time as a scoring guard, not really running the offense himself and getting teammates shots. Average just under 2 apg (2.2 topg as well) last year, really low for a 6’1 guard. Is going to be a threat to get to the foul line wherever he lands, and he’s a decent shooter when there. A good transition player, and finishes best around the rim when he’s on the break. Can score in big bunches at his best.

Defensively, Stoglin is not great. He isn’t quite terrible, as he shows some ability to defend PG’s good enough, but he doesn’t stand out at all. Sometimes will step into a passing lane, poke a pass away and get a steal, but mostly just goes with the flow. Should improve getting through screens with urgency. Doesn’t always close out and is sometimes lazy with his energy. Prone to letting shooting struggles effect his defensive play.

Overall, Stoglin likes to score. Lol. That’s his game. He’s an aggressive player who looks for his own shots. He is a one-trick pony who wasn’t efficient in his role as the only Maryland Terrapin who could create shots. In fact, he monopolized it. He doesn’t pass much, doesn’t defend hard, wasn’t a floor leader. He just went out and looked for his own shots, whether it was in the flow of Coach Turgeon’s offense or not. He’s enigmatic, and he has a lot of holes in his game, but he’s such a natural talent as a scorer that there will be interest in him. I just think teams should save the trouble, and just let him be a sparkplug scorer if anything. Not try and make him a PG, he literally shows no PG skills. Also, he's only 20 years old, there is plenty of basketball ahead for him.