Is jarvis Benard ready for the next level

[RunTheDamBall]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

[AI_Fan]

he will be a great mid major or low division 1 player

In other words, he would do great at Lamar Univ? Is Lamar after him?

If Lamar did not have an interest in Ryan Donahoe 2 years ago when he too, was 3-a player of the year, I cannot imagine they would have an interest in Benard.

i agree

[BLUEDOVE3]

he will be a great mid major or low division 1 player

In other words, he would do great at Lamar Univ? Is Lamar after him?

If Lamar did not have an interest in Ryan Donahoe 2 years ago when he too, was 3-a player of the year, I cannot imagine they would have an interest in Benard.

LU was willing to sign him especially after there was no interest shown from the top dogs. But LU wasn't in a rush either.

[bacbone9]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

[BLUEDOVE3]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

Is this kid quick? I mean, I've seen several of HJ players come out and for HJ I'm sure their skill level was good for 3-A.

[Guest spinks]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

bacbone.........come on man........you played college ball...........how many 5'8 2 guards are there.  He is left handed and struggles to dribble more than twice with his right hand.  That is not mid major ready at the 2 position.  He may be mid major ready in 2 years if he works hard but not now.

Bluedove.......his quickness is good but not great.........however his anticipation and ability to make the decision to shoot or to dribble drive is great.  That is what makes him great and in my opinion is more important that quickness on the offensive end.

[BLUEDOVE3]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

bacbone.........come on man........you played college ball...........how many 5'8 2 guards are there.  He is left handed and struggles to dribble more than twice with his right hand.  That is not mid major ready at the 2 position.  He may be mid major ready in 2 years if he works hard but not now.

Bluedove.......his quickness is good but not great.........however his anticipation and ability to make the decision to shoot or to dribble drive is great.  That is what makes him great and in my opinion is more important that quickness on the offensive end.

If he's 5'8", he better have some quickness about him

[Guest aschrapps]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

Do you have any idea what your talking about he would be giving up about 10 inches at the three and 8-9 inches at the two. There are no two guards his size. Go look at creighton and st marys and gonzaga and butler and davidson and tell me how many midmajor two guards they have that are 5'8". The only position he could play is a change of pace point guard. A good sized 2 guard geez.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Or we could discuss NAIA possibilities for HJ players

[Guest stevenash]

he will be a great mid major or low division 1 player

In other words, he would do great at Lamar Univ? Is Lamar after him?

If Lamar did not have an interest in Ryan Donahoe 2 years ago when he too, was 3-a player of the year, I cannot imagine they would have an interest in Benard.

LU was willing to sign him especially after there was no interest shown from the top dogs. But LU wasn't in a rush either.

One of LU's main competitors brought scholarship papers and asked him to sign them and told the HJ coach

Donahoe was better than any guard he had on the floor (SFA-who played in the big dance).  Apparently he got some bad advice from someone.  No, Lamar wasnt in any type of hurry at all.  I would be willing to bet that if he had gone to Lamar, the school would have been glad they got him and he would be more than competitive in that league by now.

[Rockin A]

I believe his best bet would be to pursue junior colleges.  I find it hard to imagine that any 4-yr school would put him on scholarship from the beginning.  He may be allowed to attend a walk-on tryout but nothing beyond that.  He's much older than most seniors, and I believe he has reached his potential. 

[BLUEDOVE3]

he will be a great mid major or low division 1 player

In other words, he would do great at Lamar Univ? Is Lamar after him?

If Lamar did not have an interest in Ryan Donahoe 2 years ago when he too, was 3-a player of the year, I cannot imagine they would have an interest in Benard.

LU was willing to sign him especially after there was no interest shown from the top dogs. But LU wasn't in a rush either.

One of LU's main competitors brought scholarship papers and asked him to sign them and told the HJ coach

Donahoe was better than any guard he had on the floor (SFA-who played in the big dance).  Apparently he got some bad advice from someone.  No, Lamar wasnt in any type of hurry at all.  I would be willing to bet that if he had gone to Lamar, the school would have been glad they got him and he would be more than competitive in that league by now.

So what has Ryan Donohoe done in college?

[bacbone9]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

bacbone.........come on man........you played college ball...........how many 5'8 2 guards are there.  He is left handed and struggles to dribble more than twice with his right hand.  That is not mid major ready at the 2 position.  He may be mid major ready in 2 years if he works hard but not now.

Bluedove.......his quickness is good but not great.........however his anticipation and ability to make the decision to shoot or to dribble drive is great.  That is what makes him great and in my opinion is more important that quickness on the offensive end.

my fault. i thought he was at least 6 foot

[bacbone9]

there is no way jarvis could play d-1 in at most colleges 6'1, 6'2 is undersized

he would be a undersized 3 but a 2 guard his size at a mid major is pretty good

Do you have any idea what your talking about he would be giving up about 10 inches at the three and 8-9 inches at the two. There are no two guards his size. Go look at creighton and st marys and gonzaga and butler and davidson and tell me how many midmajor two guards they have that are 5'8". The only position he could play is a change of pace point guard. A good sized 2 guard geez.

like i said my fault i thought he was 6 foot

[Bobcat1]

Has he even had any offers?

[AI_Fan]

Has he even had any offers?

Good question.

[whsalum]

Now that's a broad question.Everyone gets caught up in the "NEXT LEVEL".Fact is anything after high school is the next level.For some of us it was a pick up game on Thursday night at the "Y".For most of the really good local players it's a small D2 or D3 or possibly a JUCO.I'm a huge Jarvis Bernard fan but when you look at the D1 talent on the floor these days it is unreal.The size is the biggest difference in the teams because they can all flat out play.A lot of kids also struggle academically because of the time it takes away from your studies to play college ball.I certainly wish Jarvis well whatever he chooses to do,he's a good kid.

With your definition, the *next level* could be a step down for some players 8)

That's not my definition.That's a fact,anything after high schoo; is the next level.The levels don't always go up'I've seen a ton of good players after high school playing at the "y" or the rec center because they still love the game,Some don't have the help out of high school to play so their next level is a step down  ;)

[BLUEDOVE3]

Now that's a broad question.Everyone gets caught up in the "NEXT LEVEL".Fact is anything after high school is the next level.For some of us it was a pick up game on Thursday night at the "Y".For most of the really good local players it's a small D2 or D3 or possibly a JUCO.I'm a huge Jarvis Bernard fan but when you look at the D1 talent on the floor these days it is unreal.The size is the biggest difference in the teams because they can all flat out play.A lot of kids also struggle academically because of the time it takes away from your studies to play college ball.I certainly wish Jarvis well whatever he chooses to do,he's a good kid.

With your definition, the *next level* could be a step down for some players 8)

That's not my definition.That's a fact,anything after high schoo; is the next level.The levels don't always go up'I've seen a ton of good players after high school playing at the "y" or the rec center because they still love the game,Some don't have the help out of high school to play so their next level is a step down  ;)

And many don't have the mental toughness to get to the next level.

[whsalum]

You are definitely right about that.There are a lot of good players out there that never get the opportunity to play.That's what is so sad to see those that do throw it away.

[Guest spinks]

BlueDove3 hits the nail on the head with his comment about "mental toughness."

After high school, mental toughness is really the bottom line. Lots of talented players come out of high school but don't make it at the college level because they aren't mentally tough enough. They aren't willing to work hard enough in practice and games, and they aren't able to adapt to a more team-oriented approach to the game.

Lots of these kinds of players were the "go-to" guys on their high school squads. Once they got the ball in their hands, they could do whatever they wanted. That doesn't work at the college level.

College ball is more about strategy and ball movement than it is about being an offensive star. It's about feeding the open man and trying to get the most assists rather than the most points.

5'-8" is short by anyone's definition of a college ballplayer. But that doesn't mean Benard can't make it in the college game. Lamar State College-PA signed a 5'-8" guard from Baton Rouge this season (Josh Washington), and although injuries limited his playing time, he had the potential to be a contributor because he is an unselfish player.

I think that is very well said.  The problem is that some people simply believe because kids are great in high school means they can jump to the next level and that simply is not true.  It takes tons of hard work and discipline just to get there and even more of that to be succesful there.  It is a COMPLETELY different game from high school.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Heres my take on a subject that a lot of coaches may mention in their pep talk but have no idea or maybe the time to *teach* mental games. The mental aspect of sports unlike shooting free throws isn't as tangible as how many shots were made at the line. I've heard people say you can't teach the mental toughness and maybe they have a point. But the one thing I do know is that you can put an individual in situations that help mature their mental aspect of the game. One has to become a student of the game and have goals for themselves.

I remember as a teenager going off to college to play ball. I remember two guys on the team who also played point guard, one was from NY and the other from North Carolina. I have to admit when I saw them play in pick-up games, I became a little nervous because they were good. But when practice began, they could not play the whole floor. They were street ballers and no concept of situation basketball. On the other hand, I had become somewhat of a student of the game and understood the game better, even though I knew the kid from NC was better than me. Understanding the mental aspect of the game helped me position myself to play on the team.

I see too many kids today who don't know how to run a simple fast break or break a press. There are many ways to work on your mental skills. I make my students challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone and play until it becomes comfortable.

I also attribute my learning to the years of getting hit by the board in practice from elementary school through high school ;D

[whsalum]

There are a ton of kids who are mentally tough and disciplined that never get a look at the college level.The discipline is the most overlooked aspect of the recruiters on the smaller college level.Thats a shame because there a lot of kids who are recruited and there character surfaces before they ever get on the floor.This is kinda getting off topic because it doesn't apply to Jarvis,he's mentally tough as nails.