With every passing day, BYU basketball's hunt for a Power Four-caliber starting center (of which the roster currently has zero) becomes a little more dire.
BYU's bachelor status at the center position brings to memory the immortal words of Michael Scott, "What is it like being single? I like it! I like starting each day with a sense of possibility. And I’m optimistic, because everyday I get a little more desperate. And desperate situations yield the quickest results.”
Despite being in connection with most high-caliber center prospects in the transfer portal, BYU endured whiff after whiff as every major candidate signed elsewhere, leaving BYU -- and typically Kentucky, but that's a bit of a given at this point -- out to dry. Scanning the landscape and desperate for answers.
They dipped into the market of reclassifying freshmen -- and missed on a handful of talented options to higher bidders. They took the search international and even led the charge for players like Michael Ruzic before they were again outbid.
Even Luigi Suigo, who has until mid June to withdraw from the NBA Draft, is more likely to go to Villanova than BYU if college is his choice after all.
It's getting scary for BYU basketball.
Without a capable big man to hold down the fort in Provo, the Cougars are left scrambling. We all know that Kevin Young has a reputation of delivering on the recruiting front, but at what point does the benefit of the doubt dissolve into straight-up doubt?
Not today. I won't give up hope just yet.
With recent intel from Vanquish the Foe's Robby McCombs, Kevin Young and company are in close talks with a 7'5" stud from China, who goes by the name Xu Xin.
After hinting at the fact that LSU potentially offered Ruzic more money than BYU offered AJ Dybantsa last season (whew boy), McCombs dove into how the Cougars had stepped into the short list of programs on Xu's radar, and why BYU basketball views him as an intriguing prospect.
"Xin’s top quality is that he is massive (duh). At 7-foot-5 he is a great rim protector, active on the offensive glass, and can finish around the basket. In 43 CBA games this season, he is averaging 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks on 72% shooting from the field. He shot 73% from the foul line, which shows that he has some shooting touch."
He's a bit slow-footed, and understandably so, given his size. BYU and Ohio State are reportedly the two programs targeting the 22-year-old hardest. The question becomes this for BYU: at this point, do you dive all-in at a player who can elevate his position, or prefer to supplement the team's loaded backcourt with stable production down low?
For now, all we can do is watch, and hope the Buckeyes don't offer $10 million.
Here's a brief highlight of Xu squaring off against Tacko Fall in the CBA.
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