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A New UC Recruit


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[b][size=3]Cronin foresees more than one year from Riek[/size][/b]
[b]Sudanese recruit may miss 2008-09[/b]
By Bill Koch • bkoch@enquirer.com • August 13, 2008

John Riek, the [b]7-foot-2 center[/b] from the Sudan who committed to the University of Cincinnati basketball program on Aug. 2, will be more than a one-year player for the Bearcats, UC head coach Mick Cronin said Tuesday.

Cronin, in his first comments about Riek, said he and the player's guardian have talked about [b]a three-year window at UC[/b].

"But I'm realistic enough that if he's ready in two years, because of his family situation, he could leave (for the NBA)," Cronin said. "I wasn't interested in one year and they don't think it's even possible in one year for him to be ready.''

UC confirmed Tuesday that Riek had signed a financial aid agreement with the Bearcats and intends to play at UC in the 2008-09 season.
Riek escaped his war-torn homeland as a teenager and will enroll at UC after spending last season at the Winchendon School, a prep school in Massachusetts.
His sister and mother are still in southern Sudan, according to Cronin.

[b]Riek entered the NBA draft this summer only to withdraw because of a knee injury that required surgery.[/b] That opened the door for UC to land him.
Because of the surgery, it's unclear when he'll be ready to play for the Bearcats or if he'll even be able to play this season.
[b]Cronin said he hopes Riek will be medically cleared to begin playing - or at least practicing - in December.[/b]

"He wants to play today," Cronin said. "He played (last year) on a bad knee, but I'm not going to let him play until he's 100 percent. If that means he'll have to sit out the year, that's what he'll do."

Riek must still be cleared academically to play in 2008-09.

The UC coach said Riek is a "great shot blocker who's got some fundamental positives.

[b]"He doesn't leave his feet to block shots because he doesn't have to," Cronin said. "He can kind of wait on the ball like (UConn's) Hasheem Thabeet and Dikembe Mutombo.[/b]

[b]"He can dunk everything around the rim.[/b] He'll have to develop a couple of go-to moves and a hook shot. You're not talking about a rail-thin guy. He'll need to develop his body, just like any other guy his size, but [b]he's not abnormally thin."[/b]

[b]Riek was named by recruiting analysts as the top underclassmen at the LeBron James Skills Academy last summer[/b].

UC started recruiting him last year while he was playing at Winchendon - the same school that produced former UC player Donald Little - even though there was a good chance that Riek, 19, would attempt to bypass college and go directly to the NBA.

When Riek withdrew from the draft because of his injury, UC already had developed a relationship with him.

UC assistant coach "Tony Stubblefield did a great job," Cronin said. "We have pinpointed in recruiting only guys who can help us get better. We tried to get a few guys in May and June that we weren't able to get.

"In recruiting sometimes you've got to be willing to come in second or third. Sometimes that happens, but in this case, John picked us over Kansas."
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