Ryan Pembleton, a 6-foot-10 high school center from Texas, told me today he had committed to attend Cal Poly in the fall to play basketball for new men’s coach Joe Callero.
After decommitting from Army earlier this month, Pembleton was getting recruiting attention from Houston Baptist, Oral Roberts, Central Arkansas and Texas State, according to his dad Bob Pembleton. He canceled a visit to Texas State after making the trek to San Luis Obispo from Frisco, Texas.
“After talking with coach and seeing the campus, I really didn’t need to see any more,” Pembleton said. “He offered right then and there. I said, ‘This is where I want to be.’
“I was scheduled to go for a visit to Texas State the day after I came home from Cal Poly, and I told them there’s no need.”
Pembleton said new Mustangs head coach Joe Callero told him to prepare this summer as if he were going to contribute next season but that if the coaching staff doesn’t think he can play 10 to 15 minutes per game, he’ll likely redshirt.
A season on the bench — and in the on-campus Chick-Fil-A — might not hurt the 200-pounder. To be able to fight his way around the paint in the Big West, he’ll have to pack on a few more pounds.
Callero was prohibited by NCAA rules to comment on the recruit, but he did confirm that Jonathan Gunderson was leaving the program and Bo Henning had asked for his release and would be transferring out.
Gunderson redshirted this past season under former coach Kevin Bromley after transferring from Santa Clara. Henning averaged 1.7 points and one assist in 17 games as a redshirt freshman this past season.
Those departures could open up room for yet another recruit to come in during what has been a serious overhaul. The coaching staff has been completely turned over, and six new players appear headed in — and it could be more.
Callero did say this on his Twitter account a little more than a week ago:
“Watching YouTube on top international players; technology is great when we are trying to save money on the recruiting budget!”
Here’s how the roster could look broken down by position next season. (These are only my projections based on the information that has been reported and my familiarity with the team.)
- Center: Will Donahue (6-8, So.), a 265-pound transfer from Phoenix College, is probably penciled in to start here with Ryan Darling (6-7, Sr.) playing the back-up role if Pembleton is not ready to play right away.
- Power Forward: Charles Anderson (6-6, Sr.) and Wes Dipprey (6-8, Jr.) played in this spot last season. Jordan Lewis (6-5, So.) could push for time here as could incoming freshman Ben Eisenhardt (6-10).
- Small Forward: Shawn Lewis (6-4, Jr.) is the returning starter and should be one of the team’s top scorers. David Hanson (6-5, So.) could be the primary backup with incoming freshman Sean Hinkley (6-7) and Anderson or Jordan Lewis possibly checking in.
- Shooting guard: Lorenzo Keeler (6-2, Sr.) is the returning starter and should be right there with Shawn Lewis as far as scoring. Shawn Lewis could rotate in here if the team needs to go big. Redshirt freshman Dylan Royer (6-2) could also get some time. San Francisco transfer Chris O’Brien (6-4, So.) could figure in here or at a couple other positions but will not be able to play until 2010-11.
- Point guard: Amaurys Fermin (6-2, Jr.), an incoming junior college transfer, will be penciled in here. Fermin’s size also allows him to possibly share the backcourt with a smaller guard like Justin Brown (5-11, So.) or incoming freshman Kyle Odister (6-0) if Fermin is needed to play some shooting guard.
So far, I’ve accounted for 16 players, and any combination of the incoming freshman could redshirt. That number seems consistent with what Callero has indicated.
“We’ll be comfortable with 15 or 16, knowing full well that at least two of those will be redshirting and not even traveling,” Callero said. “Safe to say, even three guys could be redshirting.”
Stay tuned. The way things have been unraveling, there might be more information coming out soon. And you can follow Callero’s Twitter account HERE.
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June 26th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Tne kid sounds like a giant.
What’s considered “small” in college ball? Do the standards change once you get into the NBA?
June 26th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
6-10 is definitely big for college basketball. But 200 pounds, is definitely thin.
He’ll be as tall as any other center in the Big West. The question is whether he can match them in strength.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
all these guys he’s getting are really tall, but really really thin, there not gonna just gain 30 or 40 pounds all of a sudden it takes a long time. personally i dont think guys that are rail thin are gonna do anything even if they are 6′9″ or 6′10″ but we’ll have to see i guess.
June 28th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
IN TEXAS ON A HOLIDAY AND SAW THIS KID PLAY. THE THING THAT IMPRESED ME WAS HE IS ONLY A HIGH SCHOOL GRAD AND THE ONLY THING HE IS MISSING IS WEIGHT HE HAS EVERY THING ELSE. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE RESULTS.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:21 am
Whats up with this guy in the photo? His foot is still on the ground for a jump ball. He reminds me of Manute Bol.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Look again Dan, both feet are in the air. It is the foot of the player behind him that is on the ground.
One thing you can do as a coach is add height to a player. You can work on a players speed, jumping ability, size, strength and basketball skills. From what I have read, Pembleton has height and skill, he just lacks bulk and strength. Get Pembleton and a few of the other recruits in the weight room and they will be fine.