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After practice Friday afternoon, Findlay College Prep senior basketball player Carlos Lopez clarified his status with UNLV.
Earlier in the week, he said he was “80 to 85 percent sure” that he would honor his verbal agreement to become a Rebel and sign a letter of intent in November. Just want to make sure, he said at the time.
A simple answer to a simple question, right? Wrong. Lopez shook his head and laughed a bit Friday at how some have blown his few words out of proportion.
And he said he is “100 percent certain” that he will honor his commitment to Rebels coach Lon Kruger and sign his letter in November.
Always a Pilot
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton will be pleased to find out that his new shooting guard, Deividas Dulkys, went at it hard in practice Friday afternoon.
Even though Dulkys was nowhere near Tallahassee, Fla.
Dulkys took advantage of a break in the Seimonles’ basketball practices to return to his prep grounds at Findlay.
He was a key part in the Pilots squad that went 32-1 last season.
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete with kangaroo-like jumping skills, Dulkys participated in about the first half of the Findlay practice, honing his defensive sliding skills and working on his stamina.
“That’s how I am,” he said. “I don’t like to sit still. Florida State is a big campus, a big school. Lots of girls! We start official practice next Friday, like everyone else. So I thought I’d come back here for three days.”
Jorge’s here, too
Jorge Gutierrez, the point guard of last season’s Findlay team, also returned to his adopted hometown this weekend.
Gutierrez, a 6-3, 200-pound spitfire, is at California, where he plays for coach Mike Montgomery. The longtime Stanford boss had a failed run trying to turn around the Golden State Warriors.
“The team and the coach are really nice,” Gutierrez said. “We work hard all the time.”
He was positive about his chances at playing this season.
“I think so,” Gutierrez said. “I didn’t go there just to sit on the bench.”
Montgomery, too, would have enjoyed seeing Gutierrez work Friday. At one point, he shot dozens of baseline jumpers, circling under the basket from one side to the other.
The relentlessness of those two former Pilots no doubt rubbed off on the current Findlay players, who stayed after practice to play pick-up games with the two Division-I players.
Us message board junkies couldn't help but to blow it a little out of proportion...lol
In the end, we all believed he'd be a Rebel.
How cool will it be to go against both Jorge and Deividas this year if they get minutes. Nice.
No kidding Mee... Jorge and Deividas will be instant hits among their fans.
As far as Carlos, maybe there was a little bit of a language barrier or cultural snag. He did not exactly understand what he was saying. But you gotta hand it to him for being honest, in his first "80 to 85 percent" assessment.
I think it surprised him how others read into his comments. Hey, that's life. No harm, no foul. He was beside himself a bit after Friday's practice.
He can't wait to be a Rebel, he just might have crossed himself a bit in his expression.
No worries.
You should see him in practice over the past week or two. He is evolving into a low-post Godzilla, even at less than 100 percent. His neck has been aching him all week, but he was a slamming machine Friday.
It's just as impressive how he cheers on Godwin Okonji (whom I profiled in a long piece Thursday) and Victor Rudd.
Carlos Lopez is a class act in every way.
Enjoy
When a guy says he is 80 to 85% sure he is going somewhere, how is it blowing it out of proportion to say he's having second thoughts?
Lenny_V, because as is all things in life, nothing is certain except death and taxes. In his manner of speaking he vocalized that uncertainty.
How is the kids 3 point shot looking. Is he still knocking them down?
Lenny, 10 to 15 percent uncertainty isn't exactly a high degree of doubt, is it? In his vernacular, at the middle of the week, he was almost certain he'd sign with the Rebels. It just might have sounded much, much, much worse than it was. Not really as big of a deal as some have made it. And he found out how to express exactly what he means a little better. In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal.
equals, Carlos's 3-point shot is looking good. He's taking them with confidence, which is half the game with those.
But in the low post he's stellar. Friday, he was converting textbook spin moves around assistant coach Todd Simon, pushing back with a football blocking pad, and going to the rim hard and slamming with authority.
He has a very good left hand, too.
His stock is big-time on the rise.
Good, I look forward to seeing him in red. It's still a long way off and anything can happen.
Good stuff Rob,
I have really enjoyed the increased coverage and the new site for Rebel Sports. I especially enjoy how attentive you have been in making comments about the story. Keep up the great work!
I'm excited about the players the Rebels have coming in this year and next. Go Rebs and Good luck Carlos.
Guys, it's gonna be a heckuva next couple seasons. Thing is, though, it didn't just happen. This is Kruger's blueprint, and it's going to script. Bigger and better, and I sense this is just going to keep building. I can see a Final Four soon for this program, but I believe Kruger has multiple F4 runs in his vision.
We will be there every step of the way!
thanks
Now I have to put a disclaimer on this, it is just second hand rumor, but I heard Lopez has "one and done" potential. The "source" said that there is still work to be done, but with his consistent progress, a year with Kruger and Lopez could be moving on to the NBA.
Any truth to this Rob?
What's the scoop on Okonji and Rudd? Isn't Okonji a Junior? How much of an influence is Lopez on Okonji looking at UNLV?