Sometimes Twitter is right and sometimes it's really wrong. I mentioned this on Sunday, but last Thursday, I was seeing some things about a small forward out of California, Merv Lindsay, possibly committing to Texas Tech. I stuck these rumblings at the end of the C Kader Tapsoba post. As of Sunday, Scout reported that Lindsay signed a letter of intent and he makes the 9th commitment of the 2011 Texas Tech men's basketball class. Let's get to it.
The Measurables:
MERV LINDSAY
Position: SF
DTN Profile
Video: Clip 1 | Clip 2
Rivals Profile N/A
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile77
Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 188 lbs
High School: Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley, CA)
More good-good after the jump.
The Player Speaks: Prior to his senior year, Lindsay was interviewed by what I assume is his hometown newspaper and the article mentions that Lindsay is 6-6/200 while everything else I've seen says that he's 6-5/180-188. Anyway, here's some snippets:
Q: Who is your favorite basketball player of all time? Do you have a favorite NBA team? Is there a certain athlete that really inspires you to continue to improve your game?
A: [My favorite] player of all time is Kobe [Bryant]. Of course, my favorite team is the Lakers. The one player that inspires me to continue to improve is Kobe. Just the fact he comes back [every year] with a new weapon to use is amazing. I try to do the same.
Snip.
Q: Since you are still a student athlete, how difficult is it to balance school and basketball? Is there any colleges you are hoping to get recruited by?
A: It's not difficult for me at all honestly. In my house, it has always been books then sports so I can thank my parents for that. As far as recruitment goes, the schools I've been hearing from are Depaul and San Diego State. Yes, the early signing period has passed but I will sign in the late period once my parents, my aau coach, and I sit down and decide on the best place for me.
I haven't seen anything that's free, but can and will post when available.
The Video: There's two videos worth watching, the first is Lindsay's highlights and the second is an interview:
Mervyn Lindsay: 09-10 CSHS Highlight Tape (Raw Film) (via inlandBasketball2010)
Q&A With Merv Lindsay (6'5 2011, Undecided) Canyon Springs HS (Moreno Valley, CA) (via NextLevelConnect)
Scouting Report: From my limited viewing of Lindsay's game, he seems like he has a good outside shot, but I haven't found any statistics to back that up, and of course, a highlight video is just going to have made baskets. Lindsay does look like a smooth athlete where he's still growing into his frame, he looks fairly athletic, but I didn't see him dunk (I'm sure he can) in his highlight video. I'd also be remiss if I didn't quote the ESPN profile of Lindsay's game:
Strengths:
Lindsay has grown a few inches in the last year and it appears he may not be done as he is a young looking prospect. His frame is outstanding with long arms and he has soft hands. The left-hander has a smooth stroke out to 22-feet, especially in a catch and shoot situation. In addition, he is an astute passer who can find the open man in the half court site.Weaknesses:
Although his shot is smooth, it can be very streaky. In addition, he needs to show a greater urgency of getting open when defenders close out him. His ball skills are weak and he essentially doesn't have any signs of a mid-range game.Bottom line:
There are few players that have the size and shooting ability of Lindsay. If he can improve his energy level at both ends (doesn't like to guard) and add to his skill set (particularly his ball handling) he has a chance to be a solid player at the mid-major level.
The nice thing is that in the interview video with Lindsay, he acknowledges he needs to work on his defense, and I'm a big fan of an athlete or coach acknowledging their flaws, it makes me think that we're both seeing the same thing and it's nice to see that Lindsay know that he's got some work to do. I like that.
Merv, welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!
The 2012 Class: I guess Gillispie wanted 9 and maybe he'll just sign 12 players when it's all said and done (I'm kidding, but 9 players is a lot).
| Position | Commitment | Ht/Wt | High School/State | Rivals |
Scout |
ESPN |
ESPN Grade |
| PG | Kevin Wagner | 5-8/145 | Estacado (Lubbock, TX) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 88 |
| PG | Ty Nurse | 6-1/180 | Midland College (Midland, TX) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SG | Toddrick Gotcher | 6-3/185 | Lakeview Centennial (Garland, TX) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 88 |
| SF | Terran Petteway | 6-5/200 | Ball (Galveston, TX) | 3 | N/A | 3 | 91 |
| SF | Jaron Nash | 6-8/185 | Tyler J.C. (Tyler, TX) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SF | Merv Lindsay | 6-5/188 | Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley, CA) | N/A | N/A | 1 | 77 |
| PF | Jordan Tolbert | 6-7/210 | All Saints' Episcopal (Ft. Worth, TX) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 88 |
| PF | Hershey Robinson | 6-7/200 | Christian Life Center Academy (Humble, TX) | 2 | N/A | 2 | 87 |
| C | Kader Tapsoba | 6-10/200 | Tyler J.C. (Tyler, TX) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |