Josh Heath to GT

[Eric]

Former USF PG Josh Heath is transferring to GT.

 

[GTJason]

Rated 2 stars for CO 2013 by ESPN but their analysis of him sounds good

Strengths:
Heath is a sneaky quick and crafty lead guard that can get to the rim on the break. He also does a great job of finishing for his size with excellent touch and body control. Heath has a nice feel for the game and can make scoring plays for himself or others with his ability to slash, penetrate and drive and kick. Heath has a nice floater as well. Heath is a will passer with very good court vision as well. He can break full court pressure and run the half court offense where he does a good job moving the ball. Heath also did an good job pressure the ball.

Weaknesses:
Heath must add strength and work to make his jumper a consistent weapon to the arc. He must work to be shot ready in order to help him get his shot off quicker and increase his elevation.

Bottom Line:
Heath is a quick true point guard that can make plays on the break and in the half court with his ability to get into the lane where he can finish and pass. He can run the offense and hit short mid range jumpers but must work to improve his shot from beyond the arc in addition to adding strength. Heath has good upside and has the feel for the game needed to be an excellent all around lead guard.

 

[kg01]

Positive addition based on where we are. Now just need the big to pull the trigger.

 

[AE 87]

Just because it's Izzo nepotism doesn't mean it won't work out.

 

[305jacket]

So our guards next year:
PG:
Jorgenson
Corey
Heath? (if eligible)

SG:
Bolden
Tadric
Stacey

Not very intimidating, need Tadric to really step up.

 

[collegeballfan]

Per his dad he is immediately eligible. Now his dad is also on the lookout for a job. GT has an opening. Will it happen?
Will a former head be happy as an assistant?

 

[alaguy]

This is good.we will need all the talent we can collect next yr.

 

[yellowRambler]

Heath is eligible to play immediately, but he only averaged 2.6 ppg last season so don't get your hopes up.

EDIT:

i thought heath was grad student. He's a freshman. His dad got fired by USF so he could get waiver to play immediately.

Apparently he is a bad shooter, but is a game manager and true PG according to my friend at USF.

 

[GTrob21]

did somebody say bad shooter??? He will fit right in!

 

[collegeballfan]

62 assists vs 27 turnovers as I recall.

 

[awbuzz]

did somebody say bad shooter??? He will fit right in!

Just shot coca cola through my nose when I read that... Ouch

 

[forensicbuzz]

My question: Is he transferring as a scholarship player? Do we need another shot-less PG (a la Heyward) on scholarship?

I love the A/T ratio, but he has to be more than that or he'll be ineffective in the ACC. He can be a pass-first guy, but he needs to either be able to drop the jump shot or dribble penetrate. What's his size?

The above description of his game was from HS? What's the feedback after year in college?

 

[forensicbuzz]

Guess I can answer some of my own questions. 6'0", on scholarship. Apparently has some dribble penetration ability.

This whole situation reminds me of Darryll LaBarrie.

 

[Josh Nesbitt 4 Heisman]

Even if he can't shoot, he still has an awesome Afro....I like how he throws it old school! #BringBackTheFro

 

[kg01]

i thought heath was grad student. He's a freshman. His dad got fired by USF so he could get waiver to play immediately.

Apparently he is a bad shooter, but is a game manager and true PG according to my friend at USF.

Is he a bad shooter? Is there enough evidence to say one way or the other? He only played part of one season so I'd say we don't truly know yet. Hey, I'm leaning more to the positive side this week.

I hope he gets the waiver although, if it's up to the NCAA, who knows what they'll do. I'm sure there's precedent on the books to severely punish blatant academic fraud but .... well, no need to get into the UNC stuff again.

 

[IronJacket7]

I am not trying to be negative at all, but Gregory has lost me with his recruiting efforts. Off the beaten path of the Cremins and Hewitt days imo.

 

[GTJason]

Is he a bad shooter? Is there enough evidence to say one way or the other? He only played part of one season so I'd say we don't truly know yet. Hey, I'm leaning more to the positive side this week.

I hope he gets the waiver although, if it's up to the NCAA, who knows what they'll do. I'm sure there's precedent on the books to severely punish blatant academic fraud but .... well, no need to get into the UNC stuff again.

I don't know if he's a good shooter or not but he averaged 20 mins/game (340 mins total.) In a game against Houston at the end of the season he played 35 minutes and only attempted 1 shot which he missed. He had 8 assists which is great but he seems reluctant to shoot the ball kind of like Heyward. I like him as a smallish slashing PG but he's gotta be able to hit a layup every once in a while. Honestly our whole team needs professional help on shooting...

 

[kg01]

I am not trying to be negative at all, but Gregory has lost me with his recruiting efforts. Off the beaten path of the Cremins and Hewitt days imo.

I hear you. I don't think pointing out facts is necessarily being negative though. Sadly, at this point it's not even healthy to discuss it anymore.

To avoid insanity born of becoming a fan during the Lethal Weapon days, I have to view GT bball within the realm of where we are right now. In that realm, this is a good pickup for us. Much better than a hired gun IMHO.

 

[rbr]

college basketball has true parity and a 2-rated guard can do just as well in the ACC as a 4-star guard. Just look at the collection of 2 and 3 stars in the mid majors...did pretty well the past few years. I am well beyond counting stars in college basketball these days.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Always happy to pick up guys who can handle the rock. I was hoping we'd get someone who was a sharp shooter, a la Shaun Fein.