re: How good is Darcy Malone?

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Gonna go out on a limb here and say he is as strong as any 7 footer in college right now. He is more muscular than Shaq at same age. Definitely well over 220, imo

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Assuming that picture is him. I have my doubts.

Having a legit backup C is a need. Malone will be able to spell Odo anf keep Martin, Mickey, and most importantly JOB at the PF.

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Pepper63

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Welcome to the board! I'm excited to see how he'll progress while at LSU.

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Yes that is Darcy in all the pics posted. He has put on some size in the last six months in preparation for LSU. He has played in various numbers; 7, 10, 11, 22, 23, depending on the team. ACT refers to Australian Capital Territory which is the State team he played for. He sat the SAT not the ACT and got good scores. Darcy is already at LSU and is excited about the challenges ahead of him.

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I was about to come to the rescue on all these coomments. haha.

I have kept up with Darcy very well over the past few months. He has played under all sorts of numbers, especially because Aussie basketball is different. He has played on numerous teams and such, even if under the same ACT name.

I am very excited about Darcy Malone and I feel like he will contribute early. At first we thought he could be a redshirt prospect, but I know Coach Jones has already made comment to the contrary. He is expected to play early and somewhat often. I wouldn't be surprised to see his numbers similar to ADP's in a similar role, but their game's are very different.

Darcy is quick and nimble for a 7'er. He will catch people off guard with his speed and athleticism. He may not have all the tools to be an immediate big impact type player, but once he fills out and continues to work on his post moves, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

I could easily see Malone playing in the NBA one day and I think he will have a very capable staff showing him how to get there. The more I see of his game film (I've watched 4 games of his) I come to know the biggest thing that will be needed for him to improve is a mentality change. He needs to work on becoming more active without the ball. He will learn a ton very quickly under Coach Jones and his future looks very bright.

He did make it to Baton Rouge about 10 days ago and he should already have started with some LSU organized practice. While I have not confirmed that, I know that NCAA rules allow coaches to work with freshman as soon as they start classes and I believe (NOW CONFIRMED) he has started attending classes as of Monday.

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SouthOfSouth

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Great Post.

A little over a week ago, I saw Darcy on campus walking around with what looked to be a tour guide or some university guy. He definitely looked the part of a big time basketball player and seemed really enthralled by the facilities as he was walking around on campus near the track, pmac, and stadium.

I will say the biggest difference between the two players is athleticism and agility. That makes Malone's ceiling sky high. If he adds a little more to his upper frame, he is what looks like a very capable athlete who can be molded to what Jones feels will help him advance his career.

I was joking about the comparison thing. Think it's funny that del Piero is the first guy he's compared to as I see two completely different players with race being the only real consistency between the two.

Malone shows a little mid-range game and is already far more advanced than Del Piero ever will be in terms of ball skills and athletic coordination. On the other hand, del Piero is not just 7-feet, but about 7-2 or 7-3, isn't he? He's beyond just a 7-footer and enters that "freakishly tall" category, even for a basketball center.

Andrew's game was more similar to some African players you see coming over with very little organized hoops background, but with raw size and length that make it worth investing in them as projects. Malone looks like more of a typical international in terms of coming from a country with a well-established player development system that plays different style than the US game, thus forcing him to have to adjust to the American game.

He has decent ball skills and shooting ability, but work is needed in upper body strength and the more aggressive, take-it-to-the-rim American style.

If he's comparable to anybody I've seen in recent years, it's the big Oglivy kid Vanderbilt had a few years ago. Also out of the Australian system. Roughly the same height (I think Oglivy was 6-11). Got up to close to 250, which it looks like Malone may get to as he naturally matures and hits the weight room. Oglivy didn't have a great face-up game, but I remember him being able to hit a mid-range shot, similar to what I see from Malone. Both have a little jump hook.

I think LSU would be happy if he's a another Andrew Oglivy, to be honest. He was a good SEC player, a marginal NBA prospect and a solid international player.