UW Hoops Chasing Another International Recruit

Looks like there may be more international recruits that Paul Fortier is scouting and recruiting over in Europe than just Marek Soucek and Joey Van Zegeren.

I first heard about it from Jim Basnight over at huskydigest.com but EuropeanProspects.com has confirmed that UW is for sure interested in William Howard from France and possibly Livio Jean-Charles also from France.

William Howard is listed as 6’6 and plays small forward. He is not exactly the big man we were necessarily looking for but has the versatility to play in the paint and to make shots from outside. He would fit into the system but would not be the guy to take over for Matthew Bryan-Amaning. He would be more of a flex-option in the smaller line-up sets that UW tends to run.

Livio Jean-Charles on the other-hand is listed at 6’8 and 210 pounds and plays the power-forward position. He loves to finish around the rim and can score in the paint. Here is what DraftExpress.com had to say about him earlier in the year:

"Offensively, most of his touches come in transition, cutting off the ball and crashing the offensive glass. In the half-court, INSEP likes to get him the ball in the mid-post, where he can use his strong first step to overpower his man off a single dribble and finish effectively around the basket. Somewhat limited when stepping out further onto the perimeter, Jean-Charles is not a great ball-handler and sports a very ugly looking jumper both with his feet set and particularly off the dribble.Livio Jean-Charles of France (image courtesy of euroleague.net)This might be the main thing holding him back long-term as even though his future seems to be on the wing, he doesn’t possess a very high skill-level at this stage, being mostly relegated to hustle plays around the rim.Nevertheless, Jean-Charles is a very effective player at this level, as he not only has a big motor, but is also a smart, unselfish player who moves the ball very well in his team’s half-court offense.Defensively, he’s versatile enough to guard multiple positions, and puts a great effort in, looking extremely active at all times. With that said, there are some questions about whether he possesses the size and bulk to defend high-level power forwards down the road."

As this recruiting period closes down in ten days look for those last two spots to find homes soon. And it looks like they may just find one of those players over in Europe. As they are now chasing down 4 different players, 2 in Spain, and 2 in France.

I will continue to track down all the recruiting buzz in America and try to follow the dust trail that Coach Fortier is leaving through Europe.