'11 JUCO C Kiel Turpin (Florida State Verbal)

[wadc45]

Height: 6-foot-11

Lincoln Junior College

Turpin is a fast riser - Sports - The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

DANVILLE - Two years ago, Kiel Turpin was thinking about giving up basketball.

He was growing so fast, his abilities were not able to keep up with his growth.

"I didn't know that I was going to grow six inches in a year," he said. "I was having problems with every part of my game."

Lincoln College coach Kirk Whiteman and Normal West boys basketball coach Brian Cupples can testify to that.

"I went to see him practice last year at Normal West," Whiteman said. "They threw the ball into Kiel, he turned and shot an air ball. I was kind of wondering what I was doing there, and Brian starts clapping. I didn't understand it.

"He then tells me that a year ago, Kiel wouldn't have even caught the basketball."

Whiteman decided to take a chance on a 6-foot-11 lanky kid that was still trying to grow into his body.

On Saturday night, Whiteman’s gamble paid off in spades.

Turpin scored a game-high 21 points as the Lincoln Lynx captured the NJCAA Division II National Championship with a 71-60 victory over the Cincinnati State Surge.

And for his efforts, Turpin, who averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks this week, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Continued...

Kiel Turpin Gets Visit from Thad Matta

4/20/2010

Kiel Turpin, son of Kentucky great Melvin Turpin, has been getting more and more attention over the last couple of weeks. The 6'11" center at Lincoln Junior College has opened a lot of eyes recently, including Ohio State University's Thad Matta. Matta visited Turpin yesterday as it was the first visit from Ohio State. Turpin's stock is on the rise and I am sure Kentucky will be really interested in Turpin. Turpin will be eligible for D1 after the fall semester and will be ready to play after Christmas.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2A62t_fAUk]YouTube - KIEL TURPIN[/ame]

 

[korchiki]

Interesting to see how this one plays out. I always think back the the NC game when Florida had 3-4 guys to put fouls against Oden. His size alone makes him intriguing.

 

[Cavfan89]

Is he a 2010 recruit or 2011 recruit? It says he would be eligible to play after Christmas, but I'm not sure how exactly that would work out.

 

[korchiki]

Is he a 2010 recruit or 2011 recruit? It says he would be eligible to play after Christmas, but I'm not sure how exactly that would work out.

2011. He would graduate early.

 

[osuteke]

Is Kentucky thin with all their early departures? Just trying to gauge the likelihood of them offering him..

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

Is Kentucky thin with all their early departures? Just trying to gauge the likelihood of them offering him..

kentucky is thin. especially relevant to turpin is that calipari will be limited underneath if neither cj leslie nor terrence jones commits. both are power forwards. as it stands right now, only josh harrellson (whom matta considered a couple years ago) and enes kanter will be post-oriented players for the wildcats. even if one of the two aforementioned blue-chippers commits to kentucky, i will be surprised if calipari doesn't go after another interior player. then again, he may not want to if there aren't any ready-to-go power forwards or centers remaining among the juco ranks. i don't know if turpin is quite there yet. his scarecrow build is anything but ideal.

 

[buckeydoptimist]

He would fit our needs much better actually. Particularly if he isn't eligible until xmas at the earliest. KY can use bodies now, not eligible 2nd semester, with all their losses inside. Thad doesn't need him until the 2011/2012 season after Lauds is gone and Sully may be gone too.

He could even just redshirt next year to save the eligibility. He wouldn't be needed much with Sully, Lauds, D.Thomas and D.Lighty all still here. he could work on getting bigger and stronger next year and then have 3 more full seasons to play.

:osu:

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

He would fit our needs much better actually. Particularly if he isn't eligible until xmas at the earliest. KY can use bodies now, not eligible 2nd semester, with all their losses inside. Thad doesn't need him until the 2011/2012 season after Lauds is gone and Sully may be gone too.

there isn't a vast difference between kentucky and ohio state in regards to their needs for another post player. like ohio state, kentucky currently has only two interior players who are projected to play decent minutes next year. though the gap between sullinger and lauderdale may not be as great as the gap between kanter and harrellson, i expect that kanter will account for more minutes than sullinger will.

furthermore, both teams may lose each of their key post players after this season. though kanter presents a greater likelihood for early departure than sullinger, both are a risk. also, harrellson and lauderdale will be playing their final seasons next year. therefore, both program are in dire need for post players for the 2011 season. matta cannot assume that sullinger will be around for more than one season, and calipari definitely cannot make the same assumption.

taking off my scarlet glasses, i can see that both programs present an attractive situation for turpin. when one considers that kiel's father played at kentucky, it should be at least a small surprise if ohio state secures turpin's commitment.

 

[AKAK]

i don't know if turpin is quite there yet. his scarecrow build is anything but ideal.

Well, he did (according to the article) just have a (vertical) growth spurt not too long ago. (Unless I'm misunderstanding)

Having said that, I tend to think he's still, umm, filling out more than likely.

So, my response to "scarecrow build" is 3 letters-- D.N.A.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

i don't know if turpin is quite there yet. his scarecrow build is anything but ideal.

Well, he did (according to the article) just have a (vertical) growth spurt not too long ago. (Unless I'm misunderstanding)

Having said that, I tend to think he's still, umm, filling out more than likely.

So, my response to "scarecrow build" is 3 letters-- D.N.A.

hence my use of the word "yet" and the use of the present tense in the second quoted sentence.

also, the growth spurt happened a little more than a couple years ago. he's had plenty of time to gain size. that being stated, i certainly expect that turpin will increase his weight while playing division one ball. then again, illinois fans probably thought the same thing about...

 

[AKAK]

hence my use of the word "yet" and the use of the present tense in the second quoted sentence.

also, the growth spurt happened a little more than a couple years ago. he's had plenty of time to gain size. that being stated, i certainly expect that turpin will increase his weight while playing division one ball. then again, illinois fans probably thought the same thing about...

Well, we could debate the relative value of a comma there rather than a period, but it would bore me.

Anyway, as to Tisdale, I really don't know what his dad looks like... but, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess his nickname wasn't "Dinner Bell."

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

Anyway, as to Tisdale, I really don't know what his dad looks like... but, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess his nickname wasn't "Dinner Bell."

melvin was known for his size largely because of the eating problems during his professional career. as a result, his time in the nba was cut short. during his college years, however, he had a decent build but was definitely not a large guy. whether melvin's size was due more to genetics or simply to bad eating habits is beyond our knowledge. kiel has stated that he's tried very hard to gain weight but, in fact, lost about fifteen pounds during the season. perhaps if kiel and his father spoke to each other (they're more or less estranged), the son would take to his father's ways at the dinner table.

 

[AKAK]

melvin was known for his size largely because of the eating problems during his professional career. as a result, his time in the nba was cut short. during his college years, however, he had a decent build but was definitely not a large guy. whether melvin's size was due more to genetics or simply to bad eating habits is beyond our knowledge. kiel has stated that he's tried very hard to gain weight but, in fact, lost about fifteen pounds during the season. perhaps if kiel and his father spoke to each other (they're more or less estranged), the son would take to his father's ways at the dinner table.

Or, we could hire Tractor Traylor's mom to cook for him.

 

[wadc45]

Or, we could hire Tractor Traylor's mom to cook for him.

Or this guy's mom...

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Or this guy's mom...

Jesus Shuttlesworth's??


I don't see a need here. Go grab a 4 year guy. We have shown that we don't play the jucos and we havent had success there, especially late in the season. Lets go get a high school senior, instead of heading down a path that continues to not work for us.

If the concern is about next season and depth, we already have two jucos and transfers that I am sure can provide what Turpin can, and they are able to play all season. And can play in the 2011 season as well, as they will have eligibility left.

If the concern is those 2 might leave then you are just repeating the same process...