With Gonzaga seemingly searching high and low for a talented
wing player to add to the 2013 and 2014 classes, it’s been an eerily long time
since the Bulldogs have been linked to a Canadian prospect. With that being
said, I introduce to you Marial Shayok, a 6’6 guard/forward out of Ottawa,
Canada, who currently plays at Blair Academy in New Jersey. The first thing to
come to many people’s minds, when thinking of Canadian wing players, might be
names like; PMAC, Kong, and Arop. With this pattern of talented and extremely
hyped wing prospects crossing the border to play in Spokane, and ultimately not
leaving the impression most fans hoped for, skepticism and hesitance may run high.
However Shayok passes all the requisite eye and substance tests.
At 6’6 with
great length, Marial runs the court like a deer, and has athleticism that
allows him to finish above the rim. He has a great handle that allows him to
break his defender down off the dribble, and possesses a smooth shooting stroke.
This summer at the FIBA U17 world championships, he helped lead Canada to a 5th place finish, averaging an impressive 12 points and 6 rebounds on a balanced Canadian team. Shayok continued to improve his stock over the summer, playing on the EYBL circuit and has caught the attention of a couple big names schools. From an interview by NBEbasketball.com:
This summer at the FIBA U17 world championships, he helped lead Canada to a 5th place finish, averaging an impressive 12 points and 6 rebounds on a balanced Canadian team. Shayok continued to improve his stock over the summer, playing on the EYBL circuit and has caught the attention of a couple big names schools. From an interview by NBEbasketball.com:
“I am hearing from Illinois, Ohio State, Boston College [and] Purdue the most…Kentucky had contacted me a couple weeks ago and
since I’ve been a big fan of that school for a while, I’d say they would be the
favorites,” he said. “But, I am really considering every school.”
As of right now, Shayok appears to be flying under the radar
of recruiting analysts (although NBEbasketball.com has him ranked 33rd
in the 2014 class), but since he recently transferred to a prep school in the
states you can expect that to change quickly. Gonzaga has not been mentioned a
school that is recruiting him so far, but with a great tradition of Canadians
playing in Spokane, one could easily see a mutual interest.
EDIT: Shayok comes in at #4 on NorthPoleHoops.com's 2014 top Canadian players list, in front of Rivals top 150 players Kevin Zabo, Malcolm Duvivier, and Raynold Kasongo.
Here's some footage of Shayok from last year (found at 2:14 mark)
7 comments:
nice write up mark, interesting find. im intrigued!
Thanks Josh! I think he's a top 60 player just waiting to be discovered. The fact that the likes oh Kentucky, Ohio State, and Illinois are calling says a lot about his potential. I hope he's one the Zags go after cause I think we have an incredible asset in the pipeline from Canada, and that allows us to nab some great under the radar talent! Gonzaga's reputation for being a Canadian basketball haven is well known up here, and I really think can give us the upper hand in some recruiting battles.
Very interesting. I am thrilled we have a guy with boots on the ground up in Canada who can give us extra special peeks at potential prospects.
Any idea if Pangos can help suade this guy into coming to Spokane? I tried like heck to get Pangos to help get Anthoney Bennett to come here....fail, lol.
Oh well, we knew it was slim to none on Bennett.
But hey, with that spectacular video the GU guys produced going viral maybe Spokane becomes the place to be.
I really do think Pangos can play a role in recruiting Canadian prospects. There is tons of Canadian basketball pride up here, and a real sense of comradery. More and more you see Canadians players, choosing schools where a fellow countryman is playing or has committed. I'd say with the exception of Andrew Wiggins, Pangos might even sort of be the face of the Canadian youth basketbal movement. Where I think Gonzaga needs to capitalize is getting involved with these players early in the recruiting process, preferably before they come to the states and start to blow up.
Can he play D?
By all accounts, he gets after it on the defensive end.
"His length and lateral foot speed make him a potentially elite defender as well as a potential go-to option on the offensive end." - NBEbasketball.com
Averaged 1.5 steals per game at the World Championships.
Per Garrett Tucker: "Marial Shayok, a 2014 wing from Blair Academy (NJ), lists offers from Villanova, Gonzaga, Boston College, Dayton, Illinois, Purdue & Bradley"
Very excited that we offered!
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