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The Cincinnati Bearcats finished this past season dead last in the American Athletic Conference in offensive field goal percentage (42.5%), so it was only natural for head coach Mick Cronin to recruit a shooter to bolster this year's offense. And with two years of college experience at the junior college level, the adjustment period for junior Farad Cobb shouldn't be as drastic as a first-year freshman looking for playing time.
Name: Farad Cobb
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165 lbs
Class: Junior (JUCO Transfer)
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Jersey Number: 21
But, history tells us that very few junior college players recruited by Cronin have stepped in and had a huge impact from day one. Part of that's directly related to the caliber of JUCO player Cronin was forced to recruit as he rebuilt Cincinnati basketball while the other part also has to do with the jump from junior college to high-level Division 1.
Enter Farad Cobb.
The skilled guard with a smooth touch has the potential to see the floor early with his three-point shooting prowess. Last year, he made over 51% of his field goals - including 46.3% from beyond the arc. Obviously, we expect that percentage to decrease while facing Division 1 defense, but for comparison's sake, Sean Kilpatrick made the long ball at a 34% clip. Is it fair to think Cobb could eclipse SK's 3-point percentage?
So what can we expect this year?
Cobb will have to learn on the fly here at Cincinnati if he expects to see the floor with regularity this year. But that's nothing new for the 6-foot guard. He's been overlooked and undervalued his entire career - which, I'm willing to bet, has put a chip on the young man's shoulder. A Bearcat with something to prove? Now that's a novel concept...
Surely, Cronin and team will add some weight/strength to the guard's frame, and he'll need it in order to do more than hit the occasional outside shot. If he's able to drive and finish or dish it at the rim, his impact this year will be greater than I'm originally predicting.
The competition at the guard spots isn't sparse, though: Troy Caupain, Ge'Lawn Guyn, Kevin Johnson, Deshaun Morman - heck, even Jermaine Sanders - could all see time in the backcourt. My hunch says he'll be the second or third option off the bench for Cronin this year.
There'll be minutes to go around, though, and if Cobb can get open and knock down his shot at a decent rate, it'll be tough to keep him off the court given his attitude and determination.