Tyler Rawson Commits to Southern Utah

Southern Utah got a commitment last week from 6'8'' forward Tyler Rawson, the first recruit for their 2014 class. Rawson's stats as a junor do not jump off the page - he averaged 9.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.2 APG - but his scouting reports say good things about him.

ESPN ranks him as a 3 star recruit, and there are not a lot of guys rated that highly that come to the Big Sky. Here is their scouting report on him:

Strengths:
Rawson has a decent frame with good length and he is fairly bouncy as well. He has excellent timing (quick off the floor) around the basket and a nice overall feel for the game. He has good feet, nice pivot moves, and excellent fundamentals. He understands how to seal opponents and he knows how to run the pick-and-roll or the pick-and-pop. He has soft hands and a nice shooting touch out to the elbow to boot.

Weaknesses:
Rawson needs to continue to add strength. He has solid length, but he does have narrow shoulders. He needs to continue to add strength to finish through contact and while rebounding in the paint.

Bottom Line:
Rawson is a good looking 4-man for the next level. He has the skills, basketball IQ, and savvy, to be an excellent prospect for the mid-to-high major level.

His athleticism is evident when looking at his football stats. As of this post, he was sixth in the country with almost 17 tackles per game, playing the linebacker position. Now that is impressive!

By himself, Rawson is not a program-changing recruit. But he looks to have the ability to be an above average starter, and maybe even an all-conference type of player by the end of his career. He has skills and athletic ability to be an impact player, and his recruitment is a good sign for Nick Robinson in year two of his tenure. The Thunderbirds may struggle this season, but the arrow is pointing up.

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