Travis Ford is rolling on the recruiting trail. 6’10 Brock Vice out of Houston HS in Memphis, TN committed to the Billikens just a few days after Camden, NJ point guard Cian Medley became the first Billiken commit of 2023.
110% Team Blue!! St. Louis what’s up!! 💙🖤 #comitted pic.twitter.com/4ZczkI1GTr
— Brock Vice (@brock_vice) August 9, 2022
Vice is solidly built at 6’10 and 230 pounds. He is a skilled big with an inside-out game. He’s a good shooter out to the three point line and is particularly effective in the pick-and-pop game. However, he is also sturdy low-post presence both offensively and defensively.
6’10 skilled PF Brock Vice highlights from Adidas Indy with the Arkansas Hawks! #3SSB @brock_vice @ArkansasHawks pic.twitter.com/1pB4OF39QH
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) April 9, 2022
Vice averaged 13.9 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 1.9 blocks per game for the Arkansas Hawks on the Adidas SSB circuit this summer. His 9.9 rebounds per game was good for 5th on the circuit. Additionally, Vice averaged 0.94 points per possession, making him the 5th most efficient scorer on the SSB circuit.
The adidas #3SSB Championship wrapped up a little over a week ago. Here’s a look back at this season’s most efficient scorers: pic.twitter.com/GqHzwaMjKM
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) August 4, 2022
Vice will add a versatility to the Billikens front court that it hasn’t had in years. He moves well enough and provides enough spacing to play the 4, but is sturdy enough to man the 5 as well. He’ll allow Ford to experiment with 5 out sets, and gives SLU its first pick-and-pop threat in a long time. Vice’s fellow 2023 commit Medley is already a fan:
@brock_vice this pick and pop about to be lethal bro!
— CianMedley (@treyballc) August 9, 2022
SLU will have to replace a lot after this season, with Javonte Perkins, Javon Pickett, Francis Okoro and Jake Forrester all exhausting their eligibility. Further, it’ll be the fourth year of eligibility for Yuri Collins, Gibson Jimerson and Terrence Hargrove. With the commitments of Medley and Vice, Travis Ford shows that he’s not rebuilding, he’s reloading.
SLU looks to be working on locking down a core of productive, tough, high-character freshmen who can be multi-year contributors. If SLU can combine its fall commits with a strong portal haul this spring (hopefully after a big 2022-23 season), it will be set up very well for the future.
