HS Class of 2014 Updates

[RiseAndGrind]

Roby doesn't even play a true PG. So that's really good to see.

Chiozza and Roby in the backcourt is almost unfair in HS.

With Leron Black in the front court.

Almost like having Paul White, Okafor, and Reynolds.

Damn. It's nice having recruits on nationally ranked teams.

[JettFlight5]

With Leron Black in the front court.

Almost like having Paul White, Okafor, and Reynolds.

Damn. It's nice having recruits on nationally ranked teams.

Why yes, yes it is.

May not be quite as fun for the coaches who have to play said teams.

[Dwayne's_World]

Have we ever had this many recruits from nationally ranked high school teams before?

[AlumniFan]

I am really getting excited about the incoming recruiting class. There will be a lot of youth next year, but high quality youth. Sure to be some frustrating moments, but a lot of excitement too. These are good times for Billiken nation.

P.S. A big thanks to Pistol for the outstanding and consistent recruiting intelligence!

[almaman]

I am really getting excited about the incoming recruiting class. There will be a lot of youth next year, but high quality youth. Sure to be some frustrating moments, but a lot of excitement too. These are good times for Billiken nation.

P.S. A big thanks to Pistol for the outstanding and consistent recruiting intelligence!

Indeed thanks Pistol. kind of interesting both of our high profile (team wise) recruits are the 3rd star on their teams!

[RUBillsFan]

With Leron Black in the front court.

Almost like having Paul White, Okafor, and Reynolds.

Damn. It's nice having recruits on nationally ranked teams.

I wonder if having these recruits from nationally ranked teams will pay dividends down the line as well. For example, with some of these HS teams getting games on ESPN, SLU gets mentioned as a destination for one of their players - maybe another HS kid or younger is watching and learns about SLU as a possible destination. Alternatively, younger kids at Whitney Young or White Station now have SLU on their radar and already know a friendly face on campus because of Reynolds and Roby. It might not be much, but it can't hurt.

[Old guy]

I think one of the invisible benefits from having recruits from nationally ranked HS teams comes from having our name in the mix when the next year class starts deciding where to go. Take Whitney Young for example, I know Reynolds mentions SLU and the Billikens (and "Rise of the Billikens") in his tweets, and almost certainly talks about SLU with his friends in the team. When underclass kids from Whitney Young come up to decision time in the future they already have a favorable impression of SLU as an acceptable place to go to, because of Reynolds. I can only see this kind of thing as a build up of good will towards our program among underclass kids in these elite basketball schools. I think the overall effect may be very favorable for SLU in the long run.

[Pistol]

Tried to get a MacArthur-Danville score from last night, but still haven't found one. So if anyone knows how MacArthur and Bartley did last night, that'd be cool.

[ACE]

I saw a bit of the replay of the Whitney Young game last night. Reynolds opened the game hitting a nice fade-away 3 from the corner. The announcer, who I don't know who it was, praised Reynolds and the SLU program. Reynolds also had a nice drive, some good passes, took a charge and had a rebound in traffic. He played a little point, but mostly the 2. He shot one terrible air-ball three pointer in the second quarter, oh well.

I've seen Roby and Reynolds a few times each on tv which is pretty cool. I don't expect either to walk in and be stars, but my take-away is that they can each compete with and against high level talent. When you watch these games, sometimes you forget you are watching high school teams. These guys are used to playing on tv in front of big crowds and going on the road. They should be well prepared to make the transition to college basketball.

[doowop]

I wonder if having these recruits from nationally ranked teams will pay dividends down the line as well. For example, with some of these HS teams getting games on ESPN, SLU gets mentioned as a destination for one of their players - maybe another HS kid or younger is watching and learns about SLU as a possible destination. Alternatively, younger kids at Whitney Young or White Station now have SLU on their radar and already know a friendly face on campus because of Reynolds and Roby. It might not be much, but it can't hurt.

Just like some on this board are now paying attention to Whiney Young and White Station. Name familiarity can help a lot. Ordinarily we would not be talking about or want to watch those teams. What you stated is correct and I hope we benefit by getting more attention and commitments from better players throughout the country.

[kwyjibo]

Tried to get a MacArthur-Danville score from last night, but still haven't found one. So if anyone knows how MacArthur and Bartley did last night, that'd be cool.

From AP: Decatur MacArthur vs. Danville, ppd. to Feb 8.

[Bizziken]

Tried to get a MacArthur-Danville score from last night, but still haven't found one. So if anyone knows how MacArthur and Bartley did last night, that'd be cool.

NM- above post covers it

[Box and Won]

The announcer, who I don't know who it was, praised Reynolds and the SLU program.

Former Majerus assistant Paul Biancardi has been the color guy for all the WY games I've watched this year, and he always talks up the program. He's also tweeted about how SLU is getting a good one in Reynolds.

[Pistol]

From AP: Decatur MacArthur vs. Danville, ppd. to Feb 8.

That would explain it. Bartley and Jolly are the trickiest to find solid information on; the other three, all very easy. STLtoday has become a great source relative to other cities' newspaper sites when it comes to HS stats, box scores, and so forth. Not the easiest to navigate, not the best layout, but the information is excellent once you get to it.

[TheChosenOne]

Yeah, they're an awesome HS team. No shame in losing to the #1 team in the country by 7.

The video on Roby is great. He's got a great frame and plays with a lot of poise. Seeing comparisons above to both Jett and Liddell makes sense; neither of those guys ever look the least bit shaken (Tommie, maybe to an extreme degree). Roby has that same demeanor on the floor. Totally unselfish, totally cool, totally fine with not being "the man" out there when he would be the star of most other HS teams. At least that's my scouting report on a pretty small sample size.

I don't see the Tommie comparison with Roby. From what I have seen Roby is a strong physical guard and real good athlete, but a little deficient from a talent standpoint. I don't mean that to be harsh, he is a young kid with a lot of potential.

[EMS67]

White Station will be on ESPNU again Saturday at 2:00 pm. Another chance to see Roby and get some national pub.

[Pistol]

I don't see the Tommie comparison with Roby. From what I have seen Roby is a strong physical guard and real good athlete, but a little deficient from a talent standpoint. I don't mean that to be harsh, he is a young kid with a lot of potential.

I meant more from a floor personality standpoint, and I think the previous comparison did, too. In terms of his game, we haven't had a lot of players that look quite like him. You're right, a lot of potential. But I'm not quite sure what kind of player he'll be for us. He's intriguing.

[TheChosenOne]

I meant more from a floor personality standpoint, and I think the previous comparison did, too. In terms of his game, we haven't had a lot of players that look quite like him. You're right, a lot of potential. But I'm not quite sure what kind of player he'll be for us. He's intriguing.

That makes sense, I should have read the posts before commenting. We really haven't had many big guards like the kids we have coming.

[slufan13]

I haven't been paying super close attention so forgive me if this is an obvious answer, but are any of these guys regarded as knock down shooters from the perimeter? Who is considered the best shooter of the group?

[Pistol]

I haven't been paying super close attention so forgive me if this is an obvious answer, but are any of these guys regarded as knock down shooters from the perimeter? Who is considered the best shooter of the group?

Bartley shoots a lot from the perimeter because he's the primary scoring option on a so-so high school team. I don't have a sense of what his percentage is, but he has a very easy - if unorthodox - stroke from deep.

Reynolds shoots a lot from the perimeter, too, but has been very hot and cold this season. He's gone 4-6 in some games and 0-7 in others. He's shot as many as 10 three-pointers in games this season. He's certainly not afraid to shoot, but we'd definitely like to see more consistency. I bet he's at about 30%.

Roby doesn't shoot as much as the other two. He's on a loaded team, like Reynolds, but isn't as assertive with his own shooting. He's more comfortable taking it to the rim than Reynolds. Bartley also scores at the rim a lot - again, for lack of other scorers on his team.

So who's the best? I don't know. They all shoot it, though. Even Gillmann takes a three-pointer or two a game. Welmer (now a 2015 name) is a big man who loves to shoot from outside.

[TheChosenOne]

Bartley shoots a lot from the perimeter because he's the primary scoring option on a so-so high school team. I don't have a sense of what his percentage is, but he has a very easy - if unorthodox - stroke from deep.

Reynolds shoots a lot from the perimeter, too, but has been very hot and cold this season. He's gone 4-6 in some games and 0-7 in others. He's shot as many as 10 three-pointers in games this season. He's certainly not afraid to shoot, but we'd definitely like to see more consistency. I bet he's at about 30%.

Roby doesn't shoot as much as the other two. He's on a loaded team, like Reynolds, but isn't as assertive with his own shooting. He's more comfortable taking it to the rim than Reynolds. Bartley also scores at the rim a lot - again, for lack of other scorers on his team.

So who's the best? I don't know. They all shoot it, though. Even Gillmann takes a three-pointer or two a game. Welmer (now a 2015 name) is a big man who loves to shoot from outside.

It is probably easiest just to say Reynold and Roby are not high level shooters at this point. We are getting fairly well rounded guards with size. I like that they buy into understanding their role and do what their teams need them to do to win. There is no reason both can't become solid shooters once they get to college though.

[Pistol]

I found stats from Roby's AAU season; he shot about 30% from deep. Took about 2 per game.

[Pistol]

Revisiting the video on Roby, there isn't any footage of him taking threes with someone on him. He takes a big step into his shot, so he might not really look for it from deep unless he's wide open. He's got a fairly conventional stroke otherwise, except that he has such long, strong arms for a HS guard. He looks more natural going to the basket, and has a long stride and really finishes strong. Really explosive, quick leap, too. He gets up.

Chiozza is about as pure a PG you'll see at the HS level, too. He's fun to watch.

[Cowboy]

I saw parts of two games from Roby, so this is just a snapshot impression. Looks like he is athletic enough and committed to playing defense that he could find a role next year. I saw him hit a three and his free throw stroke looked pretty good, but he doesn't appear to be a great natural scorer. It looks like that will have to develop. He has good court vision and made some nice passes. The announcers said he was the "captain" of the team. At this point more of a glue guy than a potentail star. He reminded me more of Femi than Jordair. Probably a 2/3 who could start out as a defensive stopper. The kind of guy who could guard the Khalif Wyatt/Semaj Christon type players.

Saw some video of Bartley from the Collinsville tournament. Needs a LOT of work in the weight room, but extremely quick. Excellent passer and appears to be the best suited of our recruits to be a point guard. He looks to score more than Roby. Shot some deep threes, but not a great natural shooter at this point. Pretty good taking it to the hoop.

Having seen Reynolds a couple time on the tube, he seems best suited to be a shooting guard. Good looking 3-point and free throw stroke. He doesn't seem to love defending the way Roby does.

They all seem to offer something a little different. Hopefully AM and AY form a solid tandem to give the freshmen guards some time to develop. At least two of them will need to provide some good bench minutes next year.

BTW, Reynolds is on ESPNU today and Roby will be on Jan. 25. Nice to have some players on high profile programs.

-i think the Femi comparison to Roby is much better, thanks for that

[Pistol]

I'm revisiting the video on Bartley now: he might be the purest shooter of the trio, and my hunch is that he'd be shooting the highest percentage. As many of you have seen by now, he's a very skinny 6-4, but also extremely fluid. He springs a little more in his shot and has a quick release. It comes a little closer to his right side and from a little lower than I'd like to see if I'm looking at it from a textbook shooting standpoint, but his length and quick trigger may compensate for the lower release point. He's got a really long follow-through. If he's from NBA range or deeper, he also brings it from farther back. But it seems effective, and one more thing I really like is that he isn't fazed by defenders closing out; there are a lot of highlights of him drilling well-guarded threes. Very confident shooter. This highlight video is probably the best one-stop place to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF8RTFZo714