Brandenburg, Suggs, etc...

[courtside]

I read the comments below on Brandenburg....so...thought I would add some on him and Suggs.

SLU will definitely have to beat out BCS conference schools for Brandenburg. He did welll in tournaments head to head vs top centers, and where many top level D-1 coaches were present, in April. Now in May he is off to a solid start after Jayhawk Invitational this past weekend where the Eagles lost in Semis to KC Pump N Run(tourney champs).

Schools that have shown interest have been Wisconsin, Mizzou, Florida....UCLA and Kentucky visited him at school recently and are more of a wait and see how he does this summer.

SLU will have to beat out solid basketball schools to get Brandenburg. He isn't committed anywhere yet and is still open.

Suggs keeps getting new offers every weekend, including more this past weekend. His dad put the total offers count at 18 at this point. He had a good tournament in K.C. He just needs to get stronger, ...doing many things well. He is still open.

It was a good follow up event for exposure after these guys turned some heads at the huge tournaments earlier. This event was much smaller, 28 teams, but received plenty of exposure.

Mizzou of course, is recruiting several of the KC area plays rather hard, and is also recruiting Suggs and Brandenburg.

Abel Tillman played with the Eagles this weekend, and Jesse Perry continues to be a high energy solid player trying to play his way up out of mid-major status.

[slufanskip]

Now that we have a good coach RM should do as it was proposed that UB do to recruit. Offer all of them and give them 10 minutes to decide or pull the offer. We have to show these kids we are not waiting for them. That or offer the top 20 and the 1st 6 to committ are in.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H Waldman

Official Sponser of the Stemmler and Ahearn could and would have helped club.

[STLfan]

on Suggs and Brandenburg that basically says the same thing.

http://missouri.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=898&CID=670851

"Scott Suggs of the St. Louis Eagles put in a good day's work. The 6-foot-5 wing scored 25 points in an afternoon match-up. His shot was dropping and making buckets with little trouble.

As good as Suggs was, particularly off the bounce, the St. Louis area star is an underappreciated passer. It is no wonder why so many programs are doing what they can to land the talented, and versatile, wing. He brings another dimension to the table that few wings with his size has.

Suggs has 18 total offers, according to his father. Vanderbilt, Oregon and Colorado are the most recent programs to step up with a free education. The trio joins the likes of Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington, Georgia Tech and others.

Teammate John Brandenburg is a rare center prospect because more times than not, he is the first player to make it down the floor on both sides of the ball. His high energy serves him well as a defender and rebounder. Offensively, he's not bad but did seem to struggle with finishing the easy baskets.

Brandenburg has a short list and Wisconsin, Florida and Missouri are on it."

[VTIME]

Its the same analysis for Brandenburg every time. He either runs the floor hard or is very active. He doesnt finish however. It shows during the high school season too as he only averaged 8ppg last year. At 6'11 he should be able to score more than that if he's really a high major prospect. He should get that many points of putbacks every game. He definitely needs a mean streak If he gets it, then he would be a nice fit for SLU, if not he's really gonna disappoint somebody's program. Remember Josh Harrellson didnt play a lot of AAU, and then when he did, played on a low profile team with his friends.

[courtside]

>Its the same analysis for Brandenburg every time. He either

>runs the floor hard or is very active. He doesnt finish

>however. It shows during the high school season too as he

>only averaged 8ppg last year. At 6'11 he should be able to

>score more than that if he's really a high major prospect.

>He should get that many points of putbacks every game. He

>definitely needs a mean streak If he gets it, then he would

>be a nice fit for SLU, if not he's really gonna disappoint

>somebody's program. Remember Josh Harrellson didnt play a

>lot of AAU, and then when he did, played on a low profile

>team with his friends.

Thank goodness you don't do college recruiting.

[VTIME]

You are entitled to your opinion, but I still dont see the hype. Hype makes Kwame Brown the 1st pick the draft and Darko Milicic go ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and the rest of the great 2003 draft class. I HOPE he really fulfills his potential. I am a big area supporter. I want all the kids to do big things. I just dont see the hype. Thats just my opinion. I've just seen better over the years, even in this area. If anyone can get the best out of him, its probably Rick Majerus, and if the Bills land him, I'm behind him 100%. I would never hope he did bad at SLU so I could be right. I hope I'm wrong.

[courtside]

>You are entitled to your opinion, but I still dont see the

>hype. Hype makes Kwame Brown the 1st pick the draft and

>Darko Milicic go ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and

>the rest of the great 2003 draft class. I HOPE he really

>fulfills his potential. I am a big area supporter. I want

>all the kids to do big things. I just dont see the hype.

>Thats just my opinion. I've just seen better over the

>years, even in this area. If anyone can get the best out of

>him, its probably Rick Majerus, and if the Bills land him,

>I'm behind him 100%. I would never hope he did bad at SLU

>so I could be right. I hope I'm wrong.

And you are entitled to yours...we just don't agree. Let's stick to the topic. The topic is would player X be a good recruit for SLU. We aren't talking about players who jump to the NBA out of high school. We aren't talking about comparing player x to other years. Frankly, I am not sure if SLU can land him, and that would be too bad for SLU. I've seen a lot of these kids play a lot and others across the country. Whether or not Brandenburg would be a good recruit for SLU to try and get isn't a discussion imo.

I don't think you and I value the same attributes in some recruits.

And Thompson is being recruited at the 3 by the bigger players, and the 4 by the less talented teams. He needs to keep working on his abilities at the 3 inside and outside. As I said, SLU would be fortunate to land either one or both.

[VTIME]

Brandon Roy and Adam Morrison were 3 star prospects. The evaluators arent always right. Like I said, I just dont see the hype. I actually saw a regression in his game from sophomore to junior year. Nothing you're going to say is going to change my opinion, so lets just agree to disagree.

[courtside]

>Brandon Roy and Adam Morrison were 3 star prospects. The

>evaluators arent always right. Like I said, I just dont see

>the hype. I actually saw a regression in his game from

>sophomore to junior year. Nothing you're going to say is

>going to change my opinion, so lets just agree to disagree.

Believe me, no offense, but I am not trying to change your opinion. Evaluators are wrong plenty of times. Sometimes kids don't develop and sometimes they do based on many factors. There are reasons why some of the better programs in the country are following him closely and why some other solid hoops schools have offered him. The idea is to get kids with the most potential to help your college team, on and off of the court and develop them the best you can based on that potential. You tried to compare this to so many other things. This is about one kid and whether or not he would help SLU, ...and whether or not SLU will have to beat out some BCS schools to get him. The answer to both is yes.

[stlsfinest]

>And Thompson is being recruited at the 3 by the bigger

>players, and the 4 by the less talented teams. He needs to

>keep working on his abilities at the 3 inside and outside.

>As I said, SLU would be fortunate to land either one or

>both.

I think SLU has a very strong chance to get Thompson. He was interested in SLU when Brad was the coach. With Majerus at the helm, SLU is in his top 5. He has probably heard of RM's ability to develop PFs of his style.

I also think SLU has an excellent chance to get Jesse Perry.

[VTIME]

But would Brandenburg help SLU more than Harrellson. I say NO. Harrellson has shown he can be a big time scorer, Brandenburg never has. He runs the floor hard and could be an excellent hustle guy which is something every team needs, but Harrellson has the girth to defend the post. Yes Brandenburg could help SLU. I'm not arguing that. I'm just saying I dont agree with all the hype. I have nothing against him, I'm against the hype. If I had my pick in 2008 I go with Harrellson. I would not have a problem landing both as Harrellson would be a year in a different graduating class. Getting Brandenburg would make a statement as he is a top 100 player, but Rick Majerus didnt build his teams off of top 100 players. He built his team off of underrated guys like Josh Harrellson.

[courtside]

>But would Brandenburg help SLU more than Harrellson. I say

>NO. Harrellson has shown he can be a big time scorer,

>Brandenburg never has. He runs the floor hard and could be

>an excellent hustle guy which is something every team needs,

>but Harrellson has the girth to defend the post. Yes

>Brandenburg could help SLU. I'm not arguing that. I'm just

>saying I dont agree with all the hype. I have nothing

>against him, I'm against the hype. If I had my pick in 2008

>I go with Harrellson. I would not have a problem landing

>both as Harrellson would be a year in a different graduating

>class. Getting Brandenburg would make a statement as he is

>a top 100 player, but Rick Majerus didnt build his teams off

>of top 100 players. He built his team off of underrated guys

>like Josh Harrellson.

It's not hype...highly qualified coaches think he is worth their interest and time. Nobody is hyping him up. You are obsessed with recruiting rankings and high school stats.

[VTIME]

Active guys his size are hard to find. I understand that. He fills a need. Do I think he would ever start at a BCS school, no. If the Bills landed him in 2008 and no other big men, he might have a chance of starting as a freshman if Knollmeyer doesnt come along. It does not change the fact that he is what he is, an active, somewhat athletic big man that cant finish, and isnt a great shotblocker or rebounder. Most of the guys that play for high major schools were big time recruits. There is that bottom third on every team that rides the bench, some because they are overmatched. I think he would be in that group at a high major and a part-time player at a school like SLU. If he signs with SLU, I'm behind him 100%, but for now I'm not going to pretend like I think he's a great player. David Lee, Brian Cusworth, Alex Tyus, Randal Falker, Paul Miller, and Steven Hill were all better local big men than this kid. I felt like Grimes was overrated coming out of high school too and thus far he has proven me right, so I trust my judgement. And Grimes could actually finish.

[courtside]

>Active guys his size are hard to find. I understand that.

>He fills a need. Do I think he would ever start at a BCS

>school, no. If the Bills landed him in 2008 and no other big

>men, he might have a chance of starting as a freshman if

>Knollmeyer doesnt come along. It does not change the fact

>that he is what he is, an active, somewhat athletic big man

>that cant finish, and isnt a great shotblocker or

>rebounder. Most of the guys that play for high major

>schools were big time recruits. There is that bottom third

>on every team that rides the bench, some because they are

>overmatched. I think he would be in that group at a high

>major and a part-time player at a school like SLU. If he

>signs with SLU, I'm behind him 100%, but for now I'm not

>going to pretend like I think he's a great player. David

>Lee, Brian Cusworth, Alex Tyus, Randal Falker, Paul Miller,

>and Steven Hill were all better local big men than this kid.

> I felt like Grimes was overrated coming out of high school

>too and thus far he has proven me right, so I trust my

>judgement. And Grimes could actually finish.

You can trust your judgement all you like, again, don't care. We don't even agree on his current abilities, let alone his potential. We couldn't be further apart. And if this discussion evolves further, the list you and I disagree on could be very lengthy.

[courtside]

>Active guys his size are hard to find. I understand that.

>He fills a need. Do I think he would ever start at a BCS

>school, no. If the Bills landed him in 2008 and no other big

>men, he might have a chance of starting as a freshman if

>Knollmeyer doesnt come along. It does not change the fact

>that he is what he is, an active, somewhat athletic big man

>that cant finish, and isnt a great shotblocker or

>rebounder. Most of the guys that play for high major

>schools were big time recruits. There is that bottom third

>on every team that rides the bench, some because they are

>overmatched. I think he would be in that group at a high

>major and a part-time player at a school like SLU. If he

>signs with SLU, I'm behind him 100%, but for now I'm not

>going to pretend like I think he's a great player. David

>Lee, Brian Cusworth, Alex Tyus, Randal Falker, Paul Miller,

>and Steven Hill were all better local big men than this kid.

> I felt like Grimes was overrated coming out of high school

>too and thus far he has proven me right, so I trust my

>judgement. And Grimes could actually finish.

Take player names out of it. The majority of college Frosh do not start or play tons of minutes. Lisch and Liddell started and played a ton because SLU wasn't a good basketball team. And, they struggled mightily the first half of their Freshman year. Ideally they would have been on better teams where the need for them to play as much as they did was less.

Frosh who play a lot are either the elite minority, or do so out of great need. There is a huge learning curve as a Freshman. Even the extremely talented have uneven seasons and gain valuable experience in those ups and downs.

[brianstl]

I think he is the one player that has been extremely underated to this point out of the class of 2008. I think he has the chance to develop into a very fine player on the next level.