Illinois local gurus take on national gurus

[3star_recruit]

http://blogs.suntimes.com/preps/2007/05/is...umper.html#more

This isn't a player we're recruiting but I think it applies across the board.

Roy and Harv Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye Report disagree with Scout:

"Shumpert is a top 50-100 player in the country. This national class has not panned out yet, but we do not think that makes Shumpert a Top 15 kid yet. He has improved immensely and we love his game. Terrific length and versatility. He could be the #2 prospect in Illinois' Class of 2008, behind Liggins. But he is NOT a top 15 player."

So, how did he get the lofty ranking?

"These national people who rank kids solely based upon how they play at national exposure events they attend are insane. They totally ignore the rest of the year. Scout and Rivals people change their rankings strictly to match the lists of schools recruiting the kid."

[Sheltiedave]

3 Star, Harv Schmidt was the Illinois bball coach just after the Slush Fund scandal, and had the #1 college recruiting class in 1970. He is not exactly a local guru, and they do provide a very good sense of the regional action. It shows how skewed the "national" gurus are when a single AAU event changes a player ranking from < Top 100 to Top 15.

If the Schmidts travelled aggressively, wrote up all the Nike and Adidas and AAU events, they would jump to the top two ranksters just by showing up and being themselves. They are a little long in the tooth and prefer to do limited travel. Local is a tag I would hang on Earl, and very local would go to VTime.

[Deano]

Harv Schmidt that coached Illinois from '67 to '74.