Recruiting - 2014

[NextYearBill]

I have reservations about giving him #3

[Pistol]

Ben Weixlmann ‏@BWeixScout33s

Miles Reynolds (@MilesReyRey3) on who he wants as the final 2014 #SLU commit: "I'm definitely trying to get my AAU teammate Pat McCaw."

[VeniceMenace]

Looks like the new assistant coach is already paying dividends:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/2013/10/youngs_miles_reynolds_chooses_.html

[RiseAndGrind]

@MilesReyRey3: @StephCurryJr_: Congrats bro @MilesReyRey3 on your commitment to the University of St. Louis ! ?? you next now bro!!

[slu06]

Trib's got an article as well: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/chi-boys-hoops-youngs-reynolds-picks-st-louis-20131023,0,6933860.story

[Pistol]

Looks like the new assistant coach is already paying dividends:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/2013/10/youngs_miles_reynolds_chooses_.html

Jordair Lett?!

[West Pine Jim]

I have reservations about giving him #3

Yacoubou already has it.

[NextYearBill]

ehh ill allow that

[Cowboy]

-from Pistol...Miles Reynolds: Whitney Young, Chicago, IL - PG/SG: 6-4, 170. Offers: SLU, Dayton, Iowa, LSU, Ole Miss, Columbia. Interest: Georgetown, Illinois, Ohio State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Stanford, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Miami, Miami-Ohio, Harvard, Pepperdine

I would think this passes the Taj Test, but he will tell us

-seems like a lot to like, 6'4, Chicago kid, SEC school wanted him maybe 2 and Big10, good student, good family, let's hope a good Billiken

-good work CC and staff, let;s keep all these in the fold until signing day

[Cowboy]

-one question, how tall is he? I've seen 6'1, 6'3 and 6'4?

-thought this should be posted and not just linked....

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

October 23, 2013

7:30 P.M. CST

St. Louis University head coach Jim Crews definitely knew something when it came to his recruitment of Miles Reynolds. And as a matter of fact, his intuition proved to be a stroke of genius, as the 6'3 2014 combo guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago verbally committed to Crews and the Billikens this evening. Reynolds chose St. Louis over offers from LSU and Columbia.

Crews got involved with Reynolds late in the game in comparison with the others. He did not even extend a scholarship offer to Reynolds until just over a week ago. But he knew there were things that he could sell Reynolds on with respect to the basketball program at St. Louis and the university in general. And as it turns out, he did a spectacular job.

It had long been thought that Reynolds was a lock for LSU, as the Tigers were the first high major program to offer and had been recruiting him longer than just about everybody. Reynolds took an official visit to the Baton Rouge campus this past weekend. However, head coach Johnny Jones had already received a commitment from 5'11 point guard Jalyn Patterson from Montvere, FL. As a result, the Tigers were faced not only with a logjam with respect to their future back court, but also their 2014 recruiting class as a whole.

Meanwhile, Crews had an in-home visit with Reynolds this past Sunday night which proved to be the icing on the cake in terms of closing the deal. Not only did Reynolds feel an immediate connection, but Crews made it abundantly clear how Reynolds will be a fit at St. Louis. While 6'4 2014 commit Marcus Bartley figures to be the Billikens' future starting point guard, Reynolds is quite capable of playing along side of him and could move right in to the 2-guard spot, while also spelling Bartley at the point on occasion.

Playing on a loaded high school team which includes two high major 2014 recruits in 6'11 center Jahlil Okafor and 6'9 wing forward and Georgetown commit Paul White as well as being part of an extremely talented Mac Irvin Fire traveling team Reynolds' play has often gone overlooked. In fact, he has probably not gotten the respect he deserves in terms of ranking among the top guards in Illinois from the 2014 class.

With that in mind, Reynolds is an ideal Atlantic Ten combo guard. That is because he is comfortable playing either guard spot due to his ability to handle and push the ball up the court, get his teammates involved, defend at both the 1 and the 2 and consistently convert from beyond the 3-point stripe when left unattended. While the Mac Irvin Fire's guard play was at times erratic, we thought Reynolds was their steadiest back court performer throughout the course of the July evaluation period.

Reynolds becomes St. Louis' fifth commitment in their 2014 recruiting class. He joins Bartley, 6'4 combo guard Davell Roby from White Station High School in Memphis, 6'11 center Austin Gillman from Oakville, MO and 6'10 center Brett Jolly from Blairstown, NJ. His high school team at Whitney Young figures to start the season as the #1 team in the state of Illinois and one of the top-ranked teams in the nation

[Pistol]

Keep in mind that 'interest' can mean a lot of things. I show everyone as having interest at one time or another; Kansas probably invited him along with Okafor for a visit, or something like that. He also has a teammate committed to Georgetown; could be the same situation. Just don't read too much into the interest list.

The offer list, those schools were clearly more interested. Not every offer was necessarily fresh at the time of his commitment, but there are some power conference teams who liked him.

[Cowboy]

Keep in mind that 'interest' can mean a lot of things. I show everyone as having interest at one time or another; Kansas probably invited him along with Okafor for a visit, or something like that. He also has a teammate committed to Georgetown; could be the same situation. Just don't read too much into the interest list.

The offer list, those schools were clearly more interested. Not every offer was necessarily fresh at the time of his commitment, but there are some power conference teams who liked him.

-i was going off LSU being serious, if not the case Taj may deliver a different verdict than i thought

[RiseAndGrind]

-i was going off LSU being serious, if not the case Taj may deliver a different verdict than i thought

I mean he was at LSU last weekend on an official and by most accounts LSU was the runner-up. I would say this is a great get. LSU may have gotten Patterson, but I'm extremely excited about a 6-2(?) PG from Whitney Young.

Plus the fact he is actively recruiting Pat McCaw?

[slu72]

I still think we need a DE clone for that final scholie, unless one of these 6'4 guys grow another inch or two. Man we are loaded at the 2 position. Is Bartley the only true PG among the 3?

[Crewsorlose]

How awesome is it that Roby has been recruiting Reynolds! Sometimes you never know whether certain commitments become "soft" after a few months. Great to see Roby enthusiastic about being a Billiken four months later.

[Taj79]

I am truly thrilled to have five of six available slots spoken for and committed to as of October 24, 2013 when national signing day is November 13, 2013. I think it bodes well that four of the five had "legitimate" suitors in BCS conferences (I leave Gillmann out as the fifth because I don't remember if he had any other offers at the time of his verbal). Seems to me that this is independent confirmation that the skills of each warrant their offers.

I am in no position to declare if these are "good" signings or not. I have adjusted fire on my personal cannon and deferred until a later date to focus the aim. I will trust that they are and go with the glass half full. But only time will really tell, won't it? In retrospect, I believe that I have always wanted to believe that every signing will be a plus for our beloved Billiken basketball team and advance our cause.

I refer to the line in Athlon's preview article of this year that said the fate of the program going forward relies on the quality of Crews' recruits. Can't argue with that astute observation. All kidding aside, ain't that the truth though?

I find it promising that next year's roster looks like this: McBroom, Yacoubou, Glaze, Manning, Lancona, Crawford, Agbeko, Roby, Bartley, Reynolds, Gillmann and Jolly. That's six guards and six bigs. I think I'd like a forward with the last slot .... maybe a more traditional slashing three ala Mo Jeffers and Justin Love as opposed to a Justin tatum or Matt Baniak low block four. Is that Tevin Glass? Who knows.

As the year opens, I want to focus on the contributions Manning, Glaze and McBroom bring to the table. I will watch for whatever Lancona, Crawford and Agbeko bring but won't do so with nearly as critical an eye as on the first three. I expect the other four returning seniors to be steady in their play and somewhat improved. Such a framework will allow some growth time for the others.

All in all, a relatively nice (and foreign) place for Billiken basketball to be in.

[ACE]

Crews & Co. have gotten commitments from 8 players since he was hired in April. If we lock up McCaw with the final scholarship, we will be done with this thread in November and be moving on to the 2015 recruiting thread.

I'm usually a take the best player available guy, but the focus at this time definitely needs to be on the 3.

[slu72]

It does appear there's a logjam at the 1&2 positions, which is a good thing as competition will be fierce and bringing out the best in each of them. One assumes that JC will start off w/ experience at the 1&2 spots, ie AY, AB, and MC. Begs the question who replaces DE? I see us starting off as a big team next year with TL and RA manning the 3 position. Also would expect we'd go small against a VCU type team.

[RiseAndGrind]

If u get mccaw I have no problem with a 3 guard 2 big lineup, especially if Lancona or Reggie can stretch the floor.

[JMM28]

Updated scholarship grid. 1 more to give for next year.

[bauman]

It does appear there's a logjam at the 1&2 positions, which is a good thing as competition will be fierce and bringing out the best in each of them. One assumes that JC will start off w/ experience at the 1&2 spots, ie AY, AB, and MC. Begs the question who replaces DE? I see us starting off as a big team next year with TL and RA manning the 3 position. Also would expect we'd go small against a VCU type team.

Assuming RA is the stud we all hope for, I would love to see us (next year) go 4-guard, one big against VCU. I picture us wearing down the havoc Off/Def of VCU with a rotation of GG & RA as the athletic big in the middle with the 4 guards rotating with AY, AM, DR, MB, MC and MR. I'd like our chances with the above groupings.

Of course, even better is that we don't have VCU on our schedule next year since we will not be in the same conference then. If we do as well as expected (at least by me), the Big East will need our quality in their conf.

Great job so far Mr. Crews and staff. I'm now in favor of holding the one remaining scholarship back till Spring or even next year. We have to remember that we will only have 2 seniors leaving the program next year so having a third scholarship carried over might be wise. If we use it now or in the Spring, as I have previously said, I think we need to focus on a Evans-type 3----a 6'6" guy who can rebound and has a range from 15-22'.

[Clock_Tower]

Assuming RA is the stud we all hope for, I would love to see us (next year) go 4-guard, one big against VCU. I picture us wearing down the havoc Off/Def of VCU with a rotation of GG & RA as the athletic big in the middle with the 4 guards rotating with AY, AM, DR, MB, MC and MR. I'd like our chances with the above groupings.

Of course, even better is that we don't have VCU on our schedule next year since we will not be in the same conference then. If we do as well as expected (at least by me), the Big East will need our quality in their conf.

Great job so far Mr. Crews and staff. I'm now in favor of holding the one remaining scholarship back till Spring or even next year. We have to remember that we will only have 2 seniors leaving the program next year so having a third scholarship carried over might be wise. If we use it now or in the Spring, as I have previously said, I think we need to focus on a Evans-type 3----a 6'6" guy who can rebound and has a range from 15-22'.

No. We cannot return to the days of "saving" scholarships. RM taught us that we should not worry about balancing the recruiting classes in that this will take care of itself. Right, now, all the new guard recruits (plus Ash) look at the "open" starting positions and pencil themselves in these spots. Not enough starting positions for all 13 kids so disappointment awaits as in all basketball programs. RM didn't show the door to all who left -- some left on their own. Same can/will likely happen under Crews.

Also, I just don't always understand the desire to redshirt player after player. While I would like to have guys like CE play for us another year, I won't miss Cory Remeken this year -- another year of size, strength and experience is simply not enough. A kid either has it or he doesn't. Sorry. Now, if I were the kid or the kid's father, then yes, I might see the benefit of redshirting - especially a center. At the same time, I just want strong, competitive teams years in and year out. Redshirting is not needed for this. Recruiting someone else - someone better - and if needed, cutting some dead wood works better. Again, class balance will take care of itself. And unlike many, I do worry about next year so redshirting a guy like Crawford, Lancona or Agbeko this year makes us worse next year. These kids need experience now (even if limited) to prepare for next year when we will truly need players to step up. Even good players, MM, DE, RL and JJ did not win many games or play all that great their first years.

Crews winning with RM players is great but Crews winning with his own players is the real test. Keep in mind, the new Big East knew all about Fr. Biondi, knew about SLU having some up (but mostly average or down) years, knew about our high turnover of coaches who leave frustrated (or threaten to leave frustrated - RM), knew that SLU never won or challenged for a top spot in the Great Midwest/Conf USA. Waiting a year or 2 to see what SLU is like after RM (and now Biondi) is probably not a bad decision by them.

[brianstl]

The one guy I want now is McCaw. I wouldn't have a problem with the team going over the limit either.

[William Iken]

No. We cannot return to the days of "saving" scholarships. RM taught us that we should not worry about balancing the recruiting classes in that this will take care of itself. Right, now, all the new guard recruits (plus Ash) look at the "open" steering positions and pencil themselves in these spots. Not enough starting positions for all 13 kids so disappointment awaits as in all basketball programs. RM didn't show the door to all who left -- some left on their own. Same can/will likely happen under Crews.

Also, I just don't always understand the desire to redshirt player after player. While I would like to have guys like CE play for us another year, I won't miss Cory Remeken this year -- another year of size, strength and experience is simply not enough. A kid either has it or he doesn't. Sorry. Now, if I were the kid or the kid's father, then yes, I might see the benefit of redshirting - especially a center. At the same time, I just want strong, competitive teams years in and year out. Redshirting is not needed for this. Recruiting someone else - someone better - and if needed, cutting some dead wood works better. Again, class balance will take care of itself. And unlike many, I do worry about next year so redshirting a guy like Crawford, Lancona or Agbeko this year makes us worse next year. These kids need experience now (even if limited) to prepare for next year when we will truly need players to step up. Even good players, MM, DE, RL and JJ did not win many games or play all that great their first years.

Harsh, but true. The chances of one or two not cutting it or wanting more pt is high, especially with the 'balance' issues. Still wouldn't mind a juco with the remaining spot to help with the balance.

[kshoe]

The one guy I want now is McCaw. I wouldn't have a problem with the team going over the limit either.

I'd have a pretty big problem with it because there are no obvious candidates for who wouldn't be back. There are shades of gray anytime a kid is told to leave a program but in my mind a freshmen being told to leave isn't as bad as a junior or senior because he has options. Telling a kid that has already transferred (and burned his one sit out year) is even worse. I also don't like the practice of telling a highschool player that signed an LOI there isn't a spot (similar to what happened to Tanner L).

So when you look at our roster I'd have a real problem with us dropping any of the following:

Grandy, Manning, Ash, McBroom any of the 5 already committed from highschool.

The 3 freshmen all have nice press clippings and at a minimum should be given this year to prove whether they belong at this level. Going over the limit this fall would basically be denying them that opportunity and is completely unnecessary.