Recruiting - 2014

[brianstl]

Tampering on an unofficial basis. Pretty ###### to go after a guy who's committed elsewhere.

I guy hasn't committed elsewhere until he signs. Unless the kid tells you he doesn't want to talk to you anymore, you should keep in contact until he signs.

[bauman]

That's how Jerry Tarkanian recruited.

Thats also how we got one of the recruits that turned the program around-Monroe Douglass had committed to Oklahoma but SLU kept after him and he changed his mind. It is somthing that happens with some regularity in both basketball and football. Rarely a signing day goes by without a number of recruits changing their committments.

[milwaukeebill]

This doesn't make sense and imo Tatum shouldn't be getting involved unless asked. The kid must be having some reservations or I can't imagine his parents wouldn't just say ... yea, right. We're signing today.

I can get some inside scoop from UT's perspective

Why shouldn't tatum be involved? He's his basketball coach and he's making a basketball decision. He should be making sure the kids he coaches go somewhere where they fit with the school, coach, and atmosphere and are set up for success.

[slufanskip]

Why shouldn't tatum be involved? He's his basketball coach and he's making a basketball decision. He should be making sure the kids he coaches go somewhere where they fit with the school, coach, and atmosphere and are set up for success.

If asked I'd agree a HS coach should be involved. If I was a parent of a recruit, I wouldn't give a crap what my kids HS coach thought or would I care what his AAU coach thought. Does a kid really need his HS coach to help hom make sure he fits?

[cheeseman]

I understand that sites go down and that they are going to receive extra traffic today but they had to have been expecting this. Just saying seems like a poor planning for what should be one of your websites time to shine

I agree it just is that I have seen this happen countless times and all the tech people say is oops. Once had a software program company decide to close our grading system website down for maintenance when teachers had to have all their grades in that following Monday - when I asked them why it had not occurred to them that people would be working on the weekend to finish up all they said was Oh - we thought only we worked odd hours. The point is techies live in their own world and really don't know what is going on around them at times.

[kshoe]

I agree it just is that I have seen this happen countless times and all the tech people say is oops. Once had a software program company decide to close our grading system website down for maintenance when teachers had to have all their grades in that following Monday - when I asked them why it had not occurred to them that people would be working on the weekend to finish up all they said was Oh - we thought only we worked odd hours. The point is techies live in their own world and really don't know what is going on around them at times.

This site has been known to go down from time to time during big games...

[kshoe]

Thats also how we got one of the recruits that turned the program around-Monroe Douglass had committed to Oklahoma but SLU kept after him and he changed his mind. It is somthing that happens with some regularity in both basketball and football. Rarely a signing day goes by without a number of recruits changing their committments.

Happens all the time in football but its pretty rare in basketball.

We haven't had an oral commitment switch on us since the mid 90s when rashad tucker went to SIUC.

Ben Wex says Barnett has signed is LOI with Texas so we can turn the page on that one.

[Clock_Tower]

If asked I'd agree a HS coach should be involved. If I was a parent of a recruit, I wouldn't give a crap what my kids HS coach thought or would I care what his AAU coach thought. Does a kid really need his HS coach to help hom make sure he fits?

You're assuming parents are involved for alot of these kids -- simply not the case. Also, many kids are so into the underworld of AAU ball and their high school coach may be a part of that. I believe that many high school coaches do step in to help the kids, to fill a parental void and do tell the kids and whatever family they have to "trust me" and to "let me make some calls" etc. You're right, though, a smart family unit does not need their high school coach to pick a college program for them.

[NextYearBill]

http://regressing.deadspin.com/chart-the-best-nba-players-left-off-the-rivals-150-p-1463989002/@reubenfb

good stuff

[Pistol]

1 spot remains for 2014. As always, updates on all names are appreciated. Italics represent my impression of where the player currently stands with SLU. I don't think anyone on this list is a likely candidate for our last spot anymore, but thought it'd be interesting to follow up during and after the signing period.

2014 Offer List:

Tevin Glass: Northwest Florida State CC, Norcross, GA - PF: 6-8, 195. Offers: SLU, VCU, Arizona State, Auburn, Mississippi State, New Mexico, South Florida, UAB, Southern Miss, MTSU. Interest: Florida, Georgia Tech. Latest (9/9): SLU has offered the JuCo-enrolled Glass, who will be eligible immediately as a junior. He is considered one of the top JuCo prospects in the nation and is predicted to be a preseason second-team All-American when the season starts. As a senior at Milton HS (Atlanta area) in 2012, he had offers from Memphis, Murray State, Nevada, and others. In his freshman season at NW Florida State, he came off the bench to average 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds on 51.1% shooting. He shot 64.5% from the free throw line. Twitter:@Topnotch_Tglass

-There is minimal recruiting info on Glass since an initial explosion in early September and nothing about him and SLU since then. He does not appear to be signing anywhere in the fall but could be a big name to watch in the spring. If BCS programs have extra scholarships to give, he should get one.

Patrick McCaw: Montrose Christian, Rockville, MD - SG: 6-5, 180. Offers: SLU, DePaul, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, SIUC, Missouri State, Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola-Chicago, Loyola-Maryland. Interest: Georgetown, Creighton, Xavier, Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, Missouri, Kansas State, Tennessee, Wichita State. Latest (10/31): McCaw transferred to Montrose Christian (MD) when it became clear he would not be eligible to play this season at Trinity. Previous: McCaw took an official visit to DePaul in September. He transferred from CBC to Trinity to play for his dad. Billikens.com's own TheChosenOne scouted McCaw as a three-point specialist, a report McCaw seems to agree with, based on his Twitter handle (@StephCurryJr_). After the Peach Jam, where he played for Mac Irvin Fire out of Chicago, some scouts on Twitter remarked that he scores in a variety of ways, is strong on the break, and can take guys off the dribble. McCaw was ranked 87th in the June rankings for the class of 2014 (CBC teammate Jordan Barnett was 86). Twitter: @StephCurryJr_

-Things have been quiet for McCaw during the signing period. Expect him to sign in the spring with a BCS program. The transfer and his recent visits have not been positive developments for SLU.

Ikenna Okwarabizie: East, Sioux City, IA - C: 6-11, 240. Offers: SLU, Illinois State, Southern Miss, Tulsa, SIUC, SIUE. Interest: Creighton, Marquette, Iowa, Rutgers, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Wichita State, Rice. Latest (9/12): Okwarabizie visited Iowa and said it went very well. Previous: Okwarabizie transferred to Sioux City East HS from St. Louis Christian. He will be living with the family of East teammate Chase Kern. He will miss the first 6 games of the HS season. Okwarabizie emerged this spring and picked up his first offer from Southern Miss. He is drawing "serious attention" from Rutgers and visited Illinois State. He received a SLU offer but things have been quiet on that front since mid-July. He played AAU ball with the St. Louis Eagles. Twitter: @iykerulez1

-SLU offered Ike this summer and then anything tying his name to SLU's seemed to disappear. He transferred to East HS in Sioux City and has visited Iowa and continues to receive calls and interest from many places, but offers have been a slow trickle. Look for him to sign in the spring.

Elliott Welmer: Columbus North, Columbus, IN - PF: 6-8, 195. Offers: SLU, Wright State, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois. Interest: Butler, Purdue, IPFW. Latest (11/25): Welmer attended the SLU-Bowling Green game. Previous: Welmer attended SLU's camp with Tucker Blackwell (2016), Nai Carlisle (2015), Matt Holba (2015), Taishaun Johnson (2013), and Filip Serwatka (2015). He visited Northern Kentucky recently with Josh Speidel, a 2015 recruit from the same HS as Welmer, and also a kid on SLU's radar. He visited Wright State in mid-November. Welmer seems to be growing still, as he is listed as a SF and an inch or two shorter by many recruiting services. He plays for the Eric Gordon All Stars AAU team. As a junior, he was ranked the 26th prospect in Indiana's class of 2014 (McIntosh: 7, Mercer: 8, Brennan: 10, Mitchell: 90), and the report was: "[Welmer] is relatively unknown, but is getting big minutes and scoring some points this winter for North...He had a good summer and should land his name on the radar of some schools...Has good perimeter skills for a guy of his size, handles the ball well...I think that Elliott will still grow another inch or two and his game is just starting to come into its own...He shoots the ball well from the perimeter and blocks shots defensively...I am sure I have him higher than most people, but I think he will end up moving up even more within the next year...Keep an eye out for him." Welmer's uncle is Steve, who officiated a ton of SLU and other big-time college basketball games over the years. Twitter: @Welmer_33

-Welmer will sign in the spring or take a year of prep school. Based on the makeup of SLU's class, I would imagine the Bills are interested in him more as a potential 2015 recruit than a spring 2014 signee.

2014 Interest List:

Brandon Cheeks: Meadowbrook, Richmond, VA - SG: 6-1, 190. Offers: None. Interest: SLU, George Mason, Delaware, Quinnipiac, Radford. Latest (8/27): Cheeks said SLU and Quinnipiac were tracking him in June and July on the AAU circuit. Previous: Cheeks played well at Big Shots Richmond, reportedly scoring well at all levels and rebounding his position well. He also handles the ball well and makes plays in traffic. His father played at VCU and holds their single-game scoring record (42 in a 1989 game vs. ODU). He later coached at VCU, West Virginia, Georgia State, and UNC-Charlotte.

-Any information on Cheeks has been hard to come by since his name was first linked to SLU this summer. I expect him to be a spring recruit.

Arlando Cook: Madison Prep, St. Louis, MO - PF: 6-8, 175. Offers: Kent State, SIUE, Tennessee-Martin, Western Illinois. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, SIUC, Missouri State, Indiana State, Georgia State, Troy, Indianapolis, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama A&M. Latest (10/16): Cook will take an official visit to Tennessee-Martin this weekend. Previous: Cook visited SLU with Brandon Hollins of Jennings HS. He visited Western Illinois in early September. After a strong showing throughout July, Cook is officially on SLU's radar and has "big interest" from Indiana State. He had what has been called a "breakout weekend" at the Under Armour Summer Jam in Wisconsin, averaging 19 and 13 during the tournament for the St. Louis Gym Rats Elite AAU team. Florida Gulf Coast will be visiting him at home soon. Tennessee-Martin has "very high" interest. Cook took an unofficial visit to SIUC in early August, and SIUE immediately after. Twitter: @___BallxBooks

-SLU has been keeping an eye on Cook and invited him to campus a couple months ago. All four on his offer list still appear to be recruiting him, though Cook doesn't appear to be signing in November.

Brandon Hollins: Jennings, Jennings, MO - SF: 6-5, 170. Interest: SLU, UC-Riverside, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois. Latest (8/15): Hollins visited SLU with Arlando Cook. Previous: Hollins is on SLU's radar after a solid July. He led the Suburban East in scoring his junior season, at 18 PPG. He missed his entire sophomore season with a knee injury. He is said to be a "skilled wing who is most effective slashing to the basket and finishing at the rim," who "needs to be more confident handling the ball" to be successful at the next level. Earl Austin said this of Hollins' July play in Vegas for Team Ramey: "Hollins opened a lot of eyes out west with his energetic play on the wing...averaged about 15 points a game. Always known as a potent perimeter shooter, the slender Hollins displayed slashing ability, plus he rebounded well." Twitter: @NBADreams_

-SLU has been keeping an eye on Hollins and invited him to campus a couple months ago. No word since then, though. I could see him being a spring recruit.

Avery Johnson, Jr.: Plano West, Plano, TX - PG: 5-9, 173. Offers: Southern Miss. Interest: SLU, LaSalle, Baylor, Arizona State, LSU, Rutgers, Florida State, Wichita State, SMU, Rice, Charleston, Santa Clara, Bucknell, Columbia, LIU-Brooklyn. Latest (9/12): Johnson retweeted that Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Tulsa were in the house to watch Plano West, but it's likely they were there to see one of his teammates (probably junior Tyler Davis, a 270-pound center with high interest from SMU and Texas). Previous: Earlier in summer 2013, Johnson said Baylor, SLU, and LSU are recruiting hardest but Baylor stands out most at this point. He has visited Baylor and SLU. The son of former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson, he made headlines when he Tweeted taunts at the Nets after losing to the Bulls in the playoffs (his dad coached the Nets before being fired). He is scouted as being very quick, with a very high basketball IQ and competitive nature. Twitter: @itsaveryjohnson

-Johnson still claims "high interest" from LSU and Baylor, and interest from SLU and many others. It's unlikely SLU is in the picture at all at this point. He has no timetable, solid offer list, or finalists, which tells me this should stretch into the spring.

Anthony Pate: New Hampton Prep, New Hampton, NH - SG: 6-3, 190. Offers: St. Bonaventure, Duquesne, Harvard, Yale, FIU, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Hofstra, Boston, Maine, UMBC, UNC-Greensboro, Binghamton, NJIT. Interest: SLU, George Washington, George Mason, Davidson, Marquette, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Tulsa, Bucknell, Siena, Drexel, Northeastern, Utah State, Marist, Elon, New Hampshire. Latest (9/12): Pate was rated #9 in the loaded NH class of 2014 by the New England Recruiting Report. Previous: Pate is picking up a lot of interest and offers after playing well at the Super 64 in Vegas. Scouts said his game is a lot like that of Elijah Brown, the son of Mike Brown who played at Santa Ana HS in California and is heading to Butler this fall. Pate is said to have a confident stroke and good facilitating ability. One concern may be transfers: Pate is from Canada, attended Saint Anthony in New Jersey before transferring to Long Island Lutheran for his junior season, then New Hampton Prep this past season. He will stay at NHP for a prep year. Twitter: @416Pate

-SLU had been in contact with Anthony Pate in late summer into the fall, but it appears to have died out after the three guard commitments.

Darreon Reddick: Belleville East, Belleville, IL - PG: 6-3, 200. Offers: DePaul, Valpo, Missouri State, Indiana State, Bradley, Detroit, Toledo, IUPUI. Interest: SLU, Dayton, Xavier, Butler, Northwestern, Michigan, Mizzou, Tennessee, Iowa, SIUC. Latest (9/18): Reddick was visited by Indiana State late last week. Previous: Reddick was impressed by Northwestern on his unofficial visit there, but the school has not yet made an offer. If he does get one, he plans to make an official visit before deciding. Reddick visited Bradley and Illinois State in June. He also visited Valpo with C.J. Rivers and both picked up offers. Twitter:@_14Reddick

-SLU had been keeping an eye on Reddick but it never appeared to be serious. His recruitment has been quiet lately. Northwestern never came through with the offer many anticipated.

Shawn Roundtree: Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL - PG: 6-0, 175. Offers: SIUE. Interest: SLU, Ball State, Missouri State, Indiana State. Latest (9/12): Roundtree received visits from SIUE, Missouri State, and Indiana State (twice) as the fall recruiting period opened. Previous: Roundtree played in the Purdue Elite Camp in August. He has been contacted by SLU and Ball State, but SIUE was the early leader in his recruitment. Twitter: @2Yung4_Simba

-SIUE remains Roundtree's sole offer for now, but with 1 scholarship remaining and a PG already in the fold for 2014, it's unclear how strongly the Cougars are still recruiting him. He might be a spring signee. SLU never appeared seriously interested.

Tarin Smith: St. Anthony's, Jersey City, NJ - PG: 6-0, 175. Offers: LaSalle, St. Joe's, UMass, Penn, Princeton, Brown, Lehigh, Bucknell, Detroit, Holy Cross, Delaware, Quinnipiac, Wagner, Stony Brook, Buffalo. Interest: SLU, Providence, Creighton, Boston College, SMU. Latest (11/18): Smith took an unofficial visit to Providence this weekend. Previous: Smith visited SLU in September but never received an offer. He also took an official visit to Lehigh. Smith is the starting point guard at NJ powerhouse St. Anthony's, whose past point guards include Bobby Hurley, Tyshawn Taylor, Tray Woodall, and recent Temple addition Josh Brown. He says St. Joe's, Bucknell, Stony Brook, Princeton, and Penn have been in contact the most and that SLU, SMU, Creighton, and Boston College have all contacted him to let him know they're coming out to watch him this July. St. Joe's has had a few recent St. Anthony's grads, including Ahmad Nivins and Dwayne Lee. (There is also a 2016 recruit from McCluer North by the same name.) Twitter: @Smittee_

-SLU was still showing interest into October, but the other guard commitments have quieted down things between the two very recently. Providence is showing some interest now.

Dmitri Thompson: Orlando Christian, Orlando, FL - SG: 6-4, 195. Offers: Rhode Island, Purdue, Miami, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Georgia, South Florida, Central Florida, Charleston, Florida International, Murray State, UNC-Greensboro, Georgia Southern. Interest: SLU, Georgetown, Butler, Kansas State, Virginia, Alabama, Appalachian State, Mercer. Latest (11/7): Thompson recieved an offer from Rhode Island. Previous: Thompson says Appalachian State and Mercer are interested. He has an offer from FIU and what appears to be some renewed interest from Butler. His offers from bigger programs are all listed as being from 2012, so I'm wondering how current they are. Thompson and teammate Adonys Henriquez had publicly mentioned the possibility of being recruited as a package deal, but Henriquez committed to Miami this past fall, while Thompson continues to explore his options. The two have won a state championship together already and expectations are high for their senior season. Twitter: @BigMeech_2014

-SLU never appeared seriously interested in Thompson, whose most recent offers are from Rhode Island and UNC-Greensboro.

[RUBillsFan]

DeAnte' Mitchell ‏@CollegiateHoops1m

JUCO guard Joe Thomasson '14 committed to Wright State today, he announced

Tool.

[Pistol]

Thanks. Updated. I figured he'd go Wright State sooner or later, didn't know if he'd hit this period, though.

Thomas Welsh chose UCLA over Cal and Stanford. I wish he had gone to one of the other two. Not an Alford fan.

[RUBillsFan]

Miles Reynolds seems to be recruiting his former Whitney Young HS teammate Jermaine Morgan:

Miles Reynolds ‏@MilesReyRey39h

Need to get @J_Morgan12 in a SLU jersey ASAP

Based on some quick googling, Morgan is a 6-8 forward who was a 3 star in the HS class of 2012. He had committed to Colorado State, then switched to Nebraska when Tim Miles left CSU for Nebraska. Morgan then wound up at Moberly Area Community College. Bradley appears to be recruiting him and is academics may be a concern.

I'm not sure if there is anything there as far as SLU goes or if Reynolds is just having some fun with a friend. He may be someone to keep an eye on and the recruiting news seems to have dried up of late.

Morgan signed with Washington State.

Interesting note from the article:

What other schools did you consider?

“St. Louis, New Mexico, Bradley, and UTSA.”

[JettFlight5]

Gotta give Miles credit for trying. Kid's got a future in recruiting.

[HoyaBilliken]

Have to love Reynolds. Seems like a great kid.

[ACE]

Morgan signed with Washington State.

Interesting note from the article:

Washington State looking for a 6-8 forward? Imagine that. Good luck kid. You probably won't be playing for the Bonehead, who will likely get canned.

[JettFlight5]

Washington State looking for a 6-8 forward? Imagine that. Good luck kid. You probably won't be playing for the Bonehead, who will likely get canned.

Thankfully Bone treated another one so well he ended up at a better program in St. Louis.

[HoyaBilliken]

Morgan is listed as a post and Lancona is a stretch 4. Do however doubt that he will be playing for the staff he signed on to play with......

[RUBillsFan]

Ben Weixlmann ‏@BWeixScout5h

2014 #SLU recruit Elliott Welmer in the house tonight for the game.

I'm curious if SLU still has an offer out to Welmer. Seems like with just 1 scholly left to fill they might be looking for a higher rated player. If Welmer goes to prep school, he would be a guy to keep an eye on for the class of 2015 (sort of like how things worked out with Jolly).

[RiseAndGrind]

Ben Weixlmann ‏@BWeixScout5h

2014 #SLU recruit Elliott Welmer in the house tonight for the game.

I'm curious if SLU still has an offer out to Welmer. Seems like with just 1 scholly left to fill they might be looking for a higher rated player. If Welmer goes to prep school, he would be a guy to keep an eye on for the class of 2015 (sort of like how things worked out with Jolly).

I think you're right. Wouldn't make sense to add him in the 2014 class.

[bauman]

Liked the fact that Justin Tatum was shown on the BGU game telecast at the game with John Redden. Hopefully Justin is thinking about how nice it would be to be able to watch his son play his one-and-done year of college ball at SLU, without needing to travel to see his son's games. Too bad that the announcers - I think it was Highmark - said that his son played for him at CBC. I would have hoped that Scott knew more about St. Louis area basketball stuff than that.

[slufanskip]

Liked the fact that Justin Tatum was shown on the BGU game telecast at the game with John Redden. Hopefully Justin is thinking about how nice it would be to be able to watch his son play his one-and-done year of college ball at SLU, without needing to travel to see his son's games. Too bad that the announcers - I think it was Highmark - said that his son played for him at CBC. I would have hoped that Scott knew more about St. Louis area basketball stuff than that.

Also they kept calling Grandy 6'4"

[RiseAndGrind]

Brett Jolly apparently had a great weekend. Couple of tweets below:

Brian Flinn ‏@BFlinnFuture15016h

Blair holds on to win, 74-71. Great games from Marial Shayok, Brett Jolly, and Donovan Wright

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels16h

Played well. Calling for ball. Has a handful of finishes inside. Physical RT @BWeixScout How does #SLU signee Brett Jolly look?

Jerry Meyer ‏@jerrymeyer24716h

St. Louis recruit Brett Jolly is a rarity as a post player who really knows how to operate in the low post. #NPS

Brian Flinn ‏@BFlinnFuture15016h

Count me as a fan of #SLU commit Brett Jolly. Legit big man who can score with his back to the basket. Great defender too.

Retweeted 10 times

[cheeseman]

Always good to hear positives about our signed players - sounds like he may be a true center who could play some early.

[Pistol]

Hunter Ware committed to Bryant. No news here, really, just someone on our list from a long time ago. Interestingly enough, he retweeted a couple SLU coaches a couple months ago out of the blue. No meaning behind it; we had moved on long before then.