Recruiting - 2016

[slu72]

Alden is clueless.

Major understatement. It's no small wonder why Marshall avoided Mizzery's overtures. He didn't want to work for an idiot.

[slu72]

I have not heard that, but I do think we are on the short list and at least have a chance based on everything said above.

Schools like Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina have a lot to offer, so beating them out for any recruit would be quite the accomplishment. You are talking about the most elite programs in the country with the best facilities coached by legendary coaches and playing on the biggest stages, that is tough to say no to. Maybe Jayson will group together with some of his national team buddies and decide they want to be the next group to lead Kentucky, Kansas, or Duke to a championship and gain the national attention that comes along with that. Or maybe he will decide that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his godfather and stay home and be a local legend. One year at SLU as opposed to any of the other programs recruiting him will likely not have any impact on his draft position.

I do know that SLU was a little slow to get around to recruiting Brad Beal and that rubbed them the wrong way, but no reason to be overly critical of a past staff missing on a kid that appeared to have the desire to play on the biggest stage. David Lee was in my class at Chaminade and I recall SLU not really being a player for him and specifically him commenting on the facilities in comparison to places like North Carolina, Florida, etc.

We didn't have the Fetz back then. Granted not as big as those arenas but still a very nice venue. I'd heard from folks on here that Romar tried hard but was rebuffed as he Lee had his sights set on playing at a Power school. As for Beal, the talk on here was that RM made overtures but didn't receive any serious interest from Beals. RM wasn't one to hang around waiting for a teenager to make up his mind, especially one that supposedly showed little interest in SLU, so he wisely moved on to the get the players we've lost over the last 2-3 years. The players that took us to the dance 3 times, whereas Beals did his one and done at FL and bolted.

[sludevil]

My concern is he'll look at the A10 and think, mid major vs ACC, SEC, Big10, etc.

The A10 seems likely to hurt us here, as it just can't offer the level of competition (/brand names) and national media exposure of the power conferences. That said, though, it probably won't hurt Tatum's draft stock - after all, the #1 overall pick just last year was taken from a "mid-major" conference.

[slufan13]

SLU and Kentucky are 1a and 1b from what I hear right now. Lots of time for things to change though.

Making the Tourney this year would be huge. A lot of recruits (but obviously not all) make a decision at the start of their senior year so having a successful 2015-2016 might not mean that much. I don't know what his thoughts are but if SLU can come across as a local team that is also a consistent Tournament team, it would probably be big.

All these recruits staying at Kentucky could really hurt their program. Yes they might win more, but McDonalds All Americans are being blocked by guys who stayed. If that has a domino effect of those guys staying, it could limit Calipari's scholarships and give other coaches a recruiting pitch that they can be a one and done at their school but not Kentucky.

[brianstl]

Great interview. I also like the point he made regarding the Mizzou v. SLU series and its importance in building the brands of BOTH schools with local recruits. Games like that are an event locally and when local kids see it annually, they want to be part of it.

I thought Justin was outstanding in the interview. I didn't expect what we got out of it. I expected him to be a lot less open in the interview. I thought he would play it safe like most people in his shoes would. I think Justin could have a bright future coaching at the next level if that is what he desires down the road.

[TheChosenOne]

I thought Justin was outstanding in the interview. I didn't expect what we got out of it. I expected him to be a lot less open in the interview. I thought he would play it safe like most people in his shoes would. I think Justin could have a bright future coaching at the next level if that is what he desires down the road.

Any chance Justin is auditioning for a position at SLU and that would be his chance to coach his son?

I think very poorly of Justin based on my interactions with him at SLU, but maybe he has grown up a lot as most people do.

[JettFlight5]

Any chance Justin is auditioning for a position at SLU and that would be his chance to coach his son?

I think very poorly of Justin based on my interactions with him at SLU, but maybe he has grown up a lot as most people do.

He stuck with the team guys pretty much exclusively at McKendree. The faculty took a liking to him.

[brianstl]

Any chance Justin is auditioning for a position at SLU and that would be his chance to coach his son?

I think very poorly of Justin based on my interactions with him at SLU, but maybe he has grown up a lot.

I think a smart young coach is always auditioning for another job. Justin would not be like a lot of these guys that come to a staff as part of a package deal. Justin has a really good resume, is a really good coach, has great connections and a great case case can be made for hiring Justin even if he wasn't Jayson's dad.

[SShoe]

Any chance Justin is auditioning for a position at SLU and that would be his chance to coach his son?

I think very poorly of Justin based on my interactions with him at SLU, but maybe he has grown up a lot as most people do.

My experience is that you shouldn't judge an adult by how they acted when they were 18-22.

[brianstl]

My experience is that you shouldn't judge an adult by how they acted when they were 18-22.

I am glad I am not judge on my actions then. Hell, glad I am not presently judge on some of my actions after that age.

[slu72]

I may be wrong here, but weren't JT and Romar having some kind of problem and that's why he left? Or was it academic? I know his academics held him back from playing with the Legend, but then he played two years, and was serviceable, and then gone.

[NH]

The coaching staff needs to just sit down with FBJT, look him in the eyes, and ask him if he wants to be just another typical one and done at a big boy school or if he wants to become a local legend playing basketball for the hometown team. One path would leave him with really no legacy whatsover, while the other path would make him a star at SLU. Imagine all of the family/friends/ or just casual basketball fans coming out to the Fetz to see one of the best basketball talents this city has ever produced...

Frazier is not his AAU coach.

[TheChosenOne]

I may be wrong here, but weren't JT and Romar having some kind of problem and that's why he left? Or was it academic? I know his academics held him back from playing with the Legend, but then he played two years, and was serviceable, and then gone.

He did not leave on his own terms. I don't think we need to rehash it much further than that.

[brianstl]

Frazier is not his AAU coach.

Frazier was his coach in the past.

[NH]

Frazier was his coach in the past.

Yes. Frazier coached his team through 8th grade (formerly team 314, now WITTS). Frazier still runs WITTS, which operates as a training service. I believe Tatum and other 2016s like Jordan Barnes still work out with Frazier under the WITTS umbrella.

[TheChosenOne]

Yes. Frazier coached his team through 8th grade (formerly team 314, now WITTS). Frazier still runs WITTS, which operates as a training service. I believe Tatum and other 2016s like Jordan Barnes still work out with Frazier under the WITTS umbrella.

WITTS is also the official feeder program of the St. Louis Eagles. I know Jayson Tatum also trains with Drew Hanlen.

[ACE]

I think a smart young coach is always auditioning for another job. Justin would not be like a lot of these guys that come to a staff as part of a package deal. Justin has a really good resume, is a really good coach, has great connections and a great case case can be made for hiring Justin even if he wasn't Jayson's dad.

Any candidates been identified for the Mike LePore job?

[TheChosenOne]

Any candidates been identified for the Mike LePore job?

That is a good question.

[For-DaLove]

SLU and Kentucky are 1a and 1b from what I hear right now. Lots of time for things to change though.

Making the Tourney this year would be huge. A lot of recruits (but obviously not all) make a decision at the start of their senior year so having a successful 2015-2016 might not mean that much. I don't know what his thoughts are but if SLU can come across as a local team that is also a consistent Tournament team, it would probably be big.

All these recruits staying at Kentucky could really hurt their program. Yes they might win more, but McDonalds All Americans are being blocked by guys who stayed. If that has a domino effect of those guys staying, it could limit Calipari's scholarships and give other coaches a recruiting pitch that they can be a one and done at their school but not Kentucky.

Cal will likely be gone to the NBA by then too, which will hurt their chances

[kshoe]

SLU and Kentucky are 1a and 1b from what I hear right now. Lots of time for things to change though.

I seem to remember you saying a year or so ago that Kentucky was way in the lead. What are you hearing differently to suggest we've closed the gap?

[slufan13]

I seem to remember you saying a year or so ago that Kentucky was way in the lead. What are you hearing differently to suggest we've closed the gap?

Yeah I meant to bring that up in my first post.

I heard that originally from my dad who works with someone who is really well connected with the basketball and soccer programs at Chaminade.

He says that immediately after his visit, Tatum was enamored with everything that Kentucky had to offer. (I guess he attended Big Blue Madness there?) Calipari obviously gave his great recruiting pitch and everything and Tatum loved it.

From what I heard, he's cooled on Kentucky the longer it's been since his visit. This seems common for recruits. You go on a visit and you absolutely love it, but after everyone is done talking about it, you come down to earth a bit. Nothing necessarily bad about Kentucky, but just that he isn't fresh off a huge recruiting pitch. Don't get me wrong, Kentucky is still right there.

I've also heard what everyone else has said....Everyone around him is promoting SLU. They've seen the Steph Curry's and Damian Lillard's and realized that you don't have to go to a huge school to be a top 10 pick. They also want him to stay close to home because if he is a one and done, they could at least get another year of him being home.

I will say though that the NBA is the goal. His family obviously wants him to stay close to home and he wants to stay close too, but he wants to be in the NBA. I know I joke around a lot about everyone who says that Cheaney is our only guy who does recruiting, but Cheaney has to be the guy on this.

[TheChosenOne]

I seem to remember you saying a year or so ago that Kentucky was way in the lead. What are you hearing differently to suggest we've closed the gap?

slufan13, what is your connection to Jayson? Are Jayson and his family making it known to a lot of people how he ranks the teams pursuing him or has he even done that himself at this point? This is a program making recruit, great news (assuming there is any accuracy to it)!

[slufan13]

slufan13, what is your connection to Jayson? Are Jayson and his family making it known to a lot of people how he ranks the teams pursuing him or has he even done that himself at this point? This is a program making recruit, great news (assuming there is any accuracy to it)!

It's not a great connection because it's not direct, but my dad closely works with someone who is very well connected with the basketball and soccer programs at Chaminade. When I first heard news from my dad about this I asked if this was a legitimate source and he said that this guy is a pretty big donor to Chaminade and that he has always heard a lot about schools recruiting Chaminade athletes.

[bauman]

slufan13, what is your connection to Jayson? Are Jayson and his family making it known to a lot of people how he ranks the teams pursuing him or has he even done that himself at this point? This is a program making recruit, great news (assuming there is any accuracy to it)!

Not saying 13 is wrong, but he states that his source is a "Red Devils insider for basketball." A word of caution, I talked to a Desmet basketball insider about a month ago (before we filled our last scholarship) and this insider told me that Berry was definitely coming to SLU, it just hadn't been announced yet

[cgeldmacher]

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/RadioShows/TheDriveHome/tabid/319/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/13052/The-Drive-Home-50714.aspx

There is no better authority on what SLU needs to do to recruit local high school talent than Justin Tatum. Think about it. He was a local high school recruit who went through the recruiting process and chose SLU. He is a high school coach of a very talented program full of Division 1 recruits. He is a parent of high level recruit that SLU is after.

Justin has experienced the recruiting process, and specifically SLU recruiting, from every pertinent angle. You could argue that he may be one of the best authorities on what players, parents, and high school coaches consider when going through recruitment. The coaching staff should take everything he says to heart. Heck, they should ask Justin to give the staff a seminar on local recruiting. If Justin says that our coaches are not attending enough practices and games, then they should attend more. I don't care if we don't think we have a shot at a kid. Show up and show his teammates and coach that we're fighting for that kid. Even if the kid goes to Florida or Kentucky, at least we send a message to other kids that we're in the game.

Also, if Justin, should he be made an assistant coach for the Billikens, would bring his son and several other very talented local players to SLU over the next few years, Coach Crews needs to make that move. We've had and have guys with connections in Australia, Wisconsin, Indiana, etc. Maybe its time to get someone with a recruiting connection in St. Louis.