Recruiting - 2018 class

[almaman]

7 minutes ago, TFord and TRavs said:

He will be our replacement for ty graves 

now get one to replace "the best shooter I've (TF) ever recruited". 

[gobillsgo]

3 minutes ago, almaman said:

now get one to replace "the best shooter I've (TF) ever recruited". 

Hopefully that will be Mahan

[VeniceMenace]

On 2/23/2018 at 10:40 PM, TheOne said:

SLU is on the one yard line with both Jacobs and another SEC grad transfer guard.

Let’s give credit to “The One” who called it — thank you!

[bauman]

Looking at who we have returning and who we are adding next year-I know we are not done yet with adding players- one of the things that strikes me is that, not only is TF and staff the best we have had with regard to getting outstanding players, but he is also doing a great job in building a roster with all the right pieces.  Coming into this season we had all the positions covered, especially with CAG/MP/FT in the pipeline. Then S2 happened to pretty much wipe out our number of available Guards. So what has he done now, even late in the 2018 recruiting time frame?  Just gotten Jacobs and probably Austin.

The best recruit we never got was Crews/Tatum.  If Crews had landed him he would still be our coach.  Thanks Coach K and Jason.

[bauman]

2 minutes ago, VeniceMenace said:

Let’s give credit to “The One” who called it — thank you!

Could The One be Pditty?  Good call, The One!

[almaman]

4 minutes ago, bauman said:

Looking at who we have returning and who we are adding next year-I know we are not done yet with adding players- one of the things that strikes me is that, not only is TF and staff the best we have had with regard to getting outstanding players, but he is also doing a great job in building a roster with all the right pieces.  Coming into this season we had all the positions covered, especially with CAG/MP/FT in the pipeline. Then S2 happened to pretty much wipe out our number of available Guards. So what has he done now, even late in the 2018 recruiting time frame?  Just gotten Jacobs and probably Austin.

The best recruit we never got was Crews/Tatum.  If Crews had landed him he would still be our coach.  Thanks Coach K and Jason.

and Imo's!

[TheChosenOne]

10 minutes ago, bauman said:

The best recruit we never got was Crews/Tatum.  If Crews had landed him he would still be our coach.  Thanks Coach K and Jason.

Based on recent developments, I assume that also saved us a lot of $.

[TheChosenOne]

@TheOne needs some sort of breaking news alert when he posts.

[BillsBeliever!!!]

who else are we still hoping to recruit for this class? How many scholarships remaining?

[majerus mojo]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:36 AM, RiseAndGrind said:

Dj Illinois will be so pissed 

 

[HoosierBilliken]

Ford is a  beast.  He will not be deterred.  Can't wait until we hear who will be next.

[HoosierBilliken]

On 2/24/2018 at 10:15 AM, TheOne said:

Fair enough - the “Top 144” page.

Sir, I want updated information!  Keep it coming.

[ACE]

1) Jacobs appears to be an off the charts athlete. Maybe a guard version of French - high motor, freakish athlete, whose game might be a little rough around the edges. Expect to see a lot of highlight reel plays.

2) Illinois fans are a joke. Almost as annoying as SPUMAC fans. Just two weeks ago they considered him a lock - now it turns out they never wanted him 

3) TheOne is the man... looks like the board has a real insider again. Boost this man's credibility points, he should top the list.

4) Austin, while it could help to have an experienced guard who can handle the ball, I view this as sort of a Rashed Anthony deal. Maybe he can carve out a bigger role, but I'd rather have more of a combo guard like Bishop who can both handle the ball and at least be a 3-point thread. Maybe Austin is a plus defender, so that could help and he'll only have the scholarship for one year, but he doesn't address the team's biggest need.

5) Obviously a JUCO a grad transfer sharp-shooter becomes the top priority the for that 3rd open scholarship. I love the potential of the team, but 3-point shooting will still be a big question. It was a struggle this year and we'll lose one of our more dependable threats in Roby. All that returns is Johnson. Bess and Goodwin will have to improve in this area, hopefully at least crack 30%. Pearson looks promising, but he seems like he'd play a similar role to Johnson. 

6) Welmer remains a question mark. If he is back, he provides one more 3-point threat, but it appears likely he won't return. If that is the case, I would expect the staff to shop for a transfer who will sit out a year, although I wouldn't mind searching for another grad transfer - one who can shoot!

[TheOne]

7 minutes ago, ACE said:

1) Jacobs appears to be an off the charts athlete. Maybe a guard version of French - high motor, freakish athlete, whose game might be a little rough around the edges. Expect to see a lot of highlight reel plays.

2) Illinois fans are a joke. Almost as annoying as SPUMAC fans. Just two weeks ago they considered him a lock - now it turns out they never wanted him 

3) TheOne is the man... looks like the board has a real insider again. Boost this man's credibility points, he should top the list.

4) Austin, while it could help to have an experienced guard who can handle the ball, I view this as sort of a Rashed Anthony deal. Maybe he can carve out a bigger role, but I'd rather have more of a combo guard like Bishop who can both handle the ball and at least be a 3-point thread. Maybe Austin is a plus defender, so that could help and he'll only have the scholarship for one year, but he doesn't address the team's biggest need.

5) Obviously a JUCO a grad transfer sharp-shooter becomes the top priority the for that 3rd open scholarship. I love the potential of the team, but 3-point shooting will still be a big question. It was a struggle this year and we'll lose one of our more dependable threats in Roby. All that returns is Johnson. Bess and Goodwin will have to improve in this area, hopefully at least crack 30%. Pearson looks promising, but he seems like he'd play a similar role to Johnson. 

6) Welmer remains a question mark. If he is back, he provides one more 3-point threat, but it appears likely he won't return. If that is the case, I would expect the staff to shop for a transfer who will sit out a year, although I wouldn't mind searching for another grad transfer - one who can shoot!

I appreciate the love.

[wgstl]

Not thrilled about the whole Larry Austin thing, but he does help.

1) S2 will hold a recruiting impact for 1-2 more years.  Larry will help fill that void, and give TF more time to recruit with a winning team. 

2) Dont think of Austin as a serious impact player.  He plays 11 min per in whats maybe the best league in basketball.  He'll be a very experienced backup pg for us.  Something we lack a ton.  If we can get him to be a 2nd/3rd string PG, thats great. 

[slufan13]

The fact that we're going after Austin tells me that Ford thinks we're good enough to win big next season. Having a power conference experienced backup point guard would be a really nice luxury even if he's not a great player. Better than trying to take a chance on an unsigned incoming freshman who may never contribute

[kshoe]

29 minutes ago, ACE said:

3) TheOne is the man... looks like the board has a real insider again. Boost this man's credibility points, he should top the list.

In addition to the recruiting info, TheOne has been all over S2 and how Goodwin would react to the suspension (i.e. he wasn't going anywhere).

[Pistol]

49 minutes ago, ACE said:

1) Jacobs appears to be an off the charts athlete. Maybe a guard version of French - high motor, freakish athlete, whose game might be a little rough around the edges. Expect to see a lot of highlight reel plays.

2) Illinois fans are a joke. Almost as annoying as SPUMAC fans. Just two weeks ago they considered him a lock - now it turns out they never wanted him 

3) TheOne is the man... looks like the board has a real insider again. Boost this man's credibility points, he should top the list.

4) Austin, while it could help to have an experienced guard who can handle the ball, I view this as sort of a Rashed Anthony deal. Maybe he can carve out a bigger role, but I'd rather have more of a combo guard like Bishop who can both handle the ball and at least be a 3-point thread. Maybe Austin is a plus defender, so that could help and he'll only have the scholarship for one year, but he doesn't address the team's biggest need.

5) Obviously a JUCO a grad transfer sharp-shooter becomes the top priority the for that 3rd open scholarship. I love the potential of the team, but 3-point shooting will still be a big question. It was a struggle this year and we'll lose one of our more dependable threats in Roby. All that returns is Johnson. Bess and Goodwin will have to improve in this area, hopefully at least crack 30%. Pearson looks promising, but he seems like he'd play a similar role to Johnson. 

6) Welmer remains a question mark. If he is back, he provides one more 3-point threat, but it appears likely he won't return. If that is the case, I would expect the staff to shop for a transfer who will sit out a year, although I wouldn't mind searching for another grad transfer - one who can shoot!

1. I don't think I'd quite say "off the charts" athletic, but he's very athletic, with a smooth, mature look to his game. Which is why I don't think I'd call him rough around the edges, either. He's got a polished look to him, and his numbers seem to back that up - steady shooting percentages, doesn't turn it over a ton, contributes in all categories.

2. Illinois fans (and Big Ten fans) are a special animal on Twitter. I think they annoy their way out of recruiting battles. If I were a HS kid who got an offer from Illinois followed by 800 @s a day, I'd probably politely say no thanks. It's always the same arc: Offer, Twitter avalanche, breathless reports that they have the inside track, kid decides to go elsewhere, and then it's backpedaling and excuse making. Roy Schmidt is the best at it, but he's far from the only one.

3. +1, solid contributions. Keep it up.

4. I'm higher on Austin and his potential role at SLU. Point one for me on this scholarship is that right now, priority number 1 on the roster is Goodwin. They have to make sure nothing happens to him before he's back on campus. They sold him on the program with the pitch that he'd be the lead guard and we'd build the roster around him. While I think he's an awesome teammate and I don't think he has nearly the ego a lot of other players at his age and stage, it's essential that anything we do in the backcourt keeps Goodwin, his role, and his goals in mind. Grabbing a HS PG to sit behind him for 3 years isn't going to be much help for him or the incoming player. Austin provides experience, leadership, and a solid PG presence for a season. We don't need a flashy PG, and we don't need a minutes eater. Having watched him when he was at Xavier, even in limited minutes, he's just a solid player. I agree with @wgstl and @slufan13 above; this is a play that makes perfect sense for 2018-2019 and a program with an opportunity to win.

5. I would agree that one of the juco shooting guards fits a big need. One would be a sophomore and one would be a junior, so we would also be balancing classes better instead of risking a 6-man freshman class. I also think Pearson has a much higher ceiling than you're giving him credit for. He's already got two inches of height and a ton of length on JJ and has a better all-around game to build upon.

6. I have no idea what's in store for Welmer, but I'm not optimistic we'll see him suit up again. This foot issue seems to have all the signs of a chronic problem. I feel bad for the kid. I like him.

[Littlebill]

41 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

The fact that we're going after Austin tells me that Ford thinks we're good enough to win big next season. Having a power conference experienced backup point guard would be a really nice luxury even if he's not a great player. Better than trying to take a chance on an unsigned incoming freshman who may never contribute

Yeah i think this is definitely a pretty obvious thing. We have seven players and we’re a top 120 team. Add two top 50 players (Goodwin, Gordon) and three recruits who -should- fit in perfectly, i expect us to make a run at the tournament next year, as well as probably (should be) favorites to win the A10 next year.

 

rhody losing Matthews and Terrell, among others, and Bona losing their whole team in Adams and Mobley. Isn’t Aldridge a senior at Davidson too?

 

it should be NCAAs or bust next year, imho

[wgstl]

7 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Yeah i think this is definitely a pretty obvious thing. We have seven players and we’re a top 120 team. Add two top 50 players (Goodwin, Gordon) and three recruits who -should- fit in perfectly, i expect us to make a run at the tournament next year, as well as probably (should be) favorites to win the A10 next year.

 

rhody losing Matthews and Terrell, among others, and Bona losing their whole team in Adams and Mobley. Isn’t Aldridge a senior at Davidson too?

 

it should be NCAAs or bust next year, imho

Bonnies return two starters, but ya, they lose was to much, especially guards. 

Davidson will still be pretty good next year. 

Early, but id go:

1) SLU

2) UD

3) Richmond

4) Davidson

5) VCU

 

[Pistol]

17 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Yeah i think this is definitely a pretty obvious thing. We have seven players and we’re a top 120 team. Add two top 50 players (Goodwin, Gordon) and three recruits who -should- fit in perfectly, i expect us to make a run at the tournament next year, as well as probably (should be) favorites to win the A10 next year.

rhody losing Matthews and Terrell, among others, and Bona losing their whole team in Adams and Mobley. Isn’t Aldridge a senior at Davidson too?

it should be NCAAs or bust next year, imho

Rhody has a nice class coming in - top 2 in the A10, along with ours - but they're going to be down because their top 3 scorers (and 5th and 8th) are all seniors. Bona loses Adams and Mobley, and Aldridge at Davidson is also a senior. VCU loses Tillman, Williams, and Lane, numbers 1, 3, and 5 in scoring.

Gudmundsson and Grady are a sophomore and freshman, respectively, so Davidson still returns 2 of their top 3, plus a decent amount of depth. Dayton, GMU, Richmond should all be marginally better.

I don't see the rest of the league making much of a move next season in either direction.

So with the two best teams taking big drops next season, this league will be even more open than it is this year - and we're currently in 4th with a badly depleted roster. It's ours to lose, and whatever we do with the remaining scholarships should be done with the mindset of winning immediately.

[ACE]

47 minutes ago, Pistol said:

1. I don't think I'd quite say "off the charts" athletic, but he's very athletic, with a smooth, mature look to his game. Which is why I don't think I'd call him rough around the edges, either. He's got a polished look to him, and his numbers seem to back that up - steady shooting percentages, doesn't turn it over a ton, contributes in all categories.

2. Illinois fans (and Big Ten fans) are a special animal on Twitter. I think they annoy their way out of recruiting battles. If I were a HS kid who got an offer from Illinois followed by 800 @s a day, I'd probably politely say no thanks. It's always the same arc: Offer, Twitter avalanche, breathless reports that they have the inside track, kid decides to go elsewhere, and then it's backpedaling and excuse making. Roy Schmidt is the best at it, but he's far from the only one.

3. +1, solid contributions. Keep it up.

4. I'm higher on Austin and his potential role at SLU. Point one for me on this scholarship is that right now, priority number 1 on the roster is Goodwin. They have to make sure nothing happens to him before he's back on campus. They sold him on the program with the pitch that he'd be the lead guard and we'd build the roster around him. While I think he's an awesome teammate and I don't think he has nearly the ego a lot of other players at his age and stage, it's essential that anything we do in the backcourt keeps Goodwin, his role, and his goals in mind. Grabbing a HS PG to sit behind him for 3 years isn't going to be much help for him or the incoming player. Austin provides experience, leadership, and a solid PG presence for a season. We don't need a flashy PG, and we don't need a minutes eater. Having watched him when he was at Xavier, even in limited minutes, he's just a solid player. I agree with @wgstl and @slufan13 above; this is a play that makes perfect sense for 2018-2019 and a program with an opportunity to win.

5. I would agree that one of the juco shooting guards fits a big need. One would be a sophomore and one would be a junior, so we would also be balancing classes better instead of risking a 6-man freshman class. I also think Pearson has a much higher ceiling than you're giving him credit for. He's already got two inches of height and a ton of length on JJ and has a better all-around game to build upon.

6. I have no idea what's in store for Welmer, but I'm not optimistic we'll see him suit up again. This foot issue seems to have all the signs of a chronic problem. I feel bad for the kid. I like him.

To be clear, I'm not saying Pearson doesn't have a higher ceiling. In fact, I'm hopeful he is a more athletic, better version of Johnson. All I'm saying is they fill a similar "role." Primarily playing the 3. Based on match-ups, I guess there could be some times where they would see the floor at the same time, with one of them being a stretch big.

My point is that is the roster is currently configured next year, we're only getting reliable 3-point shooting from the 3 position. 

[HoosierPal]

26 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Rhody has a nice class coming in - top 2 in the A10, along with ours - but they're going to be down because their top 3 scorers (and 5th and 8th) are all seniors. Bona loses Adams and Mobley, and Aldridge at Davidson is also a senior. VCU loses Tillman, Williams, and Lane, numbers 1, 3, and 5 in scoring.

Gudmundsson and Grady are a sophomore and freshman, respectively, so Davidson still returns 2 of their top 3, plus a decent amount of depth. Dayton, GMU, Richmond should all be marginally better.

I don't see the rest of the league making much of a move next season in either direction.

So with the two best teams taking big drops next season, this league will be even more open than it is this year - and we're currently in 4th with a badly depleted roster. It's ours to lose, and whatever we do with the remaining scholarships should be done with the mindset of winning immediately.

I'd think Hurley will jump to a larger job this off season.  In the coaching profession, you have to jump when you are on top.  I'm guessing the number of openings may be slightly higher than normal with the FBI investigation fall out. Being a Seton Hall grad, if Whitehead brings down Willard, that is a likely match. 

[Old guy]

I am not sure about the impact of S2 upon recruiting. IF we manage to beat Duquesne and St. Bona and go into the 4th seed at the tournaments and do well in it. AND if we manage to surprise the hell out of everyone and be invited to one of the at large slots in NCAA or be invited to the NIT, the net effect of S2 over recruiting may be very short lived. Fast forward to next season for which we have a good team in the wings. If we do well next season, S2 will probably carry very little weight afterwards. The kids want to  play for a winning team and a winning coach, give them that and S2's effect will diminish quickly.

[NextYearBill]

2 hours ago, wgstl said:

Bonnies return two starters, but ya, they lose was to much, especially guards. 

Davidson will still be pretty good next year. 

Early, but id go:

1) SLU

2) UD

3) Richmond

4) Davidson

5) VCU

 

towel me