Recruiting - 2023

[Box and Won]

News flash: College towns are typically fun places for college students.

[HoosierPal]

14 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

I'm not sure location is anywhere near as big of a deal as it was maybe 10 years ago to kids/recruits. 

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.  I have been to Lubbock too many times.  Yes it is in the middle of nowhere.  So what.  There are plenty of college hangouts there. There are plenty of big name concerts in Lubbock.  How many students at SLU make a routine trip to Chicago?  Probably zero, unless they live there.  

Lubbock is similar in size and to Columbia MO.  Texas Tech is similar in size to Mizzou.  There is plenty to do for college students in Lubbock.

[RUBillsFan]

12 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.  I have been to Lubbock too many times.  Yes it is in the middle of nowhere.  So what.  There are plenty of college hangouts there. There are plenty of big name concerts in Lubbock.  How many students at SLU make a routine trip to Chicago?  Probably zero, unless they live there.  

Lubbock is similar in size and to Columbia MO.  Texas Tech is similar in size to Mizzou.  There is plenty to do for college students in Lubbock.

@3star_recruit made it sound like we'd only get Texas Tech leftovers in terms of recruits.  I think SLU & Texas Tech each have their own things going that would appeal to certain kids.  Texas Tech being in the Big 12 is the biggest "basketball" related feather in their cap, but I could still see a kid picking SLU over Texas Tech if they value more what SLU offers.

I view Texas Texas post Chris Beard as maybe a small step above Kansas State*.  I certainly expect SLU to beat out K-State for kids sometimes though not always.

* Note this is under the assumption that Mark Adams can't sustain the success of the current season & Texas Tech falls back to where they were pre-Beard going forward.  Texas Tech IS really good this season & absolutely better than K-State.  I'm not talking about current team quality here.

[ACE]

1 hour ago, HoosierPal said:

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.  I have been to Lubbock too many times.  Yes it is in the middle of nowhere.  So what.  There are plenty of college hangouts there. There are plenty of big name concerts in Lubbock.  How many students at SLU make a routine trip to Chicago?  Probably zero, unless they live there.  

Lubbock is similar in size and to Columbia MO.  Texas Tech is similar in size to Mizzou.  There is plenty to do for college students in Lubbock.

True, but Ford said in an interview right after he was hired at SLU that there are some kids who grow up in urban areas who are not comfortable going to school in those small towns - those are the types of players Ford said that SLU should identify and target. Sure, there are plenty of basketball players who are drawn to the big state schools, the facilities, etc., but it's not for everyone.

Ford certainly understands this having coached Stillwater, but also coaching in the A-10, which is largely a league with schools in cities. Ford himself said we're in an East Coast league, that's where it makes sense to have a strong recruiting presence. We'll see how this Texas foray plays out, but two successful western/central schools Xavier and Dayton had a lot of success getting players in places like NYC, Philly and Baltimore. 

[3star_recruit]

26 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

@3star_recruit made it sound like we'd only get Texas Tech leftovers in terms of recruits.  I think SLU & Texas Tech each have their own things going that would appeal to certain kids.  Texas Tech being in the Big 12 is the biggest "basketball" related feather in their cap, but I could still see a kid picking SLU over Texas Tech if they value more what SLU offers.

I view Texas Texas post Chris Beard as maybe a small step above Kansas State*.  I certainly expect SLU to beat out K-State for kids sometimes though not always.

* Note this is under the assumption that Mark Adams can't sustain the success of the current season & Texas Tech falls back to where they were pre-Beard going forward.  Texas Tech IS really good this season & absolutely better than K-State.  I'm not talking about current team quality here.

Absolutely agree with the bolded, which is why I support this foray into Texas.  What we're up against in the current class however, is a honeymoon period where Texas Tech is still really good and recruits are looking at the program's future prospects with rose-colored glasses.  I urge folks not to get discouraged if we don't land a top 150 player in that state right away.

[Brighton]

I think 3star needs to rename himself “party pooper”.

[brianstl]

If we could land Steffe or Bizjack, our recruitment of Texas will be off to a great start.

[TheA_Bomb]

1 hour ago, AnkielBreakers said:

Really? I can guarantee that the Missouri State basketball players are not gods of Springfield, MO.

B12 TTU is really different than SMS.  Not really even in the same universe.

Lots of interesting takes in this thread.  I think that SLU can recruit nearly on the same level as KSU and a little below TTU but it's a challenge as the B12 is currently the top Basketball Conference.  Lubbock is a fun college town, personally confirmed.  Also their arena is nice, they were recently in the National Championship team.  Those are selling points, SLU doesn't have.  So we have to focus on our differentiation.

Recruiting generalizations about kids from a certain region, or urban or whatever aren't necessarily accurate.  Every recruit is an individual.  A kid may want to go to a school in a city, or a traditional college town, or Catholic school, a certain major, or play on the East Coast or just get away from what they are used to.  Good recruiters are going to get to know the player and tailor the pitch to the player.  I would think if we go against TTU or KSU for a TX Catholic HS kid we might have a better chance if that kid and their family like the Catholic School thing.  That's our differentiation in that situation, plus urban campus, plus play on East Coast.

Also recruiting is different now, you don't lose a kid if they pick somewhere else but you may have a chance at a transfer should it not work out at that school.  So always be nice keep relationships and it may work out anyway.

I'd think we'd hit the parochial schools in Chicago harder than we do, it's an opportunity with Loyola coming into the league as players will get a chance at a home town game.

[RUBillsFan]

16 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

B12 TTU is really different than SMS.  Not really even in the same universe.

Lots of interesting takes in this thread.  I think that SLU can recruit nearly on the same level as KSU and a little below TTU but it's a challenge as the B12 is currently the top Basketball Conference.  Lubbock is a fun college town, personally confirmed.  Also their arena is nice, they were recently in the National Championship team.  Those are selling points, SLU doesn't have.  So we have to focus on our differentiation.

Recruiting generalizations about kids from a certain region, or urban or whatever aren't necessarily accurate.  Every recruit is an individual.  A kid may want to go to a school in a city, or a traditional college town, or Catholic school, a certain major, or play on the East Coast or just get away from what they are used to.  Good recruiters are going to get to know the player and tailor the pitch to the player.  I would think if we go against TTU or KSU for a TX Catholic HS kid we might have a better chance if that kid and their family like the Catholic School thing.  That's our differentiation in that situation, plus urban campus, plus play on East Coast.

Also recruiting is different now, you don't lose a kid if they pick somewhere else but you may have a chance at a transfer should it not work out at that school.  So always be nice keep relationships and it may work out anyway.

I'd think we'd hit the parochial schools in Chicago harder than we do, it's an opportunity with Loyola coming into the league as players will get a chance at a home town game.

I was waiting on you to chime in here since I know you follow Big 12 / Texas collegiate sports closer than most on the board.  I'm glad my TTU takes weren't too far out there.  You communicated what I was trying to say way better than I was able to.

[NH]

7 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

I was waiting on you to chime in here since I know you follow Big 12 / Texas collegiate sports closer than most on the board.  I'm glad my TTU takes weren't too far out there.  You communicated what I was trying to say way better than I was able to.

I hear what you are saying about Texas Tech and recruiting. Historically they have not been significantly above SLU as a program, and there is a lot that SLU and Saint Louis has to offer that Lubbock doesn't. But they have a crazy fan base, are currently ranked and were in the final four just a couple of years ago. They've also had multiple first round picks in recent years. Until they actually go through the post-Beard dropoff that you're alluding to, it seems like a stretch to me that kids from the state wouldn't view them as a more prominent program than SLU.

What we do have to offer more of than them is playing time in the class of 2023. If we do land recruits over them in the next year or two, you can bet that the ability to play immediately is a big reason why.

[TheA_Bomb]

36 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

I was waiting on you to chime in here since I know you follow Big 12 / Texas collegiate sports closer than most on the board.  I'm glad my TTU takes weren't too far out there.  You communicated what I was trying to say way better than I was able to.

Thanks, I was thinking of another point of differentiation for SLU.  There's not really a school like SLU in TX.  On the East Coast there's so many Catholic Basketball Schools, or just private schools with basketball.  In TX there's SMU, TCU both are FB schools first.  Tulane isn't too far but it is also a FB School (kinda).  So who's the closest Oral Roberts?  Creighton? Abilene Christian?  If you want to go to a school like SLU (parochial, BB school) you gotta go out of state.  So what's the Venn diagram of top 300 players in TX and OK that want to go to a private, BB school?  That's our guy.

[almaman]

17 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

Thanks, I was thinking of another point of differentiation for SLU.  There's not really a school like SLU in TX.  On the East Coast there's so many Catholic Basketball Schools, or just private schools with basketball.  In TX there's SMU, TCU both are FB schools first.  Tulane isn't too far but it is also a FB School (kinda).  So who's the closest Oral Roberts?  Creighton? Abilene Christian?  If you want to go to a school like SLU (parochial, BB school) you gotta go out of state.  So what's the Venn diagram of top 300 players in TX and OK that want to go to a private, BB school?  That's our guy.

Rice?

[slufanskip]

25 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

Thanks, I was thinking of another point of differentiation for SLU.  There's not really a school like SLU in TX.  On the East Coast there's so many Catholic Basketball Schools, or just private schools with basketball.  In TX there's SMU, TCU both are FB schools first.  Tulane isn't too far but it is also a FB School (kinda).  So who's the closest Oral Roberts?  Creighton? Abilene Christian?  If you want to go to a school like SLU (parochial, BB school) you gotta go out of state.  So what's the Venn diagram of top 300 players in TX and OK that want to go to a private, BB school?  That's our guy.

TCU

[billiken_roy]

3 hours ago, AnkielBreakers said:

Really? I can guarantee that the Missouri State basketball players are not gods of Springfield, MO.

i've always assumed southwest Missouri state's flagship college athletic program was their baseball team.

[Pistol]

Steffe's top five - SLU, Xavier, TCU, TTU, Colorado - also gives a little insight. 3/5 are football schools and none are powerhouses, even if all three are at least competitive. 3/5 are private, medium-sized schools. He's got a couple in-state options, 4 different conferences - it's a good mix.

He seems to be focusing on the schools that recruited him hardest and looking at programs where he has a chance to make an immediate impact. He could be plan B at a lot of other programs and see limited minutes if he wanted to go up a tier.

Every school here has a chance to differentiate itself.

[TheA_Bomb]

14 minutes ago, almaman said:

Rice?

Rice is in a big city, Houston.  I know little about their basketball program.  It certainly isn't a basketball school it's a baseball and terrible football school. They are 10-6 this season and play in CUSA.  We should be able to beat them out for kids unless they really want to stay in Houston or get a higher rated education.

[Pistol]

Half of our 2023 offers are to Texas players. Of those 6 offers, 4 of them are in the Rivals top 150, 1 of the other 2 is in the 247Sports top 150, and the last one is a raw, quickly developing big man.

We're a finalist for Steffe, we're very much in the mix for Finley Bizjack, and have been recently mentioned as involved by R.J. Jones. Any one of them would make an immediate impact. We're newer into the mix for Kordelius Jefferson - another guard, and probably my fourth choice of this group - and it's not as clear where we stand with Isaiah Manning (6-7 wing F). I think we still have time as one of only two offers for Samson Aletan, the big man, and can make him a priority if we want.

Point is, we aren't going to land them all and we don't need to. Any one of Steffe, Bizjack, and Jones is a nice win; two would be a jackpot. (I'm not sure if those guys would want to play together or if they'd see that as a competitive situation for minutes.)

With only 13 offers out in this class, I don't know if that's a sign that Ford and Forte are focused and confident on these names or if they plan to do more in the portal when it's time or some combination of those. It'll be interesting to see if there's a spike in offers in the spring when some of these guys are playing AAU again. We certainly have a ton of names on the 2023 interest list.

[Box and Won]

If we get THE BIZ, no one will be saying we shouldn't be recruiting Texas.

[3star_recruit]

15 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Half of our 2023 offers are to Texas players. Of those 6 offers, 4 of them are in the Rivals top 150, 1 of the other 2 is in the 247Sports top 150, and the last one is a raw, quickly developing big man.

We're a finalist for Steffe, we're very much in the mix for Finley Bizjack, and have been recently mentioned as involved by R.J. Jones. Any one of them would make an immediate impact. We're newer into the mix for Kordelius Jefferson - another guard, and probably my fourth choice of this group - and it's not as clear where we stand with Isaiah Manning (6-7 wing F). I think we still have time as one of only two offers for Samson Aletan, the big man, and can make him a priority if we want.

Point is, we aren't going to land them all and we don't need to. Any one of Steffe, Bizjack, and Jones is a nice win; two would be a jackpot. (I'm not sure if those guys would want to play together or if they'd see that as a competitive situation for minutes.)

With only 13 offers out in this class, I don't know if that's a sign that Ford and Forte are focused and confident on these names or if they plan to do more in the portal when it's time or some combination of those. It'll be interesting to see if there's a spike in offers in the spring when some of these guys are playing AAU again. We certainly have a ton of names on the 2023 interest list.

Quick update on Kordelius Jefferson.  I don't think the current rankings are an accurate reflection of his ability.  According to a 247's Brandon Jenkins, who is based out of Dallas, Jefferson's recruiting has exploded. He received offers from "Houston, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UNLV in a span of two days" back in early January. 

[Pistol]

2 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Quick update on Kordelius Jefferson.  I don't think the current rankings are an accurate reflection of his ability.  According to a 247's Brandon Jenkins, who is based out of Dallas, Jefferson's recruiting has exploded. He received offers from "Houston, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UNLV in a span of two days" back in early January. 

Welp, I need to do my 2023 class refresh again (last done right before Christmas). It's like painting the Golden Gate Bridge, as soon as I finish I need to start over because the lists have gotten so long.

I still don't think we're as in the mix as on the other three guards, though.

[TheA_Bomb]

Robert RJ Jones is the only 1 from TX that also attends a Catholic HS.  Could matter but maybe not. He has composite 2 star rating on verbal commits but has a lot of P5 conference interest.  So anticipate the ranking to move up.

All the TX targets are from large cities.  TCU in on some of our guys in TX and PSU on the East Coast.

If we get more traction with Nazar Mahmoud - SG, 6-5, 185 - Leander, TX, I can make the drive to check him out that's close.  I'll rep SLU in my new Homefield Sweater (super soft).

Not 1 Oklahoma target?  Surprising.

 

[Pistol]

32 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

Robert RJ Jones is the only 1 from TX that also attends a Catholic HS.  Could matter but maybe not. He has composite 2 star rating on verbal commits but has a lot of P5 conference interest.  So anticipate the ranking to move up.

All the TX targets are from large cities.  TCU in on some of our guys in TX and PSU on the East Coast.

If we get more traction with Nazar Mahmoud - SG, 6-5, 185 - Leander, TX, I can make the drive to check him out that's close.  I'll rep SLU in my new Homefield Sweater (super soft).

Not 1 Oklahoma target?  Surprising.

Terry McMorris (Del City) and Corry "C.J." Smith (Heritage Hall, OKC) are the two Oklahoma on the interest list.

Jones took an official to Texas Tech recently. Not sure what's next for him.

[Pistol]

Here's one of the six: 

So I'm editing my "not clear where we stand" to "SLU is heavily involved".

 

 

 

[3star_recruit]

Manning's highlight reel on Maxpreps looks like Perkins' senior year of high school.

[3star_recruit]

If Westminster's Kobi Williams played most of the time like he did in his team's upset of CBC last night, he would have a D-1 offer by now.  But you never know what player you're going to get.  This summer will be huge for him.  He's got the size (6-3), quickness and creativity to be a mid-major shooting guard but the shooting consistency isn't there yet.