6'10" JUCO forward commits to MU
Written by: noreply@blogger.com (Tim Blair)
Montreale Clark, a 6'10" forward from Hill College in Texas, verbally committed to Marquette. The commitment was first reported by the blog Texas Basketball Inc late last night (http://texasbasketballinc.blogspot.com/2009/02/marquette-recruiting-scoop.html) and was verified/reported by Todd Rosiak today (http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=415&f=2850&t=3890820). Mark Miller at Wishoops has an informative report on Clark as well (http://www.wissports.net/sports/hoopsb/blog/message.aspx?f=123&id=987069).
The kid obviously has talent -- per a poster at MUScoop, Clark was ranked as high as #43 in the class of 2008 according to HoopScoop (http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2008-topjuniors-fall2006.asp) before transferring high schools and academic concerns slowed his route into a D1 program.
Originally from Milwaukee, Clark projects to be a forward at MU. At 6'10" but only 208 pounds, he'll obviously need to add some weight to his frame. Clark is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and nearly three block a game so far this season.
Clark is the second player to commit to the 2010 class for Buzz Williams, joining 6'5" high school junior Aaron Bowen from Jacksonville. MU has one scholarship remaining for the 2010 class.
With Clark in the fold, Marquette will have four (!) players on campus in 2010 who are at least 6'9" or taller (Clark will join Brett Roseboro, Liam McMorrow and Chris Otule).
The guys at MU Scoop are talking this one up (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=12252.0).
http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/02/610-juco-forward-commits-to-mu.html
What are the thoughts and feelings about JuCo's? I thought they were for desperate programs.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on February 04, 2009, 09:34:47 PM
What are the thoughts and feelings about JuCo's? I thought they were for desperate programs.
Considering Huggy Bear has made his career off of them, I've never heard of such thing.
Quote from: marqptm on February 04, 2009, 09:37:56 PM
Considering Huggy Bear has made his career off of them, I've never heard of such thing.
He recruited a bunch of thugs. We don't need that.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on February 04, 2009, 09:41:24 PM
He recruited a bunch of thugs. We don't need that.
Beyond contrary belief, not every player was a thug. There are very good JUCO players in the NCAA every year. Hell, people like Shawn Marion were JUCOs.
There is no negative connotation with the JUCO name, some kids weren't ready for D-1 academics or basketball.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on February 04, 2009, 09:34:47 PM
What are the thoughts and feelings about JuCo's? I thought they were for desperate programs.
I am concerned Buzz is getting so many.
Quote from: 79Warrior on February 04, 2009, 10:06:12 PM
I am concerned Buzz is getting so many.
Two? That makes you worried?
UNLV was made on the backs of JUCO's. Tark made a habit of recruiting 2-3 JUCO's a year, didn't hurt UNLV during his run there.
Quote from: lurch91 on February 05, 2009, 08:46:07 AM
UNLV was made on the backs of JUCO's. Tark made a habit of recruiting 2-3 JUCO's a year, didn't hurt UNLV during his run there.
Well, it certainly didn't hurt the quality of their team -- those were amazing teams. I would argue that it did hurt the reputation of their program, and they really haven't recovered. In the past, some teams that rely too heavily on Juco's have developed questionable reputations (Cinci, UNLV).
Obviously, not all Juco's are created equal and as far as I know Marquette has not had any problems with Juco's in the past (even if we haven't had the greatest luck with Juco's basketball success-wise). I'm sure some schools that rely a lot on Juco's have done great, but I just wouldn't say that UNLV's program (championship notwithstanding) is the best example of that.
I wouldn't want this to become a habit. Fair or not, it makes us seem like we're lowering our admissions standards.
A key point is that both JUCOs are Milwaukee kids who are coming home. I see no issue with that. I do believe MU has not had a Milwaukee recruit since Terry Sanders. Can't turn your back on your own backyard.
Also, both Buycks and Clark appear to be top level JUCOs, not your average ones like Jamil Lott and Trend Blackledge.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on February 04, 2009, 09:34:47 PM
What are the thoughts and feelings about JuCo's? I thought they were for desperate programs.
In 1987 Indiana University won the National Championship *only* b/c Bob Knight backed off of his no JUCO's policy and brought in Dean Garrett and Keith Smart. Neither of these guys were character or academic problems by which JUCO players are often stereotyped. So judicious use of JUCO's can be productive.
Not all JUCO's are created equally, but if we are looking at programs like UNLV and Cincinnati with admiration, I'll start looking at different schools.
I look at it this way. With high quality JUCOs, you're strengthening your bench and bringing a ton of game experience to the table. Not to knock O'Tule, but how much game experience does he have? So in effect you're getting a guy that can contribute right away, much like Acker & Jackson back in '02 but without the redshirt. If Clark is in fact the top JUCO big man in the nation, I'll take that any day of the week.
Does anyone have any numbers on this guy. I search Scout.com weekly and this guy isn't even on our board for 2010. Why would we give him a scholarship so soon with so many other guys on the board??
After what is coming in this year 2009-2010; i dint know if it really matters what comes in 2010-2011. I guess the next big hurdle for Buss is the 2011-2012 class.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on February 04, 2009, 09:34:47 PM
What are the thoughts and feelings about JuCo's? I thought they were for desperate programs.
Would you feel better if he spent a year at Oak Hill Academy or some other "finishing school"?
Quote from: Dankdutch on February 05, 2009, 09:13:23 AM
Does anyone have any numbers on this guy. I search Scout.com weekly and this guy isn't even on our board for 2010. Why would we give him a scholarship so soon with so many other guys on the board??
After what is coming in this year 2009-2010; i dint know if it really matters what comes in 2010-2011. I guess the next big hurdle for Buss is the 2011-2012 class.
we aggregated a collection of links and info on Clark right here, http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/02/610-juco-forward-commits-to-mu.html
While I'm concerned about academic standards, it doesn't take a JUCO to lower them. We might just as easily lower them for someone coming straight from high school or from a prep school.
Don't JUCOs only have 3 years of eligibility? To me, that's something to worry about. This year's team is demonstrating (like some successful mid-majors in recent years, ie Butler, George Mason, SIU, even Gonzaga) that being together for four years can be a real advantage.
Quote from: ecompt on February 05, 2009, 08:55:30 AM
Fair or not, it makes us seem like we're lowering our admissions standards.
I do not think that it can automatically stated that this impacts admission standards in any way. The Jesuits have always supported educational advancement rather than elitism, and Marquette has long had programs to assist students who might not otherwise have qualified, e.g., the Freshman Frontier Program. [I do not know if this still exists, but it was structured to help students with potential for success at Marquette, but whose academic background did not permit a straight up acceptance. I think the students arrived on campus in mid-summer and took two intro classes to lighten the 1st semester load and participated in tutoring programs, etc. I also know that the tutoring programs were available to other students, but participation was mandatory for some period for FFP students.]
MU has recruited Juco's on and off for a long time. They are great complimentary additions to a recruiting class. They are more important when you have a very young team. Taking a JUCO every once in awhile is a good thing.