Catching up on D.J. Newbill
When I spoke to D.J. Newbill following his commitment on Jan. 30, the Marquette Golden Eagles were just hours removed from posting a thrilling 70-68 victory at then-No. 19 Connecticut.
I asked him if he'd watched the game and he said he had. He then added that the finish of that one, with Jimmy Butler's jumper falling through the net with 2.4 seconds remaining, somewhat mirrored the finish of a game he'd played just the night before for his Strawberry Mansion High School team.
"They won by two, and my team won by two. I hit the last shot to win the game," he said. "It was crazy. There were six seconds left and I ran down and I dunked the ball to win the game."
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/83911602.html
Time will tell, but certainly sounds like a pretty intriguing prospect. His coach comes off like a pretty cool guy too in the interview. If his comments are accurate, DJ does sound like a good fit for MU. Looking forward to seeing him and the rest of that class.
Says he is closer to 6'-5", he may end up being 6'-6" and a good physical player for us. I really think people are underestimating this kid, he has a great attitude and his work ethic seems superb
Honestly, how many game-winners has this kid hit? It seems like every article has him hitting another one.
Quote from: damuts222 on February 09, 2010, 01:40:22 PM
Says he is closer to 6'-5", he may end up being 6'-6" and a good physical player for us. I really think people are underestimating this kid, he has a great attitude and his work ethic seems superb
....sounds like we have our man to take over the middle when Jimmy graduates...
I'm sold. I was questioning if this signing made sense, but Newbill sounds very promising. With Otule definitely red-shirting now, our need for another big-man project is diminished, so taking someone like Newbill could turn out great. Welcome aboard DJ, can't wait to see you at MU next year!
Average 7 spg, we need some additional defense as well.
Here, all this time I thought there were two guard positions on a team, not three.
At times you might see five dribble, drive guys on the court.
...best unsigned guard on the East coast..... 6'4, closer to 6'5, still growing.....can play any position on the floor for his high school team.. already a physical specimen.... took SAT in December, passed it... scared some schools away... competed well with Blue
No one outworks Buzz. This is this year's DJO, the one Buzz stole. Might not play 30 mpg next year, but he could be very good.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on February 09, 2010, 02:05:29 PM
Here, all this time I thought there were two guard positions on a team, not three.
C'mon now... haven't you learned anything watching MU this year? It's obvious that the five positions in basketball are now: point guard, shooting guard, slasher guard, potpourri guard, Lazar.
Quote from: Benny B on February 09, 2010, 02:23:59 PM
C'mon now... haven't you learned anything watching MU this year? It's obvious that the five positions in basketball are now: point guard, shooting guard, slasher guard, potpourri guard, Lazar.
close, but a reliable source has told me that there should be only one position: maymon
This backcourt is gonna be ridiculously deep. I love the great talent that will be battling for PT. There's going to be quite a few combinations of rotations.
"he's also the best player in Philadelphia." I hope so...! Great get Buzz and staff!
I hope he pans out. What I like about him is that (1) sounds he has the versatility to get minutes in a variety of personnel groupings without sacrificing defense, (2) nice for Buzz to get a kid from Philly and broaden his footprint on the east coast, and (3) we can always use another DJ.
He sounds like the kind of versatile guard/player Buzz covets. MU will be EXTREMELY dangerous in the 2011-2012 season when DJO is a senior, Jae Crowder will be a senior....Williams, Otule and Cadougan will be juniors, and Vander Blue, Newbill, Jamail Jones, Reggie Smith will be sophomores. MU will be a solid 2-deep at every position, and will likely press full court and play an unbelievable intense brand of basketball...that will become known as BUZZ-BALL!!
Perhaps this signing also contributed toward the coaching staff being more comfortable with Cadougan playing this year. That said, it sounds from all reports that the decision to burn the redshirt this year, was entirely Junior's.
If all of these kids live up to their billing, and follow in the footsteps of the hard-working philosophy of Mu basketball, develop the toughness Buzz preaches, and show improvement similar to Jimmy Butler - this very well will be the deepest and most talented MU team I've ever seen assembled in my lifetime..been a hardcore fan since 1983.
Quote from: Ners on February 09, 2010, 03:00:05 PM
He sounds like the kind of versatile guard/player Buzz covets. MU will be EXTREMELY dangerous in the 2011-2012 season when DJO is a senior, Jae Crowder will be a senior....Williams, Otule and Cadougan will be juniors, and Vander Blue, Newbill, Jamail Jones, Reggie Smith will be sophomores. MU will be a solid 2-deep at every position, and will likely press full court and play an unbelievable intense brand of basketball...that will become known as BUZZ-BALL!!
Assuming we don't have two transfers, three injuries and an arrest...
I always take an assessment of a kid from his HS or AAU coach with a huge grain of salt.
That being said, he is averaging 27ppg and 7spg for his HS team. He has to be doing something right. Also, he seems to have the type of character that Buzz wants on his teams.
I really hope we have found a 'sleeper' here. It sounds like, at least, he has huge upside. Also, we will have another 'DJ' for 4 more years!
Nothing like the ultimate unbiased source like a kid's coach to upgrade expectations...
And how can anybody talk about what a great team it will be in a few years when none of those guys have stepped on the court yet. E. Williams was highly regarded and is near helpless at this level so far.
These guys will be lucky to match up with Key, Logterman and McIlvaine or Wade, Diener and Novak as far as a talented team goes. I don't even mention James, Mcneal and Matthews, since they accomplished nothing. The others at least made some noise in the NCAA's, which is the only thing that matters in the end.
Quote from: gumbyandpokey on February 09, 2010, 03:36:58 PM
Nothing like the ultimate unbiased source like a kid's coach to upgrade expectations...
And how can anybody talk about what a great team it will be in a few years when none of those guys have stepped on the court yet. E. Williams was highly regarded and is near helpless at this level so far.
These guys will be lucky to match up with Key, Logterman and McIlvaine or Wade, Diener and Novak as far as a talented team goes. I don't even mention James, Mcneal and Matthews, since they accomplished nothing. The others at least made some noise in the NCAA's, which is the only thing that matters in the end.
To say James, Mcneal and Matthews accomplished nothing is ridiculous. Can't wait to see D.J. prove you wrong- and no, I'm not saying immediate impact.
Quote from: gumbyandpokey on February 09, 2010, 03:36:58 PM
I don't even mention James, Mcneal and Matthews, since they accomplished nothing. The others at least made some noise in the NCAA's, which is the only thing that matters in the end.
Wow---I'm sure DJ, Jerel and Wes would be pleased to hear that they busted their asses for four years, represented the University with class and won a heck of a lot of games.....but didn't accomplish anything.
If noise in the NCAA's is "the only thing that matters in the end", that's pretty sad. I love it when the program is successful and the Final Four run was truly one of the most exciting times in my life, but I'd much rather have a solid program with kids that graduate and represent themselves and the school well than have a program that embarrased me as an alum despite making noise in the NCAA's.
gumbyandpokey back trolling, trying to find the dark cloud behind every silver lining, hating it simply because MU does it.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on February 09, 2010, 02:05:29 PM
Here, all this time I thought there were two guard positions on a team, not three.
Dude, you're still probably wondering why they let the Quarterback throw a forward pass. ;)
Just kidding 4ever, just kidding.
Quote from: Benny B on February 09, 2010, 02:23:59 PM
C'mon now... haven't you learned anything watching MU this year? It's obvious that the five positions in basketball are now: point guard, shooting guard, slasher guard, potpourri guard, Lazar.
That's why we don't get any big men recruits
Hayward may be the star leaving at the end of this year but boy is this team in good hands. We keep packing on recruits and good ones at that. It seems like we are going to have alot of players though. Dont only hayward acker and cublian leave? I know we still have to focus on this year but what will our roster look like next year? Who gets PT?
Quote from: StillWarriors on February 09, 2010, 03:47:15 PM
Wow---I'm sure DJ, Jerel and Wes would be pleased to hear that they busted their asses for four years, represented the University with class and won a heck of a lot of games.....but didn't accomplish anything.
If noise in the NCAA's is "the only thing that matters in the end", that's pretty sad. I love it when the program is successful and the Final Four run was truly one of the most exciting times in my life, but I'd much rather have a solid program with kids that graduate and represent themselves and the school well than have a program that embarrased me as an alum despite making noise in the NCAA's.
To say that they accomplished nothing is really not fair. However, if you would have been told after their freshman year that they never would go beyond the 2nd round of the tournament, you would have been disappointed.
Quote from: tower912 on February 09, 2010, 03:52:13 PM
gumbyandpokey back trolling, trying to find the dark cloud behind every silver lining, hating it simply because MU does it.
Nope, I'm just the realistic cloud providing some balance to a coach's praising of his player. Do you really think a coach will give an accurate assessment of one of his guys? Wait until DJ gets on the court and proves he is a legit Big East player to get excited.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on February 09, 2010, 04:19:37 PM
To say that they accomplished nothing is really not fair. However, if you would have been told after their freshman year that they never would go beyond the 2nd round of the tournament, you would have been disappointed.
Of course, but the post I was responding to went way beyond that. Given the injuries that greatly impacted two of the potential post-season runs, I don't consider it a failure on the part of DJ, Jerel and Wes that they didn't go further. Being left short handed as far as a supporting cast didn't help either.
Video of him before his 64 point performance...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kQQ1NE3u2Q
Cracks me up when he talks about the competition and having "heard they are pretty good" before he goes and drops 64 on them, lol Just made me laugh
Wish it actually covered some of his game though :-\
I do say, it has been some time since we heard from Mr. Cheerie.
Badger troll or otherwise G & P is certainly a lifetime candidate for this board's most miserable prognosticator of doom...I've been meaning to pass along my condolences and offer a moment of silence for Gumby and Pokey originator and cartoonist, Art Clokey who passed last month at 88. Seems as a student at USC in the early 1950s the characters grew out of a student production Clokey was in called "Gumbasia". Far out. G & P made their TV debut on the Howdy Doody Show. Cute story; you must be heartbroken.
The since '83 supporter may be seeing the best collection of talent on paper that comes to my mind. Buzz has to be the best recruiter since Al.
I really hope Newbill works out ... but the comments about him sounds an awful lot like the last PA recruit we had - Roseboro. He was so good that Buzz told him to go somewhere else.
Not that I'm saying Newbill is a bust but I would expect EVERY HS coach says the same thing about his best player.
According to their HS coach, their are about a 1,000 D1 players in Philly alone. Of these, about 375 are the best player in the city.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on February 09, 2010, 07:06:24 PM
I really hope Newbill works out ... but the comments about him sounds an awful lot like the last PA recruit we had - Roseboro. He was so good that Buzz told him to go somewhere else.
Not that I'm saying Newbill is a bust but I would expect EVERY HS coach says the same thing about his best player.
According to their HS coach, their are about a 1,000 D1 players in Philly alone. Of these, about 375 are the best player in the city.
Huh?
Nobody ever called Roseboro the best player in Philly, or anything remotely close to it.
Nor, that I recall, was he called a versatile guard.
Or a kid who skipped AAU play to work out in the gym.
Or an inner-city kid.
Or a cross between Mardy Collins, Aaron McKie and Cuttino Mobley.
Or a kid who averaged 27 ppg.
But other than that, this sounds exactly like what was said about Roseboro.
Wasnt Rosboro a white fire crotch? Yeah the similarities arnt really there.
Quote from: Pakuni on February 09, 2010, 07:21:32 PM
Huh?
Nobody ever called Roseboro the best player in Philly, or anything remotely close to it.
Nor, that I recall, was he called a versatile guard.
Or a kid who skipped AAU play to work out in the gym.
Or an inner-city kid.
Or a cross between Mardy Collins, Aaron McKie and Cuttino Mobley.
Or a kid who averaged 27 ppg.
But other than that, this sounds exactly like what was said about Roseboro.
+1 Pakuni.
I believe Brett was billed as the best player in Quakertown. I know that got me all hot and bothered.
To HaywardsHeroes32:
We prefer ginger.
Quote from: gumbyandpokey on February 09, 2010, 04:21:26 PM
Nope, I'm just the realistic cloud providing some balance to a coach's praising of his player. Do you really think a coach will give an accurate assessment of one of his guys? Wait until DJ gets on the court and proves he is a legit Big East player to get excited.
Thanks Gumby,
Once I figure out how to change my screen name, I have what my new one will be:
Realistic Cloud
Quote from: Pakuni on February 09, 2010, 07:21:32 PM
Huh?
Nobody ever called Roseboro the best player in Philly, or anything remotely close to it.
Nor, that I recall, was he called a versatile guard.
Or a kid who skipped AAU play to work out in the gym.
Or an inner-city kid.
Or a cross between Mardy Collins, Aaron McKie and Cuttino Mobley.
Or a kid who averaged 27 ppg.
But other than that, this sounds exactly like what was said about Roseboro.
You analysis is WAAAYY to anal ... told me more about you than I cared to know, and possibly your upbringing.
You miss my point ... I don't put much stock in Newbill's HS coach. All HS coaches say glowing things about their players.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on February 09, 2010, 08:42:09 PM
You analysis is WAAAYY to anal ... told me more about you than I cared to know, and possibly your upbringing.
You miss my point ... I don't put much stock in Newbill's HS coach. All HS coaches say glowing things about their players.
OK, I'll just assume that when it comes to other dudes, you're an expert on all things anal.
There you guys go again. Newbill hasn't even filled out his MU jockstrap yet and the cats on this board are flying off at the handle.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on February 09, 2010, 07:06:24 PM
I really hope Newbill works out ... but the comments about him sounds an awful lot like the last PA recruit we had - Roseboro. He was so good that Buzz told him to go somewhere else.
Not that I'm saying Newbill is a bust but I would expect EVERY HS coach says the same thing about his best player.
According to their HS coach, their are about a 1,000 D1 players in Philly alone. Of these, about 375 are the best player in the city.
I don't think you could be more wrong.
Roseboro's coach was selling him because in that part of Penn. they simply don't produce talent. Buzz fucked up and the coach knew it so he spent his time puffing the kid up. The coach was just geeked Marquette offered one of his kids. Was stunned it happened.
You don't lead Philly in scoring without talent. You don't survive in the Philly public league without talent. Yes, every coach is going to tout their kid but it seemed to me Laws spent more time puffing up Newbill off the court then his ability.
I'm not writing Newbill will be all-Big East but to try and connect him to Roseboro, with the state they play in being their only connection, seems a wild stretch by any criteria.
Quote from: HaywardsHeroes32 on February 09, 2010, 07:29:09 PM
Wasnt Rosboro a white fire crotch? Yeah the similarities arnt really there.
Is there any other kind?
Guys...drawing comparisons between Roseboro and Newbill are silly. It is like drawing comparisons between a guy playing at Burlington High School and the Milwaukee City League. Yeah, they may be in the same state, but that's pretty much all they have in common when it comes to the level of basketball they consistently play against.
Quote from: The Golden Avalanche on February 09, 2010, 09:33:01 PM
I don't think you could be more wrong.
Roseboro's coach was selling him because in that part of Penn. they simply don't produce talent. Buzz fracked up and the coach knew it so he spent his time puffing the kid up. The coach was just geeked Marquette offered one of his kids. Was stunned it happened.
You don't lead Philly in scoring without talent. You don't survive in the Philly public league without talent. Yes, every coach is going to tout their kid but it seemed to me Laws spent more time puffing up Newbill off the court then his ability.
I'm not writing Newbill will be all-Big East but to try and connect him to Roseboro, with the state they play in being their only connection, seems a wild stretch by any criteria.
Did your you mother make you sit on the potty for hours on end too?
All I said was I don't put much stock in a HS coach touting his own player. I remember Roseboro's coach gushing about a year ago as well. That's it, no other comparsions are necessary.
Since you disagree with me, I'll put you down for buying everything a HS coach says about his player.
For those concerned about who "offered" this kid a scholarship - I think it is very telling that Huggins and WVU were after him. Huggins doesn't miss on many recruits. I fully trust that this kid can play, and I wouldn't surprise me to see him push Vander for PT. Ultimately Vander and Newbill very well could be each other's ticket to a career in pro basketball - as they will go at each other in practice day in, day out..and that only makes you better.
Keep in mind IWB rated Newbill as the 4th best player at the MU Camp, just behind Blue. Vander's got the hype, but Newbill could be the surprise of next year's class. I like a kid who scores 27/game in Philadelphia Inner City League. The Roseboro comparisons are RIDICULOUS.
I think that Buzz has a very good Eye for talent. His Mistake was not watching Brett at all and moving to quickly to get him to sign in the early period. I think he learned from his mistake, not saying he will never make a mistake again, but I doubt that we will question if DJN belongs in the Big East.
I hope he grows two more inches so he can play some center for us.
He may be playing center at his present height.
Reading Roseboro's coach's statement now, it looks like the young man had trouble dealing with adversity and frustration in high school. Worked hard, but was considered a D2/low D1 prospect until he blew up at some camps and tournaments. Then his senior year stats were not the best. The best player in Quakertown and this coach's first D1 prospect. Newbill is leading Philadelphia in scoring. Roseboro barely let Quakertown. EWill's coach said he was going to have trouble guarding the wing, because he had EWill stand under the basket and the rest of the team funnel their guys to him. So I would argue that their coaches, while being positive about their guys, also telegraphed the trouble their guys would have at MU. Based on these, re-read Newbill's coach's comments, and see what isn't glowing or what isn't said. Of course, this guy has worked with high end talent before, and there is always the outside chance he is telling the truth.
Quote from: tower912 on February 10, 2010, 06:43:59 AM
Reading Roseboro's coach's statement now, it looks like the young man had trouble dealing with adversity and frustration in high school. Worked hard, but was considered a D2/low D1 prospect until he blew up at some camps and tournaments. Then his senior year stats were not the best. The best player in Quakertown and this coach's first D1 prospect. Newbill is leading Philadelphia in scoring. Roseboro barely let Quakertown. EWill's coach said he was going to have trouble guarding the wing, because he had EWill stand under the basket and the rest of the team funnel their guys to him. So I would argue that their coaches, while being positive about their guys, also telegraphed the trouble their guys would have at MU. Based on these, re-read Newbill's coach's comments, and see what isn't glowing or what isn't said. Of course, this guy has worked with high end talent before, and there is always the outside chance he is telling the truth.
+1
So, negatives I can glean from his coach. Left for a year over lack of playing time. 7 steals and assists per game, but nothing about his man to man defense. Will grab a defensive board and go end to end. Ball hog? How much has he played against high major competition, since he never really played a lot of AAU? Why the late SAT? Is that really the only reason we weren't fighting more teams to get this guy? These are really finely split hairs. We will have to wait and see.
I am impressed that a city league athlete such as newbill did so well on his SATs and that his coach elated how high his character is. Coupling that with his talent coul be a huge under the radar get for Marquette inwhich he can suprise a lot of people.
The comparisons between roseboro and newbill are ridiculous. Roseboro played in an ok at best league averaging what 10 and 7 as big man? Not so impressive. Whereas newbill is doing 27 and 10 in a competetive league. Arguably one of if not the most talened leagues in pa.
And the fact that this kid can play the 1-3 spots could really help and sounds to be the perfect "buzz" type player. It would only be a plus of the kid is still growing. I like the sound of a 6'4"-6'5" player spelling our pg position. Imagine the mismatches.
I hope that Buzz found a diamond in the rough with this kid. Like a lot of others on this board, I'll take his coach's comments with a grain of salt. But that doesn't mean that Newbill is not a good player. Even if he's not the best player in Philly, he might be very good. He might come in and get immediate playing time and be the star of the team. He might not. Who knows. All I know is that he's going to play for MU and I'm glad he's on our team. I think comparisons with Roseboro are unfair - he was a reach and I think he's probably better off at a lower level program.
In looking into Newbill, I found an interesting site that has a lot of information about Philly HS sports: http://www.tedsilary.com/. The site isn't much to look at, but it's a nice gateway to a bunch of information. One thing I did lcheck is where Newbill would be ranked in scoring if that 64 point game would have been a more typical number -- say 20. Even if you took away 40 points from that game, Newbill would still be averaging 24.11 ppg and would be No. 3 in the city (http://www.tedsilary.com/BBoverallscoring10.htm).
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on February 09, 2010, 10:20:03 PM
Did your you mother make you sit on the potty for hours on end too?
All I said was I don't put much stock in a HS coach touting his own player. I remember Roseboro's coach gushing about a year ago as well. That's it, no other comparsions are necessary.
Since you disagree with me, I'll put you down for buying everything a HS coach says about his player.
Of course every coach touts their player. If you read every word I wrote, you would see I mentioned that.
The difference here is that you are trying to denigrate the words of Newbill's coach by linking Newbill the prospect to Roseboro the prospect simply because they play in the same state. It's been called out as a stupid connection and your reaction seems to show you know its a stretch by your mature responses dealing with anal and potty.
It's pretty clear you're one of those "either/or" people. Either you believe every word the coach says or you believe none of it. Either you agree with me totally or disagree with me totally. Seems to be no middle ground. That's quite a sheltered way to deal with things.
Quote from: The Golden Avalanche on February 10, 2010, 10:05:11 AM
The difference here is that you are trying to denigrate the words of Newbill's coach by linking Newbill the prospect to Roseboro the prospect simply because they play in the same state. It's been called out as a stupid connection and your reaction seems to show you know its a stretch by your mature responses dealing with anal and potty.
And let's not forget questioning the way people are raised. Slow your roll 84.
Quote from: StillWarriors on February 09, 2010, 04:48:55 PM
Of course, but the post I was responding to went way beyond that. Given the injuries that greatly impacted two of the potential post-season runs, I don't consider it a failure on the part of DJ, Jerel and Wes that they didn't go further. Being left short handed as far as a supporting cast didn't help either.
Having the worst front court in the entire Big East for their Soph, Junior, and Senior years is what caused that team to underacheive in the post season. That plus the injuries. The inability of the head coach to put anything on the floor but the worst front court in the entire big East was the greatest injustice the 3 amigos receive from that charleton. I dod not call him that becuase he left i call him that be cause he is nothing he claims to be including most importanly a good recruiter and coach.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on February 09, 2010, 09:28:18 PM
There you guys go again. Newbill hasn't even filled out his MU jockstrap yet and the cats on this board are flying off at the handle.
if i recall correctly, you were practically creaming your pants on this board when we got tyshawn taylor.
Quote from: dwaderoy2004 on February 10, 2010, 01:44:20 PM
if i recall correctly, you were practically creaming your pants on this board when we got tyshawn taylor.
Tyshawn Taylor was a Top 100 player, coming from one of the best HS teams in history. There was plenty of excitement.
I'm just pointing out that 4ever was on this board "flying off at the handle" before Taylor "had even filled out his jockstrap yet." I'm all for excitement over a recruit.
I just don't understand how a guy playing in a huge city like Philadelphia can be a "under the radar"? If DJ is truly THAT good, then top BBall schools would be all over him, imo. Word would get out and that would be that. If a kid is the best player in Philly, he'll be recruited by the plenty of noteworthy schools.
ummm, he was. WVU, florida st., rutgers, seton hall. I certainly think "best player in phily" is a stretch, but his name was out there. The fact he recently qualified and didn;t play AAU kept him off the national radar. You don't play AAU, you don't get seen, you don't get ranked, etc.
All i'm saying is that I'm gonna give buzz the benefit of the doubt here. When it comes to finding under the radar talent, he certainly has been right more than wrong so far.