Recruiting Update...

[MUFan11]

Anyone have any idea who we are targeting with our available scholarships. We still in the running for J. Coleman? or M. Walker?

[duanewade]

I know nothing specific but wanted to say how slimy recruiting the top 10 prospects/"one and done" prospects can be.  Marquette is a Jesuit institution whose leadership would never tolerate any rule breaking or unethical behavior.  This leads us to get a lot of good talent that are also solid character kids.  In addition Marquette is obviously lenient in letting players in academically as we accept Juco's and I've never heard us losing a player due to poor grades on a transcript (I’m a ND football fan and follow their recruiting and I do know they lose a lot of prospects due to poor transcripts).  HOWEVER once they get here we make them stay on track toward graduating in 4 years and will bombard them with tutors, mandatory study halls, and encourage summer school to get classes out of the way so they can take a lighter load during the season when time is very constrained. 

Unfortunately schools like Louisville, Cincy (under Huggins), Memphis , etc. don't abide by any of the above.  Their players take the NCAA minimum of 1-3 classes a semester and then even if they stay through their senior year, academic credit wise they are only like sophomores and hence why so many never graduate even after being in the program all four years. 

I've heard rumors (and they are just that rumors but some rumors actually are true....see OJ Mayo, Reggie Bush) that Louisville gave money to some of Wayne Blackshear's (a top ten recruit I was referring to) handlers in order to land a commitment.....so if a kid and his handlers have a lot of leverage and are motivated by easy/crooked money then Marquette has no shot.  In addition I found it amazing that Memphis lost their hall of fame coach and play in a mid-major conference and yet still landed the nation’s top recruiting class with a first year coach…just a coincidence?  Possibly. 

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Cal is more likely headed to the hall of douche bottles than the hall of fame.

[GOO]

MU bypasses a lot of players due to academics. In basketball this gets evaluated in depth during recruiting.      Also, only one of our Juco players was not fully qualified out of high school.  Thus all but DB have been 3 year Juco's. You must be reading too much badger garbage. 

[nyg]

Anyone have any idea who we are targeting with our available scholarships. We still in the running for J. Coleman? or M. Walker?

Looks like Coleman's leader is Louisville (he has academic issues and transfered to school in WVA) and Walker's leader is PITT.

No clue if Buzz is still actively pursuing them or the identities of others in 2010 class.  

[reinko]

I know nothing specific but wanted to say how slimy recruiting the top 10 prospects/"one and done" prospects can be.  Marquette is a Jesuit institution whose leadership would never tolerate any rule breaking or unethical behavior.  This leads us to get a lot of good talent that are also solid character kids.  In addition Marquette is obviously lenient in letting players in academically as we accept Juco's and I've never heard us losing a player due to poor grades on a transcript (I’m a ND football fan and follow their recruiting and I do know they lose a lot of prospects due to poor transcripts).  HOWEVER once they get here we make them stay on track toward graduating in 4 years and will bombard them with tutors, mandatory study halls, and encourage summer school to get classes out of the way so they can take a lighter load during the season when time is very constrained. 

Unfortunately schools like Louisville, Cincy (under Huggins), Memphis , etc. don't abide by any of the above.  Their players take the NCAA minimum of 1-3 classes a semester and then even if they stay through their senior year, academic credit wise they are only like sophomores and hence why so many never graduate even after being in the program all four years. 

I've heard rumors (and they are just that rumors but some rumors actually are true....see OJ Mayo, Reggie Bush) that Louisville gave money to some of Wayne Blackshear's (a top ten recruit I was referring to) handlers in order to land a commitment.....so if a kid and his handlers have a lot of leverage and are motivated by easy/crooked money then Marquette has no shot.  In addition I found it amazing that Memphis lost their hall of fame coach and play in a mid-major conference and yet still landed the nation’s top recruiting class with a first year coach…just a coincidence?  Possibly. 

Every competitive Div 1 school shady things go on, including MU.  I have a ton of pride in my alma mater, and watching the basketball team is one of my favorite things to do, but let's not cast ourselves as the angels of the midwest.  Sure, I don't believe our boosters pay, or have paid players, and yes it seems our players attend classes, and graduate at a high level.

But over the years we have had our transgressions including a player getting arrested at an off-campus party, a recruit being charged with rape, substance abuse hidden, stealing....A coach biting an undergrad on the ass 

Let's just not get in the habit of throwing too many stones...unless it is at the Rodents, f them.

[GOMU1104]

MU bypasses a lot of players due to academics. In basketball this gets evaluated in depth during recruiting.      Also, only one of our Juco players was not fully qualified out of high school.  Thus all but DB have been 3 year Juco's. You must be reading too much badger garbage.  

I think you are putting MU on too high of a pedastal with your first comment. They have taken academic risks before...Our all time leading scorer was close to not qualifying. Also, our involvement with Maymon, Clark, Justin Coleman, Tony Mitchell, J.J. Moore shows that MU will recruit guys with academic issues.

Regarding the JUCOs...
-Fulce was originally a 2006 recruit, but needed a year of prep school so he went to Massanutten Military Academy. Out of there, he signed with UNO, then went to Tyler, and then to MU.
-DJO didnt qualify out of HS, and headed to prep school, and then to JUCO...it was a big suprise when it was determined that he would only need one year.

Regarding the original post and Memphis...Pastner has been on the recruiting scene since he was 16 years old, when he started and coached his own AAU team. There is no proof of any misconduct, so lets not be that fanbase that just assumes everyone else is cheating...as a way of dealing with our own recruiting misses.  Remember...Buzz wanted to hire Pastner as an assistant, when he first got hired.

[MR.HAYWARD]

I think you are putting MU on too high of a pedastal with your first comment. They have taken academic risks before...Our all time leading scorer was close to not qualifying. Also, our involvement with Maymon, Justin Coleman, Tony Mitchell, J.J. Moore shows that MU will recruit guys with academic issues.

Regarding the JUCOs...
-Fulce was originally a 2006 recruit, but needed a year of prep school so he went to Massanutten Military Academy. Out of there, he signed with UNO, then went to Tyler, and then to MU.
-DJO didnt qualify out of HS, and headed to prep school, and then to JUCO...it was a big suprise when it was determined that he would only need one year.

Regarding the original post and Memphis...Pastner has been on the recruiting scene since he was 16 years old, when he started and coached his own AAU team. There is no proof of any misconduct, so lets not be that fanbase that just assumes everyone else is cheating...as a way of dealing with our own recruiting misses.  Remember...Buzz wanted to hire Pastner as an assistant, when he first got hired.

well said on Pastner...he has been rated one of the best asst. coaches in the country over the last number of years.  he left Arizona when thay did not name him the Head Coach.  he brought in Nic Wise, and jennings and all the ton of talent they have had recently.  Buzz wanted him and he was at MU anumber of times to interview and check the place out.  He ultimately took an offer from Calipari.  Then he signs players he had been recrutiing before being named head coach, anumber of whom are from memphis and he gets the to sign with a program that just went to the NCAA title game?   

seems he has some built in advantages on signing that great class, to assume he cheated is pretty weak.

[The Man in Gold]

a number of whom are from memphis and he gets the to sign with a program that just went to the NCAA title game?   

What NCAA title game?  I thought Kansas just showed up and won that game.  At least that's what the NCAA told me.

[MUfan12]

Regarding the original post and Memphis...Pastner has been on the recruiting scene since he was 16 years old, when he started and coached his own AAU team. There is no proof of any misconduct, so lets not be that fanbase that just assumes everyone else is cheating...as a way of dealing with our own recruiting misses.  Remember...Buzz wanted to hire Pastner as an assistant, when he first got hired.

Not entirely disagreeing with you, but doesn't the fact that 4 or 5 of their 2010 guys play on the same AAU team raise a few eyebrows?

[bilsu]

Not entirely disagreeing with you, but doesn't the fact that 4 or 5 of their 2010 guys play on the same AAU team raise a few eyebrows?

They played on the same team and liked each other. Why is it so hard to believe they wanted to play together in college.

[GOMU1104]

Not entirely disagreeing with you, but doesn't the fact that 4 or 5 of their 2010 guys play on the same AAU team raise a few eyebrows?

At one point, MU was in on all of those players, (other than Chris Crawford)...does that raise a few eyebrows?

[MerrittsMustache]

I never expected to see so many people coming to the defense of the Memphis bball program!

Generally when a coach leaves and a program is caught cheating and subsequently hit with sanctions (especially a mid-major), they don't see an immediate rebound with another top recruiting class...presumably because they've cleaned up their act.

Does Memphis' highly touted class mean that Pastner is cheating? Not necessarily, but Memphis has had a dirty program (which he was involved with as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator last season) and since they continue to bring in top recruits, it raises some major red flags.

[MR.HAYWARD]

I do not think anyone is defending Memphis, rather they are defending pastner a guy that Buzz tried his darndest to hire, becuase he is widely acknowledged as one of the best recruiters in the game.  Was he accused of being a cheater hwen he was signing one McDonalds AA after another at Airzona?

If Mu was coming off a great season and a Milwaukee area AAU team was one of the elite teams in the nation and Buzz signed 4 of them should he be considered a cheater?

[MU_Iceman]

If Mu was coming off a great season and a Milwaukee area AAU team was one of the elite teams in the nation and Buzz signed 4 of them should he be considered a cheater?

Oh how I wish that statement were true and not just used as a hypothetical example...

[bma725]

That's not an apples to apples comparison and you know it.

Memphis has a history of doing things the wrong way.  They cheated under Cal.  They cheated under Finch.  They cheated under Kirk.  They would have cheated under Tic Price if he hadn't been too busy chasing tail on campus.  We're talking about a school that has had two Final Four appearances vacated under two different coaches for christsakes.

For the rest of their history, there will always be questions surrounding their recruiting, that's just the way it is.  MU has no history like that, so that conclusion wouldn't be something most people would jump to.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Cal is more likely headed to the hall of douche bottles than the hall of fame.

You are going to love our new commercial that will appear next month

[MerrittsMustache]

I do not think anyone is defending Memphis, rather they are defending pastner a guy that Buzz tried his darndest to hire, becuase he is widely acknowledged as one of the best recruiters in the game.  Was he accused of being a cheater hwen he was signing one McDonalds AA after another at Airzona?

If Mu was coming off a great season and a Milwaukee area AAU team was one of the elite teams in the nation and Buzz signed 4 of them should he be considered a cheater?

Was Arizona a mid-major with a new coach who was on the previous staff that just vacated wins due to NCAA infractions?

In your hypothetical scenario, is MU a mid-major with a new coach who was on the previous staff that just vacated wins due to NCAA infractions?

[MR.HAYWARD]

I dont compare the schools i compare the man.

 And while pastner is young he has been around for a while and has never to my knowledge been accused of anything dirty.  Additonally, i think if there were rumors about the guy Buzz would not have been interested.  Some people are making it like Memphis lost their coach and therefore went on a national recruiting search to find a scumbag.  hardly, PAstner never wanted to leave Zona and only did when the sh1T got too deep.  Then he got the job at Memphios and similar to Buzz was handed the job.  

How some people want to compare pastner to price or Kirk i am not sure.

[MU_Iceman]

Back to the original topic of this posting...are they any updates?  I'd imagine with a week off that Buzz has been spending some portion of his time on recruiting?  Has he logged any miles?  Do we know if any of the assistants are actively working any 2010's?  2011's?  JUCO's???

[MerrittsMustache]

I dont compare the schools i compare the man.

 And while pastner is young he has been around for a while and has never to my knowledge been accused of anything dirty.  Additonally, i think if there were rumors about the guy Buzz would not have been interested.  Some people are making it like Memphis lost their coach and therefore went on a national recruiting search to find a scumbag.  hardly, PAstner never wanted to leave Zona and only did when the sh1T got too deep.  Then he got the job at Memphios and similar to Buzz was handed the job.  

How some people want to compare pastner to price or Kirk i am not sure.

How about comparing the situation as well?

I never said Pastner is cheater nor did I see anything that even remotely implied that Memphis tried to find a scumbag coach. All I said was that Pastner worked for a dirty program under a dirty coach and is still bringing in an excellent recruiting class which  raises some red flags. Does that mean he's cheating? No, but it definitely raises some questions.

[ecompt]

Question is, does Pastner pass the Bob Hurley test?

[Big Papi]

Back to the original topic of this posting...are they any updates?  I'd imagine with a week off that Buzz has been spending some portion of his time on recruiting?  Has he logged any miles?  Do we know if any of the assistants are actively working any 2010's?  2011's?  JUCO's???

To answer your question, no specfic update but Buzz was not able to do his radio show yesterday because he was out recruiting.

[Skatastrophy]

To answer your question, no specfic update but Buzz was not able to do his radio show yesterday because he was out recruiting.

Additionally Buzz mentioned on a previous radio show that "we are in on some guys for the spring" signing period.  Hopefully he's got a surprise or two in store for us

[MU_Iceman]

To answer your question, no specfic update but Buzz was not able to do his radio show yesterday because he was out recruiting.

You're right, not much to report, but its good to know that he's using every minute he can to try and round out next year's class...thanks for the update

Additionally Buzz mentioned on a previous radio show that "we are in on some guys for the spring" signing period.  Hopefully he's got a surprise or two in store for us

I don't know why but I just feel like we're going to get news that Buzz pulled a random signing again in the near future...like a JUCO or some kid under the radar that no one knew we were after...

I'm hopeful, anyways