Will Vanderblue, Jones and Smith.....

[mr.MUskie]

Again, dont trust those lists.

He plays for the Golden Eagles, and they used the word "Buzz" 3 times in this short article, so looks like a sure thing.
Plus he tore his ACL so he'll fit right in.  
Has an unpronounceable name.  Looking better all the time.

[chapman]

Another native of Dakar, and he tore his ACL in May and has yet to return.  He would fit right in.

Solid numbers for a freshman big man last year (8.5/7.9).  And he's got 40+ lbs on Mbao.  IMO, given what else is out there if he can come back healthy on paper he would be worth one of our 2+ scholarships.

[Nukem2]

When going with a 3 guard lineup, which Buzz will, you need 5 guards.  All 5 will play next year.  Smith will get minutes. 

As far as getting 4/5 that can provide production next year, that is a little bit of a pipe dream at this point in time.  My guess is that we get a commit out of Aziz N'diaye for the 5 spot.  Will he be better than Otule and Mbao next year?  I don't know.  The other commit will probably be a 3/4 who won't get a lot of playing time.  Ewill is being groomed as the 4 and will probably back up Butler at the 4.

We are small again next year so expect us, with a deeper bench, to provide more pressure from basket to basket with lots of substitutions.  We would have been doing that this year with a healthy Junior.

I suspect buzz would prefer to play a 3 guard lineup.  With that, Smith will get some nice PT.  Suspect Erik and Jamail Jones will be Butler's backups.  That leaves Otule and whoever Buzz signs in the spring to man the 5.  Of course Buzz can also go with 2 F's as he does this year. I still think Mbao should be redshirted next year unless he makes major strides this summer.

[mr.MUskie]

forgot to post the article:

http://www.montlakemadness.com/who-is-aziz-ndiaye/

[GOMU1104]

Sure, and I qualified it before posting it.  It's not trivial though that he doesn't list MU as reported by a popular site.  Those lists are also not necessarily exhaustive or up-top-date, but are more info than most of us have. 

Do we have good basis for his interest in MU?

Sounds like there is interest, tough to really know for sure.

He is sitting out this year with a torn ACL and will have 3 years of eligibility left wherever he decides to play.

[bma725]

Sure, and I qualified it before posting it.  It's not trivial though that he doesn't list MU as reported by a popular site.  Those lists are also not necessarily exhaustive or up-top-date, but are more info than most of us have. 

If history has shown us anything it's that it is trivial that MU isn't listed by a popular site.  Unless the site is basing their list off a published article where a kid said he was only considering a specific list of schools they put together lists based mostly of hearsay from coaches and other contacts.  There are many times where you can add up the lists put together by ESPN, Scout and Rivals and not a single one will include the actual finalists for a kid.

Do we have good basis for his interest in MU?

Yes.  In fact we've been recruiting him for over two years going back to his days at Lake Forest Academy.

[bamamarquettefan]

Outside of Carmelo Anthony, 5-stars are typically strong contributors as freshman but not the go-to guy until their sophomore year, so Vander will be huge next year but still think DJO will be the go-to guy on offense with plenty of help from Buycks and Butler.  I believe DJs freshman year really spoiled us, because it is really unheard of for a 4-star to be that good his freshman year, but as a 5-star Vander will dominate by sophomore year, and could well even take over as we hit the Big East and NCAA tournament next year.

[Boone]

Let's not sleep on Reggie Murphy -- 6'9" 230lbs. out of Westchester H.S. in L.A. He has offers from MU and TCU and Oklahoma's showing interest.

[RawdogDX]

I make this statement based on feedback I've gotten from my cousin who is a head boys basketball coach in metro Chicago.  He said he's the real deal.  Additionally, the competition Smith faces is a little better than what Blue and James face(d) in Madison and Richmond, IN.  I realize it may be a "reach" to make this statement, but again - my original comment was in reply to the "barely sniff the floor" comment.

Sounds like solid info.  Glad to hear it.

[RawdogDX]

Outside of Carmelo Anthony, 5-stars are typically strong contributors as freshman but not the go-to guy until their sophomore year, so Vander will be huge next year but still think DJO will be the go-to guy on offense with plenty of help from Buycks and Butler.  I believe JM, WM andDJs freshman year really spoiled us, because it is really unheard of for a 4-star to be that good his freshman year, but as a 5-star Vander will dominate by sophomore year, and could well even take over as we hit the Big East and NCAA tournament next year.

+1 with a fix.