Reggie Murphy

[ChicosBailBonds]

Roseboro had alot of coaches fooled, because of his performance at the IS8 tournament.

The reason the previous regime was bashed for the "reaches" they made, was because none of them really amounted to much...who knows what Buzz will be able to do with some of the under the radar guys he brings in?

The previous regime offered Pat Hazel a scholarship after watching him play in open gym.

Well here's where I smell the double standard again.  No question there were panic signings of bigs in the previous regimes (not just TC, but Deane as well...Clauson being one, Polo another, etc). 

Roseboro, if I recall, was not offered by anyone of any repute.  Sure, there were the obligatory "teams are interested" that was a mile long, but not offered, let alone signed.  For as many reaches as the previous regimes made, at least many of those guys were offered by DI schools.

Examples below

Marcus Jackson - Georgia (SEC)
Trend Blackledge - Bowling Green, Duquense....A-10 material like Roseboro
Dwight Burke - East Carolina (CUSA) signed originally, Rhode Island, Richmond and St. Bonaventure
Patrick Hazel - UMass, Rhode Island, Hofstra  -  Similar to Roseboro, A-10 material
Jamil Lott - USC, Georgia, South Florida
Mike Kinsella - Rice University (CUSA) signed


In each case, these were guys that supposedly had high upside, were unpolished, etc.   I feel like we've been down this road many times.  Watching Mbao, more of the same.  It takes a long time for bigs to develop, but I still contend that MU just flat out has a tough time getting quality bigs and has to reach almost always in the last 20 years.  Amal was a reach that turned out well, but he was still a reach.  The Deane bigs were reaches.  TC's bigs, most of them, were reaches.  Buzz, same thing so far.


As much as previous regime gets killed for those selections, they were all offered by programs 

[GOMU1104]

What point are you even trying to make? Congratulations, you did some google searches and found what school each player was considering.  Whats the point?

[Big Papi]

Buzz is in a situation right now, where for 2010, he is going to have to take a JUCO big and/or an under the radar HS big as a way of adding some depth up front. 

On his radio show last night, he said that he is looking for 2 players who can contribute next year at the start of conference play.  I think he has his eyes on at least one JUCO player.

[GOMU1104]

On his radio show last night, he said that he is looking for 2 players who can contribute next year at the start of conference play.  I think he has his eyes on at least one JUCO player.

Heard that. A pretty smart guy submitted that question to Homer

He also hedged himself later saying that "there isnt alot to pull from in the spring."

It will be interesting to see what happens with the last 2 openings.

[NavinRJohnson]

On his radio show last night, he said that he is looking for 2 players who can contribute next year at the start of conference play.

SJS will be happy to hear this...assuming one or both of them is at least 6-10, 250. Its usually no problem finding those guys, so its good to hear Buzz finally has his recruiting priorities in order.

[chapman]

Heard that. A pretty smart guy submitted that question to Homer

He also hedged himself later saying that "there isnt alot to pull from in the spring."

It will be interesting to see what happens with the last 2 openings.

Yep, and I'll agree that it would be pretty much impossible for Buzz to avoid going with a Juco and/or under the radar big.  Considering the roster attrition and injuries we've had, it would be beyond foolish to bank the scholarship and even if Buzz would pull a major rabbit out of his hat and get a Maurice Walker there's still another spot and there isn't much left to fill it.  If a guy like Murphy has to come in then that's just the reality of the situation.  So long as there's potential he can contribute at some point it will be better than nothing.  It's not at all the the same thing as another Roseboro because the Roseboro lesson was to get a larger sample size of his play and do some due diligence, it wasn't simply about bringing in an under the radar, unranked recruit.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

What point are you even trying to make? Congratulations, you did some google searches and found what school each player was considering.  Whats the point?

My point is what I've been saying for the last 10 years....you can't just go down to the corner store and pick up quality bigs.  They aren't there.  For all the bitching and whining we had about our bigs in the last decade, you can go back even further because MU has had a tough time getting bigs since basically Al and Hank.  The double standard on here has been bizarre.

Sure, we've had one or two, but by and large we've had to go for reaches time and time again.  I hope that changes with Buzz, but I'd argue all the bigs signed so far were of the same variety.  Could be good, might be good, very raw, good athletes, but at the end of the day....still reaches.

This is in no way an indictment on Buzz, which for some reason I think you are taking it that way.  If anything, he's bumping up against the same dilemma that Crean, Deane, KO, Dukiet, Majerus all confronted.  Supply and demand.  Maybe Buzz can break through, we can all only hope.  More than likely it's going to take us to get one quality big and have him succeed, then the pipeline starts, but we have to get the first guy.

[The Lens]

My point is what I've been saying for the last 10 years....you can't just go down to the corner store and pick up quality bigs.  They aren't there.  For all the bitching and whining we had about our bigs in the last decade, you can go back even further because MU has had a tough time getting bigs since basically Al and Hank.  The double standard on here has been bizarre.

Sure, we've had one or two, but by and large we've had to go for reaches time and time again.  I hope that changes with Buzz, but I'd argue all the bigs signed so far were of the same variety.  Could be good, might be good, very raw, good athletes, but at the end of the day....still reaches.

This is in no way an indictment on Buzz, which for some reason I think you are taking it that way.  If anything, he's bumping up against the same dilemma that Crean, Deane, KO, Dukiet, Majerus all confronted.  Supply and demand.  Maybe Buzz can break through, we can all only hope.  More than likely it's going to take us to get one quality big and have him succeed, then the pipeline starts, but we have to get the first guy.

Lets leave KO out of this...he did pretty well with MacIlvaine, Key and Faisel.  Went 1 for 3 with projects (Shaw, Amal & Streater) and had a serviceble back up in Abel.  Plus Curry, Crawford and Eford all had height we'd kill for right now.

[damuts222]

  The longer Buzz is head coach the better chance he will have at landing bigs in my opinion. Big players make their decisions relatively sooner than guards IMO. You have to recruit them early on and often because the amount of schools that recruit power forwards and centers is higher than that of guards.

 It takes one high quality big to change whatever perception bigger players have of Marquette. Since Wade Marquette has had no trouble recruiting guards.

[GOMU1104]

My point is what I've been saying for the last 10 years....you can't just go down to the corner store and pick up quality bigs.  They aren't there.  For all the bitching and whining we had about our bigs in the last decade, you can go back even further because MU has had a tough time getting bigs since basically Al and Hank.  The double standard on here has been bizarre.

Sure, we've had one or two, but by and large we've had to go for reaches time and time again.  I hope that changes with Buzz, but I'd argue all the bigs signed so far were of the same variety.  Could be good, might be good, very raw, good athletes, but at the end of the day....still reaches.

This is in no way an indictment on Buzz, which for some reason I think you are taking it that way.  If anything, he's bumping up against the same dilemma that Crean, Deane, KO, Dukiet, Majerus all confronted.  Supply and demand.  Maybe Buzz can break through, we can all only hope.  More than likely it's going to take us to get one quality big and have him succeed, then the pipeline starts, but we have to get the first guy.

Chicos...I dont think anyone that understands recruiting, and the situation MU is in, would disagree with anything you just said.

However...If you are so understanding, why in your first post, did you insinuate there must be something wrong with him, because the "big boys" at UCLA and USC werent recruiting him?

Why did you cite old scouting reports calling him a low major prospect...and ignore the more recent ones that mention his improvement and potential?

I dont care about your circle jerk with MU84, Hayward, or PRN...you all sound like fools. All I am hoping for is consistency and a real understanding of the situation we are in.

[MU_Iceman]

This is in no way an indictment on Buzz, which for some reason I think you are taking it that way.  If anything, he's bumping up against the same dilemma that Crean, Deane, KO, Dukiet, Majerus all confronted.  Supply and demand.  Maybe Buzz can break through, we can all only hope.  More than likely it's going to take us to get one quality big and have him succeed, then the pipeline starts, but we have to get the first guy.

Exactly right...until Buzz can walk into a PF or C's living room and tell a high school big and his family, "look what me and my staff were able to do with _______" and can hang his hat on the development of an NBA or NBA-bound interior player, MU will continue to struggle to land the prized "big" recruits...

I'm as big of a Marquette fan as anyone here, and I want to think that these kids would jump at the opportunity for immediate PT at MU; but realistically, if I were a 6'10" 5-star recruit and I had Calhoun, Thompson III, Roy Williams, Bill Self, and Buzz Williams knocking on my door talking to me about my future...it's highly unlikely I'd choose the coach with no proven track record of developing bigs and landing them in the NBA

It's unfortunate, but thats the predicament that MU is in [and many other schools / coaches]...That said though, we've landed several top notch guards at Marquette because MU has a track record of developing guards into players capable of playing at the next level...

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I dont care about your circle jerk with MU84, Hayward, or PRN...you all sound like fools. All I am hoping for is consistency and a real understanding of the situation we are in.

How am I in a circle jerk (one of my favorite pasttimes) with Chicos?

And HOW DARE YOU lump me into a group that includes SJS!!!

[NavinRJohnson]

Yep. Bigs go places like Georgetown and Syracuse, the way guards go to MU. Its not as if we can sign them, simply because we need them.

[HoopsMalone]

Exactly right...until Buzz can walk into a PF or C's living room and tell a high school big and his family, "look what me and my staff were able to do with _______" and can hang his hat on the development of an NBA or NBA-bound interior player, MU will continue to struggle to land the prized "big" recruits...

Merrit living up to the potential some thought he had in 2003-04 would have been huge.  I remember that there were people thinking he was going to be a first round pick.  There was some logic to it as he was big, skilled, and athletic and was on a team that lost two key starters and now it was his year to showcase himself.  It would have been nice for MU to have that as a talking point.  Maybe Crean could have added that ever elusive big  to compliment the amigos and Lazar. 

[nyg]

Back to Murphy.  After all the talk, does he even have any interest in MU?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Lets leave KO out of this...he did pretty well with MacIlvaine, Key and Faisel.  Went 1 for 3 with projects (Shaw, Amal & Streater) and had a serviceble back up in Abel.  Plus Curry, Crawford and Eford all had height we'd kill for right now.

Good points, but I'd add a little color to it.

KO also did it in a time where Univ. of Wisconsin basically didn't exist.  The state had two quality bigs in MU's backyard which hasn't happened in forever it seems. All the bigs since then, with the exception of Jackson (who Crean got to go to MU) have been from outside of the SE Wisconsin area. In today's day, a Mac and Key likely would go to Wisconsin and not MU.   Faisel was one of my favorite players of all time, would love to have him on this team.  I don't recall how heavily he was recruited.   I'd add Abel Joseph, Joe Krysiak (great guy), Jeff Zavada, etc to the list of the projects.

I'd agree with you on the other guys...Curry, Eford, etc all had nice size, though certainly not "bigs" by definition.  I was hoping E-Will could be one of those type of players, let's hope in the few years he is

[tower912]

Roseboro had alot of coaches fooled, because of his performance at the IS8 tournament.

The reason the previous regime was bashed for the "reaches" they made, was because none of them really amounted to much...who knows what Buzz will be able to do with some of the under the radar guys he brings in?

The previous regime offered Pat Hazel a scholarship after watching him play in open gym.

For all of you conspiracy theorists out there......who was it that turned Buzz on to Roseboro?      J-May.      Hmmmmmm, maybe it was all one big plot to sabotage MU hoops for a couple of years.   

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Chicos...I dont think anyone that understands recruiting, and the situation MU is in, would disagree with anything you just said.

However...If you are so understanding, why in your first post, did you insinuate there must be something wrong with him, because the "big boys" at UCLA and USC werent recruiting him?

Why did you cite old scouting reports calling him a low major prospect...and ignore the more recent ones that mention his improvement and potential?

I dont care about your circle jerk with MU84, Hayward, or PRN...you all sound like fools. All I am hoping for is consistency and a real understanding of the situation we are in.

Let's just be straightforward about this:

If Crean were recruiting this kid, there would be a collection of haters/doubters saying that the kid isn't that good:

"MU needs to find a big man ranked higher than X (insert arbitrary number) to compete in the Big East! WTF!"

Buzz has not acquired this sort of "fan club" yet, which is great, actually. I hope he never has that type of ill-will built up.

If Chico's is Buzz's biggest "hater", then Buzz is doing an amazing job.

[NotAnAlum]

Isn't it funny that with all we lost from last year the guy that may end up being the most difficult to replace may be Dwight Burke 

[AZWarrior]

Well said.  I'd kill to have him on the team this year.  Ironic, ain't it?

[tower912]

Right now, a Burke/Grimm/Grosse rotation at center looks pretty good. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos...I dont think anyone that understands recruiting, and the situation MU is in, would disagree with anything you just said.

However...If you are so understanding, why in your first post, did you insinuate there must be something wrong with him, because the "big boys" at UCLA and USC werent recruiting him?

Why did you cite old scouting reports calling him a low major prospect...and ignore the more recent ones that mention his improvement and potential?

I dont care about your circle jerk with MU84, Hayward, or PRN...you all sound like fools. All I am hoping for is consistency and a real understanding of the situation we are in.

Honestly, you continue to read into something that isn't there.  I did not imply there was something "wrong" with him.  Not at all, I don't know why you keep going there.  I simply said that is was very interesting based on the list of schools that were recruiting him that the local schools were not.  On further reflection, I saw his rating and figured that's why they didn't recruit him.  If I had to do it over again, I would have looked up his rating first.  But in no way, shape or form am I suggesting, hinting, or whatever that there is something wrong with the kid.  I'm sorry you took it that way.

Why are you focusing only on ONE PART of what I said.  Yes, I mentioned the old scouting report and IN THE SAME POST also mentioned a GOOD REPORT.  I did BOTH!  You focused on only one.

But if you must ask, I think the reasoning is clear.....for the last few decades, by and large we have had to reach on bigs time and time again.  This seems to fit the mold again.  Lower ranked player, lots of promise, might be a hidden gem (hope he is) but basically follows the same path again and again and again.  This is the irony in all this because the same thing keeps happening for what seems like forever, but now all of a sudden it's ok. A few years ago it was not.

If I recall correctly the last two 4 star bigs we have signed in the last 15 years were Scott Merritt (Crean) and Robert Jackson (Crean).  If there were others, and there may have been, I can't recall.  Prior to that there was Jimmy Mac and Damon Key, who would both qualify for a 4 star or higher recruit.  But that was also in an era where Badger basketball sucked so bad that if they stayed in state, they had really only MU to go to.  In the "post Badger" age, I cannot think of any other than Merritt and Jackson.  I think Mbawke was a 3 star.  I believe Crawford was a 3 star.

[AZWarrior]

As I recall, Amal McCaskle (spelling?) didn't even start for his high school team.  Ended up with a reasonable pro career.  So I'm OK with periodic "reaches", I just wish our reaches would stay healthy.

[GOMU1104]

Why are you focusing only on ONE PART of what I said.  Yes, I mentioned the old scouting report and IN THE SAME POST also mentioned a GOOD REPORT.  I did BOTH!  You focused on only one.

Actually, this is what you posted:

If he's a late bloomer, great.  I hope he is because some of the write-ups in the past don't scream high major.

"Additionally 6'9" junior center Reggie Murphy is an intriguing long-term prospect that deserves monitoring by low-mid major programs.  Murphy has excellent size, runs the floor well and is deceptively skilled on the block."

ESPN, on the other hand, has some nice things to say about him of late. 

Yes, you "mentioned" a good report, but focused on the poor scouting report, and emphasized the fact that it called him a low-major prosepect.

Why didnt you cut an paste the nice things espn said?  Why didn't you include the most recent Scout update that was more promising?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I pretty clearly stated..."on the other hand, ESPN has some nice things to say about him of late"

I'm sorry I didn't cut and paste from ESPN, but let's be clear....I gave the one report that painted him as low-mid major and I gave the ESPN nod that they had nice things to say about him of late.   

For whatever reason, you seemed to ignore that part about ESPN that I clearly stated.


You are really into conspiracy theories....that would allow you to circle jerk with Lenny and Mr. Hayward.