Recruits

[mikem91288]

This could almost be a poll question, but oh well. Now that Dawson seems to be off the table. Who do you want. We all know Faust would be nice, but honestly i haven't heard a whole lot about anyone else for us in 2011. I know we only have 3 spots opening up. I am thinking 2 normal recruits and 1 JUCO. I started a thread about Darnell Harris last week, its since come out that he is going prep. So two questions - who do you guys want and who are we gonna get?

[duanewade]

In Buzz I trust.....you never know who he's totally on as out the blue (no pun intended) we'll move up with guys we didn't know we had a chance with or will get a commitment out of no where that no one saw coming.  However unlike Crean these recruits had offers from other major programs and not just East Carolina and Wichita State with BS innuendos that other programs were about to jump in. 

It will be interesting to see who comes to midnight madness as that is usually where we get one our future recruits (be it 2011 or 2012)....however I'd guess we'll have one commitment before then also and possible a spring juco which always seems to work well for us also. 

The irony is this team is so deep, young and talented that we don't have any dire needs but would happy to take Faust and a high potential 4 or 5. 

[HoopsMalone]

We flat out need size.  At least 2 if not all 3 need to be PF or C.  I would be picky.

[mikem91288]

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/moussa.html

look like we aren't getting this guy, but TC is in his final five

[GGGG]

Hoops, I'm going to have to disagree with you.  Next year, we will be returning four guards: DJO, Junior, Vander and Reggie.  What worries me is that after DJO leaves, I am not sure where our backcourt shooting comes from.

We'll have Jae, Otule and Gardner on the front line, along with swing players like Wilson, Jones and Williams.

If I were Buzz, I would get a 4/5, a good 2 guard and then hold the final scholie until the spring to see what transpires on the court this year.

[nyg]

 Center - With Otule and Gardner, the center position is where Buzz should look to reinforce in 2011.

S/F -      Wilson takes over for Butler with Jones and Williams backup.  Should be fine there.

P/F -      Crowder.  Thats if Buzz plays a traditional lineup, which he has not had the players to date.  Will need another "bruiser"
              If Buzz goes small again, then Blue probably plays the second S/F slot.

S/G -      DJO for one last year, then probably Blue.  Will need a S/G backup.

P/G -      Junior for two more years and if Smith is the real deal, he backs up.

1) Center
2) P/F
3) S/G

With all the youth on this team and the quality of recruits he has brought in, I hope Buzz continues to recruit and sign the best prospects.  But, this team, if they can get a quality center, has the possibility of being exceptional in 2011 and I don't see alot of initial playing time for any 2011 recruits.  Unless of course there is turnover in the ranks, which has been a regular thing of late. 

[bilsu]

Wilson is a point guard, that is what he played in the pro-am.

[MerrittsMustache]

I don't think Buzz, or many college coaches, pay all that much attention to specific positions. If Buzz could draw up his ideal roster, it would probably consist of a couple "bigs", a couple guys who could run the point and everyone else would be an athletic 6'7" swingman.

[bigdawgdude]

I see the p/f and s/f positions being similar to the past years.  buzz has said multiple times he wants an offense with interchangeable players.  crowder, ewill, wilson, jones, gardner(he can shoot, but the D fence is an issue), and vander(obviously playing shooting guard but he can play s/f) are all somewhat interchangeable.  We don't really know what our point guard situation is, but i think most people have faith in a top 100 (Junior) and a just out of the top 100 (reggie) recruit.  Our centers just won't make it happen as is, and i know every one is saying otule will be good but he will not be good enough.  We just don't know enough about otule plus either way we need another 6'10"+ guy that can play.  That being said i think if we can get a top 100 true center and a top 100 SG, it doesn't really matter what happens with the third recruit as long as he's the best player we can get.

I think Buzz should be able to get 2 top 100 players, but the center position always seems like its harder than it should be.  Don't these centers get that they would get a lot of playing time and turn a good team into a great one?

[downtown85]

 Don't these centers get that they would get a lot of playing time and turn a good team into a great one?

Big Dawg, welcome to the board.  This question has been asked and answered a million different ways on this board over the last 6-7 years.   I am too busy right now to begin to summarize all the theories behind the fact MU has been unable to recruit at least one outstanding "big" since Robert Jackson.  Does anyone else want to try?

[copious1218]

Does anyone else want to try?

Nope.  I actually saw the line you quoted and thought, "Oh no, here we go."

[goodgreatgrand]

Here's a big for Buzz. He's a bit on the young side (14) but is clearly a man-child.

http://www.scoutsfocus.com/dakari.html

[MU_Iceman]

Nope.  I actually saw the line you quoted and thought, "Oh no, here we go."

I'll take this one...

Very simply put, there are far fewer top quality bigs available than there are guards and small forwards.

Everyone on this board would LOVE to land a top 100 center, but so would every other team sanctioned to play D1 ball in the NCAA.  The competition for those players is extremely difficult and, compared to other high profile basketball schools, we don't have a "track record" of developing bigs into next level players.  Truth be told, Robert Jackson was awesome, but even he didn't make it to the NBA.  We haven't placed a big man in the show since Jimmy Mac and Amal McCaskill...so we're fighting an uphill battle in the recruiting process.

All of us would like to think that the idea of playing time in the big east would be enough, but sadly it just isn't that simple...

[bigdawgdude]

haha I guess the "big guy" topic has worn out its welcome with muscoopers.....bottom line is Buzz can recruit good players all he wants, but it won't do us any good unless he can coach them.  He has some of the best talent in the country and this is the year he has to prove himself to college basketball.  He needs to get us past the first round of NCAA and recruit a top 100 center.

He's had 2 top 20 recruiting years and now he needs to show what he can do with them and give us a solid top 25 team.

[bigdawgdude]

I see Ice man.  Wisconsin gets big guys because there proven, and we get guards because were know for them

[MerrittsMustache]

I see Ice man.  Wisconsin gets big guys because there proven, and we get guards because were know for them

UW gets big, slow, plodding, fundamentally sound post players because they fit well into Bo's slow, plodding, fundamentally sound system.

MU would much rather have a nimble, athletic, fundamentally sound post players even if that means sacrificing some size. Who would you have rather had a PF: Lazar or Brian Butch?

[bigdawgdude]

and all the athletic center and power forwards go to kentucky, texas, baylor, syracuse, duke...the list goes on and on.  making it harder for us to get that athletic big we are looking for.  I completely understand, but its time for Buzz to put on his big boy pants and grab one soon to prove he has the ability, or else i want another coach who can.  simple as that

[LON]

UW gets big, slow, plodding, fundamentally sound post players because they fit well into Bo's slow, plodding, fundamentally sound system.

MU would much rather have a nimble, athletic, fundamentally sound post players even if that means sacrificing some size. Who would you have rather had a PF: Lazar or Brian Butch?

Both.

[texaswarrior74]

We flat out need size.  At least 2 if not all 3 need to be PF or C.  I would be picky.

The 2011 class isn't deep with quality bigs that are true post players able to play with their backs to the basket and who aren't either committed or already heavily involved (i.e) narrowed lists to the likes of UConn, UNC, Duke etc.

2012 is the first class in a while with real depth at the center position. I'd rather not take a 2011 project if we can focus on and get a 2012 commit for the center position. Use 2011 to strengthen the wings and 2012 for the post.

[bigdawgdude]

go the JUCO route and find one that doesn't have gang bang listed under extracurricular activities

[MerrittsMustache]

and all the athletic center and power forwards go to kentucky, texas, baylor, syracuse, duke...the list goes on and on.  making it harder for us to get that athletic big we are looking for.  I completely understand, but its time for Buzz to put on his big boy pants and grab one soon to prove he has the ability, or else i want another coach who can.  simple as that

Hey new guy, it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[bilsu]

Both.

Against Stanford in the NCAA's the answer would have been easily Butch.

For MU to recruit big centers they have to give up on the idea that every player has to be athletic and interchangable. They need to sign a project center every other year. Even if they only learn to clog up the middle, they can be used when the other team has size that our more athletic team cannot handle. We ned to have a big center like Xavier did. They had a 6'8" player start, but had Love a 7' center who came off the bench and provided quality minutes.

[bigdawgdude]

mustache bro, are you saying that buzz is a good coach if he doesn't get big guys?  A good coach needs to make a team, and not a bunch of summer league "ballers" that choke under pressure.  MU has had final four guard play, but a team is built from the ground up not guards all the way to more guards.  Buzz hasn't given his players an ounce of confidence.  Example: every NCAA tourney choke he has coached in.

[LON]

mustache bro, are you saying that buzz is a good coach if he doesn't get big guys?  A good coach needs to make a team, and not a bunch of summer league "ballers" that choke under pressure.  MU has had final four guard play, but a team is built from the ground up not guards all the way to more guards.  Buzz hasn't given his players an ounce of confidence.  Example: every NCAA tourney choke he has coached in.

You think we choked against Washington?  Against Mizzou?

[goodgreatgrand]

2012 is the first class in a while with real depth at the center position. I'd rather not take a 2011 project if we can focus on and get a 2012 commit for the center position. Use 2011 to strengthen the wings and 2012 for the post.

Really? The overwhelming majority of bigs are projects. You take whomever you can get. Zoubek was the 38th overall player on Scout. Thabeet was #39. Take a look at their freshman stat lines. Unless you get a top 10, one-and-done type, they will take a few years to develop.