Who is left

[Brewtown Andy]

I thought Shaw was the key but the more I think about him not taking the ACT yet baffles me.  Why would he not just take it to see how he does?  You can take it again and agian.  Something smells wrong with him in that sense...

If he takes it and doesn't get a qualifying number, people are going to start steering away from him in droves, even more so if he doesn't hit a number twice.  If he's taking practice tests and isn't comfortable, then there's no reason to hurry.

[NersEllenson]

jhags15, I disagree.  If you want to compete for Big East titles you have to be solid in recruiting every year. Crean got into trouble with that. Most good player's want to play with other good player's and they want to Win.  That Trumps playing time more time than not.  That is my opinion anyway. 

Gonna disagree with you here, and say that even the BEST programs in college basketball rarely get Top 20 nationally ranked classes 4 consecutive years..maybe 3 out of 4 years.  It is not uncommon to see a team ranked nationally in recruiting class rankings (in basketball) every other year..very few program can stack Top 20 class on Top 20 class year after year after year.  We are not yet a UNC, Duke, Kentucky or Kansas.  If you can get 2 really good classes very 4 years you will be in the Top 1/3rd of the Big East.  Put 3 out of every 4 years Top 20 classess..you will be vying for Big East Titles.

I do agree that good players want to play with other good players and at programs they perceive a chance to win regularily at..but you cannot discount the pull of having playing time available right now..as we live in an immediate gratification society.  

Even if MU does not sign another Top 100 kid this year..I will submit that MU is poised to contend for the Big East titl in 2011 ad 2012, and could very well follow that up with being a contender for 2012-2013 assuming no transfers or early entry candidates..

[Pakuni]

You do realize this kind of excuse is laughable considering West Virginia -- which has been picking up talent left and right under Huggins -- just landed two top 15 Point Guards from 2011 in the span of two days.

Just so we're dealing with facts, neither WVU's 2009 or 2010 classes were ranked in the top 25 by ESPN or Rivals. MU's were ranked 17th and 14th by ESPN and 14th and 17th by Rivals. To suggest Huggins has been picking up young talent on par with Marquette is plainly wrong.

It's also plainly wrong to suggest likely playing time doesn't factor heavily in recruiting for a school like Marquette. UNC, Duke, and programs like that might be able to land elite talent year in year out regardless of who else is on the roster, but PT is a major factor everywhere else.

I don't think we should lower our expectations (and I doubt very much Buzz has lowered the bar for himself and his staff), but I also think we need be cognizant of the fact that back-to-back-to-back top 25 classes would be an significant feat for this program, probably one never accomplished since people started tracking these things.

[MarkCharles]

If he takes it and doesn't get a qualifying number, people are going to start steering away from him in droves, even more so if he doesn't hit a number twice.  If he's taking practice tests and isn't comfortable, then there's no reason to hurry.

This logic is pretty absurd to me. If hes taking practice tests and believes he'll have trouble making the score, then he isn't going anywhere, so him "protecting" the interest he has right now would be of no consequence whatsoever. The interest of programs will have no value if he doesn't qualify.

Also, wouldn't he want to take it so he could improve his score if he doesn't get high enough?

[MarkCharles]

Rivals?  That is his best rating and it is in the exact link I gave.  4 star and #69 in the country.  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Juan-Anderson-98713

Based on always calling Blue a 5-star on this board, it seems like people rely on Rivals mostly.

ESPN grades him at a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/102064

Junior Cadougan was also a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/269/class/2009

Anderson is a good get.

I agree that Anderson is a very highly regarded prospect. Considering he is already top 100 RSCI, his stock is only going up in recent months, and many major evaluators have either yet to evaluate him or haven't sone so in a long time, he is by any definition a very highly regarded recruit.

That being said, ESPN re-tooled their rating system, and a 92 in 2009 meant a lot more than a 92 in 2011.

[willie warrior]

According to previously mentioned lists, and of course this tends to change quite a bit, the following are players that we were after that are stiil left:
Faust in Md.
Shaw in Chicago
Antwan Space in Tx.
Rodney Hood in Miss.
Quincy Miller (Chicago/NC)
Jarion Henry in Dallas

There are probably others, but the above are all fairly high rated. I have no idea who we really have a chance at, although Shaw, Hood and Faust keep getting mentioned.

Anybody else know of any highly rated ones?

[MarkCharles]

You do realize this kind of excuse is laughable considering West Virginia -- which has been picking up talent left and right under Huggins -- just landed two top 15 Point Guards from 2011 in the span of two days.

It's lazy to suggest that somehow MU's talent is stratospheric to the point where our targets are shy to compete in the program and therefore don't commit. Not being of sound mind isn't the reason we missed on our top targets.

Interesting that WVU signed two top 100, sub-6'0 pgs in one class, and a top 100 pg last year who is only 6'1. It will be tough to play two of them at one time. Oh well, not our concern, just caught my eye. Huggins is really doing a great job at WVU, as much as I despise him.

[willie warrior]

Rivals?  That is his best rating and it is in the exact link I gave.  4 star and #69 in the country.  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Juan-Anderson-98713

Based on always calling Blue a 5-star on this board, it seems like people rely on Rivals mostly.

ESPN grades him at a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/102064

Junior Cadougan was also a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/269/class/2009

Anderson is a good get.

Sorry, the recruiting source was Scout, not Rivals--they have him unranked at his position and a two star. That shows one how these recruit ratings vary so widely.

[Aughnanure]

Rivals?  That is his best rating and it is in the exact link I gave.  4 star and #69 in the country.  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Juan-Anderson-98713

Based on always calling Blue a 5-star on this board, it seems like people rely on Rivals mostly.

ESPN grades him at a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/102064

Junior Cadougan was also a 92 http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/269/class/2009

Anderson is a good get.

Anderson is great get. I know I haven't seen much of his play, but from what I saw I really like him.

[Aughnanure]

Anderson isn't a good get, and MacDonald is good enough to be a Buckeye, but somehow wasn't good enough for us.    Our little willie is getting cranky.   You always get in trouble listening to your little willie. 

Huh? I assume that was a typo.

[MarkCharles]

According to previously mentioned lists, and of course this tends to change quite a bit, the following are players that we were after that are stiil left:
Faust in Md.
Shaw in Chicago
Antwan Space in Tx.
Rodney Hood in Miss.
Quincy Miller (Chicago/NC)
Jarion Henry in Dallas

There are probably others, but the above are all fairly high rated. I have no idea who we really have a chance at, although Shaw, Hood and Faust keep getting mentioned.

Anybody else know of any highly rated ones?

I have missed any mention of us being involved with Antwan Space--does anyone else have any info? He really fits the mold of a Buzz recruit-big, long combo forward, from Texas. It's be great if we had a chance with him, although there are plenty of major programs after him.

[MarkCharles]

Sorry, the recruiting source was Scout, not Rivals--they have him unranked at his position and a two star. That shows one how these recruit ratings vary so widely.

0 for 2...Scout actually has Anderson as a 3 star.
http://marquette.scout.com/a.z?s=415&p=8&c=1&nid=4842095


The reason he is so lowly ranked on Scout stems from the fact that only their regional evaluators have seen him play, and not their major national guys. I would bet that by the end of the year he will get a bump in his Scout ranking.

[Pakuni]

I have missed any mention of us being involved with Antwan Space--does anyone else have any info? He really fits the mold of a Buzz recruit-big, long combo forward, from Texas. It's be great if we had a chance with him, although there are plenty of major programs after him.

According to TexasHoops.com Space has a final five of Gonzaga, Maryland, Missouri, Florida St. and Arkansas.

[dmjt4160]

I have missed any mention of us being involved with Antwan Space--does anyone else have any info? He really fits the mold of a Buzz recruit-big, long combo forward, from Texas. It's be great if we had a chance with him, although there are plenty of major programs after him.

Top 3 of Arkansas, FSU, MD. Kind of a bizarre recruitment a he was gushing about Arky after his visit making comments about committing there. His coaches/family want him to take his visits though. FSU doesn't seem likely and he has a visit to MD Halloween weekend. All of Arkansas' latest commitments might have him thinking twice though. As of now Arkansas lean with a chance for MD to swing him.

[NersEllenson]

Top 3 of Arkansas, FSU, MD. Kind of a bizarre recruitment a he was gushing about Arky after his visit making comments about committing there. His coaches/family want him to take his visits though. FSU doesn't seem likely and he has a visit to MD Halloween weekend. All of Arkansas' latest commitments might have him thinking twice though. As of now Arkansas lean with a chance for MD to swing him.

I've been very skeptical of Arkansas recruiting this season..I'm blown away by who they've signed.  Considering Pelhprey hasn't exactly lit it up his first 3 years on the job..(teams record has gotten worse each of the last 3 years he's been coach), combined with the fact that Arkan$a$ hasn't really been relevant in hoops since Nolan Richardson...just seems REALLY surprising that they are in on so many kids..

[kmwtrucks]

I'm not As much concerned with National rankings as I am looking at each player in a class. When you are only bringing in 3 player's you are not going to be rated very highly compared to classes of 5 player's.  

[MarkCharles]

I've been very skeptical of Arkansas recruiting this season..

we know

[tower912]

Huh? I assume that was a typo.

I was paraphrasing ww.

[brewcity77]

I'm not As much concerned with National rankings as I am looking at each player in a class. When you are only bringing in 3 player's you are not going to be rated very highly compared to classes of 5 player's.  

That depends on who you bring in. If you bring in Juan Anderson and fill the class out with a three-star and two-star, then no. But if Anderson is your lowest rated player and we manage to add Shaw and either Faust or Hood, I think you'd see another top 25 ranking. If by some miracle Miller came back into the picture, you could be talking top 10.

Three players, if it's three highly-ranked players, will still garner plenty of respect.

[HoopsMalone]

I think a way too look at this class for Buzz is to find some solid role players for the talent in place.  Meaning, of course get Harrison, Miller, Shaw, etc. if you can.  And that would be amazing.  But, not necessary.

But this class can be effective if Buzz finds good role players to put around these guys.  For example, a lights out shooter to space the floor for some sets or a solid defensive/rebounding big man.  A 4 or 5 star player to fill these roles would be great, but you do not need to be a 5 star to fit into a role on this team. 

I am thinking along the lines of Micheal Redd and Tayshaun Prince on the Redeem Team.  Not top 12 American players, but filled roles that they needed on the team. 

[Golden Avalanche]

Just so we're dealing with facts, neither WVU's 2009 or 2010 classes were ranked in the top 25 by ESPN or Rivals. MU's were ranked 17th and 14th by ESPN and 14th and 17th by Rivals. To suggest Huggins has been picking up young talent on par with Marquette is plainly wrong.

It's also plainly wrong to suggest likely playing time doesn't factor heavily in recruiting for a school like Marquette. UNC, Duke, and programs like that might be able to land elite talent year in year out regardless of who else is on the roster, but PT is a major factor everywhere else.

I don't think we should lower our expectations (and I doubt very much Buzz has lowered the bar for himself and his staff), but I also think we need be cognizant of the fact that back-to-back-to-back top 25 classes would be an significant feat for this program, probably one never accomplished since people started tracking these things.

For the sake of brevity, hogwash.

Class rankings mean crap in this discussion. Especially farcical when half the 2009 class is gone. Gone. Barely registered at MU (hell, one of them didn't even make Boot Camp). Are you really going to stand on the box and trumpet our 17th and 14th ranking as reason why we missed on Dawson or Harrison or McDonald?

Huggins had Butler, Ebanks, and Jones on roster. He brought in Kilicli as well as two highly rated kids in Pepper and Jennings on the heels of that. He then follows it up with Noreen, who may have been the hottest prospect on the Spring market. That's how you stack talent at the forward position in successive years.

Not enough? How about landing well regarded PG Bryant when starter Mazzulla still has two years left and then bringing in a 4-star in Cottrill only to follow that up in the very next class with not one, but two, highly rated PGs in Boatright and Hinds. That's how you stack talent at the guard position in successive years.

I just find the excuses this summer to be lazy and without merit. Regardless of real reasons like results and talent, or fake reasons like hype and rankings, it's not impossible to land promising prospects each year rather then just in two-year cycles like MU has done over the last decade.

[bma725]

Huggins had Butler, Ebanks, and Jones on roster. He brought in Kilicli as well as two highly rated kids in Pepper and Jennings on the heels of that. He then follows it up with Noreen, who may have been the hottest prospect on the Spring market. That's how you stack talent at the forward position in successive years.

Kilicli and Jennings are centers, not forwards.  Pepper is a shooting guard, not a forward. 

Not enough? How about landing well regarded PG Bryant when starter Mazzulla still has two years left and then bringing in a 4-star in Cottrill only to follow that up in the very next class with not one, but two, highly rated PGs in Boatright and Hinds. That's how you stack talent at the guard position in successive years.

That's a playing a bit loose with the facts...

Bryant was a 3-star prospect that made a grand total of one Top 100 list, if that's well regarded then so was Karon Bradley.  Additionally, Mazzulla was not the starting PG when Bryant committed to WVU.  The starter that year was Darris Nichols, a senior, and Bryant was recruited with the opportunity to win the starting job.  Also, Cottrill is 2010, Bryant was 2008, that's not successive classes. 

[bma725]

One more thing....if Huggins recruiting in consecutive years is so great, then why was he only able to pull in one consensus Top 100 recruit in each of the last two classes, and only 4 over the last three classes.  That's worse than Buzz has done over the same period, and yet you're writing off this year as a failure for only bringing in one so far when Huggins had two years where he only brought in one.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The problem with class rankings (well there are many problems) is that often they are based on volume and not just quality.

As an example, in theory you could sign the consensus #1 and #15 players in the country but some school that lands 5 guys ranked 50 to 100 is ranked higher because of volume of players.

The other problem, of course, is that these rankings are just evaluations and subject to so much variability.  Where was Dwyane Wade in these rankings?  Brian Butch?  

Or look at what they have done on the court.  Florida has had the following recruiting classes in the last six years per Scout

#21  2005
#22  2006
#3 2007
#9 2008
#17 2009
#14 2010

Yet this is a school that has struggled the last few years to get into the NCAA tournament when you see what kind of classes they supposedly have.

NC State has had 4 top 25 classes in the last 6 years.....they haven't gone to the NCAAs in quite some time.

[nyg]

Maybe because of the recent MU recruiting classes and the depth of the roster, the 2011 potential recruits may be looking at the roster and saying where's the playing time for me.  The top ranked recruits have been told since the seventh grade that they are good enough for the NBA, are on national level AAU circuit teams and some have "advisors or mentors" guiding them.  If a recruit is considering MU, here's the 2011 playing time scenario.  

Yes, I realize there will be potential transfers and injuries, but the top ranked recruit will probably not be looking in that direction.  They are 17 and 18 year olds and they believe and have been told to believe they are the best. The top ranked kids want to play. The BE conference and national television exposure helps and Buzz would also explain the hardest workers get the playing time and some positions are interchangeable, but MU is a young team and maybe is having some PT issues with these recruits.

PG: Junior two years left
     Smith three years left

SG: DJO one year left
     Blue three years left
     Jones three years left

SF: Wilson three years left
     Anderson four years left

PF: Crowder one year left

Center : Otule two years left
           Gardner three years left

Bench: Williams two years left at either SF or PF

A recruit like Shaw or another big SF/PF should see that MU will be looking for a bigger forward subsequent to Crowder and a center because of a project like Otule and the uncertainty of Gardner.