Burton Apparently Cleared by WIAA

[wadesworld]

Maybe more of a 4, but Steve Taylor is 6'8.5" and putting up nice numbers.  Really looking forward to him getting to campus.  Have a feeling if Buzz can land a strong point guard or better big Durley might not get to campus though that may be a big "if"...but with Durley, shouldn't he have transferred to a high school where he could at least play this year, and wouldn't Buzz also want him to be somewhere where he's playing?

Why?  So he can dominate the competition based solely on his size?  What better way to improve than to play against the 2nd best big man in the nation every single day at practice?  Durley will improve much more throughout this season than some 7' kid who plays and practices against 6'4" guys every day.

[QuetteHoops]

In other news, Burton played tonight and scored 6 points for Vincent in a 61-43 win over Muskego.

[MuMark]

Durley plays for the same coach that Otule had in high school and he has said Durley is ahead of where Chris was at the same age FWIW

[real chili 83]

Lots of dissent for our future big man from Texas.  Let's all take a minute and breathe.

We all know he's not a first year starter.  We also know Buzz can develop players.  This kid also will mature a ton this season.  We also know that he comes from a solid, proven coach.  We also know he comes from a solid family.  We also know that he has a monster fastball  . Seriously, let's wait till he's a sophomore till we start criticizing him.

Breathe in, breathe out.....

Gotta love free speech.

Go Warriors!!!!!

[bamamarquettefan]

Sure you can argue Chis has panned out, but not really!!!  He's an average big in the Big East at best.  I root for him and hope he comes back, but COME ON THIS IS PATHETIC, there has to more to this

Whoa, that's the paragraph where you messed up. How can you say a 2-star recruit becoming even an average big east center is "not really" panning out.  Then when you consider what we need at center is defense, and chris is clearly way above Sherard defensively as one of the 2 best shotblockers in the conference last year. Most 2-stars don't even start at the mid-major level, so chris is a huge success.

[GGGG]

Good coaches adapt to the talent on their team.  That should tell you something right there.

So do you know who else is on the team?  I think it is interesting that this group makes a bunch of assumptions when they know nothing about the coach, the team or the player.  I doubt most of you could find Fort Bend, Texas on a map...

[schubert33]

So do you know who else is on the team?  I think it is interesting that this group makes a bunch of assumptions when they know nothing about the coach, the team or the player.  I doubt most of you could find Fort Bend, Texas on a map...

I don't care who else is on the team.  He signed with MU not Whitewater!  Find me another player who has currently signed with a big east team that barely gets off the bench.

[Hards Alumni]

I don't care who else is on the team.  He signed with MU not Whitewater!  Find me another player who has currently signed with a big east team that barely gets off the bench.

Dude, you're ridiculous.

[GGGG]

I don't care who else is on the team.  

And that is why I, and I number of other Scoopers, think your opinion is "ridiculous."  If Durley becomes Otule Part II, then I would view him as wildly successful.  I'm not expecting Shaq or Wilt or anything.

[Hards Alumni]

And that is why I, and I number of other Scoopers, think your opinion is "ridiculous."  If Durley becomes Otule Part II, then I would view him as wildly successful.  I'm not expecting Shaq or Wilt or anything.

Right, and it isn't as if big men are just falling our of trees.  Development is key.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Thanks for the link Mike.  It will be fun to follow throughout the season.

[mosarsour]

Why?  So he can dominate the competition based solely on his size?  What better way to improve than to play against the 2nd best big man in the nation every single day at practice?  Durley will improve much more throughout this season than some 7' kid who plays and practices against 6'4" guys every day.

+1. Working against Ridley in practice has got to be better for his overall development as a player than starting and dominating the paint against smaller/less talented competition.

[🏀]

Does anyone really think that Durley and Ridley are really going HAM during their high school basketball practices? Come on, we're talking about high school practice. Not AAU practice, but high school practice.

[MuMark]

Not exactly the same scenario since MU was not in the BE at that time but this player never started a game in high school and barely got off the bench. He played 4 years in the NBA..............



http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mccasam01.html

I don't care who else is on the team.  He signed with MU not Whitewater!  Find me another player who has currently signed with a big east team that barely gets off the bench.

[MUMac]

Not exactly the same scenario since MU was not in the BE at that time but this player never started a game in high school and barely got off the bench. He played 4 years in the NBA..............

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mccasam01.html

Yep.  He was the player I was referencing with my earlier comment of "Can't believe Buzz would have signed a big man that doesn't play much.  Just glad that no other MU coach would have done such a thing!"

KO took McCaskill and I could only imagine the posts we would have had if MUScoop were around back then.   

Sometimes it's better to wait and judge than to judge prematurely.

[tower912]

Amal never got off the bench in high school.   Ooze never played high school ball.   Otule was "the worst player over 6'2 in Texas".    MU doesn't exactly have a history of 5 star bigs over the last 30 years.   With the system Buzz runs, he does not need one and done bigs.   He needs bigs to play D, get rebounds, and catch dump offs from his dribble-driving guards and wings.   With the occasional post move for fits and giggles.      Bring him in, red-shirt him if he wants, let Todd work with him and let him get a year of competing against DG and CO.   

[brewcity77]

Amal never got off the bench in high school.   Ooze never played high school ball.   Otule was "the worst player over 6'2 in Texas".    MU doesn't exactly have a history of 5 star bigs over the last 30 years.   With the system Buzz runs, he does not need one and done bigs.   He needs bigs to play D, get rebounds, and catch dump offs from his dribble-driving guards and wings.   With the occasional post move for fits and giggles.      Bring him in, red-shirt him if he wants, let Todd work with him and let him get a year of competing against DG and CO.

+100

Durley is perfectly positioned for us from a class perspective. If we can stay healthy, he could easily redshirt next year. If he has to burn it, he can still be a 4-year player for us. I can't see him getting recruited over, and I'm encouraged by his early aptitude for baseball, as it shows he's probably at least a bit of an athlete for a big man. He won't be heavily relied on until his junior year, and I love the idea of what he could be as he's coming into his third year of development in our system. I'm sure he'd be starting at most high schools around the country, but backing up one of the best big men out there doesn't lend to many minutes, I can accept that.

If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but I see no harm in taking a flier on a guy his size that can fill the paint and was getting interest from K-State, TAMU, Arizona, and South Florida. And even if he's more of a mid-major player, the kind that gets recruited by Chattanooga and Rice (other schools that showed interest) aren't those the kind of guys that by their junior and senior year we see in March and think "how the hell did that school get a guy like that, and why don't we have one?"

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

After reading this thread, I must admit that I am a bit worried about Durley. I am rarely negative about anything MU hoops, but I have a hard time understanding the Durley signing. If the guy cannot even crack his HS rotation, I can't imagine that he is anywhere near being ready to contribute at a major D1 program.

Yes, I understand he is a project. But still...it is at the very least, well, puzzling. I think you guys should get off the posters back who made a negative comment about Durley. It is very understandable why the poster would be worried/frustrated. The situation is very strange. If Durley were actually a pretty good bball player, wouldn't his coach find at least 10 minutes for him to play each game? You would sure think so.

[MUMac]

After reading this thread, I must admit that I am a bit worried about Durley. I am rarely negative about anything MU hoops, but I have a hard time understanding the Durley signing. If the guy cannot even crack his HS rotation, I can't imagine that he is anywhere near being ready to contribute at a major D1 program.

Yes, I understand he is a project. But still...it is at the very least, well, puzzling. I think you guys should get off the posters back who made a negative comment about Durley. It is very understandable why the poster would be worried/frustrated. The situation is very strange. If Durley were actually a pretty good bball player, wouldn't his coach find at least 10 minutes for him to play each game? You would sure think so.

Problem I have with the complaints are, what is it based on?  I have looked for stats on-line for Durley, for Fort Bend Bush, they are really hard to come by.  Can't get a whole lot of information.  In the link that drew the ire of some and seemed to unhinge one or two, most of the games do not have any information at all.  Two state "DNP, Coaches Decision".  Ok, what does that mean?  As HS stats are not transcribed consistently, does it mean injury, illness, suspension or he just did not play him?  No one, including the one who you defended that attacked Durley (EMBARRASSED?  Really?), has seen him play or can comment on his play or reasons why he is/is not playing.

Recently I looked at the box score in our paper of a local HS.  One of the players scored 8 points - and he did not play due to injury.  I really don't put a lot of faith in the "stats" we read on the link.  Until I hear somone with facts, jumping to conclussions can be dangerous.

[BCHoopster]

Bottom line it is really hard to find real bigs.  In Wisconsin, there are none right now to recruit.  Luke Fischer is about it, and seeing him play, he is a little soft.
Illinois got Meyers Leonard, Wisco has Bergeron, but is Anderson a project, obviously.  So it is really hard to find a big, who wants to come to MU.  MU might be
a Top 20 team, but is there a Top 30 recruit saying I want to play at MU.  Not on the top of there lists.  This is why, Buzz has to recruit everyday, they are coming
to MU because of Buzz, Tony Benford, etc.  They build a relationship up with a coach.  AKi is recruiting Virginia, Ferguson and Gardener.   Semieon High in Chi for
Buzz and Benford.  You pick out areas and try and get one.  It would be nic to have more Milwaukee kids and as you can tell Duane Wilson, Kevin Looney and Diamond
Stone are on the radar.  Buzz has to out recruit them.  Look at last year,  the big recruit was Mike Shaw, and he does not even get off the bench for Illinois, it is a
guessing game if they can move up a level.  Rodney Hood did.  At least, Durley has the height and weight.  Just stick him in the lane and I am sure will be fine in 3-4 years.

[wadesworld]

After reading this thread, I must admit that I am a bit worried about Durley. I am rarely negative about anything MU hoops, but I have a hard time understanding the Durley signing. If the guy cannot even crack his HS rotation, I can't imagine that he is anywhere near being ready to contribute at a major D1 program.

Yes, I understand he is a project. But still...it is at the very least, well, puzzling. I think you guys should get off the posters back who made a negative comment about Durley. It is very understandable why the poster would be worried/frustrated. The situation is very strange. If Durley were actually a pretty good bball player, wouldn't his coach find at least 10 minutes for him to play each game? You would sure think so.

Because he has the #8 overall and #2 center on the same team. It'd be like MU having Greg Oden when he was a freshman and having Otule on the bench. Does that make Chris a bad basketball player? Of course not. There just isn't room for them both on the court, and 1 is as good as they come, so you obviously want him on the court as much as possible. The coach of his team coached Otule and has said Durley is beyond where Chris was his senior year. I'll take the word of the guy who sees them play every single day. I for 1 would be more than happy with a big who is more advanced than Chris and has the opportunity to play against a great player every day in practice. We're all seeing how important Otule is to this team. You need guys like that. Will he be a 1 and done? Nope. But we don't need that.

[GGGG]

After reading this thread, I must admit that I am a bit worried about Durley. I am rarely negative about anything MU hoops, but I have a hard time understanding the Durley signing. If the guy cannot even crack his HS rotation, I can't imagine that he is anywhere near being ready to contribute at a major D1 program.

Yes, I understand he is a project. But still...it is at the very least, well, puzzling. I think you guys should get off the posters back who made a negative comment about Durley. It is very understandable why the poster would be worried/frustrated. The situation is very strange. If Durley were actually a pretty good bball player, wouldn't his coach find at least 10 minutes for him to play each game? You would sure think so.

You make a reasoned argument.  I have worries myself, as I would with any project big.  Schubert is the one that goes off using words like "embarrassing" without really understanding the big picture.

[Tulsa Warrior]

Anyone remember Swen Nater?  http://www.coachswen.com/Swen%20Nater's%20Bio.htm

[Lennys Tap]

Anyone remember Swen Nater?  http://www.coachswen.com/Swen%20Nater's%20Bio.htm

I remember him well as a player - didn't know the "back story". Inspirational.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I obviously hope Durley is great in an MU uniform, and ultimately, Buzz wouldn't have offered him if he didn't see some potential. It is just a little troubling, even if Lebron James was on his team. There are things that cannot be picked up in practice that are in a game. If Durley is not going to play much next year, or even the year after, it will be a long time since he has played in a real game atmosphere.

I would imagine that Buzz wishes he was playing more. MUMAC brought up an interesting point, however. Are the games listed on the recruit stat page that are blank, does that mean he did not play in the game, or that the stats are simply missing? One would think it would be quite easy to find with Ridley on his team.