Recruits

[MU gimp ONE]

Dukie V brought this up last night and I started thinking about it.  He said that a win over duke like this will go a long way when TC is calling on recruits to show what kind of program MU has and who they can compete/win against. 

That got me thinking, imagine you are those 4 guys that just signed their LOI's with MU and are sitting at home watching the game.  You have to be on cloud 9 knowing that you made a good choice and that you will soon be part of this team that just handled a nation powerhouse. 

How much do you guys think games like these can affect possible recruits?

[smrunner99]

I would say it has to be pretty darn good.  I mean you can call these kids and show them that this team can compete on the elite level, you are going to get national coverage, and you will go deep into the season.  Think back to the game last night how they mentioned a few guys, I think James, who would most likely be playing for Indiana right now.  But instead Knight was Knight and that program fell down hill.  Sure Indiana is still a great program historically but right now it is not and that hurts.  The key thing for MU and any school is to continue that recruiting so that you never have a down year and miss out on a guy during that lower year.  ESPN showed last night that this is the 5th lose for Duke in the month of November ever under coach K.  If I were recruiting that would be the first stat I show when I am in some kids living room.

[77ncaachamps]

That "5th loss in November" stat is more of a testament to Coach Crean's team philosophy.

Moreover, ever hear our boys talk? They rarely use "I", but mostly refer to "team" and "us." Recruits will know whether they're going to shine independently or win as a team.

Coaching kids how to play is easier than changing their attitudes. Crean is effective in both areas.

I'm just thinking about those recruits who are kicking themselves for not signing up!
Also, this helps recruiting for the bench because when DJ, Wes or Jerel go down...you have to have a quality backup. At the present time, we don't.


Crean...GO THOSE 5 STAR RECRUITS!

[StillAWarrior]

ESPN showed last night that this is the 5th lose for Duke in the month of November ever under coach K.

I'm not diminishing MU's accomplishment last night at all, but the stat was that it is only Duke's 5th loss in the month of November since the 1997-1998 season (i.e. the last 10 years).  Still a great accomplishment, and Crean should recruit like a mad-man based upon this win.  But, Duke has lost more than five games in November since 1980.

[MUUWUWM]

This is what happens......According to a post on the Scout board the recruits start text messaging YOU!.
They are getting pumped up and want to keep their name in front of the staff..I am not sure if they meant the recruits that already signed LOI's or for the class of 08 or later..but all in all a great leap in the recruiting game.

[MUMac]

That comment came from TC in today's JS.  Article by Rosiak.

Good pub from that game.  We all knew how exciting this team would be.  Now the rest of the US is awakening!

[LastWarrior]

Happy days, indeed
Struggle vs. Idaho State seems a long way away
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 22, 2006

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=534592

Ten days ago the Marquette Golden Eagles were taken to overtime by Idaho State in the opening round of the CBE Classic and dealing with, of all things, boos from a displeased home crowd in the process.
Today they're still basking in the afterglow of their third early-season tournament championship in as many years, a title earned Tuesday night with a convincing 73-62 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.

It's been a turnaround of major proportions in just five games. Yet coach Tom Crean cautions against getting caught up in the success, especially with a game at Valparaiso looming on Monday and a solid Blue and Gold Classic field arriving late next week.

"We need to keep things in perspective, even after last Monday night's game," he said. "The bottom line is sometimes your players need to have a dose of perspective as well - that you're never really as good as you think you are when you play well, and you're not as bad as you think you are when you don't play as well.

"You have to keep moving forward, and that's what we'll try to take from this tournament."

That being said, Crean didn't deny the magnitude of what he and his No. 13 Golden Eagles (6-0) accomplished at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday and Tuesday.

On a personal level, Crean had to take great satisfaction in knocking off coaching legends Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski on back-to-back nights.

And looking at it from a program standpoint, MU's victory over Duke was without a doubt the biggest non-conference victory in Crean's eight seasons at the helm of the Golden Eagles.

Taking it one step further, it was MU's most memorable regular-season victory under Crean aside from that memorable spanking of No. 2 Connecticut in the Big East opener last season.

"For our team to do that on back-to-back nights - who's kidding who? It's a big deal to win games like that, no question about it," said Crean, who improved to 7-11 against teams ranked in the top 10. "Having your players feel that reward of sacrifice and hard work, and to see their will rewarded and to see the way your coaches prepare, those are great feelings.

"No question about it, the trip to Kansas City has been a highlight for me personally and for our eight years in the program."

There were plenty of heroes to go around on Tuesday night.

Certainly there was tournament most valuable player Dominic James, whose 25 points and seven assists had ESPN announcer Dick Vitale nearly apoplectic by the end of the game.

The fearless Jerel McNeal earned all-tournament honors as well after putting up 17 points, six rebounds and six steals.

But what about junior Ousmane Barro, who manned up against Duke forward Josh McRoberts in the second half and basically shut him down?

Or junior Dan Fitzgerald, who bounced back from the flu and a shin injury to put up eight points and five rebounds while putting in a yeoman's effort on the defensive end?

Wesley Matthews, David Cubillan, the list goes on. In all, 10 players saw time against the Blue Devils and contributed, a development that's certain to be a huge boon for the Golden Eagles as the season wears on.

The victory also provided some other interesting byproducts.

MU, for instance, found itself ranked No. 1 in the Sagarin ratings Wednesday morning, ahead of the likes of North Carolina, Duke and Alabama.

Media interest also increased, and the Golden Eagles are a good bet to leap up in both polls, perhaps even into the top 10.

And what better way to advertise a program to incoming and prospective players than beating Duke on national TV?

"When the recruits are texting you that's always a good feeling," said Crean. "There's been some of that."

MU's players are off until Friday night, with many having already headed home for Thanksgiving. The Golden Eagles will have three practices and a walk-through prior to Valparaiso.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I just noticed this in the article, but Crean's 7-11 record against top ten teams may not look like it on the surface, but I think it's pretty damn impressive. If you consider that in almost all 18 of those games we were significant underdogs, it tells us that Marquette is almost always prepared for significant challenges.

[dwaderoy2004]

agreed PRN, i said the same thing in another post somewhere after the duke game (i think an AP article had the same stat).  i would be very interested to see other coaches records against top ten teams.  a nearly 40% success rate against these high caliber teams is indeed something to write home about.