Recruiting as of 5/15/25

[wadesworld]

Recruit to your system, add high level transfers.  I'd be shocked if we didn't add at least 1 transfer a year, and most years multiple.

[LAZER]

Who was the guy who's AJ Casey's teammate? Pretty sure they visited together. By the looks of your list we're not recruiting him anymore or didn't make one of his cuts?

Jalen Washington committed to UNC

[The Lens]

The most important thing a college basketball coach does is recruit.  But that doesn't mean winning recruiting rankings is the most important.  What's important is he recruits to his team, recruits guys who buy in and add to his culture.  If he recruits guys who can play successfully in his system, we'll be fine.  And once we start winning, the Leon Bonds will be coming, too.

[Goose]

The Lens

A system and culture are the keys to success. I fully believe that Shaka knows his system and the type of guys he wants to run it. Can't wait to opening tipoff.

[esotericmindguy]

The most important thing a college basketball coach does is recruit.  But that doesn't mean winning recruiting rankings is the most important.  What's important is he recruits to his team, recruits guys who buy in and add to his culture.  If he recruits guys who can play successfully in his system, we'll be fine.  And once we start winning, the Leon Bonds will be coming, too.

I agree. Just look at Buzz vs. Wojo. Wojo seemed to get higher ranked recruits but his teems were soft and lost. I'm excited to watch guys who compete, shaka is recruiting competitors who have toughness. 

[muwarrior69]

So with three scholarships left, I think these are the remaining Shaka offers out there for '22 (all rankings 247)

#33 AJ Casey - 6'8" 190lb PF out of Chicago (In his top 8)
#65 Terrance Arceneaux - 6'6" 190lb SF out of Houston
#138 Christian Watson - 6'6" 192lb SF out of DC (In his top 8)
#150 KyeRon Lindsay - 6'8" 205lb PF out of Dallas
#168 Jeffery Brazziel - 6'5" 170lb SG out of Milwaukee (taken several unofficials)
#209 Ryan Dunn - 6'6" 190lb SF out of Long Island
#231 Jaret Teheran Valencia - 6'8" 175lb out of Columbia
#258 Malik Dia - 6'7" 190lb PF out of Nashville (official visit next month)
3-star Alpha Chimbambe - 6'4 200lb SF out of Los Angeles
3-star Bryce Lindsay - 6'3" 160lb CG out of Baltimore (in his top 6)
3-star Desmond Claude - 6'5 190 lb PG out of Connecticut
UR Chase Ross - 6'4 185lb SG out of Dallas (official visit sometime in the fall)

To the Mods: Is there a way for you to take TAMU's list and update glows OP so we don't have to search for latest list? Of course ask glow for permission to do that.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The most important thing a college basketball coach does is recruit.  But that doesn't mean winning recruiting rankings is the most important.  What's important is he recruits to his team, recruits guys who buy in and add to his culture.  If he recruits guys who can play successfully in his system, we'll be fine.  And once we start winning, the Leon Bonds will be coming, too.

I think this is the correct take. I would also expand on the "guys who buy in" bit to include that Shaka is looking for guys who respond to his style of coaching. This was something that Buzz excelled at. He didn't get high ranked players but he got guys who he knew would respond to his particular brand of mad genius and was confident that he could coach those kind of players up. When Shaka talks about relationships every other word, I think that's what he is talking about.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Your thoughts on Shaka's decisions on the three scholarships? Fill them all, leave 1-2 open for transfers, etc.?

I'd expect Shaka to get two more freshmen. One from the SG/SF group and one of the PFs. If I had to guess now, I'd guess Ross and Dia would be the guys. I'd anticipate that the last spot gets left open (keeping in mind that the last spot is only available because of Greg's COVID year) for a transfer. There will also inevitably be transfers out next offseason.

[MU82]

I agree on Shaka getting "his type" of guys, and on the whole culture and buy-in and toughness angles.

But folks shouldn't pretend that Shaka has ignored higher-ranked guys. It's not that he's saying, "So-and-so might be high ranked, but he doesn't fit my culture so I'm passing on him." He has wanted several "so-and-so's" so far, and he simply hasn't gotten them. Top-50 players can help culture and buy-in and toughness, too.

Having said all that, I remain optimistic that Shaka will get it done at Marquette.

[Silkk the Shaka]

The most important thing a college basketball coach does is recruit.  But that doesn't mean winning recruiting rankings is the most important.  What's important is he recruits to his team, recruits guys who buy in and add to his culture.  If he recruits guys who can play successfully in his system, we'll be fine.  And once we start winning, the Leon Bonds will be coming, too.

Correct. This will be a waiting game. Early returns, to me, says he's paying very close attention to fit. That should hopefully pay off in the long run.

[Silkk the Shaka]

I agree on Shaka getting "his type" of guys, and on the whole culture and buy-in and toughness angles.

But folks shouldn't pretend that Shaka has ignored higher-ranked guys. It's not that he's saying, "So-and-so might be high ranked, but he doesn't fit my culture so I'm passing on him." He has wanted several "so-and-so's" so far, and he simply hasn't gotten them. Top-50 players can help culture and buy-in and toughness, too.

Having said all that, I remain optimistic that Shaka will get it done at Marquette.

Agreed. The top ranked guys he's gone after very much seem to be of the top talent + good fit. Then when he misses he hasn't really chased guys in the same ranking range immediately after, he's chased guys in the same fit range. If we're going with options B's & C's, I'd much rather take a "fit" guy in the 150/200 range than a guy at 80/90 just to win the recruiting rankings.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

But folks shouldn't pretend that Shaka has ignored higher-ranked guys. It's not that he's saying, "So-and-so might be high ranked, but he doesn't fit my culture so I'm passing on him." He has wanted several "so-and-so's" so far, and he simply hasn't gotten them. Top-50 players can help culture and buy-in and toughness, too.

We don't actually need to pretend though. Shaka is going after a lot less top 50 guys (and top 75 and top 100) guys than Wojo did. Wojo's offer list typically was 75% or more consensus top 100 players. Shaka's is the inverse. He did the same  thing on the transfer market this season. Now that doesn't mean that Shaka is purposefully "ignoring" top 50/75/100 players. It just means that Shaka prioritizes fit/attitude/culture over raw talent whereas Wojo was the opposite. I don't think either approach is necessarily better than other, it just matters who can execute it effectively.

[Galway Eagle]

There's nothing wrong with going after these lower guys if it works. I just don't think anyone can get down on people who aren't jumping like crazy over each signing either though. Sure we've plenty of other big East teams do better than Wojo with this level player so I hope it works.

[JTJ3]

I'd expect Shaka to get two more freshmen. One from the SG/SF group and one of the PFs. If I had to guess now, I'd guess Ross and Dia would be the guys. I'd anticipate that the last spot gets left open (keeping in mind that the last spot is only available because of Greg's COVID year) for a transfer. There will also inevitably be transfers out next offseason.

Ross and Dia would be a great close to the fall signing period.  Both are lower ranked right now, but both put up strong aau numbers and on video they look skilled and athletic.  And the articles Ive seen from this summer describe both as playing with constant energy, which is a trait Shaka has talked about seemingly every interview he does.

[LAZER]

There's nothing wrong with going after these lower guys if it works. I just don't think anyone can get down on people who aren't jumping like crazy over each signing either though. Sure we've plenty of other big East teams do better than Wojo with this level player so I hope it works.

I'm with you.  Especially when the selling point for Shaka (for me at least) was his ability to recruit and recruit highly ranked players.  I didn't expect him to recruit at the level he did at UT, but I expected more than what we've seen so far. That obviously can change, especially with on the court results.  But this is looking like a longer rebuild than I initially expected.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

There's nothing wrong with going after these lower guys if it works. I just don't think anyone can get down on people who aren't jumping like crazy over each signing either though. Sure we've plenty of other big East teams do better than Wojo with this level player so I hope it works.

Oh I agree with this too. Anyone trying to sell the recruits that Smart has got so far as proof of Shaka's greatness is a bit premature in my opinion. On paper, the transfers/recruits Shaka has secured to this point are very meh. Hell, ESPN ran an article today about the transfer market that labeled us as one of the biggest losers of the transfer market. But recruiting isn't about how many stars are next to a player's name, it's about whether or not the coach wins with the guys he lands. If we're dancing in the next 2-3 seasons, Shaka gets a gold star for recruiting this season. If we're floundering, we'll be pointing to these early classes as the biggest red flags.

[MU82]

You make lots of good points, TAMU, and we are in agreement on just about all of them.

I obviously thought Shaka was going after more top-50/75/100 guys, so thanks for the correction.

I don't subscribe to recruiting sites or get any newsletters, so I get most MU recruiting news from you and other knowledgeable Scoopers. So thanks for that, too.

We Are Marquette!

[Herman Cain]

I am pleased with this Coaching staffs recruits so far .

Phase 0 is retaining prior incoming freshman to MU and UT. We picked up a very nice set of incoming freshman with complementary sizes and skills .

Phase 1 was transfer and we picked up 4 guys who will make contributions , including one who played at a very high level all 4 years at his prior school gaining all conference type accolades .

Phase 2 is High School prospects . So far the coaching staff has signed up one promising point guard with the type skills MU has not had in a quite a while . Let's see what he gets for the remaining prospects . I would expect the coaching staff to recruit a SF and a PF

[genious expert]

The 2022 class is tough because the staff had to make up a lot of ground in a short time. Some of the guys Shaka "missed" he had only been recruiting since he got the job. When other teams have been recruiting those same players for years it's tough to overcome.

I wouldn't expect the 2023 offer list to look much like the 2022 list when all is said and done. Right now according to 247 we have 12 offers out and 6 of those are Top 60 ranked players. The other 6 are Unranked, but that will change as the 2023 rankings get updated.

He's still going to go after the top ranked guys. This recruiting cycle was just weird, especially for this staff.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I wouldn't expect the 2023 offer list to look much like the 2022 list when all is said and done. Right now according to 247 we have 12 offers out and 6 of those are Top 60 ranked players. The other 6 are Unranked, but that will change as the 2023 rankings get updated.

He's still going to go after the top ranked guys. This recruiting cycle was just weird, especially for this staff.

Maybe, but I wouldn't be so sure. First, 247 doesn't do a great job tracking offers. Shaka has 18 offers out for 2023. Using 247's rankings, 0 offers are to top 21 players, 4 are to players ranked from 22-32, 4 are ranked from 47 to 66, and 10 are currently unranked. You are correct that the rankings are far from settled and many of these players may end up ranked a lot higher than they are currently. But if you look at some of these unranked offers, a few like Owen Freeman are guys who a lot of high majors are recruiting. But in several cases, we are the first and in some cases only high major to have made an offer. Maybe these guys blow up, but my guess is they end up as three stars.

What I've seen from Shaka so far leads me to believe that he is not interested in chasing 5-stars, which is a big departure from his Texas days (to avoid nitpicking, I think two of his 23 offers are 5 stars but they are the lowest ranked 5-stars in the class). I'm sure if the right one and done comes along, Shaka will make a play but he seems to be focused on multi-year freshmen. I'm also led to believe that fit/attitude/culture are the first priority and talent is the second priority. Again, that's not to say that other players have bad attitudes or "we cooled on them" but just a statement that not every player will respond well to every coach's playing and teaching style.

I do also wonder if some of these offers are not really about the players as they are but offers for the players they may become. With insta-transfers, I think Shaka may be recruiting some lower level players who will ultimately end up at mid-majors, so that if the player were to blow up at said mid-major, Shaka already has the established relationship to snatch them on the transfer market.

[Ben Golds Five]

+1

I am pleased with this Coaching staffs recruits so far .

Phase 0 is retaining prior incoming freshman to MU and UT. We picked up a very nice set of incoming freshman with complementary sizes and skills .

Phase 1 was transfer and we picked up 4 guys who will make contributions , including one who played at a very high level all 4 years at his prior school gaining all conference type accolades .

Phase 2 is High School prospects . So far the coaching staff has signed up one promising point guard with the type skills MU has not had in a quite a while . Let's see what he gets for the remaining prospects . I would expect the coaching staff to recruit a SF and a PF

[The Equalizer]

The 2022 class is tough because the staff had to make up a lot of ground in a short time. Some of the guys Shaka "missed" he had only been recruiting since he got the job. When other teams have been recruiting those same players for years it's tough to overcome.

Do you think just maybe Texas was one of the teams recruiting those same players? 

Did you forget who was coaching at Texas? 

It would be tough if we had hired a low-major coach into his first high-major role.

But let's think about this for a minute.  Shaka has been coaching at a high major program and recruiting nationally for the last six years. Do you honestly expect anyone to believe that he wasn't out there building relations with top HS sophs and juniors and their coaches all this time?   He's doesn't have to make up a lot of ground--he was perfectly positioned to hit the ground running.

[Pakuni]

I do also wonder if some of these offers are not really about the players as they are but offers for the players they may become. With insta-transfers, I think Shaka may be recruiting some lower level players who will ultimately end up at mid-majors, so that if the player were to blow up at said mid-major, Shaka already has the established relationship to snatch them on the transfer market.

How exactly does one extend an offer in this scenario?
"Look, kid, I don't think you're good enough, so you can't actually accept the offer I'm giving you. But if I'm wrong you blow up in the MAC or Missouri Valley, we'll have a place for you."

[Dawson Rental]

To the Mods: Is there a way for you to take TAMU's list and update glows OP so we don't have to search for latest list? Of course ask glow for permission to do that.

Oh, and I'd like a sandwich.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

How exactly does one extend an offer in this scenario?
"Look, kid, I don't think you're good enough, so you can't actually accept the offer I'm giving you. But if I'm wrong you blow up in the MAC or Missouri Valley, we'll have a place for you."

An offer is just way of saying "we are formally recruiting this player", it's not actually a guarantee for a scholarship.