Recruiting as of 4/15/25

[1SE]

I think we could be more strategic about recruiting kids for our 8 to 11 spots on the roster - I'd rather go for the solid three star in that range who is going to put in work, be fundamentally solid, and be happy to contribute to the team however he can (Matt Heldt) as opposed to the fringe 4 star with "upside" who is going to transfer mid-season if he isn't getting 1-7 man minutes and wreck a roster.  The season is long and you need depth - and you need guys who are happy being on the roster just as depth.

I think you all missed this bit. Of course shoot for the stars with 10 of your schollies and recruit over if they turn out to be busts. But I would like to see a more concerted effort to use the end of the bench to bring in 4-year guys unlikely to ever get major playing time (and recruited on that basis) but who could step up in an unforeseen situation (midseason transfer, injury) as a reasonable stop gap (i.e. Matt Heldt). I suppose Ike was supposed to be this .Kids specifically recruited on this basis would add depth insurance that this team doesn't have (we WILL miss Ed at some point this season when we are sitting with 0 bigs at the 8:00 mark in the 2nd half).

[brewcity77]

I think you all missed this bit. Of course shoot for the stars with 10 of your schollies and recruit over if they turn out to be busts. But I would like to see a more concerted effort to use the end of the bench to bring in 4-year guys unlikely to ever get major playing time (and recruited on that basis) but who could step up in an unforeseen situation (midseason transfer, injury) as a reasonable stop gap (i.e. Matt Heldt). I suppose Ike was supposed to be this .Kids specifically recruited on this basis would add depth insurance that this team doesn't have (we WILL miss Ed at some point this season when we are sitting with 0 bigs at the 8:00 mark in the 2nd half).

It's like what Al says at the beginning of the Scrambled Eggs podcast. Paraphrasing, it's effectively Those first eight guys should be blue plate specials, but those back five guys should be tin hats, grunt players, garbage players, the kind that dive for the ball.

I agree with you, but I'm not sure how easy those Matt Heldt types are to find. I do think most kids are dreaming of the pros, and considering some of our past tin hats like Chris Otule, Derrick Wilson, Maurice Acker, and Dwight Burke went on to play professionally overseas, it's understandable. I imagine it's a fine line to walk when you are pitching "come be a bench player at Marquette" when the same guys will get mid-major offers to earn starter minutes and the chance to blow up in a time when guys like Ja Morant and Damian Lillard have made the mid-major NBA story a reality.

[GoldenDieners32]

Don't know if this was mentioned earlier but 2020 Kobe Elvis committed to DePaul. You're probably thinking what does this have to do with MU? Well this kid is from Canada and from what I've heard he is good friends with Karim Mane. They do play the same position tho

[Ben Golds Five]

That's cool, cause now they can play against eachother in the same conference! 

Don't know if this was mentioned earlier but 2020 Kobe Elvis committed to DePaul. You're probably thinking what does this have to do with MU? Well this kid is from Canada and from what I've heard he is good friends with Karim Mane. They do play the same position tho

[GoldenDieners32]

That's cool, cause now they can play against eachother in the same conference! 

with Georgetown?

[Jay Bee]

And Robert Jackson. And Andrew Rowsey. And Katin Reinhardt. And Koby McEwen. And Sam Hauser. And Joey Hauser. And hundreds of other basketball and football players every year.

Full jails!

No. NLI is a one-year deal.

[Marcus92]

I recently read an interview with 3-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Walsh in the Harvard Business Review. Great stuff about leadership and team management. Definitely worth reading. This quote stood out to me:

"Take a group of 10 players. The top two will be super motivated. Superstars will usually take care of themselves. Anybody can coach them. The next four, with the right motivation and direction, will learn to perform up to their potential. The next two will be marginal. With constant attention, they will be able to accomplish something of value to the team. The last two will waste your time. They won't be with you for long.

"Our goal is to focus our organizational detail and coaching on the middle six. They are the ones who most need and benefit from your direction, monitoring and counsel."

And this similar quote about player evaluation:

"We use a five-bracket ranking system to categorize people we are looking at. The first is the star player who cannot miss. The second is a player who will someday be a starter and play for a number of years. The third will make the team, and the fourth has an isolated specialty -- covering kickoffs or fielding punts. The fifth is someone who will make the squad and help you by playing solidly in a backup role.

"You want as many superstars as you can get. The more stars, the better. But the difference between winning and losing is the bottom 25% of your people. Most coaches can deliver the top 75%. But the last 25% only blossoms in the details, in the orchestration of skills, in the way you prepare."

https://hbr.org/1993/01/to-build-a-winning-team-an-interview-with-head-coach-bill-walsh

[JakeBarnes]

Not sure how much we are looking into 2022 prospects, but would love to see the staff start getting involved with Caleb Houstan. Canadian SF at Monteverde right now. Going to be a huge impact player.

[onepost]

I've said it before, but Brown is definitely on my "biggest wants" for the 2021 class.

Likewise.  Would love to see him and Dawson together in 2021.

[MuMark]

https://twitter.com/arizonapreps/status/1219426886490587136?s=21

[JakeBarnes]

https://twitter.com/arizonapreps/status/1219426886490587136?s=21

Oso looks like he's growing into his body with those shoulders. Great effort too.

[Its DJOver]

https://twitter.com/arizonapreps/status/1219426886490587136?s=21

IDK who no. 5 is in that tweet, but he's definitely skipping leg day.  Helluva neck though, seems like a Herman wet dream.

[WhoaJoe2020]

Likewise.  Would love to see him and Dawson together in 2021.

Agreed, but if Marquette has the success we want this year and improves on it next year, Dawson may very well be a one and done.

[Dish]

Agreed, but if Marquette has the success we want this year and improves on it next year, Dawson may very well be a one and done.

There's no chance Garcia is one and done.

[WhoaJoe2020]

There's no chance Garcia is one and done.

Isn't he a five star and likely McDonald's all American?

[Markusquette]

There's no chance Garcia is one and done.

There is absolutely a chance.

[genious expert]

Isn't he a five star and likely McDonald's all American?

Fringe 5 star. Depends which service you look at.

And no, not likely to be a McD AA. I guess it's possible tho.

[MU82]

A player doesn't have to be accomplished enough to be a 1-and-done to be a 1-and-done ... just as a lot of prep players didn't have to be ready for the NBA to skip college and go right to the NBA before the 1-and-done days.

[Pakuni]

There's no chance Garcia is one and done.

Always a chance. Certainly lower rated kids coming out of high school have done it (Dennis Smith, Jamal Murray, Lauri Markkanen come to mind).
I'd think it unlikely, but it's not beyond the realm.

[CountryRoads]

Wouldn't count out Garcia being a one and done. I'm sure Wojo will feature him greatly in next year's offense. Wojo could really use a break by having the kid stay for a second year at least. Henry being a one and done really hurt the rebuild and I think it caught Wojo off guard completely (even though they did make the tournament the following year). If it didn't catch him off guard and he was aware that was the plan from the start, then he is a savage for playing the Ellenson family and cutting Wally the following year. Smoke and mirrors.

[Dish]

I stand by what I said, it's no disrespect to Garcia either. The 2021 draft class will be much deeper and better than the 2020 class. Markkanen and Smith were good enough pro prospects after their frosh years and took advantage of a soft middle lottery year in 17. When I talked to Ellenson at the McDonald's games, he said his mind was made up and he was going to go pro, and he took advantage of an incredibly weak class. '21 isn't going to be '03, but it will be deeper mid - late lottery than most recent drafts.

[WhoaJoe2020]

I stand by what I said, it's no disrespect to Garcia either. The 2021 draft class will be much deeper and better than the 2020 class. Markkanen and Smith were good enough pro prospects after their frosh years and took advantage of a soft middle lottery year in 17. When I talked to Ellenson at the McDonald's games, he said his mind was made up and he was going to go pro, and he took advantage of an incredibly weak class. '21 isn't going to be '03, but it will be deeper mid - late lottery than most recent drafts.

If you read my comment closely, you would see that I conditioned Dawson being a one and done on Marquette having a very successful season next year. I figured people would extrapolate from that condition, that I was expecting Dawson to have a big year and earn his ticket to the NBA. If he puts up numbers similar to Hank, and the team makes a decent run in the tournament, I see no reason why an NBA team wouldn't take a chance on a young, talented, 6-11 forward. Similarly if Osa blows up, who knows. I would obviously say the same thing about Karim if he signs with Marquette. Justin is the least likely of the recruits to get a look, but he just put up an amazing stat line so who knows. Sometimes a teams success can launch several players into the draft. Hell, Bailey might even get a look if he keeps progressing.

An amazing season next year would be great for Marquette and great for the players chances of making it to the next level. A good run this year would be great for Marquette and great for Markus' chances of making an NBA roster next season. It wouldn't hurt Sacars stock either. It could help him land a spot somewhere overseas, or maybe the G- league.

Everybody wins.

[1SE]

Oso looks like he's growing into his body with those shoulders. Great effort too.

Looks like he's pretty much looking regionally, but a Solomon-type kid is kind of what I'm thinking re: a 10-12 scholly. I mean there must be some guys who would rather grind on a high major team with prospects of NCAA success and probably get some real spot minutes as an upperclassman than be a superstar at Grand Canyon.

[duanewade]

As I mentioned before I'm not sure who between Dawson and Oso is the better overall talent. I think Oso has an edge as he will be a stat sheet stuffer and not have to be the focal point of the offense. I think Dawson will be the better scorer who will need and get a lot of touches and will average 15 to 20 points a game even as a freshman.

Both players are extremely versatile matchup nightmares who both have NBA written all over them.

I hope Wojo has a long lineup with Brendan Bailey, Oso and Garcia all playing at once (all three can play the 2, the 3 or the 4). That lineup would be very hard on other teams on both ends of the floor as getting shots off against us would be challenging in a half court set.

https://youtu.be/7G7x5EXG9Eg

[Jay Bee]

Isn't he a five star and likely McDonald's all American?

No