Recruiting as of 5/15/25

[esotericmindguy]

The Big East will expand again by 2025, in advance of the next TV deal.  Fox will want more content for more value.  With other power basketball conferences all at twelve teams and higher, the BE will look to keep pace competitively as best it could.  Everything has a price, including our love affair with the round robin.  Expansion is coming, but it won't be right now.

And it won't be Gonzaga (or Notre Dame or Kansas).

.

Go get St. Thomas in St. Paul. First year in D1 is this year but they can ramp up quickly. They can play basketball at MN Wild stadium.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Photos from Ross' official visit:

https://twitter.com/dtx_ross/status/1437173329534889986

[JWags85]

.

Go get St. Thomas in St. Paul. First year in D1 is this year but they can ramp up quickly. They can play basketball at MN Wild stadium.

Please no.  They could play basketball at the XCel Center, but Marquette could also play at AmFam Field.  Neither do cause they wouldn't fill it.

If St Thomas suddenly runs roughshod over the Summit for the next 4-5 years, maybe its worth a discussion.  But the BE should have no interest in a D3 school that just made the jump to D1 and plays in an 1800 seat gym.

[The Sultan]

Go get St. Thomas in St. Paul. First year in D1 is this year but they can ramp up quickly. They can play basketball at MN Wild stadium.

Why will they be able to "ramp up quickly" when compared to any other school that moved up to D1?

[Galway Eagle]

Please no.  They could play basketball at the XCel Center, but Marquette could also play at AmFam Field.  Neither do cause they wouldn't fill it.

If St Thomas suddenly runs roughshod over the Summit for the next 4-5 years, maybe its worth a discussion.  But the BE should have no interest in a D3 school that just made the jump to D1 and plays in an 1800 seat gym.

For the record I think the bigger issue against AmFam is Dec-March in Milwaukee is too cold to play at AmFam.

[LloydsLegs]

Why will they be able to "ramp up quickly" when compared to any other school that moved up to D1?

St. Thomas:  The UCF of the Midwest!

[JWags85]

St. Thomas:  The UCF of the Midwest!

I was thinking more, St Thomas: The Incarnate Word of the Great Lakes!

[jfp61]

I was thinking more, St Thomas: The Incarnate Word of the Great Lakes!

It's been 1-2 recruiting windows for them and they are already way out recruiting their conference.

Got Lee and Blue in 2022.

[The Sultan]

It's been 1-2 recruiting windows for them and they are already way out recruiting their conference.

Got Lee and Blue in 2022.

Outrecruiting the Summit League?  🤩

[Pakuni]

Jacob Polacheck @JacobPolacheck

Coaches from Georgetown, Clemson and Marquette are expected to be in Tuesday for class of 2023 Top-40 prospect Brandon Gardner.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://twitter.com/recruitszone/status/1437557563462144003

2023 SG Braelon Green is taking an OV on October 22nd. This tweet calls him a 5-star but I'm not sure where they are getting that. 247 doesn't rank him and ESPN and Rivals have him as a 4-star (#34 and #70 respectively).

[Galway Eagle]

https://twitter.com/recruitszone/status/1437557563462144003

2023 SG Braelon Green is taking an OV on October 22nd. This tweet calls him a 5-star but I'm not sure where they are getting that. 247 doesn't rank him and ESPN and Rivals have him as a 4-star (#34 and #70 respectively).

Looks like he was up to 19 at one point on ESPN so maybe just outdated?

https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2021/07/ypsilanti-lincoln-5-star-guard-braelon-green-transfers-to-california-prep-school.html

[Newsdreams]

Jacob Polacheck @JacobPolacheck

Coaches from Georgetown, Clemson and Marquette are expected to be in Tuesday for class of 2023 Top-40 prospect Brandon Gardner.

We going to keep wasting resources on top ranked prospects?

[esotericmindguy]

I was thinking more, St Thomas: The Incarnate Word of the Great Lakes!

Ha. I would think tapping into the MSP market with a catholic school would be cool. Gophers suck and somehow MN only has 1 D1 basketball school. I don't think attendance would be an issue in St. Paul. As we've seen with Memphis, all it takes is a good hire to turn programs in a hurry. St. Thomas will be in a better conference by 2030, I have no doubt.

[brewcity77]

Maybe St Thomas will move up, but they scream "too big for their britches." The Summit is a top-20 league most years with numerous proven programs. As soon as St Thomas starts earning single digits seeds and at-large bids, they can start talking.

[JWags85]

Ha. I would think tapping into the MSP market with a catholic school would be cool. Gophers suck and somehow MN only has 1 D1 basketball school. I don't think attendance would be an issue in St. Paul. As we've seen with Memphis, all it takes is a good hire to turn programs in a hurry. St. Thomas will be in a better conference by 2030, I have no doubt.

Again, its scale.  Can they draw a few thousand?  Sure.  But just because Minnesota basketball is disappointing doesn't mean a random D3 transition school will suddenly be a huge draw. Depaul has been terrible forever, UIC sucks, but that doesn't mean people were banging down the doors for Loyola games so much that they needed to move games to bigger venues.

Hell, Marquette is in a major conference, has tons of success and marquee games, and regardless of team levels, they don't have some huge disparity in interest over Wisconsin.  Or all those UW basketball fans would suddenly get MU season tickets cause UW sucks.

Memphis is also a terrible example cause thats another historically good program, thats the only show in town, with over 20K students.

If St Thomas does well will they switch conferences?  Sure.  But look at Valpo.  Way more of a track record of success and name cache than UST could dream of getting in the next 8 years and they weren't anywhere near a P6 conference.  Something like the Missouri Valley would be an absolute moonshot for St Thomas.

Nothing against them (other than their terrible nickname) and wish them all the best, but given how we worry about the relative strength of the BE, just seems like a totally bizarre target

[harryp]

St Thomas upset MU, 1955? '56?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://twitter.com/Nick_Baumgart/status/1437961276383244288

Another name for 2023, Jermaine Coleman. Just interest, no offer.

[Pakuni]

https://twitter.com/Nick_Baumgart/status/1437961276383244288

Another name for 2023, Jermaine Coleman. Just interest, no offer.

Sir, this is a University of St. Thomas thread.

[Newsdreams]

Sir, this is a University of St. Thomas thread.

Yeah, what is TAMU thinking?

[Stretchdeltsig]

Recruiting gone bad.

[esotericmindguy]

Sir, this is a University of St. Thomas thread.

Lol. Let's keep it going.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.twincities.com/2021/09/14/st-thomas-mens-basketball-lands-top-100-commit-ahjany-lee/amp/

They also have Kendall Blue, who wojo was recruiting.

[Herman Cain]

If MU is successful recruiting RJ Jones. We would have the Jones Trio . Seems like a solid prospect

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Article/RJ-Jones-Texas-AM-Marquette-USC-Oklahoma-State-Basketball-Recruiting-Stock-Riser-170501798/

[Newsdreams]

If MU is successful recruiting RJ Jones. We would have the Jones Trio . Seems like a solid prospect

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Article/RJ-Jones-Texas-AM-Marquette-USC-Oklahoma-State-Basketball-Recruiting-Stock-Riser-170501798/

Hopefully TAMU sabotaged that A&M visit

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://twitter.com/SCHBoysBB/status/1438468647215935493

Checked out 2023 Alassane Amadou this week