Ben Eze has decommitted from Harvard....visiting Pitt

[marquette09]

For a reasons even I don't understand, I've watched a lot of Bulls games this year. I find it to be an enormous stretch to suggest a college prospect would choose Pitt because Aaron Gray plays garbage minutes for a horrendous NBA team. He's a sluggish, un-athletic 7-footer who can't hold his own on defense at this level.

Now, if Ben-Eze was looking at Florida, I could buy the argument that he's impressed with the NBA success of Horford and Noah. They are both much, much better pro prospects than Gray.

I got to figure Gray's minutes are going to be even fewer the rest of the year.  Gray had an outburst at Boylan a couple of days ago

[Thomas' Danish Delight]

Personally, I'd like to see more traditional bigs.  Someone like Burke stretched out to be a couple inches taller...and with a better skill set, of course.

I'd prefer a couple of big men in the mold of Beasley or Durant. You know, near 7-footers who can post, dribble, shoot the 3 and completely dominate every facet of the game. Let's get a couple of guys with that skill set. 

Well, yeah, I'd love that too, but then they'd be one and done at Marquette...if we had a big guy that was nice and solid yet probably needed the four years before they were NBA prospects...then that would be really neato.

I'm not just saying this because of my screen name, but aren't there any more freak of nature Chinese dudes out there?  Maybe one that's not always getting injured just as he's dominating, and/or one that wouldn't mind coming to a city with like 0.000009 % of an Asian-American population...I'll keep dreaming.

[MarquetteVol]

Yeah, it was obviously kind of a tongue-in-cheek comment. I doubt the Chinese government would allow an outstanding player to come to the U.S. to play college basketball. I think they can justify letting guys like Yao and Yi come here to play in the NBA, but younger guys would not be able to play on the national team which is very important to China. I like your thinking, but it was pretty just to get Yi to Milwaukee when he was drafted and offered a nice contract.

[NCMUFan]

Is he as bright at people make Ben-Eze out to be?  I mean, why doesn't he go to a school that has a scholarship open?  Is he getting an academic scholarship?  I am happy with our recruiting class of 2008.  He had his chance to come to MU.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Not to be a wet blanket...

But, it's interesting that when a player transfers, a lot of fans blast the coach and the program... but when a former target becomes available, people think MU should bring him in (even without a scholly).

I'm not a big transfer rumor guy... but I'd have to suspect that if Ben-Eze came in, somebody would have to leave because there just aren't enough minutes to go around for all of these guys.

I'm not sure how other teams are looking at it... but looking at MU's roster, I just don't see where the minutes would be for him.

Otule
Mbawke
Hazel
Burke
Fulce (PF/SF)

They all play PF/C... not sure where Ben Eze fits in that group... and in the following year I'm sure MU's going to bring in another one.

Again, I don't want to be a wet blanket, because I'd love for MU to stockpile some big guys... but I also realize that there is such a thing as over-recruiting.

[BrewCity83]

It's not over-recruiting until we have a real center.

[OneMadWarrior]

This de-commitment was probably based upon the inquiry being conducted by Harvard trustees in recruiting guidelines.  Ben-Eze did not have a good senior year playing at O'Connell in the DC Catholic League.  I do not know his final statistics, but I am presuming it was about seven points per game. 

They Got owned by Gonzaga this year, so did DeMatha........
I actually think Otule is supposed to be a true center isn't he. Why is there this need to find a "true" Center how woudl a plodding Aaron Gray like figure Help Marquette at all. This isn't the 1960's.

[augoman]

This de-commitment was probably based upon the inquiry being conducted by Harvard trustees in recruiting guidelines.  Ben-Eze did not have a good senior year playing at O'Connell in the DC Catholic League.  I do not know his final statistics, but I am presuming it was about seven points per game. 

They Got owned by Gonzaga this year, so did DeMatha........
I actually think Otule is supposed to be a true center isn't he. Why is there this need to find a "true" Center how woudl a plodding Aaron Gray like figure Help Marquette at all. This isn't the 1960's.

believe Otule to be a project- (again).  Neither highly rated, nor hotly recruited.  Mbakwe is a 4, and at 6'7" in the BEast, he will be challenged. 
Gray's ability to play 'position ball' was perfect for college game.  If we had a 'gray-type' this year, we'd be top 5(depending on coach's ability to use assets.)

[Chili]

This de-commitment was probably based upon the inquiry being conducted by Harvard trustees in recruiting guidelines.  Ben-Eze did not have a good senior year playing at O'Connell in the DC Catholic League.  I do not know his final statistics, but I am presuming it was about seven points per game. 

They Got owned by Gonzaga this year, so did DeMatha........
I actually think Otule is supposed to be a true center isn't he. Why is there this need to find a "true" Center how woudl a plodding Aaron Gray like figure Help Marquette at all. This isn't the 1960's.

believe Otule to be a project- (again).  Neither highly rated, nor hotly recruited.  Mbakwe is a 4, and at 6'7" in the BEast, he will be challenged. 
Gray's ability to play 'position ball' was perfect for college game.  If we had a 'gray-type' this year, we'd be top 5(depending on coach's ability to use assets.)

Marquette does NOT use a 4. They have bigs, wings and points. They use a hyrbid 4/5.