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Author Topic: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette  (Read 16416 times)

tower912

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #25 on: June 28, 2008, 12:33:46 PM »
Nola never would have taken the job if offered if he was in Buzz' shoes.   The beauty of College BB is the constant roster turnover and the constant change.   Yes, after this year, when the 3 amigos and Burke are gone, if Williams, Otule, MacMorrow, Buycks, Fulce, Mbakwe all fail to pan out as hoped for, we are going to stink.   Any team projecting out two years, with the exceptions of the legendary programs,  are banking that their recruits are who they thought they were.   There are no guarantees.   Especially when it comes to MU recruiting big men.   NOLA, you think we would have been better and smarter to hold on the schollie and HOPE we actually land one of the 6'9" big men that we were close on.   Fair enough.   I will take the athletic 7 footers we have and HOPE our coaching staff are as successful developing big men as some of them have been elsewhere.   
Luke 6:45   ...A good man produces goodness from the good in his heart; an evil man produces evil out of his store of evil.   Each man speaks from his heart's abundance...

It is better to be fearless and cheerful than cheerless and fearful.

MUFan71

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #26 on: June 28, 2008, 01:02:04 PM »
 Hey tower I agree with you it has been said that Layer and Benford have both developed bigs in the past. So for Otule, McMorrow, Burke and Mbakwe that's good news. I like the upside of this guy seven foot 260 and a hockey player. It would have been nice to get a point guard like Junior Cadougan, which may still happen. Then a shooting guard like Omari Lawrence, Donte Hill, Donald Williams or Glen Rice. So I guess as much as I think this guy may work out and may develop into a good player. Could MU have waited for a 2010 big man? Then in 2009 went pg and sg with the two scholarships that were left?

MUCrew

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #27 on: June 28, 2008, 02:23:38 PM »
It actually helps knowing that the coaching staff has a reputation of developing big men.  If that is the case, then I'm on board with this pickup.  I would love to take a look at this guy myself and come to my own conclusions about him rather thank bank off of the information I've read about him here so far.  Regardless, he'll be a project...one that I hope contributes in a big (no pun intended) way to the program. 

Pakuni

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #28 on: June 28, 2008, 02:41:45 PM »
Hey tower I agree with you it has been said that Layer and Benford have both developed bigs in the past. So for Otule, McMorrow, Burke and Mbakwe that's good news. I like the upside of this guy seven foot 260 and a hockey player. It would have been nice to get a point guard like Junior Cadougan, which may still happen. Then a shooting guard like Omari Lawrence, Donte Hill, Donald Williams or Glen Rice. So I guess as much as I think this guy may work out and may develop into a good player. Could MU have waited for a 2010 big man? Then in 2009 went pg and sg with the two scholarships that were left?

Marquette could have waited for 2010 for a big man, but that would have meant playing the 2009-10 season with only two legit post players (Mbakwe and Otule), one of whom is only 6'7". That would make for some awfully difficult matchups in the Big East, not to mention against Wisconsin. It doesn't seem to be a particularly wise course of action. MU needed a big to play upfront with Mbakwe and Otule, and the coaching staff decided McMorrow was the guy. Whether they're right about that remains to be seen, but it's hard to argue against the need for a true big man.

As for getting a 2 for the '09 class ... why? As it stands, MU's 2009-10 roster already will include at least four guys who could play that spot (Butler, Cubi, Buycks, E. Williams). Roster-wise, they're much more stacked at that position in the '09-10 season than they are up front.

MUFan71

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #29 on: June 28, 2008, 02:55:33 PM »
Marquette could have waited for 2010 for a big man, but that would have meant playing the 2009-10 season with only two legit post players (Mbakwe and Otule), one of whom is only 6'7". That would make for some awfully difficult matchups in the Big East, not to mention against Wisconsin. It doesn't seem to be a particularly wise course of action. MU needed a big to play upfront with Mbakwe and Otule, and the coaching staff decided McMorrow was the guy. Whether they're right about that remains to be seen, but it's hard to argue against the need for a true big man.

As for getting a 2 for the '09 class ... why? As it stands, MU's 2009-10 roster already will include at least four guys who could play that spot (Butler, Cubi, Buycks, E. Williams). Roster-wise, they're much more stacked at that position in the '09-10 season than they are up front.

 Good point Pakuni I was wondering from what I had read if Butler was a big 2, Williams seems logical. I do like Buycks having seen him play in high school. I knew Cubi would be there thought he may fill in at the point depending on how things work out?

ErickJD08

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #30 on: June 28, 2008, 03:14:06 PM »
I think this is a great pick up.  If this guy rides the pine the whole time, better him than some short whitey who has no shot.  My point is that we are Marquette.  We are not some massive program that is going to attract great big men.  This doesn't mean we give up.  This means that at some point we need to put the weight on the coachs' shoulders and see if they can make a big man into a productive (not necessarily NBA caliber) player. 

At the end of the day, you can't teach someone how to be 7'0.  You can teach them some fundamentals to help the team. 

GO MU!
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tower912

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #31 on: June 28, 2008, 03:46:46 PM »
But there are no quality bigs left for 08-09.   The coaching staff obviously thinks they can have McMorrow prepared to contribute in the next 16 months.   Better a 7 foot project than a 6'5" project.
Luke 6:45   ...A good man produces goodness from the good in his heart; an evil man produces evil out of his store of evil.   Each man speaks from his heart's abundance...

It is better to be fearless and cheerful than cheerless and fearful.

nola03

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #32 on: June 28, 2008, 04:04:04 PM »
Really? What are you basing this on? When has Marquette ever had trouble getting JUCO credits to transfer, especially out of a program (in this case, Indian Hills) that exists almost solely to qualify former non-qualifiers?

I'm curious as to what Nola believes might have been a better use for the scholarship? Hold out hope for the one or two 2009 big men MU with which was involved (i.e. Shawn Kemp)? Ignore the dire need for a big and pursue a more highly regarded wing or backcourt player? 
WWND?
I think we're all willing to admit that McMorrow is a huge project who may never pan out. But there's logic and reasoning behind taking that risk.
Regardless, what would you have done if you were in Buzz's shoes?

JC credits can have a hard time translating. That's why we've had numbers of our JC transfers in heavy summer school situations, heavy semester situations, or in the case of one player recently being suspended since his credit situation was not up to par. You can paint me as a nut for bringing it up but there are plenty of people who know this is a possibility.

What would nola do? Well, first, I'd tone down the histrionics. Second, if I was to use a scholarship this late in the off-season for the 08-09 season I would do so on a player that can come in eligible immediately and someone who provides a skill that we don't possess. That seemed to be the entire reason behind recruiting Donald Williams.

Really, though, I wouldn't use the scholarship a week before the July 4th holiday for a redshirt. The roster is going to be overhauled by the end of April 2009. I'd rather pick up a player late that will play a bit this season so that we don't have such a large learning curve in 09-10. If Otule picks it up quickly and can be adequate this season we will have the cover for McMorrow though that might be asking too much since Buzz himself has said Otule has a long way to getting it. Then, those bigs you're very excited at having in hand have little experience and no experience but who knows when the light turns on.

Memphis seemed to do fine having only one big man. Hell, that big man was only 6'8''. DeJuan Blair is only 6'8''. Harangody is 6'8''. Adrien is 6'7''. Gransberry was 6'6'' 3/4. These guys were all very effective playing as "big men" in and around the basket. Having Otule and Mbakwe is a good start. Maymon will have a mismatch probably for 20 games, we can use his size in the wide post. If we don't find anyone for 08-09, I'd go out and use my stellar recruiting skills to land guys like Jennings or Rubit in which the former is clearly playing at an elite level with his prep school and the latter is known as a down low banger. Look for pedigree.

In the end, I'd rather stake my claim on first year players who come from high level prep experiences. Even if they are 6'8'' by this point in development they've played against guys their size and guys who are taller. They've learned those nuances. The intricacies. Some of the secrets. Getting a guy at 7'0'' is great but if he knows more about Savard's spin-o-rama then how to use his ass to block a guy out we may be asking too much for him to pick it all up during practice when all the other guys are going half speed to save themselves for the games that count.

NotAnAlum

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #33 on: June 28, 2008, 05:27:14 PM »
For all those who wondered if the administration had been clear with Buzz that he was going to be expected to WIN in the 09-10 and 10-11 seasons he certainly is recruiting like he knows.  It pretty clear that Buzz doesn’t want to gamble with freshman coming in to replace the big 3.  This move and some of the others just scream that he wants to be covered with a number of options if guys like Otule don’t develop quickly.  I’m willing to give him some leeway.  If Buzz shows that he can win and not just with guys that Crean left him, signing high level talent will get easier.  Buzz already has his long term power forward in Mayman.  I’m not sure that signing another 6’8” power forward would have helped that much.  I don’t see anything wrong with taking a chance on a 7’ guy.. 

CrackedSidewalksSays

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[Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #34 on: June 28, 2008, 07:00:03 PM »
New Recruit for Marquette

Written by: noreply@blogger.com (Henry Sugar)

In a somewhat strange development, it appears that Marquette has received a commitment from another player.  The new player is Liam McMorrow, who is a 7', 260lb transfer from Durham College in Canada.  But not only has McMorrow committed to Marquette, but he's already on Marquette's campus and checked into Humphrey.  In fact, as confirmed by Mark Miller, McMorrow has started practicing with the guys at the AL (link has more info).

So what do we know about Liam McMorrow?  He's big and he's a bit of a project.   According to Mark Miller, McMorrow will have to sit out a year due to the transfer.  He'll end up in the same class as Otule and will have three years of eligibility.  In the MUScoop discussion thread, poster MU Chi_IL found a number of links on the internet about McMorrow.
Quote
Liam McMorrow, a six-foot-eleven newcomer, will help that defensive goal.  Displaying good hands for the basketball and a soft shooting touch around the basket, he shouldn’t be limited to just a defensive role either. from the Durham College Chronicle
In one game, he pulled down 18 rebounds.  In another game, he sank the two winning free throws, despite a season average of 55%.  Finally, poster Pakuni found a youtube clip of McMorrow that really doesn't show a whole lot.

Color us floored (is that a color?).  Not only did this guy fly under the radar, but he made it all the way to campus without so much as a peep.  Have to hand it to Buzz for his stealth recruiting.

Personally, I'm a big fan of this signing despite the fact that he's still raw.  Frankly, any legitimate big man these days is probably a one and done and they're signing with a school like Duke/UNC/Kansas.  It's worthwhile to take 1-2 guys per year that have potential because of the hope that they'll pan out.  Some of the best big men in the Big East, such as Aaron Gray and Roy Hibbert, were considered projects that developed.  Plus, given that McMorrow will have a transfer year to work with Dale Layer and Tony Benford, there's a better chance of realizing his potential.  Both assistant coaches have worked and developed quality big men in the past, unlike the previous coaching staff.

Here is how the classes now look according to the MUScoop Scholarship Table.  There is only one spot available, and all belief is that it will go to fill the need of PG.  Hopefully, another Canadian named Junior Cadougan, who was on campus visiting this week, will be that final scholarship slot.

Finally, because no Friday is complete without a random topic, please be careful.  There are ninja in the woods!

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2008/06/new-recruit-for-marquette.html

Pakuni

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #35 on: June 29, 2008, 01:09:40 PM »
Then, those bigs you're very excited at having in hand have little experience and no experience but who knows when the light turns on.

Yes, when I wrote of McMorrow "Whether McMorrow was MU's best option for a big remains to be seen " my excessive excitement over the commitment was on display.  ::)

Quote
Memphis seemed to do fine having only one big man. Hell, that big man was only 6'8''.

Watch much basketball?
Joey Dorsey: 6'9"
Shawn Taggart: 6'10"
Pierre Niles: 6'8"
Robert Dozier: 6'9" (though more of a wing)

Quote
DeJuan Blair is only 6'8''.

Actually, Blair is 6'7", but also 265 pounds and plays far bigger than his height.
Pitt also had 6'8" Tyrell Biggs.

Quote
Harangody is 6'8''.

Notre Dame also had:
Rob Kurz: 6'9"
Zach Hillesland: 6'9"
Luke Zeller: 6'10"

Quote
Adrien is 6'7''.

Hasheem Thabeet: 7'3"
Stanley Robinson: 6'9"
Gavin Edwards: 6'9"

While the players you mention are indeed solid in the post, they're not the only size on their teams. Even if Mbakwe turns out as good as the guys above - far from a sure thing or even a likelihood - he can't play 40 minutes a night as the team's only low-post presence while guarding the other team's bigs.   

Really, I'm not sure what your point is here. Are you making the case that MU could consistently compete in the Big East in '09-10 with Mbakwe and Otule as the only post players on the roster? If so, it's a bad argument you're making.

Regarding your JUCO issue ... again, please name the last time MU failed to get a recruit's junior college credits to transfer or otherwise could not get him enrolled. I honestly cannot think of one time in the last 2+ decades, but maybe you remember one I do not.

Rollout-the-Barrel

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #36 on: June 29, 2008, 01:41:51 PM »
This is a smart low risk decision.  If he develops into a solid post he definitely helps and would show that mu can develop big men.  If he doesn't, he will still be serviceable as a defender for other teams bigs and in the middle of zones.  We have to take risks on bigs at MU bc there just aren't that many around and we don't have a great chance of getting the marquee ones.
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TJ

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Re: [Cracked Sidewalks] New Recruit for Marquette
« Reply #37 on: June 30, 2008, 12:35:02 AM »
One good/bad thing about our current scholarship situation and the result of signing a couple transfers is that we get to start it all over again for the '10 and '11 recruiting classes anyway.  There are 8! spots to fill by '11 (3 in '10 and 5 in '11).  So let's all hope that once Buzz gets a PG for '09 in the fold he starts working those two classes hard.  Or, more likely, he's probably already started that process.