College Basketball "off-season" Thread (players leaving/coaching changes/recruiting)

[krisp kicks]

I think it would at least raise a red flag in the eyes of many recruits. I just don't think it's a good sign for a program when a decent number ofrecruited athletes are transferring. It seems to be a sign that the coaching staff is either misleading recruits, or clashing with players. The first 3 topprograms that come to mind for me when looking at transfers are Duke, G'Town, and Uconn. I know every program has its transfers here and there, but itseems like these schools recruit lots of talented players at the same position in the same class. Now it is the recruits choice, and they are aware of whatthey are getting into, but its never good for business when players are consistently trying to leave the program.

5 star recruits are no exception to this rule, while they may not transfer since they will a) get playing time b) leave after a year or two, I would thinkseeing lots of players unhappy at a program would be a deterrent, or at least attract the attention of many potential recruits. But I don't really see whya great guard/wing player would want to play at G'town anyway, as I pointed out, they are not turning out pro's on a consistent basis, and definitelynot on the perimeter.

 

[JND1]

I knew we werein good shape, but I didn't think McDonald would pull the trigger so soon based on the reports earlier today. Glad we got our guy. Beating out thedookies for him makes that much sweeter.

 

[tmay407]

Turgeon is turning out to be just fine in College Station

The Aggies got another commitment from the class of '09 today from a kid named Kourtney Roberson out of Louisiana. Anyone know much about him?

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

 

[al3xis]

McDonald was no surprise, nice get..Duke better get Boynton now
...

No in Esherick's Era he wasn't putting out NBA players....cause he was awful in every way.

JT3 had his share of players leaving at Princeton, too. Maybe he can clash with some.

I mean who has Pitino let shine lately? You're in the dog house every other day with that guy....with Calhoun he'll throw you under the bus, who hasIzzo made into a quality NBA player lately? Ben Howland never produced one NBA player at Pitt. Every coach/program can have their negatives or shortcomings.

no if you want to be the 'man'...don't come....but as far as the NBA...if you have the potential, there is a good chance you'll be developedinto one.

 

[i wear sneakers]

Man, if the tourney comes to MSG

 

[gameover2]

great pickup for UNC.

they've a pretty mean 5-man class for 2009.

 

[krisp kicks]

High School teammate of mine played for JT III at Princeton and dude was hated by EVERYBODY. He's done a great job at Georgetown recruiting, winning games,and turning the program back into a winner though.

Damn Coach K. Anyone else feel like his role with USA Basketball is hurting the Blue Devils right now?

 

[dmoney23444]

I cant wait for the season to start, gotta sit through the ever boring MLB season for another 4 months....

 

[ricardo malta]

The first 3 top programs that come to mind for me when looking at transfers are Duke, G'Town, and Uconn.
You're clearly thinking with a short memory cause all 3 of these programs have only had transfers within the last 2 years. I can't speakfor Georgetown but the transfers at Duke were Boateng who, let's face it, ain't a basketball player and if you can't play basketball or have a highbasketball IQ you won't play at Duke. Same with Boykins.

With UConn we had Garrison transfer, who was never gonna play in front of Price, Austrie, and Wiggins, some bum white dude name Ben, and now Kelly and Wigginsand the reason for them being in the dog house is cause of their behavior off the court. Calhoun didn't do them wrong, they did it to themselves. Theonly one I could say who shouldn't have transferred was Marcus cause dude had potential and was a beast. Ah well.

Damn Coach K. Anyone else feel like his role with USA Basketball is hurting the Blue Devils right now?
Yes and no. Obviously if he didn't have Olympic duties he'd have more time to devote to recruiting but he also has assistant coaches tolead that charge. However, I still think we'd lag in regards to recruiting if K was devoting 100% of his alloted time to recruiting. We don't havethat same aura and prestige we used to have. Again, as I've mentioned before, we're in the beginning stages of showcasing our new style of basketballso give it a couple of years before we start enticing top recruits again.

 

[i wear sneakers]

where is marcus johnson? usc?

 

[al3xis]

When you're bringing in top recruits and guys have to fight for PT...

Transfers will happen.

It almost can be a good sign for a program with how they recruit.

 

[al3xis]

Two athletes on the trials roster will return to the hardwood to represent the USA for a third time in July. DrewGordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S. / San Jose, CA) and Malcom Lee (John W. North H.S. / Riverside, CA) helped lead the USA to a 98-78victory over the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in April. Gordon, the Junior National Team's second-leading scorer, accounted for 15 points,seven rebounds and four blocks while shooting 85.7 percent from the field. However, in spite of his stellar performance, Gordon credited much of the team'ssuccess to the USA's backcourt play. Among the cast of tenacious guards was Lee, who helped force 25 World turnovers and 18 USA steals.


Gordon and Lee first showcased their talent in a USA Basketball uniform at the 2007 USA Basketball Youth DevelopmentFestival, held in Colorado Springs, Colo. Also returning from the Festival are: Isaiah Armwood (Montrose Christian H.S. / Rockville, MD);Leslie McDonald (Briarcrest H.S. / Memphis, TN); Reeves Nelson (Modesto Christian H.S. / Modesto, CA); TravisReleford (Bishop Miege H.S. / Shawnee Mission, KS); Lance Stephenson (Lincoln H.S. / Brooklyn, NY); DexterStrickland (St. Patrick H.S. / Elizabeth, NJ); and Kemba Walker (Rice H.S. / New York, NY).


Rounding out the trials roster are USA Basketball newcomers: Kenny Boynton (American Heritage H.S. /Plantation, FL); Dominic Cheek (St. Anthony H.S. / Jersey City, NJ); JaMychal Green (St. Jude H.S. / Montgomery, AL);Kenny Hall (Redan H.S. / Stone Mountain, GA); Matt Humphrey (Hales Franciscian H.S. / Chicago, IL); RyanKelly (Revenscroft H.S. / Raleigh, NC); Sylven Landesberg (Holy Cross H.S. / Flushing, NY); Darius Miller (MasonCounty H.S. / Maysville, KY); Mason Plumlee (Christ H.S. / Arden, NC); Ari Stewart (Wheeler H.S. / Marietta, GA);Hollis Thompson (Loyola H.S. / Los Angeles, CA); Terrell Vinson (Montrose Christian H.S. / Rockville, MD); MaalikWayns (Roman Catholic H.S. / Philadelphia, PA); David Wear (Mater Dei H.S. / Santa Ana, CA); Travis Wear (Mater DeiH.S. / Santa Ana, CA); and Wesley Witherspoon (Berkman H.S. / Lilburn, GA).

Davidson College head coach Bob McKillop will lead the USA's 2008 FIBA Americas U18Championship For Men Team, while Virginia Commonwealth University's head mentor Anthony Grant and Georgetown University's head coachJohn Thompson III will serve as assistant coaches. Collegiate head coaches Steve Donahue, Cornell University; KevinMcCarthy, the State University of the New York at Cobleskil; Joe Niland, the University of Mobile; and Gary Stewart,the University of California at Davis will serve as court coaches at the 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team Trials.




Monroe and Henry Sims were invited but had to decline due to Summer courses. IDK who else got the invite.

Pretty damn good coaching staff there too.

 

[ricardo malta]

where is marcus johnson? usc?
Can't remember. Just wish he would have stayed at UConn tho. Coulda went the Hilton Armstrong route and really showed out senior year.

 

[gatorb807]

All of the top programs have attrition. Florida has a kid transfer annually (James White, Huertes, Powell, Mitchell, etc) usually the ones that transfercan't cut it at the big programs. Notice how many of these transfers make it to the league or do anything great at their new school. I don't have highhopes for Maclin I would assume to just sign another HS kid instead of taking a transfer with 2 years of eligibility.

 

[bigmike23]

Marcus Johnson is at USC

 

[al3xis]

Macklin should do 2 things and 2 things only in his year off..

Shoot and lift weights.

..
Always liked Marcus Johnson, he was smooth...just didn't put things together.

 

[notoriouslar]

Marcus had all the ability in the world but couldnt get a consistent jumper going and really lost his confidence when he lost his spot to Stanley. I know he isenrolled at USC but i remember there was somethin uncertain about his scholership situation

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

The first 3 top programs that come to mind for me when looking at transfers are Duke, G'Town, and Uconn.

You're clearly thinking with a short memory cause all 3 of these programs have only had transfers within the last 2 years. I can't speak for Georgetown but the transfers at Duke were Boateng who, let's face it, ain't a basketball player and if you can't play basketball or have a high basketball IQ you won't play at Duke. Same with Boykins.

With UConn we had Garrison transfer, who was never gonna play in front of Price, Austrie, and Wiggins, some bum white dude name Ben, and now Kelly and Wiggins and the reason for them being in the dog house is cause of their behavior off the court. Calhoun didn't do them wrong, they did it to themselves. The only one I could say who shouldn't have transferred was Marcus cause dude had potential and was a beast. Ah well.

Damn Coach K. Anyone else feel like his role with USA Basketball is hurting the Blue Devils right now?
Yes and no. Obviously if he didn't have Olympic duties he'd have more time to devote to recruiting but he also has assistant coaches to lead that charge. However, I still think we'd lag in regards to recruiting if K was devoting 100% of his alloted time to recruiting. We don't have that same aura and prestige we used to have. Again, as I've mentioned before, we're in the beginning stages of showcasing our new style of basketball so give it a couple of years before we start enticing top recruits again.

You can't talk about transfers and not mention St. John's 9 players in 5 years

And that's because there's a coach who unecessarily puts players in the doghouse, over recruits and widns up with logjams, and recruits players whoclearly aren't Big East material. When good teams lose players to transfers, I don't see it as red flags because the 9 out of 10 times the playersthey lose aren't up to par with their teams.

 

[al3xis]

PITTSBURGH (AP)-Orlando Antigua, a former Pitt player and an assistant basketball coach at the school, is leaving to join coach John Calipari's staff atNCAA runner-up Memphis.

Former Pitt point guard Brandin Knight will become a full-time Pitt assistant coach, replacing Antigua, after being the director of basketball operations lastseason. Knight has been on coach Jamie Dixon's staff for two seasons, the first as video coordinator.

Antigua will fill one of two coaching vacancies at Memphis. Calipari once was a Pitt assistant coach.

Antigua played at Pitt from 1991-95 and spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach. Before that, he was the director of basketball operations for threeseasons.



..

Pitts staff keeps getting picked from and they keep replenishing it.

Glad Memphis didn't snag Cox.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

This could open up some pipelines for Cal to NY, considering Antigua's brother is the head coach at St. Raymonds. Although recently I've read that somehis players are starting to dislike him and may be transferring Omari Lawrence and Kevin Parrom(who was asked to leave after an altercation with his coach)Supposably Lawrence doesn't like Antigua which could hurt Memphis' chances at landing him.

 

[the lowa]

Originally Posted by DMONEY23444

I cant wait for the season to start, gotta sit through the ever boring MLB season for another 4 months....

Yes Sir I like baseball but It is killing me right now.

 

[the lowa]

Could Tech be a good fit for Emmanuel I know won think it will give them a good group of big men in 08.

June 10, 2008


Justin Young
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Basketball Analyst

Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board
The recruiting saga for Emmanuel Negedu is halfway home. The top unsigned player from the class of 2008 has two official visits under his belt and two more togo. Rivals.com caught up with the 6-foot-6 big man at the midpoint of his trips and got the latest on his recruitment.

After being released from his National Letter of Intent from Arizona, the entire nation tried to throw a hat into the mix for the springy and aggressive bigman, says Negedu's high school coach Jason Smith. Indiana, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Tennessee made the final cut and he's in the process of looking ateach school closely.


Emmanuel Negedu is at the half way point of his official visits.
Negedu, the No. 40 overall player in the class of 2008, has visited Indiana and Georgia Tech officially and is on his way to Tennessee on Tuesday and thencloses out his tour this weekend at Memphis.

The trip to Georgia Tech went well, says the four-star prospect.

"It was a good trip. I have a good relationship [with the coaches] down here. I like what I see," Negedu said from Atlanta's Hartsfield-JacksonInternational Airport. "I saw the classrooms and I hung out with the players and played with the players. It was fun, it was good. The campus is right inthe city but you wouldn't know it."

For outsiders looking in, the decision to visit Georgia Tech was a bit of a surprise. Indiana and Tennessee were high on Negedu's list prior to committingto Arizona. Memphis was a natural choice because of the existing relationship with former Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner, who was the lead recruiter forthe Wildcats in Negedu's recruitment. Negedu said he wanted to look closer at Georgia Tech because of regional advantages and the academic structure of theengineering school.

"I wanted to look at a school that was close to Boston, no more than two or three hours maximum on the plane from there. That's why Georgia Tech wason my list. Plus, they are in the ACC and they play there," he said. "They are a good, good school. I have to look for what is best for me."

Negedu will be on Tennessee's campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said he is looking forward to spending time with Bruce Pearl and the staff in Knoxville.

"I'm excited about going to Tennessee. They were on top of my list before I went to visit Arizona. Going to Tennessee to visit is going to be great. Ican see everything. It's not too far away from where I want to go. I like their style there. I'm going there to see what they have for me," Negedusaid.

Memphis is final stop. The Tigers have been hot down the stretch, landing Tyreke Evans and Wesley Witherspoon in the late period. Can the Tigers strike again?

"I'm going to Memphis just like I'm going to Tennessee - to see what they have to offer in their program. I have done my research a littlebit," Negedu said. "I know they need someone at my position right now. I want to see how it goes. I just want to make sure, you know?"

There is little doubt that Negedu's relationship with Pastner will play a significant part in the prep star's decision.

"We have a good relationship. I can talk to him about anything. That's what is great about him. Everything didn't work out the way it should atArizona. It could at Memphis, you know? Now I have to make my decision and look at every situation at Memphis for the school and the players and in thatsituation," Negedu said.

Negedu visited Indiana early last week and enjoyed his time with some familiar faces.

"The visit to Indiana, I would say, went okay. I got to see the guys I used to play with in AAU. I think the coach is doing a really good job for them. Ithink they will be good. The visit was just okay," Negedu said. "Most of my AAU guys are there. Seeing them there makes me feel comfortable."

Negedu returns from his whirlwind tour on Saturday. He said he hopes to have a decision shortly after his return.

"I'm trying to find all of the positive and negative stuff for every school before I make a decision," Negedu said. "That is why I'mtaking my visits. I want to see how every visit goes so I can make a comfortable decision…I should know a couple of days when it is all over. I need to figureit all out."

 

[the lowa]

Just took a look at UNC list of players that committed for 09 and damm the look good can we say #1 already?

 

[al3xis]

Keeping with the UNC, G'Town, Duke theme...

Class of 2010 guard, Andre Dawkins.

Having recently scouted Dawkins at the Memorial Day Classic fori95Ballerz.com, McDowell has fresh impressions of the Tidewater, VA area based Dawkins, a shooting guard standing around six foot four inches, and weighingclose to 200 pounds.

[table][tr][td]

[/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]McDowell[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Andre Dawkins has the chops to be one of the best shooting guards in America.[/td] [/tr][/table]Following are some specific observations of Andre, made just yesterday by McDowell:

Skill Set
"He's a good three point shooter, and has athleticism. Can get up at the rim…His court awareness is good; he's got that smooth feel to hisgame".

"Dawkins' feel for the game is impressive. You can tell he's played a lot of basketball, and whomever he learned it from taught him well. Goodcourt awareness, good vision, can the pass the ball".

Improvement

"Wants to keep getting better".

"Andre has to keep working on his middle game and ball handling skills… Mentioned he wants to become more versatile, wants to be known as a completeplayer. Working on becoming a better defender. His youth may be the reason for defensive lapses".

Comparisons

"A little bit, he reminds me of Ray Allen, in that he has that athleticism and shooting. I'll probably say he's closer to Ray Allen then RipHamilton, who had that mid-range game.

Schools

"First two schools out of his mouth were Maryland and Georgetown. Duke is in contact a lot, Carolina is starting to contact".

Personal Makeup

"Smart kid, real articulate. He's not a nerdy sounding kid, but he's a well spoken young guy".

There you have McDowell's impressions of Andre Dawkins, in 'break out' form.