2008 BU commitment- Eddren McCain

[rcssports]

Another Houston native commits to Bradley!

One of the elite and most respected point guards in all of the South has pledged to Bradley. We will have him on "The Basketball Show" which can be viewed LIVE Mondays (9 - 10:30pm) over the net. Past and present shows can be seen at www.houstonsports.com .

PS: This is not intended to be an advertisement or marketing scheme just to get you guys to watch the show. We simply think Bradley fans would want to hear this kid speak in regards to how he came to this decision (within the past few hours).

His name??? I'll tell you this much, he was named MVP of his state tournament this past season.

Respectfully,
Jim Hicks
RCS Sports
www.rcssports.com "#1 info source of Greater Houston HS Basketball"

[yahtzee]

Is this for real? Coach/T you guys have anything on this?

[ph]

Sounds like it:

Check the other board , pjstar.com or chicagohoops.com

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/mccain.html

[IheartBU]

http://www.pjstar.com/php/index.php?/news/peoria_bradley_basketball_gets_commitment_from_gua rd/

[rcssports]

IF it were a joke, why would I post my name, site, etc?

[Lakeview Brave]

It is very rare for us to get player that has not been mentioned on the board. Sounds like a Stud! Lets add Stan Simpson next

[georgethedog]

I thought we already had a pg for the future in Sam M.? I know it is nice to have two starter caliber ones on the team, and it is sometimes good to have two point guards on the floor at the same time, but... Whoops, I think I answered my own question.

[ph]

Bradley has been its best the last 2 years when starting 3 points.

Now Bradley has at least 2 scoring points. Should be insane!

[Beninator]

I thought we already had a pg for the future in Sam M.? I know it is nice to have two starter caliber ones on the team, and it is sometimes good to have two point guards on the floor at the same time, but... Whoops, I think I answered my own question.


I know what you are saying GTD... I really want us to get a 6'6 to 6'7 forward with some hops who can shoot the three.

[Grassman]

Does this mean Daniel West is not a "lock".???????????????????/
If he is, we will have 3 great pg's for at least 3-5 years. This kids stats are unblievable, especially 9.0 rebounds for a kid who may, or may not be 6'0"ft.

[Da Coach]

The Bradley coaches have been very successful at secrecy in their recruiting this past year or more. I have never heard this kid's name before today, but he sounds like a great PG prospect. I do know, and have said here, that another point guard was Jim les' top priority for 2008.

Welcome to Bradley, Eddren McCain!!

We'll have more on him later today. Gotta get back to work for now.

[tornado]

Indeed it does seem like Jim Les has landed a fine PG commit for 2008
that virtually nobody here on BradleyFans knew about.

Here are his bios & info pages
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1726550
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=72399&sport=2#colleges

Here is rcssports' own website:

"Former Living Stones Christian star Eddren McCain 6’0 pg (Reserve Christian, LA 2008 ) is expected to pledge his allegiance to Bradley, this afternoon. This is super news for McCain, who led Reserve Christian to the state championship, and was named MVP despite having lost his mother in a tragic car accident while driving from Houston (to Lafayette) to see Eddren play in the state tournament. Many within the hoop community knew Ms. McCain, and I’m sure she’s smiling from up above at this very moment."
http://www.rcssports.com/


Other info and links:
http://www.hoopville.net/column/kasiecki.asp?EntryID=17396
http://www.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=654399
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2007_03_19.html
http://www.pjstar.com/php/index.php?/news/peoria_bradley_basketball_gets_commitment_from_gua rd/

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/26/269038m.jpg

[numbr_9]

sounds like a great get!! I am always impressed with the stealthiness of Coach Les and his staff. Do they ever have talent for keeping their scouting on the down low

[BradleyBrave]

Does this mean Daniel West is not a "lock".???????????????????/
If he is, we will have 3 great pg's for at least 3-5 years. This kids stats are unblievable, especially 9.0 rebounds for a kid who may, or may not be 6'0"ft.

This does not mean that at all Grassman. In response to another post regarding Sam Maniscalco being the 'point guard of the future', I think after seeing Sam play you'll see that he's more of a combo-shooter than a pure, 'pass first' point guard. Can he play the point? Absolutely. And play it well. But he can also score, and score in bunches. I would compare him to Will Franklin in that regard. Will could always handle the point, and handle it well. But he was at his best playing off of another 'pass first' guy, like a Dan Ruffin. I (and I believe the coaches) think that Maniscalco will be the same way. You can never have enough good guards, as most of the great Valley teams have proven over the years. With BU being committed to the 3 and 4 guard attack (which I think is the wave of the future in college basketball), depth at guard is paramount. Would I like our guards to be a little bigger? Yes. I think it will be very important to land some 6'4"-6'7" wing players to really compete on a national level. But, speed and quickness have tremendous value as well. It sounds like we're continuing to add that.

[OrangeandBlack74]

I would bet Coach Brooks has something to do with this commit.....perhaps he knew of him from back in his JC coaching days.

[Beninator]

I would bet Coach Brooks has something to do with this commit.....perhaps he knew of him from back in his JC coaching days.

Good point.

[Grassman]

This does not mean that at all Grassman. In response to another post regarding Sam Maniscalco being the 'point guard of the future', I think after seeing Sam play you'll see that he's more of a combo-shooter than a pure, 'pass first' point guard. Can he play the point? Absolutely. And play it well. But he can also score, and score in bunches. I would compare him to Will Franklin in that regard. Will could always handle the point, and handle it well. But he was at his best playing off of another 'pass first' guy, like a Dan Ruffin. I (and I believe the coaches) think that Maniscalco will be the same way. You can never have enough good guards, as most of the great Valley teams have proven over the years. With BU being committed to the 3 and 4 guard attack (which I think is the wave of the future in college basketball), depth at guard is paramount. Would I like our guards to be a little bigger? Yes. I think it will be very important to land some 6'4"-6'7" wing players to really compete on a national level. But, speed and quickness have tremendous value as well. It sounds like we're continuing to add that.

IMO, this guy was to good to pass up, regardless of what happens with Daniel West.
We can run the 4 guard O, but with 6'8" Singh, 7'0" ft. Collins, 6'10' Thompson, 6'9 Egolf, and a possible 7'0" X, it seems like Les has other opportunities.

[BUBraves06]

This is great news! Sounds like a good get.

[Beninator]

IMO, this guy was to good to pass up, regardless of what happens with Daniel West.
We can run the 4 guard O, but with 6'8" Singh, 7'0" ft. Collins, 6'10' Thompson, 6'9 Egolf, and a possible 7'0" X, it seems like Les has other opportunities.


This sounds like the case here. JL going after another quality player who knows how to win!

[Da Coach]

Sorry if somebody already posted this, but it is a rather tragic story that relates to Bradley's new commit--
http://www.nola.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_topnews/archives/print245029.html

http://eteamz.active.com/HAAY/ (scroll down to see the Sept. 10, 2007 entry)

[BradleyBrave]

Another Houston native commits to Bradley!

One of the elite and most respected point guards in all of the South has pledged to Bradley. We will have him on "The Basketball Show" which can be viewed LIVE Mondays (9 - 10:30pm) over the net. Past and present shows can be seen at www.houstonsports.com .

PS: This is not intended to be an advertisement or marketing scheme just to get you guys to watch the show. We simply think Bradley fans would want to hear this kid speak in regards to how he came to this decision (within the past few hours).

His name??? I'll tell you this much, he was named MVP of his state tournament this past season.

Respectfully,
Jim Hicks
RCS Sports
www.rcssports.com "#1 info source of Greater Houston HS Basketball"

Jim - Thanks for the great news! Sounds like we got a great player!

[Big Mike]

Hey from what I see this is a really good get........thats a lot of production from a jr. and McCain could end up being a major player!:D

Congrats to the staff on this find......and Asst coach Brooks is probably really in on this kid!:cool:

[VromanFan]

Another Houston native commits to Bradley!

One of the elite and most respected point guards in all of the South has pledged to Bradley. We will have him on "The Basketball Show" which can be viewed LIVE Mondays (9 - 10:30pm) over the net. Past and present shows can be seen at www.houstonsports.com .

PS: This is not intended to be an advertisement or marketing scheme just to get you guys to watch the show. We simply think Bradley fans would want to hear this kid speak in regards to how he came to this decision (within the past few hours).

His name??? I'll tell you this much, he was named MVP of his state tournament this past season.

Respectfully,
Jim Hicks
RCS Sports
www.rcssports.com "#1 info source of Greater Houston HS Basketball"

I gotta give some props to the "RCS Sports" outfit. Its not often this board gets scooped...and I mean that as a compliment to the posters here. Or maybe some of our fine posters knew all along but had to keep it top secret...

Either way I'll be checking out your internet show tonight because it sounds cool and also because I don't have a wife or girlfriend so I can spend my Monday night drinking some beer and watching internet tv.

Cheers,
VromanFan

[BradleyBrave]

A couple of questions that need to be asked (call it the nervous nelly in me) -

1.) Why did he change high schools?

2.) Where does he stand academically?

I know our staff does their due dilligence as much as they possibly can in these areas, but these are questions that can put all of our minds at ease. We're eager to see Eddren in a BU uniform!

[Da Coach]

Here is a national ranking of 2008 players, and Eddren McCain is rated #80 nationally by this site. Wow! A Top 100 player!--
http://underclassmen-b-ball.tripod.com/id10.html

Another site has him ranked #93 in the country--
http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=preprankings2008

He played in a tournament last January in Anchorage, Alaska, that Will Egolf's team played. in. I don't know if they met or got to know each other. Eddren was the high scorer in the tournament.--
http://www.alaska-airlines-news.com/2007/01/14/alaska-airlines-classic---anchorage-daily-news.php

Another picture--
http://www.houstonselect.org/edgerinmccain.html

[Big Mike]

Isn't West more of a 2 guard than a pg?

[Da Coach]

Here is Hoopscoop's ranking. They are usually reliable.
He was #49 in the country in this ranking--

http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2008-freshmen-top260-1282005.html

[ser_solace]

This is definitely a surprise. He seems like an awesome player to have.

Welcome to Bradley, Eddren!

[BradleyBrave]

Those rankings are great...but they're all from 2005. I am curious as to where he ranks in the 2007 rankings. I am also curious (in addition to my questions about why he transferred and how he stands academically) as to who else has offered him and what level of competition he played against in high school. Again, I am not trying to downplay how good this kid is, I just want to know more about him. It seems like he was very highly regarded at one point, and has fallen off some of the national radars (which can mean absolutely nothing considering what we've learned about the national recruiting 'experts'). I trust the staff to identify talent, so I have full faith that he's good enough to play at BU. I really just want to know more about the guy.

[Da Coach]

I agree that 2005 don't always reflect where a kid would rank now.
But here is what is baffling about these rankings-- he doesn't appear to have done anything that should have taken him out of the rankings. All he's done is help lead his team to the state championship 3 years straight, and last year as a junior he averaged 21.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game and was 1st team All State.
Maybe because he plays at a small school he has fallen "under the radar", but if he was Top 50 as a sophomore, he seems to have only gotten better!

[real fan]

I would say this is great news and you always need2 good point guards in your system; if the coaching staff has offered I trust him to be good as they have done a great job recruiting ; add Daniel West and a 6-8 freshman forward and it will be another great recruiting class; it is once again exciting to look at the future of this basketball program.

[Les is More]

in the words of the Macho Man Randy Savage, "YEAAAAAAAA BROTHER"!

[BradleyBrave]

I agree that 2005 don't always reflect where a kid would rank now.
But here is what is baffling about these rankings-- he doesn't appear to have done anything that should have taken him out of the rankings. All he's done is help lead his team to the state championship 3 years straight, and last year as a junior he averaged 21.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game and was 1st team All State.
Maybe because he plays at a small school he has fallen "under the radar", but if he was Top 50 as a sophomore, he seems to have only gotten better!

So we have confirmed that he plays at a smaller school? Again, I don't think it makes that much of a difference, I am just curious. Highly-touted Illinois commit Jerome Richardson plays against very below-average competition, and Illinois got a verbal from him as a 14 year old. Will Egolf played against a bunch of eskimos, and I think we all know (or will know) how talented he is. Heck, Hersey Hawkins played center in high school! I just want to know more about this kid, seems like the under-the-radar type guy we have excelled at landing.

[BUBraves2006]

Another recruiting source ...

ESPN Insider has him as the #75 best PG for the 2008 class. He's also rated "75" which scouts project him to be a good college player. As a source of comparison, Anthony Thompson is rated an 81, Sam Maniscalco is a 78, and Daniel West is rated a 71.

[Murph]

Another Houston native commits to Bradley!

One of the elite and most respected point guards in all of the South has pledged to Bradley. We will have him on "The Basketball Show" which can be viewed LIVE Mondays (9 - 10:30pm) over the net. Past and present shows can be seen at www.houstonsports.com .

PS: This is not intended to be an advertisement or marketing scheme just to get you guys to watch the show. We simply think Bradley fans would want to hear this kid speak in regards to how he came to this decision (within the past few hours).

His name??? I'll tell you this much, he was named MVP of his state tournament this past season.

Respectfully,
Jim Hicks
RCS Sports
www.rcssports.com "#1 info source of Greater Houston HS Basketball"

Thanks for the heads up....Whats up with that web site though?

[MacabreMob]

Wow! Sounds great! Welcome Eddren!

ps - I am curious to hear the answers to BradleyBrave's questions.

[tornado]

Note in most of those rankings, Eddren is ranked ahead of the fine PG that SIU landed, Kevin Dillard, who is only 5-10.
So I think we're in the same ball park as among the best PG recruits in the Valley!

[Chico]

Great recruiting by Jim and staff again. Why all the quotes? We know what the subject is and they just take up space and time.

[bu fan 9]

Has he passed the ACT?

[tornado]

Van Coleman's premium recruiting site says this...



September 10, 2007
Bradley adds talented Southern point...

Jim Les and his Bradley staff have received a commitment from one of the deep South's top point guards in Eddren McCain...

According to a source close to the program, and confirmed this afternoon by the Peoria Journal Star, 6-foot Louisiana Select point guard Eddren McCain from Laplace Reserve Christian has committed to the Bradley Braves.

McCain is a true floor general who does an excellent job setting up his teammates with pass and gets his club into offense in the half court. He has range to three and can is an excellent rebounder from the backcourt.

He led Reserve Christian to the Louisiana Class C state title last spring, he scored 24 points including a game winning three to seal a 61-59 victory over Athens, LA. He has battled back from losing his mother in a car accident on the day of the championship game (He wasn't contacted until after the game).

He is looking forward to leading Reserve Christian to their fourth Class C title again this winter. He will join 6-foot-2 combo Daniel West from Saginaw, MI in the Bradley Class of 2008.

Eddren McCain
Current Competition Level: High School
Graduating Class: 2008
School: Reserve Christian
Laplace, LA

Height: 6-0 Weight: 165

Primary Position: Point Guard


Points Per Game: 21.8
Rebounds Per Game: 9.0
Assists Per Game: 7.0

Commitment Level: Verbally committed"

[BradleyBrave]

Louisiana's Class C is their smallest classification for sports. Class C is the smallest schools that do not have football.

LHSAA is divided into seven state-wide classes, also known as divisions, based on each school's student enrollment for grades nine through twelve: 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, B, and C. Classes B and C are made up of schools with smaller enrollments that do not play football; the smallest football playing schools are all members of Class 1A.

FYI - Class C is for schools with enrollments of 98 and below.

http://www.lhsaa.org/classification/FinalPlan20072008.pdf

[amckillip]

This sounds great, lets land Simpson now too. Also, does anyone have ratings from this year rating him as highly and he was a couple years ago, not that I'm that worried about it, but it'd just be nice.

[amckillip]

From Early this summer:

Eddren McCain (6'0" Jr. PG, LaPlace (LA) Reserve Christian HS) A nice floor leader, he's solid and unspectacular, effective at running the team. He has good, not great, quickness and can get his offense in between helping teammates. High-major minus prospect.

[BradleyBrave]

From Early this summer:

Eddren McCain (6'0" Jr. PG, LaPlace (LA) Reserve Christian HS) A nice floor leader, he's solid and unspectacular, effective at running the team. He has good, not great, quickness and can get his offense in between helping teammates. High-major minus prospect.

Sounds like a poor man's Lewis Jackson. If he can continue to develop his 3-point shot, he could be a poor man's Will Franklin!

[tornado]

FYI - Louisiana's Class C is their smallest classification for sports. Class C is the smallest schools that do not have football.

LHSAA is divided into seven state-wide classes, also known as divisions, based on each school's student enrollment for grades nine through twelve: 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, B, and C. Classes B and C are made up of schools with smaller enrollments that do not play football; the smallest football playing schools are all members of Class 1A.

Which may just be the real reason BU snags this kid.
As a freshman and soph he is ranked by several rating services as Top 50-100 NATIONALLY, then he transfers to a small school in the bayous, and kinds falls under the radar.
All he does is continue averaging 20 points, and nearly double digit rebounds and assists, and he also played some AAU ball with Anthony Thompson.
It's hardly the kid's fault he isn't getting more press, but with all the tragedy he went through, maybe he took some extra time off, since I can't find much on him in the AAU stuff.
Just like Jamarcus Ellis dropped in some charts by not playing much summer ball, so did this kid, but he's still an awesome player and led his school to the state title, and helped his team beat several much bigger schools along the way.
Jim just dug the guy up like he did with AT and Will Egolf....
Of course he could disappoint like Saihou or Stemler did, but the kid has talent and I am very happy with this verbal.

[Da Coach]

Thought we'd start a new sticky thread with more info for reference about Bradley's newest commitment Eddren McCain.

Eddren McCain is a senior at Reserve Christian High School in Reserve, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.
He is a 6'1" point guard.
Last year as a junior, he was 1st Team All-State (Class C) after averaging 21.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game.
McCain was named Player of the Game after scoring 24 points in the championship game in leading Reserve Christian to their 3rd consecutive Class C state championship last March.

He played on the same AAU team in Texas as current BU player Anthony Thompson, Houston Select in 2005 and 2006. This past year he played on Louisiana Select.--
http://www.charliehogan.com/laselect/07players/07players17.html

http://www.charliehogan.com/laselect/07players/3.jpg

Louisiana High School Athletic Association is divided into the following classes. The numbers of students for each class are adjusted each year--
5A- 1084 total students or more
4A- 678-1083
3A- 422-677
2A- 241-421
1A- 240 or less
Class 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A are schools that play football as well as other sports
Class B- 99-240 students, non-football
Class C- 98 students or less, non-football

So Class C, which Reserve Christian is in, is the smallest class, and a non-football school.

Scout profile--
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1726550
Rivals profile--
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=72399&sport=2#colleges

Ranked #49 in the US by Hoopscoop in 2005--
http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2008-freshmen-top260-1282005.html
Ranked #80 in the US here--
http://underclassmen-b-ball.tripod.com/id10.html
Ranked #93 here--
http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=preprankings2008
Here is Hoopscoop from Sept 2006. He is shown as attending a high school near Houston, even though he had transferred to Louisiana. He was rated #129 then--
http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2008-topjuniors-fall2006.asp

Ranked the #29 point guard in the US by PrepSpotlight.com--
http://www.prepspotlight.com/national-2008

http://www.houstonselect.org/edgerinmccain.html

Here are additional links--
http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/mccain.html
http://www.pjstar.com/php/index.php?/news/peoria_bradley_basketball_gets_commitment_from_gua rd/

[BradleyBrave]

Which may just be the real reason BU snags this kid.
As a freshman and soph he is ranked by several rating services as Top 50-100 NATIONALLY, then he transfers to a small school in the bayous, and kinds falls under the radar.
All he does is continue averaging 20 points, and nearly double digit rebounds and assists, and he also played some AAU ball with Anthony Thompson.
It's hardly the kid's fault he isn't getting more press, but with all the tragedy he went through, maybe he took some extra time off, since I can't find much on him in the AAU stuff.
Just like Jamarcus Ellis dropped in some charts by not playing much summer ball, so did this kid, but he's still an awesome player and led his school to the state title, and helped his team beat several much bigger schools along the way.
Jim just dug the guy up like he did with AT and Will Egolf....
Of course he could disappoint like Saihou or Stemler did, but the kid has talent and I am very happy with this verbal.

I agree Tornado. I don't think this means as much as it used to regarding competition level, as several very good players have come from very small schools. His performances in AAU competition show that he can play at this level (he was the leading scorer at an AAU tournament that included Will Egolf last summer as a sophomore).

Do we know why he transferred?

[dogsrus]

Great recruiting by Jim and staff again. Why all the quotes? We know what the subject is and they just take up space and time.

Yeah..whats up with all the quotes.....oops, I did it again.

[Da Coach]

By the way, Jim Hicks of HoustonSports.com reported that Eddren McCain visited the Bradley campus this past weekend. Looks like he sneaked into town unnoticed!:)

[MacabreMob]

Eddren sounds like a great addition to the program. I don't expect national rankings to back up a recruit's name coming in. I like how Coach Les has great vision. He is able to recognize great players for the level he wants Bradley to be performing at. And I like the level he has raised Bradley to and I foresee it getting higher with his vision to attract players like Eddren's talents to Bradley.

[VromanFan]

Yeah..whats up with all the quotes.....oops, I did it again.

Did what again?

[Da Coach]

Here are a couple pictures from the Louisiana State championship game last March--

http://www.nola.com/katrinaphotos/tp/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/nola/view_gallery.ata?g_id=8137

http://www.nola.com/katrinaphotos/tp/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/nola/view_gallery.ata?g_id=8137

http://www.nola.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/nola/images/8137/20mccain_j__3128903.jpg http://www.nola.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/nola/images/8137/20nw_mccain2__3128914.jpg

[BuBraves55]

so the kids basically a beast?

[BradleyBrave]

Great pics Coach! He looks like he has some length on his arms that may allow him to defend like a 6'2"-6'3" type guard, and may also be a sign that he isn't done growing yet. I have a feeling, judging by his pictures and also by his statistics, that he may play a little bigger than he is.

[Da Coach]

I found a few more pictures. There are several good pictures with #11 Eddren McCain down the middle of the pages--

http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_Thur.htm

http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_2nd_Round.htm

[dogsrus]

Did what again?


Same thing you just did.....BTW, I really miss the emoticons so people can tell when you are joking.


On a SERIOUS note...what are the chances Les hired Brooks to help "close" Texas? It appears BU is really making some moves in the great state of Texas. The new pg is obviously someone JL noticed while recruiting Thompson and it appears Brooks closed the deal.

[BradleyBrave]

I think BU fans need to start buying up the 'MCCAIN IN '08' bumper stickers, shirts, and posters.

MCCAIN IN '08! MCCAIN IN '08! MCCAIN IN '08!

https://secure.donationreport.com/csimages/32/568/mug_sm.jpg

https://secure.donationreport.com/csimages/32/9/sticker_small03.jpg

[Big Mike]

dog..........just scroll down to the bottom of the page on the left hand side and click smilies:idea:

[Da Coach]

Here is a link to a post where you can link to complete game videos of 3 of Reserve Christian's games from early February, 2007. The videos feature Eddren McCain quite prominently as the point guard for Reserve Christian, and the player for them that probably spends the most time on the court, and the most time handling the ball.

http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5043

[CABUFan]

Sounds like a great recruit.

Did anyone catch "The Basketball Show" Eddren was supposed to be discussing his commitment on tonight? I just tried to find it on the www.houstonsports.com website and wasn't able to connect.

[CABUFan]

Sounds like a great recruit.

Did anyone catch "The Basketball Show" Eddren was supposed to be discussing his commitment on tonight? I just tried to find it on the www.houstonsports.com website and wasn't able to connect.

Never mind, I just found the other thread on the show.

[VromanFan]

Same thing you just did.....BTW, I really miss the emoticons so people can tell when you are joking.


On a SERIOUS note...what are the chances Les hired Brooks to help "close" Texas? It appears BU is really making some moves in the great state of Texas. The new pg is obviously someone JL noticed while recruiting Thompson and it appears Brooks closed the deal.

Yeah I was joking. I'm like a little kid. If someone complains about people using quotes, I'm going to use quotes for no reason. Stupid I know. Immature.

[shaunguth]

I would say this is great news and you always need2 good point guards in your system; if the coaching staff has offered I trust him to be good as they have done a great job recruiting ; add Daniel West and a 6-8 freshman forward and it will be another great recruiting class; it is once again exciting to look at the future of this basketball program.
The addition of Battle or Hicks to West and McCain would make for another fine three-freshman recruiting class to go along with the '07 class of Maniscalco, Egolf, and Thompson. And there would still be one available scholarship, although that could be taken care of this fall.

[dogsrus]

Yeah I was joking. I'm like a little kid. If someone complains about people using quotes, I'm going to use quotes for no reason. Stupid I know. Immature.


I know you were VF.....immature minds think alike. SMILEY FACE.

[IheartBU]

http://pjstar.com/stories/091107/BRA_BEAVNNKR.071.php

[tornado]

I think BU fans need to start buying up the 'MCCAIN IN '08' bumper stickers, shirts, and posters.

MCCAIN IN '08! MCCAIN IN '08! MCCAIN IN '08!






BB we already have one guy on the team whose name is presidential:

http://www.techendry.com/books2get/fred.jpg

[tornado]

I found a few more pictures. There are several good pictures with #11 Eddren McCain down the middle of the pages--

http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_Thur.htm

http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_2nd_Round.htm

Da Coach, don't know if you noticed that pic in the 2nd link......

Eddrin McCain's Reserve Christian team is playing against South Medford, Oregon.
Reserve ended up losing in Oregon 73-67, but South Medford was ONE OF THE VERY BEST
high school basketball teams in the entire country, and their superstar, Kyle Singler
(pictured in the right side column half way down on this page)
http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_Fri.htm

(and in the left hand column here)
http://oregonsportsphotos.com/archives/LSI_Home.htm

Is one of the very best players in the nation in Class of 2007, certainly is the crown jewel of DUKE's 2007 recruiting class.
He is rated by Rivals as #5 overall and #1 among small forwards
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=28133&sport=2


I think it's pretty danged impressive that Eddrin's team traveled all the way to Oregon and hung within a few points of South Medford. By the way, South Medford ended up winning the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, no small task as they had to beat Lake Oswego, a TOP 10 rated team nationally whose superstar is Kevin Love (going to UCLA) who is rated as the #1 player nationally by some people! and is the #1 PF.
http://www.oregonlive.com/potw/index.ssf?/potw/winter_boys/poy07.html

[Bravesguy]

Welcome Eddren

[tornado]

More on Eddrin McCain from some other various sources

Even though he plays for a school that's classified as a small school, the reason his school is NOT in the 1A thru 5A classes, is that it is a private school that has the option of doing some things that the other instate schools cannot do.
His school plays 50-60 games per season and has several out of state trips to top high school tournaments.

In other words...Eddrin's school sorta did what Boys to Men did, or what DCS did except that they did NOT recruit worldwide to get their players. Their players are mostly just talented local kids who want the experience of playing for an excellent, winning program, under a great coach, and have the ability to travel all season and play 50-60 games.
http://www.nola.com/archives/t-p/index.ssf?/base/library-94/113852073894990.xml&coll=1

As junior last season, McCain led his team as a floor leader as well as led in most stats, and over the course of the season they played against several of the Top 100 high school teams in the nation, so let's not hear any more questions about the caliber of the competition that Eddrin's team faces.

also.....Eddrin IS a great student and only attempted the ACT one time as a junior and fell just short.
Neither he nor the BU people have much concern about him making it on the re-take.
There are a lot of high school juniors who don't get a qualifying score until their sneior year.

Lastly, even though he is just under 6 ft, he is very solidly built and is a prototypical Jim Les-clone. I doubt anyone else in the nation can pick up on the talents of potential D-I point guards any better than our own head coach!!


One more note about Reserve Christian School--
One of their grads....a kid named Tweety Carter, who graduated in 2006, was and is the
top-scoring prep basketball player in U.S. history

He was a consensus high school All-American and top-scoring prep basketball player in U.S. history... Six-year varsity letterwinner at Reserve (La.) Christian School... Named McDonald's All-American, Parade All-American (third team), Jordan All-American, EA Sports All-American and MaxPreps All-American following senior season in 2006... Scored 7,457 career points in six seasons (most ever by American high schooler)

(7th graders and 8th graders are allowed in this state class to play "up" in high school, so this kid played six seasons of high school ball, same as OJ Mayo!)

(if only the kid's final four seasons are included, he still ranks 2nd all time in high school scoring history)

Tweety is now a sophomore at Baylor (he scored 9ppg in his frosh year, limited PT...)
....read more...and of course Tweety was Louisiana's Mr. Basketball
http://baylorbears.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/carter_tweety00.html
http://baylorbears.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040306aaf.html

[BradleyBrave]

More on Eddrin McCain from some other various sources

Even though he plays for a school that's classified as a small school, the reason his school is NOT in the 1A thru 5A classes, is that it is a private school that has the option of doing some things that the other instate schools cannot do.
His school plays 50-60 games per season and has several out of state trips to top high school tournaments.

In other words...Eddrin's school sorta did what Boys to Men did, or what DCS did except that they did NOT recruit worldwide to get their players. Their players are mostly just talented local kids who want the experience of playing for an excellent, winning program, under a great coach, and have the ability to travel all season and play 50-60 games.

As junior last season, McCain led his team as a floor leader as well as led in most stats, and over the course of the season they played against several of the Top 100 high school teams in the nation, so let's not hear any more questions about the caliber of the competition that Eddrin's team faces.

also.....Eddrin IS a great student and only attempted the ACT one time as a junior and fell just short.
Neither he nor the BU people have much concern about him making it on the re-take.
There are a lot of high school juniors who don't get a qualifying score until their sneior year.

Lastly, even though he is just under 6 ft, he is very solidly built and is a prototypical Jim Les-clone. I doubt anyone else in the nation can pick up on the talents of potential D-I point guards any better than our own head coach!!

I think I was the only one who brought up his level of competition, because I didn't know how things worked in Louisiana. I also wasn't questioning whether or not he played against good players. Even if he didn't, I stated several times that I trusted the coaching staff in their assessment of talent.

[tornado]

I added one more link about all their long "road trips"
http://www.nola.com/archives/t-p/index.ssf?/base/library-94/113852073894990.xml&coll=1

[brocks]

Once again, this seems like a recruit who is a level above what BU was getting pre-Les. Very much on the national radar, and a guy who probably wouldn't give BU the time of day before the last couple seasons. Another NCAA run this year (why not?) and we'll land a four or five star soon.

[tornado]

Brocks...I am as big of a BU fan as there is....but I think Bradley
will really never find itself in the position to be battling for 5-Star recruits.
The rating services generally reserve the designation 5-STAR for the top 25 players
in each class. I am certain every one of the top 25-50 players each year will find numerous scholarships offered from the perennial top 40 programs, and they will be kids who certainly
CAN be expected to be impact players even at Duke, UNC, UCLA, and other BCS-type
programs, so in all honesty I wouldn't expect they'd actually seriously choose BU.
Just like Iman Shumpert....they'd look at BU, consider BU, but they'd still choose the Big Ten or ACC school for the better opportunity to go pro or be seen nationally.

Now...having said that, I think it is possible BU can compete year in and year out for the 4-star caliber kids, those who are rated in the 40-100 range nationally...and we are getting close even as we speak!

[SFP]

I agree Tornado. We can dream but right now I like it that we have players that stay all 4 years and can compete at a very high level. Those 5 star recruits are at best two years and out. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a Durant play for BU but remeber most NCAA championship teams play together for at least 2-3 years. I can't think of team except maybe Syracuse with Carmelo that has won it all with a Freshman (they had a few upper classmen on that team). Ohio almost pulled it off but it was the experienced Gators that won it.

[BradleyBrave]

Thanks to the help of one of our esteemed posters :), Rivals.com and Scout.com have updated Eddren's profile.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=72399&sport=2

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1726550

[LincolnJay]

Once again, this seems like a recruit who is a level above what BU was getting pre-Les. Very much on the national radar, and a guy who probably wouldn't give BU the time of day before the last couple seasons. Another NCAA run this year (why not?) and we'll land a four or five star soon.

Not trying to pee in your Wheaties but he is 2 stars at both Rivals and Scout and this is from today's Rivals article:

"McCain, who averaged 21.8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3.3 steals per game during his state championship junior season, also claimed offers from Tulane, SMU, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, New Orleans and Florida Atlantic."

So, he does sound good but he sounds like "under the radar good" - an MVC staple.

[BradleyBrave]

Not trying to pee in your Wheaties but he is 2 stars at both Rivals and Scout and this is from today's Rivals article:

"McCain, who averaged 21.8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3.3 steals per game during his state championship junior season, also claimed offers from Tulane, SMU, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, New Orleans and Florida Atlantic."

So, he does sound good but he sounds like "under the radar good" - an MVC staple.

I agree LJ. The MVC has thrived on players 'under the radar' - Go back and look at where guys like Funk, Tatum, Young, and even Patrick O'Bryant were rated by these 'experts'. 3 of those 4 guys all got NBA looks, and one just happened end up a lottery pick after just 2 seasons. I don't think any of them were higher than a one-star recruit.

[tornado]

Good job BB

and Lincoln Jay....as a followup to the post I made above....
I know we aren't going to get the 4- and 5-Star guys very often.
I can be happy with a few 3-Star guys, and even a 2-Star if he is a quality player, undervalued, and lots of upside, and I think Eddren has these qualities.
Our coaching staff clearly knows him well, as our new assistant saw the kid many times in Houston, and the kid also played all summer last year with our freshman Anthony Thompson.

He averaged nearly a double double (22 pt, almost 10 rebs) while playing a national schedule
against teams in California, Oregon, New York, and against teams like Medford, OR with Kyle Singler.

In other words....if we can't always out-recruit the BIG BOYS for the top recruits (like Matt Roth (2-Star), Iman Shumpert (4-Star), and Lewis Jackson (3-Star) prove) then we can still outsmart them by getting the misjudged and undervalued 2-Star guys like McCain, Daniel Ruffin, and Patrick O'Bryant.

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=11&cfg=bb&sFirstName=&sLastName=o%27bryant&yr=2004
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=642663

[real fan]

The other thing we can do with the 2 and 3 star recruits is make them into 4 star players by great teaching as far as shooting and defending; this staff has done a good job at making our players better.

[New Guy]

The other thing we can do with the 2 and 3 star recruits is make them into 4 star players by great teaching as far as shooting and defending; this staff has done a good job at making our players better.

I agree RF. Just look at JC as a soph then as a Junior or what Danny Adams was able to do. I think we will have an improved Salley, Warren and Singh to go with the seniors and the new talent.

[brocks]

I saw his two stars. But I ALSO saw LOTS of good offers and interest from TTech and Gonzaga. My comparison was to pre-Les days, and I hate to pee in YOUR Wheaties, but this kid was not simply "overlooked." That term just doesn't apply to a guy with numerous top-100 ratings and a recent ranking as #29 pg nationally.

[tornado]

Here is the story on McCain from Rivals:
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?lin=1&script=content.asp&fid=&cid=712902&tid=&mid=&rid=

"September 11, 2007


Missouri Valley for McCain
Eddren McCain had a number of mid-major offers, but after his official visit this weekend, the 6-foot, 165-pound point guard from Laplace (La.) Reserve Christian High School committed to Bradley.

"Opportunity is the first thing," McCain told the Peoria Journal Star. "I like the style of play and I like Coach (Jim) Les a lot. I know he won't give up on you."

McCain, who averaged 21.8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3.3 steals per game during his state championship junior season, also claimed offers from Tulane, SMU, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, New Orleans and Florida Atlantic."




And the scout article:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=2&cfg=bb&cid=678474&yr=2008

"Headed To Bradley
September 11, 2007 at 3:37pm ET

Eddren McCain

Jim Les’ Bradley Braves have a new point guard. According to the Peoria Journal, Eddren McCain is headed to play for the Braves.

As a junior, McCain averaged 21 points and 7 assists for the Reserve (La.) Reserve Christian. McCain, a Houston native, had scholarship offers from Tulane, SMU, Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette, New Orleans and Florida Atlantic."

[LincolnJay]

I saw his two stars. But I ALSO saw LOTS of good offers and interest from TTech and Gonzaga. My comparison was to pre-Les days, and I hate to pee in YOUR Wheaties, but this kid was not simply "overlooked." That term just doesn't apply to a guy with numerous top-100 ratings and a recent ranking as #29 pg nationally.

Whoops, sorry, I missed the rankings that you cite. I only have Rivals, Scout and Prepstars subscriptions and I didn't see that at those sites.

[shaunguth]

I saw his two stars. But I ALSO saw LOTS of good offers and interest from TTech and Gonzaga. My comparison was to pre-Les days, and I hate to pee in YOUR Wheaties, but this kid was not simply "overlooked." That term just doesn't apply to a guy with numerous top-100 ratings and a recent ranking as #29 pg nationally.
As BUBraves2006 mentioned earlier, McCain's ESPN grade is a 75 compared to D.West's grade of 71. Also, West is not ranked in the top 40 in the same rankings where McCain is #29. Seems as if the staff was well aware of something going on with West and planned accordingly, while also seeming to "upgrade" rather than load up on guards.

[Da Coach]

Demetri Goodson is a 5'11" point guard at Houston Klein Collins High School. He is rated 3-stars and just verballed to Gonzaga.
I heard that Bradley was very interested in him earlier in the summer, and liked McCain better, thus dropped off Goodson. So BU must think Eddrin McCain is a pretty good one since Goodson is highly rated and going to a pretty good school in Gonzaga.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=55660&sport=2

[Da Coach]

The only information I can find about Eddren McCain is from a message board. He's having a pretyy good season. He plays point guard, but he is also the best scorer on the team.--

Eddren McCain scored a game high 23 points in Reserve Christian's latest win--http://www.nola.com/forums/prepbk/index.ssf?extlink?artid=59885

previous games--
http://www.nola.com/forums/prepbk/index.ssf?artid=59804
http://www.nola.com/forums/prepbk/index.ssf?artid=59840
http://www.nola.com/forums/prepbk/index.ssf?artid=59792

[BUBraves2006]

These site at least you can find their scores ... looks like they're doing well playing bigger schools... 23-8 on the season.

http://www.kenramsey.com/

You'll have to click basketball then District 10-C ... no linking on the site.

[Da Coach]

Thanks for the link.
http://www.kenramsey.com/

This link takes you to the front page of the website. To get to Reserve Christian's schedule and results, click on Schedules/Boys Basketball in the left column, then scroll down to the bottom link and click on Dist 10-C Schedules (http://kenramsey.com/sports/bb10-c.htm).
Then scroll down to the 4th and last schedule to see Reserve Christian--

[BuBraves55]

Please keep your grades up.