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2016 top target

no, my point was on those recruits....we did a pretty good job passing on them...some were even highly rated such as Morgan, Robinson, Coupet....
I have even read comments criticizing our staff for NOT landing some of them..
and yet there's really ever so few that we could have landed that would have helped us..

and I know we are not winning as much as our fans would like, but I still think our staff is doing a good job under the circumstances.

Here's a couple thoughts...

Michael Cross was hired in 2009, and yet in March of 2015 (almost 5 1/2 years later), he complained that Bradley fans simply were not patient and weren't giving him enough time...
"Ultimately, winning and losing matters to a lot to people. I wasn't here two weeks...when I told my wife,
'No question in my mind, Bradley can be great. But I hope there's enough patience for that to happen.'
Unfortunately, there isn't enough patience."

and he repeatedly claimed that when he arrived the problems at Bradley were so bad and deeper than he had ever imagined...
...but the problems left behind when he departed are 1000 times worse, wouldn't you agree, than when Cross took over...and much of the worsening of the problems was 100% his fault and JG's

...so I say let's give Chris Reynolds and Brian Wardle at least 2-3 years...
 
2016 Top Target

2016 Top Target

t....I agree with you that we should give Brian W. two or three more years to turn things around. I also hope he and Chris R. can work out and develop a better offense for us.
Wiz
 
tornado said:
-Derrick Walker - decided to stay an extra year at prep school - still uncommitted...
Click to expand...
Derrick Walker - a former 2016 BU recruit that I don't believe we are still in the picture for....


chose NOT to commit (possibly academics going or the paucity of offers he had)..and reclassified as 2017 - doing another (2nd) year of prep school at Sunrise Christian in Kansas...
..he even continued to play AAU ball in the summer well after already graduating...trying to entertain more offers...

Finally he is going to announce his college choice today according to announcement
https://twitter.com/JKim97/status/827547906559373313

It is said he is choosing between Tennessee, St. John's, and Georgia - but all of those might be aiming high - as his averages are not mind-blowing..
Some sites say his averages are 6 ppg, 4 rpg others slightly higher but certainly not even averaging double digits in his 2nd year of prep school.
Sounds like a Chris Blake/Jermain Morgan-type, a banger but not much of a scorer.
https://elitesportsny.com/2016/12/16/st-johns-red-storm-looking-at-another-2017-big-man/
http://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2016-17/div1/boxscores/20161110_e4oz.xml
http://www.marshallcountydaily.com/...-prep-and-sunrise-christian-wrap-up-hoopfest/
http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20161101_w0hd.xml


BUT, hey, ya never know -- Loyola's Aundre Jackson - one of the two best newcomers in the Valley who's in the discussion every week for Newcomer of the Week - averaged only 7.3 ppg & 3.8 rpg as a 20-year old in juco!
http://www.mclennanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/bios/jackson_aundre_9xjo
http://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/div1/players/aundrejacksonwinj
 
That is where the ability to evaluate talent comes into play. There are many cases of juco players with inflated stats who bomb out at D1. And there are also many cases of players with unimpressive stats at juco, who excel at D1.

One example- Will Franklin averaged just 8 ppg at Kilgore Junior College as a soph, but was an All-MVC player for Bradley and lead the 2006-07 team in scoring with 15 ppg his senior year, and he shot 43.3% from three. He was the best player on a 22-win team that ended the season with an RPI of 38.
 
Chico said:
Ok, then no more about him please. Seems like I spend more time deleting things I, and most folks, could care less about than actual things concerning BU basketball.
Click to expand...

Come on....what have you got against updates every few weks about his scoring and rebounding average at the other school, to remind us what we missed out on? You are depriving tornado of his passion- posting irrelevant stuff. :)
 
tornado said:
-Freddie McSwain - at Indiana, deep sub, 2 ppg, 2 rpg..
Click to expand...

gotta feel sorry for Freddie McSwain..

I am watching IU vs. Wisconsin...
and IU is really depleted...they were Top 10 ranked early on but now have lost 6 of their last 11 and haven't competed well at all against any of the Big Ten frontrunners...even getting blown out by 30 playing Michigan..

Yet, still Freddie McSwain is used as a deep sub for only a couple minutes a game apparently just to give a blow to the starters..
In the last 15 games he's never once hit double-digit minutes, and averages about 5-7 min per game with minimal contributions...
This will definitely mess up his potential to play pro ball, as his numbers won't impress any team in need of a player...

I am convinced he'd have been a significant Jojo McGlaston-type player in the MVC...athletic, high motor...
and sadly next year won't be any different so I know he might be thinking of leaving...but he only has a year left and his options may be few with limited production.
 
tornado said:
a kid I would love to land...has a great basketball name...(but he's pretty highly rated so I doubt wed have had a chance - he's verbaled to UCLA)

LONZO BALL - plays for a high school in California...and they knocked off a nationally ranked team (High Point Christian) 100-75

...Lonzo put up a stat line of 15 points, 22 assists, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists

He has two brothers on the team who scored 29 & 21 off his assists - probably fun to watch
Click to expand...

Lonzo is now a top freshman at UCLA
but his younger brother (sophomore) LaMelo just had a game where he scored 92 points
He also had 7 assists..
(LaMelo and his other brother LiAngelo are also committed to UCLA)


of interest is that the opposing coach blasted the whole affair as
"a joke.."
"That’s wrong .........It goes against everything CIF stands for.
... it’s embarrassing to high school athletics. I’ve been coaching for 35 years, and we’ve turned high school athletics into individualism."
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highs...ts-in-chino-hills-victory-20170207-story.html

The final three points of the 146-123 game were on a 35 foot buzzer beater
https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/829202297179795458
 
Watch this video to see how LaMelo Ball managed to score 92 points in a high school game. Be sure to watch the entire video- it is obvious the team was trying to help him score 100 points. He rarely crossed half court to play defense, and just stood at the offensive end and waited for a long pass, leading to innumerable uncontested layups.-
https://twitter.com/nballaccess/status/829354289629949952

His teammates even fouled on purpose to keep getting the ball back quicker just to help Ball pile up more points in a game they were winning easily.
 
yeah but after watching that I have a little less sympathy for the coach who complained...
If his guys chose not to play any defense whatsoever on at least 25-30 of the kid's shots, then he can't blame LaMelo for waltzing in and making an easy layup.
 
tornado said:
...
Charlie Moore 26 pts..
Click to expand...

Cal's Charlie Moore, the Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2016 - just announced he is leaving and transferring from Cal
and wants to play back in the midwest...

he might follow his departed head coach and land at Mizzou with Cuonzo Martin

however, he is a Mac Irvin guy so is he gonna be Chin's first big coup??
 
tornado said:
Lonzo is now a top freshman at UCLA
but his younger brother (sophomore) LaMelo just had a game where he scored 92 points...
Click to expand...


Da Coach said:
Watch this video to see how LaMelo Ball managed to score 92 points in a high school game. ..
https://twitter.com/nballaccess/status/829354289629949952
Click to expand...


If you're interested in this kid who scored almost 100 pts in a game last February..
LaMelo Ball had one AAU game where HE SCORED 50 points this weekend, but his team lost by 52 points in this one - LINK

You have to watch this video of how bad he looked against good AAU competition
https://twitter.com/nballaccess/status/868883321308274689
 
tornado said:
-Freddie McSwain - at Indiana, deep sub, 2 ppg, 2 rpg..
Click to expand...

gotta feel sorry for Freddie McSwain...... used as a deep sub for only a couple minutes a game ....
Click to expand...

as I am looking at tonight's scores, I can't help but wonder what is going thru Freddie McSwain's head....

Indiana just got clobbered by the IPFW Mastodons
- and yet Freddie barely got in a minute in garbage time - even playing behind the IU walk-ons...

Freddie is averaging 2.7 ppg and 4 rpg but those numbers come mainly from a couple early season blowouts against cupcakes,
and over the past 5 games he's averaged just 4 minutes per game and has a total of only one basket & 8 rebs.
And you know if he can't get more than a minute of garbage time in a blowout loss to IPFW he's not gonna get to play when conference games come along.

He is a classic example of aimed too high...he only had 2 years coming out of juco and both now appear wasted as a deep sub at IU.
Bradley could have used his size & athleticism. I believe he'd have been a solid MVC player.
 
tornado said:
as I am looking at tonight's scores, I can't help but wonder what is going thru Freddie McSwain's head....

Indiana just got clobbered by the IPFW Mastodons
- and yet Freddie barely got in a minute in garbage time - even playing behind the IU walk-ons...

Freddie is averaging 2.7 ppg and 4 rpg but those numbers come mainly from a couple early season blowouts against cupcakes,
and over the past 5 games he's averaged just 4 minutes per game and has a total of only one basket & 8 rebs.
And you know if he can't get more than a minute of garbage time in a blowout loss to IPFW he's not gonna get to play when conference games come along.

He is a classic example of aimed too high...he only had 2 years coming out of juco and both now appear wasted as a deep sub at IU.
Bradley could have used his size & athleticism. I believe he'd have been a solid MVC player.
Click to expand...

Development can't be overlooked too. He would have developed much more if he had the additional playing time and exposure in the MVC. Totally agree that it was an overreach.
 
here's an additional note...
Despite being 11th on the Hoosiers in playing time (minutes per game), Freddie McSwain is 8th in scoring (among those who have played enough games to qualify)
and he's 4th in rebounding.... and he LEADS the team in rebounding per 40 minutes!

a couple times earlier this season Freddie was given a little more expanded playing time...
and here's how he performed...

Against Eastern Michigan, a good midmajor that is now 8-2, Freddie played
23 minutes and had 10 pts & 9 rebounds

Against Arkansas State, he got
12 minutes and scored 6 pts with 10 rebounds

Against Indiana State, he was one of IU's few positives off the bench
15 minutes - 5 pts & 8 rebounds

..and we saw the same thing from him last year as well as back when he was in juco-
that whenever he got 15-20 or more minutes, he proved he could be putting up double-doubles!
I think if he got 25-30 minutes regularly in the MVC, he'd be among the leaders in scoring & rebounding...too bad we'll never know..
 
If Wardle had landed Freddie McSwain back in the spring of 2016, then Bradley would not have needed to go after Jerome Merritt or Jojo McGlaston to try to boost the team's athleticism. Merritt ended up sitting out the '16-'17 season then transferring and turned out to be a wasted scholarship. McGlaston became an unfortunate distraction and also ended up leaving. It would have given Bradley a better player for these last 2 seasons, with the athleticism the coaches were trying to get with Merritt & McGlaston, but someone who actually would have contributed significantly. Plus it would have freed up one extra scholarship that could have been used for another player. Maybe the rebuild would have moved quicker, and not have been quite as painful?
 
McSwain is a mini version of a Dennis Rodman -- he doesn't score a lot but he gives you something that every team needs and few have...
An athletic, energetic guy that does the dirty work, grabs rebounds, and defends under the basket...
Not saying he'd be exactly the same, but SIU had a guy a few years ago named Randall Falker who gave them the same kind of things and helped them dominate the MVC.
(Had Falker gone to a Big Ten school, he'd have probably ridden the bench like McSwain does)
 
tornado said:
Montrell Dixson, cousin of UIC's Dikembe Dixson - ...
Click to expand...

doubt we are still following him but the cousin of UIC's Horizon League Freshman of the Year Dikembe Dixson,
Montrell Dixson - is at Neosho Co. CC and currently putting up 12.5 ppg & 7.8 rpg - not bad numbers for a juco freshman in one of the nation's toughest juco conferences...

of interest is that one of his teammates at Neosho is Chaz Sardin, from Peoria - one of the talented kids that played at Peoria Quest Academy
 
tornado said:
...
-Justin Thomas - went to NIU......
Click to expand...

Former Bradley recruiting target Justin Thomas is leaving NIU & transferring...

He is a 5-11 point guard from Indianapolis Pike HS
he is one of NIU's key players, he has started most games since his freshman year and where he excels is as a ballhandler...
I believe we may have offered him along with Drake in 2016....and Coach Billy Wright who used to be the coach at Pike HS also offered him at WIU.

He is not a prolific scorer - just 6.0 ppg but he does hit 39% (21-54) from 3-pt range...
BUT in 26.4 minutes per game over 32 games, he had a TOTAL of only 33 turnovers on the season while leading NIU in assists, Assist to Turnover Ratio and steals.
 
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