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"Underrecruited"

B

brocks

New member
That's how a number of sites describe Jake Eastman. But how does a 6-4, 200 lb, dead-eye shooter with an NBA coach as his dad and a work ethic from he!! go "underrecruited"? I don't get it. Name me a program in the country that wouldn't want a kid like that.
 
It just shows how much emphasis (wrongly) is put on the summer AAU circuit. Miss a summer of AAU ball, kiss your recruiting goodbye. Oh well. It's good for schools like us.
 
brocks said:
That's how a number of sites describe Jake Eastman. But how does a 6-4, 200 lb, dead-eye shooter with an NBA coach as his dad and a work ethic from he!! go "underrecruited"? I don't get it. Name me a program in the country that wouldn't want a kid like that.
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Well, he got offers from American U., William and Mary, and BU...so it appears that there are 300+ D-I programs that didn't necessarily want him...
I like Eastman a lot...he's exactly the kid of kid we need...a smart, taller guard that can shoot...and is, first and foremost, a basketball player...but I'm sure the schools that didn't offer him likely thought he wasn't quite athletic enough, physical enough, or strong enough to help them. That's fine by me, hopefully their loss is our gain. I think he'll be a nice player for us in the Valley.
 
One reason, as I posted somewhere else, was that he was injured last summer, and played very litle AAU ball. He played on the Boo Williams AAU program, which is one of the best in the country and is loaded with D1 talent. So even when he played, he likely didn't get much exposure.

Then, a couple other reasons might have been--
Because of his injury, he got off to a slow start during his HS season. He had another, higher-rated player on his team that got most of the attention, and he played in Richmond, which is a hotbed for high-quality basketball talent, so I think it's a little easier to get lost among the other great players in that area.

He was a late bloomer, who bulked up and grew a lot between his junior and senior seasons. I found one site that listed him at 6'2", 170 just a little over a year ago. And he lead his team in rebounding as a junior, so I wonder if he didn't play more of a forward position, and had less chance to handle the ball and shoot.
Here is a preview article from Dec., 2008, that lists Jake as a 6'3" forward--
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:ggYDIdopCKAJ:www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/high_school_prep/high_school_basketball/article/BCAP2_20081201-212259/126131/+%22Jake+eastman&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

We all know it happens, and recruiting is a crapshoot. Josh Young of Drake got very little D1 recruiting interest, as did some other great shooters we have seen in recent years in the MVC like Blake Ahearn, Kyle Korver, Kent Williams, Ben Jacobsen, Marico Stinson, and Jeremy Crouch
 
like Dyricus, some early interest dried up when he was injured last summer and was unable to play AAU
 
Da Coach said:
One reason, as I posted somewhere else, was that he was injured last summer, and played very litle AAU ball. He played on the Boo Williams AAU program, which is one of the best in the country and is loaded with D1 talent. So even when he played, he likely didn't get much exposure.

Then, a couple other reasons might have been--
Because of his injury, he got off to a slow start during his HS season. He had another, higher-rated player on his team that got most of the attention, and he played in Richmond, which is a hotbed for high-quality basketball talent, so I think it's a little easier to get lost among the other great players in that area.

He was a late bloomer, who bulked up and grew a lot between his junior and senior seasons. I found one site that listed him at 6'2", 170 just a little over a year ago. And he lead his team in rebounding as a junior, so I wonder if he didn't play more of a forward position, and had less chance to handle the ball and shoot.
Here is a preview article from Dec., 2008, that lists Jake as a 6'3" forward--
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache...6131/+"Jake+eastman&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

We all know it happens, and recruiting is a crapshoot. Josh Young of Drake got very little D1 recruiting interest, as did some other great shooters we have seen in recent years in the MVC like Blake Ahearn, Kyle Korver, Kent Williams, Ben Jacobsen, Marico Stinson, and Jeremy Crouch
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I thought Jeremy Crouch had some significant interest from some Big 10 schools until he verballed to BU his junior year. At least that was the story.
 
The 'other schools' that offered can sometimes be very misleading, and I think sometimes we get a little too hung up on it. Lawrence Wright only had 1 other D1 offer, and that was Sacramento St. Will Franklin only had 1 other D1 offer, and that was Stephen F. Austin. Both of those guys were invaluable players for us, and both among the best in our league. Who knows, maybe Jake Eastman will be the same.
 
BradleyBrave said:
I thought Jeremy Crouch had some significant interest from some Big 10 schools until he verballed to BU his junior year. At least that was the story.
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I don't remember that JC actually had any Big Ten offers. The story was that Wisconsin liked him and wanted to come down to see him in a private workout. I don't know if they ever did. If anyone knows, let us know.
But I think he turned out to be better than what a lot of coaches projected, and he was arguably good enough to play at a higher level.
 
Da Coach said:
I don't remember that JC actually had any Big Ten offers. The story was that Wisconsin liked him and wanted to come down to see him in a private workout. I don't know if they ever did. If anyone knows, let us know.
But I think he turned out to be better than what a lot of coaches projected, and he was arguably good enough to play at a higher level.
Click to expand...

The JC that played in the last 10 or so games of his senior season could have played for any school in the country. If Eastman turns out anywhere near as good as JC, Ill be giddy!
 
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Let's not forget Hersey Hawkins. He played the 4-5 position in HS and was so underrecruited that we probably got the steal of decade. This was all before AAU and coaches would have to hustle around to every gym. There were advantages to this type of recruiting and in some respect I wish AAU ball would go away.
 
I've said before I like getting a kid who fits the profile of Jake Eastman. Now, it doesn't mean he is any good--he just fits the generic profile. A tall, shooter type with good bloodlines who obviously understands the game.

I don't think any of us have any idea how good a player he really is. Especially how he compares to other kids coming into the MVC. I get a little concerned that schools near by like ODU, George Mason, VCU and Richmond didn't offer but who knows. Maybe he wanted to get away and let it be known. Maybe they had rides already filled.

I hope he turns out to be a good player. Hope is about all we have to go on at this stage.
 
Da Coach said:
I don't remember that JC actually had any Big Ten offers. The story was that Wisconsin liked him and wanted to come down to see him in a private workout. I don't know if they ever did. If anyone knows, let us know.
But I think he turned out to be better than what a lot of coaches projected, and he was arguably good enough to play at a higher level.
Click to expand...

Peoria Journal Star
April 2, 2003 (six years ago to the day yesterday)

PEKIN - In recent years, Bradley has been unable to land the local basketball players who drew interest from the Big Ten, guys like Jerry Hester, A.J. Guyton, Mark Vershaw, Sergio McClain and J.R. Koch.

That all changed Tuesday when Pekin junior guard Jeremy Crouch orally committed to BU after making his official visit to the school last weekend.

His other finalist schools were Northwestern, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. He made unofficial visits to both Northwestern and Wisconsin.
 
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