Archive for August, 2011

Scouting 2012 Prospect Mitch McGary

Published by Source on August 31st, 2011

By: Joe Hawley, Michigan contributor

For the Michigan Wolverines, player development has been the name of the game for John Beilein in his recruiting.  Success has not been defined by the number of “five-star” recruits, or how high in the rankings a player may be.  Coach Beilein looks for guys that, in his opinion, fit into his system. From there, he can coach them into being better players (see Tim Hardaway Jr., Darius Morris).  Michigan has not had any five star high school talent since Beilein has taken the reigns, but has made up for a lack of big name recruiting success by coaching up the talent actually on the roster.

Enter Mitch McGary – Michigan has been recruiting the 6’10” big man from Indiana for well over a year, even when he was not on the radar of the nation’s elite.  He was a guy that was flirting with the top 100 and had shown some flashes, but needed some work in order to be considered a high-caliber player.  Fast forward to today, with an additional year of prep school and a reclassification from 2011 to 2012, and McGary is regarded by nearly every single media outlet as one of the top 5 prospects in the country, and in some cases, the best low post recruit in America in his class. (He also broke a backboard on Venice Beach this past weekend…) (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Michigan
Tags: , , , ,

DeJuan Marrero commits to DePaul

Published by Source on August 30th, 2011

DeJuan Marrero became the first member of head coach Oliver Purnell’s 2012 recruiting class earlier today after giving his pledge to DePaul University. The newest Blue Demon is a 6-5 SF from Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana.

The short distance from Gary to Chicago was a major factor in DeJuan’s decision, as he wanted to play somewhere close to his mother.

Marrero was also considering Illinois, a program which was thought by some to be the leader in his recruitment, but stated that they had recently backed off a bit. In the end, it was a mix of academics, promixity to home, a chance to play in the Big East and a long-standing relationship with DePaul assistant Billy Garrett that sealed the deal for the Blue Demons. Garrett was on the staff prior to Oliver Purnell taking over and it appears keeping him on staff paid big dividends in this recruitment. (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Chicago HS Prospects, DePaul, featured, Illinois
Tags: , , ,

New 2012 Rivals150

Published by Source on August 30th, 2011

*Edited Tuesday evening after Marrero commitment*

Rivals.com has released their latest version of the Rivals150 for the basketball class of 2012. They actually released the list at the end of last week but updated it again on Monday. A number of B1G and Chicagoland commitments and targets make the list, so we have put together a quick breakdown for our readers.

Note: A prospect is a 5-star if they fall between 1-26 (including 26), is a 4-star if between 27-105, and is a 3-star if 106-150.

B1G commitments:

 

Indiana – Hanner Perea #16, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell #17, Jeremy Hollowell #48, Ron Patterson #131, Peter Jurkin NR (3*)

Iowa – Mike Gesell #96, Patrick Ingram NR (3*), Kyle Meyer NR (3*)

Michigan – Glenn Robinson III #34, Nick Stauskas #79

Michigan State –  Denzel Valentine #80, Matt Costello #82, Kenny Kaminski #84

Minnesota – Wally Ellenson NR (3*)

Nebraska – Keith Coleman NR

Northwestern – Kale Abrahamson #138, Sanjay Lumpkin NR, Alex Olah NR

Penn State – Akosa Maduegbunam NR

Purdue – Ronnie Johnson #91, Jay Simpson #101, Rapheal Davis #106

Wisconsin – Sam Dekker #18 (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Chicago HS Prospects, DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Mid Major, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The B1G’s Top 12* Players – Part 2

Published by Source on August 29th, 2011

The Windy City Source is profiling the top 12* players in the Big Ten Conference for the upcoming season. The reason we say “12*” is because rather than choosing the best players regardless of school, we will be taking 1 player from each team. Some players will be obvious, others not so much. And in case you forgot, Nebraska is in the conference now! Anyways – here’s the second part of four (link to Part 1), featuring players from the “M” schools:

* Tim Hardaway Jr. – Michigan sophomore from Miami, FL

With the early departure of guard Darius Morris to the NBA, the Wolverines have become Tim Hardaway Jr’s team. The sophomore guard, son of former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, will be relied upon for a heavy leadership role (and more dunks like this one) on an up-and-coming Michigan team. John Beilein’s crew is looking to continue building upwards after a surprising season that ended with a Sweet Sixteen loss to top-seeded Duke. One of the youngest teams in the conference, Michigan finished the season strong due in part to Morris and 13.9 ppg from Hardaway. The Miami product finished his freshman campaign as a 42% shooter, having scored 20+ six times. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and was a unanimous choice for the All-Freshman squad. Not bad for a player ranked a 3-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout.

This past summer, Hardaway travelled to Latvia with Team USA to compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship where he emerged as the team’s sixth man. The experience allowed the sophomore to grow as a basketball player. USA coach Paul Hewitt noted: “…going to the basket and finishing with contact is something he probably will be better at next year.” Hardaway is already a seasoned veteran, starting all 35 games for the Wolverines last season. Michigan fans will certainly be counting on Hardaway, along with seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak, to keep the momentum building in Ann Arbor. The leadership and experience on the Wolverine roster is quite an improvement over last year’s squad and should be enough to push Beilein’s crew back to the top of the conference and into the NCAA Tournament.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Marquette Guard-Studded 2011 Recruiting

Published by Source on August 23rd, 2011

By: Cary Kostka, Marquette contributor

 

For as long as I can remember, Marquette has specialized in finding and recruiting quality guards and then grooming them into good college guards that have often developed into NBA prospects. The most notable of these are Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener, Steve Novak, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews. Jimmy Butler may soon join this group after being selected in the 1st round of this year’s NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.

The recruiting class of 2011 reflects the recruitment tradition of Marquette with the additions of guards Todd Mayo and Derrick Wilson, as well as G/F Juan Anderson. The talent in this incoming class, although not highly ranked, fits the Marquette philosophy almost perfectly.

Many Marquette fans, myself included, have been clamoring for help on the inside game. Far too many times over the past decade, the book on beating Marquette has been to close off the lanes, force jump shots on the perimeter, and force physical inside play on the other side of the court. The commitments of Todd Mayo and Derrick Wilson are a good start to negating this thought.

Todd Mayo, the younger brother of NBA guard O.J. Mayo, has a Big East-ready body at 6’ 3”, 190lbs. The Notre Dame Prep star has a great game rhythm and is a confident, smooth shooter with good range and an attack the basket attitude. Mayo possesses an ankle breaking first step, which when combined with his full court running speed will cause plenty of matchup problems for opponents, especially in fast break situations and when attacking the basket.  He will best serve Marquette on the floor if he can adjust to playing off the ball and can tighten up his ball handling skills. Also, his body language on the court will need to improve; he will need to learn to better control his emotions to be an effective starter in the Big East. I project Mayo to begin the 2011-12 season as a member of the Golden Eagles starting five.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Marquette
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

New Northwestern Court Design

Published by Source on August 19th, 2011

Northwestern has officially chosen its new basketball court design for Welsh-Ryan Arena. The winning design, shown below, was chosen via a Facebook content in which fans were asked to choose their favorite of four possible designs. The new design features the Ncat logo at center-court, as well as a solid purple floor in the area within the three-point arc (save for the lane).

It is a dramatic change from the current conservative design, but is not nearly as wild as the all-purple design that was proposed.

The design will actually be stained into the floor, rather than painted, so that the wood grain will show through.

According to the linked press release from Northwestern, the first official contest on the new court will be the Wildcat Classic, a volleyball event hosted by the University.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Northwestern
Tags:

Indiana commitment profiles – 2012 Frontcourt

Published by Source on August 19th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne

On Monday, we looked at three of Tom Crean’s incoming Hoosier players. That backcourt preview featured Indianapolis products Yogi Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell and Ron Patterson. Today we head to the front court as we profile the two remaining members of Indiana’s 2012 class. Both are foreign-born players but have deep Indiana connections as products of the A-HOPE program and Indiana Elite.

 Hanner Perea

6-8 * 210 * PF

La Lumiere (La Porte, IN)

Rivals (5* #15) – Scout (4* #37)- ESPN (4* #48)

 

6’8’’ Colombia-native Hanner Perea has unbelievable raw athletic ability. At any given moment he has the potential to electrify his team and the crowd with any of a ridiculous array of dunks. While his back to the basket game needs some development, once Hanner is around the rim he knows how to finish. On the defensive side of the ball, Hanner is a tremendous shot blocker and alters numerous other shots that he isn’t able to get to. His leaping ability contributes to his exceptional rebounding. His post up defense does have room for improvement but Hanner should be an immediate upgrade to the Hoosiers on both sides of the court. Hanner currently attends La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana. (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Indiana
Tags: , , , , , ,

Wally Ellenson becomes first 2012 Minnesota commitment

Published by Source on August 18th, 2011

By; Jonah Steinmeyer, Minnesota contributor

 

With Ralph Sampson and Trevor Mbakwe set to graduate after this season, as well as the potential of losing junior Rodney Williams to the NBA Draft, having a solid 2012 recruiting class is vital for Tubby Smith and company.

With that in mind, Tubby did not want to miss a step. Wally Ellenson of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, is the Gophers’ first verbal commitment of the 2012 class. Ellenson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, is renowned for his dunking abilities, but Tubby believes Ellenson has a real future ahead of him as a scorer.

“[Tubby] talked about my role,” Ellenson told the Star Tribune. “He said I could be a shooting guard coming in and I would be relied on to make a lot of shots.”

Ellenson is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com and had already been offered by such teams as Nebraska, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. He is familiar with the state having spent the past summer playing with Minnesota Pump ‘N Run.

Although Ellenson’s commitment isn’t going to blow minds away with his name or game, it should be considered a real win for Minnesota basketball fans. To sum it up, they swooped a solid recruit away from his home state and ultimately, a rival school. There have been countless occasions where Bo Ryan ends up with a Minnesota kid who matures into a top contributor for the Badgers, most recently Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer.

Whether Ellenson can play the dagger-to-the-heart role that Taylor and Leuer have done their whole careers against Minnesota remains to be unseen, but you can certainly consider this a step in the right direction in what should be Tubby’s most important recruiting class yet.

 

Ellenson video:

CityLeagueHoopsTV Mixtape

YouTube page of High Jumps and Dunks

 

No Comments »
Posted in Minnesota
Tags: , , , , , , ,

The B1G’s Top 12* Players – Part 1

Published by Source on August 17th, 2011

The Windy City Source is profiling the top 12* players in the Big Ten Conference for the upcoming season. The reason we say “12*” is because rather than choosing the best players regardless of school, we will be taking 1 player from each team. Some players will be obvious, others not so much. And in case you forgot, Nebraska is in the conference now! Anyways – here’s the first part of four, featuring players from the “I” schools:

 

* Brandon Paul – Illinois junior from Gurnee, IL

Bruce Weber’s team will be experiencing a huge turnover this season with the loss of four seniors (three started), a one-and-done freshman (now an alleged criminal) and the addition of six freshman and a senior transfer. Normally teams would have a tough time recovering losing three senior leaders and a star freshman, but in Illinois’ case the turnover is for the better. The culture of the Fighting Illini program has been more of a “me first” situation. With Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale and Jereme Richmond gone, Weber will have cleared his team of almost all of last season’s headaches in one swoop. Now the team is turned over to the underclassmen, led by junior guard Brandon “BP3″ Paul. Having been a solid contributor in his first two years, Paul (9 ppg) will take on a serious leadership position this season. Paul improved his stats across the board from his freshman to sophomore years, which can be partially attributed to an increase of minutes. It’s safe to say Weber will rely on Paul for more than 22.4 minutes a game this year. The most encouraging numbers are his FG, 3FG and FT percentages. Paul has shown that he can be a lethal shooter and is a tremendous athlete (my apologies to Carlton Fay).  Brandon poured in 20+ points three times in conference play last year, hitting 4 three-pointers on two of those occasions. As the top returning scorer, Paul will certainly need to put points on the board if the Illini want to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Paul has the ability to play the one, two, or three, which makes him a versatile asset in a guard-heavy lineup.

Along with junior DJ Richardson, sophomore Meyers Leonard, Bradley senior-transfer Sam Maniscalco and a parade of highly-ranked Chicago freshmen, the Illini will have a fresh look that should have fans feeling good about the future. (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Chicago HS Prospects, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purdue Freshman Profile: Jacob Lawson

Published by Source on August 16th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner, Purdue contributor

Jacob Lawson

PF – 6’7″ 220 lb

Oak Ridge, NC (Oak Ridge Military Academy)

ESPN – 3* (NR); Rivals- 3* (NR); Scout- 3* (NR)

 

Ranked as one of the Top Ten Dunkers in the Class of 2011, Jacob Lawson brings athleticism, charisma, and energy to the Boilers.  He came as one of the more surprising commitments in recent years because he resides in North Carolina, a state where Matt Painter does not often go to see players.  That alone should tell you how much the coaching staff likes this kid.  He has the ball handling capabilities to play the 3 in Painter’s system but will more likely play the 4 because he is scrappy and can finish.  Besides finishing around the rim, rebounding may be his biggest asset.  He always seems to be in position and is strong enough to come away with a 50/50 ball.  Shooting is his weakness at this moment and will need to be worked on a lot over the next four years but by his sophomore year he could be a potential double-double guy off the bench.

 

When Purdue got the commitment from Jacob Lawson, it told us two things.  One is that Painter really wants to have more athletic rebounders on the court at the same time.  The other is that he will go outside of the state to grab recruits if he cannot find what he wants in Indiana.  Between Lawson and Donnie Hale, Purdue should have upgraded a couple areas of concern…rebounding and depth.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Purdue
Tags: , , , ,