Class of 2016 PG Kobi Simmons (GA) Offered by Syracuse

[jordoo]

I'm glad the staff finally took some eggs out of the battle basket. Either one is fine by me. I'm interested to see what happens after those officials Battle has lined up this weekend. Or maybe simmons announces and it doesn't matter.

Could the Simmons offer have Battle committing to SU and cancelling the weekend visits? I doubt it but if he already had his heart set on SU its possible I suppose. I wonder if Battle suddenly schedules that visit to SU?

 

[jordoo]

Here is Simmons at the Adidas AAU event from last week.

Looks like that 3 ball is improving for him. Still a bit flat and a slow release but he seemed very solid on those wide open looks. His handle, vision and ability to finish with either hand in a variety of ways seems to have always been his strength. Good size and quickness for a guard in the 2-3 but man he is slightly built.

 

[longtimefan]

Looks like that 3 ball is improving for him. Still a bit flat and a slow release but he seemed very solid on those wide open looks. His handle, vision and ability to finish with either hand in a variety of ways seems to have always been his strength. Good size and quickness for a guard in the 2-3 but man he is slightly built.

Take it for what it's worth, but the ESPN recruiting site has Simmons as the same height and only 2 pounds lighter than Battle.

They also have Simmons as a PG; Battle as a SG. And Simmons rated 10 slots higher. (All their ratings will be updated after this weekend.)

 

[jordoo]

Take it for what it's worth, but the ESPN recruiting site has Simmons as the same height and only 2 pounds lighter than Battle.

They also have Simmons as a PG; Battle as a SG. And Simmons rated 10 slots higher. (All their ratings will be updated after this weekend.)

I don't think you lose getting either Battle, Simmons or Murray for that matter.

 

[orangefog]

Take it for what it's worth, but the ESPN recruiting site has Simmons as the same height and only 2 pounds lighter than Battle.

They also have Simmons as a PG; Battle as a SG. And Simmons rated 10 slots higher. (All their ratings will be updated after this weekend.)

Ok fine, I will be fine with any two of Murray, Battle and Simmons.

 

[weedsportwarriors]

So now we have offered Battle and Simmons but have still not offered Murray?

 

[jordoo]

So now we have offered Battle and Simmons but have still not offered Murray?

No offer but its still possible he reclassifies to 2015 which would mean we would have to push off ship sanctions and I doubt the staff wants to do that at this point. We were mentioned on his list late yesterday afternoon however. I wonder if we could offer him just as the 2016 class but again for whatever reason the staff has always had Battle #1 for 2016 and apparently they like Simmons if not Battle as #2 over Murray unless they feel strongly that Murray is going to be 2015 and just do not want to spend the time.

 

[jr4750]

No offer but its still possible he reclassifies to 2015 which would mean we would have to push off ship sanctions and I doubt the staff wants to do that at this point. We were mentioned on his list late yesterday afternoon however. I wonder if we could offer him just as the 2016 class but again for whatever reason the staff has always had Battle #1 for 2016 and apparently they like Simmons if not Battle as #2 over Murray unless they feel strongly that Murray is going to be 2015 and just do not want to spend the time.

I don't understand not pushing the ship sanctions, especially if we feel confident we will get some of them back on appeal. Next year is critical in terms of winning now. I would want to stack the deck in terms of having the best team possible. Just my IMO. However, it looks like that won't be happening, as we let TB go and now will probably watch Murray go to Duke. Ugh

 

[Calilivin28]

Anybody else find it ironic that we're basically pushing for Battle or Simmons...aka Kid Mamba and Kobi (Kobe). S/O to KB24.

 

[jordoo]

I don't understand not pushing the ship sanctions, especially if we feel confident we will get some of them back on appeal. Next year is critical in terms of winning now. I would want to stack the deck in terms of having the best team possible. Just my IMO. However, it looks like that won't be happening, as we let TB go and now will probably watch Murray go to Duke. Ugh

If we take one more no matter how many we have left they don't count against the 12 it pushes it off another year before starting. So even if we get some back in appeal those come off of the overall 12 and we would then start with the 2016 class.
As it is now we are taking 3 off the 12 for the 2015 class/season so we would have 9 left and any won back in the appeal come off that 9. Which could be huge if we get back 4 or more total ships.

We didn't just let Thomas Bryant go he had to want to come here and in the end he didn't and the reason has been stated 100 times in his thread.

Not being more involved with Murray is baffling to me but again at one point it was expected that we would be adding Bryant (and needing someone to leave to do so) and that Murray would be class of 2015 for sure. Now we have 3 less ships per season to mess with Bryant went elsewhere and its no longer a forgone conclusion that Murray will be in the 2015 class.

 

[jr4750]

If we take one more no matter how many we have left they don't count against the 12 it pushes it off another year before starting. So even if we get some back in appeal those come off of the overall 12 and we would then start with the 2016 class.
As it is now we are taking 3 off the 12 for the 2015 class/season so we would have 9 left and any won back in the appeal come off that 9. Which could be huge if we get back 4 or more total ships.

We didn't just let Thomas Bryant go he had to want to come here and in the end he didn't and the reason has been stated 100 times in his thread.

Not being more involved with Murray is baffling to me but again at one point it was expected that we would be adding Bryant (and needing someone to leave to do so) and that Murray would be class of 2015 for sure. Now we have 3 less ships per season to mess with Bryant went elsewhere and its no longer a forgone conclusion that Murray will be in the 2016 class.

Yes, I agree with most of what you said. But I truly do believe we let TB go. We went silent for months, and didn't push for him until CM declared, that is after the sanctions came down. To me, that's letting him go. Would he have still chosen Indiana if we pushed for him hard between January and March, maybe, but we didn't, so I guess it makes no difference either way. We move on.

 

[GonzoInMD]

Yes, I agree with most of what you said. But I truly do believe we let TB go. We went silent for months, and didn't push for him until CM declared, that is after the sanctions came down. To me, that's letting him go. Would he have still chosen Indiana if we pushed for him hard between January and March, maybe, but we didn't, so I guess it makes no difference either way. We move on.

Perhaps we went silent with TB because he told the coaches something that he didn't want to tell his mother...that he was reluctant to go to SU because he wanted to get away from his mother. We didn't go silent with his mother because we hoped that she'd be able to persuade him to go to SU.

 

[Janner]

Francis, or Tee, for those of us who have only seen highlight reals of Battle, Simmons and Murray could you break down thier perceived strengths and weekness' for us simple folk ?
From my perspective Simmons looks to be the most athletic but his release and accuracy is a bit of an issue, Battle looks the part and is well rounded but I don't know how he would be running the point as he feels more like a 2, and Murray looks to have the best pure pg skill set but might be the least athletic of the three?

 

[Francis03]

Francis, or Tee, for those of us who have only seen highlight reals of Battle, Simmons and Murray could you break down thier perceived strengths and weekness' for us simple folk ?
From my perspective Simmons looks to be the most athletic but his release and accuracy is a bit of an issue, Battle looks the part and is well rounded but I don't know how he would be running the point as he feels more like a 2, and Murray looks to have the best pure pg skill set but might be the least athletic of the three?

Well you pretty much summed it all toward the end haha.

Simmons probably has the most upside long-term out of the bunch with his athleticism. He has the height and length for the zone, but picks and chooses his spots when he wants to defend. He runs PG for his AAU team, but shared ball handling duties in a three guard lineup for his HS team this past season. Great first step attacking the rim with a nice mid-range game. Gets to the line a lot as well.

Battle is similar in terms of size for the zone. Probably has the best do it all skills out of the bunch. Will get you pts, rbs, ast, stls, blks you name it in each game. Three level scorer but three point shot could use some consistency moving forward. Biggest concern as many mentioned is that he has never been a full time PG. He has shown to be a very good passer with solid vision at times, but just like Frank Howard the staff truly believes they can mold him into MCW.

Murray is probably the least athletic out of the two and lacks the explosive first step to the rim like them, but he beats them in basically every other category out there. Already has a pro body, is a consistent three level scorer, and has always played with the ball in his hands. Plus you gotta love how productive he was against not only the best comp in the states but also internationally in various events. Whoever lands him will get a highly competitive player who'll be ready to produce on day one.

Most of you know I'm a Murray guy, but I'll be very happy with whoever we land out of the three.

 

['CuseHoops]

Take it for what it's worth, but the ESPN recruiting site has Simmons as the same height and only 2 pounds lighter than Battle.

They also have Simmons as a PG; Battle as a SG. And Simmons rated 10 slots higher. (All their ratings will be updated after this weekend.)

USA Basketball measurements from '14 according to draft express:

Simmons: 6'4 159, 6'6 wingspan

Battle: 6'6.75 170, 6'9 wingspan

Battle is almost 6'7 in shoes

 

[pearl31]

I'll be very happy with whoever we land out of the three.

You will be happy?!
Not, you would be happy if

 

[tee1222]

Francis, or Tee, for those of us who have only seen highlight reals of Battle, Simmons and Murray could you break down thier perceived strengths and weekness' for us simple folk ?
From my perspective Simmons looks to be the most athletic but his release and accuracy is a bit of an issue, Battle looks the part and is well rounded but I don't know how he would be running the point as he feels more like a 2, and Murray looks to have the best pure pg skill set but might be the least athletic of the three?

When in doubt, or better still...Always. What this guy said:

Well you pretty much summed it all toward the end haha.

Simmons probably has the most upside long-term out of the bunch with his athleticism. He has the height and length for the zone, but picks and chooses his spots when he wants to defend. He runs PG for his AAU team, but shared ball handling duties in a three guard lineup for his HS team this past season. Great first step attacking the rim with a nice mid-range game. Gets to the line a lot as well.

Battle is similar in terms of size for the zone. Probably has the best do it all skills out of the bunch. Will get you pts, rbs, ast, stls, blks you name it in each game. Three level scorer but three point shot could use some consistency moving forward. Biggest concern as many mentioned is that he has never been a full time PG. He has shown to be a very good passer with solid vision at times, but just like Frank Howard the staff truly believes they can mold him into MCW.

Murray is probably the least athletic out of the two and lacks the explosive first step to the rim like them, but he beats them in basically every other category out there. Already has a pro body, is a consistent three level scorer, and has always played with the ball in his hands. Plus you gotta love how productive he was against not only the best comp in the states but also internationally in various events. Whoever lands him will get a highly competitive player who'll be ready to produce on day one.

Most of you know I'm a Murray guy, but I'll be very happy with whoever we land out of the three.

 

[Jake]

I think there's a drop off from Murray and battle to Simmons with regard their ability to contribute immediately. It's why he's a distant third in my mind.

 

[hoopsupstate]

I find it a little odd that all of a sudden we're hearing Simmons and Murray's name mentioned a lot. I've heard only great things with our recruitment of Battle. I hope things haven't gone a little south. I think it's a little paranoia setting in. I know he was at Duke on Friday and Saturday and I think he's suppose to be at Louisville today. I hope we get through the weekend and we can get him up for a visit, so we can close this out. We've had way too much bad news in the past few months to add Battle to the list.

 

[CaptainJ]

After losing one TB, and with it seeming possible we could lose another, those 2 letters are starting to remind me of the painful shots I had to get as a kid.

 

[Francis03]

Jimmy to do a in-home visit tonight with Simmons according to various reports. Now that's serious business. Gary and Tyus Battle are now put on notice.

 

[Dnyr85]

1. Syracuse Memes™ retweeted
   Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 26m26 minutes ago
   Syracuse's Jim Boeheim is going in-home with Kobi Simmons (http://foxs.pt/1yKmiKJ) tonight, per his father.
   
   10 retweets6 favorites
   

 

[jordoo]

Holy sheesters! Dang gotta be the first in home for Simmons. Has he even done any official visits yet? This does seem to be how we get our higher rated recruits in the recent history. Sudden interest by both parties, official offer very quickly and then usually an official visit followed by verbal. This time an inhome though.

 

[longtimefan]

Jimmy to do a in-home visit tonight with Simmons according to various reports. Now that's serious business. Gary and Tyus Battle are now put on notice.

Looks like they want to finalize, and then quickly move on.

I would also guess that the coach wants a face-to-face with each of his priority recruits so that he can explain how the program is going to handle the restrictions going forward, and how that recruit fits into the plan.

 

[ORRange]

I think there's a drop off from Murray and battle to Simmons with regard their ability to contribute immediately. It's why he's a distant third in my mind.

I don't agree. Kobi is rated 5 by Espn, 8 by Scout and 13 by Rivals. These services make mistakes but not usually with 5 star guards. Kentucky already gave him an offer for next year and they have a good idea what's going on. A drop off in my mind is Tyler Ennis to Kaleb Joseph, not any of these three recruits. I'd take any of them in a heartbeat. I also think Kobi would be our highest rated recruit since 'Melo if he came here. JMO.