Recruiting Updates | Page 44 | Syracusefan.com

Recruiting Updates

Here goes some evaluations and notes that I have from several games that I recently watched.

2016
Howard Washington and Jamal Murray PG's-Finally got a chance to check out Washington after hearing so much about him over the past year or so. This game was from the FIBA U17 against France. One thing that you notice right away between the two is that Murray is much taller and physically mature than Washington. Murray is probably 3-4 inches taller and about 20lbs stronger. Both started in the backcourt and Washington began the game out on the ball but struggled out the gate to make anything happen and the team fell behind 8-0. Once Murray took over at the point that's when things got rolling for Canada. Murray was not only able to get off his own shot but create opportunities for his teammates as well. He was basically unstoppable in the 1st half, but seem to get fatigued a little and struggled with his shot in the 2nd half. Washington actually looked most comfortable on catch and shoot situations, where he displayed a nice shooting stroke from behind the arc and nailed several threes. Canada would build a lead by 12 at halftime but due to a lack of size inside, France was able to take advantage and claw their way back for the victory. I can understand why the SU staff is probably hesitant to offer a player like Washington at the moment. While he looks to be a good prospect, I just didn't see much playmaking ability or any other elite attributes especially when watching him compared to Murray for him to earn an offer from SU yet. With that said, he'll get the exposure and opportunity to improve on that since he's attending Montverde now.

Eddie Ekiyor PF/C-Might be a little undersized for SU to play in the middle, but every time I've seen him play all he does is compete and do the dirty work. He had a big 1st half for Canada, as their only legit low post threat. Struggled a bit against France's length during the 2nd half and isn't the most explosive. He might not fit every program, but transferring to New Hampton to play alongside Tyler Lydon will no doubt increase his exposure.

Sedee Keita PF/C-Played limited minutes in the game I watched but made a big impact on the defensive end. Ran the floor well and looked very mobile for his size. Looked to be a good rebounder and shot blocker as well. Didn't get many touches on offense, so it's hard to judge what kind of game he has there in that department.

Veer Singh SF-Played at St. Peter's Prep, where Red Autry made multiple visits to check out their young players with Singh considered to be the best one out of the bunch. Singh displayed a nice offensive game and some solid athleticism. He has a quick release on his shot and was able to knock down 4 threes in the 1st half alone. Even though he didn't convert, he was one of the few players that I've seen show no fear at trying to dunk on Cheick Diallo. On the flip side, I didn't notice much rebounding and shot blocking from him and he appears to be more of a finesse player overall. Also he went scoreless in the 2nd half and had several bad shot selections. Singh already has a good amount of quality offers from high-majors and that list will most likely grow over the next year.

2017
MJ Walker SG-Top 10 player in his class with elite athleticism and a college ready body. Showcased the ability to create his own shot with ease and knocked down a triple from NBA range in the game that I watched. Walker claimed to have SU as his favorite heading into the summer, but at that point the SU staff had not shown any interest in him yet. Hopefully that changes as time goes along.

Jarred Vanderbilt SF-Another elite top 10 prospect. Vanderbilt is about 6'9, but has the game and ball handling of a guard. Very versatile as he showcased the ability to play inside on the low post and also do damage out on the perimeter. This is another kid that claims SU as a favorite of his.

Zach Brown C-This giant is a legit 7-footer and was a beast down low on both ends of the floor. Showed good positioning and spacing to score in the paint on offense. Defensively he either blocked or altered every shot that came his way. Best example of that was when MJ Walker repeatedly tried to dunk it on him and each time was served with the Serge Ibaka treatment. Brown isn't the most athletic, but moves adequate enough for his size.

Matt Coleman PG-One of my favorite young prospects along with Trevon Duval to watch in the early goings of 2017. Coleman reminds me of Jonny Flynn at a young age. Quick with the ball and has the penetration skills where nobody can stay in front of him. The lefty needs to get stronger and find more consistency with his jumper, but I have no doubt he'll be a consensus 5 star top 25 player when all said and done over the next few years.
 
Starting this week, coaches will be able to attend player workouts at their schools. So expect to hear about the staff making various visits coming up.

Frances, with respect to Harry Giles, it appears once again we have become involved with a player who had serious ACL/MCL issues. This has become an increasing pattern with Syracuse recruits over recent years, and it has yielded some quality pick ups (Fair, Trish, Howard, Devendorf?). I am not sure, maybe its just becoming a more common injury, but I feel like we are able to recruit and sell these kids who have had this injury. Either way it seemed to be a bit of a surprise when it was reported that we were involved with Giles given where he's from and our recruiting history (or lack there of) with his school/state, especially with tobacco road in his back yard so it really got me thinking what is the link/connection? Could it be the injury and our success with these type of players?

Is there something the staff has (a trainer who specializes in this type of injury for example) that helps them recruit these players? Is there a strategy the staff has in going after these kids? Maybe its coincidence but I feel like there is a pattern here in some regard. If there is something specific they are able to sell these kids on I really hope they pull out all the stops to get Giles, the kid would be a monster get!
 
Frances, with respect to Harry Giles, it appears once again we have become involved with a player who had serious ACL/MCL issues. This has become an increasing pattern with Syracuse recruits over recent years, and it has yielded some quality pick ups (Fair, Trish, Howard, Devendorf?). I am not sure, maybe its just becoming a more common injury, but I feel like we are able to recruit and sell these kids who have had this injury. Either way it seemed to be a bit of a surprise when it was reported that we were involved with Giles given where he's from and our recruiting history (or lack there of) with his school/state, especially with tobacco road in his back yard so it really got me thinking what is the link/connection? Could it be the injury and our success with these type of players?

Is there something the staff has (a trainer who specializes in this type of injury for example) that helps them recruit these players? Is there a strategy the staff has in going after these kids? Maybe its coincidence but I feel like there is a pattern here in some regard. If there is something specific they are able to sell these kids on I really hope they pull out all the stops to get Giles, the kid would be a monster get!
That's an interesting theory but I think it's mainly coincidence. Triche, CJ, and Howard were all heavily being recruited before they suffered ACL injuries. There isn't a specialize trainer that helps with recruiting, as only JB and his three assistants can do so. What they can do is stay on top of their medical and check to see how the recovery is going. I think if anything it shows great loyalty by the staff sticking with these players despite the injuries and the players really appreciating that. Plus with modern medicine, the ACL injury isn't as severe of an injury to return full strength from as it was back in the days.

As far as Giles recruitment goes, he says he was actually offered last year when Red came to see him workout. He never heard much from SU after that until this summer when he got the chance to talk to JB and he confirmed the offer personally. I've said since the beginning that we're a longshot to land his services, but if he sets up a visit to SU then anything can happen. Recently he stated to tos that Duke, UNC, and UK were recruiting him the hardest and he seemed to be favoring Duke a lot imo.
 
Francis03 said:
Red plans to visit Murray this week.

Hopefully he says hi to the fabulous Maker boys as well and formally offers Murray.
 
Hopefully he says hi to the fabulous Maker boys as well and formally offers Murray.
Well their handler is on staff, so maybe Red can offer him a gig at SU as well for their commitment lol. manny.png
 
Syracuse comes in at 2nd in ESPN's 2015 class rankings.
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/classrankings

Not sure I agree with this. If anything, I would have thought Zona would be 1, but looks like ESPN did a number on Zona as well this time.

To note:
See Malachi. See ESPN. See Malachi dropping eventually to a 4 star since ESPN willed it. :rolleyes:
He was 9. Then he was 15. Now he's 19. He's the best shooting guard in the class. Period. They slowly drop him into obscurity. The act is old.

This is what you get for averaging 20 points a game in AAU ball against the best teams in the country. :)
 
Haha, correction! They dropped him to 89 conveniently. Now he's a 4 star according to some biased people. No way in any situation, any class, this guy is a 4 star.
Give us a reason, aside from unprofessional journalism.
 
The blog could be more aptly named: "Zag Rag" or "Adam's Pabum". Anyone who buys into his predictive analysis of where kids might end up are subject to becoming "Zagor-a-phobic".

From time to time he does provide a kernel or two of interesting blather. If you mention enough teams for each of these kids you are bound to get one right every so often.
 
The blog could be more aptly named: "Zag Rag" or "Adam's Pabum". Anyone who buys into his predictive analysis of where kids might end up are subject to becoming "Zagor-a-phobic".

From time to time he does provide a kernel or two of interesting blather. If you mention enough teams for each of these kids you are bound to get one right every so often.
Yeah, I have to admit. I have liked some of his articles in the past but for a guy supposedly representing NY sports, he sure does talk a lot of UK, KU, Ville and Duke. :rolleyes:
Maybe that speaks to your point. Just mention those last 4 teams and one is bound to hit. :eek:
 
Yeah, I have to admit. I have liked some of his articles in the past but for a guy supposedly representing NY sports, he sure does talk a lot of UK, KU, Ville and Duke. :rolleyes:
Maybe that speaks to your point. Just mention those last 4 teams and one is bound to hit. :eek:
It's all about business and paying those bills. Zags talking up UK, Ville, KU etc will attract more hits for his site due to the large number of fans those schools have.
 

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