Class of 2018 SG Luther Muhammad (NJ)

[W'boro'Cuse315]

Backcourt mate of Quinerly at Hudson Catholic.

Hudson Catholic Guards Jahvon Quinerly, Luther Muhammad Combine for 49 in Hoophall Win, Talk Recruiting | Zagsblog

"Muhammad said Syracuse is the newest school to enter his recruiting, along with Cincinnati, Xavier, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, Temple and Tulane.

“Yeah, Syracuse is new,” he said, adding that the Orange haven’t offered yet.

“I know Tyus Battle is up there now,” he said. “Malachi [Richardson] was up there. I like their offense, they run a three out, my kind of offense, except for defense. I like man, zone I’m really not… I like man.”

 

[iommi]

Maybe Hop can tell him we will play man? Maybe?

 

[Jasoncuse]

I don't recall a recruit ever actually saying they don't like zone, though I'm sure those feelings have been felt been many before. Not only do we only recruit certain types of players from only certain areas of the country, but we also have to find kids who don't mind the zone. Such a restrictive recruiting method.

 

[Funk Doc]

Yeah, the whole zone vs man discussion is so played out. If you hustle you can play any kind of defense! I'm not saying the zone is an advantage, because I'm actually not a huge fan of it, but playing man is so elementary that it's not like playing zone some means you will be unable to play man when the time comes.

 

[syrcuse]

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a Nick Richards quote about his dislike of the zone.

 

[iommi]

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a Nick Richards quote about his dislike of the zone.

Correct.

 

[Fly Rodder]

That's not the group of schools I'd like Syracuse to consider peers.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Backcourt mate of Quinerly at Hudson Catholic.

Hudson Catholic Guards Jahvon Quinerly, Luther Muhammad Combine for 49 in Hoophall Win, Talk Recruiting | Zagsblog

"Muhammad said Syracuse is the newest school to enter his recruiting, along with Cincinnati, Xavier, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, Temple and Tulane.

“Yeah, Syracuse is new,” he said, adding that the Orange haven’t offered yet.

“I know Tyus Battle is up there now,” he said. “Malachi [Richardson] was up there. I like their offense, they run a three out, my kind of offense, except for defense. I like man, zone I’m really not… I like man.”

 

[Francis03]

Maybe Hop can tell him we will play man? Maybe?

He's telling every recruit that. Best thing about the potential Hop era is that the 100% zone D will become no more. Zone will still be a big part of our D, but the players better be ready to lock some dudes down one on one in the future. Hopefully that will help us land a few top 15 guys in the future. 100% zone has killed us in losing out on the top tier players due to the negative recruiting about it. Personally I always felt if you're good enough for the NBA then you'll get there regardless of what D we play, but I understand the other side of the debate. Apparently Calipari was hammering home the fact that he would prepare Quade quicker for the NBA by playing man than him being an undersize player in the zone. Plus the zone has made us make some ridiculous decisions when recruiting strictly for it. Turning down guys like Monte Morris and Jalen Brunson because of their lack of length is something that has hurt us at this point when looking at our current guard depth.

 

[ssbriefcase]

So, on the flip side, he said he like the offense. So for all the people that complain we don't run one and it's terrible, are overstating that a bit, I take it.

 

[Funk Doc]

So, on the flip side, he said he like the offense. So for all the people that complain we don't run one and it's terrible, are overstating that a bit, I take it.

It's really a double edge sword, they say they like our offense because it's a lot of iso, and if you're good it really showcases what you can do...a la 8 minutes of Malachi. But if we have the wrong people, or lack a player that can really create for themselves then our offense really sputters.

 

[JoeyZ]

Here's a NYPost article on Muhammad and Naz Reid. The specific mention on Muhammad and Syracuse is brief and consistent with what's written above. http://nypost.com/2017/01/20/st-johns-seton-hall-battle-for-pair-of-elite-new-jersey-recruits/

On Reid, it states that he'll be down to Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers, and Syracuse.

 

[Fly Rodder]

...
On Reid, it states that he'll be down to Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers, and Syracuse.

Does he just want to stay home? Outside of Syracuse, that seems like a pretty weak slate of schools for a top 20 kid.

 

[tee1222]

Game log at the bottom of his page.

 

[orangefog]

Game log at the bottom of his page.

The kid gets to the free throw line a ton.

 

[tee1222]

The kid gets to the free throw line a ton.

Yup. Whole lotta Dion going on.

 

[tee1222]

 

[tee1222]

 

[tee1222]

Backcourt tandem with Quinerly

 

[TinyManInside]

it's not like playing zone some means you will be unable to play man when the time comes.

ummm... that's exactly the excuse JB uses in his press conferences ALL THE TIME - that you can't be good at 2 defenses.

 

[Funk Doc]

ummm... that's exactly the excuse JB uses in his press conferences ALL THE TIME - that you can't be good at 2 defenses.

Unfortunately I believe that is JB's ego speaking. He's made his career off that zone, and yes, when played right, with the right personnel, it's a change and catches plenty of teams off guard. There is a reason that not many teams play strictly zone. Plain and simple, if you don't do it right it gets really ugly, which is what we are seeing now. I can guarantee though, that even bad man to man with this group might be better than the "zone" we have thrown out there in quite a few of these games. He's so stuck in his ways and has had such great success with the zone that he refuses to deviate from that.

I never thought I would say it, because he single handedly put this program on the map, but I think we need a fresh look. I think the worst decision he made was to announce so far ahead when he was done. I guess I just always thought he'd go like Bo Ryan and just surprise everyone, that seems more his style!

 

[hoopsupstate]

He didn't make that decision. The chancellor did. He had no say in the matter. After the sanctions the University had enough and let him save face by giving him three years.

 

[Janner]

Any reason for Luther Muhammad to not have an offer at this point? From the tape the kid looks real tough, he's in our neck of the woods and were recruiting his teammate. I would hate to see us not on him early and lose out, again.

 

[Ward]

We should be at as many of their games right now as humanly possible. Don't need 4 people to be allowed on the recruiting trail in order to have 1 or 2 guys with a presence letting Quinerly, Muhammad and King know they are huge priorities.

 

[TinyManInside]

Unfortunately I believe that is JB's ego speaking. He's made his career off that zone, and yes, when played right, with the right personnel, it's a change and catches plenty of teams off guard. There is a reason that not many teams play strictly zone. Plain and simple, if you don't do it right it gets really ugly, which is what we are seeing now. I can guarantee though, that even bad man to man with this group might be better than the "zone" we have thrown out there in quite a few of these games. He's so stuck in his ways and has had such great success with the zone that he refuses to deviate from that.

Yeah, I know and I agree with you. I was just pointing out that JB rides this point over and over to protect his defense.