SU Top 100 Recruits | Syracusefan.com

SU Top 100 Recruits

SWC75

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Basketball Reference.com has a list of the top 100 recruits for every year since 1998:

I decided to list the ones who chose SU:

1998-99 Tony Bland #39, Kueth Duany #81
1999-00 DeShaun Williams #46
2000-01 None
2001-02 Billy Edelin #36, Craig Forth #79
2002-03 Carmelo Anthony #2, Gerry McNamara #38
2003-04 Demetris Nichols #31, Darryl Watkins #34, Terrence Roberts #42
2004-05 Josh Wright #36, Deshawn Wright #65
2005-06 Eric Devendorf #22
2006-07 Paul Harris #23
2007-08 Donte Greene #8, Jonny Flynn #20, Scoop Jardine #50, Rick Jackson #60
2008-09 Mookie Jones #46, Kris Joseph #56
2009-10 Dashonte Riley #85
2010-11 Fab Melo #14, Dion Waiters #31, CJ Fair #96
2011-12 Rakeem Christmas #21, Michael Carter-Williams #25 (Michael Gbinije was #28 but went to Duke), Trevor Cooney #79
2012-13 DaJuan Coleman #18, Jerami Grant #41
2013-14 Tyler Ennis #23, Tyler Robertson #37
2014-15 Chris McCullough #19, Kaleb Joseph #52 (Paschal Chukwu was #66 but went to Providence)
2015-16 Malachi Richardson #29, Tyler Lydon #72, Frank Howard #79
2016-17 Tyus Battle #31, Matthew Moyer #60, Taurean Thompson #84
2017-18 None
2018-19 Jalen Carey #52
2019-20 Brycen Goodine #91
2020-21 Kadary Richmond #89
2021-22 Benny Williams #28

Not in the top 100 but started games for us:
(per 1998-99 Syracuse Orange Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com )
Preston Shumpert, Jeremy McNeil, James Theus, Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace, Louise McCroskey, Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins, Brandon Triche, James Southerland, Baye Moussa Keita, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Bourama Sidibe, Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard, Jesse Edwards, Quincy Guerrier, Frank Anselem

Suppose this team:
Dashonte Riley (#85), Deshawn Wright (#65), Mookie Jones (#46), Josh Wright (#36), and Kaleb Joseph (#52)
took on this team:
Arinze Onuaku, Hakim Warrick, Preston Shumpert, Andy Rautins and Joe Girard

Who would win?
 
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Was Mookie really that good. I missed that period he played. He’s referenced a lot but I don’t know if it’s legit or a running joke
 
Was Mookie really that good. I missed that period he played. He’s referenced a lot but I don’t know if it’s legit or a running joke
Running joke
 
Was Mookie really that good. I missed that period he played. He’s referenced a lot but I don’t know if it’s legit or a running joke

I think Mookie was very talented. If I remember, his HS team from Westchester won the States, and he was an All-State player. His jumper was every bit as pretty as Southerland's. But things were hard and didn't quite work out for him here. But he had a handful of great games for SU in his time on the Hill. Big Mookie fan here!

 
I think Mookie was very talented. If I remember, his HS team from Westchester won the States, and he was an All-State player. His jumper was every bit as pretty as Southerland's. But things were hard and didn't quite work out for him here. But he had a handful of great games for SU in his time on the Hill. Big Mookie fan here!



I remember saying that Mookie was "last in the Big East in time of possession" and got some LOLs for that one.

Rank the Mookies:
1) "Do the Right Thing" Mookie
2) Wilson
3) Blaylock
4) Watkins
5) Jones

Any others?
 

I remember saying that Mookie was "last in the Big East in time of possession" and got some LOLs for that one.

Rank the Mookies:
1) "Do the Right Thing" Mookie
2) Wilson
3) Blaylock
4) Watkins
5) Jones

Any others?
Some guy named Mookie Betts
 
Oops. He might be #1. (If I were a red Sox or Dodgers fan, I'd have thunk of it.)
Right. I actually googled "Mookie's". It's not like it's Mookie Mantle.
 
I looked up Louie McCroskey #67 according to Rivals), Darryl Watkins (#24 according to Rivals & 247) from that heralded 2003-2004 class wondering if they belonged on SWC’s list above. I remember that they were called by some the ‘Fab 4‘ with Terrence Roberts and Demetrius Nichols. I just remember the excitement over that incoming class after the National Championship.
 
Was Mookie really that good. I missed that period he played. He’s referenced a lot but I don’t know if it’s legit or a running joke

Mookie was really, really good in high school. That high school ranking was legit. Saw him play several times and he had a really well rounded, patient game that included a lethal mid-range pull-up, pretty good 3 point shot (but he didn't rely heavily on it), and lots of mid-post turnaround jumpers. Didn't seem to force much and was an astute passer.

Showed up at SU like 30+ pounds heavier than he was in high school and basically camped at the three point line and chucked up threes with very little emphasis on team play. It was like he turned into a completely different player. One of the more surprising transformations I've seen from high school to college.
 
I looked up Louie McCroskey #67 according to Rivals), Darryl Watkins (#24 according to Rivals & 247) from that heralded 2003-2004 class wondering if they belonged on SWC’s list above. I remember that they were called by some the ‘Fab 4‘ with Terrence Roberts and Demetrius Nichols. I just remember the excitement over that incoming class after the National Championship.

BasketballReference.com got their rankings from this service, which, like 247 compiles averages from the other services:

I realized I left out Mookie Watkins, who was #34 on RSCI's list so I added him in and redid the bottom of the post to ask the question that is there now.
 
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BasketballReference.com got their rankings from this service, which, like 247 compiles averages from the other services:
Strange and interesting - just googled Syracuse.com and found this 2017 article naming that 2003 SU’s 9th best class of all time for ranked recruiting classes. I remember all the talk and excitement back then too.
 

I remember saying that Mookie was "last in the Big East in time of possession" and got some LOLs for that one.

Rank the Mookies:
1) "Do the Right Thing" Mookie
2) Wilson
3) Blaylock
4) Watkins
5) Jones

Any others?

Little bit of Mookie trivia:

There was am obscure 90's grunge band named "Mookie Blaylock".
Said hoops player had an issue with that, and his attorneys made them change the name.

Which is kinda too bad.
I wonder what happened to them??

They went with "Pearl Jam" instead.
 
Little bit of Mookie trivia:

There was am obscure 90's grunge band named "Mookie Blaylock".
Said hoops player had an issue with that, and his attorneys made them change the name.

Which is kinda too bad.
I wonder what happened to them??

They went with "Pearl Jam" instead.
Saw them at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY in 1990. There were maybe 65 people at the show. Their merch setup has jerseys with #31 on the back and 'Pearl' written as the name.

No band ever got more mileage out of making a single good album; 30+ years ago, ever.
 
Saw them at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY in 1990. There were maybe 65 people at the show. Their merch setup has jerseys with #31 on the back and 'Pearl' written as the name.

No band ever got more mileage out of making a single good album; 30+ years ago, ever.
Wait, you really think Pearl Jam has just one good album?
Perhaps that is true for you, but not sure that is accurate for most of the rest of us.
 
Strange and interesting - just googled Syracuse.com and found this 2017 article naming that 2003 SU’s 9th best class of all time for ranked recruiting classes. I remember all the talk and excitement back then too.

 
Strange and interesting - just googled Syracuse.com and found this 2017 article naming that 2003 SU’s 9th best class of all time for ranked recruiting classes. I remember all the talk and excitement back then too.
Boeheim called it his “best ever” at the time.
 
Saw them at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY in 1990. There were maybe 65 people at the show. Their merch setup has jerseys with #31 on the back and 'Pearl' written as the name.

No band ever got more mileage out of making a single good album; 30+ years ago, ever.
……I think I like the 2nd, and 3rd albums better?

After #3, it was a wrap for me, though.
 
Jim loves his hyperboles. A not so fun “what if”…how different is the program if Bazley comes? Adding a top 10 recruit and 1st round talent to a sweet 16 team returning most of its talent.

Bazley wasn’t that guy out of HS.

He developed into a nice all around player, but that’s not the guy we didn’t get on campus.
 

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