I'm legitimately excited about our incoming freshmen. Silver, Ellison, Groce, and Epps. Looking forward to seeing these young men develop.

(03-30-2017 02:30 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 12:36 PM)emu steve Wrote:  Just tossing this out. Do NOT know if EMU is recruiting him:

Eric Williams (New Haven) 'blew up' and decommitted from D-2 and looking D-1. 6' 5" SG.

Sounds like he would be the type of recruiting target who would fit EMU.

EDIT:

EMU and a few other schools showing interest...

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/a...final-win/

https://twitter.com/D1FREAK/status/844334898269896711

And yes, EMU does recruit the state of Michigan...

If he can shoot, sign him. EMU needs shooters.

I was thinking of watching his Class B championship game but I didn't... Wish I had.

Sam or someone, we need to re-do our scholarship count.

Do we have ONE scholarship left????

Bond, Thompson, Nobles, Steele, LWH, Minnie, Jackson, Harris, Silver, Epps, Groce, Ellison

With Madray leaving, and the assumption that Blake Brown is not on scholarship, we have one left to give. Personally, i would like to see us get that JUCO combo guard, so we can let Silver develop. Because as it stands, we don't have a SG that isn't a freshman. Unless Harris is considered a guard. Don't know too much about his game.

(03-30-2017 09:18 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  Bond, Thompson, Nobles, Steele, LWH, Minnie, Jackson, Harris, Silver, Epps, Groce, Ellison

With Madray leaving, and the assumption that Blake Brown is not on scholarship, we have one left to give. Personally, i would like to see us get that JUCO combo guard, so we can let Silver develop. Because as it stands, we don't have a SG that isn't a freshman. Unless Harris is considered a guard. Don't know too much about his game.

That will be interesting. Blake Brown isn't on scholarship. I think Harris is more of a swing man and not a pure shooter.

I have been following Ellison (and Eric Williams) on Twitter. Those two seem to be friends. Williams has already been congratulating Ellison.

I would think Williams is in play for EMU.

The question is if Murphy wants to risk his job on quite a youth movement. It would probably be what is best for us in the long run, but we would be very inexperienced at the guard position next year.

I could see Groce, Silver, and Epps getting some minutes right away. Ellison can redshirt and become a key contributor in 18/19 after Bond graduates and Jackson is a senior.

Wish I would have watched the Class B finals (on Fox Sports Detroit).

Eric Williams, not the much heralded Weems, ended up as the prephoops.com POY in Class B. (I subscribe to it).

BTW, according to that site, Ellison and Williams were on the same AAU team last summer. It does really appear they are friends.

https://twitter.com/RocketCountry/status...3853228032

https://www.prephoops.com/2017/03/152000/

EDIT: Prephoops.com/michigan apparently is giving Ellison a 'higher' honor than Class C POY same for the much heralded Weems at New Haven.

I suspect that Ellison might be on the 'dream team' or similar.

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/a...-michigan/

Ellison is blowing up the Internet and media. His commitment is big news out there.

Here is the info on the "Mitten Classic" high school all-star game Saturday at Waterford Mott h.s.

Epps and Ellison will be playing in it.

https://michiganpreps.rivals.com/news/mi...ff-april-1

(03-30-2017 10:22 PM)emu steve Wrote:  Here is the info on the "Mitten Classic" high school all-star game Saturday at Waterford Mott h.s.

Epps and Ellison will be playing in it.

https://michiganpreps.rivals.com/news/mi...ff-april-1

Wish I could make it. Hopefully one of our Eagles Nest faithful will be there to give us some info. Not that you could ever take much away from an all-star game, but it's cool to have some recruits of ours playing in it.

(03-30-2017 10:47 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:22 PM)emu steve Wrote:  Here is the info on the "Mitten Classic" high school all-star game Saturday at Waterford Mott h.s.

Epps and Ellison will be playing in it.

https://michiganpreps.rivals.com/news/mi...ff-april-1

Wish I could make it. Hopefully one of our Eagles Nest faithful will be there to give us some info. Not that you could ever take much away from an all-star game, but it's cool to have some recruits of ours playing in it.

It could be entertaining. Both Ellison and Epps should excel in a full court up and down game.

If we end up with a class of all high school players yes it may be painful next year but I agree with Sam its best long term for the program and instate recruiting with mike brown gone our juco connections may be gone too right now I would go for wiiliams

It should be exciting to watch the 2017 class develop

(03-31-2017 05:32 AM)emu79 Wrote:  If we end up with a class of all high school players yes it may be painful next year but I agree with Sam its best long term for the program and instate recruiting with mike brown gone our juco connections may be gone too right now I would go for wiiliams

Interesting thing is it appears that Murphy is playing 'closer' himself.

Luckeyone said that Murphy was seen in Lansing for the MHSAA finals last weekend.

Murphy did lose two of his heavy duty recruiters. Don't know if they were out in March recruiting JUCOs.

(03-31-2017 05:32 AM)emu79 Wrote:  If we end up with a class of all high school players yes it may be painful next year but I agree with Sam its best long term for the program and instate recruiting with mike brown gone our juco connections may be gone too right now I would go for wiiliams

I'm not sure I worry about 2017/18, except as Sam has noted, SG.

I don't think Harris' stats indicates he is a true SG. His 3-ball shooting percentage at Houston Baptist wasn't good.

There is plenty of experienced talent at 1, 3, 4, and 5.

I see Murphy's big decision: Go JUCO SG or take a flyer on Eric Williams and hopes he strikes pay dirt.

It is very, very possible that Ellison and Williams are the type of athletes who came on gang busters as seniors and continue right along in college. I like that kind of prospect.

One thing we haven't discussed is leadership.

From what I've seen Ellison is a leader on the court and probably off too. I watched all of the Tweets and likes and re-tweets last night for/to Ellison and he seems like a very popular, well liked athlete. There is a lot of 'buzz' around him. I view that as a + indicating that he is well liked.

We sometimes forget that athletes are people and they may be liked or disliked, leader or follower, etc.

A player who is well liked, natural leader is a real plus for a team.

Going back to the great EMU teams. We had great leadership from Tolbert, Boykins, Dial, etc.

(03-31-2017 06:22 AM)emu steve Wrote:  One thing we haven't discussed is leadership.

From what I've seen Ellison is a leader on the court and probably off too. I watched all of the Tweets and likes and re-tweets last night for/to Ellison and he seems like a very popular, well liked athlete. There is a lot of 'buzz' around him. I view that as a + indicating that he is well liked.

We sometimes forget that athletes are people and they may be liked or disliked, leader or follower, etc.

A player who is well liked, natural leader is a real plus for a team.

Going back to the great EMU teams. We had great leadership from Tolbert, Boykins, Dial, etc.

One thing missing from our talented team this past season was a leader.

(03-31-2017 09:36 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-31-2017 06:22 AM)emu steve Wrote:  One thing we haven't discussed is leadership.

From what I've seen Ellison is a leader on the court and probably off too. I watched all of the Tweets and likes and re-tweets last night for/to Ellison and he seems like a very popular, well liked athlete. There is a lot of 'buzz' around him. I view that as a + indicating that he is well liked.

We sometimes forget that athletes are people and they may be liked or disliked, leader or follower, etc.

A player who is well liked, natural leader is a real plus for a team.

Going back to the great EMU teams. We had great leadership from Tolbert, Boykins, Dial, etc.

One thing missing from our talented team this past season was a leader.

I believe that to be the case.

this is all great news about the recruiting class! thanks all of you for staying on top of it.

regarding positions, i don't think pg, sg, sf, pf, c is the best way to look at it with Murphy. here are the positional needs as i see it regarding "shooting guards":
- you need shooters on the floor in general. this is true on any team, and definitely true in our offense. otherwise each point is a grind and JTIV doesn't have space to work down low.
- you need two guys who can play the top of the zone (Jackson is assumed, Bond is good up there, Nobles showed flashes of potential at the top, possibly Harris)
- if you have two guys playing in the forward spots on defense and those dudes can shoot, the guy on top of the zone doesn't have to be some knockdown shooter (although it would obviously be nice)
- there isn't a shooting guard so much as wings (on offense) and playing the top of the zone on defense. A venn diagram would not have complete overlap of the two.

all this means that a lineup of Thompson (if he goes back to playing the middle, which i hope he does), Minnie (allegedly a good shooter), Nobles (good shooter), Bond at 'sg' (mediocre shooter) and Jackson can work. If Nobles keeps improving over the summer, Nobles & Bond are interchangeable here on offense and defense and the term shooting guard loses some of its meaning.

Interesting, Aaron.

I think you and I are together that if Nobles is a good shooter and JT4 returns to center that is a great start as both will be playing their natural positions.

Another article with a LOT of detail on Ellison, his season, recruitment, opponents in 2016/17, etc.

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/a...k-ellison/