I was glad when we apparently changed our strategy and leaned heavily toward recruiting high school players instead of jucos, mainly because we get to have them longer. However, a statistical review of the situation, I have to say that I have changed my “official” position. Here is a list of significant (I left out a few) jucos that have played here during Shields’ tenure:

Brandon Freeman
Zack Graber
Elijah Muldrow
Terrance Akins
Byron Ray
JJ
Rashad Moss
John Fowler
Shane Edwards
Wayne Burton
Alex Garcia-Mendoza
Ricky Davison
Montrell Thornton
D’Andre Williams
Marlon Louzeiro
Tramar Sutherland
Leroy Isler

That is a pretty solid group, MUCH more so than the list of high schoolers who have been here.

For example, consider a starting lineup of Williams, Freeman, Fowler, Shane Edwards, Jones-Jennings. That could go up against any Belt team I have ever seen. Or even Graber, Akins, Garcia-Mendoza, Ray, Thornton would be pretty good. (Quality in the post drops off faster than elsewhere.)

Freeman, Graber, Akins, JJ, Garcia-Mendoza and Davison are all on the all-time lists in this year’s media guide. And throw in the fact that Fowler was DPOY.

If we get a chance to sign a first-rate high school player, then do it, certainly. But our success rate has been much better with jucos, so I say go that route as our primary focus.

(I did not include Neighbour since we did not recruit him initially as a juco.)

If you can go back far enough, you can probably find a post where I said the same thing. And let's add transfers to the juco list. Solo, Joe Stephens, Mike Smith, Alan Barksdale, Brandon Patterson to name a few. Only high school player we didn't give an initial scholarship that we should have. Threeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I know E198 and Inside will love that.