The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/t-j-clifford

Same school as Brian Mullins of 5 years or so ago who played at SIU in their heyday.

Plays Illinois Wolves coached by Mullins Dad.

Has offer from solid SoCon program Furman. Will visit a host of Ivy's too in June.

Doesn't look like an offer yet. But enough interest that he's tweeted his pending visit schedule for June. July may be the tale of the tape here.

A "Stretch 4" ? VC shows he is only 6-6.

GBL have you seen anything recent about Chicago's Anthony Cameron ( Hyde Park Academy )? VC shows WMU offered.

Any video on Clifford or Cameron?

(06-03-2016 07:40 AM)okgc Wrote:  A "Stretch 4" ? VC shows he is only 6-6.

GBL have you seen anything recent about Chicago's Anthony Cameron ( Hyde Park Academy )? VC shows WMU offered.

6' 6" here, 6' 7" there. Shoots a 3 ball.

Furman has a nice program. Their "big" is a high post player.

Illinois Wolves is a very disciplined program. Kids get solid instruction. Play as a team and in AAU that is saying something.

Cameron reads to be a big soft kid. Not real impressed. Here are stats from his spring AAU. Over 8 games he averaged 18 mins and .1 block per game. High FG% but for a big with limited range that is to be expected. Very poor FT %. Rebounds were not many. Sounds like he is an area rebounder. IOW, if he has position and the ball comes his way he has a decent chance. He isn't going to be on one side and pluck it off the other side of rim.

http://www.threestripehoops.com/roster_p...son=286490

Clifford offered this evening or reported an hour ago.

Scott Burgess ‏@scottybscout · 1h1 hour ago

Downers Grove South 2017 PF TJ Clifford picks up Western Michigan offer! @WolvesILL @VerbalCommits

A little surprised.

Says to me that pickings are slim for those WMU really covets.

July eval is just around the corner. Kids are going to wait until their coffers are full unless they feel the love leaving then they'll make a quick commitment.

Programs do the same. Remember the kid out of Grand Haven and Whittington. Hawk didn't want to be left holding a bag of nuthin. Snapped them up and later as larger programs were filling up David Brown and Nate Hutchinson were available. Yes, Brown was hurt and Hutch was just nuts but both certainly paid dividends and until his junior year you could easily argue Whittington was a taller Harper. Taken to early and wasn't going to pan out.
Recruiting is such a roll of the dice.

I like Hawkins style more than some others.
GT for example has reportably offered 31 scholarships to 2017 grads. Throwing darts in the wind.

(06-29-2016 08:39 AM)okgc Wrote:  I like Hawkins style more than some others.
GT for example has reportably offered 31 scholarships to 2017 grads. Throwing darts in the wind.

If GT is Georgia Tech then that is an outlier. Dismal program playing in an elite conference in desperate need of relevancy with a new HC. Cast as wide a net offering immediate PT to compete against others assured of post season play.

After Harper of Grand Haven and most recently, I heard there was a shift in emphasis at WMU of looking to get difference makers who could immediately impact. The approach of bringing in a kid, working him in watching upper classmen who had done the same waiting, watching and learning wasn't paying off. Make a bad choice early on you are stuck for the next 4 years with tailing off depth.

A program like WMU needs to be selective. You don't want or need just anybody. And the level of recruit that will commit to a mid-major like WMU has more "play" in the possibilities. They may be a + like Wilder or a - like Harper (in talent). The kid who transfers from Kansas can likely play anywhere below KU on talent alone and still be playing for a perennial post season participant. Not in the MAC. If you don't "nail the evaluation" you have lost a slot for at least a year and if they leave it generally isn't up to a more competitive program.

Per Steve Bell re TJC:...But they havent scored since, Wolves up 8. They have a badass white boy dunker.

and

Steve Bell
‏@BankHoops

Wolves' 17U Mike Bramos clone is TJ Clifford, has WMU offer.

Quote:Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.
H. L. Mencken