Good information for 2017 but I have to tell you I'm more concerned with 2016.
Three 2016 scholarships up for grabs, we've seen countless guys mentioned on these pages we're after and so far...nothing. After two consecutive 20 win seasons you would hope we're close on some guys.
(06-17-2015 03:32 PM)Big Tribe Wrote: [ -> ]Good information for 2017 but I have to tell you I'm more concerned with 2016.
Three 2016 scholarships up for grabs, we've seen countless guys mentioned on these pages we're after and so far...nothing. After two consecutive 20 win seasons you would hope we're close on some guys.
Only two 2016 verbal commits among all CAA teams to date (PG to CofC and SG to Towson, both of whom are relatively, non-impact player commits at this point.)
If our competition was securing a few impact commits at this stage already, then, yes, we'd have reason for concern, but the current landscape is showing that most players are waiting to see how their prospects play out with the July AAU period. We've upgraded our target pool, as we should, and now just have to let the groundedness of Tony and staff and a W&M education come through all of the noise these kids are dealing with. Higher risks, higher rewards, but I'm sure Tony has plan b, plan c options ready to go, if needed.
The continued impact of Marcus may have an even bigger influence on the 2016 class, if he is fortunate enough to get that draft spot and the spill-off publicity that will come with it, right before that July period.
I am just as encouraged that: a) Elijah Pemberton has been offered as a 2015 by K-State, took an official last weekend and didn't commit, b) Oliver Powell took an unofficial to SMU last week and didn't commit, c) Lindy Waters now has offers from virtually every high major and hasn't committed, d) Grant Williams with offers from Princeton, Harvard, Tennessee, Richmond and hasn't committed, e) Clayton Hughes, with Butler, Ole Miss, Miss St, Depaul, Rhode Island and hasn't committed, f) Kevon Tucker, offers from Tulsa, GA State, Charlotte, strong interest from Tennessee, and hasn't committed. Then the prized local tandem of Richard Washington (Wake Forest, Cincy, ODU) and Nick Sherod (Richmond, VT, GMU) and.......We are still in the ring.
Justin Byerly tweeted :
"Tenn, GA St, William & Mary & Indiana St in last night at Norcross (GA) to watch 2017's Rayshaun Hammonds, Jordan Goldwire & Lance Thomas"
Also, they are apparently in to see workouts this morning at Sequoyah high school in Georgia. I deduce it is to see 6'5 guard Jordan Usher.
Mercury Elite, Inc. @MercuryEliteAAU 3m3 minutes ago
Furman and William and Mary will both be in to see #MercuryElite 2017 6'1 PG Tai Bibbs tomorrow at his West Chicago open gym.
It's way to early to get one's hopes up for specific names but I'm trying to get a feel for what positions we would be targeting.
I like the flow of recruits at center (Sheldon, Whitman, Seacat, Knight) and at forward (Tarpey, Prewitt, Malinowski, Rowley, Pierce). At all three of these positions we can hope that when a senior starter graduates his replacement will already have been with the Tribe for a year+. Of course we would always try to recruit over these kids but it looks like two solid pipelines.
The situation at guard looks a little more chaotic. If we don't get a guard with our final scholarship for 2016, then we are looking at 5 guards on the roster (not counting Glover), all of whom will be gone in three years.
My rule of thumb to trying to guess what Shaver wants to do is to try to remember what Dean Smith did. I seem to recall that Dean Smith liked to have Seniors backed up by Sophomores.
With only 2 or 3 scholarships available, I have to think guards will be our top priority.
Uh ... OK, maybe I don't read so well. I guess Pierce might be a shooting guard. He seems to be referred to as a shooting guard/swing man. And Knight is actually listed as a 6'8" power forward.
If Pierce can play the 2 spot, that reduces the pressure on recruiting guards though a point guard would seem to remain a priority.
I just assumed that a 6'6" swing man in high school would be a forward for us and a 6'8" forward would be a center (like Rustoven who was supposedly going to be a forward). Hopefully these guys are the kind of athletes who create matchup problems for our opponents.
We've had a lot of transfer success at PG. Adam Payton, Sean McCurdy, now David Cohn. We do need to get a freshman in, though, since our 3 PGs are all sophomores now and there's no PG (currently) in the 2016 class.
PG appears to be the focus of the staff for 2017, based on who they've been in contact with early.
Peyton Broughton is a big time player, and again ups the level of targets we're going after. Not sure we can hang in there through next summer's AAU run, but nice tweet from his father, so, you never know where the family focus is...Keep that Kentucky connection going!
(10-17-2015 04:59 PM)billymac Wrote: [ -> ]Interesting side note on 2017 recruiting, Bryce Schneider (yes, those Schneiders) just committed to play for Richmond.
Congrats to him and his family.
Saw David in the pic with Bryce and family and Mooney on UR's campus today....blasphemy
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