This is a 2015, not 2016, note:

We missed on Dugan (WMU), Mike Edwards (Georgia) but got James Thompson.

He might be (probably is) the best of the three.

Recruiting, like much of life, is unpredictable. I believe Thompson signed in July. Like really late.

BTW, Dugan is playing, splitting time with LaMont, but not at Thompson's level. Edwards has played one game, seven minutes, 3 points.

Thompson stepped into a perfect spot for him.

Thompson has a big matchup tonight. Percy Gibson will be similar in build and skill to several MAC big men, like Boothe and Forsythe. It'll be a nice early season test for James. He really needs to stay out of foul trouble. Probably the most important player on the team this year, even when Raven Lee is activated.

(06-15-2015 09:22 AM)emu79 Wrote:  A couple of items N Wallace ended up at Division II Barry in Florida.

6'9" 260 Juwan Savage (Bogan/JuCo) on visit to Muskegon CC today. Has 1 year JuCo left.

Might be interesting if Savage transfers to a instate Juco and keep your eye on him. From Bogan high school Chicago area.

http://region2athletics.com/sports/mbkb/...savagerymv

This just in from TJ Kelley:

6-9 Juwan Savage redshirting @ Dodge City CC, finish Associates in spring, have 3 years eligibility (6th year petitioned for)

What's the connection to Michigan?

I'm not familiar with him.

(11-21-2015 01:19 PM)emu steve Wrote:  What's the connection to Michigan?

I'm not familiar with him.

Was going to transfer to Muskegon CC which would have been a potential Michigan connection but apparently decided to go to Dodge City instead. Out of Chicago high school circuit.

updating status:

Onwenu to Alcorn St. I wish he could've worked his issues out with the coaching staff. I believe he would've been a starter last year or this year. Anyone know why the coaching staff did not want to bring Onwenu back for a 5th seasons.

Was it his attitude? Pat O forever rid me of perusing the twitter pages of UDM basketball players. He was on some real gangsta stuff, which I found curious due to the fact that he was raised in a nice stable two parent suburban home, and was an honor student.

http://www.alcornsports.com/roster.aspx ... ath=mbball

(11-22-2015 05:26 PM)emu79 Wrote:  updating status:

Onwenu to Alcorn St. I wish he could've worked his issues out with the coaching staff. I believe he would've been a starter last year or this year. Anyone know why the coaching staff did not want to bring Onwenu back for a 5th seasons.

Was it his attitude? Pat O forever rid me of perusing the twitter pages of UDM basketball players. He was on some real gangsta stuff, which I found curious due to the fact that he was raised in a nice stable two parent suburban home, and was an honor student.

http://www.alcornsports.com/roster.aspx ... ath=mbball

I remember reading the Tweets about the team's open gym. Think he and K-Ward had Tweets about the Saturday open gym.

Remember, he was coming off a bad injury and wasn't in playing shape.

I believe the open scholarship went to Nick Madray.

It is possible that both he and Nick Madray were on campus the same weekend. I believe Eagle Sam and I were trying to follow player Tweets.

top players in MI h.s. ball. All classes. We're named for several players.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/.../76906638/

BTW, this list is for all academic classes from senior to soph. Also note, that a number of the prospects listed will play football, not basketball, in college.

I would also assume that we could end up with 2 scholarships to give. I doubt there has been any recent year where at least one player didn't leave the program (it is par for the course in college basketball).

So it would make sense to look for both a big and a back court guy.

And is Murphy's style: he could look JUCO, late h.s. signee, transfer, etc.

With two solid players sitting out, he could take a h.s. player and redshirt him, a transfer sitout, or even an immediate impact JUCO.

just for fun, some nice unsigned talent here:

satodayhss.com/2015/midmichigan-boys-hoops-players-to-watch

I did a Google search and stumbled across this 2017 recruiting thread in an UDM fan forum.

I suggest doing a 'find' on 'Eastern' and one will find a lot of names. I counted 'eastern michigan' NINE times.

The list is two plus years old, but folks ask: "Do we recruit Michigan (much)?" Of course.

http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net/...ing-thread

here is their 2016 thread (again pretty old):

http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net/...recruiting

Here is Mick McCabe's top 100 (top 50, in order + 50 more). All high school grades. Link is to the UDM fans forum:

http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net/...-fall-2016

I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

Poplar 's picture is now on the Glen Oaks website as team member, still not sure what his status is there.

(12-13-2015 05:44 AM)emu steve Wrote:  Here is Mick McCabe's top 100 (top 50, in order + 50 more). All high school grades. Link is to the UDM fans forum:

http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net/...-fall-2016

Interesting no mention of Kyle Hayes.

(12-13-2015 10:18 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

You mean top Michigan high school players aren't flocking to play for someone with so many media contacts and with two back to back 20 win seasons? Shocking I say. WMU and CMU seems to have no problems. Murphy deserves credit from bringing us from the bottom of the MAC to just average or maybe a C+. As you recall this was a team that blew games with Ball State last year. Outside of Thompson the newcomers this year haven't impressed me overall and we have a mediocre game at point guard no matter who plays. Bond hasn't matured into the scorer I thought he'd be. Murphy rolled the dice this year with LWH and lost so we really don't have any frontcourt depth this year. Price has been better defensively but where's the shooting that once marked him a top 150 prospect prior to DePaul? Oakland is gobbling up the transfers that should be all rights be looking at EMU. Will Murphy take EMU to the NCAAs or NIT? If he can't within the next two years we should look at a change.

(12-13-2015 01:42 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 10:18 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

You mean top Michigan high school players aren't flocking to play for someone with so many media contacts and with two back to back 20 win seasons? Shocking I say. WMU and CMU seems to have no problems. Murphy deserves credit from bringing us from the bottom of the MAC to just average or maybe a C+. As you recall this was a team that blew games with Ball State last year. Outside of Thompson the newcomers this year haven't impressed me overall and we have a mediocre game at point guard no matter who plays. Bond hasn't matured into the scorer I thought he'd be. Murphy rolled the dice this year with LWH and lost so we really don't have any frontcourt depth this year. Price has been better defensively but where's the shooting that once marked him a top 150 prospect prior to DePaul? Oakland is gobbling up the transfers that should be all rights be looking at EMU. Will Murphy take EMU to the NCAAs or NIT? If he can't within the next two years we should look at a change.

We might have the best mid-major recruit in the United States of America and you complain... Plus two good sit outs.

There are a lot of frosh mid-major centers who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

(12-13-2015 02:40 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:42 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 10:18 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

You mean top Michigan high school players aren't flocking to play for someone with so many media contacts and with two back to back 20 win seasons? Shocking I say. WMU and CMU seems to have no problems. Murphy deserves credit from bringing us from the bottom of the MAC to just average or maybe a C+. As you recall this was a team that blew games with Ball State last year. Outside of Thompson the newcomers this year haven't impressed me overall and we have a mediocre game at point guard no matter who plays. Bond hasn't matured into the scorer I thought he'd be. Murphy rolled the dice this year with LWH and lost so we really don't have any frontcourt depth this year. Price has been better defensively but where's the shooting that once marked him a top 150 prospect prior to DePaul? Oakland is gobbling up the transfers that should be all rights be looking at EMU. Will Murphy take EMU to the NCAAs or NIT? If he can't within the next two years we should look at a change.

We might have the best mid-major recruit in the United States of America and you complain... Plus two good sit outs.

There are a lot of frosh mid-major centers who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

Hm, we know why we got Thompson, lets call that a special case, we have a sit out that was to be on the court right now not sitting out for academic reasons, but I do agree with you next year Murphy and staff have to bring the goods in a conference championship and NCAA bid. I keep forgetting when it comes to recruiting Michigan high school kids WMU, Oakland and CMU have to the NCAAs in recent history and Murphy well Murphy has not.

(12-14-2015 04:15 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 02:40 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:42 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 10:18 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

You mean top Michigan high school players aren't flocking to play for someone with so many media contacts and with two back to back 20 win seasons? Shocking I say. WMU and CMU seems to have no problems. Murphy deserves credit from bringing us from the bottom of the MAC to just average or maybe a C+. As you recall this was a team that blew games with Ball State last year. Outside of Thompson the newcomers this year haven't impressed me overall and we have a mediocre game at point guard no matter who plays. Bond hasn't matured into the scorer I thought he'd be. Murphy rolled the dice this year with LWH and lost so we really don't have any frontcourt depth this year. Price has been better defensively but where's the shooting that once marked him a top 150 prospect prior to DePaul? Oakland is gobbling up the transfers that should be all rights be looking at EMU. Will Murphy take EMU to the NCAAs or NIT? If he can't within the next two years we should look at a change.

We might have the best mid-major recruit in the United States of America and you complain... Plus two good sit outs.

There are a lot of frosh mid-major centers who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

Hm, we know why we got Thompson, lets call that a special case, we have a sit out that was to be on the court right now not sitting out for academic reasons, but I do agree with you next year Murphy and staff have to bring the goods in a conference championship and NCAA bid. I keep forgetting when it comes to recruiting Michigan high school kids WMU, Oakland and CMU have to the NCAAs in recent history and Murphy well Murphy has not.

'79, you really out to try to be fair. EMU doesn't recruit well within MI for men's hoops that is true. For football it is in my opinion WORSE. I don't post much on FB recruiting, but I do see this lists of top 35, 50 or 60 in MI. EMU gets virtually shutout in MI. In recent years whenever we got a 'rated' football recruit in MI, he was one who was rated higher earlier and then dropped off in the recruiting battles but we rank them higher than they really were.

EMU revenue sports, FB, men's basketball and women's basketball all have trouble recruiting MI.

I've always maintained that one can take a dozen h.s. athletes from MI and a dozen from outside MI and ask their 'opinion' of EMU and the outside MI group will have a much more positive attitude.

EMU has an image problem within the state it does not have as one gets outside MI and the Midwest.

The 'theme' in EMU recruiting is if you can get a recruit on campus you can sign him/her. Their opinion of having visited the school is better than their opinion, from whatever sources in forming an opinion, is of the school beforehand. They visit the athletic facilities and the rest of the campus and come away surprised. I consider EMU to have a very nice campus.

If one used one of the polling techniques for assessing public opinions and attitudes (e.g., about cities), and asked about Ann Arbor, E. Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti, Rochester Hills, probably Ypsilanti would come in dead last (and that is unfortunate as one can live anywhere in the area some very nice areas including near Ann Arbor. Another case where public perception isn't always accurate.). I believe social researchers now use adjective lists and let the respondent pick the one(s) which they best feel best describe the attribute. Ann Arbor: well educated, white collar, cultured, affluent, etc. Ypsilanti: blue collar. Mt. Pleasant: mid-Michigan, growing, small town, etc. Auburn Hills: Oakland County, affluent, etc.

Winning championships in FB or men's basketball would help change that.

(12-14-2015 06:56 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 04:15 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 02:40 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:42 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 10:18 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  I believe Murphy has got to try and build a Recruiting class with high school seniors who could have three years to play with Thompson. I do not mind sprinkling a JC player here or there but he devotes too much emphasis on JC players that only have two years of Eligibility

You mean top Michigan high school players aren't flocking to play for someone with so many media contacts and with two back to back 20 win seasons? Shocking I say. WMU and CMU seems to have no problems. Murphy deserves credit from bringing us from the bottom of the MAC to just average or maybe a C+. As you recall this was a team that blew games with Ball State last year. Outside of Thompson the newcomers this year haven't impressed me overall and we have a mediocre game at point guard no matter who plays. Bond hasn't matured into the scorer I thought he'd be. Murphy rolled the dice this year with LWH and lost so we really don't have any frontcourt depth this year. Price has been better defensively but where's the shooting that once marked him a top 150 prospect prior to DePaul? Oakland is gobbling up the transfers that should be all rights be looking at EMU. Will Murphy take EMU to the NCAAs or NIT? If he can't within the next two years we should look at a change.

We might have the best mid-major recruit in the United States of America and you complain... Plus two good sit outs.

There are a lot of frosh mid-major centers who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

Hm, we know why we got Thompson, lets call that a special case, we have a sit out that was to be on the court right now not sitting out for academic reasons, but I do agree with you next year Murphy and staff have to bring the goods in a conference championship and NCAA bid. I keep forgetting when it comes to recruiting Michigan high school kids WMU, Oakland and CMU have to the NCAAs in recent history and Murphy well Murphy has not.

'79, you really out to try to be fair. EMU doesn't recruit well within MI for men's hoops that is true. For football it is in my opinion WORSE. I don't post much on FB recruiting, but I do see this lists of top 35, 50 or 60 in MI. EMU gets virtually shutout in MI. In recent years whenever we got a 'rated' football recruit in MI, he was one who was rated higher earlier and then dropped off in the recruiting battles but we rank them higher than they really were.

EMU revenue sports, FB, men's basketball and women's basketball all have trouble recruiting MI.

I've always maintained that one can take a dozen h.s. athletes from MI and a dozen from outside MI and ask their 'opinion' of EMU and the outside MI group will have a much more positive attitude.

EMU has an image problem within the state it does not have as one gets outside MI and the Midwest.

The 'theme' in EMU recruiting is if you can get a recruit on campus you can sign him/her. Their opinion of having visited the school is better than their opinion, from whatever sources in forming an opinion, is of the school beforehand. They visit the athletic facilities and the rest of the campus and come away surprised. I consider EMU to have a very nice campus.

If one used one of the polling techniques for assessing public opinions and attitudes (e.g., about cities), and asked about Ann Arbor, E. Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti, Rochester Hills, probably Ypsilanti would come in dead last (and that is unfortunate as one can live anywhere in the area some very nice areas including near Ann Arbor. Another case where public perception isn't always accurate.). I believe social researchers now use adjective lists and let the respondent pick the one(s) which they best feel best describe the attribute. Ann Arbor: well educated, white collar, cultured, affluent, etc. Ypsilanti: blue collar. Mt. Pleasant: mid-Michigan, growing, small town, etc. Auburn Hills: Oakland County, affluent, etc.

Winning championships in FB or men's basketball would help change that.

Agree with the image problem. A lot of that comes from the media only covering the bad things, the losing tradition of football, the reputation of poor attendance, and the focus on B10 and pro sports in the area. If it's not big time then it does not exist.

Every school seems to have their niche.

UDM gets the city kids who want to stay home. Apparently they'd rather go to UDM than Oakland, EMU or others.

UDM has a unique urban environment. Some like it. Some do not.

CMU gets the kids mostly from 'outstate.' WMU does very well in outstate, esp. in the Western part of the state.

We seem to come out 3rd for Detroit area kids to OU, UDM.

HAVING SAID THAT, I really do not care where the recruits come. I think we are doing BETTER by getting kids from outside MI.

Coaches, like Murphy, have extensive contact where they've been and Murphy can go up and down the Atlantic Coast. Plenty of good basketball there.