The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

From what i see so far on the 2 main recruiting websites. We have a 5 star 4 star and 2 star recruits. What is our chances of getting Eric Bledsoe it looks from what i see its between UAB and Ole Miss, or does anybody know of any other players we might land for this class?

Ari Stewart is a good possibility. He's a 4 star forward. We were also in on a guy named Shaunssy Smith who's a 4 star shooting guard, but I haven't seen any new info on him in awhile.

So far our class is ranked 5th in the nation by ESPN.

Yeah, im not to sure about Ari unless you know something i dont from what i see and read other school at least 5 are ahead of UAB. As for Smith it does not look like UAB has made an offer. I really hope we can land 2 more big time players it would be a great thing for the program to fill the seats.

Ramsay7884 Wrote:Yeah, im not to sure about Ari unless you know something i dont from what i see and read other school at least 5 are ahead of UAB. As for Smith it does not look like UAB has made an offer. I really hope we can land 2 more big time players it would be a great thing for the program to fill the seats.

If you are just going by rivals or scout, they aren't necessarily the most accurate source of information.

Forgive my lack of basketball knowledge, but are any of those guys big scary guys who will break some arms under the basket?

We need one of those. Two, if you've got 'em.

Rivals also lists us under Lorenzo Brown, but I think we've dropped on his list. He'll probably go to NC St. There's also a guy named Sampson Carter from Memphis, but I don't know much about him.

Hopefully we can get Bledsoe and Stewart. I wouldn't pay too much attention to Rivals or Scout. Again, Scout said that Kentucky led for Demarcus Cousins just days before he gave his verbal to UAB.

Smaug Wrote:Forgive my lack of basketball knowledge, but are any of those guys big scary guys who will break some arms under the basket?

We need one of those. Two, if you've got 'em.

That's what Cousins is for.

Stewart we have a great shot at. Bledsoe Ole Miss has lead on him forever.

It's nice to be able to even have this conversation.

FYI - I think Sampson Carter is trying to get qualified for 2008. He is from Memphis but I don't think Memphis has room. He is 6' 7" G/F. His brother was on the Memphis staff but went with the assistant coach that took the UMass job. I also think Memphis (and others) are attempting to get borderline qualifiers to go to prep school and requalify for 2009 when they have space for them.

Carter probably will reclassify.

I'm familiar with the star ranking system, but I wanted to kinda compare these recruits (talent-wise) to our current players. Does anyone know how highly rated guys like Vaden, Sharpe, PD3, and any other players were coming out of high school?

Vaden=4 star
Sharpe=4 star
Toney=4 star
Kinnard=4 star
AJ=3 star
Crawford=3 star
Mayfield=3 or 4 star
PD3 I'm not sure

PD3 was a one or two star player.

Good chance a top 15-20 recruit in the NBA and top 150 would be a really good player. I was looking over Rivals top 150 from years past and found things funny, like CDR ranked 75 overall, Hendrix was rated higher than Hansbrough. 2004 was and great year, a lot of the players are in the NBA and Rober Vaden was ranked 38 overall, Walter Sharpe was 44, Joakim Noah was 75, Channing Toney 84, Frank Holmes 132.

jesseblazer Wrote:Stewart we have a great shot at. Bledsoe Ole Miss has lead on him forever.

Scout shoes Bledsoe as us being the only school he has high interest in. And we've offered.

Rivals has Bledsoe High on Ole Miss guess we will just have to see cant believe the kid out of Shades Valley isnt looking at us.

I can. He'd be taking a back seat with regards to PT if he went to UAB. He's likely to start anywhere else he goes.

Watford is looking at UAB... not sure he's one of our top targets, however. I think we'll have a very good 2009 class... probably Top 5 if things fall as expected.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruitin...id=3413915

[+] EnlargeJeremy Myers for ESPN.com

Dexter Strickland is one of four top-25 players from the Class of 2009 heading to Chapel Hill.
With college basketball programs in the process of finalizing their 2008 recruiting classes, the focus has started to shift toward the 2009 recruiting season. While some teams secured commitments from 2009 prospects very early in the recruiting process, other teams have enjoyed recent success by gaining commitments from talented players who are just finishing their junior seasons in high school.
Currently, only 42 players listed in the ESPN 100 have given verbal commitments. With more than half of the 2009 ESPN 100 prospects, including the top prospect in the class, 6-foot-9 PF Derrick Favors (Atlanta, Ga.), still searching for their college basketball homes, expect the competition for pledges from these elite players to intensify significantly.

This list will likely be changed dramatically in the coming months. As more 2009 prospects select programs, the rankings for the top recruiting classes will start to appear in clearer focus. Many schools will move up the rankings or drop in the rankings depending on how well they fare on the recruiting trail. These schools have flexed their recruiting muscles in these preliminary rankings of the top recruiting hauls in the Class of 2009.



1. North Carolina, four verbal commits

North Carolina coach Roy Williams has managed to put together an outstanding 2009 recruiting haul. Six-foot-3 combo guard Dexter Strickland (Elizabeth, N.J.) leads a very talented group of four top-25 prospects. Strickland will get plenty of help from 6-9 PF John Henson (Round Rock, Texas) and very skilled 6-9 power forwards David (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Travis Wear (Santa Ana, Calif.).


2. Illinois, four verbal commits

After losing 2007 prize Eric Gordon, Illinois coach Bruce Weber has endured some criticism because of a perceived lack of success in his recruiting efforts for the 2007 and 2008 classes. Weber has struck with a vengeance thus far in the 2009 class, with commitments from four prospects, led by a top-50 player, 6-9 PF Tyler Griffey (Wildwood, Mo.). ESPN 100 guards Brandon Paul (Warren, Ill.) and D.J. Richardson (Peoria, Ill.) in addition to 6-4 SG Joseph Bertrand (Sterling, Ill.) will provide scoring and playmaking from the perimeter to complement the inside presence of Griffin.

3. Georgetown, three verbal commits

After assembling a top-10 recruiting class in 2008, the Hoyas continue to stockpile talented prospects for their 2009 class. Georgetown coach John Thompson III has demonstrated great recruiting range by getting verbal commitments from two ESPN 100 players: 6-6 SF Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif.) and 6-11 C DaShonte Riley (Detroit, Mich.). This class gets a huge boost from 6-8 PF Chris Braswell (Baltimore, Md.), an ESPN 100 player from 2008 who will reclassify and enroll in 2009.

4. Louisville, three verbal commits

The beat goes on at Louisville as coach Rick Pitino continues to bring in quality players for his program. In 2009, the Cardinals will welcome one of the best point guards in the class in 6-foot Peyton Siva (Seattle). Meanwhile, 6-8 PF Rakeem Buckles (Miami) should produce plenty of highlight-reel plays with his explosive athleticism, and 6-4 SG Mike Marra (Smithfield, R.I.) should have plenty of chances to get off his smooth jump shot in Pitino's high-octane offense.

5. UAB, three verbal commits

Having UAB on this list is not a misprint; coach Mike Davis has delivered some monumental verbal pledges to Birmingham. One top-5 prospect, 6-9 PF DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, Ala.), has the talent to not only build a program, but his presence could help shift the balance of power in Conference USA. ESPN 100 combo-guard Tamir "Pops" Jackson (Newark, N.J.) should have plenty of room to operate on the perimeter due to Cousins' interior presence. Juco 6-10 PF Maurice Bolden will add depth along the front line for the Blazers.

6. Connecticut, two verbal commits

One top-20 prospect, 6-8 PF Alex Oriakhi (Lowell, Mass.), has the ability to dominate games on both ends when he decides to play with intensity. ESPN 100 6-6 SF Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has a college-ready physique already and plays the game with great exuberance.

7. Florida, two verbal commits

Florida coach Billy Donovan has attempted to duplicate the success of his recent NCAA championship teams by accumulating incredible depth on the front line. In his 2009 class, he has added two top-40 power forwards in 6-9 DeShawn Painter (Norfolk, Va.) and 6-10 Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.). This talented and versatile 2009 duo will only add to the interior talent that the Gators recruited in their 2008 class, giving Donovan the ability to use multiple looks up front for Florida.

8. Kansas State, two verbal commits

Kansas State coach Frank Martin continues to have success recruiting high-major talent from the famed D.C. Assault AAU organization. After having Assault alums Michael Beasley and Ron Anderson as members of last season's squad, Martin will add two more talented D.C. Assault players in 2009 who are also ESPN 100 prospects: 6-7 SF Wallace Judge (Jacksonville, Fla.) and 6-4 SG Rodney McGruder (Washington).

9. Michigan State, two verbal commits

Spartans coach Tom Izzo has two physical inside players -- 6-10 PF Garrick Sherman (Kenton, Ohio) and 6-9 C Derrick Nix (Detroit, Mich.) -- who will serve to anchor the pressure defense that he loves to employ. Both members of the ESPN 100, Sherman and Nix should provide Michigan State with space-eating inside muscle and scoring from the low block.


10. Purdue, four verbal commits



Purdue coach Matt Painter has rather quietly built a nice program in West Lafayette. He will welcome ESPN 100 6-4 SG D.J. Byrd (Crawfordsville, Ind.) to campus in 2009, along with highly regarded 6-5 SF Kelsey Barlow (Indianapolis). The Boilermakers will also have interior depth in the 2009 class provided by two power forwards who hail from Indianapolis: 6-8 Patrick Bade and 6-9 Jeff Robinson.

• Rutgers would have ranked very high on this list, but 6-9 C Gregory Echenique (Newark, N.J.), a top-10 prospect, graduated early, reclassified in the Class of 2008, and will attend Rutgers this year instead of in 2009. Despite "losing" Echenique, the Scarlet Knights have a solid 2009 recruiting class, which features ESPN 100 6-7 SF Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) and 6-7 PF Austin Johnson (Blairstown, N.J.).