(11-17-2014 09:50 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I think signing Cochrane would send a positive message.

I don't think EMU has even offered James, WMU and Toledo have.

The U of D board hints at "medical condition". Have no knowledge about the details or the truthfulness of their comments.

Interesting.

I talk about recruiting sea to shining sea (Baltimore to L.A. and I'd go to Europe, Africa, Russia, etc., but ONE advantage of recruiting locally is that if there are 'issues' like academics, character, medical, etc. that information is likely to be out there and easier to find.

E.g., Moss who is now at UB apparently was diagnosed with a heart condition and later cleared to play and did JUCO and now at UB. Marvin Skipper had a heart condition which apparently wasn't diagnosed until he got to EMU.

It is nice to have Micah Robinson (EMU women's team) and would be nice to have Cochrane (on the men's team). Having players from Ann Arbor Huron would be a +.

WMU gets Seth Dugan. Ruh roh...

One thing, I think, which is hurting us is the strength of the Horizon teams.

Adding Oakland has been a big plus for the conference. It set up a rivalry with UDM and also means a kid who signs say with Gary Waters CLE State team will have games vs. two Detroit area teams.

Horizon, I assume, started getting a lot better when Butler started to make waves on the national stage.

The problem I have here is that we blow out Oakland, we won 22 games last year and we "may" be on track to win 18 plus this season and yet it appears not to impact our recruiting in terms of success and moving up the high school recruiting ladder especially locally.

Dear Friends,
Just to throw my two cents in on the discussion of Detroit and local recruiting. Everyone probably knows that when Ramsey was head coach, McDowell was his main assistant. He had been head coach at Redford High in Detroit, and took his teams to two state finals. All the time he was at Eastern, I don't think we got a top notch recruit out of Detroit. I always wondered if somehow he had alienated the other coaches in Detroit, and they were black balling Eastern because of it. I just thought he would have had a open door to the possible recruits in Detroit.
If what I have postulated here is correct, does anyone think that is something that Murphy has had to overcome? Do the public school coaches view Eastern as a good fit for their players?

(11-19-2014 09:19 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Just to throw my two cents in on the discussion of Detroit and local recruiting. Everyone probably knows that when Ramsey was head coach, McDowell was his main assistant. He had been head coach at Redford High in Detroit, and took his teams to two state finals. All the time he was at Eastern, I don't think we got a top notch recruit out of Detroit. I always wondered if somehow he had alienated the other coaches in Detroit, and they were black balling Eastern because of it. I just thought he would have had a open door to the possible recruits in Detroit.
If what I have postulated here is correct, does anyone think that is something that Murphy has had to overcome? Do the public school coaches view Eastern as a good fit for their players?

For all of the yapping about Murphy not recruiting locally, the Ramsey team, Ramsey, McDowell, Thomas, etc. didn't exactly burn up Detroit and Lansing.

And as I mentioned in another post, McDowell was fired (along with the rest of the Ramsey staff) and is coaching in Detroit with D-I talent on his squad. I wouldn't think he'll do EMU any great favors...

Compare this with Buffalo which hired Nate Oates to be an assistant. UB goes back to Romulus and gets some recruits.

(11-19-2014 07:59 AM)emu79 Wrote:  The problem I have here is that we blow out Oakland, we won 22 games last year and we "may" be on track to win 18 plus this season and yet it appears not to impact our recruiting in terms of success and moving up the high school recruiting ladder especially locally.

But has it HURT the program????

'79, you seem to have an iron-clad recruiting philosophy which Murphy et al are not implementing.

My response is: SO WHAT!!

We've tilled this ground many times, but Murphy took a 22 win team with a lot of seniors and seemingly reloaded without missing a beat. This team has impact players, e.g., Ward, Lee, and to a certain extent, Talley. It has role players to complete the other positions.

Some thought the bench would be barren as a desert, but quite the opposite. The bench is a very nice MAC bench.

Reloading, to me, is not bringing in say 6 or 7 true frosh (that would do an injustice to Ward and Talley as they would be part of a mediocre team, ala '91/'92 and '98/'99 following graduation losses).

Murphy knew what holes he need to plug and decided to plug them with players who were ready to step in and play (e.g., Okoloji, Samuels, Hunter, etc.).

Guys, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?????

Are posters here obsessed with recruits from Detroit and Michigan so they follow them in the Detroit papers, Lansing paper, Steve Bell, etc. etc. every week????

Does anyone think that say GB III or Riley brought 25 friends and relatives to games?

I attended one game and sat behind the EMU bench with a few of their friends and relatives, but I could count them on one hand.

(11-19-2014 10:25 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-19-2014 07:59 AM)emu79 Wrote:  The problem I have here is that we blow out Oakland, we won 22 games last year and we "may" be on track to win 18 plus this season and yet it appears not to impact our recruiting in terms of success and moving up the high school recruiting ladder especially locally.

But has it HURT the program????

'79, you seem to have an iron-clad recruiting philosophy which Murphy et al are not implementing.

My response is: SO WHAT!!

We've tilled this ground many times, but Murphy took a 22 win team with a lot of seniors and seemingly reloaded without missing a beat. This team has impact players, e.g., Ward, Lee, and to a certain extent, Talley. It has role players to complete the other positions.

Some thought the bench would be barren as a desert, but quite the opposite. The bench is a very nice MAC bench.

Reloading, to me, is not bringing in say 6 or 7 true frosh (that would do an injustice to Ward and Talley as they would be part of a mediocre team, ala '91/'92 and '98/'99 following graduation losses).

Murphy knew what holes he need to plug and decided to plug them with players who were ready to step in and play (e.g., Okoloji, Samuels, Hunter, etc.).

Guys, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?????

Are posters here obsessed with recruits from Detroit and Michigan so they follow them in the Detroit papers, Lansing paper, Steve Bell, etc. etc. every week????

Does anyone think that say GB III or Riley brought 25 friends and relatives to games?

I attended one game and sat behind the EMU bench with a few of their friends and relatives, but I could count them on one hand.

Lets say this when Murphy leaves I wonder what foundation he'll leave the next coach. Murphy has done great with his quick fixes ie transfers, jucos, other successful program build with a foundation of high school kids. I prefer a foundation over a quick fix.

How has Murphy's success helped the program? Better recruits? Better attendance? The tournament invitation last year was a joke, if this program had earned more respect it should have been in the NIT based on its schedule not paying its own way into a tourney. How many MAC tournaments have we won? How many NIT or NCAAs do we have? Being 3rd best in the MAC does what for the program's rep? And it when it comes down to head to head recruiting against other MAC basketball schools for the same recruit how are we doing?

We hopefully will be getting information about women's signings.

(11-19-2014 11:13 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-19-2014 10:25 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-19-2014 07:59 AM)emu79 Wrote:  The problem I have here is that we blow out Oakland, we won 22 games last year and we "may" be on track to win 18 plus this season and yet it appears not to impact our recruiting in terms of success and moving up the high school recruiting ladder especially locally.

But has it HURT the program????

'79, you seem to have an iron-clad recruiting philosophy which Murphy et al are not implementing.

My response is: SO WHAT!!

We've tilled this ground many times, but Murphy took a 22 win team with a lot of seniors and seemingly reloaded without missing a beat. This team has impact players, e.g., Ward, Lee, and to a certain extent, Talley. It has role players to complete the other positions.

Some thought the bench would be barren as a desert, but quite the opposite. The bench is a very nice MAC bench.

Reloading, to me, is not bringing in say 6 or 7 true frosh (that would do an injustice to Ward and Talley as they would be part of a mediocre team, ala '91/'92 and '98/'99 following graduation losses).

Murphy knew what holes he need to plug and decided to plug them with players who were ready to step in and play (e.g., Okoloji, Samuels, Hunter, etc.).

Guys, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?????

Are posters here obsessed with recruits from Detroit and Michigan so they follow them in the Detroit papers, Lansing paper, Steve Bell, etc. etc. every week????

Does anyone think that say GB III or Riley brought 25 friends and relatives to games?

I attended one game and sat behind the EMU bench with a few of their friends and relatives, but I could count them on one hand.

Lets say this when Murphy leaves I wonder what foundation he'll leave the next coach. Murphy has done great with his quick fixes ie transfers, jucos, other successful program build with a foundation of high school kids. I prefer a foundation over a quick fix.

When is Murphy leaving? You don't know. What seems to be evident is that Murphy can replace 6 departing seniors and still field a competitive product. If he can do it, I'm sure another coach can too. If Murphy leaves the team after a couple winning seasons, that makes the program look more attractive to new coaches and potential recruits. One decent 22-win won't change perception (which you keep bringing up), but 3 or 4 of those might.

(11-19-2014 09:19 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Just to throw my two cents in on the discussion of Detroit and local recruiting. Everyone probably knows that when Ramsey was head coach, McDowell was his main assistant. He had been head coach at Redford High in Detroit, and took his teams to two state finals. All the time he was at Eastern, I don't think we got a top notch recruit out of Detroit. I always wondered if somehow he had alienated the other coaches in Detroit, and they were black balling Eastern because of it. I just thought he would have had a open door to the possible recruits in Detroit.
If what I have postulated here is correct, does anyone think that is something that Murphy has had to overcome? Do the public school coaches view Eastern as a good fit for their players?

Carlos Medlock and Marvin Skipper (before he got hurt). That is off the top of my head, if that is it then point taken. But Ramsey did not have the program on am upward trend under his tenure. That might have hurt his detroit recruiting after the first few years as well.

I am a big Ramsey fan btw, so no offense Ramsey.

If EMU makes the tournament this year, Murphy is gone guaranteed.

What does Murphy leave behind? A solid backcourt trio for the next 2-3 years (Lee, Alvano, Bond). Serviceable centers 2 deep for the next year (Samuels and Ajavi). And backup caliber forwards the next 1-2 years (Nazionne, Price).

There are a couple holes, but a pretty good base. And you never know How players and recruits will develop to fill those holes.

(11-19-2014 09:05 PM)rayEMU Wrote:  If EMU makes the tournament this year, Murphy is gone guaranteed.

What does Murphy leave behind? A solid backcourt trio for the next 2-3 years (Lee, Alvano, Bond). Serviceable centers 2 deep for the next year (Samuels and Ajavi). And backup caliber forwards the next 1-2 years (Nazionne, Price).

There are a couple holes, but a pretty good base. And you never know How players and recruits will develop to fill those holes.

Agree, all in all not a bad bunch coming back, eight scholarship players all of whom can play in the MAC (we have to see Nobles, though). Strong at PG and decent at center, two key positions. And, of course, Lee!!

I watched the Wright State / BG game yesterday afternoon. They returned zero starters this year.

Most teams are not lucky enough to return 4 or 5 starters returning.

Such is life for a college coach...