How many do we take in 2009? It looks like three to me. We will lose Atchley, Abrams and most likely James. Who are the most likely to fill those spots? Anyone with a guess? I know it would be mostly speculation unless one of you is Rick Barnes incognito. Just looking for some UT Basketball discussion. Hook'em!
I'd take a tall point guard and two tall wings that can guard. Of course they would also need to be scoring machines as well. Hook'em!
Not asking for much, are you? I think they are going to get a couple of really good players, immediate contributors.
The following five star players list us as a possiblity: #1 John Wall G NC #2 Xavier Henry G OK #4 Renardo Sidney F CA #8 Daniel Orton C OK #10 Kenny Boynton G FL #12 Jordan Hamilton F CA #14 Abdul Gaddy G WA #17 Avery Bradley C WA Can we get three of these? That would be Memphisesque. sp Our best shots are probably Boynton and Hamilton and possibly Orton. All others shown as even more of a longshot. Any input?
I think we have a good shot at Jordan Hamilton and Kenny Boynton. The one prospect that I want the most is John Wall, #1 player and at the most important position.
I think we only have a shot at Hamilton and Boynton. Sidney came for a visit, but it's not likely that he'll leave the West Coast. Guys like Henry and Gaddy shouldn't even be in the conversation. They're not coming here. It's more likely that we get a guy like Mason-Griffin than a guy like John Wall. In other words, I'm looking at Hamilton/Boynton nationally, along with somebody more Regional/Local.
I don't consider the chances for John Wall as very good at all. Xavier Henry is allegedly coming to campus real soon, but I feel like that's going to be a Kansas/Memphis fight. Sidney is a longshot. I don't know what Texas would do with Orton even if they got him. They'll have plenty of front court players already on campus. Orton wouldn't help address a need. To take Kenny Boynton they're going to need to save a spot. That's going to be tough to do if they have other players who are admittedly not as good as Boynton but who are willing to pull the trigger, to pass up on them in hopes they land Boynton. Maybe that's what they do, but it would be a really tough call. I think he'll end up at Florida. If Jordan Hamilton goes anywhere else, I'll break down and cry. Abdul Gaddy has to get to campus first. Avery Bradley, on the other hand, I consider a distinct possibility. Shawn Williams out of Duncanville is another strong candidate. There are some more national prospects as well, like Isiah Armwood and Dominic Cheek. I don't think a JUCO is a likelihood at this point.
Solomon Hill and Nolan Dennis = possibilities. I think that the Elite camp will determine alot in terms of who we offer for that #3 spot.
Is Hamilton coming to our Elite camp? Hamilton really liked Kansas and played big during the Kansas Elite camp. He was impressed with Self and the whole program. Like SLX said Boyton looks like Florida, Memphis, Duke, Texas has fallen back as far as I could make out. Avery Bradley is interested in Texas but has ?? about us and our style. Bradley would fit in here very well and is a excellent defender at 1-2 position could defend the 3 if it came to that. Dominic Cheek has been showing some interest in Texas and is a possibility. Shawn Williams would be a big get for Texas and provide some depth at the # 3 hole, if we get Hamilton. The other kids have us far down their lists and the teams above us are all BASKETBALL schools.
I don't follow recruiting that much. How does Shawn Williams stack up against some of the other wings mentioned. I like his game, but I have no point of reference. TIA
Another question is ....Is Rick Barnes making a mistake at not focusing in on Texas talent first or foremost, as Mack is doing, or is baskeball just a different animal and you must look nationally to compete for championships? It looks to me that this approached kind of back fired a little last year. Or was the targets all along Brown and Ward? Is that just the way the recruiting game is played now and you win some years and not so much in others. Any input?
Shawn Williams has range to the ARC, handle needs work but has improved , He is a scorer, quick , good hop, strong to the hoop. I have seen him twice as a junior and once as a senior. Defense he could be very good as he is long and agile, athletic and moves his feet well. That other kid ,Roger something is also built like a SF, strong on the boards, putting the ball on the court needs work, good defender could be better. I am trying to remember his last name. Both are D-1 type players. If Barnes could get the top player in Texas year in and year out , we would be considered a top 10 BB program. When Barnes get the TJ Fords/ La'Marcus A./ Johnson type of player then every kid like Dennis Nolan, Henson, That kid Williams that went I think to an ACC school will be knocking on our door wanting a Ship. Texas best high school players that are looking for a baskeball school look out of state and Texas is fourth or fifth on their list, there is no Buzz on Texas, yet Texas is successful like a top 10 program. The players do not consider Tx. a top program as yet. Brown was a target and wanted to play at Texas, Ward may turn out to be a steal and is a good player but when all our pipedreams went up in smoke, Ward was a very good pickup to add depth to our PG slot. Top programs select their players and recruit from a waiting list that is 2-3 years in the future. They do not wait for most players unless he is a Kevin type of kid. Kids want to go to college where they can see a championship, conference and National in the trophy case. Play for a high profile school that gets national attention. Schools that have a country wide following, We appear to be heading that way. We are very close to jumping on that elite list of teams that kids make reservations to attend. I do support that we should take a kid that wants to play here when everything else is equal, some very good players want to come to Texas to play ball. Next 2-3 years recruits will tell if we get into that elite level.
oh yeah...and I forgot to add that basketball recruiting is a dirty business. Lots of recruits and their handlers are looking for a free handout. Texas doesn't play that game.
Thanks BIH UTperks: "How do you know so much about UT baketball Bob?" BIH: "Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know."
I disagree BIH. It is much harder to recruit the top players nationally than it is to recruit the top players in the state. Texas HAS reached the elite status and now can go after the top players in the nation instead of settling on the top players in the state. Now, if they are one of the best players in the nation, and they live in Texas, I think we are all over them. Look at that list. UT wasn't in on those type of recruits, unless they were from Texas until the last few years. Durant has changed all that. To get back to the original post, UT looks really good with Bradley. I would say Bradley, Hamilton, and Mason-Griffen.
I agree we're in that tier of schools just below the "elite", but there should be some momentum building due to our recent (and continuing) success at putting players in the NBA. We may not have the sheer numbers that a UNC does, but we've started an impressive trend of consistently turning our top player into a lottery pick, and moreso than any other school. That has to count for something. Of course, this is largely contradicted by the fact that Rick Barnes won't do the AAU dance, so there you go.
Ok, there are a lot of things to address. First, when Barnes first came to UT he couldn't recruit the top players nationally. He hadn't had any success at UT and hadn't put anyone in the lottery while at UT. Therefore he made sure he got the top 2 players in the state every year. Now, though we are having success as a team, and even more importantly we are having success getting guys drafted in the lottery. The national guys that we are after are mostly 1-2 year players. One of the main things they look at is who can get them drafted in the lottery. Then they look at team success. Someone mentioned Henson, James, Dennis, TMG, and others. Henson is from Carolina and had dreams of playing there. James committed to OU b/c we had a commitment from Durant and he was getting a lot of (illegal) attention from OU. As for Dennis and TMG, we are recruiting better players nationally than them. Actually that is what happened to James and most of the guys that you mentioned, except for Henson. UT is recruiting better players nationally than most of the guys that are from Texas at this point. When there are guys like Aldridge, Ford, Gibson, etc. then we go after them. But trust me, the guys that we are going after nationally are better than the ones in Texas. The main difference between football and Basketball is that Texas IS THE STATE for H.S. football. That is not the case in basketball. It is up and down. Some years Texas is loaded and other years it's not. On top of all of that is that some of the guys that you would like UT to recruit in Texas play for shaddy AAU coaches.
Holy ****. I just went to rivals.com and I see that Henson is the #5 player in the country????? I admit, I only saw him play one game but like I said, Okafor dominated him despite being 6-5 and abused him on the boards. Pflugerville had a very mediocre basketball team, the worst team by far that they'd fielded in years and they destroyed round rock, henson was a non factor. Wow. I am freaking flabbergasted (sp?) that this guy is ranked this high. Robbie Cowgill from Westwood High would have dominated the **** out of this guy and he's at Wazzu and you won't find 5 stars next to his name. This is crazy.
