Oliver Black, PF from Wingfield. Lot's of big time offers. http://mississippistate.scout.com/a.z?s=136&p=8&c=1&nid=7135529
New Basketball Committment
- Thread starter TheStateUofMS
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MVP of MS All-Star game... Looks like a great pickup...
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/...ack-steps-up-lead-South-boys-5th-straight-win
19 points, 8 boards and 3 blocks...
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/...ack-steps-up-lead-South-boys-5th-straight-win
19 points, 8 boards and 3 blocks...
Who all offered him? All I saw was an offer from Okie State (which is no doubt a good offer), but who else. I like his physical attributes though. Nice pickup.
Booker will go out of state. I think he grew up in Michigan and only came to Mississippi last year. Little different situation than a home grown young man going elsewhere. But your basic point is solid.
More of your basketball expertise I see.
Here's the top players in the State per Scout for the last decade.
2002
Jason Forte - Southern
averaged 5 ppg for his career
2003
Travis Outlaw - NBA
Committed to State
2004
Al Jefferson - NBA
committed to Arkansas
Charles Thomas was next on the list and went to UPig, then next was one Charles Rhodes. I'd say we did OK there.
2005
Monta Ells - NBA
Another State commitment
Cyrus McGowan was next and went to Arkansas too but never did much there before transferring out.
The miss here was Coutney Fells from Shannon. I never understood why we didn't seem interested in him. He went to NC State and averaged double figures his last three years. He might not have been a troublemaker so we had no interest.
2006
JeJuan Brown - Vandy
Didn't do much as a freshman, transferred out and did next to nothing at Arkansas State after that.
Next on the list was Gary Flowers of Genesis One via Dallas. He went to Oklahoma State and got kicked off in his freshman year.
Meanwhile, we signed unrated Phil Turner.
2007
Ravern Johnson
Played a lot, acted like a turd a lot, got suspended multiple times, and never learned to dribble or play D. But at least we got the top ranked player in the state
2008
Rashanti Harris - went to prep school as a top 30 recruit, then committed to Georgia State (Rod Barnes) but never got in. Then he committed to UTEP and never got in. Too bad we missed out on him.
Next was Latavious Williams from Starkville High who made the decision to go straight from high school to the D League where I think he has been since then.
Romero Osby was the #3 player on the list.
2009
Shaun Smith - hey, we got the #1 player on the list!
Thank goodness we didn't waste a scholarship on Isaiah Canaan.
2010
What a list....
Dendrecous "Pizza Hut" Nelson
Andre Stringer and Jalen Courtney to LSU
DeMarco Cox to UM
We got Tyson Cunningham.
2011
This class is legendary.
We got Hood (the top player), Gardner and Deville. None made it to the second year. Gardner didnt make it to the second practice.
LSU got O'Bryant.
Georgetown got Tyler Adams and his bad ticker.
UM got Jarvis Summers and Snoop White.
2012
Devonta Pollard - Bama. He's now a free agent too, but you have to take him momma if you take him.
Gavin Ware was #2.
Twymond Howard was third, and barely played this year.
Flat Top Freddy was #4.
Moral of the story: be careful what you ask for.
What's your point? I'm not going back to year 2002 to prove that MSU has had **** luck with the #1 prospect. Rodney Hood, Devonta Pollard, Devin Booker and Malik Newman are the 4 years surrounding us right now and MSU has had almost zero chance with any of them. That's kinda 17ed up and all being that we are Mississippi State University and nobody in Mississippi wants to play for us. Lock down your own State MSU. It's a 17ing joke.
You do realize we signed Rodney Hood and he played for us for a year, right? Zero chance?
Gary Flowers ended up at USM, where he was responsible for helping Eustachy finally get things turned around. He averaged 15.3/8.8 his junior season and 18.8/7.7 his senior year.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
Basketball recruiting is more accurate than football, but this proves once again recruiting rankings are absolutely meaningless.
But I agree with the overall sentiment that the best basketball players in the history of Mississippi have all gone elsewhere for college. Bailey Howell, Mississippi's best college player of all time (arguably), was from Jackson, Tennessee...
I'd be interested to find out how many quality college basketball players from Mississippi never make it there because they choose to pursue college football.
Regardless of the recruiting '*' next to a player's name, the unfortunate reality under Stans, is that players left here with the exact skill set they arrived with; absolutely no development whatsoever. Take Jarvis for example, (who I love and still root for in the Nba), he never developed an offensive game and never gained weight. Ravern was the same. He arrived as a good spot up shooter, but was never forced to learn to take the ball off the dribble or play D; and he also left here the same weight he arrived. Tis a shame.
All the transfers are also indicative of ****** coaching. Stans didn't know how to bring out the best in his players. If you didn't fit his "system" (whatever that was...), he either sat you at the end of the bench to rot away, or he played you out of position until you get fed up and left (Osby and Phil say hi...); seriously, Osby at the 3?!! Phil at the...wait for it...the FOUR!!!?? Coaching, baby! Kodi was another question mark. He was extremely talented, and would have been a great player if he had been coached up, but instead he wasted away on the bench for his first 2 years, and was relegated to a 3 point shooter his last 2. Don't even get me started on Deville, Gardner, and Shawn Long; those guys would have been really helpful last year.
All the transfers are also indicative of ****** coaching. Stans didn't know how to bring out the best in his players. If you didn't fit his "system" (whatever that was...), he either sat you at the end of the bench to rot away, or he played you out of position until you get fed up and left (Osby and Phil say hi...); seriously, Osby at the 3?!! Phil at the...wait for it...the FOUR!!!?? Coaching, baby! Kodi was another question mark. He was extremely talented, and would have been a great player if he had been coached up, but instead he wasted away on the bench for his first 2 years, and was relegated to a 3 point shooter his last 2. Don't even get me started on Deville, Gardner, and Shawn Long; those guys would have been really helpful last year.
Players will still transfer. Its the reality of college basketball right now. We just have to hope the core players(top 8/9) arent transferring. If someone who plays 5mpg and is 3rd on depth both this year and looking forward transfers, that can be justified and understood. It also means we dont take a hit because that player wasnt contributing minutes and the better 2 players at his position will still be at MSU.
But when starters or players getting significant minutes transfer, THAT is an issue. We will never have enough depth to just replace starters and not skip a beat(unlike Duke, UNC, UK, etc). We need to be the program that makes runs thru experience, like top midmajors.
You said "MSU has had almost zero chance with any of them." We clearly had more than a chance with Hood.
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.
Since 2002, we got commitments from 5 of the 11 #1 guys in the state. 2 of them went pro before high school. Also, Rodney Hood and Ravern Johnson are the only ones on that list that played college ball and didn't end up being terrible - and we signed them both. Pollard may end up being good, and we legitimately lost that fight to Bama - but holy **** do you want him now? Your argument has no substance.
Since 2002, we got commitments from 5 of the 11 #1 guys in the state. 2 of them went pro before high school. Also, Rodney Hood and Ravern Johnson are the only ones on that list that played college ball and didn't end up being terrible - and we signed them both. Pollard may end up being good, and we legitimately lost that fight to Bama - but holy **** do you want him now? Your argument has no substance.
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I know it's hard for you, but try your best to look at this objectively.
Highly rated players out of high school have gone to our school and underachieved the last 2-3 years of Stansbury's tenure (with the exception of Jarvis). We get a new coach from out of state (therefore, none of the homegrown players you talk of are familiar with this coach). This new coach finishes near the bottom of the SEC in his first year (which is not a great basketball conference anyway). Granted, from an MSU fan perspective, I am happy for Ray and what he did with what he had this past year and look forward to the future. But, if we are honest with ourselves, why would players who will be offered by historically great programs with historically great coaches and players choose MSU? Right now, Ray has to build the program the best he can before he expects the best of the best to consider us, and I am okay with that. To be honest, I think Ray is doing exceptional recruiting-wise considering all the factors lined up against him. Is it really that hard to see, DAWG61?
Again with 2002? Whose going back to 2002 to prove a point? Wtf. Rodney Hood signing, playing one year and then transferring to Duke doesn't exactly help the cause. Does it? Fact is Devonta Pollard, Devin Booker and Malik Newman all want absolutely nothing to do with MSU. That's last year, this year and next year's top-rated players. My point is that's a trend I'd like to see go away. But about 2002 again please continue.**
With the basketball posts you have had in the past, there is no way to know if you knew we had signed Rodney Hood.
I dont think we start getting those caliber players unitl Ray settles in and can sell what he is doing...
You questioning my popularity on a message board really does not bother me at all. I would actually hope that people would not be upset if I left based on the fact I am just one of many anonymous posters. However, unlike me, many people would be happy if you never posted again.
The list of players basically proves a certain point - basketball in MS and for the most part the entire SE is terrible. Terrible coaching and the few good players get so coddled by coaches and AAU and other leeches that they generally have some character flaws that surface. So for the most part they are terrible fundamentally along with personal issues. Obviously a few exceptions, but that's the trend.
And it's the same in LA, Bama, TN which is why other than KY's national recruiting and FL, you haven't seen many teams in the SE have any measure of sustained success. There is just very little homegrown talent.
And it's the same in LA, Bama, TN which is why other than KY's national recruiting and FL, you haven't seen many teams in the SE have any measure of sustained success. There is just very little homegrown talent.
Its almost as if your question is a leading one, meant to highlight that Jarvis' body type is just not made to hold the weight of Renardo Sidney.
Yes there are college basketball players who can come in and change their bodies significantly(Olynyk for recent example), but there are also a whole slew of players who just arent built to significantly change. While they will put on muscle and weight, they will never be in shape and significantly different.
Jarvis falls into that last group.
Yes there are college basketball players who can come in and change their bodies significantly(Olynyk for recent example), but there are also a whole slew of players who just arent built to significantly change. While they will put on muscle and weight, they will never be in shape and significantly different.
Jarvis falls into that last group.
I agree, but Jarvis never really developed his game beyond rebounding and layups, and that is on Stans and his coaches.
Shoot, I can't wait ...
til I get to see Ray's team this year. Really looking forward to a team that is going to hang around, be 'in shape,' with 'much improved' skill set.*
You did notice that most of the listed above ALSO transferred or were booted from teams NOT named Mississippi State.
til I get to see Ray's team this year. Really looking forward to a team that is going to hang around, be 'in shape,' with 'much improved' skill set.*
You did notice that most of the listed above ALSO transferred or were booted from teams NOT named Mississippi State.
i didnt insinuate it would stop, merely decline once ray got his guys in...i.e. current players that dont have the work ethic problems and incoming players that mesh with what crr wants to do (give defensive effort and minimize mistakes). agreed on everything else. some attrition is always expected, but i think we can all agree that it was getting out of control under stansbury.
I was not referring to the list above, as much as the players I mentioned, and the ones I didn't. Irvin, Ben, Osby, the Delks, Phil, Rodney (who, mark my words, is gonna ball out at Duke), and this past lot of recruits in Stans' final "heralded" class. And again, how these players were used is likely the prime issue in why they chose to leave....and whose fault is that? A one word answer will suffice, baby cakes.