# Recruits...



## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

I know this is sort of covered in the high school basketball forum, but I feel like posting this here...

It's almost March and everybody's focus seems to be on the tourney, either getting in or improving their seed. But there's still more going on. Recruiting right now is actually starting to pick up now that the high school season is winding down. 

Early committments are starting to be made if they haven't already. On the 27th Daniel Gibson, a top 10 player from Texas, is expected to announce his decision (it's between Texas and Arkansas, with Texas believed to be the heavy favorite). Another top 10 or 15 player, Lamarcus Aldrige, also from Texas, is expected to follow Gibson if he goes to Texas or Arkansas.

Steven Hill, a top 50 center from Branson, Missouri (who I've seen play and think is highly overrated) recently chose Arkansas over MU and KU. Duke of course has DeMarcus Nelson and has for a long time. Michigan has a couple of verbals, as does Wisconsin, Minnesota and many other teams. UNC has a committment from JamesOn Curry. A lot of guys want to get this out of the way so they don't have to worry about it going into their senior season.

There are also still quite a few players in the 2003 class, which will be the freshman class in college next season, that have yet to commit, prefering to wait it out and see how their senior seasons unfold. A lot of schools who have unexpected early departures or other losses are able to fill those holes with late signees.

But the real focus of this post, of course, is Missouri recruiting. First, this year's class...

MU has three verbals right now, Thomas Gardner, Spencer Laurie and Jason Conley, who is actually a transfer who will have 1.5 years to play. They are also believed to be the only real contenders for the services of Linas Kleiza, probably the top player in the class to still be available (not including Lebron, for obvious reasons). 

Gibbons ranks Kleiza as the 13th best player in the country and predicts him to be a McDonald's All American. He's a 6-7 or 6-8 power forward who is described most often as a 'bull' by those who've seen him play. He's the kind of guy who loves to go at it underneath, crash the boards, etc. I would guess that Bookout at OU is a good comparison.

Gardner is ranked 27th in the country by Gibbons. He's a 6-5 2 or 3 who is a great athlete and one of the best shooters in the country (according to Dave Telep, who runs theinsiders.com, who had him in his top 10 three point shooters). I've heard comparisons to Paul Pierce.

Jason Conley, the transfer from VMI, led the nation in scoring as a freshman. From everything I've read he's a poor man's Dahntay Jones. He's supposedly a great athlete who attacks the glass and is a good defender. Along with scoring about 29 a game as a freshman he had about 9 rebounds. And just so you don't say that he was playing crappy teams the whole time, he lit up Kentucky, Villanova and another pretty good school, maybe Virginia, all for over 20 points, once for 38.

Spencer Laurie is the third player who they have a committment from for next year, but he's decided to refuse the scholarship offer and walk on (some will say that he should anyway because he's got so much money. His uncle is Bill Laurie, one of the richest people in America, getting the money by marrying Sam Walton's daughter. But to those people I'll just point out the fact that Minnesota and NC State also offered him scholarships). Him walking on shows that he's an unselfish player, which is exactly what MU needs at point guard. He's rated at 95 by Gibbons and was also in Telep's top 10 shooters in the country list.

Now, for the 2004 class......

Missouri already has one committment, Ousmane Konate. He was going to be in this class but needed more core credits, so he's going to prep school and will be in the 2004 class. He was stuck overseas after 9/11, which kind of hurt his school work. He's expected to be a top 5 player in next year's class though. He has Chris Webber-like talent and is a great athlete. He's about 6-9 and 240 from what I've heard and has an NBA body.

Jason Horton, younger brother of the freshman sensation at Michigan, is a probable top 25 player at point guard and MU is one of the early leaders. If Texas does indeed get a verbal from Gibson in the next week or so then MU should be in the driver's seat for Horton. He unofficially visited MU back in October with Loul Deng and played in a scrimmage at the Hearnes center with the MU players. People were allowed to watch the game and everyone came away amazed with Horton's outside shot and court vision. He could be the best point guard at MU in the past 10 or 20 years.

Another very highly rated player in the 2004 class that MU's after is Kalen Grimes out of St. Louis. He's been hyped since he was in about 8th grade on a national level and has been described as a Malone/Brand type player in the post. He's about 6-8 and 250 and MU and Illinois are his two leaders right now. He's also a top 15 or 20 player.

Missouri will have five scholarships to give for the 2004 class, assuming Laurie does indeed walk on (some have speculated that he'll be put on scholarship if we don't get someone else to take the spot, but I doubt he will). They could always add someone else late after Kleiza, but I don't think they will. Horton and Konate are really expected to be Tigers and I would guess that there's a good chance that Grimes will be too. 

More info to come later....


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## SportsGuru5 (Jul 15, 2002)

Michigan already has commitments from guard Joe Crawford and forward Ronald Coleman. They're heavily involved in WF Malik Hairston from Detroit Renaissance, teammates with Crawford. If we get him, it's a clean sweep of Detroit. Jason Horton appears to be out of the picture, so Mohammed Tangara is another candidate for the last spot. I'm not too fond of adding a kid who wants to go to the NBA early. UM is in very good shape with 2005 Michigan point guard Jarrett Smith. Obviously, the scholarship situation could change drastically in 5-7 weeks...


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

Hairston and Crawford both go to Rickey Paulding's old high school and last summer I read a bit about how MU was involved with Hairston because of the connection. But I haven't seen anything connecting the two recently, which is unfortunate, because he sounds like a great offensive player.


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## the wall (Jul 21, 2002)

> UM is in very good shape with 2005 Michigan point guard Jarrett Smith.


 Tell me about Jerret Smith, I heard about him ( I live in MI), but i dont know about his game. Thanks


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## kansasalumn (Jun 9, 2002)

Gibson just visited Kansas the past weekend. There were stories that he is between kansas and Texas with arkansas as a third possiblity.


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>kansasalumn</b>!
> Gibson just visited Kansas the past weekend. There were stories that he is between kansas and Texas with arkansas as a third possiblity.


Sorry, but that's not true. Texas is his clear favorite with Arkansas his clear second choice. Kansas is getting a visit but won't get a committment. Ask anyone who follows recruiting closely and knows about Gibson's situation and they'll tell you he's most likely Texas bound but Arkansas could still get him. They probably won't mention KU.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Georgia has commits from Mohamed Abukar, Corey Gibbs, Jordan Howell, Marcus Jackson, Alexander Jonson, Cassiano Matheus.

I don't know anything about them though or where they rank nationally


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Oregon got 5* PG Aaron Brooks and top 20 recruiting class


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## spartanfan2003 (Jul 12, 2002)

Michigan State signed Shannon Brown whom I think most of you know if you follow recruiting, and they also signed Brandon Cotton from Flint, Michigan.


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## Big_CKansas (Jul 16, 2002)

*Kansas 2004 prospects!*

*Daniel Gibson, PG-SG*- Gibson is 6-3 and a strong 180 pounds. He is a combo guard showing he can run a team and also be the teams top scorer. He visited Kansas last weekend, and is visiting Oklahoma this weekend. He canceled is visit to Arkansas a few weeks ago saying he already knew enough about Arkansas. Texas is the heavy favorite for him and I will be down right baffled if he does not pick Texas.

*Marvin Williams, PF-SF*- Marvin is KU's #1 option and has recently lowered his list to 6 teams (Washington, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona, Duke, UNC). He is 6-8 210 and is said to have a game that resembles Kevin Garnett. I think it will come down to Kansas Washington, but Arizona will be trying everything to get Williams.

*Kalen Grimes, PF-C*- Even though he is 6-10 and only 230, he is a very nasty player. He loves to mix it up and get physical. He is a rebounder, shot block with some good offensive skills. It should come down to Illinois, Mizzou for his services.

*Gabriel Pruitt, PG*- A 3-point specialist and a very good floor leader. He was declared ineligible for this year but has shown he could become an outstanding player. He is 6-0 and around 160. He stated last summer that his favorites are Arizona and Kansas. He said he would love to either be a Wildcat or a Jayhawk.

*Aaron Aflallo, SG*- Aflallo is a excellent 3-point shooter. At 6-4 180 he is a powerful dunker. Scouts think he could become a combo guard, but he is SG much more then a PG. Aaron is very interested in Kansas and USC. 

*Darnell Jackson, PF-C*- Darnell is a extremelly powerful player. He uses his body well and at 6-9 255, he throws his weight around. His body is extremely toned, he has good post moves and is a excellent rebounder. He is good friends with Kansas signees Jeremy Case and JR Giddens. Illinois, Oklahoma, and Kansas re the major players for his services.

*Kevin Langford, SF*- Keith Langford's little brother. His Mom has said he would like to stay out of his brother's shadow and attend another school. At 6-8 205 his game is a lot different from his brothers. Kevin can leap and has a better shot then Keith. Kevin also likes to bang and play physical. Kansas is a possibility but Stanford, I think is the favorite along with Kentucky.

Other recruits I don't know a whole lot about-
*Robert Swift, C
Chester Giles, PF-C
Tim Pierce, SG-SF
Glenn Miles, SG-SF
Josh Heytvelt, PF-C
David Burgess, C-PF
Quentin Thomes, PG-SG*= Kansas has offered him
*Marcus Monk, SG-SF
Jordan Farmar, SG
Marshall Brown, SF*

My Prediction who Kansas signs
Marvin Williams
Gabriel Pruitt
Darnell Jackson


2 names to remember for 2005
*Jordan Wilkes, SF*- Brother of Kansas Signee Omar Wilkes.

*CJ Henry, PG-SG*- Son of former Kansas player (can't remember what his father's name was)


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

*Re: Kansas 2004 prospects!*



> Originally posted by <b>Big_CKansas</b>!
> *Daniel Gibson, PG-SG*- Gibson is 6-3 and a strong 180 pounds. He is a combo guard showing he can run a team and also be the teams top scorer. He visited Kansas last weekend, and is visiting Oklahoma this weekend. He canceled is visit to Arkansas a few weeks ago saying he already knew enough about Arkansas. Texas is the heavy favorite for him and I will be down right baffled if he does not pick Texas.
> 
> *Marvin Williams, PF-SF*- Marvin is KU's #1 option and has recently lowered his list to 6 teams (Washington, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona, Duke, UNC). He is 6-8 210 and is said to have a game that resembles Kevin Garnett. I think it will come down to Kansas Washington, but Arizona will be trying everything to get Williams.
> ...


Just so you know, Grimes is 6-7 or 6-8 and about 240 or 250, not 6-10 and 230. And out of the seven teams who he's interested in, all but Kansas have offered, according to theinsiders.com. Also, Marshall Brown, who you had on your "others" list, is supposedly down to Texas and MU from his list of four that also included Kansas and Kentucky. He's a guy who I forgot to mention in my original post, but Quin's been down to see him quite a bit it seems.


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

Another guy on Mizzou's radar is Brazillian Hatila DeSouza, the consensus top player in his age group in his country. Right now he's playing at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina (where Ousmane Konate, another MU recruit who's already verbaled for 2004, is playing). He's 6-9 and 230, but with Konate and hopefully Grimes in the 2004 class there may not be room for DeSouza. I don't know much about him right now except that he's a 4 star recruit at theinsiders.com and that he's a very good rebounder with a nice shooting touch.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

> Darnell Jackson, PF-C- Darnell is a extremelly powerful player. He uses his body well and at 6-9 255, he throws his weight around. His body is extremely toned, he has good post moves and is a excellent rebounder. He is good friends with Kansas signees Jeremy Case and JR Giddens. Illinois, Oklahoma, and Kansas re the major players for his services.


This guy is a major stud, I've seen him many times this year. I can only hope OU gets him.


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## Big_CKansas (Jul 16, 2002)

*Daniel Gibson down to 3 schools!*

Gibson is down to 3 schools, Texas, OU, and Kansas. He says he is no where near a lock for Texas!

http://pub202.ezboard.com/fouinsiderfrm2.showMessage?topicID=7864.topic- This is from OUInsiders and head of the OU boards so he knows what he is talking about! He can't put anything up that is a lie!


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

*Re: Daniel Gibson down to 3 schools!*



> Originally posted by <b>Big_CKansas</b>!
> Gibson is down to 3 schools, Texas, OU, and Kansas. He says he is no where near a lock for Texas!
> 
> http://pub202.ezboard.com/fouinsiderfrm2.showMessage?topicID=7864.topic- This is from OUInsiders and head of the OU boards so he knows what he is talking about! He can't put anything up that is a lie!


Maybe the fact that the link does not work proves that you're wrong, or that he actually was lying. He's going to Texas, and you can take that to the bank. He won't be headed to KU or OU.


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## kansasalumn (Jun 9, 2002)

in essence the only person know wher he is going is the player himself. I heard that Gibson had a good trip to Kansas. JR Griddens was cited in an article for teh Lawrence Journal WOrld statting that he would love to have Gibson to come, but it would be a hard sell with Texas lurking. I think Texas is the front runner, but don't sell out Kansas.


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## Big_CKansas (Jul 16, 2002)

*Maybe the fact that the link does not work proves that you're wrong, or that he actually was lying. He's going to Texas, and you can take that to the bank. He won't be headed to KU or OU.*


I already know that he is a lock for Texas. I never said he wasn't. I did say that he was down to OU, Kansas, and Texas. They even have it on Rivals.com and if you check many message boards it will say he is down to KU, OU, and Texas. Arkansas has been eliminated!


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## JustinYoung (Jul 19, 2002)

Daniel Gibson's recruitment is very similiar to his AAU teammate Ndudi Ebi. Both are keeping their lips locked. They don't give out a ton of info, what they are truly feeling and tell the interviewer that they are very interested in that particular school. I've talked to Daniel's dad back in July and he is the same way. Pops played college ball at Houston and follows the recruiting sites very, very close. He is a smart man when it comes down to the science of signing. 

Kansas is certainly interesting because both Mr. Gibson and Daniel didn't speak of them at all eight months ago. So if they are truly in the race, they must have really came on strong recently. With a coach like Roy Williams, it is easy to see how they can move to the top that quick but Texas and Arkansas have both been working Daniel for the longest. I honestly think it will be the Horns or the Hogs. 

On anoter note, kansasalumn - it's Giddens not Griddens.


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## pharcyde (Jun 22, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Big_CKansas</b>!
> *Maybe the fact that the link does not work proves that you're wrong, or that he actually was lying. He's going to Texas, and you can take that to the bank. He won't be headed to KU or OU.*
> 
> 
> I already know that he is a lock for Texas. I never said he wasn't. I did say that he was down to OU, Kansas, and Texas. They even have it on Rivals.com and if you check many message boards it will say he is down to KU, OU, and Texas. Arkansas has been eliminated!


If you knew that he was a lock for UT then there wasn't any reason to list the other people, because in reality they'd been eliminated, too if Arkansas already had been. And at theinsiders they didn't have anything about Arkansas being eliminated. But it doesn't really matter, because Gibson said earlier today in a press conference that he's going to be a *longhorn*


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## JustinYoung (Jul 19, 2002)

Texas it is.

http://theinsidershoops.theinsiders.com/2/96141.html


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