Thon Maker? Any Takers?
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I have recently heard rumors that Thon Maker, a 7’ C/PF, might reclassify to the class of 2015. Considering we currently have one roster spot open does anyone think we have a chance to land him? Also if we do, how much better would we be?
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That’s too far down the road for me to think about! But 7 footers are always nice to have around!
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@jaybate 1.0 – Early is always better than later. Too much drama.
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Now if we can just find and sign Hither Dunker and Thither Hops, we will have the Hither, Thither and Thon team!
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@jaybate 1.0 Boy did you stretch for that one.
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@jaybate 1.0 Actually just said that 3 times & no slip of the lip. Mama’d sure be proud.
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We have one spot open for the 2014 class. If Selden, Oubre and Alexander move to the NBA, then we will have at least 3 spots fro the 2015 class plus the one we have this year, provided it goes unfilled.
By the way, Indiana offered scholarships to Thon AND his 6’-10" brother Matur (class 2017).
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Paul Biancardi listed the top 5 most important freshman in the country. #2 was Devonte Graham:
Here’s what he said:
When it comes to next season’s incoming freshman class, everyone knows the potential stars: Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones will create a prolific one-two punch for Duke; Myles Turner and Cliff Alexander should be low-post threats for Texas and Kansas, respectively; SMU’s Emmanuel Mudiay will be one of the nation’s top point guards from the start.
But elite skill and talent doesn’t necessarily make the most important recruit for a program.
In order to sustain winning, it all starts and ends with recruiting – acquiring the right talent and filling needs for future rosters. It’s a delicate combination of evaluating what a program needs and who fits best with that coach.
Let’s take a look which teams should enjoy success this season because they now have the most important pieces in place. For some programs, it’s the difference between making the postseason or not. For others, it’s about their continued dominance and making a long run in the NCAA tournament.
Here are my picks for the most important recruits for the 2014-15 season.
"2) Devonte Graham, G, Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks lost out on ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit Myles Turner, but they also took a major step forward with the addition of Graham. With the departure of junior starting point guard Naadir Tharpe in April, the program had a huge void. That’s when Bill Self and his staff went back to Brewster Academy to fill their need. The irony is that Tharpe and Graham both played for Jason Smith at Brewster and were extremely successful. Once Graham was released from his letter of intent to Appalachian State, Kansas and many other high-profile programs pursued this lead guard.
He brings the balance between running a team and scoring, with the decision-making ability that Self needs next season to lead his team. Sophomore guard Conner Frankamp can be a steady influence on the ball, but his best asset is as a shooter. Frank Mason is at his strongest in the open court. However Graham offers the best of both worlds. With the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class – headlined by No. 3 overall recruit Alexander and No. 11 Kelly Oubre – and a strong returning core, it’s conceivable that Self can win another Big 12 championship and make a deep run in the tournament."
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If I understand Paul Biancardi, if KU had signed Paul Biancardi to replace Tharpe, Biancardi would also have been one of the five most important recruits.
Paul seems to be saying KU had XTReme Need.
I agree with Paul about the need.
And I agree that Devonte could conceivably shoot the trey better than CF’s anemic 33% last season, and finish penetrations better the Frank Free Mason, but the gap between being “better” than either is a considerable distance away from being good enough to lead a team to a title and/or a ring, as a freshman.
(Note: I understand Tharpe lead a team to a title, but he did have the greatest perimeter prospect since Lebron James and the greatest center prospect of the last 5-10 years.)
I suppose the question is: does KU still have XTReme Need at point even after signing Mr. Almost Appalachian State to replace Naa Tharpe, who was once reputedly signed as sweetener to land Deandre whoever that never came and went to UConn instead?
Or can we expect Mr. Almost Appalachian State to simply beast on Mr. Almost Towson State (Frank Mason) and Mr. Wichita (Conner Frankamp)?
What the heck is Emmanuel Mudiay doing at KU, when he could have run the point at KU, won a ring and massively amped his exposure as an endorser?
Ah, fuggedaboutit! Its a beautiful day.
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Yes, and I pulled a muscle doing it.
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@globaljaybird
I just tried it and I can’t do it.
Alright, try “red leather, yellow leather” three times fast.
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I’ve been a Thon fan for quite a while now. KU is on his radar and vice versa.
The challenge for Self is to prove he can go with the flow and adapt his offense to take advantage of Thon’s unreal abilities. The kid is a phenom, and barring injury, he stands to become a real phenom at the highest level sooner rather than later.
Essentially, he’s a tall version of Durant.
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From what I have read so far, it appears the Thon has indicated that there are two school he wants to visit most of all, UK and UCLA, so my first impression is that the likes the perks and exposure and the b** s** the squid sells at UK, or the bright lights of celebrity laden LA; neither bodes well for KU. The ace up the sleeve for KU is the success Embiid had, particularly if he goes #1 in the draft.
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Recruiting Thon was a big reason I was hoping we would land Turner. Turner could have been the proof Self needed to show Thon that he can take a footer and do more with him than shove his back to the basket in the low post.
I’m not liking our chances on Thon right now… but Self does work magic sometimes so I still have some hope.
A guy like Thon can be a mixed blessing. Yes… he’s a footer who has guard-like talents. But does he win the guard spot over another highly-touted guard? If not… do you force him to play low-post basketball and get pushed around by thicker players? He doesn’t look like a guy who wants to play with his back to the basket.
Thon can create a dilemma for his coach. Sort of like Turner could (but even more so with Thon). Even though Kansas could have put some beef on Turner, I’m not sure Kansas was a good fit for him (or Thon). Few coaches try to use as much set structure and discipline Self uses. And it is all built for players fitting in their positions. Footers are in the paint, back to the basket.
Maybe for Self, he’d have to look at a player like Thon and try to forget his height and run him at the 3, if Thon can develop an explosive first step…
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I think your analysis is spot on. I don’t know if Thon has a mindset of how he wants to play in college and it might conflict with the way Coach Self routinely utilizes bigs. Remember Padget did not want to play with is back to the basket and left for Louisville. Thon is in all likelihood a one and done player and if hes is half as good as Durant was as a freshman, then I would take him in a heartbeat and find a way to use his talent.
