2018 Recruiting
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@BShark said:
Since I last posted BHam (I know some may disagree with his KU level player talk but he is fairly connected) relayed that he is a top 50 type talent and a combo guard moreso than a pure point.
I’ll take him for whatever position he wants to play, maybe that 2nd ball handler role with whoever is our PG after this yr. Looks athletic enough to play the 2.
BHam usually has some good scoop. I just think he sometimes doesn’t open his mind up to how a player will develop in time when the player is not a top 50-100 player
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Definitely looks like a good player. Self loves combo guards. His commitment time frame is reportedly the end of this school year or very early in the start of the next school year. And he wants to visit for a KU game this year which I think bodes well.
Edit: I think BHam is usually just brutally honest about how he feels. Lucas is kind of proving him wrong and right at the same time. Lucas has done some good things but his limitations have shown this year defensively. He does work his butt off though and rebounds well and is smart offensively usually. I do agree with him that KJ is NOT on the same type of trajectory as Graham or Mason and that is a concern. Seems like KU is not offering KJ though, so that discussion will likely be moot in terms of relevance for KU boards.
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Yeah he’s ended up dead wrong with lucas and to some extent mason as well. I get the honesty and I respect him not pumping guys up for the sake of it.
Self has an unbelievable success rate with choosing the right guy’s. With KJ I do think there is some long term intrigue, not even saying he would ever start here but if he was on a 4-5 year plan anything can happen. It looks like he will be a last resort anyway.
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Having two players with the trajectory of Mason and Graham is an incredible luxury that very few team get, not only because of their talent but perhaps more importantly because of the length of their tenure.
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@BeddieKU23 said:
Yeah he’s ended up dead wrong with lucas and to some extent mason as well. I get the honesty and I respect him not pumping guys up for the sake of it.
Self has an unbelievable success rate with choosing the right guy’s. With KJ I do think there is some long term intrigue, not even saying he would ever start here but if he was on a 4-5 year plan anything can happen. It looks like he will be a last resort anyway.
He and many were high on Mason from what I remember. I know Jerry loved Mason too.
@JayHawkFanToo said:
Having two players with the trajectory of Mason and Graham is an incredible luxury that very few team get, not only because of their talent but perhaps more importantly because of the length of their tenure.
Oh for sure. Basically you are trying to find a guard in the 20-90 ranking range that also probably has some kind of limitation when it comes to the NBA. Self has done a GREAT job getting these kinds of players tbqh. EJ, Tyshawn, Graham, Mason, Russ Rob, Sherron etc… I don’t typically question Self’s recruiting. The Ayton miss sucked but the payoff would have been worth it.
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@BShark Bragg has some growing to do on and off the court. The whole pushing incident really knocked him off track. He has to prove himself even more now.
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I’m glad your memory works that far back. lol
What I remember from the whole Mason ordeal was that in general- most KU fans overreacted to him being small and a de-commit from Towson. Add in that Mason was basically our 4th choice fallback plan and there was a lot of chatter of why we got this kid. If it wasn’t for KU continuing to recruit I believe it was Mclaughin of USC even after he committed we would never have him to begin with. Crazy how that works out.
I do remember Jerry being high on him and I also remember Self saying that he basically got a steal after getting to know him and see his game.
I think kids like Mason are even harder to find these days with how much video is available from AAU ball these days.
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Sometimes it does.
And you are right it was McLaughlin. Townsend was in Vegas to see McLaughlin but I don’t think he was committed officially at the time. He saw Frank and that was pretty much the end of it I believe the staff went to check him out a couple more times or so and then offered.
I know Jerry had him top 75 might have been top 50. ESPN didn’t (maybe still doesn’t) rank post grads so that negatively impacted his overall ranking.
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I think your right about the ESPN ranking. They had Post next to his name and ranked him a 3 star. Even if his ranking was just at that time they clearly missed the ball on him. It happens all the time, its just crazy it might be happening for the 2nd straight year with a POY favorite. Hield while a 4 star prospect wasn’t exactly a household name. Mason has worked his way above what any KU fan could have imagined this year.
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ESPN slants towards Nike kids. Also they have Terrence Lewis ranked ahead of Marcus Garrett it’s so hard to take them seriously.
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And had Giles ahead of Jackson while Giles played what 2 minutes of High School ball his senior year.
That is funny Lewis over Garrett.
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Nike influence with Giles.
Yeah I’m not sure how you watch them both play and say well Lewis is better and/or has more potential. I think he will be a nice player for ISU but probably closer to the 100 range. I think Lewis is NR on Scout which is also ridiculous. I believe a lot of these services are lazy, don’t get to many events and piggy back off each other. For rankings 247 is probably my favourite.
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Yes… I remember when we signed Frank. I won’t say our fanbase was negative as a whole, but people never thought Frank would turn out to be such a plus for us. Size was the biggest factor, followed by where he was going first, seeming to rub people the wrong way like we should only be competing with other blue bloods for players.
The ultimate lesson is, “we can’t judge a book by its cover.”
I don’t put much time into following recruiting because we just see the window dressing. We don’t know the players. A lot of what Bill saw in Frank went beyond his stat sheet and highlight films. We all need to think about that when we start being overly critical about Bill’s recruit targets and commits.
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@drgnslayr Great point. I am sometimes amazed at how we all can get on this site and think we can identify whom the recruits that we need are…but all part of the fun, I guess.
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Really good points. I bet if we sat with Self and asked him “did you ever think Mason would get this good” I’m sure we’d get an interesting answer from him.
Opportunity is also a big equalizer in this whole equation with Frank.
Tharpe didn’t pan out and Mason was eating his minutes early in his Sophomore year. We also whiffed on every top PG target for the past 4 years- the staff admitted Frank was option #4 which really meant “fell into our lap” at the right time. What if we had signed a PG that was talented enough to challenge Frank for that spot. Graham ended up being that guy but Self figured out those 2 could play beside each other because of the bond they had formed. Frank in a way has been very lucky that he could capitalize on his unheralded beginning into now becoming a favorite for POY honors. Nothing short of amazing, you never know what a player has under the hood until you get him playing under your watch.
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Mason’s hs stats were pretty damn good. But HS stats are mostly meaningless.
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I was on CyFan (I know…) reading their thread on Wigginton (imo will be a stud for them for 3-4 years) and well, this post was funny so I had to share.
" Yesterday at 2:15 PM
billy preston is going to be a great ku villain, assuming bill self doesn't kick him out of any of his first 10 practices."
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Matt Scott did a major rework of the 2018 targets page. Worth checking out.
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Oturu is announcing Friday. I can’t see it being KU since he hasn’t even visited plus I’m not sure if KU would take his commitment at this time with so many top players being on the board that KU is attempting to recruit (even if KU has no chance like Naz Reid).
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Minnesota would be my guess.
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Dang. Good big for them. Had a chance to look into Oturu, will be a good big by Junior/Senior year. I don’t think he was a fit at KU at 6’8 with no mid-range game. I liked his ability to face up in the lane and score and has long arms that help him play bigger than 6’8. Pitino is having good season so I’m assuming that looks appealing to him
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Yeah he’s raw right now.
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Anyone seen the film on Emmitt Williams? Good lord we want this one. I have a feeling he’ll be moving up the charts. Crazy athlete, just crazy.
Plays for IMG- same school as Duval attends. Mari played their as well.
Williams just became the # 1 recruit I hope KU gets next year.
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Great minds think alike. Absolutely the best post player that KU could realistically land (Bagley isn’t realistic). Close this kid before the likes of UK/DUKE/AZ poke their noses around.
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KU checking in on Dotson and Hamilton in NC today per Matt Scott.
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@BeddieKU23 Williams is a monster. Geez, louise…
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@BeddieKU23 ok feel me in lol. Have we been recruiting this kid? I’m taking it he is a 2018 player? whz his height? Do we have a shot? - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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Wow! Talk about swagger!
The key with snagging a big swagger guy is that you have to tame him enough to win with him.
The Morris brothers had some swagger and lots of posturing. But in the end, they really didn’t put their moxie to work for team wins. They often ticked off opponents that brought ultimate revenge down on us.
But hey… I’m all for a guy like Emmitt! He is a perfect swing guard or stretch 4. I like him especially if Bill finally makes the commitment to long term small ball. He’s the perfect “utility big.” He could be a swing guard in a big lineup, a stretch 4 in a normal lineup, and a 5 in a total x-axis squad!
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@jayballer54 6’7" 210.
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@JayHawkFanToo Little known Jethro factoid: the last 4 national championship teams all started two point guards. Coinydink? I think not.
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I did not realize he was this good. He is priority #1 if I’m the staff.
I know that a lot of schools have started to offer. West Virginia has been in with whole staff to see him before.
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He was recently offered over the holidays. I’m assuming we watched Duval and we saw this monster.
6’8 200 pound freak. And I would think we have a good chance if we prioritize him
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Devon Dotson visiting Feb 4.
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That’s positive, same day as Young
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I’d be surprised if he isn’t a Jayhawk. Staff has prioritized him. Would love to see him commit to KU soon.
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We’ll see, kids from his area have proven to be tough to pull. I do like him coming for a home game that should show him a good time.
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Graham and Vick and Doke and Bragg back. back.
Average talent continues decline from accruing effects of embargo.
Now even 4 stars are waiting to see what happens when Tyler leaves.
Next.
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Yeah I’d just like to see him pop before possibly Duke shows serious interest.
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@BShark This has to be a good thing - -keeping fingers crossed - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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ESPN updated Top 60 rankings. KU targets
#2 Zion Willaimson PF (Unlikely)
#3 Romeo Langford SG (unlikely)
#5 Jordan Brown C
#7 Emmitt Williams PF (should become a major target) Could be a top 3 player when all is said and done.
#14 Quentin Grimes SG (the key to the class IMO)
#16 Brandon Williams PG
#32 Jairus Hamilton SF (Staff recently visited him)
#34 Devon Dotson (Will Visit KU Feb 4th)
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A few others I wish KU was recruiting who I’ve watched recently.
#9 Simi Shittu PF (Canadian prospect, could work the Wiggins angle). Very skilled player.
#35 David McCormack C - Huge man 6’10 280 is starting to get in better shape. Hudy would do wonders with this man. Teammate of Preston.
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Jalen Carey listed as a SG on ESPN ranked #12 SG. Will be a Top 100 kid when they expand the rankings. Hope we stay on this one.
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@BeddieKU23 Dotson doing an unofficial is a good start. Need to get Langford, Williams and Grimes on campus.
Hopefully Doke can be a recruiting tool for McCormack.
We are due for a monster class one of these years. A 3 or 4 guys in the top 50 type of class.
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I think we should be selective. 18 class is down. Grimes, Dotson seem to be two we have a great chance with. We should be all in on Emmitt Williams. ALL in.
This summer will be interesting to see what we go after. 19 class has guys we really want.
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@BeddieKU23 Selective yet aggressive. We need to add some multi-year players. Who knows what the roster could look like after next season.
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the 2 I listed are multi-year types. Williams has OAD ability. I agree we will need bodies
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Read an article from zags blog talking about the game Saturday - -the Coaches were talking about the match ups and NBA personnel that was going to be there. Accordingly it was Stated that Josh is slotted as a # 4 pick in the draft and Devonte is a # 37 pick, kind of interesting - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@BeddieKU23 said:
I think we should be selective. 18 class is down. Grimes, Dotson seem to be two we have a great chance with. We should be all in on Emmitt Williams. ALL in.
This summer will be interesting to see what we go after. 19 class has guys we really want.
18 is a really weak class indeed. Don’t want to mess up 19, but we will have to see how many bodies KU needs. Completely agree with the three you listed. Duke will press for Grimes and maybe AZ too. That one will be a battle. the other two I think KU can for sure land if the staff presses for them.
19 has a lot of NBA level talent though. And ya 19 has a lot of strong KU leans. Gotta close em of course but Harvey and Robinson Earl I think are in the bag if KU presses for commits. Hell there is a rumour that JRE is already silently committed. However we know how that can go, doesn’t mean a thing yet. Sherfield is from KS (Wichita) originally but maybe signing Jacobs already hurts KU there. Leech is from rural Missouri. Basically only us, ISU and UW recruiting him atm. UW might be the main contender here but his recruitment could explode, legit talent. Hurt is a complete stud but I don’t honestly know much about his recruitment.
@BeddieKU23 said:
Jalen Carey listed as a SG on ESPN ranked #12 SG. Will be a Top 100 kid when they expand the rankings. Hope we stay on this one.
If KU needs to take a third guard in the class I really hope it’s him.
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Oh and I’d kill for Zion or Langford but no chance. Seems like we might be able to sneak Hamilton out of NC if we need a wing.
