Recruiting Targets Expected to Decide this Week

UPDATED

The three top names that we know about are all expected to announce their decisions this week. First, SG Rodney Hood will announce at noon on Wed, according to Zagoria. Further, Zagoria says Hood will choose from among Florida State, Mississippi State, Louisville, Marquette and Alabama. Hood is currently ranked as the #36 player according to RSCI. Scout analyst Evan Daniels doesn't even think we are in Hood's top 3, but of course he also says that he doesn't know what or when Hood is going to announce.

On Thursday, two more names will make their decisions official as well. Again, according to Zagoria, Nick Faust will take official to Villanova this weekend & announce Oct. 28. Maryland, FSU, Oregon State & Marquette also involved. Zags tips Alex Kline for the info. The 6'5 WG is the #32 player according to RSCI. Here's a fun mixtape to watch. MU is still considered in the running, but Villanova has been making a strong late push and Maryland has long been considered the front runner.

6'8 PF Mike Shaw from Chicago is also making his announcement on Thursdays. MU has been in the running, but whispers are out that the #50 player is expected to choose Illinois. Also here from the Sun-Times. There's an outside chance on this one, but don't get your hopes up. We'll believe Marquette is out of it when the final announcement is made by Shaw.

With all three of these players, there is enough information to either be optimistic or pessimistic depending on your general perspective. As a sometimes curmudgeon, it is a very real possibility that at the end of this week, none of these players will have decided to come play for Marquette. We believe in MU's chances, but the nature of the recruiting game means a team misses more than they make. However, I'm not really worried about the recruiting under Buzz, and certainly won't have any angst about the info this week.

Episode 9 of Marquette Basketball: Revealed

We've been critical of some of these, but this one was really enjoyable. This episode could also be titled "Buzz yells at Vander and Junior"




Other Quick Links

The East Coast Bias did Round Two of the BE Blogger Roundtable. This version had each blogger take a guess at the starting fives. Plus, there is also a Round Three, where each blogger talked about what happened during the offseason. In particular, Round three is well worth reading to get a feel for the league.

Rosiak took a look at the team one week in, including the Haunted Hoops scrimmage and a lot of good things to say about Reggie Smith.

Yet Another Basketball Blog predicts the Big EAST and places Marquette 7th.

Steve Novak made the Mavericks Roster (for now). Do great, Steve!

Rush The Court looks at 2010-1011 Impact Players from the Midwest, and has some nice things to say about Jimmy F. Butler.

Ray Floriani, contributor to Villanova By the Numbers, talked Four Factors (especially turnover margin) with Buzz Williams at the BE Media Day. I still can't decide if Buzz really doesn't know about the Four Factors, or if he's just playing the "Aw Shucks" routine.

Time waster extraordinaire. Busting the Bracket's 2011 Season Preview.

edit: Added Marquette Revealed and BE Blogger Roundtable
edit: Added further BE Blogger Roundtable

News and Notes on Marquette Hoops

UPDATED

Marquette Madness is just three days away and the intensity for the program is building. Here are a few updates for your Tuesday morning.

The Marquette Tribune takes an in-depth look at the university's financial commitment to the men's basketball program. The article is laden with facts and figures -- and be sure to click on the informative graphics which provide useful detail about the expenses associated with Division I athletics. A corollary to this article is our blog on the topic from earlier this year, which are reflective of my comments in today's Tribune piece.

In other news, Andy Katz did a story on Marquette. It's all about how Marquette is tabbed in the fourth tier but the team continues to overachieve. Mark it down now... MU finishes 5th-7th in the BE, makes the tournament, and loses their first game (probably on a last second shot, dammit).

Marquette has unveiled episode 7 of their Marquette Revealed series. This one looks at Boot Camp and it's the best one yet.

On the recruiting front, star shooting guard D'Angelo Harrison will announce his decision on Thursday per ZagsBlog. The timing is curious from a Marquette perspective -- Harrison was (is?) scheduled to visit for the Madness festivities this weekend.

Moving on to another 2011 target, reports indicate that highly coveted shooting guard Nick Faust has eliminated Marquette and will decide between Villanova, Maryland and FSU later this month.

Regardless of the decisions Faust and Harrison make, the primary need for the program in 2011 remains acquiring talented size across a number of positions, not necessarily more guards. Buzz appears to be on track to meet that need that to this point.

As far as we know 6'8" Texan Jarion Henry is still considering MU, along with 6'8" combo forward Mike Shaw and 6'9" post man Trey McDonald, among others. Earlier reports had all three of these guys at Madness later this week, along with a few underclassmen. While not scheduled to be at Madness, MU is recruiting 6'7" wing Rodney Hood as well. Hood visited MU earlier this month.

In the category of "that.....was....awesome" former MU coach and class act Hank Raymonds visited the Warriors last night.

Rivals shows the love for Jimmy F. Butler, slotting him in as the nation's 27th best player. I'm sure he'll get a plaque for that.

Recruiting Heats Up for Marquette

While a segment of the Marquette fanbase is anxious because the program currently lacks a commitment from the class of 2011, Coach Buzz is blanketing high-quality talent. With a relatively young roster Coach Buzz is being more selective this time around, and that selectivity involves a number of nationally-ranked recruits most of whom would be immediate contributors as freshmen.

Forwards
Last week Juan Anderson from Castro Valley, California took an official visit to MU. Anderson is a 6'6" natural wing whom Scout.com rates as the best wing player on the West Coast. Anderson is down to Marquette, Arizona State and California.

This weekend 6'7" top 50 target SF Rodney Hood will be on campus for his official visit. A four-start stud from Meridien, Mississippi Hood has offers from just about everybone and is visiting MU along with Louisville, Alabama, Georgia Tech and FSU. This guy is big-time.

6'8" Jarion Henry is also considering MU. The small forward from Dallas Kimball High School excels in transition and currently has offers from MU, Arkansas, Fresno Sate and UTEP, with others lingering, according to Rivals.com. Henry is expected to be at Marquette Madness in a few weeks.

With the departures of both Joe Fulce and Jimmy Butler after this season, landing a high-ceiling small forward is priority for the program. Hood, Anderson and Henry fit the mold of athletes that Coach Buzz prioritizes -- skilled, athletic players how can play multiple positions well.

The baseline
Along the baseline MU is actively pursuing 6'8" Mike Shaw, 6'8" Quincy Miller, 6'9" Trey McDonald, 6'8" Luke Mergerson, and perhaps 6'8" Tre Leonard.

Mike Shaw, a smooth 6'8" combo forward from Chicago DeLaSalle High School, is considering MU, West Virginia, DePaul, Illinois and Notre Dame. Buzz had an in-home with Shaw earlier this month -- but so did the other guys. Landing Shaw would be a signal once again about MU's strong presence in Chicago, as well as a blow to Flatlander institutions in particular.

Quincy Miller is a 6'9" Chicago product who is finishing out high school at Westchester Academy in North Carolina. Miller is one of the top 10 players in the nation, one of the two best forwards in the entire country. Miller has already visited Louisville and is considering Baylor, Kentucky, Texas, Marquette and perhaps Duke. It has been reported that Baylor and Louisville lead for Miller. It is noteworthy that current MU freshman Vander Blue was Miller's teammate last summer on the Team USA Basketball at 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. That squad took home the gold medal. Landing Miller would be a coup, but it says here Buzz should not hold out for the kid if Shaw is ready to commit.

Trey McDonald is a 6'9" power forward from Battle Creek, Michigan. McDonald is drawing interest from MU, Minnesota, DePaul, Wake Forest and several others. McDonald is also expected to be at Marquette Madness in a few weeks.

Another big MU is looking at is 6'8", 230 pound forward Luke Mergerson from Duncanville, Texas. Tulane, Cornell, Boston College, Georgetown, Notre Dame and a many others are checking in on the big Texan.

Tre Leonard, an under the radar recruit, may or may not be visiting MU this week* (*this just in, Twitter can muddy the waters with recruiting). For now the interest from MU is just a rumor but Leonard hails from Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, the same program that produced Darius Johnson-Odom. Leonard is a bit of a mystery in that he's been only lightly recruited by high-majors to date, but at 6'8" and 280 pounds perhaps he screams potential.

Shooting guards
D'Angelo Harrison, a 6'3" shooting guard from Missouri City (Dulles), Texas, has been a priority for some time. Harrison is considering MU along with Baylor, St. John's and Oklahoma State. Harrison is one of the best shooters in the nation and is expected to be at Marquette Madness in a few weeks.

High-scoring Nick Faust -- fresh off of a dominant summer which saw his national profile skyrocket -- is considering MU, Maryland, FSU, Oregon State and perhaps Villanova. A month ago it appeared that Faust might be down to MU and Maryland, which turned out not to be the case. Coach Buzz completed an in-home with Faust earlier this month but an official visit to campus has yet to take place.

MU has been mentioned lately with freak-athlete/wing guard Deuce Bello, who teams with Miller at Westchester Academy in North Carolina. Bello has not set up an official visit to MU but Miller has indicated the two might be a package deal. This feels like another long shot, and we'll likely gain more clarity around the Miller/Bello situation after the pair visit Baylor this weekend.

The next six weeks will be pressure-packed for MU on the recruiting trail. With just three scholarships to offer for next season (ha!), Coach Buzz is right to be selective but he'll work to avoid being aced out at any position of need. One thing we are confident about is that when it's all said and done, we expect another high-quality recruiting class on campus next fall. Buzz's history plus the slew of targets (that we know about) means that good things should come to fans who are patient.

====
PS - Don't forget to donate to Al's Run, supporting Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Every little bit helps.

How did MU make top 5 of two 6-foot-9 stars?

On August 26, Mike Shaw’s AAU coach announced Marquette was one of five finalist for Rival’s 58th ranked prospect. The next day, Scout’s No. 2 ranked player Quincy Miller twitted that he had added Marquette to a list of 12 other schools he had been considering.

Sunday the news got even better as Miller posted, "My list currently has 5 schools on it. Duke, Louisville, Baylor, Oklahoma and Marquette." Narrowing it to that five dropped Georgetown, Illinois, Kentucky, Memphis, Oregon, Syracuse, Tennessee and Wake Forest from the list.

How did Marquette make the Final 5 list for two of the top 6-foot-9 prospects in the country for 2011?

There is much speculation about how much players weigh Buzz vs. other coaches, programs' ability to produce NBA players, Final Four runs, conferences, tradition, climates, etc. While these may be given reasons given on signing day, I do believe the biggest factor is probably communication between players and potential players.

If an 18 year old has to filter through all the hype and plays to their ego, who is he going to trust the most? I’ve got to believe they turn to their peers – players who just went through the same decision – to find out if they regret or are thrilled with the choice they made.

For all our speculation, the fact is that Mike Shaw may simply be hearing very good things from his friend and MU freshman Reggie Smith. Quincy Miller may simply be hearing good things from his former USA national teammate and MU freshman Vander Blue.

I believe we all are confident Buzz is a great guy and probably makes an excellent pitch when he gets a visit, but don’t you think potential recruits check with current players to see what he is really like? To ask how players are really received on campus? We will never know what other questions are important when you are an 18 year old elite player, but I’m pretty confident they are asking their peers the questions that really determine their final commitment.

I’m as guilty as anyone of wanting to know right now who is going to be in the 2011 class and exactly what is happening, but the fact that Shaw and Miller even have MU in their Top 5 is a great sign that good things are being said about the program by they only guys who really matter – the players.

This year is going to be fun, and if we land a 6-foot-9 player like either Shaw or Miller, MU will truly be among the elite programs having filled the only weakness from the last few years (no elite big man). Let’s relax, and hope, and just wait for the announcements.