Basketball Recruiting Update

[papawasamustang]

Chris Otule, 6"10 245 lb big man from Richmond Tx lists SMU, Baylor,
UConn, Marquette & Nebraska as favorites.

Also, Brandon Moore, highly regarded PF from New Orleans committed to Arkansas. Has been mentioned as being interested in SMU.

[ponydawg]

How many ships do we have next year?
We graduate 3 seniors, but don't we already have
3 oral commits?

[MustangIcon]

How many ships do we have next year?
We graduate 3 seniors, but don't we already have
3 oral commits?

three seniors plus dez who quit. thats 4 schollies. we have 4 oral commits as of now.

[Tipoff96]

I know we have commitments from three California kids. Who's the fourth commitment?

[Ponymon]

Christopher Clarke. Clarke is a 6-9 forward from Orchard Lake (Michigan) St. Mary's Prep.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... e8b8e.html

[Otto]

I know we have commitments from three California kids. Who's the fourth commitment?

THREE California commitments? Frank Otis, Jared Dubois .... who else?

[Ponymon]

I know we have commitments from three California kids. Who's the fourth commitment?

THREE California commitments? Frank Otis, Jared Dubois .... who else?

You know that you can scroll down this forum and find it, but here is the guy you are looking for:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 8b0e9.html

http://www.hoopville.net/column/kasieck ... ryID=17573

Justin Haynes (6'6" Jr. SG-SF, Palmdale (CA) High) He isn't the primary scorer on his team, but looks like he has the skills to do that. He has a good frame and scored on a couple of drives and knocked down a three-pointer, going for 13 points in a win for his team. High-major minus prospect.

Of course, Rivals doesn't rate either Haynes or Clark, which makes one wonder whether these recruits have it or whether Rivals is serious about Basketball recruiting?

[LA_Mustang]

I have faith in Doherty – he’s a proven coach with a lot passion, but I’m concerned that none of our commits are from Texas. I’m all for getting the best players, but the fact that he has yet to land a top 10 player from Texas tells you how difficult it is to recruit to SMU. Plus, it’s not like these guys from out of state are big-time recruits??

Athletically, I think SMU has a terrible reputation with HS coaches and kids in Texas. Until someone with decision making power realizes we need to make major changes, nothing will ever change. We’ll just keep firing the coach every few years and blaming everything on the death penalty.

[Alaric]

I have faith in Doherty – he’s a proven coach with a lot passion, but I’m concerned that none of our commits are from Texas. I’m all for getting the best players, but the fact that he has yet to land a top 10 player from Texas tells you how difficult it is to recruit to SMU. Plus, it’s not like these guys from out of state are big-time recruits??

Athletically, I think SMU has a terrible reputation with HS coaches and kids in Texas. Until someone with decision making power realizes we need to make major changes, nothing will ever change. We’ll just keep firing the coach every few years and blaming everything on the death penalty.

I'm curious why you're concerned he's not getting commits from Texas. If he can build the team w/o them, great. I'm guessing it's simply because SMU has a tarnished athletic reputation in the state. Nothing that winning won't erase.

[Stallion]

SMU's best recruits have always been from Texas. SMU needs to recruit Texas. Why are you so sure Doherty hasn't tried but failed to recruit Texas. None of these recruits are any better than about 20 kids in Texas. I'm glad Doherty has a wide network because it might save us from the Tubbs fallout we are experiencing right now. Don't try to kid yourself-there is a backlash-it is being felt and its a challenge to Doherty to see if he can overcome it.

[MustangIcon]

SMU's best recruits have always been from Texas. SMU needs to recruit Texas. Why are you so sure Doherty hasn't tried but failed to recruit Texas. None of these recruits are any better than about 20 kids in Texas. I'm glad Doherty has a wide network because it might save us from the Tubbs fallout we are experiencing right now. Don't try to kid yourself-there is a backlash-it is being felt and its a challenge to Doherty to see if he can overcome it.

We got a couple pretty highly regarded Texas players last class. Harp and Malone were both 3 stars per rivals and in the top 20 players in the state I think. Nayakundi was a 3 star prospect according to rivals (not sure where he was ranked).

As far as Dallas area players if we look at the classes prior to Doherty's arrival we will see we had not been doing great things in Dallas for quite some time. The 2005 class prior to Tubbs firing yielded only Matt Williams- a private school Dallas kid (who was not ranked in the top 40 in the state). The 2004 class had John Killen from Arlington, not exactly Dallas. 2003 had noone from the Dallas area that I can recall. Then 2002 was our last "get" from DISD- BHop. Its not like the Tubbs firing shut down a pipeline that was coming in. In fact, Hopkins was the last player we signed that was actually DISD I believe.

***EDIT*** Chris Reay from Plano was in the 2003 class and that would be Dallas area. Just looked it up and realized I had forgetton to mention him.

[DallasDiehard]

SMU's best recruits have always been from Texas. SMU needs to recruit Texas.

What a pantload. If he gets players, it doesn't matter if they're from University Park or Pluto.

Why are you so sure Doherty hasn't tried but failed to recruit Texas. None of these recruits are any better than about 20 kids in Texas.

According to whom? By all accounts, these are pretty good players. Not National Top 10 guys, but good players, and better than we've had in years past.

I'm glad Doherty has a wide network because it might save us from the Tubbs fallout we are experiencing right now. Don't try to kid yourself-there is a backlash-it is being felt and its a challenge to Doherty to see if he can overcome it.

Uh huh - if he recruits as well as his history suggests he does, and he coaches the talent he recruits, he'll start winning, and that backlash will disappear. Every kid in Texas can turn his back on SMU, and if he gets stud players from elsewhere who help the team start winning, then Texas kids will line up to play for Coach Doherty. Happens at every school that starts winning.

[ponyboy]

On last year's top five in NCAA basketball, there were a total of four Texas players combined on their rosters. And from our conference, #12 Memphis had zero.

How in the world did these teams ever compete without Texas players?

[LA_Mustang]

ponyboy, I hope you’re not being serious with that argument? Unless you’re Duke or one of the elite powers, you have to recruit your backyard to be successful. Memphis has three players from the Memphis area and a very good national reputation that allows them to go out of state to recruit talent. We have zero, or if any, a negative national reputation AND we struggle to land second tier talent from our own backyard (Dallas and Houston). That is a no win situation – for Dement, Tubbs, and Doherty.

Dallas Diehard, you said that these players (I assume you’re talking about the current freshmen) are better than the ones we’ve had in the past? What are you basing that on? NONE of the incoming freshmen were as highly ranked nationally as Derrick Roberts, Bamba Fall or Devon Pearson. I hope you’re right and these guys turn out to be great players for SMU, but just because they were brought in by Doherty doesn’t guarantee anything....like some people on here want to believe. Many of whom have probably never seen any of the recruits shoot a basket.

[papawasamustang]

Man, this is such a great topic of debate.
Its fun to read all the different opinions.
Mine is that eventually SMU needs to land a big name local kid.
Of course, winning is the cure. If SMU wins than locals will follow.
More wins = more local & national exposure.
In addition, the upgrades to Moody & practice facility will help.

Looking @ the 2008 class locally, I don't remember seeing anyone higher than a 3 star show interest in SMU. Talley @ Duncanville.
Kimball had a couple of kids interested, Landon Giles & Mike Webb.
Gods Academy Faisal Aden, Dominique Collier, Lancaster & Melvin Johnson of Red Oak also mentioned SMU. Statewide, just a couple of players listed SMU with Jonathan Hall, a JC player, 3 star listing SMU interest as low.

As a SMU fan I think its only natural to want the local kids to stay & play @ home. However, the bottom line is winning & once that starts happening on a regular basis I believe everything will take care of itself.

I think Doh is the right man for the job. Give him time. He has recruited nationally @ all his coaching stops.