This year’s recruiting cycle was a crucial one for Tuscaloosa University. With this class in the fold it would mean the entire roster is comprised of recruits of coach Ismael Bledsoe. While he has brought in good players thus far, it hadn’t resulted in as much on court success as hoped, partially attributable to a tough conference and also playing difficult out of conference teams.
This incoming class had a high floor – the team was comfortable that at the least, they would be bolstering the weakest spots in their rotation. But they had three impact players in their crosshairs who were all considering a handful of other programs, and they needed to get at least one of those to considerably advance the program.
And that is what they got when 6’9″ Philip Ogden agreed to come to town after leading his high school team in Laredo, TX to an 18-9 mark as a senior. Ogden scores 20 points a game and also is known as a skilled distributor to others. His game is more silky that way, he is not much of a banger for a man of his height, but the talent is undeniable and he is considered a player very well suited to the modern game.
Ogden shot 40% from three last season, and early indications are that the team will try to have him start at shooting guard this year. Some would ask why not to put him at small forward and senior Nolan Conaty go to guard at 6’6″, but Conaty has had some games at the position in his career and performed demonstrably worse than he does as a small forward. So for this season, to have the team’s best players in the starting lineup, shooting guard for Ogden is the first choice. He could be a super reserve at small forward, but as the player on the roster with the highest high school game score, he’s too good to not try and find a starting spot for him right away. And those skills should play there, as long as he doesn’t have defensive problems there. But he’s believed to be athletic enough to be able to get the job done.
In addition to Ogden, the team brought in Keyonte Wood and Izaya Hogan, who both project to perform better than Evan Coulter and Nathaniel Toler this season, and push those two out of the rotation. Hogan will be reserve shooting guard while Wood will play either backup center or power forward, with junior Anthony Jackson taking up the other spot.
With this class, Tuscaloosa now is the #12 ranked team overall when grading all four recruiting classes and is preseason ranked #22 after finishing last season at #93. The remaining programs in the conference did not perform like they usually do in recruiting either, further opening up a window for the Druids to take the leap in the upcoming season.
The World According to Johan Garpenlov 