Trophy Case Starting to Fill in Jackson

As has been documented here, the program in Jackson, MS is enjoying a quick ascent in the wake of hiring Robert Brooks as head coach. And now, with the conclusion of Season 324 and with two of Brooks’s recruiting classes on the roster, the team has done very well in the Conference 10 awards.

Last season, it was Jordan Flores and Phillip Russo being feted with spots on the Conference All-Freshman Team. Flores was also named Conference Freshman of the Year, while Russo was given a spot on the All-League Freshman 2nd Team.

Now, those two have earned spots on the All-Conference First Team (Russo) and All-Conference Second Team (Flores). In addition another pair of freshmen have been given spots on the Conference All-Freshman team, in Garrett Burks and Jakob Collins. Thus, four starters on this year’s team were given awards, and they are just freshmen and sophomores.

And tomorrow, another trio of recruits will join the program with the intent to push things even further. Reports are that the team doesn’t have stars who are slam dunks to coming to Jackson but that they are in good enough position with enough high school seniors that they ought to come out of it fine, just the particulars of who will comprise the class won’t be known until 11am when announcements are made.

There is some talk of what should happen if the program comes up empty on those options? What if they all see that playing time is already hard to come by and stay away? Sources also say that the team is satisfied in the wait-and-see commits they have lined up in that event.

It’s believed that the high school player deemed most likely to be a part of the class is Malik Miller. Miller actually plays ball in Jackson and would be a hometown commit, something seen as being a little special, at least. Miller is seen as a solid point guard prospect who would caddy for Jordan Flores for a couple years before likely becoming the starter as a junior. He’s seen as a defender with some solid ball distribution skills on the offensive end. His own capacity for scoring is a subject of disagreement among scouts, however.

If the team does well in pulling high end talent again, their rotation next season could be scary.

Stay tuned!

Philip Ogden is Coming to Tuscaloosa

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.

Moore, Lippert Receive Accolades

There are some low rumbles of conversation around Tuscaloosa these days that the university’s basketball program might just be at the dawn of a successful era. For a program that’s made the NTT once in the last 70 years, success can have a pretty wide definition. But the current regime has landed two legitimately good recruiting classes in three seasons, and word is this next one has a high ceiling with a chance to land a blue chipper. With the two good classes having just earned a PTT Sweet 16 berth thus far for postseason success, there is an expectation that they will take a leap next season when that first class, led by Nolan Conaty and Taylon Smith, will be seniors.

The other part of the equation is this year’s freshmen, who have performed well in big roles this season. If they can take their own leap next season, with a year of college ball under their belt, that will also go a long way in their very tough division that includes a Final Four participant this year and 4-time national champion in New Orleans.

Two freshmen in the class were named to the Conference All-Freshman First Team, and center Moshe Moore earned Conference Freshman of the Year honors.

Moore, seen above, has scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds per game. He’s already taken major strides in his development, earning higher grades from scouts for his athleticism and his hands. Though the hands part of things is questioned by people who aren’t stat nerds but can simply point out that he’s been credited with a total of three assists all season. It’s also true, however, that he doesn’t turn the ball over much. He’s a versatile offensive forward who is 14/33 from three on the season.

Fans are tickled that he played high school ball in Augusta, home of another division rival and past national champion, yet chose to come play in Alabama instead.

Mervin Lippert’s shorts have made him a cult figure on campus already. But his game helped in that regard too, and he was not just awarded a spot on the First Team All-Freshman team for the conference, but also the second place vote-getter for Freshman of the Year, to his teammate. He was, not surprisingly, just not quite as productive as Moore at 11 points and 7 rebounds per game.

It was something of a mystery that he didn’t lead the team in rebounds, as he was an absolute monster in preseason scrimmages. It didn’t translate to games, which is why he and Moore swapped spots in the lineup, with Moore going to center and he to power forward, after seven games this year. Moore was being more productive on the glass and it stayed that way.

The team would like Lippert to shoot more frequently and that will be a thing to watch in his sophomore season. He’s the second or third best shooter on the team but took the fewest FGA of any starter.

In 36 hours, this season will have wrapped up with the team’s last game of the season and the program will learn which recruits they’ve brought in to try and push things to the next level in Season 108.

The NTT is the goal.

Ethical Program Building in Jackson?

The college basketball universe of the T-League is taking notice of what is happening in Jackson, MS. Former star player Robert Brooks was tabbed to lead the program a little over two seasons ago, and he has quickly injected life into the program not seen in a long time.

Brooks himself is one of the most decorated players in program history who is still living. While the T-League is now in its 324th season, Jackson hasn’t hade the NTT in over 100 years. Not even a fluke conference tournament championship to earn a berth. Brooks’s player credentials are that he was named of the Second Team All-Conference three times.

Brooks didn’t have time to recruit heading into his first season as coach, but managed to land a couple of solid late commits in forwards Justin Goodrich and Spencer Cohen. That modest success now must be viewed as a harbinger of things to come, as Brooks has now landed elite recruiting classes in his first two full years in the recruiting cycle. And Goodrich and Cohen are providing a further boost now to those two classes which has the team ranked #24 in the country after eight games this season.

It’s not such an uncommon thing anymore for some coach to pop up at a new school and employ recruiting techniques to boost their new program such as “recruit players credibly accused of sexual assault”. But that is not what Brooks is doing in Jackson, and it’s freaking some people out.

He’s recruited six players in those two full cycles, who could have at most a combined +12 in intelligence. They come in at a still wild +10.

“I’d like to say that I have focused on these players because I want to have true student athletes on campus,” Brooks said. “But I have to admit that I’ve done it for myself. It’s easier to coach smart guys. And there are more of them hooping than people think.”

It could be another move from Brooks when he first took over that has helped him on the recruiting trail. He renamed the program the Freedom Riders, after the bus riding activists operating during the country’s civil rights era.

“It’s not a history that gets acknowledged a lot in these parts. We all know the state of Mississippi wishes Jackson just didn’t exist, state capital or not,” Brooks said. “It’s been something for me to talk with our players and prospective players about, and I think it attracts those wise young men here, to know about the place they’re coming to play basketball.”

The jewel so far for Brooks has been Phillip Russo by pure accolades. But one could make an argument easily for his fellow sophomore, point guard Jordan Flores. Flores started out their freshmen season on fire, with a five game stretch early scoring 33, 36, 29, 26, and 39 points. At that point he was a national sensation, but his scoring pace dropped off after that.

And so while he was named Conference 10 Freshman of the Year, awarded after game 18 of 24 on the season, a week later it was Russo whose body of work was favored and he was named Second Team All-League Freshman.

But if you talk to people on campus, current freshman Garrett Burks is considered the biggest score so far. He’s not as prolific offensively as Russo and Flores, but can hold his own. He is dominant in every other facet of the game, however. At 6’8″ with his skillset, he is a major disruptor on the floor. He rebounds like a more athletic Yao Ming. He locks up his counterparts defensively.

Burks not only chose to come to Jackson when he’s a native of North Carolina who had those options at his disposal, he committed very early in his senior season of high school. Some were agog at his decision but it’s already looking solid, at least.

Brooks landed Burks pretty easily, but there are signs that there are already copycats out there. Burks told this reporter that he’s found a lot more competition on the guys he’s targeted this recruiting cycle.

“We had to actually make some adjustments to our priorities in midstream this season, as we needed to get active with some different guys than we expected. I think part of the extra competition is that this isn’t a very good class for big men, so demand way exceeds supply. But still, it’s a different feel out there on the trail.”

After the first pass through divisional opponents, Jackson is in first place in their conference. Next week, however, is when they play the best of their opposition and that is when we will see just how magical this season will be. But even if it’s not this year, it looks like Jackson has entered a new era and will be putting some kind of hardware on display in the athletic department sooner rather than later.

New Bathers Administration Announces Early Recruiting Targets

Arkansans will learn a bit more about their new head coach at the conclusion of the upcoming season, his first complete season with the program. Former All-Conference 19 guard Colin Wilson was handed the reigns halfway through last season. He received some criticism for simply holding the line on the program’s recruiting efforts to that point instead of seeking out his own talent to bolster the possibilities.

He was rewarded with landing talented 6’10” Bradley Widener. The maintaining of that relationship and bringing Widener in under a competitive situation bought Wilson some time. But now he will have to perform again when he has to build that pipeline from scratch, which is a horse of a different color.

Scouts have noted that there is a lot of senior high school talent in the home region of Hot Springs and that being involved in and winning the recruiting battles for those players will decide a lot about the fortunes of programs in the region for the next four years.

Wilson showed that he understands the assignment by early announcing intent to recruit three local players, two of whom play not just in the Bathers’ region, but their home conference, giving them a bit more leg up on bringing them to campus.

Those two players are James Gibbon and Nicholas Walton.

Gibbon has been on the minds of scouts for a few years already and his time to ascend to college is finally here and Wilson is looking to land that big one right out of the gate. It is believed that Gibbon is willing to play for programs who can guarantee him immediate playing time, and that being a foundational player in a program on the rise is attractive to him. Is the hire of Wilson something that would make Gibbon think this program, which has never won its conference, will be able to take that kind of step with him?

Walton is a wing type who has shown some real scoring touch so far in his senior season. Hot Springs believes the offense is real and he’s shown high-level skill. They also think there is room for him to excel in other areas of the game and project him to develop into an impact player.

The in-region but not in-conference recruit the team has already announced interest in is 7′ center prospect Andres Renfro, who figures to be one of the most sought after recruits in the nation. He is a defensive black hole for opponents. Word is he would more likely prefer to stay close to home, so Hot Spings is putting its hat in the ring, probably along with every other program who thinks it has any shot.

The team has plans to file one other player as a key recruit per their allotment of visits and other perks, and are said to be looking for a player there who will be the one to commit to them, and for it to be a forward. There is a lot of interest in using that spot on another local player in Talon McQueen of Ames. But a lot of the interest in the 6’8″ forward has been simply because his name is Talon McQueen, which is an awesome name. He’s shown some ability in the early part of his high school season, but the team wants to see a little more in the couple more games before these recruits must be filed.

The 6’5″ Guard Who is Key to a Recruiting Class Focused on Bigs

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Head Coach Ismael Bledsoe is about to find out who he’s been able to lure to campus as his third recruiting class since being awarded the job at the conclusion of Season 103 of League 42. After landing a well-ranked class of recruits in his first batch, last season he worked on securing some big men and had mediocre results. This third class placed an even higher priority on filling out the forward ranks and indications are that it will be more successful. And yet, sources tell us that the one player the program is fixated on is a guard.

Nathaniel Toler plays high school ball in Tacoma, Washington. He was a late addition to the Tuscaloosa program’s targets, largely due to the focus on big men. But as the season has progressed it has come to appear Toler is a late bloomer with a lot of attributes the program favors and is too good of a fit to not bring in.

The program has prioritized their recruits such that he’s coming to town.

“We have two big men we’re in competition with other programs on, and those two are our top priority to sign. But even if we get them both, then the third recruit will be Nathaniel,” Bledsoe told this reporter. “If we get one or neither of those bigs, we will get Toler as well as two other forwards we feel comfortable we can land.”

Notably, Bledsoe also feels that in a worst case scenario, both of the fall-back forwards they have would comprise a better duo that what they brought in last season.

As for Toler, he has a scoring touch and ability to distribute the ball to teammates. He plays defense, too. Even one skill the scouting consensus says he lacks, rebounding, his totals are perfectly adequate. And he’ll be a guard anyway, even though he plays small forward for his high school team.

“We think the rebounding thing is an example of his winning nature. Technique wise, maybe the scouts think he can’t do it, but he competes and gets to balls anyway,” said recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Tyler Monday.

As to why it’s set in stone he’d be a guard for the Druids, it seems a decision has been made that Nolan Conaty is a small forward all the way. He and Taylon Smith are the jewels of the first class Bledsoe brought in. Smith is also locked at point guard, so Toler will play shooting guard.

He will in theory get some competition for the starting role from current freshman Michael O’Brien, but the position is his to lose, as O’Brien has looked like a solid reserve who would probably be overextended as a starter.

Saturday is a big day for the program. We will know the complexion of nest season’s roster before lunch.

Recruit Commitments Memorandum – Ithaca

I, Austin Emory, was appointed by Ithaca University six games into this season as head coach of the basketball program. A proud member of the program’s lone championship in Season 24, it is a great honor for me to be provided the opportunity to get the program back into the NTT, and to stay there this time around.

Developments this week have solidified our incoming recruiting class. I am proud of it and energized by these incoming freshman. Given the late start in recruiting this year, I think the program acquitted itself very well.

For our fans, administration, and boosters, allow me to introduce these young men:

Jacob Williams will absolutely be our starting point guard. He plays high school ball in Cleveland, and is actually the shooting guard on that team. But he has a 6:1 assist:turnover ratio and strong defensively. While he is more of a distributor, even playing the 2, he is an efficient scorer. Next season, we will probably give him a chance to score more and see how that goes, as he won’t have a lot of options yet to pass the ball off to.

One option he will have is wing Heath Pena. He hasn’t been high on scout lists this year but he plays for a very good HS team in St. Paul and is their top scorer. He doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses even if he also doesn’t have an elite trait. He’s a perfect type of guy to bring in where he can again be the top option for us. We’re excited to bring him in and work on a few things and maybe we can even get something to elite status.

The class is rounded out by Kenneth Rolle, who is quite simply an athletic freak. On his high school team in Greenville, South Carolina, he’s a power forward at 6’6″. He pulls down rebounds and collects blocks at nearly the rate of his 7′ center. Next season there is a good chance he is a power forward again as we continue to build out our frontcourt. But with his athleticism, as his career progresses and we continue to fill out a roster, it would be fun to get to deploy him in different roles, creating good matchups against specific opponents.

These players have all committed and signing day won’t bring any surprises but it will be very exciting nonetheless.