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Username Post: Bison Recruits 2018        (Topic#19688)
JDBison2010 
Masters Student
Posts: 763

Loc: Charleston, SC
Reg: 11-23-10
03-23-18 02:38 PM - Post#254219    
    In response to Bison137

Bringing this thread back to the top since it's been over two months since we have heard about any offers.

At this point looking at our roster, we are very guard heavy and will have to play without a back to the basket big for the first time in a while. Not necessarily a bad thing since Davis likes to push the tempo, but it'll be interesting to see how we recruit big men moving forward. Nzekwesi, for example, looks to be able to step out and play on the perimeter. Even the little we've seen from Paul Newman makes me think Davis will look to add guys who can run the floor well.

My concern for next year is going to be the lack of depth at the center/forward position. We've been spoiled with two of the all time greats in Nana and Zach. Next year we will have two very good players starting at PF and C in Bruce and Nate, two guys who I'm sure went toe to toe with Nana and Zach during practice, but the issue is there is very little behind them. Both Nate and Bruce, given their history, will have a tough time staying out of foul trouble. If both guys can average 25 minutes/game I'd consider that a win even though ideally I'd like to see them at 30 given our depth. If they can only hang around for 25 minutes/game, that means Newman and Meeks might have to each play around 10-15 minutes each or we go with a much smaller lineup. No way getting around it, Newman will have to play next year. Jones might be able to play a few minutes at PF but the reality is that Meeks is, size wise, comparable to Zach and might very well be a key player for us next year

I hate when this board is dead. Hoping we hear about a 6'7+ kid committing so that we can get some more conversation going

 
HuskyColonial 
PhD Student
Posts: 1976

Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
03-23-18 03:34 PM - Post#254224    
    In response to JDBison2010

Meeks can really fill it up too.

 
KenZ 
Postdoc
Posts: 2777
KenZ
Reg: 01-23-06
03-23-18 03:58 PM - Post#254226    
    In response to HuskyColonial

No problem wih Meeks playing 15+ since I always expected that anyway. Next year we ned to think of the ooc as much more developemental in any case, but more on that in another thread at another time. I too, am anxious for recruiting news and agree with the obvous need for some additional size.

See Malik Osborne is transferring, but imagine that would be a longshot since apparently neither playing time nor dissatisfaction with the coaching staff were the trigger which would presumably indicate a desire to return closer to home.

 
JDBison2010 
Masters Student
Posts: 763

Loc: Charleston, SC
Reg: 11-23-10
Bison Recruits 2018
03-23-18 04:06 PM - Post#254227    
    In response to KenZ

Not that it would help us out in the size department but Nelly Cummings is transferring from BGSU. Had an offer from Bucknell but doubt he'd be interested in joining the multitude of guards on the roster

FWIW, we were one of his finalists along with Temple, Brown, Dartmouth and High Point

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-23-18 05:13 PM - Post#254232    
    In response to KenZ

  • KenZ Said:


See Malik Osborne is transferring, but imagine that would be a longshot since apparently neither playing time nor dissatisfaction with the coaching staff were the trigger which would presumably indicate a desire to return closer to home.




For those who don't remember Osborne - and he was a brief blip on the radar in late March last year - here was the post when he first got a BU offer about March 27th:


  • Bison137 Said:
Offer to Malik Osborne 6-8 210 lb PF (IL) from Don Bosco HS in the Chicago suburbs.

Has offers from Oregon State, William & Mary, Rice, Drexel, East Carolina, Milwaukee, Texas State, and UMKC. He only had one reported offer, UMKC, before late February. And seven of the offers have apparently come in the last week.




Osborne started almost every game for Rice this year, averaging about 9 ppg and 6.5 rpg. In an interview before the season started, he cited two reasons for choosing Rice: strong academics and warm weather. Well, Bucknell at least can offer the more important one.




 
JDBison2010 
Masters Student
Posts: 763

Loc: Charleston, SC
Reg: 11-23-10
03-23-18 08:02 PM - Post#254240    
    In response to Bison137

  • Bison137 Said:
Offer to Sloan Seymour 6-8 SF from the Albany area. His dad, Steve, was the head coach at Drexel about 15 years ago, and he more recently has been an assistant at Siena, LaSalle, and Virginia. Seymour has offers from URI, Rutgers, St. Joes, South Florida, UMass, Siena, Iona, Vermont, Hofstra, Marist, etc.

https://twitter.com/PatLawless_/status/88 748721878...



Doing a PG year at New Hampton

https://twitter.com/sloanseymour23/status /97732843...

 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-23-18 09:19 PM - Post#254241    
    In response to JDBison2010

It is just hard to understand why Bucknell is having a difficult time recruiting. They have to have the inside track over most every player entertaining PL offers. The history, the winning, the facilities, the best crowds, beautiful campus and of course, top notch education. And did I mention the winning? Plus the offense is uptempo and should be appealing to most players. Why is Davis having such difficulty?

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
Bison Recruits 2018
03-23-18 10:13 PM - Post#254242    
    In response to MrPhillie

Not sure of the answer. But I can tell you that they have generally set their sights on different players than the rest of the PL. The two centers they came close to landing were very good - but ultimately picked the other finalist (Vermont and Rice).

Of the players landed over the past two years by other PL programs, very few were recruited by Bucknell. Here are the number of players landed by the other PL schools, followed by how many had Bison offers:

Current freshmen: 47 recruits, 2 had Bison offers.
Current HS seniors: 27 recruits, 3 had Bison offers.

If you eliminate the huge number of players brought in each year by Army and Navy, it looks like this:

Current freshmen: 31 recruits, 2 had Bison offers.
Current HS seniors: 14 recruits, 2 had Bison offers.


I can't really answer the biggest question, i.e. why are they having so much difficulty landing players? I am starting to think the current coaching staff might not have the same ability to develop relationships that Dane Fischer and Aaron Kelly had - but I have no evidence of that. A couple of good late commitments could change that opinion quickly however.

The other possibility is simply randomness. DP had two exceptional classes - and the rest of his recruiting classes ranged from good to mediocre. If his first two classes had been two of the mediocre ones, then we might be having discussions about his classes. Having said that, his staff was always able to land a full recuiting class in the fall. It's tough when you have to go into the spring - when there are very few good players who also have good academics.




 
jkrun80 
Postdoc
Posts: 3305

Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
03-24-18 07:56 AM - Post#254247    
    In response to Bison137

I think randomness explains most of the situation. The pool gets very limited if you're targeting above average mid-major talents, strong academics, and a willingness to come to a small-town, small school in the middle of PA. Given the fine line they're walking, there are bound to be down recruiting years. If he lands a strong class next year, this year won't matter. If this becomes a pattern, then there's something else at work.

 
HoleinOne 
Masters Student
Posts: 596

Loc: Bluffton, SC
Reg: 02-15-09
03-25-18 10:44 AM - Post#254272    
    In response to MrPhillie

Just a thought. Davis may want to tackle not just Patriot League but build the program beyond current status. Not sure if good or not but he appears to be all over US geography. I have lived in Mid-West and South and while we have gotten good players from both regions, the competition is fierce and few know who Bucknell is. We have a strong reputation in the Northeast and while there is limited talent, wonder if a more focused approach would be beneficial.

 
SomedayCameSuddenly 
Freshman
Posts: 39
SomedayCameSuddenly
Reg: 01-02-14
Bison Recruits 2018
03-25-18 11:13 AM - Post#254274    
    In response to HoleinOne

Most PL programs recruit nationally at this point.

For the 2018 Class:
American - 1 from northeast
Boston - 3 from the west, 1 from the south
Bucknell - 1 from the northeast
Colgate - 1 from the northeast, 1 from Canada
Lafayette - 2 from the south, 1 from the northeast
Lehigh - 1 from the midwest, 1 from the west
Loyola - 2 from the northeast, 1 from the south

Breakdown:
Northeast - 6
Midwest - 1
South - 4
West - 4

Edited by SomedayCameSuddenly on 03-25-18 11:14 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
Bison Recruits 2018
03-25-18 11:16 AM - Post#254276    
    In response to HoleinOne

Perhaps a more focused approach might be better. But I don't think ND's recruiting territory is much wider than that of DP. Remember DP's recruits included:

Mike Muscala - Minnesota
Bryson Johnson - Canada
Ben Brackney - Illinois
Steven Kaspar - Tennessee
Joshea Singleton - NC
Cory Starkey - Michigan
Chris Hass - Michigan
John Azzinaro - Texas
DJ Macleay - Texas
Ben Oberfeld - Minnesota

That's pretty wide. And once he had scholarships, PF brought in players from Germany, Oklahoma, Illinois, Maine, Texas, California (two), Alabama, and Bahamas/Texas,




 
jkrun80 
Postdoc
Posts: 3305

Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
03-25-18 07:01 PM - Post#254285    
    In response to Bison137

This is as good a place as any to ask the question, could Bucknell ever make a Loyola-like run in the tournament? My sense is no for a number of reasons, academics and red-shirts (lack thereof) being two. Of course, things need align just right for that type of run. It has helped Loyola that someone else took out the 1 & 2 seeds. They have played #6, 3, 7, & 9.

 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-25-18 09:27 PM - Post#254286    
    In response to jkrun80

Well so far Davis hasn’t recruited “higher than PL level” players that I know of. Maybe set his sights on a few of that ilk but stay in on high quality “PL level” players. A few down recruiting years and he will wish he had a few of the players that are beating his teams every nite. Just overall, if the top team in a conference cannot land players then maybe it is partly due to who is done no the recruiting.

 
HuskyColonial 
PhD Student
Posts: 1976

Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
03-26-18 10:31 AM - Post#254293    
    In response to MrPhillie

jkrun I thought this team had that kind of potential. As for Davis and recruits, I think it is too early to write off Avi and Sotos as first team PL performers. Better than the PL talent? No.

 
KenZ 
Postdoc
Posts: 2777
KenZ
Reg: 01-23-06
04-04-18 12:02 PM - Post#254770    
    In response to HuskyColonial

Walter Ellis making an official visit this weekend.

 
Bison89 
Professor
Posts: 5370
Bison89
Loc: Philadelphia
Reg: 11-14-07
04-04-18 03:19 PM - Post#254791    
    In response to KenZ

  • KenZ Said:
Walter Ellis making an official visit this weekend.



He has a lot of offers from many PL and other schools:

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basket ball/recr...
New season, new team, new dream . . .


 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
04-04-18 04:22 PM - Post#254795    
    In response to Bison89

In addition to those on the ESPN list above, add in Dartmouth (who is a serious threat), Akron, and UNC Greensboro. At one point, he reportedly had an offer from Cal - which at the time was coached by Cuonzo Martin, who was a HS teammate of Ellis' father LaPhonso Ellis. I assume that offer is no longer in effect.




 
JDBison2010 
Masters Student
Posts: 763

Loc: Charleston, SC
Reg: 11-23-10
04-05-18 07:18 PM - Post#254854    
    In response to Bison137

Nzekwesi to Denver. No idea if we had a shot but this one hurts. Haven’t seen our name associated with any transfers either

 
Bison89 
Professor
Posts: 5370
Bison89
Loc: Philadelphia
Reg: 11-14-07
04-05-18 08:25 PM - Post#254855    
    In response to JDBison2010

Other than Brian Fitzpatrick, who transferred in from UPenn, are there any other recent transfers?
New season, new team, new dream . . .


 
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