Post by BBFran on Mar 17, 2018 10:35:52 GMT -6
I recorded and watched a lot of the high school tournament yesterday. I love that tournament because the kids give everything they have and there are so many great finishes.
A couple observations about teams, players and coaches.
From a talent standpoint, I think Washington is the most talented team across the roster -- a little better than OK North, Sun Prairie and La Crosse Central. Might be the best team, too. Riley is a good coach.
There were a lot of notable individuals playing yesterday. Here's my quick (hopefully not "hot") take on some of them:
Johnny and Jordan Davis, LCC. These 6'4ish sophomores are twins. Both have D1 offers. UW has offered Johnny, GB has offered Jordan. I thought Jordan actually had the better game yesterday, but you can see the talent in both. I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan also eventually attracts some high D1 interest.
Terrance (?) Thompson, LCC. 6'7 sophomore (junior?). Pretty good looking high school post player. Solidly built. Worth watching as a mid-major prospect.
Michael Foster. 6'9 freshman, Washington. This is the kid who already has "committed" to Arizona State. ($20 says that will change in the next three years, for one or more of a thousand reasons.) Really good looking prospect. Long, lanky, skilled, fairly bouncy.
Deontay Long, Washington. 6'5ish junior. This is the kid with the felony armed robbery conviction who will be sentenced in April, so his recruitment is totally up in the air. Most programs won't touch him. Strikes me as skilled and physical enough that he could thrive at the mid-major level or maybe at a high major that occasionally makes a run, but he may have lost his chance.
Jordan Dinsmore, 6'1 senior PG, Washington. Coach Baldwin: recruit him! Smart, skilled, smooth. An obvious leader with a high-character reputation. Looks like a taller, longer Al Hanson to me.
Jordan McCabe, Kaukauna. 5'10 PG, senior. Signed with W Va. I really enjoy watching this kid play offense. Kind of a poor man's Ernie D. But just like Ernie, "no D." Seems to lose focus when the ball isn't in his hands. We'll see if he fits easily into W Va's press. He'll certainly be a good facilitator there. Would be eaten alive defensively in the Big Ten or the Big East.
Tyrese Haliburton, OK North. 6'5ish senior, signed with Iowa State. Really athletic kid with a pretty good handle who looks like he could be a good slasher in time. Wasn't particularly special yesterday against Hamilton.
Quincy Anderson, OK North. 6'2ish senior. Had a great game yesterday; pretty much carried the team at times. Very interesting looking kid with good athleticism and skill. I don't know what his recruiting situation is. I think he could play at the low/mid-major level.
Patrick Cartier, 6'7, Brookfield East. Really nice high school player who may have been under-recruited a bit. Very agile. He's signed to go to Hillsdale, a D2 program coached by John Tharp, who was a very good coach at Lawrence. Probably could play at the low D1 level.
Patrick Baldwin, Jr. 6'8 freshman, Sussex Hamilton. I expect this kid is going to cause all sorts of trouble on this board for the next couple years. It probably won't help to say it now, but don't go there. It would be a complete waste for him to play at Milwaukee with the H League in the condition that it's in. This kid will have his pick of just about any school. A "Duke" like player. Tall, long, quick, skilled. Not explosively athletic (yet) but he could be a difference maker at the highest level in college. If Chris Collins is still at NU that would seem like a very real option, but everyone will be involved. Don't hate Coach B if his son ultimately chooses to go elsewhere. He should go elsewhere. This isn't a "Ray Ray" situation. Good as he was Ray Ray was a 6'2 guard. Patrick is a legit 6'8 as a HS freshman. Totally different upside.
Marlon Ruffin, Sun Prairie, 6'3 senior guard. High effort player, looks like a great team leader. Was POTY in the Big Eight. I think Wisconsin is considering offering him as a walk-on. That looks about right.
Jaylen Johnson, Sun Prairie, 6'5 sophomore. His Dad, Rod Johnson, is from Milwaukee I think. But this kid is like PB Jr. He will be recruited at the highest level. Athletic as JP Tokoto, and might have better skills.
Last observation. Coaching matters -- a lot. All you had to do was watch the Brookfield East/Sun Prairie game. Let's just say that the SP coach needs to rethink a few things in the off-season.
A couple observations about teams, players and coaches.
From a talent standpoint, I think Washington is the most talented team across the roster -- a little better than OK North, Sun Prairie and La Crosse Central. Might be the best team, too. Riley is a good coach.
There were a lot of notable individuals playing yesterday. Here's my quick (hopefully not "hot") take on some of them:
Johnny and Jordan Davis, LCC. These 6'4ish sophomores are twins. Both have D1 offers. UW has offered Johnny, GB has offered Jordan. I thought Jordan actually had the better game yesterday, but you can see the talent in both. I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan also eventually attracts some high D1 interest.
Terrance (?) Thompson, LCC. 6'7 sophomore (junior?). Pretty good looking high school post player. Solidly built. Worth watching as a mid-major prospect.
Michael Foster. 6'9 freshman, Washington. This is the kid who already has "committed" to Arizona State. ($20 says that will change in the next three years, for one or more of a thousand reasons.) Really good looking prospect. Long, lanky, skilled, fairly bouncy.
Deontay Long, Washington. 6'5ish junior. This is the kid with the felony armed robbery conviction who will be sentenced in April, so his recruitment is totally up in the air. Most programs won't touch him. Strikes me as skilled and physical enough that he could thrive at the mid-major level or maybe at a high major that occasionally makes a run, but he may have lost his chance.
Jordan Dinsmore, 6'1 senior PG, Washington. Coach Baldwin: recruit him! Smart, skilled, smooth. An obvious leader with a high-character reputation. Looks like a taller, longer Al Hanson to me.
Jordan McCabe, Kaukauna. 5'10 PG, senior. Signed with W Va. I really enjoy watching this kid play offense. Kind of a poor man's Ernie D. But just like Ernie, "no D." Seems to lose focus when the ball isn't in his hands. We'll see if he fits easily into W Va's press. He'll certainly be a good facilitator there. Would be eaten alive defensively in the Big Ten or the Big East.
Tyrese Haliburton, OK North. 6'5ish senior, signed with Iowa State. Really athletic kid with a pretty good handle who looks like he could be a good slasher in time. Wasn't particularly special yesterday against Hamilton.
Quincy Anderson, OK North. 6'2ish senior. Had a great game yesterday; pretty much carried the team at times. Very interesting looking kid with good athleticism and skill. I don't know what his recruiting situation is. I think he could play at the low/mid-major level.
Patrick Cartier, 6'7, Brookfield East. Really nice high school player who may have been under-recruited a bit. Very agile. He's signed to go to Hillsdale, a D2 program coached by John Tharp, who was a very good coach at Lawrence. Probably could play at the low D1 level.
Patrick Baldwin, Jr. 6'8 freshman, Sussex Hamilton. I expect this kid is going to cause all sorts of trouble on this board for the next couple years. It probably won't help to say it now, but don't go there. It would be a complete waste for him to play at Milwaukee with the H League in the condition that it's in. This kid will have his pick of just about any school. A "Duke" like player. Tall, long, quick, skilled. Not explosively athletic (yet) but he could be a difference maker at the highest level in college. If Chris Collins is still at NU that would seem like a very real option, but everyone will be involved. Don't hate Coach B if his son ultimately chooses to go elsewhere. He should go elsewhere. This isn't a "Ray Ray" situation. Good as he was Ray Ray was a 6'2 guard. Patrick is a legit 6'8 as a HS freshman. Totally different upside.
Marlon Ruffin, Sun Prairie, 6'3 senior guard. High effort player, looks like a great team leader. Was POTY in the Big Eight. I think Wisconsin is considering offering him as a walk-on. That looks about right.
Jaylen Johnson, Sun Prairie, 6'5 sophomore. His Dad, Rod Johnson, is from Milwaukee I think. But this kid is like PB Jr. He will be recruited at the highest level. Athletic as JP Tokoto, and might have better skills.
Last observation. Coaching matters -- a lot. All you had to do was watch the Brookfield East/Sun Prairie game. Let's just say that the SP coach needs to rethink a few things in the off-season.