Recruits

[scarlet&gray]

Guys, #2009 X graduates C(Bronson), 2 SF(Anderson,Raymond); however, is Taylor a SF option or Jackson,Walsh,Brown the alternatives, if the quality recruits become unavailable?It would appear PF, the next recruit option, protecting Frease during first (2) years.

[Daaa Muskies]

I just took a look at Ari Stewart's profile on scout.com and the schools that he is supposedly high on are X, Florida, Wake, and GT. However it looks like Florida won't have enough scholarships for Stewart and GT hasn't officially offered him. Would I be right in assuming then that this means it's down to us and Wake when it comes to Ari?

[jaxalum]

I just took a look at Ari Stewart's profile on scout.com and the schools that he is supposedly high on are X, Florida, Wake, and GT. However it looks like Florida won't have enough scholarships for Stewart and GT hasn't officially offered him. Would I be right in assuming then that this means it's down to us and Wake when it comes to Ari?

Daaa,

He still is completely open and will go on all 5 of his officials most likely. X is in VERY good shape because they were able to get him onto campus early.....realize Stewart is ranked #15 overall and wll do his due dilligence. Not to temper the positive vibes here, but we re talking about a top 20 recruit (K Frease was top 40 and from Ohio, Ari is not) Schools like Duke and UNC usually have their pick of these guys......all that said, Miller has put us in the best possible position to land a kid like this. He has a real, tangible interest in X....and what a get he would be.......

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

just read on rivals that UCLA now is in the mix for stewart...i think as of right now we have a good shot,but these big named schools are starting to creep in...

[MillerTime]

This is the point I was originally trying to convey...I'm all for going after Stewart, as he appears to be one of the most talented guys we have pursued out of HS. However, GT, Wake, UCLA are all in the mix as well (Florida has spent all of their 09 schollies). Who knows who else will swoop in this summer. Honestly, the longer it goes without him committing, the worse off we probably are. The best way for X to recruit against schools like that is to recruit the kid heavily early on while he is still a freshman or sophomore, hoping he commits before the more renowned programs enter the picture. But Ari has yet to commit. I guess the one positive we can draw from this is that if he commits, he will choose X for the right reasons, not because we recruited him first. That would speak volumes for our program and our coaching staff.

I love Matt Painter's perspective on recruiting by the way. He equates it to dating in high school: everyone guy wants to date the same girl, but you have to go after the girl you know you can get.

While I love we are going after these names, will it just leave us heartbroken in the end? A Final 4 run this year couldn't hurt...

[Lead Guitar]

If you look at the make-up of our team, it should be noted that Sean has successfully spread out the scholarships so that every year he will have seniors to lead the team. When he loses out for a top high school recruit, he brings in a "known" transfer--Lavender, McClean, Taylor, Anderson to fill in.

Recruiting five star high school players is usually a safe bet. Going for the second tier, you can not always get the same assurance until they play against D-1 players. With the transfer, you can see how they have done against good competition. Lavender, Anderson, McClean all played major minutes as freshman for other D-1 schools. We knew what we are getting. I like Sean's philosophy.

From what I have heard, McClean (sorry if the spelling of his name is wrong, but we all know who he is, but he is not a household name, as yet), is going to be every bit as good as Derrick Brown and we have him for three years.

Keep going after the best and develop the rest!

[DoubleD86]

I think you need to have a mixture. You can't only go for the 4 and 5 star guys who are the huge names. Xavier just doesn't have the pull that the big names do. If you look at some of the great players from X, they have been 3 star or lesser known 4 star recruits. I believe Sean Miller and his staff are great talent evaluators. I think you gotta look for that lower tier 4 star or higher 3 star recruit who may be under the radar, while still going after the "sure bet" 5-stars.


If nothing else, that's what I do in my video games!

[muskieman]

I like Sean's approach that any big name (4-5 star player) is worth a call. In the past we have had coaches that figured we didn't have a chance so they wouldn't even make an introduction call.