Finally, we can all sleep easily. At least a little bit. I also apologize for dropping the ball on the finale of #BoWatch, something came up preventing me from attending.
I'll have reaction and hopefully talk to some of these guys soon. We got five, and had two figured out beforehand. Apparently, Detroit is in our pipeline.
(From SIUECougars.com/Joe Pott)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men’s basketball Head Coach Lennox Forrester has announced five additions to the team, all signed during the recent spring signing period. Derian Shaffer (Detroit), Jerome Jones (St. Louis), Maurice Wiltz (Stafford, Texas), Kris Davis (Detroit), and Michael Birts (Homestead, Fla.) have each signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Cougars.
Derian Shaffer, a 6-7, 230 lb. post player, comes to SIUE from Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. Shaffer is from Detroit Michigan and played with fellow recruit Kris Davis at Cass Technical High School.
“Derian is a very athletic player who runs the floor very well and does a great job rebounding on both ends of the floor,” Forrester said. “Derian is a tremendous teammate.” Shaffer averaged 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 54.3 percent from the field for Kilgore.
Jerome Jones is a 6-6, 215 lb. forward from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Jerome is originally from St. Louis and played at Career Academy before playing his freshman year at Missouri State. Jones averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for Indian Hills while shooting 40.7 percent from three point range.
“Jerome brings more length and athleticism to our team,” Forrester said. “He can score in a variety of ways and will be a very versatile player for us.”
Maurice Wiltz is a 6-2, 175 lb. point guard who is transferring from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo. Wiltz played in seven games for the Rams as a freshman. In high school, Wiltz scored 21 points per game and averaged 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists for Stafford High School in Stafford, Texas. Wiltz was a McDonald’s All-American Nominee his senior year.
“Maurice has great size for his position,” Forrester said. “He is a superb athlete who has played at a very high level.”
Maurice will sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years eligibility remaining to play for the Cougars.
Kris Davis is a 6-2, 170 lb. combo guard from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Mich. Davis was selected to the second team All-Detroit Public League team. He averaged 19 points, three assists, six rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while leading Cass Tech to a 15-7 record.
“Kris is a long, athletic guard who can play both guard spots,” Forrester said. “He is a fantastic scorer and a great defender with a high basketball I.Q.”
Michael Birts is a 6-6, 200 lb. power forward from Robert Morgan Educational Center in Miami, Fla. Birts averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks per game as a senior. Michael was selected to play in the Dade vs. Broward All-Star game and also was selected to the ESPN All-South Florida team. He was also named to the All-Dade Honorable Mention team.
“Michael is a very long and athletic player,” Forrester said. “He is a great rebounder and shot blocker.”
These five players are in addition to Charles Joy of O’Fallon who signed with the Cougars during the fall.
8 comments:
Not too be rude to Charles Joy.....but these dudes trump him big time LOL What a recruiting class....Not too terrible for a little low major school.....and yes it does seem Detroit is our recruiting pipeline...Not too bad since we haven't done anything in Chicago....Kris Davis video looks like he is a stud and I dont think academics will be a problem with him.....Moe Wiltz is straight pimp....That Birts guy dont be fooled he did have some division I offers and I think if he gets a little thicker over the years he could do some damage....the two Jucos Jones and Schaefer I think really need to come in and establish an inside presence....they need to be ready to be aggressive and bang because to be honest mark has got the SF spot down so one of those two dudes will be fighting for a starting spot...
We will see. they cant recruit chicago if their life depended on it, said since we are in state and they have all the talent. Every year this team is bringing in tons of JUCO who quiet frankly have zero basketball IQ and havent done anything besides look good on paper. To be honest, all this team really needs is a rebounder and center. Guards in college basketball are all over the place. We will see though, i would love more then ne thing for siue hoops to become great.
I agree with the JUCO comments...JUCO players are tough to recruit because they may put up big numbers but usually thats against either equal or lesser talent....However, I will say that JUCOs arent bad if you choose one that is a hard hard worker....I actually get mad abou the Chicago recruiting because we should have ins even with the lower tier talent...but I will take Detroit anyday if thats what he can get....Also look at the academics of all these players they were all qualifiers and none of them had bad grades....Kris Davis was a big shock in my opinoin because I dont know why he chose SIUe I would love to hear some of these young men and why they chose SIUe because they all had competing offers its not like SIUe was their only Division I offer....Davis I have seen....and he can play at a higher level...Did Shaefer recruit him to come??? I can see where they know each other but they are two years apart so friends,,,ehh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaQKLXBZYk4 what do you guys think?
I am extremely excited about next season!! This will be the most athletic team that SIUe has ever seen!! Please God..I am hoping we don't have any controversy early or throughout the season. Every one of these recruits are athletic and worthy of playing D1. I like how we are looking at mid height-6'2" to 6'7". We df. need to stay away from the below 6' players. Our team will look overall taller than we have before. One position that I am very worried about is center. As of now, we just have Zeke. This will not do. He has managed to become a non-factor in almost every game. I don't understand why Forrester barely played him las season. If we are to rely on him now, I hope he steps up big time. I imagine Forrester will pick up a 6'10" ish center at tryouts or so. I can't see us coming into the season with Zeke only. Teams will exploit that weakness of ours. Other than that, we look solid.
Next season's team (For sure starters)
-Mark (F)
-Chatt (G)
-sadly Stineman (Coach just loves this f'er too much)
Next season's most likely to play decent time off bench or start
-Messer
-Wickware (Only reason is because Chatt and him play well)
-Davis
-Jones
-Birts
Could be a potential breakout player
-Schaffer
Most likely will play limited time (roughly 5-7 min.)
-Joy
Will play very very very little (1 to 4 min)
-Murphy
-Boarden
I am not sure what is going to happen to Zeke. I do think coach is looking elsewhere for this spot. I am hoping for someone.
I think we are going to see Belmont and Tennessee Tech as the 2 top teams to beat. AP will get back up there, but Murray and Morehead will most likely see mediocre seasons.
At the rate were going, I could see us in contention for the OVC title the first year. This team for 2011-2012 will be absolutely remarkable. Witz will be a great player for the 2012-2013 season.
To expand on my previous post:
I want to grade and expand on each of the players we have for 2011-2012 season.
Murphy: Seems to have lost his athleticism. Cannot really shoot anymore too. He is really only good for a quick defensive stop. I don't know what has happened with him last season. I want to say he was slightly injured or just didn't care. I could see him gone for next season. (2 out of 10)
Chatt: Started last season a little weak. Like everyone knows, he finished pretty damn strong. His driving ability, along with his leadership seemed to change mid-season. I am worried a little with him though. I wonder how well he will play without wickware. Both seemed to complement each other. It looked like they were constantly working together. Chatt should still average 12-16 pts. a game even with a bad squad on the floor. He got exponentially better at the end of the season. Great defender along with aggressive nature. (9.5 out of 10)
Wickware: I like his non flashy style of basketball. He seems to play solid defense. Wickware started the season hot and then died down. Chatt picked up his slack. He will most likely still be a great defender along with 3 pt shooter. I expect him to be a good asset for the next season. (7.5 out of 10)
Sineman: I think the one problem with this guy is that he is not allowed to shoot. I am pretty sure everyone knows that he likes to shoot 3's. Does Forrester not like him shooting, unless hes like extremely open. I think if he shot the 3 more I would like him some what. Since he doesn't shoot much and causes too many turnovers I cant see why he is played. Its like playing one man down. (4 out of 10)
Boarden: I think this guy flat out has the most drive to play basketball. He is the only player that plays ball 24/7. Is he great...ehh. I do like his defense most of the time. He is very flaky and on like 50%. I can see him have a couple of big games next season, but he will be riding the bench a good amount. I will say again..This kid loves the game. I feel bad that it doesn't translate 100% to the court. (5.5 out of 10)
Messer: I think this guy has some of the best fundamentals on our team. He can shoot the 3 and drive consistently. He struggled mid-way in the season, but picked himself back up. I played ball with him at the rec..and man I do believe that he will only get better. He's got long arms that are hard to guard. Look for another great year for him. (8.5 out of 10)
Mark: What can I say...he was and most likely will be our team leader for the next 2 years. With him, our team seems to fit together and play like needed. Hopefully he will nurse that injury and not re-injure it. He should come back with a very good season. (9.5-10/10)
Zeke: Forrester never played this guy much. I don't like that he's going from like 1 min per game to maybe 15+. He seems to struggle when it comes to catching the ball. If the passer does not get the ball directly to him, then a turnover is imminent. He lacks the aggression and awareness. Yes he has got bigger and stronger. That is a plus, but his overall athleticism has not increased enough. I think Forrester has done a bad thing by not playing him much last season. (4 out of 10)
Charles Joy: I think his playing style is very similar to Mark and Messer. Almost too similar. He is not a very fast player, but smooth in driving. He looks to be a decent shooter along with an overall high basketball IQ. I like his size and think he fits the mold for college player thats around his height. He will need to work to increase his speed before the season begins. (7 out of 10)
Birts: I like his basketball style. He is very lanky and lean. I think he will play just like Abel, but will have a better shot. This guys arms are long. Be ready to see some blocked shots. Looks like a good kid and seems to display good passing tendencies. He needs to gain 10-15 pounds. (7-7.5 out of 10)
Davis: Looks fast and composed. Very high level player. Reminds me of chatt. Seems to show good lock-down defense. Fast and can jump. Davis looks to be a solid shooter and defender. I expect big things out of him this upcoming season. He most likely will be in competition with Wickware. He needs to improve on his weak-side game. (8 out of 10)
Jerome Jones: I don't know too much about this guy but I like his CC stats along with his build. He should be a plus for our team. I would guess that with his height and weight he should be pretty athletic. He could be great, but he also could be mediocre. (6-8 out of 10)
Shaffer: Like jones, I know very little. There is virtually nothing on youtube with this guy. I cant even rate him, but I will say that the height is def a plus.
Wiltz: Wow this guy will be a scorer. He looks to be the most athletic to ever come to SIUe. (Besides Brandon Dunson) Look for a big year for him and SIUe in 2012-2013 season. The framework is set for us to compete at a high level. (9.5-10 out of 10)
as for the returners. team will be solid. as most of u know. experience plays a huge role in why players become better and better. Example - College basketball in itself, there has become more pairity with the low and mid major program to the high major bc the high majors have freshman studs but the other schools are playing with their smarter more experience jrs and srs. I believe the team will be solid for its returners with mark at 4, wickware at 2, stineman at 1, the 3 and 5 is really probably up in the air. Boarden will prob snatch the 3 spot. these necomers could be the missing piece to the puzzle.
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