Well, now that the Dawgs aren't going to the NCAA's (with Vanderbilt beating Florida and Alabama looking stronger, there just isn't much room for am at-large bid for UGA), I'm curious once again about recruiting.
UGA has an open scholarship, and perhaps two if Yante Maten opts for signing with an agent.
Here are my top five unsigned hoopsters for the class of 2017:
1. Isaiah Miller
He's the high-flying combo guard from Newton County. I know we have watched him, but we have yet to offer, and Miller doesn't have any other high major offers. Leads me to believe that something's not quite right, and we ultimately will not offer.
2. M.J. Walker
For some reason we have never been in the running for McDonald's All-American Walker. I guess we have given up, because I don't get the sense that we are actively recruiting him.
3. Ahmad Rand
Athletic forward from Lincoln County. Would be a decent pick-up if Yante goes pro.
Derrick Walker was our previous insurance policy, but he committed to Tennessee.
4. Avery Wilson
Wilson should be at or near the top of our list. We need a guy who can handle the rock, and Wilson is a strongly built point guard who can also score. Reminds me a bit of J.J. Frazier, in the sense that he is an overlooked guy who has real potential
5. Isaiah Banks
Tough defender and uber athlete from the Metro Atlanta area has become well-known through the video of him throwing down a tomahawk dunk and breaking the backboard. From all I have seen, Banks doesn't have any high major offers either.
Bottom Line: I'd be satisfied with Wilson if Miller is unavailable. I believe that a point guard is more of a need than another big man.
Any other potential recruits out there?
Showing posts with label Derrick Walker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derrick Walker. Show all posts
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Texas A&M Game Shows we need to Recruit another Guard
It was so obvious watching the Texas A&M game today that Jordan Harris is a small small forward, and Tyree Crump is a small shooting guard. Maybe we can help both freshmen with their ball-handling skills over the summer, but for the present, at least, these guys aren't able to advance the ball against SEC-level defenses.
As it stands, we will have Turtle Jackson as our point guard next year. I'm not convinced that Teshaun Hightower has point guard skills.
So, to keep UGA from losing every game next year to teams which press, we have to recruit someone like Isaiah Miller. Better yet, find a way to bring in Avery Wilson as well. He can probably get in to UGA as a student, so maybe we can ask him to come in as a preferred walk-on.
I like Derrick Walker, and would welcome him, especially if Yante Maten goes to the NBA, but since we only have so many scholarship spots, we just have to get a couple of unsigned guys who can handle the ball.
As it stands, we will have Turtle Jackson as our point guard next year. I'm not convinced that Teshaun Hightower has point guard skills.
So, to keep UGA from losing every game next year to teams which press, we have to recruit someone like Isaiah Miller. Better yet, find a way to bring in Avery Wilson as well. He can probably get in to UGA as a student, so maybe we can ask him to come in as a preferred walk-on.
I like Derrick Walker, and would welcome him, especially if Yante Maten goes to the NBA, but since we only have so many scholarship spots, we just have to get a couple of unsigned guys who can handle the ball.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Teshaun Hightower to the Dawgs (plus recruiting update)
Welcome, Teshaun!
Solid pick-up. Good shooter. Will defend and fit in the well with the guys on the roster.
I've posted about Hightower recently, so it's time now to take a look at how the 2017 class is shaping up overall.
Four current players, J.J. Frazier, Kenny Paul Geno, Houston Kessler and Brandon Young, are graduating. UGA has signatures from Rayshaun Hammonds and Nic Claxton, and now, a pledge from Teshaun Hightower.
Kessler, Geno and Young have been good Dawgs, but admittedly, they really aren't offensive threats, probably averaging four points a game between the three of them. J.J. Frazier is another matter. He's our primary ball handler, best free throw shooter and second leading scorer. Losing J.J. will hurt. Can't be helped though. Guys graduate.
The issue for a college coach is whether he can upgrade his roster with the next signing class.
It's hard to argue that with the latest recruits Coach Fox is on track to do just that. But can he really put recruiting over the top with his last spot?
Derrick Walker, the power forward from Kansas, will be on an unofficial visit on January 28th. If he commits, that would give Georgia six bigs, two small forwards, and five guards. Walker is also considering St. Johns and Tennessee, so if he ends up choosing one of his other suitors, we need to swiftly shift focus to a small forward or another athletic guard.
Besides Walker, there are other good possibilities out there who have gone overlooked. Isaiah Banks, the rim-wrecking 6' 5" guard/small forward, only has one D-1 offer, last I checked.
Avery Wilson is an available true scoring point guard, able to help break the press and also convert from long range. Wilson, who has a little bit of J.J. Frazier in his game, is averaging 29 points a game for his Forest Park squad.
And then there is Isaiah Miller, the high-flying combo guard from just east of Atlanta. The video speaks for itself.
Of course, if we have a transfer, or Yante Maten decides to forego his senior season, then Georgia would have two more spots open, and we'd really need to close the class on an upward swing.
Stay tuned, folks.
Solid pick-up. Good shooter. Will defend and fit in the well with the guys on the roster.
I've posted about Hightower recently, so it's time now to take a look at how the 2017 class is shaping up overall.
Four current players, J.J. Frazier, Kenny Paul Geno, Houston Kessler and Brandon Young, are graduating. UGA has signatures from Rayshaun Hammonds and Nic Claxton, and now, a pledge from Teshaun Hightower.
Kessler, Geno and Young have been good Dawgs, but admittedly, they really aren't offensive threats, probably averaging four points a game between the three of them. J.J. Frazier is another matter. He's our primary ball handler, best free throw shooter and second leading scorer. Losing J.J. will hurt. Can't be helped though. Guys graduate.
The issue for a college coach is whether he can upgrade his roster with the next signing class.
It's hard to argue that with the latest recruits Coach Fox is on track to do just that. But can he really put recruiting over the top with his last spot?
Derrick Walker, the power forward from Kansas, will be on an unofficial visit on January 28th. If he commits, that would give Georgia six bigs, two small forwards, and five guards. Walker is also considering St. Johns and Tennessee, so if he ends up choosing one of his other suitors, we need to swiftly shift focus to a small forward or another athletic guard.
Besides Walker, there are other good possibilities out there who have gone overlooked. Isaiah Banks, the rim-wrecking 6' 5" guard/small forward, only has one D-1 offer, last I checked.
Avery Wilson is an available true scoring point guard, able to help break the press and also convert from long range. Wilson, who has a little bit of J.J. Frazier in his game, is averaging 29 points a game for his Forest Park squad.
And then there is Isaiah Miller, the high-flying combo guard from just east of Atlanta. The video speaks for itself.
Of course, if we have a transfer, or Yante Maten decides to forego his senior season, then Georgia would have two more spots open, and we'd really need to close the class on an upward swing.
Stay tuned, folks.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Recruiting (Derrick Walker and Teshaun Hightower)
Teshaun Hightower and Derrick Walker are visiting Athens in January.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
Let's get it done.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
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