2017 Recruiting

[msu_agfan]

According to Verbal Commits, we've been busy offering at least 4 players the past couple weeks. Hope MSLACat has the skinny for us!

[mslacat]

As mentioned above the Bobcat Coaches have been very active the past few days after a quiet past month. Here are some of the guys they have taken an interest in. (no particular order)

2017 recruits
Kezie 'KZ' Okpala 6-6 sf Emperanza HS Placentia CA He averaged 23pts 8 rbs 2 blocks last year in a coming out year. As a freshman in high school he was a 5-10 under sized shooting guard and was not getting any attention at all. From the end of his freshman year to the start of his Junior year he grew 7-8 inches and is now a 6-6 small forward who is a power in the California ranks. He has offers from Montana State (his latest) Utah State and UC Irvine (offered him last summer) but has a whole bunch of Pac-12 and the like schools sniffing around him.



Tracey Jones 6-9ish 185lb PF Poteet HS in Mesquite Texas . He averaged 13 points 7.7 rebounds 3 blocks & 74% Field Goal. He is currently Ranked by the Rivals Texas High school site as the #15 prospect in the state. He seems to be a kid who is still growing and filling out. he was listed as a 6-7 forward by his high school last fall but this summer his AAU team is listing him at 6-9. Here is a eval by the Rivals Texas Site.

Williams Academy's sophomore, Tracey Jones of Mesquite Poteet. The long and lanky post was quick off his feet and ran the floor for easy lay-ins. The 6-foot-8 Jones blocked numerous shots and got on the glass, playing an aggressive style of basketball. Jones is still raw offensively, but the upside of this youngster is one to remember.

James Karnik 6-9 235lb British Columbis Christian Academy HS in B.C. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds last year as a junior. I read people refer to him as more of a true center than a power forward. He played his Sophomore year in San Diego and average 2points 3 rebounds off the bench. He was named to the Canadian U17 National Team All Star team that will be competing in Europe and elsewhere this summer. This has kept him from making the rounds at the AAU tourneys this summer which has kept him a little under the radar. MOntana State just offered him and is his only offer but he has a lot of western teams from a varity of levels in contact with him.



Luke Schultz 6-10ish 2017 Our lady of the Hills HS Kernville Texas. District MVP as a junior averaging 14 points 12 rebounds 7.5 block shots. 2nd on team in assists. This is another kid who's stock is rising right now. last summer he was ranked as the #125 2017 high school prospect in Texas, but growing a few inches and having a really good summer so far has seen his stock rise. He has two offers currently from Fresno State and Montana State but a lot of interest. Here are some quotes from the Rivals Texas high school site from this spring and summer so far:

Another player that will be making the jump into the TexasHoops.com Top 100 will be Luke Schultz who travels with the San Antonio-based SABO Gold. The junior "True" big-man has caught the attention of a few coaches and most importantly the back to the basket post received an offer from Fresno State. TexasHoops staff called Schultz a sleeper during the 2017 Ranking Preview in March, and he is proving our prediction to be correct. As it stands, Schultz is the No.111 ranked player and because of his size, ability to run the floor as a big man, block shots and rebound. Schultz is not a finished product, and has some polishing up to do offensively, but at a solid 6-foot-10, Schultz has upside.

Luke Schultz Our Lady of the Hills HS is all of 6-foot-10 and mans the middle for SABO Gold. Schultz is a throwback big-man who creates space and scores by getting set on the block. He is still a work in progress, but Schultz knows how to plant himself on the block, rebound and show a little craftiness around the rim.

The current 125th ranked player by TexasHoops.com, looks to make a big leap in his ranking and recruitment with his size and power basketball. There is still plenty to polish up, but size is always a must have on any division one team.

David Collins 6-3 guard 2017 First Love Christian Academy in Ohio. FLCA is a prep school that was ranked nationally last year for much of the year. Collins averaged as best I can tell about 15 points a game last year for FLAC. This summer as a reserve for Ohio Red AAU team he is averaging 16.1 points a game (4th on the team) off the bench as a 6th man. In someways he reminds me of Tyler Hall as a deep three point threat but someone who can also explode to the rim. Has no offers but Montana St., Missouri St., and Robert Morris have been showing a lot of interest as of late. Also hear this is a kid Head coach Brian Fish scouted and has taken the lead in his recruitment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRc70GBk9Vw

Jacob Gilyard 5-11 Barstow H.S. Kansas City MO. Probably the highly ranked prospect on this list currently. He is ranked as a three star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. The only knock on him that I saw was his hieght, and at times he can be quicker than his teammates and needs to wait for them. He is a true Point guard who finds the open man but can also score the ball in a variety of ways. Rivals 3 star Montana State, LIU-Brooklyn, Stephen F. Austin, Richmond, American, Portland, UMKC, and UAB have all offered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lFiH9DuVXU

One Prospect for 2018

Derek Sabin 2018 6-8 200lb SF/PF Slinger H.S. Slinger This is another kid who's stock (and height)is rising, but I have a feeling by the time he is a senior he will be out of Montana State's reach. He made a regular habit of being the go to guy, scoring the winning basket for his high school team as just a sophomore. Right now Wisconsin Green Bay, Milwaukee, North Dakota St, South Dakota St, UNI, Drake, NIU, Montana St, and Idaho St are all showing interest, but no offers I have heard of. That is going to change quickly.

A recent eval:

Derek Sabin, 6-8, PF, Slinger (Wisconsin Shooters) -- A very physical and strong power forward who can score in the post and from 12-to-15 feet away from the basket, Sabin is explosive off of two feet. He is a productive rebounder on both ends and is a great teammate and willing passer.

[youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYNwXIG_VOU[/youtube]

These are the most recent names that have been mentioned on the net as prospects that that Fish and his staff have shown interest/offered in the last week or so. There are three other prospects, though, Fish has been recruiting consistently for quite some time (1-2 years) that we need to pay attention to as they stand good chances of being part of the 2017 class. I will do a write up (in some cases refresher) on them shortly.

[mslacat]

For the recruiting class of 2017 Montana State coach Brian Fish has been seriously and personally recruiting three players (that I know of) almost since he was hired in 2014. It will be interesting to see what happens with their recruitment.

Jack Hutchison 6-1 PG Maple Grove HS in Maple Grove MN. Jack Hutchinson and Tyler Hall were the first two recruits I heard that Fish was recruiting right after he was hired. No matter what site you go to and look up either Montana Sate or Hutchinson the other name is ALWAYS associated with them. I Believe Hutchinson has taken at least one unofficial visit to Montana State last summer and I have been told he also has made it up for at least one game last year. He is originally from Arizona where his dad played for Lute Olson. Montana State, Wofford and Sam Houston have offered and considered the leaders. I believe he has unofficially visited all three. Cal Poly Lafayette, Lehigh Peperdine, Portland, Elon and Yale are also involved. Hutchinson stock has dropped a little as of late. Last year he averaged 10.6 points a game and 2 assists, for a team that was ranked #2 in the state all year. His team features 6-3 Brad Davison ranked the # 8th prospect in Minnesota, and is getting looks from Big 10, Pac-12 and Ivy League schools. Another Teammate is 6-4 wing Tywhon Pickford (#13 prospect in MN) is also getting a lot of d-1 interest. I heard that the Bobcats were interested in Hutchison as a point guard prospect, but since they started recruiting him he has moved to the shooting guard/back-up point for Maple Grove. He shot 39% from three point range last year.

Kyle Small 5-6 PG Mayfiar HS Lakewood CA No that is not a misprint he is 5-6 (sometimes listed at 5-5) and his last name is Small. As a junior this past year he averaged 15 points 6 assists 3 rebounds 2 steals for Mayfield despite is size. This is an interesting prospect and story. I am told Fish met and started recruiting Small while he was at Oregon and recruited his brother, Kendal Small, to Oregon just before leaving to become Montana State's head coach. Montana State was the first school to offer him. Shortly there after Portland got involved and eventually offered him his second scholarship tender. the coach at Portlend that recruited him assistant Eric Jackson. Jackson was let go from Portland this past spring when they fired its head coach. A couple months later Jackson found another coaching position with .......... Montana State. For a long time it was only MOntana State and Portland associated with his recruitment. Other schools who have offered are Montana, Santa Clara, Utah Valley and Utah State. Tulsa, Utep, Hofstra and Northern Arizona have been showing a lot of interest as of late. Here is an eval from ESPN

ESPN Analyst
Updated 06/16/2015
Strengths:
Small is a lightening quick point guard who possesses superior speed with the dribble. He is a blur in the open court and he has the bounce to finish through traffic in a variety of ways. He is a gifted passer and his vision is high-level. He gets great lift on his jump shot and his range extends to 20-feet. Overall, he is one of the more competitive guards in the class.

Weaknesses:
Small is undersized and he'll need to get stronger to not get over-powered by bigger guards. He needs to continue to work on his point guard savvy (passing under pressure) as well as changing speeds to keep defenders off balance.

Brendan Howard 6-6 F Great Falls HS Great Falls MT. Most on the board should be aware of Brendan as a Montana boy. Last year as a junior he averaged 25.4 points and 10.2 rebounds for Great Falls and was named Montana Gatorade POY as a junior. The big knock on Howard is his size for a power forward, but I really think he is going to play the small forward spot in college. Montana State offered him in late summer of 2014, and Fish has been on him since. Currently he also holds an offer from Idaho and a if you want to come here we will make it happen offer from Eastern Washington. Weber State, Northern Arizona, Lehigh and Davidson have all been in close contact with him the last month. I was told some months back that Northern Colorado had also offered him, but with the new staff I don't know where that stands. He has had an official visit to Idaho earlier this summer, just happens to be visiting Montana State this week (actually today) and will visit Eastern Washington on the 29th. Montana has only had a minimal amount of contact with Howard and is not actively recruiting him (let along offerd him). The story I am hearing from both recruiting circles and Griz circles is that the Griz think he is a slam dunk recruit for the Bobcats and they do not want it said they lost a recruit to the Bobcats so they are plain not recruiting him. Now we need to make one thing perfectly clear while Brendan and his family have strong connections to Montana State don't anyone think that he is a slam dunk for the Bobcats to land him. Fish is not Durham and thank god he is not Huse, and everything I am hearing is that Howard Family is looking much closer at the coaching staff at MSU and else where and making sure that which ever program/coach they pick will be one that will allow Brendan to excel. I will just leave it at that.

Here is a eval from Trasitional Hoops on Brendan Howard. The only problem I have with it is that it is 10-12 months old and I think he has progressed well beyond this.

STRENGTHS
Great footwork in the interior and has a variety of back to the basket moves- nice jump hook, turnaround jumper, etc. Soft touch inside and can finish through contact. Does a great job of sealing inside and finding open areas to score. Great hands. Is developing his shooting range and is becoming a capable shooter from 3. Battles for loose balls and really pursues rebounds especially on the offensive end. Physical and tough. Plays really hard and has a high basketball IQ. Great passer.

WEAKNESSES
Would benefit from being more explosive which will come as he matures.

[duelalumnicat]

mslacat, thanks for the update.

[LTown Cat]

Is Howard a legit 6'6"? I would say closer to 6'4" but it's been a while.

[msu_agfan]

Above and beyond again mslacat, thanks for the info. How many new players will we be bringing in this year? Also, when do we usually hear if a recruit is going to commit to us?

[mslacat]

Hey I forgot a player who should have been listed in my original post, as the coaches offered him about a year ago and everything tells me both he and the MSU coaches are in close contact still.


Gabe McGlothan 6-7 215# PF Basha HS in Arizona. Gabe McGlothan was the front court mate of current Bobcat Devin Kirby at Basha last year and they are extremely close. Kirby has said numerous times he would like the two to play together in college. Last year McGlothan lead Basha by averaging 11.7 points 8.6 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field. As I have said before, Basha featured 4 junior and senior with d-1 offers BUT don't expect any big flashy numbers from a Basha player as their coach play a deliberate slow down, look for the best shot kind of game. Last year according to MAX Preps Basha averaged 40 points a game (while I knew it was low. that number seems too low). That said Basha was ranked #1 most of the year in Arizona but seem to lose it come play-offs. McGlothan is a weight room kind of guy and already has a d-1 body and is an above average athlete for his position. He is currently listed at 6-7 but could have another inch or so in him. He has some nice power and finesse post moves around the basket, as well as range out to about 18 feet. He is also a scrapper and will do what ever it takes to win. It is said he wants to take his shot out to three point range. His stock jumped last summer and he picked up quite a few offers, but his stock dipped a little during the winter, but with the spring eval period and the summer eval period just starting his stock is again beginning to rise. Basha as a team attended a summer camp in San Diego a few weeks back and he is said to have garnered interest from Both San Diego and San Diego State (no offers yet). Montana State, UC Davis, Grand Canton, N. Colorado, Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Portland State and North Dakota I know have offered there maybe a few others. There are about a dozen other schools who will be making a point of watching him this July, including Montana. Unless his recruitment blows way up I think MSU will get him in for a visit this fall. I also see him signing early when his stock is at its highest and not waiting to the spring when it may again dip some.



There was another kid mentioned recently as potential MSU recruit

DeAndre Johns 6-1 PG Kenosha WI Averaged 18 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds 2 steals 45% field goal. The interesting thing about him is that I have heard the MSU Football program are also interested in him. He was a first team all Metro pick last year in basketball. He seems to be a big deal recruit in Wisconsin prep circles but you do not find a lot of info on him on the national sites (Rivals, Scouts, Verbal Commits ESPN)

[SonomaCat]

I love the video for Small (except for the soundtrack) -- he would be a LOT of fun to watch.

[mslacat]

Update on Brendan Howard

He was officially Offered by Eastern Washington today
Despite what I wrote above Idaho has not offered yet.

About the question above whether Brendan is a legit 6-6. I hear his brother and former Bobcat say a few weeks ago that if he (Bobby) was a legit 6-7 college player than Brendan is a legit 6-6 player. Short of me going out and measuring him myself that is the best I can do.

My Opinion on Brendan, I think he right now about where Bobby was at the end of his SENIOR season. Now it is not a true apples to apples comparison, Bobby was a better 3 point shooter, but Brendan is a tremendous better rebounder and is a more aggressive offensive player. The biggest knock I hear on Brendan is his size, most people would feel a lot more comfortable if he was an inch taller. 2 inches and he is off to the PAC-12. I don't care as much about him not being 6-7 as I do about him simply being a great basketball player. I don't care about is he a power forward, stretch forward, small forward or wing, there are certain players you recruit because they are basketball players. Stu Starner told me and then taught me that. Kral ferch was 6-4 155 lb (a lot closer to 6-2) power forward out of high school. Tom Damako was a 6-8 180lb shooting guard out of high school, neither were particularly rebound monsters but you put them on the floor together and they won games. Brendan does the tough stuff, he is a rebounding machine, not by height, but because he put the work in and he relentless. His offence is the same way, he does not stand on the perimeter and chuck threes or tower over smaller players for dunks, he works his butt off getting in position and scoring with people hanging off of him. Plus he is a Howard so it goes with out saying he has is a very smart basketball player. Now I am particular found of true rebounders. Those guys that have a knack for being in the right spot at the right time to get the ball. There is something special about them, they always seem to translate to the next level high school to college and college to pros even more so than those big time scorers that also seem to come along every so often. I tell you what It is a lot easier to teach a hard working gym rat how to extend his shot, then it is to teach a 3-point gunner how to rebound and mix it up in the paint. In my opinion Howard is the best pure rebounder I have seen in Montana in a very long time others were taller but they did not know how to rebound like Howard. Brendan Howard is a basketball player, and perfect fit to be a a really good Big Sky player. If I was a Big Sky coach I would sign him no questions asked (I don't care if he is 6-5) as a "Basketball Player". I would tell him to keep working his 3 point range, and when he turned up on campus the next fall let the god of basketball lead the way and we will just figure who to put him in the line up with and let the fans and media determine if what position they want to call him.

Well OK that little blurb about EWU offering Brendan Howard got away from me. Damn I need an editor!

[blueandgoldblitz]

Update on Brendan Howard

He was officially Offered by Eastern Washington today
Despite what I wrote above Idaho has not offered yet.

About the question above whether Brendan is a legit 6-6. I hear his brother and former Bobcat say a few weeks ago that if he (Bobby) was a legit 6-7 college player than Brendan is a legit 6-6 player. Short of me going out and measuring him myself that is the best I can do.

My Opinion on Brendan, I think he right now about where Bobby was at the end of his SENIOR season. Now it is not a true apples to apples comparison, Bobby was a better 3 point shooter, but Brendan is a tremendous better rebounder and is a more aggressive offensive player. The biggest knock I hear on Brendan is his size, most people would feel a lot more comfortable if he was an inch taller. 2 inches and he is off to the PAC-12. I don't care as much about him not being 6-7 as I do about him simply being a great basketball player. I don't care about is he a power forward, stretch forward, small forward or wing, there are certain players you recruit because they are basketball players. Stu Starner told me and then taught me that. Kral ferch was 6-4 155 lb (a lot closer to 6-2) power forward out of high school. Tom Damako was a 6-8 180lb shooting guard out of high school, neither were particularly rebound monsters but you put them on the floor together and they won games. Brendan does the tough stuff, he is a rebounding machine, not by height, but because he put the work in and he relentless. His offence is the same way, he does not stand on the perimeter and chuck threes or tower over smaller players for dunks, he works his butt off getting in position and scoring with people hanging off of him. Plus he is a Howard so it goes with out saying he has is a very smart basketball player. Now I am particular found of true rebounders. Those guys that have a knack for being in the right spot at the right time to get the ball. There is something special about them, they always seem to translate to the next level high school to college and college to pros even more so than those big time scorers that also seem to come along every so often. I tell you what It is a lot easier to teach a hard working gym rat how to extend his shot, then it is to teach a 3-point gunner how to rebound and mix it up in the paint. In my opinion Howard is the best pure rebounder I have seen in Montana in a very long time others were taller but they did not know how to rebound like Howard. Brendan Howard is a basketball player, and perfect fit to be a a really good Big Sky player. If I was a Big Sky coach I would sign him no questions asked (I don't care if he is 6-5) as a "Basketball Player". I would tell him to keep working his 3 point range, and when he turned up on campus the next fall let the god of basketball lead the way and we will just figure who to put him in the line up with and let the fans and media determine if what position they want to call him.

Well OK that little blurb about EWU offering Brendan Howard got away from me. Damn I need an editor!

Thanks for the updates mslacat! Keep em coming! I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly respect the effort you put in to keeping the rest of us informed. I don't have connections, but I still like to hear this kind of news! You rock!

[mslacat]

Things are going to get to start hopping real quick here after a dead period starting today coaches have the opportunity to contact and offer players for a few days. July is also the big month in the summer where the coaches are allowed to get out and see players at the dozens of AAU tourneys. New players are gong to be entering the pictures and a few older recruits for one reason or another could be dropped. By the end of July the coaches have to start ranking the talent and start scheduling them in if they can for home visits starting in Sept.

[mslacat]

The month of July is the primary recruiting/evaluation period befoer the fall signing period. Parker Gabriel did a real nice article about it this past week discussing with Coach Fish what it means to the program here:

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sp ... 1ba2d.html

There are three 5 day evaluation periods in July sandwich by dead periods before and after. Yesterday was the end of the first evaluation period with today being the the first day of a dead period (no contact with recruits) the 2nd eval will start up next week end. A ton of offers should and have been going out to d-1 prospects in betwwen dead periods. What struck me was that The Bobcats sent out an offer the very first day of the evaluation period to 6-7 280 lb senior to be Evan Battey. The Bobcat have not been associated with Battey before, but I have heard he had two impressive games against some of the better big men in the country. Given the fact we offered battery so quickly that first day tells me Fish was in attendence, becuase as in most D-1 programs all offers have to come from the head coach.

Battey, who is from Villa Park HS in Villa Park CA, is an interesting kid and I think is the kind of over looked player that can excel in the Big Sky. Last year was a big coming out year for Battery as he surprised everyone by averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds. Two things have hurt his recruitment his size listed at 6-7 (maybe closer to 6-6) and his weight, but the kid moves pretty well for a 280lb guy. Coming into this summer Fresno St, James Madison, San Diego, Cal St Fullerton, Utah St, Nevada, San Jose, and Loyola had offered him. Southern Utah and The Bobcats offered him both with-in an hour of one another and by the end of the week end Purdue and Drexel had also offered. Interesting thing about Battey is that he has been ruled in eligible to play high school ball at Villa Park or any other California high school this winter. It seems he enrolled at Villa Park has a freshman but had some personal problems of some type and had to leave school. He re-enrolled the following year and retook his freshman year course, but sepite the fact he never played any sports his first freshman year that was counted against him as a year off eligibility. So academically he is a senior to be he has not eligibility left by California state rules. He appealed the decision but was rejected. Oh and for the record he has excellent grades, might get some Ivy league looks. This may be a guy though that gets beyond the Bobcats reach.

ESPN Rating 82

Strengths:
Battey is a unique prospect for the next level due to his size and skill set. He is a big-bodied 4-man with ball skills and the strength to finish in the paint. He can take defenders off the bounce and finish through contact or drop off the assist. The face-up 4-man has a terrific 1st step, excellent ball skills, and his passing prowess demonstrated the savvy he possesses for this game. He can post up on the low block and finish through contact as well.
Weaknesses:
Battey will need to keep his frame in check to utilize his unique combination of size and skill. In addition, developing a consistent face-up jump shot will enhance his ability to use his physical ability to get around defenders and create plays.
Bottom Line:
Battey is one of the more interesting prospects on the west coast for his class. His unique blend of talents will be intriguing to watch over the next few seasons.

[RickRund]

Thanks mslacat. Sounds like a body that can clear out some space.

[msu_agfan]

I concur with thankfulness for your info msla. I was impressed with his quickness and ability to get to an open shot, however I do wonder about his defensive ability (there isn't much on the tape of that, and the stuff that is shown seems weak at best). I am wondering about the feasibility of us getting him to commit, with so many people jumping in to give an offer. What a great position to be in, but I would guess it might be somewhat of a labor to decide what to do, who to visit, etc. I hope we get to hear more from and about him.

[mslacat]

I concur with thankfulness for your info msla. I was impressed with his quickness and ability to get to an open shot, however I do wonder about his defensive ability (there isn't much on the tape of that, and the stuff that is shown seems weak at best). I am wondering about the feasibility of us getting him to commit, with so many people jumping in to give an offer. What a great position to be in, but I would guess it might be somewhat of a labor to decide what to do, who to visit, etc. I hope we get to hear more from and about him.

We will only have 2 scholarships to work with (3 if Conner Frey wins his eligibility appeal with the NCAA) so the coaches will start off being selective. As with any recruit the key will be can Fish get him to agree to vist MSU with his 5 allowable visits. If Fish can get a kid on campus I feel we have an a good chance. Speaking of recruits blowing up on you Kezie 'KZ' Okpala a 6-6 small forward from Emperanza High School in Placentia CA, eho I mentioned in my first post in this thread, went from not being able to get a coaches to look at his Youtube tape to Scout.com elevated him from no rating to the 78 rated player in the country. . They listed him as one of 5 shooting stars in the nation that the high majors should keep an eye on. I guess when you grow 8" in 18 months that is what can happen. He still only has 5 offers including one he has heald from MSU for quite a while, that is expected to change.

[VimSince03]

https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/status/753421458022408192

[mslacat]

Recruiting UPDATE: Things are getting serious.

It has been a couple weeks since I did an update so now that the summer evaluation/AAU tournaments are completed I thought I would update whoever is interested on some additional names/offers Coach Fish and his assistants are said to be looking at. Most of the names I mentioned previously on my Twitter account but not all. The month of August is a critical month for coaches to figure out which players they want to get serious about, try to get prospects to agree to home visits and then get them on to campus for Official recruiting trip. In the past the NCAA limited when a prospect could go on an official visit to not until the first day that fall semester/quarter classes started. A lot of schools who start classes late have been complaining so recently the NCAA amended the rule to a fixed date near the beginning of summer. I know some schools are taking advantage of this, I know Wyoming is having a prospect in this week end on an official visit who Montana State has in the past been recruiting, but MSU seems to be holding to traditional recruiting week-end. I would guess 95% of all of your fall recruits over the past 10 years have visited on Football game week-end, with the coaches trying to get their top recruits in on the opening game. When we recruited Montana players regularly it was popular to have them in on Home Coming week end. So I would guess our first big basketball recruiting week end will be September 16-17.

Scott Blakely 6-9 225# PF/C Prosser Washington. Blakely is flying a little under the radar right now he averaged 15 points, 8 rebounds a game for Prosser last year. I was told of him by a friend in Washington who had heard the Bobcats were showing a lot of interest in him. I have heard he is also very interested in the Bobcats. As of a few weeks ago he had quite a few D-2, NAIA, & JC schools offers but no D-1 offers yet that I know of.

[hudl_video][/hudl_video]

Adrease Jackson 6-8 215# PF Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Jackson had a real good summer and landed himself 5 D-1 offers. I have seen him listed anywhere from 6-6 to 6-9, but most of the shorter heights were from last year. I am surprised he did not have any offers prior to this summer as he averaged 18.4 points, 8.4 rebounds 2 blocks last year for a 19-12 (7-1 conf) team. When you read reports about him the first words up are energetic and high motor (a term usually associated with white players). He is a 2 star prospect on Scout and Rivals and ESPN gave him a 60 grade. He seems to be still growing a little. He has offers from Montana State, Dartmouth, Army West Point, Air Force, and American.

Note: I like this kid seems like someone who is just emerging talent wise, loves to hustle, long arms, I think he is perfect Fish power forward.

ESPN Scouting Report

ESPN Analyst
Updated 01/06/2016
Strengths:
Jackson is an emerging 4/5 with broad shoulders and long arms. He has a high motor and purses the ball at both ends. He gets his hands on numerous rebounds and possesses excellent hands. Once he snags the rebound he is a terrific outlet passer, usually of the two-handed variety. While in the post he can convert shots over his left shoulder and he can step out and hit the elbow jump shot. In addition, he shows a basketball IQ with his passing out of the post. He runs well in transition and can finish on the break. Defensively, although not a great leaper, he does have nice timing contesting shots and pursuing rebounds.
Weaknesses:
Jackson needs to continue to improve his fundamentals (keeping the ball high and playing wide in the post). In addition, he needs to add strength to improve the ability to finish through contact. Finally, continuing to add to his inside-out skill set will improve his stock.
Bottom Line:
Jackson is a solid looking post prospect for the mid-major level due to his motor, length, and evolving skill set.

Video


Umoja Gibson 6-1 PG University High School in Waco TX. Umoja is another prospect that has emerged this summer, although again I am surprised he was not getting more attention. He averaged 20 points 6 assists 4 rebounds 3 steals a game last winter while shooting 40% from the field & 36% from three point range on his way to being named League MVP. He had some huge games this summer during AAU ball including a 36 point 6 assists effort. Ranked 40th 2017 prospect in Texas by Texastop100.com and 27th by TexasHoops.com. Holds offers from Sam Houston State, Portland, North Texas and Montana State, but late last week was offered by Houston so that could lock things up.

Mullen’s High Profile
Umoja Gibson 6’1″ (Dallas Mustangs): Smooth point guard who was quick to the hoop, but can stop on the dime to hit the mid-range jumper. Ran the team’s up-tempo break quite well.

2017 Umoja Gibson (Dallas Mustangs)- Umoja is a sneaky athlete with long arms, good defensive lock down ability, finishes well, shoots the three, and always on the attack. What you have to love most about this kid is his confidence on the basketball court.

[hudl_video][/hudl_video]

Thomas Pupavac 6-10 225# C Belmont High School in Geelong, Australia. Finding info Pupavac has been difficult. He is ranked as the #23 2017 high school prospect in Australia. They just held a big AAU type tournament in Australia where it appears he may have boosted his prospects a little. His little brother Jacob (currently a sophomore) is a pretty highly ranked prospect himself. Currently Pupavac holds offers from Montana State and Winthrop

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Tom Fullarton 6-8 G 180# Centre of Excellence Australia. Now this is a name that was dropped to me and I am told that the Bobcats are very interested in him, along with a whole lot of other people. That is no typo, he is a 6-8 guard. What is interesting about him is that he is ranked all over the board as high as the #4 prospect in Australia to the #24th prospect. Scout.com has him ranked as a 3 star prospect. He played in the u-17 FIBA Worlds event this summer and averaged, 14.1 points 6 rebounds 2 assists. The only school I can confirm has offered him is Texas Christian, but I have heard Montana State, Hawaii, St. Mary’s are showing a lot of interest.

Scout.com eval

Australia has a versatile forward in Tom Fullarton who showed why he has early interest from St. Mary's and Hawaii with several other colleges monitoring him. Fullarton has good size at 6-foot-7 and is a tough kid who can probably pay multiple positions on offense and defense due to his size and motor. Fullarton is a competent outside shooter, while he can also put the ball on the ground and score at the rim. Due to his size and effort, Fullarton also rebounds well for the position

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Fish made another offer last night that I really like and find very interesting to watch. He offered:

Jaizec Lottie 6-0 PG from Cherokee Trail HS in Aurora CO. I have seen him listed any where from 5-11 to 6-1. He Cherokee Trail last year to a 19-7 (10-4 conf) record averaging 16 points 6 assist 3 rebounds 3 steaks a game while shooting 54% from the field and 35% from three point range. He is on the short list of the potential 16-17 year Colorado Mister Basketball candidates. I have done a little digging and I am hearing this is a HC Brian Fish recruit. When he scouted him he loved him and took personal interest in his recruitment. As you can imagine being from Colorado he has quite an interest from the Big Sky Conference Schools. So far he has offers from. Montana State, Weber State and Northern Colorado, from the Big Sky and additional offers from Santa Clara, Air force and Denver. I know Montana was very interested in him as well I have heard is Northern Colorado, Idaho, Portland State and Idaho State, so their could be more Big Sky Conference interest. Portland Colorado and Colorado State are showing some interest also. What will be interesting to follow is that I think this is the first time Fish could be going up head to head with the other schools in the conference. Most of the recruits Fish has landed have been outside of traditional Big Sky recruiting grounds. Current Bobcat Mandrell Worthy was recruited by Montana also but when they got a commit from Michael Oguine they backed off, and Worthy did get an offer from (and official visit) from Idaho but they were not back in the conference then. I would keep an eye out on this guy, he has all the ear marks of a Brian Fish recruit. Don't be surprised if he is in the first or second week of recruiting this September. Scout.com ranks him a 3 star prospect. Espn grades him out at 77 (Tyler Hall was graded out at 78 but was pretty under rated)

Some Internet scouting services evals over the past 12 months

Scout.com eval
Lottie possesses good quickness and a flair for drive-and-dish and drive-and-kick passes. He's a very fundamentally sound point guard who also scores capable on drives and can knock down open threes. He's a promising talent to watch from the 2017 class.

ESPN Analyst
Updated 12/02/2015
Strengths:
Lottie has a nice frame with good length and it will be able to handle good weight going forward. He is a true point guard who thinks facilitating before scoring. His initial burst is solid, but it's his ability to change speeds that make him special. While penetrating his vision is impeccable and his crossover going in either direction is potent. He drops off passes in the tightest of angles and they're always on target. He can drop in the floater as well and his jump shot (more like a set shot) is workable.
Weaknesses:
Lottie needs to improve his burst and get stronger to finish through contact while attacking the rim. In addition, he needs to get his legs into his shot to improve his consistency.
Bottom Line:
If his jump shot improves, Lottie has some skills and feel that remind us of former NBA player Mike Bibby.

Colorado Prep Hoops eval 7/30/2015

Jaizec Lottie, a 6-foot Cherokee Trail junior is the epitome of a point guard. His numbers as a sophomore last season — 11.3 points, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game — provide a snapshot of a player who had his hand in everything the Cougars did.

His ability to make an engine run makes Lottie a preseason candidate for the first PHC Mr. Colorado Basketball award.

Lottie took an even bigger leap this summer as a player whose success is measured not just in how many times he can score the basketball, but he can make the pieces around move like a well-rehearsed symphony.

“He may be the best pure point guard in the state,” said Lottie’s coach with Billups Elite, Quincy Sanders, told PHC earlier this month. “He can do everything to break his man down, he can get to the basket, and he can see the play before it develops.”

Lottie had an eye-opening experience this year when he had the chance to attend an Adidas All-American camp in New York City, competing against the best players in the country on that circuit. Lottie more than held his own, finishing among the camp’s assist leaders. His ability to create at an elite level at the point guard position has had Lottie fielding Division I offers from Santa Clara, Air Force and Northern Colorado.

For his part, Lottie knows he still has plenty of improving left to do before he reaches the level he wants to reach — and that’s part of what makes him dangerous.

“I just want to keep going out there,” he told PHC last month, “and keep showing colleges what I can do.”

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