Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

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Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Thu Apr 27, 2017 2:11 pm

Normally I creat a single thread every year at this time to identify recruits the Bobcat Men AND Women may be after for the coming year. This year with the November signing period still 8 months out the Bobcat women have filled all but one of their recruiting spots for next year already so this will mainly be a Men's program thread this year.

The Bobcat men are really hitting Europe and over seas very hard this spring so you should expect the possibilities are very good we could sign 1 or 2 players from their next November. States side where info is a lot more available.

The Bobcats and a handful of other team have jumped on the recruiting band wagon of 6-1 PG Matt Todd from Monticello Minnesota. Be fore last week end Todd had only two offers both from Local D-2 schools. Since then Montana State, South Dakota, Army, Navy, Lafayette, American, Evansville, & UW Milwaukee have come calling. He came close to avg triple double and scored over 20pts in all his games against very good competition. He will be one of the most watched kids this week end (2nd and final week of the spring evaluation period) to see if he can duplicate his performance of last week. As a junior ha averaged 25.5 points, 5 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from three point range.



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Thu May 04, 2017 11:35 am

A lot of stuff concerning the 2018 recruiting efforts of both the Women and men the past few days and I thought I would update. Last week end was last evaluation period of the spring as AAU tournaments came to an end until next July, so like clock work this past Monday D-1 coaches across the nation started throwing out offers left and right for 2018 prospects. The Bobcat coaches got into the mix with four offers being made that we know about, and I understand a few more that we don't or can not confirm. Haslam and Fish spent a fair amount of time in Europe the past few weeks and I fully expect there are a few prospect over there they are interested in. On an interesting note all of the men's offers went to players who had great springs, BUT no offers yet. MSU was all four prospects 1st offer. By contrast UM also sent out offers to 6-7 athletes the past 3 weeks but most if not all have a list of suitors, including Pac-12 schools as long as my arm. On the women's front they don't seem to mess around a lot with offers they just go right for Commitments and they secured a very exciting commitment from a very well known and highly thought od prospect out of Oregon.

I am going to list these folks in reverse order of offers/commitments because that is how notes go.

Steele Bennent 6-11 from Desert Vista high school in Arizona. 1st off what a great name for a basketball center. When did my research on Bennent I was a little surpised he only averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds last year. His team did finish 19-6 and it featured a guard who considered d-1 materail. In the 2018 class the team features 3 players including Steele who are considered D-1 prosepects and are listed on Verbal Commits. Wesley Harris 6-6 SF has an offer from Portland State while Christian Anigwe 6-8 PF has offers from Cal Poly and Central Arkansas. here are some short evels from this spring.
6’10 C Steele Bennett of Desert Vista 2018 (AZ Power Factory 16U)
-Rapidly improving center with added weight who can shoot from 12-feet and in. Decent post footwork who contests shots inside and rebounds well in his area. Needs improvement with speed and activity.Mid major prospect with upside for a high major.
Steele Bennett, Desert Vista, 6-11, PF, Jr.

He only averaged four points and three rebounds last season. But he's a big, physical, rugged post player who has been showing that his game is ready to take off.
Steele Bennett 6’11” 2018 Desert Vista (Phoenix AZ)
Center with length and improving skills is an emerging 2018 prospect in the West.
As I have said before with Fish as our coach and the Big Sky the the way it is currently being ref'd, I would rather go with a 6-7 to 6-8 athletic/long center in the Jake Wiley mode that the slower 6-10 to 6-11 post. I think it is a better fit for the Bobcats.

More later



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Thu May 04, 2017 12:32 pm

Coach Binford got her 3rd commitment for 2018 recruiting class this past Tuesday when 6-0 Halle Wright of Cascade HS in Oregon committed to the Bobcat's on a visit to Bozeman last Monday & Tuesday. She announced it on Twitter Tuesday night. Wright has quite the reputation in Oregon as a junior this past year won the Oregon West Conference POY. Her Cascade HS was ranked #1 in the state most of the season. She was also named first team Oregon all 4A. I don't have exact stats but based on mid season she was verging 18 points 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Depending on where you read she plays either point guard or power forward or somewhere in between.. For her high school team she played point Power forward. She is a very physical player who can over power most players any where on the court and she can also step back and shoot from three. She also has the knack for finding her open team mate and getting her the ball as reflected in her 6 assists a game. I am told her offers were in the double digits, an told she might be one of the most highly recruited player MSU has landed in some time. Quite a few people in Oregon were surprised she committed to MSU. The thought was that either or Both Oregon or Oregon State would offer her after this summer.

Here is a nice article on her and her family from earlier this year that you should read.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/s ... /96221198/

Now for those not keeping track, this is the 3rd commit Binford has secured for the 2018 recruiting season, which first signing period is still 6 months away. This technically fills all of the Women's open scholarships for 2018, again 6 months in advance. Right now a good number of D-1 schools are still trying to fill out their recruiting for 2017!



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by blueandgoldblitz » Fri May 05, 2017 10:50 am

mslacat wrote:Coach Binford got her 3rd commitment for 2018 recruiting class this past Tuesday when 6-0 Halle Wright of Cascade HS in Oregon committed to the Bobcat's on a visit to Bozeman last Monday & Tuesday. She announced it on Twitter Tuesday night. Wright has quite the reputation in Oregon as a junior this past year won the Oregon West Conference POY. Her Cascade HS was ranked #1 in the state most of the season. She was also named first team Oregon all 4A. I don't have exact stats but based on mid season she was verging 18 points 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Depending on where you read she plays either point guard or power forward or somewhere in between.. For her high school team she played point Power forward. She is a very physical player who can over power most players any where on the court and she can also step back and shoot from three. She also has the knack for finding her open team mate and getting her the ball as reflected in her 6 assists a game. I am told her offers were in the double digits, an told she might be one of the most highly recruited player MSU has landed in some time. Quite a few people in Oregon were surprised she committed to MSU. The thought was that either or Both Oregon or Oregon State would offer her after this summer.

Here is a nice article on her and her family from earlier this year that you should read.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/s ... /96221198/

Now for those not keeping track, this is the 3rd commit Binford has secured for the 2018 recruiting season, which first signing period is still 6 months away. This technically fills all of the Women's open scholarships for 2018, again 6 months in advance. Right now a good number of D-1 schools are still trying to fill out their recruiting for 2017!
Wow, she kind of sounds like a Peyton Ferris clone. Sounds like a real good get! I hope we can hold on to all of them until they sign! Thanks for the info as usual mslacat!



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Fri May 05, 2017 4:28 pm

When I was reading about her I thought of Ferris but also former Bobcat Rachel Semansky



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Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by imacat » Fri May 05, 2017 6:10 pm

These commits are very encouraging. GO CATS!!!!


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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Fri Jun 09, 2017 11:21 am

I am going to try to update the board on some recruits we have offered recently. Most of these recruits I have mentioned before on my Twitter account, but will try to add a little more info here. It appears the coaches sent out offers in waves. The first wave was about 3-4 weeks ago after the spring eval period and a small wave off offers went out earlier this week. The men's program should lose 4 players this year due to graduation, and the losses are pretty much across the board. I would expect Fish to recruit a across the board and not too heavily at any one spot. Normally given who we have coming back I would expect a coach to possibly add a couple big guys but not a true center we kind of have that filled. Fish, though, like his perimeter players and is not afraid to go small so you never know.

My listing of players here is kind of the most recent 1st and back.

Malachi Smith 6-3ish SG/PG from Belleville East in Illinious. He averaged 13 points 6 rebounds ,3 assists, 2 steals last year while shooting and impressive 55% from 2 point range, 37% 3 point range and 85% from the free throw line. He is a late bloomer physically and was a 5-10 reserve point guard his freshman year. Started his Sophomore year at the point guard spot. His at somewhere between 6-2 and 6-3 started at the shooting guard spot, but again played quite a bit at the point guard spot. PrepHoops Illinois has him rated the 15th best prospect (Tyler Hall was 14th his senior year), but they also have labeled him one of the sleepers in the Illinois senior class. One of the main reasons is that they expect Smith to take over the leadership role on the team with the graduation of J. Picket (25pts/gm) (Who signed with Missouri) and R.Sylvester (14pts/gm). For a kid doing some late growing he is a big strapping kid (looks more like a college player) and a really good athlete. His nickname is "Clutch" and Twitter handle is @ClutchMVP as he has a reputation for hitting clutch shots when he is needed. Montana State is his first D-1 team to offer, but he has 4-5 others showing a lot of interest. North Dakota has been on him for about a year now. He also has quite a few D-2 offers. I think this is the type of kid who with a great summer AAU season could explode.

PrepHoops (Before the Bobcats offered him)
Posted On: 04/19/17 12:00 PM

Belleville East 6’3” shooting guard Malachi Smith is one of the more underrated prospects in the 2018 class across the state. Smith is a two guard that is wired to score! He is a slick ball handler through traffic that has the ability to get in the paint. Turns the corner with speed coming off a ball screen attacking downhill. Can beat his man off the bounce and get in the lane where he likes to finish with runners and acrobatic layups. On occasion will throw down a poster dunk. He is a solid jump shooter with the ability to knock down a one dribble pull up from mid-range and has a clean looking shot from three off the catch. Has the ability, but sometimes took a backseat to Javon Pickett last year and faded in games. Rebounds well for his size and is active on the offensive glass getting at least one put back a game. Solid athlete at the wing position. Could improve on the defensive end. Projects as a low-major prospect with mid-major upside.

Smith spoke about his junior season.

“It was a pretty good season. I played a lot of minutes and I played a feature role with a lot of teams focusing on Javon (Pickett). That gave me opportunities to score the ball. I feel like it will make me even more ready next year for the competition. I felt I grew in my confidence and my shot. I did a lot of key scoring in the games. Sometimes I wasn’t as aggressive. I think that is something I have to work on.”

He knows with the graduation of top 5 2017 Javon Pickett it will be his team next year!

“Take on the leadership role. I have to lead my team. A lot of teams are going to be coming at me because they know who I am. It starts in practice the very first day.”

Smith spoke about what he feels the best parts of his game are at this stage.

“My strengths are attacking the basket and being a slasher. I can shoot, but I need to be a little more consistent. I need to work on my defense because a lot of guards are quicker than me.”

The Belleville East wing is running with Jets-Ramey United on the NY2LA Circuit.

“I am excited. We are playing in Dallas, Minnesota, Vegas. We are going to make a lot of noise. People know us, but not a lot of people respect us. We are going to gain a lot of respect this year.”

What is going on with recruiting?

“I have talked to Tulsa, Western Illinois, and North Dakota State.”

Smith broke down what he likes about each beginning with Tulsa.

“They are very nice. They seem like they care.”

North Dakota State

“I have been talking to them since last year. I try to keep in touch.”

Western Illinois

“I like them because they always want to know how I’m doing and they are making sure my grades are right. I am going to be taking a visit there in the spring. Probably May.”
video from last summer




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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:39 pm

Here is another recruit offered earlier this week.

James Moors 6-9 f/c Westlake High School, Auckland New Zealand. I have seen him listed at 6-10 quite a bit also on the net. He is ranked in two New Zealand polls as the #3 and #5 prospect in New Zealand this year. he plays with #11th NZ prospect in THABO MANYERE. I have not got his exact stats but he is averaging about 18 points 9 rebounds 3 blocks and 3 assists a game. Additionally last summer he was called up to play on the New Zealand U-18 team (from u-17) and averaged a surprising 13 pts in 4 games. I have seen some game Box scores where the guy has had scored numerous times in the 30's or double digits in block shots. I was wondering if he was a big fish in a little pond situation, but I was really impressed with his mobility, ball skills and passing ability in the video I posted below. Additionally he is not just a under the basket dunker he has a nice mid range game and can shoot almost out to the 3 point range. So I was really surprised to find MSU was his first and only offer, and I can find no info on any other D-1 schools even sniffing around him.

This is a kid I think could play right away in the Big Sky conference and with a little development could be an all conference player real early in his carrier. I hope the Bobcats can get in on him early becuase his recruitment is going nowhere but up and he could be out of our range by the fall or winter!

nzherald.co.nz Basketball: Revealing the next generation of Kiwi talent
#5 James Moors

The MVP at Under 17 Nationals, Moors is another big man with plenty of potential. Playing at Westlake's basketball factory, Moors largely plays center, but has three-point range and the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop.
Video May 2017


Video January 2017


Video (white/black #35) Summer of 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... u9ye5wXbiI



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:52 pm

Earlier this week I heard Montana State offered Quincy Anderson

Quincy Anderson is a 6-2 PG/SG Oshkosh North high School in Wisconsin. Anderson is also listed at 6-3 and he primary position is listed PG but he also plays a lot of shooting guard. He averaged 13 points (in one of his HUDi pages he has 18 point avg.) 5 rebounds 45% shooting from the field and an impressive 41% from three point range. As with the other recruits mentioned earlier it appears that Montana State is the first and only D-1 offer so far. It appears though he has a handfull of D-2/NAIA offered. I can not find a lot of info on him. Below is eval quote and video.

Eval
Versatile backcourt player with good size and length. Can make long-distance shots and score in transition. Also a solid defender in North's 1-3-1 zone defense.
[hudl_video]
[/hudl_video]



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Sat Jun 10, 2017 7:14 pm

Kelton Samore 6-8ish Combo Forward Grant High school in Grant Oregon. The Bobcats offered Samore about 2-3 weeks ago and as I understand it Brandon Lincoln was the primary recruiting on Samore. Assistant Coach Eric Jackson is also very involved with recruiting Oregon so hopeful we can still keep this recruit. Samore is one of those player sleeper players that Fish gets involved with just before his recruiting blows up. The last couple weeks he has picked up a bunch of offers and a lot of interest. He holds offers from Air Force, San Francisco, Colgate, Boise State, UC Irvine , UC Davis, Portland, Portland State, as well as Montana State. Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State are just a few showing strong interest that also include quite a few Ivy League schools. Fish's former Boss Danna Altman invite Samore for an unofficial visit earlier this month (no offer though). This could be one of those kids who after the summer recruitment takes another big step up. This past season he averaged 17 pts and 11 rebounds a game He seems to be a player who really shows well in the AAU setting. Samore is listed at by his high school @ 6-9 but everywhere else he is listed at 6-8. He reminds me of a Tom Domako type player, but I am not sure he has the shooting range. He is rail thin, and is always described as a Guard in a power forwards body. He is listed by PrepHoops as the #4 prospect in Oregon next year, and the general consensus is that it will be a very good year for talent in Oregon. It appears he is more suited to play the small forward spot in college, but the way Fish plays I could see him fitting right in at the #4 spot. Again if Fish has to recruit against the teams listed above as officially offered I think Fish could pull it off. If we start to get into schools in the interested category and above it could be a tough get.
Transition Hoops eval

STRENGTHS
Fundamentally sound stretch four. Can shoot the 3, mid range and finish at the rim. Very confident scorer. Competes hard and doesn't back down. Tough defender and rebounds hard.

WEAKNESSES
Needs to continue to add weight and strength.

NOTES
Keton Samore is a nice prospect and if he continues to get stronger and more athletic could play at a really high level. Reportedly has received an offer from UC Davis.

Keton Samore (Grant HS, 6’9 C) – really hit the boards and scored inside with a soft jumper. He runs the floor hard.
Video



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:34 pm

I am going to hit a few player who were offered about 4 weeks ago about middle of May. First will be an update on Steel Bennant

Steel Bennett 6-10 center desert Vista HS. Right now Montana State is his only offer still, but Hawaii, BYU, Rice, Santa Clara, Portland, Boise State, Northern Arizona, Washington State and San Diego State are all in close touch with him. Word is they have all said they would offer if he has a great summer AAU (like his spring AAU). Steele by everyone's account had a real poor high junior school season avg under 5pts and 5 rbs a game. This spring though he impressed on the AAU circuit. He did well enough to be rate the #6 2018 college prospect by Prep Hoop AZ. Steele looks like a very intriguing prospect with a lot of skills but who has not shown them yet on his high school team and coaches are still a little hesitated to pull the trigger yet, until they know whether this springs AAU performance true indicator of talent. Another note that I always wonder how it effects a kids recruitment is that Bennett is a Mormon and is expected to take a Mission year possibly in 2018 so the coaches could be looking at him as a 2019 prospect.

Eval from Prep Hoops AZ
(5-6-17)
Steele Bennett 6’11 C 2018 Desert Vista (Factory)

Tonight was not the best of nights as far as what Bennett is capable of. However, Bennett did demonstrate why he is one of the top players in the state for his age group. Even if things are not going his way, he is good on the glass and protects the paint extremely well. Look for Bennett to continue doing the little things while having an even better day on Saturday.

(4-27-17)
Steele Bennett 6’10 C Desert Vista (Factory AZ)

Bennett tends to be more of a traditional post who has a soft touch around the rim and good footwork. His size and post play have made him an interesting prospect to a number of NCAA Division-I schools. Bennett has a decent motor and does well on the glass. He has a consistent mid-range jumper that he is continuing to improve and add range to.

(3-22-17)
Steele Bennett

If you followed Arizona high school basketball at all, you knew Williams would be a major factor. Replacing the big men, on the other hand, would be a concern. Enters Steele Bennett, who provided one of the weekend’s best highlights as he caught a pass off of the backboard from Williams for a powerful two handed finish. If Bennett, who lacks aggression at times, can make these type of plays more regularly, he will see his recruitment pick up similarly to Shadd and Ondigo last year. He has a solid post game and can finish with either hand. Defensively, he is not an elite shot blocker, but understands angles and anticipates well enough to be a rim protector.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Bennett is a very big post prospect with excellent size for the college level. Standing 6-11 in heigth, there are not many players around his size. Bennett has a solid overall skill level, but does not play inspired basketball at this point and needs to get much quicker in his moves and explosion off the ground. He does though have a soft touch from the perimeter and a solid jump hook in the post, but he still needs to refine his overall post moves to become a much more effective scorer around the low block. Needs to be much more assertive in his approach to the game to reach his full potential as a player. A solid rebounder that keeps balls in play and is a solid finisher around the basket, but more explosion off the ground will help him immensely over time to finish around the basket. Runs the floor well. OK athlete. Solid low-post defender. Has some upside.


Sam Beskind 6-3 PG/SG Catalina Foothills HS In Tucson AZ.
Beskin is considered to be point guard first who swing over to play the shooting guard spot. He is a big kid and is listed at 6-4 in some places and weighs in at about 195 lbs. He is a good athlete and he uses his size and athleticism advantage a lot against other guards. I don't have his exact stats but I beleive he avb about 16 points 8 rebounds and 4 assists agame last year. He was voted Tuscon area A-A POY, and 1st team 4-A all state He is ranked the #36 2018 prospect in Arizona by Prep Hoops AZ. Montana State appears to his only official offer at this time but Harvard and Yale are among about 8 other teams that have been in contact with him this summer.
Sam Beskind 6’3 170lbs (2018 graduate) Combo Guard at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, AZ. Beskind is not your prototypical SOAZ guard. He is bigger and stronger than most point guards, and quicker than most shooting guards. He is a tough kid that has an amazing BBall IQ and court vision. Because of his size, he is able to finish at the rim and grab rebounds in traffic. Sam made all tournament team at the 2016 Salpointe Tipoff Classic, and lead his team to a 2nd place finish. We predict that Sam Beskind will have multiple double-double games, and lead Catalina Foothills deep into the AZ State Playoffs.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: One of the more underrated prospects in the class, Beskind is a gifted guard prospect with a nice overall skill level and excellent toughness and very good athleticism. These attributes as a player make Beskind a definite sleeper prospect in the class that is worthy of serious college attention. The level of college that he will land at will definitely be determined by his play this spring and summer. Beskind is a major reason for his, as he is a strong performer on both ends of the floor, and is a load for opposing teams to defend, as he applies pressure on opposing team defenses with his ability to get into the lane and finish. A good shooter with range on his shot, Beskind is a very skilled guard prospect that extends the floor and is also very tough off the dribble to defend for opposing guards, as he has a strong physical frame and is very tough off the dribble. He is a very good finisher in the lane and in traffic over defenders, where he likes to draw physical contact and finish plays. A strong rebounder for his size and plays much bigger than his size suggests. A very aggressive prospect that competes at a high level on both ends of the floor. A good on the ball defender and team defender, Beskind is a two-way player.
video



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Tue Jun 13, 2017 8:05 pm

Junior Ballard 6-3 SG Modesto Christian HS Lathrop California After the spring AAU/Eval period the Bobcats offered a number of player, most if not all of them Montana State was their first offer. Of the 5 or 6 that I most of the prospects were not all that exciting with 1 or 2 exception. Ballard was the guy I really was impressed with. Ballard averaged 21.9 points, 2 assists 6.2 rebounds a game while shooting 48% from the field and 44% from three point range, and I understand his sophomore numbers were even better. Ballard scored over 40 point twice last year and 30 5 times. The thing I could not understand was how Montana State could be his only D-1 offer. That has changed quite a bit over the past month or so. Pacific and Sacramento State have all stepped up to the plate and offered and he has interest from a dozen other schools including some Ivy League. Montana is said to very interested also. Ballard has NBA 3 point range, although he can be a little streaky, but also loves to drive to the hoop. He is projected to play shooting guard in college, but plays point guard also. He also may have a little more growth in him so he could play small forward also. I saw one coach describe him as "not flashy" but watching the video below I have to question that. Ballard reminds me of a Tyler hall Lite and I think is the type of player who could really excell under Fish system Former Bobcat assistant Brandon Lincoln was his primary recruiter so with his departure you hope Fish gets on this kid right away. Ballard played for Lathrop high school last year but transferred to Modesto Christian over the summer. All this said though, it still begs why has this kid only has 3 D-1 offers so far. I definitely think that will change after the summer, hopefully by that point Fish will have secured an official visit to Bozeman.

Video



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by phantom » Wed Jun 14, 2017 7:58 am

The challenge at this time of the year when you follow recruiting is trying to figure out two things: 1) Who is truly in play, 2) Who really has an offer. From what you have listed 7 players have an "offer" from Montana State. The reality is that Montana State doesn't have 7 scholarships to fill, so there really aren't 7 players with a true offer. If they all called at once and wanted to commit, which commitments would the staff take? Those are the only ones that truly have offers. Of course, it will work itself out ... some players will eliminate the Bobcats, the Bobcats will focus in on some players. It's just a pet peeve of mine how "offers" are reported. Also, keep in mind that just because a kid has told people a school has offered, it doesn't mean it's happened. I've seen situations in the past where a kid listed an offer at the school and the school had barely spoken with the kid.



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Wed Jun 14, 2017 9:24 am

phantom wrote:The challenge at this time of the year when you follow recruiting is trying to figure out two things: 1) Who is truly in play, 2) Who really has an offer. From what you have listed 7 players have an "offer" from Montana State. The reality is that Montana State doesn't have 7 scholarships to fill, so there really aren't 7 players with a true offer. If they all called at once and wanted to commit, which commitments would the staff take? Those are the only ones that truly have offers. Of course, it will work itself out ... some players will eliminate the Bobcats, the Bobcats will focus in on some players. It's just a pet peeve of mine how "offers" are reported. Also, keep in mind that just because a kid has told people a school has offered, it doesn't mean it's happened. I've seen situations in the past where a kid listed an offer at the school and the school had barely spoken with the kid.
Way back when even before VerbalCommits.com being a member of the 6th man Club Huse used to like me to send him any articles on I found on the net or otherwise where a kid who said MSU was recruiting. As you might guess he liked to here what a kid was saying about MSU and other programs. I would rarely get any info back but a thanks or something, but every so often I would get an email back that would say something to the effect "Who the heck is this! I asked all the (assistant) coaches and no body here has even heard of him!"

Since I mentioned Verbal Commits I am pretty sure Nathan who runs the site has a direct line into the Bobcat (and other programs) program. When he post something about MSU I always know he has got the recruit/offer/commit correct. There are times he has Tweeted some recruiting info and I know he could have only gotten it from 1 of 2 people.

To you point about the recruits I am posting recently. Yea a lot of these kids will fall off the board come this summer AAU recruiting period in July. A few kids may be recruited away from the Bobcats by bigger schools, and some may just fall off the Bobcats board as the coaches change their minds. One thing to remember Fish does have a history of targeting early 1 or 2 players in every class and then going balls to the walls to get him. Tyler Hall was Fish's 1st offer as the MSU head coach, not to mention Hall's first offer. Nuemann was not far behind that spring. Haslamn told me a similar thing about Frey and Lincoln and Fish were on Bonton early in his junior year.



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by msu_agfan » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:09 pm

mslacat wrote:Junior Ballard 6-3 SG Modesto Christian HS Lathrop California After the spring AAU/Eval period the Bobcats offered a number of player, most if not all of them Montana State was their first offer. Of the 5 or 6 that I most of the prospects were not all that exciting with 1 or 2 exception. Ballard was the guy I really was impressed with. Ballard averaged 21.9 points, 2 assists 6.2 rebounds a game while shooting 48% from the field and 44% from three point range, and I understand his sophomore numbers were even better. Ballard scored over 40 point twice last year and 30 5 times. The thing I could not understand was how Montana State could be his only D-1 offer. That has changed quite a bit over the past month or so. Pacific and Sacramento State have all stepped up to the plate and offered and he has interest from a dozen other schools including some Ivy League. Montana is said to very interested also. Ballard has NBA 3 point range, although he can be a little streaky, but also loves to drive to the hoop. He is projected to play shooting guard in college, but plays point guard also. He also may have a little more growth in him so he could play small forward also. I saw one coach describe him as "not flashy" but watching the video below I have to question that. Ballard reminds me of a Tyler hall Lite and I think is the type of player who could really excell under Fish system Former Bobcat assistant Brandon Lincoln was his primary recruiter so with his departure you hope Fish gets on this kid right away. Ballard played for Lathrop high school last year but transferred to Modesto Christian over the summer. All this said though, it still begs why has this kid only has 3 D-1 offers so far. I definitely think that will change after the summer, hopefully by that point Fish will have secured an official visit to Bozeman.

Video
Just going off this video, he does seem to be a great player, and it is hard to know why he does not have offers from bigger schools. It will be interesting to see how his recruitment goes. He seems to be able to drive inside with ease, and 44% from 3 is not too shabby.


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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:52 pm

Jonah Geron 6-6 SG Memorial HS in San Joaquin California. Geron is a shooter in doing my research I have seen him listed by a couple folks as as one of if not the best 3 point shooter in California. If you look at the video below he appears to have a really quick release, range deep 3-point range, but I think he needs help to get an open shot. To the best of I can tell he avg about 10 point (maybe a little less) a game last season for Memorial. It is my under standing the Bobcat coaches saw him on the AAU trial this spring where he played significantly better. During one tournament he went 8-10 from 3 one game and 7-11 in the next. Over all for that tourney he shot 26-53 from three through 4 games and over all averaged 21.5 point a game. Geron is rail thin and may have a little more groth in him, but he will really need to put on a lot of muscle. He is projected as a shooting guard, but I could see him also playing the small forward spot for the Bobcats in Fish's system. He plays his AAU ball with Junior Ballard. Montana State is his only offer at this date but a few more schools, like Cornel and UC Irvine are showing an interest. I think he needs another big summer to see his recruitment take off,

Video






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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Wed Jun 14, 2017 3:53 pm

Here is the 2018 guy who has been on Montana States radar the longest. They were the first to offer him in November of 2015

Khalil Chatman 6-7ish SG/SF Franklin HS in Portland
Khalil dad played for Oregon State and went on to play professionally in the CBA and multiple stops Europe and Asia. His brother plays for Michigan. He is ranked by Prep Hoops OR as the #23 prospect in the state, and by SB Nation as the # 5 Oregon Prospect. Transition Hoops ranks him as the 8th best prospect in the Northwest (Wa, Or, Id, Mt. & Wy). So he is all over the board according to the experts. He is actually considered to be a better Football prospect (WR, DB) than he is a Basketball prospect. He averaged 14 points 3 assists 7 rebounds a game last year, but was considered to have some what of a down year. He is listed as a shooting guard on quite a few sites but in looking at his high light video's below, I don't see it. He has great athleticism but I see no evidence of any kind of perimeter game. I think he will be a small forward in college and could play some at the #4 spot on a team that likes to play small ball. He is currently being listed at 6-8 by his summer 2018 AAU team. Montana State was his first offer but I am told he also holds offers from Detroit Mercy, Portland and Portland State, with Eastern Washington, Montana, Oregon, Oregon State, Sacramento State, Washington, Washington State all showing an interest. He was took an unofficial visit to Oregon with Montana State target Kelton Samore (see above) earlier this month. He is a 3 star prospect from both Scout and Rivals. As with almost all of our Oregon and California recruits he also was recruited by former Bobcat assistant Branden Lincoln.

SB Nation eval
5. Khalil Chatman ‘18 (Franklin HS/Portland)
Arguably my personal favorite player on this list, there’s something about Khalil Chatman that just screams potential superstar every time you watch him step on the court and with an athletic and versatile skill-set, he has all the natural tools to take his game to the top. It’s just simply putting the pieces together now for the 6’ 7”, 190 pound swing-man. Currently ranked as just a three-star forward, with offers from Detroit-Mercy and Montana State, Chatman will get his fair share of exposure this season as a critical piece to the Seattle Rotary team on the Nike EYBL circuit, where he’s expected to scoop up a few more looks. Wayne Tinkle has found some surprise gems during his short stay in Corvallis and being the program to lock up a rising star like Chatman, could add to his long list of recruiting achievements.
Transistion Hoops Eval
STRENGTHS
Strong bodied and athletic. Plays hard and battles for loose balls. Has a big rebounding range. Physical inside presence on both ends.

WEAKNESSES
Needs to improve on his offensive game and skill set.

NOTES
Khalil Chatman is a strong and athletic kid with a lot of potential. As his skill set improves the level he can play at will rise.
Video






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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Sun Jun 18, 2017 4:05 pm

Montana State has a basketball player named Preston Maccoux from Wisconson in for an unofficial visit this weekend.

6-6 SF Preston Maccoux Pius XI HS in Big Bend: Maccoux in reading through some stuff on the net reminds me of Sam Neumann (lite) type player. He has deep 3 point range and also has a nice post up game. Major knock I saw was that he was a little slow of foot. He averaged 10pts and 6 rebounds for a 19-6 team. He comes from a basketball family. His Dad played D-1 hoops (Dartmouth) and is currently Marquette's men's basketball team doctor). The only offer I am aware of that he has is From D-2 Parkside in WI. Just a guess on my part but I would imagine he is in Bozeman for the Basektball Camps currently going on at the Brick.

Eval from Prephoops MN
SF Preston Maccoux (Wisconsin Shooters 17U)

Maccoux did everything he could to keep the Shooters in the game against Team RWA. The 6’5” small forward was lights out shooting it from the perimeter. He was locked in on threes off the catch. When spotting up he was ready to let it fly every time it touched his hands. Moves well without the ball as he showed getting open for threes and on a couple back cuts. More than just a shooter he had a few nice attacks from the high-post. Maccoux would be worth consideration at the D2 level.
Eval from Wisconsin Sports Net
Intelligent, cerebral player who understands the game and can score from the perimeter and in the post. Excellent size and length. Averaged 10.0 ppg as a junior for a Pius XI Catholic squad that went 19-6. Father, Darin, is the team doctor for Marquette Unviersity men's basketball program and a former standout player at Green Bay Premontre and Dartmouth.



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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:20 am

Just a little update on Matt Todd

Matt Todd 6-1ish PG Monticello HS MN. Since the report up above I have some more info. I have heard the Bobcats have offered him. Averaged 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5 assists last year. His high school team struggled early last year but got a lot better as the season went on and will be considered a top team winter. Interesting prospect in that he has the stats, size and is playing very well in the AAU tourneys but a lot of D-1 programs are still on the fence. Main knock on him: OK speed, OK athletes, and needs muscle, but he seems to get the job done at point guard. A lot of coaches are waiting until the summer to jump on him. This spring and summer he is starting on the #1 rate AAU team in the Mn, Wis, Dakotas area. Todd is ranked as the #15 2018 prospect in Minnesota

Eval Prep Hoops MN
5/1/17
Matt Todd played one of his best games of the weekend versus Omaha Elite Sunday morning scoring 16 against an excellent ball pressure defender. Todd was able to get middle using an attack left with or without a screen which became pull-us or one of his six assists. Many schools watched he, Hedstrom, and Brevyn Spann-Ford including David Richman of NDSU, USD (Gameli Ahelegbe and Austin Hanson), UND (head Coach Brian Jones), IUPUI, American (Eddie Jackson), Denver, Nebraska-Omaha (Tyler Bullock), Loyola (IL), Cal Irvine, New Mexico, Drake (David Thorson and Ali Farokhmanesh were each in Minneapolis this weekend), and many others.

4/15/17
Speaking of Matt Todd, I thought he was the best player for Comets Lewis throughout the day Sunday. They put the ball in his hands and ask him to make plays a lot and he’s more than capable of it. Todd has to do a lot more scoring at Monticello than he does on the AAU circuit and at his best, he’s an outstanding facilitator. He’s got a rare feel for the game and balances scoring with creating for teammates about as well as any point guard I saw over the weekend. He looks the part of a rock solid mid-major college point guard to me.

4-10-17
The Comets would have been in bigger trouble had Matt Todd not carried them for about 60 percent of the game. Nobody could keep the Monticello guard in front of them so Matt hit his floater, pull-up, and extending attacks plus made three treys. At one point he scored or assisted on seven of eight buckets. Matt had 21 points and five assists.

(2nd game)
...... Matt Todd had 14 points on 11 shots and Kyler Kluge had 11. Everyone is always asking who is better among the guards and I still don’t think answers are clear. I think it’s a personal preference. Myself I believe that Todd, Wishart, Kluge, and Nelson are all very good.
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Re: Men's 2018 Basketball Recruiting

Post by mslacat » Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:35 pm

The 2nd Summer recruiting period just ended today with offers flying all over the place. By contrast this summer Coach Fish and the Bobcats have only offered 2 additional player since the the start of the summer eval period (see below). They have been in contact with quite a few prospects ( some listed below) to show interest but only the 2 offers. The Griz, by contrast have offered close to 8-10 and the Bobcat women have already offered four 2020 players (that right high school players who just finished their freshman year). Fish is very contemplative when it comes to offering player. I believe none of his assistants can offer a player with out his permission. I would expect that MSU Coaches will get together after the third period ends make some choices and a bunch of offers will go out at that point. Here are the two offers so far.

Mack Anderson 6-8 PF Bozeman Montana Most of you Bozemanites have seen Anderson more than I have, as I did not catch any of the Bozeman games as they came Missoula this past winter. My understanding is he was a 6-5 reserve for the Hawks in 2016-17. Some 4 month later he is 3 inches taller and has used his athleticism, mobility and guard skills draw the attention of quite a few D-1 programs during the first eval period. Montana State, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana and Cal-Poly I have heard have been in contact with him during after the first eval period. He really jumped on MSU's radar after he attended their basketball camp in June. They got real serious by the end of camp and told him if he had a good eval period they would be offering him. The offered him after the first period about a week ago. I am told the Griz are getting very serious also, I am not sure if Anderson attended their camp but I am told after the 1st eval period one of the assistants was pushing hard for the Griz to offer but DeCuire was still on the fence (interesting enough it seems of the 16 or so offers the Griz have out only 1 that I am aware of is what you would call a big man and they should have 6 scholarships to fill this year). As I under stand Idaho might be the next school showing the most interest. I am real curious to see how he played this week end and if anyone else gets interested.

Sam Shafer 6-6 SG/SF Lincoln-Way East Illinois Shafer averaged 15 points 4 rebounds a game and shot 55% from the floor and 43% from 3 point range. He was part of a tandem 6-5 pair of guards for Lincoln East with the other being 6-5 Dorian Aluyi (who will be playing for Minot State next year). Aluyi stats where almost identical to Anderson's (Aluyi slightly better rebounder/Anderson better from 3). Next year though Lincoln_east is still considered to be power with 3 player ranked in the Illinois PrepHoops top 200 (Anderson at 33). Anderson is known as a deep 3 point shooter, who needs very little space to get off his shot. Currently Drake, Ohio, Central Michigan, Brown, Western Illinois, Brown, Wofford, Furman, Lafayette, Army West Point, Wyoming, and Denver have all expressed interest. His three D-1 offers are Montana State, UT Martin and Southern Illinois

Illinois Prep Hoops
Lincoln Way East 2018 small forward Sam Shafer has great size for position at 6’5”. He has quality athleticism to along with that. What he does best is shoot the rock from the perimeter. He does that at a high rate. Smooth looking stroke with great mechanics and a quick release. Gets height off the floor. Nothing but net almost every time! Mixes in a drive on occasion as he is a decent athlete. Passes it well for an off guard. Solid rebounder for a small forward. Should be on the low-major radar heading into the spring.
SF Sam Shafer (Young & Reckless 17U)

Shafer is probably one of the highest regarded prospects on this list, but is worth noting as his recruitment is still under the radar. The Lincoln Way East wing holds one offer from SIU. Plus shooter with size that can stroke it off the catch. Sneaky athlete that is skilled. D1 prospect.


Other player MSU has been calling but no offer yet.

Zion Griffin 6-6ish SF-PF-C Hinsdale South Illinois - Think of him as little taller, little more athletic Braden Howard. He played PF and center last year on his high school team (where he was listed at 6-5) and avg 18 points, 8 rebounds 2 blocks. He did not have any offers before the summer period. His AAU team played him at small forward where he has shown the ability to shoot the 3 ball (not to mention score 20+ pts consistently) and his recruitment has gone through the roof. Over the past 2 weeks he has now picked up 15 offers including Dake. Why do I mention Drake. It seems to be Drake is MSU biggest recruiting rival under the Fish years. Tyler Hall, Sam Nueman, Harald Frey, and Lassi Nikkarinen where all recruited also by Drake

Semaj Mathews 6-7ish power forward from Landry-Walker HS in Louisiana Do not have his stats but he listed by Prephoops LA as the 23rd best prospect in the state. He is the type of PF I would like to see in the program long, athletic bouncy and very aggressive. Prep Hoops LA made this comment about Semaj when mentioning him one of the better post in LA this year: "most advanced offensive skill set around the rim belongs to Matthews" Now the big question mark is height. his AAU team lists him this year at 6-7. During this past high school season he was listed some at 6-6 but mostly 6-5.

Kendrick Dandy 6-4 guard from Oleans LA. No stats but he is ranked 20th best prospect in LA by PrepHoops LA. A solid shooter out to 3 point line but strength is driving to the hoop can pull up for jump shot or take contact in the lane. Strong physical player.

Jourdan Smith 6-6 SG/W from Fair Learning Center in Texas. He averaged 13 points 6 rebounds a game last season transferring to Texas this year. I have seen him listed at 6-7 also. Word on Jourdan is that he is high level athlete with with great three point range. Hearing a lot of buzz all July about him coming out of no where and his "stock rising", but as far as I can tell no offers yet. Interest said to be Montana State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Houston, Indiana State, Troy, Temple and Northern Colorado.

Craig Burt 6-4 SG Centennial HS in Columbus OH. He averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists. Can not find a lot about Craig but he is listed at 6-5 in some places. He is said to be a riser this summer in basketball. He is already consider to be one of the better football prospects out of Ohio as a QB and/or WR. No D-1 Basketball offers but 3-4 schools including MSU sniffing around.

Couple other notes:

Junior Ballard a 6-3 guard whom the Bobcats offered after the spring eval period went with that single offer into the summer period. He now has offers from MSU Pacific Sac State, Cal St Northridge, Cal Poly and Fordham.

Keep your eye on Malachi Smith 6-3ish SG/PG from Belleville East in Illinious. 13 points 6 rebounds ,3 assists, 2 steals, he a guy I am hearing is developing a strong connection with he coaching staff.



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