April 25, 2008

Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Jerry Meyer is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. He tackles your questions in his weekly mailbag feature.
Previous mailbags
April 18: Battle for No. 1 heats up
April 11: Can the Bruins bounce back?
April 4: Rankings bump for Rosario?

Vanderbilt is having a strong recruiting season for 2008, but the next potential recruit might be the most important piece to the Commodore's puzzle.

Illinois has a bevy of talent headed to Champaign in the next few years. National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer takes a closer look at Illinois commitments Brandon Paul and Crandall Head in this week's mailbag.

Jerry's Mailbag

Help on the way After having a chance to evaluate Brandon Paul and Crandall Head, what do you think of them and what they bring to the table for Illinois? Where do you see them fitting in nationally in their respective classes? -- Matt from Milwaukee ----- Paul and Head bring an awful lot to the table for Illinois. Paul, a 2009 prospect, is a strong athlete with a penchant for attacking the basket off the dribble. He's the type of player who keeps constant pressure on the defense and will cause a lot of defenders to get into foul trouble. His outside shot looks OK, but at this point I'd describe it as streaky. Ball handling and passing are OK, but again, his strength is taking the ball into the defense and scoring. On the other side of the ball, he has the tools to be a quality defender and rebounder from the shooting guard position. If you're looking for a comparison for Paul, look at Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks. Their size, build, demeanor and skill package are eerily similar. As for Paul's ranking, I'd venture at this early point in the spring that it will be in the bottom half of the top 50. The younger brother of Luther Head, Crandle Head put on an impressive show at the Kingwood Classic. With his length, athleticism and basketball IQ, he seemed to be everywhere on the court dominating the action. However, he never seemed to force the action. He stayed in control and got his teammates involved. Head scored the ball from a variety of areas on the court, but more than anything it was his domineering presence on the court which was so impressive. As for comparisons, look no farther than his brother. In fact, one college coach who coached Luther Head said that Crandall is actually farther along at this stage of his career than his older brother was at the same point. As for his ranking, he is one of the best 2010 prospects I've seen and appears to be a lock for a top-10 spot.

What's next for Riek? What is the deal with John Riek? What is he doing next year? -- Brent from Farmington Hills ----- Riek is presently working out at the IMG Academy in preparation for the 2008 NBA draft. College appears to be out of the picture, given there is a large language barrier for Riek to overcome. The odds of Riek being drafted don't look good at this point, but he is expected to participate in the pre-draft camp in Orlando and could enhance his stock with strong play there. The fact is Riek's game regressed since we saw last summer when Rivals.com first laid eyes on him. He was impressive at both the Nike Hoop Jamboree and then at the LeBron James US Skills Academy. If Riek doesn't land in the NBA next year, I'd look for him to play either in the D League or overseas.

Shooting star Do you see Kenny Boynton as a shoot first point guard or a shooting guard with a good handle. Also do you see Duke as his destination in college? -- Jimmie from Durham ----- I see Boynton as both ? those descriptions are the same to me. As for what position he plays in college depends on what type of players are around him and how the coach wants to utilize him. If he needs a point guard, then that is where he will play. If he is at the point, however, a lot of possessions could end up without a pass. The ideal way to use him is to keep him off the ball if you want to have a flow to your offense. If you're looking to attack right away, put the ball in his hands. In regards to his future location, Duke is a likely possibility. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has had Boynton targeted for a quite a while. However, that doesn't mean what it once meant. Duke has recently come up empty on some prime targets. In addition, Boynton appears to be seriously looking at a number of schools.

Glaring need What does Vanderbilt need in recruiting to keep the basketball team as one of the top teams in the SEC? -- Willis from Mobile ----- Brad Tinsley. Vanderbilt only has starting guard Jermaine Beal and reserve guard Jamie Graham, who is a walk-on from the football team, returning next year. That is it. Tinsley, who is ranked at the bottom of the four-star range, is not the type of player who saves a program. But with such a glaring hole in the Vanderbilt lineup at guard, Tinsley could salvage Vanderbilt's 2008-2009 season.

Warren's role How will Willie Warren fit in with Oklahoma's offense next year? -- Chris from Tulsa ----- Warren will fit in quite well. With Blake Griffin returning, Oklahoma will have a dynamic duo in the two of them. Recently, Oklahoma has just managed to get by at the guard position. That will change next season. A powerful combo guard, Warren is simply a playmaking machine. I expect to see him running the point for the Sooners, and keeping constant pressure on opposing defenses. Coach Jeff Capel will put him in a lot of ball screen scenarios while also running him off multiple screens when the ball is out of his hands. Look for a lot of two-man game in the vein of the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer in the Oklahoma playbook.

Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his Mailbag.