May 8, 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
May 2: How strong is KU class?
April 25: Questions surround Boynton
April 18: Battle for No. 1 heats up

After a great year for Kansas State basketball, how is the 2009 recruiting class shaping up for the Wildcats?

Should Georgetown fans be concerned about a couple recent transfers?

National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer answers these questions and more in this week's mailbag.

Jerry's Mailbag

Too young? Do you think the new stance on Kentucky recruiting, (accepting commitments from) underclassmen before they really prove themselves, is a good move by Gilespie? Can you tell me about the talent level of their (commitments)? -- Jesse from parts unknown ----- Accepting commitments from prospects before they have proven themselves is a problem in recruiting. It isn't necessarily a new problem, however. Coaches have always taken chances on players who they feel can develop into something that they aren't yet. At Rivals.com, we project prospects in our rankings based on what we feel they will become down the road. The problem is just much more magnified now with the number of young prospects who are committing to schools. Now, it's not that unusual for a freshman - or even an eighth grader - to commit. It now seems almost commonplace for a sophomore to commit. Yes, everything in our society is accelerated right now. Teenagers grow up a lot faster now than they used to, and this trend has made its way into basketball recruiting. But is this a healthy trend? I don't think so. I can understand an early commitment from a no-brainer prospect of a five-star nature. I can understand a mid-level program taking an early commitment from a prospect who the coaches feel might develop into a high-caliber player. But what I don't understand is a program like Kentucky accepting commitments from very young players whose ability to play at the highest level of college basketball is still in question. We see the number of transfers growing larger every year. Expect those transfers, along with decommitments, to reach epidemic levels if this trend in recruiting continues. As for Kentucky's underclassmen, Jon Hood is a great pickup for Kentucky. The home state prospect is on the bubble of reaching five-star status, and has the tools to be a professional basketball player one day. Dominique Ferguson, a 2010 commitment, is as an intriguing young prospect. He has good length, athleticism and upside. He will likely check in as a five-star prospect in the new 2010 rankings. Although Ferguson has yet to prove himself as a consistently productive player, it is still obvious that he is worthy of an early commitment. GJ Vilarino, a guard in the 2009 class, and 2010 guard K.C. Ross-Miller have struggled this spring playing for Team Texas. I'm still not convinced that they are capable of playing at the highest level of college basketball. Dakotah Euton is a hard-working, skilled big man in the 2010 class. However, his lack of athleticism is a big question concerning his ability to be effective in the athletic Southeastern Conference. As far as 2011 prospect Vinny Zollo and 2012 prospect Michael Avery are concerned, I haven't seen them play yet.

Looking ahead How good is K-State's 2009 recruiting class, and what other prospects are considering K-State? -- Shane from Bazine ----- After a monster year for the Kansas State program behind the star power of Rivals.com's former No. 1 prospect, the Wildcats are likely headed for a down year in 2008-2009. Some help is on the way for the 2009-2010 season in four-star recruits Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder. Judge is an athletic big man who is effective in the paint and has the potential to develop into a dangerous threat as a face-up four man as well. McGruder is an athletic wing slasher who finishes well on the move toward the basketball and is an excellent rebounder for his position. What could become the crown jewel of the Kansas State 2009 recruiting class is ultra-athletic power forward Latavious Williams. After taking the Kingwood Classic by storm, Williams was rumored to be on the verge of committing to Kansas State. That potential commitment hasn't materialized yet, but Williams did recently visit Manhattan, Kan., and is on record that K-State is the top school on his list. Kansas State would love to wrap this one up as quickly as possible, because more schools are going to aggressively pursue a prospect who looks like he might be the second coming of Tyrus Thomas.

Good move? Alabama brought in a great 2008 class that has a lot of potential, they then went and got a point guard from Texas - Reger Dowel - with an early committment for 2009. Was this a good move for them, or should they have maybe waited for someone? -- Joe from Mobile ----- Yes, it was a good move. Alabama lost freshman guard Rico Pickett, whom they were counting on to be the point guard of the future. The 2008 class is strong and full of potential as you mention, but the class lacks a point guard. Andrew Steele projects more as a physical combo guard than a full-time point guard who can run the team. Dowel, who will rank as a four-star prospect when the new 2009 rankings are released, is a true point guard with an athletic and powerful game. He will take over the reigns of national power Duncanville (Texas) High School next year and will likely step into the same role as a freshman at Alabama.

Big loss? What do you make of the latest defections from Georgetown (Macklin and Rivers)? How will this impact recruiting for this year and next? Thanks. -- Tom from D.C. ----- I don't make anything of them. These are both marginal players in the Georgetown system who are unhappy with playing time and don't expect their minutes to improve. Macklin was never a good fit for the Georgetown system. Strictly a low post player with a limited skill game down low, Macklin never had - and didn't project to have - the skill set to succeed in Georgetown's style of play. His skill set is much better suited for the role he can play in Florida's system. Rivers was simply stuck behind more talented backcourt players in front of him. In addition, Rivers has always had the compulsion to play at a faster tempo than Georgetown plays. As for the impact on recruiting, these two departures simply open up two more scholarships for the Georgetown staff to utilize in 2009.

Future fit I know it is still very early, but how do you see Evan Anderson fitting in at Wisconsin now that he has committed? Do you think he will pan out to be an overheralded player like Brian Butch or an NBA first-round prospect eventually. -- Derik from Green Bay ----- Anderson is a great fit for the Wisconsin program. The Badgers under Bo Ryan have had great success with skilled post players whose games are based more on size than athleticism. As to whether Anderson will be a piece to the puzzle at Wisconsin or a marquee player who will be a first-round draft pick, I'm not quite certain at this point. Last summer Anderson was one of the best rising sophomores we laid eyes on. We loved his size, basketball IQ and his ability to score with his back to the basket. We still love these things about Anderson, but there is a question about whether he will have the mobility and enough explosiveness around the rim to be a dominant player in college. I'm not saying that he won't develop this type of game. I'm just not sure at this point where to gauge the probability of what type of player Anderson will end up being. I definitely think he will be a solid contributor for Wisconsin at the worst. At the best, he could be a dominant college player and a first-round draft pick. We just need to track him a little longer to get a better feel for his potential.

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