Meyers Mailbag: Daniels future
Advertisement
Previous mailbags
Got a question? Click here to send it to Meyer's Mailbag
DeAndre Daniels is back in the news with a visit scheduled to Duke. Where does he eventually end up?
Is Quinn Cook ready to take over the point guard position at Duke?
And how about some final thoughts from the McDonald's All-American Game?
National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer addresses these questions and more in this week's mailbag.
Daniels' destination
Do you think DeAndre Daniels will sign with Texas after Jordan Hamilton said he was returning for his junior year?
- Chris from Mission
Once Daniels decommitted from Texas, I never thought he would recommit to Texas. Those sentiments have never waivered. And if anything, Hamilton returning only strengthens my thoughts that he won't end up at Texas.
I know Texas is still on Daniels official list, and he visited the school this season. Nonetheless, minus the visit, there has not been a lot of recruiting communication between the two parties.
There have been a lot of twists in Daniels' recruitment, but presently Duke stands out as the leader. Daniels has been involved long enough with Texas, Kansas and Kentucky to know if he wants to attend one of those schools, but no commitment yet.
Now he is scheduled to visit Duke April 15. The only other school on his list - San Diego State - does not yet have a visit date scheduled.
Sending a message?
During the Matt Painter fiasco, he questioned the commitment of the Purdue Athletic Department to the basketball program. Even though he decided to return, will the Purdue's recruiting take a hit because of this now publicized "lack of commitment"?
- Bill from Chesterton
I can't see anything that was said during this negotiation affecting a recruit's perception of Purdue. Now if Purdue is lacking in some aspect and a recruit notices that deficiency while being recruited, then that would affect the recruiting process. But I don't see what happened during a negotiation period affecting recruiting.
If Purdue had lost Painter, then that would be a problem. But the fact is that Purdue retained Painter. As long as Painter believes in Purdue, he should be able to convince enough quality recruits to believe in Purdue as well.
Selby's season
Will the way Josh Selby was handled at Kansas this year affect Bill Self's ability to recruit elite prospects in the future?
- Ben from Lawrence
The Selby situation was a bad fit at least for his freshman year. Selby is used to playing the role of a scorer with the freedom to create and take risks. But Kansas had an experienced starting line up in place for a third of the season before Selby could play. Selby came off the bench as a wing player in a system that expects the wings to limit the dribble and be spot-up shooters around inside players that are the primary scoring option.
So I wouldn't say that Self incorrectly handled Selby, but I would say it was a poor fit for him to stand out as a freshman.
Ironically, if Selby had stuck with Tennessee, he would have likely been the starting point guard and had impressive numbers.
Selby's freshman season shouldn't have a direct effect on recruiting as a whole. But Kansas does stand out as a program with a terrific system for post players and perhaps a limiting system for scoring guards if they are not running the point.
Cook's contribution
With Kyrie Irving projected to be the 1st pick in the NBA draft will Quinn Cook be able to provide solid point guard play during the 2011-2012 season?
- Mario from Fayetteville
My best guess is that Cook will contribute during his freshman year as a combo-ish guard who comes off the bench to provide scoring. I just don't think he defends well enough to start as a freshman over Tyler Thornton.
Duke will have scoring options around its point guard, and a point guard who can pressure the opposing point guard and prevent penetration will be more important for Coach K than having a scoring oriented point guard.
Cook will certainly improve as a defender during his time at Duke, but I don't think he will be ready right off the bat to defend ACC point guards.
Final thoughts
What are some quick final impressions from your week in Chicago for the McDonald's All-American Game?
- Patrick from New York City
I love the reliability and toughness of Mike Gilchrist and Brad Beal.
Anthony Davis is by a significant margin the top post prospect in 2011.
Austin Rivers is a special talent who will greatly improve the deficiencies in his game at Duke.
Khem Birch has limitations but he is a high level athlete who is exceptional at the things he is limited to at the moment- rebounding and blocking shots.
P.J. Hairston and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will score a ton of points in college and play in the NBA.
Marquis Teague is extremely gifted physically, but there is a competitive, leadership, and feel for the game gap that he will have to overcome to be in the category of Derrick Rose and John Wall.
LeBryan Nash and Rakeem Christmas have talent but there is a lack of fire in their games that is a cause for concern.
Mike Gilchrist is an elite athlete when it comes to making plays in traffic. He maintains his athleticism against contact.
James McAdoo is a great transition big man. North Carolina will also need him to grind out rebounds.
Cody Zeller might not be a program changer, but he is talented and tough and will make Indiana significantly better.
Kyle Wiltjer might not be an elite prospect like his fellow Kentucky recruits, but he sure isn't far behind.
Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his mailbag.
[rl]