Wellman, a JUCO guy with 3 remaining years of eligibility, only cost me 6 scouting trips and a scholarship offer, which was particularly good news given how much I had to spend on my other guys. Speed, LP, and passing are high-high, defense is low-high. Wellman is probably my 2nd candidate for a redshirt. To be honest, he doesn't really have much of a position right now. Until his passing improves, he can't really play PG, and he isn't a scorer, so I prefer not to start him at SG. Since he's the only recruit I didn't promise a start + minutes to, he probably has the highest probability of accepting a redshirt. He's also a "rides the bus" guy. Two years from now I see him as my starting point guard; he doesn't have the BH I usually look for in a PG, but he makes up for it with excellent speed, athleticism, and defense. Once he develops his LP a little he should be a decent slasher and can add a few points per game to his excellent perimeter D and adequate distributing skills. He was also a 73% FT shooter at Rockingham Community College.
Mortensen is one of 3 recruits for whom I battled metsmaniac2's Guilford team. It cost me over $5000 to land him, but I feel confident he'll be worth it. He brings excellent athleticism and low post to the table along with defense and rebounding that will become above-average. High-high in rebounding, LP, and BH. His stamina leaves a bit to be desired even with high potential. In 2 years I see him as at least a 2nd- or 3rd-team All-Conference Power Forward. In spite of a starting WE of only 32, starting from day 1 should let him be knocking on the door of his 60 ATH, 35 SPD, 90 LP, 40 BH minimum potentials by the end of his junior year. That should make him a tremendous offensive threat, and he'll likely lead the Monarchs in scoring at least twice in his career. He should be backing the offense up with adequate defense and solid work on the boards.
In spite of the thoughts of some USA South coaches, I see Evans as an excellent recruit. I spent over $5600 to lure him away from Guilford, but only after I had learned that he has high-high potentials in Speed, LP, Per, BH, and Pass. Combine that with his already adequate to above-average athleticism and defense and you have the makings of a truly dominant small forward, particularly useful for Methodist's pressing defense. I hope to redshirt Evans, which might be difficult given that I promised him a start and 20 minutes of playing time. He is a team player, so there's a chance he'll accept the RS; I certainly hope so, as I would love to give this talent some time to develop. I'm not sure where I see Evans in 2 years. He might be the starting SF or he may move to a guard position. His REB is unexceptional for a forward, and if his BH and Pass are very high he might be able to slot in as a starting guard. I only recruited one guard in this class, so there will be space if he grows into the job. If BH and Pass are at the low end of high-high potential he'll be a very fast SF. He should be a decent scorer with his balanced offensive skill set in either case, and will be an above-average defender wherever he plays. Evans is also going to earn me $5.
McCadams is the third of the three guys I battled Guilford for. I'm still not entirely certain how I won all three of the battles given that he had the same number of openings and probably comparable to slightly more postseason cash, but it worked out. I spent a little over $4400 on McCadams, which was probably a bit high, but I think he'll ultimately do enough to justify it. He's high-high in rebounding and perimeter. The biggest problem here is his stamina, which is going to keep his minutes limited throughout his career. His LP isn't exceptional, but with Mortensen dominating down low having a center who can shoot the ball a bit from outside - which his eventual improvements in PER and BH should allow him to do - is a good complement. The passing leaves something to be desired. In two years I see McCadams as my starting center and dominating the boards and the defensive end of the court. With caps around 70 ATH, 90+ Reb, and 80+ defense, he should be a truly exceptional rebounder and defensive presence.
My fifth and final recruit, Joseph Randall, was acquired for $140 of my last $144. His ratings and potentials suggest a blue-chip post prospect capable of succeeding on offense, defense, and on the boards. His 69% success rate at the charity stripe in his senior year of high school, hidden on this screen, further enhances his enormous potential. Unfortunately, the other hidden element is a very poor work ethic. Without the drive to work hard no player in D3 basketball attains elite status. Randall's athleticism, defense, and rebounding are good enough that even with a very slow rate of improvement he's a decent backup off the bench. Of course, the gorilla in the room is that he twice rejected promises of minutes, and I ultimately was only able to lure him to Methodist with the promise of a starting spot. The problem with this is that McCadams and Mortensen, true blue-chippers both, have also been promised starts and are far too talented to risk disappointing. I might be able to find Randall 8 or 10 starts against teams with dominant post scorers, but it will be no more than that. I can only cross my fingers that he decides to stick around. Of course, if he does stay but loses any of the little motivation he already has, it could cause him to totally stagnate talent-wise. In 2 years if he stays in Fayeteville I see him as a backup center who may or may not have become fast enough to also back up PF. He should still be a hard-nosed defender and a battler on the boards, but he'll likely never grow into the offensive weapon my coaching staff has seen he has the potential to become.
3/9/2011 1:48 AM (edited)