We had one spot open and decided to grab the best player who would accept our calls.
John Gies, a 6-2 PG from Charlottesville, Virginia decided he would at least consider coming to the New England area and play for Becker.
Depending on his growth at PER and BH, he may round out into a speedy athletic combo PG/SG doing damage at either spot.

John Gies PG (2.16 GPA)
ATH 57 (High-High)
SPD: 58 (High-High)
REB: 12 (High)
DEF: 41
BLK: 15
LP: 1
PER: 22 (High-High)
BH: 32 (High-High)
PASS: 54
WE: 48
STA: 61 (High)
DUR: 47
FT% : D

Thomas Recruiting Season 57

Overall Grade: A-

I like this class quite a bit.  I feel like I've been making dumb mistakes in recruiting the past several go arounds and this time I think I avoided that.  I've given myself a grade of A- but this has a slim chance of turning into an A+ class.  In order for that to happen I need some of those high potential categories of the recruits to have massive growth.  That's not likely to happen, but at least compared to recent seaons, there is a chance.

Goal for recruiting was straightforward.  A point guard, preferably one that could score.  A small forward, that hopefully will take a redshirt.  A post, preferably one that could score.

Those initial goals were tweaked somewhat.  I think I signed a small forward that can be really, really good and that includes the ability to score from the outside.  That allowed me to take a bit of a chance on my guard, who should be an very good player regardless due to his defense and guard play but it is questionable if he can score.  Even if he can't, I think I covered myself nicely with the small forward.  My post player has high potential in the low post but it realistically is starting from a point where he won't be a terrific scorer unless I'm super lucky.  But he should be so good in all other aspects, it was hard to pass on him.

In the end, I ended up with a pretty Thomasey class for Thomas.  Excellent on the defensive end; a bit marginal on the offensive side.  That formula has worked out pretty well so I'm giving myself the A- grade even if I did once again ignore offense a bit more than I said I would.


Samuel Miller
SG | 5'10" | 167 lbs. | 2.6 GPA
Metrolina Christian Academy | Indian Trail, NC
Athleticism - 69
Speed - 40 (high)
Rebounding - 2 (low)
Defense - 52 (high)
Shot Blocking - 11 (low)
Low-post - 46 (low)
Perimeter - 20 (high)
Ball Handling - 34 (high)
Passing - 33 (high)
Work Ethic - 41
Stamina - 48 (high)
Durability - 35 (high)
FT Shooting – 65.1% (high)

Jimmy Baker
SG | 6'2" | 199 lbs. | 2.7 GPA
North Myrtle Beach HS | Little River, SC
Athleticism - 34 (high)
Speed - 42 (high)
Rebounding - 35
Defense - 31 (high)
Shot Blocking - 12 (high)
Low-post - 48 (low)
Perimeter - 61 (high)
Ball Handling - 36 (high)
Passing - 30 (high)
Work Ethic - 48
Stamina - 62 (high)
Durability - 10
FT Shooting – 63.3%

Peter Buttrey
C | 6'8" | 224 lbs. | 3.3 GPA
Charles B. Aycock HS | Pikeville, NC
Athleticism - 57 (high)
Speed - 19 (high)
Rebounding - 48 (high)
Defense - 54 (high)
Shot Blocking - 44 (low)
Low-post - 11 (high)
Perimeter - 15
Ball Handling - 17 (high)
Passing - 12 (high)
Work Ethic - 40
Stamina - 60 (high)
Durability - 61
FT Shooting - 64.8%


Samuel Miller -- In general I don't like signing guys like this but I think Miller has a chance of being so good that I'll get over my "principles" in short order.  I'm hoping that Miller can be a point guard since it what is most needed but I'm not sure he'll really be what I want there.  Both the ball handling and passing are high potential but the starting value for each is relatively low.  I do know the passing is high-high so I'll have myself at least a 55 ball handling, 60 passing point guard.  That is at the bottom level of what I think is acceptable so he probably can play point for me in I need him to do that.  If the potential is much better, I should have myself a good point guard.  On the defensive end, the ATH/SPD/DEF combo will be excellent and I'm pretty happy about that since he'll be paired in the zone as an upperclassman with Michael Bosch and Bosch's ATH/SPD/DEF is not that good.  I'm thinking that there is a good chance that I can do something with the 46 low post rating.  For a guard that will have as much athleticism as Miller, he might be rather difficult to stop when he's driving in the paint.  And there is a slim chance that his outside shooting might become something.  It starts at just 20 but I do know it is high-high.  Ultimately I have a player that should be an excellent defender an a player that has a decent chance of being a good distributor and scorer.  If it doesn't work out, I have a combo guard that can come off the bench and play good defense.

Jimmy Baker -- Signed to play small forward, I think he has a chance to be really good.  I will try to redshirt him, but because I foolishly got myself into a bit of a fight over a recruit, I didn't have the resources to ensure I could redshirt him since isn't a local recruit.  Baker has an awful lot of high potential and even if most of it ends up being the low-high variety, he'll be a really good player.   All I know about his potential is that his athleticism is low-high, his defense is high-high and and his shot blocking is high-high.  I can't imagine that the shot blocking will matter but I point it out simply because I don't think I've ever signed a guard with high potential in blocks, much less high-high.  Even if everything else stays on the low end, I will have myself a small forward that I'm very pleased to have.  That's true no matter what, but doubly so right now because Thomas desperately needs outside shooting and Baker will be at least a 80 PER player.  That in itself will be very important to have.  If some of Baker's potential ends up being of the high-high variety, he might be one of the better D3 players in the country as a senior.

Peter Buttrey -- I got lucky with him.  Originally considering a D2 squad until signings began, he became available afterwards presumably because the D2 team "over-signed".  I was in the middle of a fight for another post player but when Buttrey became available, I shifted focus to him.  Buttrey looks to be the quintessential Thomas post player.  Excellent defender, good rebounder, and a bit iffy on the offensive end.  More than the other freshman, I'll be counting on Buttrey to play this upcoming season so it's a nice treat to learn that he already knows flex/zone from high school.  It's also a bit nice to have some IQ in place since he has the lowest WE of this group of recruits.  For his potential I know that the athleticism is just low-high but that means he'll "only" be a 75-80 ATH player.  I'm more than ok with that.  Speed is high-high which should make him faster than most D3 post players and the passing rating is also high-high so I'm hopeful that he'll be able to get the ball in the post and then find an open Jimmy Baker for some open three pointers.  Butrrey has high potential in the low post but since it starts with a rating of 11, I'm not expecting he'll ever be a scoring option for Thomas.  As long as he plays good defense and rebounds, he'll follow in the tradition of previous Thomas "greats".

THOMAS TEAM OUTLOOK SEASON 57

Team Offense: Flex
Team Defense: 2-3 Zone

Likely Starting Lineup, (Season 56 Stats)
PG: Jess Youngblood, Jr (32 GS, 8.3 pt, 5.0 ast, 1.3 stl)
SG: Anthony Lockwood, Jr (1 GS, 4.8 pt, 2.7 ast, 0 FG3%)
SF: Robert Holt, Sr (9 GS, 7 pt, 2.4 reb, 58 FG%)
PF: Richard Kimble, Sr (32 GS, 6.0 pt, 7.5 reb, 1.1 blk, 51 FG%)
C: Larry Oakes, Jr (0 GS, 6.7 pt, 6.4 reb)

1st guard off the bench: Bruce Sawyer, Sr (22 GS, 4.5 pt, 1.9 ast, 1.1 stl)
1st post off the bench: Jimmy Frederick, So (0 GS, 0.9 pt, 3.2 reb)

Summary

Gloom and doom was predicted for Thomas last season but with a bit of luck on their side, Thomas ended up with a very solid season that came reasonable close to a Final Four showing.  The Terriers were able to keep the tradition of winning, but the margin of victory shrank quite a bit compared to prior seasons.  The Terrier defense came up big but the offense was a weakness throughout Season 56.  Season 57 looks to be repeat.  The defense should be one of the best in the North Atlantic and also throughout all of Division Three.  The offense appears to be a mess for yet another season, however.  Like season 56 scoring is going to be a big weakness; as the season begins, nobody from Thomas appears to be able to score consistently.  But season 57's Terrier squad should have much improved ball handling and passing and the impact of that may be a team that can shoot the ball a bit better.  Season 57 for Thomas may not end up with a better W/L record than the Season 56 squad since last season's team had a lot of luck but the Season 57 team has a good chance of having better point differentials throughout the season.

Within the NAC, Thomas should be in a battle with Mount Ida to win the NAC South.  That's a battle typically won by the Mustangs and the Terriers might be a bit too slow to win either of the head-to-head matchups this season.  Other than Mount Ida, Thomas will not likely have a serious challenger in the South and, at minimum, should be one of the teams that receives a bye for the NAC conference tourney.

All expectations are for Thomas to make a return trip to the national tourney.  While 'National Champions, Season 57' is written on the whiteboard in the lockerroom for motivation, sources inside the program indicate that the staff would be absolutely thrilled to make it to the Sweet 16.


Guards

Junior Jess Youngblood will be a third year starter and his second running the offense as the starting point guard for season 56.  As a sophomore floor general, Youngblood exceeded expectations and pressure will be on him to take another step forward in season 57.  The possibilities for him doing so are there since he is not close to being a finished product.  Youngblood's (lack of) skills in shot blocking and low post play continue to be maxed out just like they were the day he stepped onto campus.  But everything else has a decent amount of room for development and the coaching staff believes he has significant room to improve in both perimeter shooting and ball handling.  Youngblood will be an excellent defender and distributor.  He probably is not yet ready to take on the scoring load, although if his perimeter shooting improves throughout the course of the season, he may be asked to take some big shots in the 2nd half of the season.

Anthony Lockwood will be the starting shooting guard for the Terriers.  When asked for his thoughts on the move, an unnamed NAC coach remarked, "Well that's just stupid.  The kid can't hit the backside of a barn."  This wouldn't be the first time that Thomas has made a stupid move, but asking a guard that can't shoot might be one of the more memorable oddities in recent memory.  Although the same coach did note, "Well it ain't like any of them others can."  Indeed, it ain't like that.  Lockwood will be a defense first guard that does have some ability to set up the non-existent scorers on the roster.  The fourth year junior still has a tiny bit of improvement to his game with the ability to improve his athleticism, defense, perimeter shooting, ball handling, and passing.  Lockwood would be a nice piece of the puzzle on other rosters, but this Terriers team could really use a shooting guard that can actually score.

Bruce Sawyer backs up both spots.  Sawyer will carry the undesired title of "Senior Not Good Enough To Start".  Thomas has mostly avoided the SNGETS players, but it has been predicted for a while that Sawyer would become one.  Part of that is because Sawyer isn't that terrific but a large part is because the coach goofed with him.  Sawyer is a low work ethic player that needed to play a lot more to fill his potential.  He still has moderate room for growth in speed, defense, perimeter shooting, and passing.  That's not good for a Senior to perhaps leave so much on the table but all that does not compare to Sawyer's high potential in the low post which has remained untapped for the past three seasons.  Sawyer was never going to be a perimeter shooter, but the Thomas staff forced it on him in practice.  Meanwhile, the chance for him to develop into a guard that go drive into the lane to score and/or get fouled was an opportunity lost.  Because of that lost opportunity, Sawyer is a player that cannot score at all.  He's acceptable at handling and distributing the ball but no better than that.  He is an excellent defensive player so he will provide some value to the team when he is on the court, but since that is all he can do, it is not surprising that he will be a SNGETS.

Michael Bosch was signed to be an elite scorer for Thomas, lighting up opponents with his sweet stroke from downtown.  A season later, the coaching staff is discovering that Bosch will never be that player.  Bosch should eventually be able to hit the occasional three point shot, but the potential that coaches saw in him during recruiting is lost.  Without that skill, it is questionable as to how much Bosch will be able to see the court as a Terrier.  Bosch still has a tiny amount of growth in his athleticism and defense but even the end result is going to be a slow, unathletic player that does not defend terribly well.  Bosch's talents for ball handling and passing both still have great potential but even if both those skills develop nicely, Bosch is unlikely to be able to take full advantage of those talents because he lacks quickness.  In season 57, Bosch will likely see limited minutes.  As a sophomore, he is not all that close to being ready for D3 basketball.

Jimmy Baker will see the court if Thomas finds itself with a number of injuries and/or foul trouble.  Otherwise, Baker is likely to just see mop-up time as a freshman.


Small Forwards

Robert Holt was supposed to be the starting small forward last season, but by the end of non-conference play, Thomas had decided he was not yet ready for the role.  Holt is the quintessential jack of all trades, master of nothing.  Holt's biggest weakness is his low post play and while the rating of 48 is not good, it also is not bad.  But his best talent is his 76 perimeter rating that is just short of being adequate and his 2nd best talent is his speed rating of 57.  Holt should not hurt Thomas while he is on the court, but it is questionable to the extent that he is able to help.  Holt is just about maxed out; only his ball handling has some room for improvement still.

Jeffrey Taylor returns to the court after redshirting as a sophomore.  Taylor looks like he will be a player fairly similar to Robert Holt -- mostly ok at everything, spectacular at nothing.  Taylor no longer has any high potential categories but he still has the ability to improve his athleticism, speed, rebounding, defense, low post play, and ball handling.  Taylor probably won't ever be a scorer but he should be a good defender.  The ability to stop others from scoring but being able to do so himself should mean he fits in quite nicely in Waterville.


Post Players

Senior Richard Kimble leads the front court.  Kimble still has the ability to improve his 58 defensive rating, which is a bit surprising for a senior player with a 82 WE.  The rest of the categories, however, are unsurprisingly maxed out.  With a low post rating of 52, Kimble is not a scorer.  On Thomas for season 57, he will have to fake it.  He is by far the best scoring option in the paint.  He just might be able to fake it with his above average combo of speed and athleticism.  Last season's sample size is too small to come to definitive conclusions, but he did shoot over 50% from the field as a junior.  On the defensive end, Kimble will be good but a bit below average compared to the post players in recent Thomas history.  

Larry Oakes is on a mission to find out what happens when you take a D3 player and give him ridiculous (in a good way) athleticism and combine it with ridiculous (in a bad way) speed.  Results thus far have been promising with Oakes averaging an impressive 6.4 rebounds per game last season in just under 18 minutes of play.  Those numbers should get better in season 57 since Oakes has the ability to improve his athleticism, rebounding, and defense.  Other than the athleticism and speed ratings, Oakes looks an awful lot like Richard Kimble.  In the end, the coaching staff is expecting Oakes superior athleticism to be a wash compared to Kimble's speed and the two should end up posting similar numbers.

Jimmy Frederick will be expected to contribute a lot as a sophomore and the first post option off the bench.  As a true sophomore, he might not be ready for the task although his long-term prospects for the program are still solid.  Frederick is still very much a work in progress.  Frederick has the ability to substantially improve his speed, rebounding, and low post play and he also can show some moderate growth in defense and ball handling.  Frederick's rebounding is currently lacking what it takes to be a good D3 player, but otherwise he should be solid on the defensive end.  On the offensive end, he will continue to be a train wreck with his 31 rated low post game.

Peter Buttrey will fill in the gaps and as the 4th post player on the depth chart, Buttrey should see a good number of minutes for a true freshman.  Buttrey currently looks awfully similar to how Jimmy Frederick looked the season before.

Pre-Conference All North Atlantic Conference Teams (Season 57)

First Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	Mount Ida	Paul Hail	Sr.	PG	59	95	1	54	4	2	47	73	89	41	69	36	C-	570
SG	Castleton State	Brian Osgood	Sr.	SG	49	87	17	51	29	63	59	61	80	67	80	52	B-	695
SF	Thomas	Robert Holt	Sr.	SF	51	57	56	54	51	48	76	55	49	62	76	6	C-	641
PF	Castleton State	Thomas Allen	Sr.	PF	79	35	88	77	64	79	10	53	45	53	67	38	C	688
C	Mount Ida	Greg Cardinal	Sr.	C	57	47	99	64	96	91	19	23	7	71	76	70	C	720

Second Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	UMF	William Critchfield	Sr.	PG	56	85	2	53	2	1	57	83	75	91	89	49	B	643
SG	Mount Ida	Aaron Jackson	Sr.	PG	53	85	7	54	26	5	88	89	66	51	71	35	B	630
SF	Castleton State	Steven Wooding	Jr.	SF	73	63	39	70	19	35	46	55	58	50	69	51	C+	628
PF	Thomas	Richard Kimble	Sr.	C	61	42	88	58	64	52	1	24	32	82	76	81	C-	661
C	Thomas	Larry Oakes	Jr.	C	70	6	88	66	74	55	2	1	9	51	75	62	C-	559

Third Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	Thomas	Jess Youngblood	Jr.	PG	67	84	13	58	10	1	51	68	74	45	85	37	C	593
SG	Becker	Charles McBryar	Jr.	PG	38	92	16	19	3	1	84	77	70	72	83	64	B	619
SF	Johnson State	Dennis Alfaro	Sr.	SF	53	58	33	38	34	70	68	58	62	79	82	84	C+	719
PF	Becker	Francis Calder	Jr.	C	46	29	84	45	62	83	1	28	22	57	68	55	D	580
C	Johnson State	James Worthington	Sr.	C	53	43	93	67	73	41	22	6	2	39	68	58	C-	565

At the turn.

Good stuff...

Final Season #57

#7 Castleton St.	rdb03161987	16-0	27-5	8-0	15-3	7-4	8-2	L1	1	1
#1 Lasell	carlbuzz	12-4	30-5	6-3	15-2	12-3	9-1	W9	3	5
Johnson St.	bieberfever	9-7	21-10	5-3	13-5	2-8	6-4	L1	14	6
Becker	ixolabrat	6-10	15-13	9-6	6-6	2-6	3-7	L2	91	28
Husson	gvsujulius	5-11	13-15	7-8	6-6	1-6	2-8	L5	89	15
Elms	tyber90	3-13	8-19	1-7	7-11	0-8	1-9	L6	114	13

Beginning season #58

1.	Lasell	12	55	48	44	50	35	31	35	39	38	52	74	54	C	555
2.	Castleton St.	12	59	52	31	57	24	25	37	41	37	55	73	53	C+	544
3.	Thomas	12	61	45	35	58	26	27	34	41	39	46	72	51	C	537
4.	Mount Ida	11	42	50	32	38	27	40	39	38	42	52	73	61	C	558
5.	Johnson St.	12	55	50	31	53	21	30	39	39	37	48	74	54	C+	532
6.	Maine, Presque Isle	12	45	45	34	39	30	27	39	42	34	53	74	66	C	527
7.	Becker	11	40	39	44	31	36	43	31	39	30	62	73	57	C	543
8.	Salem St.	12	55	43	37	56	28	34	35	34	31	49	73	49	C+	524
9.	Maine Maritime Academy	12	48	48	38	45	31	29	28	37	41	48	72	58	C+	521
10.	Elms	12	42	45	40	42	30	49	26	34	33	51	74	54	C	520
11.	Maine, Farmington	12	42	44	34	42	27	38	29	41	39	47	72	60	C	515
12.	Husson	10	40	39	23	36	14	28	35	31	29	51	66	55	C-	474

W/O's removed.   Ida -1, Becker -1, Husson -2.

Freshman class

1.	Joseph Grabonski	Fr.	SG	Mount Ida	40	60	29	45	31	12	56	43	54	49	65	38	C+	522
2.	William Rosson	Fr.	PG	Maine, Farmington	30	54	1	29	2	1	72	64	61	65	80	43	C	502
3.	John Gies	Fr.	PG	Becker	43	69	15	45	18	1	28	65	53	43	67	47	D+	494
4.	Brian Sanders	Fr.	SF	Johnson St.	57	50	19	42	14	38	25	46	41	37	67	55	C-	491
5.	David Harrell	Fr.	PF	Mount Ida	39	31	37	44	26	38	27	35	26	52	70	62	C-	487
6.	Donovan Wike	Fr.	PF	Maine Maritime Academy	34	34	39	45	30	47	19	47	39	49	52	48	B-	483
7.	Samuel Miller	Fr.	SG	Thomas	71	49	1	59	11	45	31	38	41	41	54	40	C+	481
8.	Orville King	Fr.	PG	Mount Ida	53	63	8	24	1	14	74	47	47	25	74	46	C-	476
9.	Porter Hall	Fr.	SF	Mount Ida	47	42	22	42	10	34	20	43	47	43	57	69	C-	476
10.	Michael Wallace	Fr.	C	Thomas	57	27	40	57	40	21	10	30	36	23	68	57	C	466
11.	Andrew Salter	Fr.	PF	Castleton St.	43	39	48	41	44	50	22	20	14	41	62	37	C	461
12.	Bryan Cope	Fr.	SG	Thomas	47	48	13	53	15	14	17	45	23	48	79	54	C	456
13.	Jared Layfield	Fr.	PF	Castleton St.	70	31	25	47	12	26	26	12	40	56	59	48	C-	452
14.	Joe Reese	Fr.	C	Maine, Presque Isle	55	20	35	40	41	20	11	10	15	77	67	58	D-	449
15.	Willie Cooper	Fr.	PG	Castleton St.	40	53	1	55	1	13	63	39	24	45	67	42	C	443
16.	Allen Cross	Fr.	PF	Becker	29	26	55	20	46	65	37	12	11	42	60	38	D	441
17.	Walter Dupras	Fr.	SG	Maine, Farmington	67	51	18	48	13	15	26	28	45	27	61	42	D	441
18.	Jason Sprayberry	Fr.	PF	Johnson St.	59	28	46	45	26	38	23	30	23	18	61	44	C	441
19.	Marvin Stahl	Fr.	PG	Maine Maritime Academy	47	58	1	32	1	13	25	47	61	19	71	60	D+	435
20.	Daniel Danley	Fr.	C	Lasell	58	1	68	67	65	43	11	1	1	34	59	20	C-	428
21.	Eric Carter	Fr.	C	Husson	66	35	41	66	14	19	14	35	28	1	65	36	D	420
22.	Michael Miller	Fr.	PF	Maine Maritime Academy	25	33	54	27	48	40	10	17	19	62	54	29	C+	418
23.	Kevin Bolden	Fr.	PG	Johnson St.	42	64	12	32	1	15	18	44	14	56	69	50	D-	417
24.	Bruce Thacker	Fr.	SG	Husson	22	54	7	35	1	22	62	37	23	46	62	45	C-	416
25.	Marvin Burkett	Fr.	PG	Husson	35	55	10	32	5	14	29	38	31	50	67	49	C+	415

Last Year - RedShirts

Pre-Conference All North Atlantic Conference Teams (Season 58)

First Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	Thomas	Anthony Lockwood	Sr.	PG	75	68	5	77	2	2	60	79	75	42	72	61	B-	618
SG	Thomas	Jess Youngblood	Sr.	PG	72	92	13	59	10	2	78	80	83	54	88	37	C	668
SF	Castleton State	Steven Wooding	Sr.	SF	79	62	47	75	22	38	66	57	65	58	75	50	C+	694
PF	Lasell	Donald Bourassa	Jr.	C	74	37	80	56	76	76	14	21	31	84	72	74	C	695
C	Thomas	Larry Oakes	Sr.	C	79	8	94	77	78	55	2	1	10	59	77	69	C	609

Second Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	Castleton State	Demetrius Albert	Sr.	PG	62	95	1	58	5	1	68	71	55	78	91	44	B-	629
SG	Johnson State	James Bright	Sr.	PG	54	81	1	45	3	0	89	76	66	34	79	35	B	563
SF	Johnson State	Gus Daum	Sr.	PF	49	49	81	34	69	92	28	44	38	64	87	74	C	709
PF	Becker	Francis Calder	Sr.	C	48	34	90	45	65	91	1	38	22	65	71	55	D	625
C	Salem State	William Matthews	Jr.	C	70	18	70	77	65	59	2	1	1	45	70	67	C+	545

Third Team

Pos.	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
PG	UMPI	Steven Merritt	Sr.	PG	35	71	1	39	4	19	75	90	84	39	69	60	B-	586
SG	Becker	Charles McBryar	Sr.	PG	40	94	16	19	3	1	91	84	76	78	82	64	B+	648
SF	Mount Ida	Robert Corvin	Sr.	PF	39	60	46	57	48	94	61	47	56	62	84	38	C+	692
PF	Elms	Albert Timmerberg	Sr.	PF	50	54	64	60	45	92	25	19	42	64	89	83	C	687
C	Mount Ida	Joe Duryea	Jr.	PF	49	41	81	29	57	92	52	17	28	60	62	86	C-	654

Honorable Mention (top 15 talent overall, but failed to qualify for a top 3 position)

Rank	School	Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
7	Mount Ida	James Barbosa	Jr.	PF	52	55	62	32	65	94	36	26	35	66	76	78	B	677
8	Salem State	Harold Marconi	Jr.	PF	92	48	24	92	26	40	40	34	30	72	66	18	C+	582
9	Thomas	Jeffrey Taylor	Jr.	SG	68	71	39	65	6	37	39	76	46	62	77	64	B-	650
11	Elms	Harris Tobler	Sr.	PF	44	53	66	49	49	98	31	22	30	83	78	62	D+	665
15	Castleton State	Shawn Connors	Jr.	PF	59	47	69	68	65	45	10	13	37	58	85	59	C+	615

Thomas Recruiting Season 58

Overall Grade: D+

Probably my least favorite recruiting class in 30 seasons.  I had a bad combo of scouting the wrong states and then having the few recruits within those states that I did like get snatched by D2 schools.  I feel like this recruiting class is one that you end up with when you miss the first 4 days of recruiting and have to put something together on the very last day.

Any one of the three signings is probably fine in itself.  Roll player, fits a gap, let the stars do the heavy lifting, etc. ... But for all three to be this way is not good.  Two of the signings are completely redundant.  The combo of ‘meh’ talent along with the redundancy has led to a first in my 38 seasons at Thomas.  I’ve signed recruits with the intention of likely cutting (at least) one of them.  The two centers I signed are very similar except one is a terrible high school player has a bunch of high-high potential and the other is a very good high school player that has a bunch of low-high potential.  As I get a better feel for when those players are going to max out their potential, that should let me know which gets the ax.  I really don’t expect both to stick around at Thomas for four seasons.
My goal for recruiting was the following:

(1)    Sign a guard that can (at least) resemble a point guard.  Ideally a true point guard.  The young returning guard on the roster is Samuel Miller.  He sort of resembles a point guard as well so if I could find a match, I figured I’d have enough ball handling and passing between the two to handle good defenses without having too many turnovers.
(2)    Sign a post player.
(3)    Sign a good JUCO 1.  By redshirting sophomore Jimmy Baker this season, the classes are no longer balanced at Thomas.  A JUCO1 signing would return things to balance.

Well I maybe achieved goal #1.  I achieved goal #2 simply because I didn’t make it explicit that it needed to be a good post player.  I never came close to goal #3 – didn’t even find a JUCO1 I wanted to sign, much less started to recruit.  In all, a very poor haul.


Bryan Cope
SG | 6'2" | 195 lbs. | 3.1 GPA
Kent HS | Kent, CT
Athleticism - 47
Speed - 48 (high)
Rebounding - 13
Defense - 53 (high)
Shot Blocking - 15 (low)
Low-post - 14
Perimeter - 17 (high)
Ball Handling - 45
Passing - 23 (high)
Work Ethic - 48
Stamina - 79 (low)
Durability - 54 (high)
FT Shooting – 67.6%

Michael Wallace
C | 7'0" | 251 lbs. | 3.1 GPA
East HS | Pueblo, CO
Athleticism - 57 (high)
Speed - 27 (low)
Rebounding - 40 (high)
Defense - 57 (high)
Shot Blocking - 40)
Low-post - 21 (low)
Perimeter - 10
Ball Handling - 30 (low)
Passing - 36
Work Ethic - 23
Stamina - 68
Durability - 57 (high)
FT Shooting – 66.9% (high)

Robert Smith
C | 6'9" | 224 lbs. | 2.2 GPA
Mt View HS | Thorndike, ME
Athleticism - 44 (high)
Speed - 18
Rebounding - 37 (high)
Defense - 36 (high)
Shot Blocking - 19 (high)
Low-post - 25 (low)
Perimeter - 2 (low)
Ball Handling - 22 (low)
Passing - 37 (low)
Work Ethic - 28
Stamina - 64
Durability - 49
FT Shooting - 62.1%


Bryan Cope -- Not a point guard but sort of resembles one.  Was hoping for a bit more.  As a freshman, he won’t be able to contribute at all.  He’s simply too raw.  As an upperclassman, I am not sure how much he will help Thomas win games, but he should be good enough so that he isn’t hurting the team when he is on the court.   Cope is not dripping with potential, but all four of his high potential categories are of the high-high variety.  At minimum that should mean that Cope is an excellent defender.  His maxed out ATH/SPD/DEF should be at least 55/75/80.  His skills on the offensive end are much more questionable.  His ball handling only has moderate room to grow so the mid-50’s max isn’t really good enough.  And while both the perimeter shooting and passing categories are high-high potential, they start at such low figures that both might not get beyond 50.  Those aren’t the ratings of a guard that plays on a team that makes it into the NT.  If the high-highs have 40+ points of growth, Cope can be a very nice player but the chances of that are rather slim.

Michael Wallace -- The ultimate tease of recruiting in season 58.  While almost all my dropdown targets got signed by other schools, Wallace remained out there unsigned.  I waited for about 10 cycles where he was my last hope and I finally got the dropdown message.  I do my due diligence and discover that every last one of his high potential categories is high-low potential.  I thought I might have found a real stud and now I’m not sure what I have.  I was tempted to forgo signing him altogether.  In addition to the lack of any high-high potential categories, Wallace has no low post game (and it is maxed out) plus he has a brutally low work ethic.  The WE is low enough that it might not even matter that he has no high-high potential because he might not be able to develop 20+ points over four seasons.  The good thing about Wallace is that in several categories, he is a “ready now” player.  The 57 ATH rating is outstanding as is the 57 DEF.  The rebound rating of 40 isn’t nearly as good, but it works out ok for a true freshman.  Thomas only has three returning post players so Wallace should be able to help out immediately as a freshman.  His long term future is much more tenuous.  If he is unable to develop, there is a chance he gets cuts before he makes it to his Senior season.

Robert Smith -- The safety selection.  Since Smith was a local product that had a lot of blue ratings next to his name, I figured I’d scout him even though his initial ratings are terrible.  I figured it probably was throwing $500 away but I was very pleased to see that his high potential categories of ATH/REB/DEF/SB were all of the high-high variety.  Of course, almost all those categories start at low levels.  The ATH is actually plenty good at 44 but the others aren’t too great.  So if Smith only develops the minimum 28 points, he won’t be that good.  However, he has a couple of warts and they are the same as Michael Wallace.  Zero low post game, terrible work ethic.  So just like Wallace, he might be unable to fill his potential because of the WE.  That too makes him a candidate to be eventually cut.  If he does stick around, the combo of poor WE and poor starting numbers might mean he is one of those that gets “lapped” and an underclassmen ends up starting ahead of him when he is a Senior.

THOMAS TEAM OUTLOOK SEASON 58

Team Offense: Flex
Team Defense: 3-2 Zone

Likely Starting Lineup, (Season 57 Stats)
PG: Jess Youngblood, Sr (33 GS, 14.4 pt, 4.4 ast, 1.3 stl, 40 FG3%)
SG: Anthony Lockwood, Jr (33 GS, 11.5 pt, 2.6 ast, 51 FG%, 0 FG3%)
SF: Jeffrey Taylor, Jr (0 GS, 4.2 pt, 2.9 reb, 52 FG%)
PF: Jimmy Frederick, Jr (8 GS, 4 pt, 5.5 reb)
C: Larry Oakes, Sr (33 GS, 6.9 pt, 8.4 reb, 1.4 blk, 54 FG%)

1st guard off the bench: Michael Bosch, Jr (0 GS, 4.3 pt, 1.7 ast, 42 FG3%)
1st post off the bench: Peter Buttrey, So (0 GS, 1.2 pt, 3.2 reb)

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Jess Youngblood	Sr.	PG	72	92	13	59	10	2	78	80	83	54	88	37	C	668
Anthony Lockwood	Sr.	PG	75	68	5	77	2	2	60	79	75	42	72	61	B-	618
Jeffrey Taylor	Jr.	SG	68	71	39	65	6	37	39	76	46	62	77	64	B-	650
Jimmy Baker	So.	SG	39	49	37	38	17	50	68	47	36	48	67	14	C	510
Samuel Miller	Fr.	SG	71	49	1	59	11	45	31	38	41	41	54	40	C+	481
Michael Bosch	Jr.	SG	48	60	10	54	17	1	76	52	59	54	75	45	C+	551
Bryan Cope	Fr.	SG	47	48	13	53	15	14	17	45	23	48	79	54	C	456
Larry Oakes	Sr.	C	79	8	94	77	78	55	2	1	10	59	77	69	C	609
Jimmy Frederick	Jr.	C	71	28	75	67	54	49	13	9	13	44	75	51	C+	549
Peter Buttrey	So.	C	65	27	62	60	46	22	14	15	11	52	67	66	C	507
Michael Wallace	Fr.	C	57	27	40	57	40	21	10	30	36	23	68	57	C	466
Robert Smith	Fr.	C	44	18	37	36	19	25	2	22	37	28	64	49	D+	381

Summary

Season 58 may be a rocky ride for Thomas.  There is a lot of untapped talent in Waterville, so if the Terrier coaching staff can work their magic with the roster, Thomas could be in a position to be a threat once play begins in the National Tourney.  Getting the team to that point may be a bit of a struggle, however.  As they exit the starting gates, the Terriers have some weak spots that are likely to be exposed immediately.  Thomas created a non-conference slate that includes some of the finest in the D3 world and even a loaded Thomas team would have trouble getting through the gauntlet unscathed.  This Thomas team has some significant weaknesses on the roster that is atypical for a typical Terrier team.  That includes having a roster that is one of the slowest Terrier teams in recent memory, a team that rebounds poorly compared to a vintage Thomas squad, as well as a team that seems to be unable to either score in the low post or block opponents shots from there.

Such an unusual state of affairs has led the coaching staff to make some changes.  Thomas will mostly be running the 3-2 press this season instead of the customary 2-3.  The hope is that by sticking an extra defender on the perimeter, Thomas' lack of speed will be less likely to be exploited.  Going with just two defenders in the post will likely exacerbate the rebounding problems, however.  But considering none of Thomas' small forwards are all that good at rebounding in the first place, the lack of an extra body in the post might not impact rebounding numbers the way it normally would.

Despite these weakness, Thomas should still have a good team that can do damage in the NAC South.  The team has a tremendous defense and for the first time in ages has some sharp shooters from the perimeter.  With Mount Ida having significant roster turnover and a surging Salem State still being on the young side, Thomas is the favorite to win the NAC South.  Thomas is likely a step or two behind (slower?) than the beasts of the NAC North so bring a NAC CT Championship banner back to Waterville looks to be a bit of a stretch.

Thomas is clearly talented enough to make a return trip to the tourney.  If the team develops like the coaching staff believes it can, it might be in position to make another trip to the Elite Eight / Final Four.  Going much beyond that in season 58 would require some help from Lady Luck.


Guards

Jess Youngblood starts his Senior campaign at Thomas as a rare fourth-year starter.  Expectations are sky high for Youngblood.  He's one of the better talents in the NAC as the season begins and he still has the potential to improve quite a bit.  Youngblood's 79 PER rating is still high potential, which gives Thomas an outside shot of having its first 99 shooter in school history.  (There may not be enough time to practice during the season to get to that elusive 99 mark.)  Youngblood also has some room to improve his defense, ball handling, and stamina.  Youngblood should graduate from Thomas as a 700 rated true guard and those don't grow on trees at the D3 level.  Youngblood will handle the reins at point guard given his superior ball handling and passing skills over the rest of the roster, but he also will look to be the team's leading scorer on the season.

Anthony Lockwood proved last season that one can start at shooting guard for Thomas and not have the ability to shoot.  Lockwood missed on his one career three point attempt that appears to have been enough for the coaching staff to give him the red light for his career.  His perimeter shooting does have some room to improve, so it isn't beyond the realm of possibilities that he is allowed to throw up the occasional three as the season progresses.  In addition the perimeter shooting, the Senior can still also improve his ball handling, passing, and stamina.  Lockwood won't be a star for Thomas since he can't score efficiently, but he does fill a niche as a strong defending guard that will hold onto the ball on offense and does a good job of finding the open man.

Michael Bosch will be the first guard off the bench.  Bosch is a bit out of place on a top-level D3 team.  He's slow and not quick.  He is a good defender, but his lack of speed and quickness probably makes him a neutral defender at best.  He has some guard skills but they are not going to be good enough for high-end D3.  He is a good outside shooter, but not the great shooter he was signed to be.  He's not a finished product having room to improve his defense, perimeter shooting, ball handling, passing, and stamina.  On a Thomas team that lacks scoring, he will be asked to assume much of the burden on the offensive end in his 6th man role.  Thomas' success will largely be dependent on how well an 80 level perimeter shooter that isn't terribly quick and fast can hit his open looks.

Redshirt Samuel Miller looks to gain most of the other minutes available to the guard rotation.  Miller looks to be an outstanding guard prospect, but even after the redshirt season is probably a bit too rough around the edges to be trusted with too much playing time.  Miller very much remains an unfinished product.  His potentials remain almost the same after the redshirt season.  His ball handling is now average potential (along with his athleticism) but he still has high potential in speed, defense, perimeter, passing, and stamina.  Miller looks to be a defensive stud when he matures as a 75/70/80 ATH/SPD/DEF player.  On the offensive end, he may not be as dominate but with so much high potential it is possible he ends up being a force there as well.  In season 58, having perimeter, ball handing, and passing ratings that all are close to the 40 level rating means he isn't yet that mature product and may have troubles running the offense.


Small Forwards

Jeffrey Taylor may have been ready to start at the end of his sophomore campaign but was blocked by an upperclassmen.  The 650 overall rated player looks like he will have no problems transitioning into the starting lineup.  As a 650 player, there is not much more that can be expected of his development, but he still has a bit of room to improve his rebounding, defense, and ball handling.  Taylor is a very well balanced player, but neither his perimeter nor low post games are talented enough for him to be expected to contribute too much to the scoring.  His ball handling and passing skills are good for a SF and he should be able to set up his teammates.  On the defensive end, he should be a good lock-down defender and also should be able to do a good job of rebounding his position.  Taylor will unlikely win any postseason honors, but he will likely be the glue that keeps together Thomas throughout the season.

Freshman Bryan Cope will be asked to be the backup Small Forward.  It's a role he is not ready for just yet, but there are not any better options on the Thomas roster.  When Cope is on the floor, he likely will simply be asked to minimize mistakes.  He's raw at both ends of the court and is much more likely to cause damage to his team than against his opponent.

Sophomore Jimmy Baker was expected to be the primary backup but is instead taking a redshirt season.  The redshirt will hurt the Terriers in season 58, however, if the coaching staff wanted to get the most out of Baker, the redshirt was probably a necessity.  Baker still has a ton of untapped potential.  Only his low post game can't be developed at all.  Meanwhile, he has great room to improve his speed, defense, shot blocking, perimeter shooting, ball handling, and stamina.  He still also has some room to develop his athleticism, rebounding, and passing.  With his poor work ethic, there are questions if the Thomas coaching staff can motivate him enough to develop his massive potential.


Post Players

Larry Oakes looks to build on a very solid Junior season in his second year in the starting lineup.  That improvement looks to be through greater familiarity with the team's offense and defense; Oakes looks to have already developed as much as he can as a player.  With limited touches last season, Oakes shot 54.4% from the field and Thomas will be hoping he can come close to repeating those numbers.  Nobody on Thomas looks to be a terrific post scorer and Oakes may be the best that the Terriers have.  On the defensive end, Oakes should continue to do an excellent job of adjusting shots and cleaning up misses.

Jimmy Frederick joins the starting lineup and the coaching staff is not exactly sure what the team has in the Junior.  Frederick looks like he should be ok on defense, however, the rebound rating is worse than any other starting post player in recent Thomas history.  He has some room to improve his rebounding, but he will not achieve the dominance on the glass that has become expected for a Terrier big man.  Frederick also stands to have moderate improvement with his speed and defense this season.  Frederick's wildcard is his low post play.  Currently, Frederick does not look like a scorer but he still has an enormous amount of untapped potential in scoring from the block according to the coaching staff.  If Frederick can tap into that potential, he may become the low post threat the team desperately needs.  Coaches are preaching caution, however, and suggesting that if Frederick can become that player it will be much more likely to happen as a Senior than in his current Junior campaign.

Peter Buttrey will be the first post player off the bench.  For a true Sophomore, he looks to be up to the challenge.  As a true Sophomore, he also looks to have lots of improvement to his game.  Coaches note that his rebounding, low post, ball handling, and passing all have significant amounts of potential improvement and he also has the ability to improve his athleticism, speed, defense, and stamina.  Only his shot blocking seems to be capped, at what is a low level for a team like Thomas that needs to get blocks out of its zone.  How the coaching staff handles Buttrey will be interesting.  It appears the coaching staff is not going to attempt to develop the ball handing and passing so that they can focus on core skills.  Nobody outside the Thomas program agrees with the assessment, but the Terrier coaches seem convinced that the 22 rated low post player can turn into a scoring beast on the blocks.  Time will tell if the Terrier coaches are correct, but the results will not come in season 58 regardless.

When Thomas' three primary post players need an additional body on the court, Robert Smith and Michael Wallace will compete with minutes.  At the start of the season, Wallace looks to have the edge.

At the quarter pole...