Douglas White
C | Senior | 6'9" | 230 lbs. | 3.4 gpa
Bolivar Central High School Bolivar, TN | Recruited By: bomberball
C
733

Athleticism 60
Speed 71
Rebounding 95
Defense 80
Shot Blocking 97
Low-post 87
Perimeter 15
Ball Handling 3
Passing 52
Work Ethic 43
Stamina 71
Durability 59
FT Shooting C

First impressions (page 3): The thing that jumps out at me is his speed, which is already at a high level for a big and will go up big-time. Everything else is already at a good level coming in, save for his stamina (which will also go up). He'll be a good fit right away, and he should develop nicely.

Final impressions: White was, in a word, efficient. He was a strong backup for two seasons before starting this past year, but he took second billing to Bowles due to his just-OK scoring skills. The speed helped, especially on defense, but he's very replaceable.

RECORDS: 15th in blocks (105)

Henry Humphrey
PG | Senior | 5'11" | 183 lbs. | 3.5 gpa
Kelvyn Park HS Chicago, IL | Recruited By: bomberball
PG
684

Athleticism 46
Speed 97
Rebounding 2
Defense 81
Shot Blocking 7
Low-post 16
Perimeter 81
Ball Handling 67
Passing 94
Work Ethic 27
Stamina 81
Durability 85
FT Shooting B

First impressions (page 3): He's low-ranked because he's a tweener. I'll primarily be playing him at SG due to his high perimeter rating. Regardless, he's got great speed, and while his rebounding is nonexistent, everything else is at a reasonably-good level coming in. He's not going to be anything extraordinary, but he should top out as a very good sixth man.

Final impressions: As I predicted, Humphrey never started. However, he was solid off the bench, knocking down free throws, using his speed, and not being a total offensive liability. He played at least 10 minutes a game every year he was here, and that counts for something.

Thomas Weaver
SF | Senior | 6'4" | 192 lbs. | 3.4 gpa
Framingham HS Framingham, MA | Recruited By: bomberball
SF
747

Athleticism 69
Speed 70
Rebounding 35
Defense 88
Shot Blocking 27
Low-post 74
Perimeter 74
Ball Handling 38
Passing 28
Work Ethic 59
Stamina 94
Durability 91
FT Shooting C

First impressions (page 3): It's not like Thomas Weaver (#83 SF) is that bad. But I was in a BIG battle for someone much better, and earlier today, I settled that I was beat and settled for him. Needless to say, things fell through with the school I was battling, and NEITHER of us ended up signing that target. Regardless, Weaver will be reasonably-OK. Not great, but he'll be a good scorer despite low rebounding.

Final impressions: The guy I lost out on before settling on Weaver turned out to be a superstar. However, Weaver brought an all-around scoring threat to the lineup, along with very good defensive skills. He was nowhere near as bad as I thought he'd be coming in, and he ended up scoring over 1,000 points.

RECORDS: 9th in points (1,010), 3rd in 3PT% (44.5%)

For closure, here's Marvin Ingram, who was my first priority before Weaver. Despite being Sim-coached his last three years, he turned into a beast.

Marvin Ingram
SF | Senior | 6'9" | 212 lbs. | 3.5 gpa
Woodland HS Woodland, CA | Recruited By: bberm
SF
816

Athleticism 63
Speed 89
Rebounding 63
Defense 61
Shot Blocking 56
Low-post 54
Perimeter 94
Ball Handling 44
Passing 70
Work Ethic 50
Stamina 94
Durability 78
FT Shooting C+

I applied to both Colorado and Penn State. Both were "keep looking," and as I anticipated, I was insta-rejected for both. I agonized about my next move for a while, before finally applying to Seton Hall in the Big East. It's listed as a "step backwards," but we'll see.

Got rejected from Seton Hall, so here I am for one more go-round at J-State. Here are the returning players:

PG Frederick Roskovensky 675 Sr.
PG Richard Schaefer 667 So.
SG Jon Hill 769 Sr.
SG Elwood McMillan 667 Jr.
SF Albert Maness 719 Jr.
PF Joseph Fiorillo 654 So.
C Alexander Bowles 724 Sr.
C John Fuller 704 So.
C Donald Byrd 681 Jr.

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Depending on how recruiting goes, I'm probably going to move Fiorillo to the #2 SF spot behind Maness. I don't anticipate that being an issue given his speed being a reasonable 56, and there are a few talented bigs within 300 miles I'm going to target. The other main need is for a guard of some sort. Roskovensky and Hill are both seniors, and while Schaefer and McMillan will be ready to start next season, depth will be an issue.

All three spots were filled at the start of signings. Our biggest need was in the frontcourt, and the first big to sign was Stuart Young (#134 overall, #38 C, ***). He's a true center; zip in perimeter, not the most well-conditioned player, but good low-post and defense numbers as well as vastly-improvable rebounding. He won't play much this year as our #3 center, but down the line, he'll be a very useful player at the low-D1 level.

Stuart Young
C | 7'0" | 240 lbs. | 2.6 GPA
Va Beach Central Academy | Virginia Beach, VA
65.4% FT shooter (low potential)
611

Athleticism 36
Speed 31 (low potential)
Rebounding 69 (high potential)
Defense 83
Shot Blocking 80
Low-post 90
Perimeter 1
Ball Handling 10
Passing 40 (low potential)
Work Ethic 44
Stamina 65 (high potential)
Durability 62 (high potential)

I don't consider myself a globetrotter, but the next recruit comes to us by way of the Congo. Dikembe Arambula (**, international so unranked) has good skill at power forward. He's at a good level coming in in pretty much everything, with the lone exception being maybe ball handling. The one real concern I have is his work ethic. It's not terrible, but he won't start for a while, so he may not reach his full potential (especially with the new engine). Regardless, the worst he can be is a good player, which makes me comfortable in signing him.

Dikembe Arambula
PF | 6'6" | 223 lbs.
Kinshasa Amateur Basketball Club | Kinshasa, Congo
68% FT shooter
578

Athleticism 48
Speed 60
Rebounding 74
Defense 63
Shot Blocking 64
Low-post 66
Perimeter 30
Ball Handling 10
Passing 29
Work Ethic 26
Stamina 66
Durability 42

POTENTIAL NOTES (from various evals):
- Definitely wasn't the best athlete on the floor - I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he could improve substantially if he really works at it.
- Decent low post moves - I think we'll be able to help him improve with our stellar coaching 'skillz'.
- Pretty solid rebounder - based on my experience, he can still improve substantially if we work with him and he's willing.
- Can tire late in the game - with the right diet and drills, I think we can see a *dramatic* change in his conditioning.
- Pretty good understanding how to play defense - if he's willing to listen, we could really see some major improvement.
- Just average from the line - I definitely think we can correct some fundamental issues to help him improve.
- Passing needs work - with practice we should see some improvement.
- Excellent student in the classroom and on the court.
- Runs the court very well - probably not going see much improvement from where he is.

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High potential in athleticism, rebounding, defense, and stamina. Average in low-post, passing, and FT shooting. Low in speed, and question marks in shot blocking, perimeter, and ball handling.

Finally, the backcourt spot. I wanted a SG, but they were few and far between in this batch, so I took a PG. Fortunately, Victor Thompson (#67 PG, **) is a good consolation prize. Like the two other freshmen in this class, he won't play much this year, as Roskovensky and Schaefer have a pretty firm grip of the PG reps. However, Thompson will be a good long-term backup who will see significant playing time as the #2 PG his sophomore year. He'll never be a dynamite scorer (few of my PG's ever are), but his pass-first ratings are good and will improve. He's also got the intangibles, namely defense, FT shooting, and durability.

Victor Thompson
PG | 5'9" | 168 lbs. | 2.8 GPA
Abingdon HS | Abingdon, VA
75.8% FT shooter
582

Athleticism 31
Speed 72 (high potential)
Rebounding 5
Defense 88
Shot Blocking 1
Low-post 11 (low potential)
Perimeter 41 (low potential)
Ball Handling 80
Passing 76 (high potential)
Work Ethic 34
Stamina 76 (high potential)
Durability 67 (high potential)

RECRUITING THOUGHTS

It's not the blowaway class of last season, but the three guys I got are solid. None of them will see major playing time this season, though; Byrd will be the primary backup at PF and C, with Arambula the #3 PF and Young the #3 C. Still, from a developmental standpoint, they're not bad; Arambula's low work ethic is unfortunate, but he could still be quite good.

Last year's class was an aberration. This season's is more appropriate for a mid-major team, and it's still good. Plus, I will carry over $3,000 for next season, which always helps. I'll give the class a B.

There's not much to say about this season, other than overscheduling and the zone getting nerfed by the new engine has severely limited what we've been able to do. We're 5-11, with just two losses coming in conference. Statwise, our backcourt of Roskovensky, Hill, and Maness has been solid, but our bigs have underperformed (to no fault of their own; the engine limited their scoring ability on one end and nerfed the zone on the other). We still have a chance at the postseason, though. This is a one-bid league, so if we get on a run at the right time, we're in. RPI 153, SOS 43.

We ended up 15-14, losing in the CT final to an Eastern Kentucky team that would have been much better than us in the old engine as well. It's annoying to have such a bad mark due to the new engine nerfing the zone, but what can be done about it, right? Senior retrospectives will come within the next few days.

Athleticism	40
Speed	85
Rebounding	21
Defense	100
Shot Blocking	16
Low-post	15
Perimeter	100
Ball Handling	73
Passing	100
Work Ethic	81
Stamina	97
Durability	58
FT Shooting	C+

First impressions (page 3): Jon Hill (#96 SG, *) isn't bad coming in, but he's got high potential in a number of areas, and with his work ethic, he'd really benefit from that extra year. His peak isn't all that great, but like Humphrey, he'll be a useful guard in his role.

Final impressions: Hill took the redshirt, and I quickly realized his potential in high-potential areas meant maxing out in defense, perimeter shooting, and passing. He was a big-time threat for us, and would have been a star on a very good mid-major team his senior year had the engine not nerfed the zone. Despite that, he's one of the best SG's to ever come through J-State, and he'll be missed.

RECORDS: 5th in points (1,095), 15th in assists (293), 3rd in 3PT% (44.6%)

Athleticism	47
Speed	99
Rebounding	24
Defense	84
Shot Blocking	16
Low-post	4
Perimeter	39
Ball Handling	99
Passing	99
Work Ethic	64
Stamina	81
Durability	41
FT Shooting	B+

First impressions (page 5): I'll never get used to typing his name, but he'll play as the primary backup to Taylor at PG this year. He comes in with a fairly-polished skillset, including great speed and solid pass-first fundamentals. He'll never be a scorer, but I can get that production elsewhere in the lineup. The NBA isn't in his future, but he'll be a perfectly useful low-D1 starter down the line.

Final impressions: Roskovensky was OK, but nowhere near the caliber of, say, a Wilbur Taylor. He was fast, and was a great distributor, but his stamina was only OK, and while his rebounding helped a little, it wasn't enough to truly make an impact. He's replaceable, but he did his job pretty well.

RECORDS: 6th in assists (350)

Athleticism	60
Speed	32
Rebounding	100
Defense	78
Shot Blocking	98
Low-post	99
Perimeter	10
Ball Handling	10
Passing	37
Work Ethic	61
Stamina	93
Durability	70
FT Shooting	D

First impressions (page 5): He was close to J-State, at just 100 miles from campus, and, like Roskovensky, he's polished coming in. He's got his limitations, namely the bad FT shooting and mediocre athleticism, and he won't play much early on. However, with time to grow as a pure center, he'll be quite good.

Final impressions: Bowles had the ratings to be an impact player, and he had a big junior season (11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2 blocks per game). That said, when the zone was nerfed, so was much of Bowles's skills. He still had a "good" career, but another season in the old engine would have made it REALLY tough on our opponents.

RECORDS: 15th in rebounds (541), 11th in blocks (136), 1st in FG% (55.1%)