2015 Recruiting

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I guess it could be this guy.
http://verbalcommits.com/players/darryl-mcdowell-white

It could be.....

When I asked Rev straight-out about the possibility of landing Darryl, he gave me a shoulder shrug and a "who knows?" salute....but then again, that is what he supposed to do when asked about recruits!!  

It was also mentioned that his younger brother, William, Class of 2016, was the better of the two players......

DeanMurdoch wrote:I'll take a wild guess and say the Pilots will round out this class with Robert Franks......

Substantiated rumor is Franks was going to transfer to Portland's Jefferson HS to for better college visibility and better competition, but it didn't work out.

Also, WSU was in town to checkout Franks yesterday....don't know whether they made an offer.

Bingo!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Per the palm trees on Rev's Twitter communique from yesterday, perhaps he's back in Florida checking in on DD's favorite, Jarrel Marshall.

@VerbalCommits     ·   46min ago  .  2015 Palm Beach State College (FL) F Jarrel Marshall has received an offer from Portland. @_rellyrel_ http://verbalcommits.com/players/jarrel-marshall …

This is from ESPN's scouting report on Russell:

Russell is a blue-collar 4-man who is deceptively quick around the paint area. He has soft hands, good length, and he can score in a variety of ways (L/R handed hooks, elbow jump shots). He runs well, knows the pick-and-roll, and is a solid passer.

Sounds like a Rhino-type player.

Here's a Rhino comparison for you found by Stonehouse....July 2009, the summer preceding Rhino's senior year at Gonzaga Prep....

#32 - Ryan Nicholas 6-7 JR Really hardworking tough player, has a motor. Undersized post or forward, has a nice jump shot and handles the ball well for a big man. Really physical and great away from the ball player, sets screens and flashes hard. Smart player, rebounds. Mid DI

DoubleDipper wrote:Bingo!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Per the palm trees on Rev's Twitter communique from yesterday, perhaps he's back in Florida checking in on DD's favorite, Jarrel Marshall.

@VerbalCommits     ·   46min ago  .  2015 Palm Beach State College (FL) F Jarrel Marshall has received an offer from Portland. @_rellyrel_ http://verbalcommits.com/players/jarrel-marshall …

Would have to think that UP has a great chance at landing this guy. Lots of opportunity for playing time for Jarrel in a system that has heavily utilized a very similar player in Kevin Bailey for the last three years. Not to mention that adding a third player to the 2016 class will make NoPoNeighbor happy by continuing to balance things out.

I'm not seeing an obvious priority target at the moment besides Marshall.

DeanMurdoch wrote:Not to mention that adding a third player to the 2016 class will make NoPoNeighbor happy by continuing to balance things out.

Glad to see you are concerned with my happiness!  However, wouldn't Marshall enter the program next season as a junior? That would put him in the class of 2017 (along with Wintering and Zubizarreta). Anyhow, that would help with class balancing just as much.

With Marshall, here's where we'd be next year (pending the status of Gerun, Carr and Livingston):

SENIORS: 1-4 [Pressley, (Gerun, Carr, Livingston)]
JUNIORS: 3 [Wintering, Zubizarreta, Marshall]
SOPH: 4 [Taylor, Todd, Tyson, Hartwich]
FROSH: 2-5 [Johnson, Russell, (???, ???, ???)]

NOTE: After the next confirmed commitment (Marshall or someone else), each additional commit will be taking a scholarship that could potentially go to one of the "In-Limbo 3" (Gerun, Carr, Livingston).

DeanMurdoch wrote:I'm not seeing an obvious priority target at the moment besides Marshall.

Travis Fuller still has UP in his top 6 (maybe 5?). Does anyone know if scholarship offers can be withdrawn? For example, if Marshall committed tomorrow, could UP withdraw its offers to other small forwards, e.g. Fuller and Robert Franks?

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Travis Fuller still has UP in his top 6 (maybe 5?). Does anyone know if scholarship offers can be withdrawn? For example, if Marshall committed tomorrow, could UP withdraw its offers to other small forwards, e.g. Fuller and Robert Franks?

Oh yea, that's quite common at all schools....but it doesn't usually have to come to that because the recruit that hasn't committed will go elsewhere seeing his chance for playing time has been diminished.

There is no contract until the LOI is signed.

In your example, however, it would not be a bad thing to have Marshall, Todd, and Franks/Fuller pushing each other every day in practice with the chance of moving up in the lineup.

DoubleDipper wrote:In your example, however, it would not be a bad thing to have Marshall, Todd, and Franks/Fuller pushing each other every day in practice with the chance of moving up in the lineup.

It wouldn't be bad for those players, but it might be bad for the program. We should prioritize a second center over a third small forward.

If Gerun doesn't come back for '15-'16, that leaves only one player on the roster taller than 6'8". And that guy, Hartwich, will be a sophomore who probably won't have played much his freshman year. Similar to our situation in '11-'12 after Barker was injured early in the year. VDM was the only guy tall enough to play center, and he was a true freshman. And we had a terrible season.

Depth at the center position should be the top recruiting priority. I'm surprised we haven't heard of any scholarship offers to big guys in the post-Eubanks recruiting era.

Well looks like Reveno or one of his staff, I'm assuming its Reveno since he is in SoCal, went to visit Connor Clifford, a 7 foot center formally of UCI, and now with a Junior College.

Reveno stated in a tweet last week that there were "2 key spots to fill." Considering that he has visted Jarrell Marshall and Connor Clifford in the past week I'd say those are the top two targets which would shape our roster as follows:

SENIORS: 2 [Pressley, LIVINGSTON]
JUNIORS: 4 [Wintering, Zubizarreta, MARSHALL, CLIFFORD]
SOPH: 4 [Taylor, Todd, Tyson, Hartwich]
FROSH: 3 [Johnson, Russell, Mystery Australian]

PG: Wintering, Johnson
SG: Pressley, Xubi, Tyson, LIVINGSTON
SF: Todd, MARSHALL
PF: Taylor, Russel
C: Hartwich, CLIFFORD
Other: Mystery Australian

Let me note two things. This is assuming that there is in fact a mystery Australian that none of us know anything about. This is also assuming that Carr and Voldy don't come back and that a scholarship is going to be given to Livingston. If he walks on again next year we'll have a free scholarship that either Voldy or Carr could take. This is also assuming that Clifford and Marshall are the top targets, and neither has committed but it at least gives us an idea of where we're trying to go with our roster.

Great find, DTL.

@JucoRecruiting wrote:Portland was in today to see Connor Clifford (7'0/C/2015) of Saddleback. Northridge, San Fran, Portland, St Mary's, Pacific + more involved

Clifford played as a freshman with UCI in 2012-13 and redshirted last year...looks like UCI was pretty disappointed to lose him and there's talk of him ending up at a high major out of Saddleback, so it'll be a tough scrap to land this big fella...but with van der Mars and Barker graduating and a program that develops and heavily utilizes big men, you'd think UP would have a good a chance as any.

It is my understanding that Conor (only 1 n) is no slouch in the classroom, but decided to go to Saddleback simply because he wasn't going to get the playing time he desired at UCI....even after taking his redshirt year.

Probably could have transferred to a D-1 program, but that would have meant another year of sitting instead of playing before his final 2 years of D-1 ball....so he elected the JC route instead.

I'm told he's looking for a PAC-12 school after his year at Saddleback, but one would think that if Rev can show him the success he's had at developing players prior to going professional it may add some weight to his decision.  Pretty tough for a 5 to come in from JUCO and have an impact at the high major level.

It's my guess it will be April or May of 2015 before Conor decides what he'll do next.....

Full-Time Hoops (@FullTimeHoops1) wrote:2015 LCC F Travis Fuller will announce his commitment tomorrow. Princeton, Wyoming, Yale, UCSB, Brown, Portland are finalists

• All five of the other finalists already have a 2015 commit at small forward.
  
• Yale has two, including one-time UP recruit Eli Lininger, from Eugene.
  
• Wyoming has zero scholarships available (though a reporter covering the Cowboys has said that there is a chance Fuller could walk-on there).
  
• Santa Barbara has "-1" scholarships available, according to VerbalCommits, and also had another SF commit two weeks ago.
  
• In addition to a 2015 commit, Princeton has two incoming freshmen at the SF position.
  

In short, based solely on scholarship and playing-time considerations, Fuller should choose UP. If he does, what becomes of Jarrel Marshall? Would Reveno have flown all the way to Florida to offer Marshall a scholarship last weekend, knowing that a commitment from Fuller would lead him to withdraw the offer? Does Reveno already know that Fuller is going elsewhere? Would the Pilots want to use scholarships for both Marshall and Fuller?

We should start seeing the pieces fall into place very soon. Tomorrow!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Would Reveno have flown all the way to Florida to offer Marshall a scholarship last weekend, knowing that a commitment from Fuller would lead him to withdraw the offer? Does Reveno already know that Fuller is going elsewhere? Would the Pilots want to use scholarships for both Marshall and Fuller?

I'll guess no, yes, and no.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:In short, based solely on scholarship and playing-time considerations, Fuller should choose UP. If he does, what becomes of Jarrel Marshall? Would Reveno have flown all the way to Florida to offer Marshall a scholarship last weekend, knowing that a commitment from Fuller would lead him to withdraw the offer? Does Reveno already know that Fuller is going elsewhere? Would the Pilots want to use scholarships for both Marshall and Fuller?

Ha-ha, I love the way you think, NPN.  

A. If Marshall were to choose to attend UP, I'm 90% sure his decision to do so would NOT be until next April....JUCO guys always hope for more offers after they've played another season, and their JUCO coaches don't want them to commit until April/May so they'll play as if everything were on the line during their final JUCO season.
B. I too have heard that Fuller is looking to walk-on at Wyoming.
C. I agree with Deaner, if Fuller were to commit, Marshall would matriculate elsewhere.

Travis Fuller commits to Brown University.....smart kid!

Travis Fuller BLESSED to say that I have officially committed to continue my education and play basketball at Brown University! #Bears

Based on DD's analysis, which makes a lot of sense to me, I doubt we will see another commitment this fall. I expect we will sign Johnson, Russell, and MAYBE an Australian during the week of November 12. Then, if all goes well, a SF and C will sign in April. Livingston takes the 6th scholarship.

That being said... I'd love for Franks or Marshall to sign an LOI in November, too.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Based on DD's analysis, which makes a lot of sense to me, I doubt we will see another commitment this fall. I expect we will sign Johnson, Russell, and MAYBE an Australian during the week of November 12. Then, if all goes well, a SF and C will sign in April. Livingston takes the 6th scholarship.

That being said... I'd love for Franks or Marshall to sign an LOI in November, too.

Yeah, this whole idea of an Australian committing is a total guess.

Yes, Max Livingston WILL get one of the scholarships next year.

Franks is a possibility to sign in November.....Marshall will wait until April to make a decision....IMO.

Not sure how hard UP was pursuing Fuller and certainly not surprised to see him go elsewhere.

I wouldn't be shocked to see both of these last two spots go to Juco guys that can contribute immediately and help mitigate the step back from this six-man senior class.

Clifford AND Marshall may be a bit of a pipe dream considering Clifford is expected to draw Pac-12 offers out of Saddleback - but looking at the current competition for Marshall and considering recency and style fit, you'd have to think the Pilots would be very near the top of his current list.

DoubleDipper wrote:Franks is a possibility to sign in November.....

One never knows the validity of what you hear second-hand from others, but I was told by a person that works in the Evergreen School District that Robert Franks wants to go to WSU and plans to accept an offer there, but that it might not be until April after other Pac-12 schools have seen him play in his senior year.

Again, I don't know the validity of such a statement....but I think it was probably 4th or 5th hand by the time I heard it.

The UP staff has been in constant contact with Franks for a couple of years, so they probably have a better idea of Franks' intentions.

You don't think Washington State getting a commitment last week from Santa Monica College SF Derrien King changes anything?

Sure, always nice to get the local kid - but I like the looks of this Jarrel Marshall!

DoubleDipper wrote:A few days ago Sammamish, WA native and Eastside Catholic/Northwest Xpress wing Matisse Thybulle had zero offers, but hoopreview.net is reporting that his summer play has now produced offers from UP, UW, WSU, Cal Poly, and Tulsa.

A heck of a recruiting class at UW has just added SF Matisse Thybulle.

While I appreciate the continual posting of the Pilot staff efforts at recruiting, it is not particularly uplifting to see time and again that the recruits we pursue do not reciprocate. It speaks to the difficulty of maintaining winning basketball here. It is hard to compete in the WCC when you cannot pull recruits even from your backyard.

Reveno’s accomplishments are to be admired given rejection rates about the same as those of a young actor. Can’t be the in the head coaching business, apparently, if you let this stuff get to you.

DeanMurdoch wrote:You don't think Washington State getting a commitment last week from Santa Monica College SF Derrien King changes anything?

Sure, always nice to get the local kid - but I like the looks of this Jarrel Marshall!

Agree that Marshall is the better player (at this point), but Franks would seem to be the better fit as UP continues to build on the staff's recent signing of four NW players...including Max Livingston who will receive a scholarship next year.