2017 Recruiting

It was the Pilots that couldn't get to Boise for a game.

While we wait for Marcus Shaver's decision (Sunday!!), it is worth noting that this thread, 2017 Recruiting, is now the most viewed thread on PilotNation, ever.

Because this is Coach Porter's first recruiting class, and because there are so many open scholarships, it makes sense to me this is the most viewed thread.

1. 2017 Recruiting thread has 15,836 views and counting.
2. 2015 Recruiting -- 15,470
3. Where Do We Go From Here? (After Rev's departure) -- 15,101
4. New Women's Pro League -- 14,481

The most replies:
1. 2017 Recruiting -- 600
2. New Women's Pro League -- 550
3. 2015 Recruiting -- 547
4. 2014 Recruiting -- 499

Finally, Geezaldinho is far and away the most prolific contributor (10,387 posts - 26% of the total), and the leader in new threads started (1,077 - 29% of total topics).  

Obviously a slow news day.

Last minute offer, this time a WCC opponent!

2017 PG @marcus10shaver from @shadowmtnhoops received an offer from #SantaClara.
@ArizonaVarsity
@AugustMendes

https://twitter.com/GreggRosenberg1/status/862497184096280576

DD must be getting his facts from the White House press office.

I only have 15.04 % of total posts and it has been dropping steadily since some newcomer ( ahem) has been knocking it out of the park at 3.25 posts per day.

Geezaldinho wrote:DD must be getting his facts from the White House press office.

I only have 15.04 % of total posts and it has been dropping steadily since some newcomer ( ahem) has been knocking it out of the park at 3.25 posts per day.

I knew I shouldn't have listened to Kellyanne!  

Actually, I just clicked on the little used "statistics" icon at the bottom of just about any page on PilotNation. But who knows where those numbers come from....

SoundVoltex wrote:Last minute offer, this time a WCC opponent!

Not really bothered if Shaver goes elsewhere, but would be very disappointed if he went to a WCC  school.

There are a few other unsigned PGs out there, but the talent pool is dwindling.

Two reasons to want another PG, 1. Back-up of JoJo, and 2. Someone to mentor JoJo.

A freshman does not fill requirement #2, but a JUCO transfer or a one and done grad transfer will fill both requirements.

The JUCO pool is dry (unless Cockfield and UP have a 180 degree change in reasoning), but after looking at way too much tape, it's obvious there are still some excellent mentor-type grad transfers available....but do they want to come to Portland to finish off their collegiate career?

DoubleDipper wrote:

Geezaldinho wrote:DD must be getting his facts from the White House press office.

I only have 15.04 % of total posts and it has been dropping steadily since some newcomer ( ahem) has been knocking it out of the park at 3.25 posts per day.

I knew I shouldn't have listened to Kellyanne!  

Actually, I just clicked on the little used "statistics" icon at the bottom of just about any page on PilotNation. But who knows where those numbers come from....

Obviously DD was not a math major. The engineering types just wanted to know where to look up formulas in the books, while the math folks had to do the proofs.

up7587 wrote:

Obviously DD was not a math major.  The engineering types just wanted to know where to look up formulas in the books, while the math folks had to do the proofs.  

I became a astronomy major when I figured out that an order of magnitude often fell within the realm of the knowable, and you could do the calculations for orbital mechanics on a slide rule...

Geezaldinho wrote:I became a astronomy  major when I figured out that an order of magnitude often fell within the realm of the knowable, and you could do the calculations for orbital mechanics on a slide rule...

And I became a pilot because I:
1. Didn't want to grow up and act like an adult.
2. Didn't want to have work for a living.

And as a side benefit, the Combat Systems Operator (CSO) in the back seat does all the mathy calculations and such...

Bob Cantu‏ @coachbobcantu  2h2 hours ago

"We are getting close to completing our 2017 recruiting class.  Then all focus on 2018 with 2-3 spots to fill.  Future is bright! Go Pilots!"

So are we to assume that "close" does not mean done, coach Cantu?

Pray tell us who you think may yet sign with the Pilots?

Or do you mean merely that you are waiting to hear from Marcus Shaver or others and if they do not sign with Pilots this spring then we are done?

45 minutes ago:

@Marcus10Shaver wrote: Enjoyed my official visit at Boise St  

Hmm, just today Boise State starting point guard Paris West announced he was transferring....

@EvanDaniels wrote:  Sophomore guard Paris Austin just received a release from Boise State, per a source. Averaged 12.3 PPG.  

SoundVoltex wrote:Last minute offer, this time a WCC opponent!

2017 PG @marcus10shaver from @shadowmtnhoops received an offer from #SantaClara.  
@ArizonaVarsity
@AugustMendes

https://twitter.com/GreggRosenberg1/status/862497184096280576

Add another late one (New Mexico State) as per Verbal Commits.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Add another late one (New Mexico State) as per Verbal Commits.

With 13 known offers, Marcus Shaver must be the most highly recruited point guard UP has actively recruited and had a chance to sign.

Of those 13 schools, I'd be surprised if Shaver doesn't narrow his choices down to two by tomorrow when he concludes his trip to Seattle U.

I can see Boise St. being a strong contender with its size, it having a football program, and the fact the Broncos starting point guard got his release to transfer on the very day Shaver was on the BSU campus.  But I can also see him coming to UP for the better competition and the opportunity to learn from Coach Porter, the one-time coach of his high school coach, Mike Bibby.

Regardless, the UP staff has already corralled a Hoop Scoop near Top-10 recruiting class (8-12, perhaps?) with the guys they've brought in already.  Bringing in Shaver or someone of his near equal ability should assure UP would have the top mid-major recruiting class, unless BSU snags him, then Western Kentucky could overtake UP for that honor.

DoubleDipper wrote:
I can see Boise St. being a strong contender with its size, it having a football program, and the fact the Broncos starting point guard got his release to transfer on the very day Shaver was on the BSU campus.  But I can also see him coming to UP for the better competition and the opportunity to learn from Coach Porter, the one-time coach of his high school coach, Mike Bibby.

On the BSU forums, some aren't sure he'll exactly be a Paris replacement.

http://www.scout.com/college/boise-state/forums/2248-taco-bell-arena-talk/15612205-marcus-shaver-jr-not-yet-committed

Selling point for Shaver is he will get playing time as a freshman. Gone are Reid and Paris, and here (as far as I know) is Dickinson. Hutch will take some minutes from the point guards this year because he is a good ball handler. But there will be no less than 10-12 minutes, especially in the OOC games, for Shaver.

Will he be a replacement for Paris? No. But if he gets here soon and works with the coaches, comes in prepared mentally and physically, I think he has a lot of potential.

Also:

Here are some others that were interested at least: Assistant coach Mike Warren said that he heard that Utah, Colorado and Clemson have shown interest.

wrv wrote:Bob Cantu‏ @coachbobcantu  2h2 hours ago

"We are getting close to completing our 2017 recruiting class.  Then all focus on 2018 with 2-3 spots to fill.  Future is bright! Go Pilots!"

Prior posts on this board, including one from me, have suggested that Shaver is unlikely to accept the Pilot offer given the time elapsed from his visit, given his subsequent visits and given his interest in other programs.

Of note in the posts about Shaver is the link to BSU forums where their competition for Shaver is described as "not much." That comment differs slightly from the description posted here suggesting that Shaver "must be the most highly recruited point guard" the Pilots have had a chance to sign.

BSU's board also describes Shaver as more of a combo scorer than a point ...and, if true, whether Shaver would compete directly with Walker for time is not clear.

It is more likely that the remaining relevant question recruiting wise, failing a surprise from Shaver, is whether we have a plan for this recruiting cycle to recruit someone else at the point or at any position really.

Certainly Coach Cantu's tweet leaves that possibility open. But as before with his tweets you cannot be quite certain of what he means, though it is clear that his tweet occurred well after it was apparent that Shaver was unlikely to be a Pilot.

wrv wrote:It is more likely that the remaining relevant question recruiting wise, failing a surprise from Shaver, is whether we have a plan for this recruiting cycle to recruit someone else at the point or at any position really.

As I wrote yesterday, and I have no solid basis for this, I think UP and BSU will be the final contenders for Shaver's college of choice.

If Marcus Shaver does not choose UP, there is a really solid high school PG in Las Vegas who has yet to sign a LOI (although I've seen predictions he’ll sign with Texas or SMU), and wouldn’t it be nice if he would like to be coached-up by Coach Porter!

Chris Giles is a 6-3/175 18 year old from Plano, Texas who is currently living in Las Vegas playing on the elite Findlay Prep School Pilots team.  

My cousin in Las Vegas tells me Giles’ reputations is that of a great guy who will be an even better teammate wherever he goes….and his 3.8 GPA won't hurt his chances of being a Pilot at UP.

From his tapes, he looks to be about neck-and-neck with Shaver on the court…..and reportedly with quite a few D1/P5 offers too.

This is from Giles' 2015-16 season while still attending school in Plano:

Couldn't figure out how to embed this tweet, so here's a screenshot and a link: https://twitter.com/HoopsWeiss/status/863471653321412608

Great to see that our class is getting that kind of love, from at least one source anyway. HoopScoop had ranked our 2017 class #17 nationally back in December: http://portlandpilots.com/news/2016/12/14/mens-basketball-recruiting-class-ranked-no-17-nationally.aspx

I guess this means they like our spring signings too!

UP's recruiting class is currently ranked #12 by HoopScoop, but those numbers are preliminary....the final rankings come out next Wednesday at the close of the recruiting period.

Sorry, I cannot post a link because HoopScoop is a pay to belong/read service, but:

Clark Francis-HoopScoop wrote: It would not surprise us one bit if the University of Portland, which already has gone the international route and junior college route with players like 6'10 Tahirou Diabate from Niigate, Japan, 6'5 Taki Fahrensoln from Auckland, New Zealand, 6'7 Josh McSwiggan from Casper (JC) WY, 6'9 Austin Stone from USC-Salkehatchie (JC) SC, 6'1 JoJo Walker from St. Maria (St. Joseph) CA, and 6'9 Hugh Hogland from Honolulu (Iolani School) HI, already in the fold, ended up with a top 10-ranked recruiting class.  As things stand right now, the Pilots have only one scholarship remaining and they are among the finalists for 6'2 Marcus Shaver from Phoenix (Shadow Mountain) AZ and  6'3 Chris Giles from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, both of whom are good enough to be ranked in the 100-300 range nationally.  

(The underlining is mine, for emphasis).

Summer School Session 1 begins tomorrow, and four of the 2017 recruits have arrived to begin classes: Tahirou, Austin, Crisshawn, and Taki.

Unfortunately Taki is hobbling around on crutches from relatively recent knee surgery.

PilotNut wrote:Oregon State's Malcolm Duvivier will graduate and transfer...

http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/04/malcolm_duvivier_to_graduate_f.html

Duvivier chose Akron, and there is no indication that UP showed any interest in the one-and-done SG...

Akron is only a 5 hour drive from his hometown, Toronto....probably had something to do with his choice.

DoubleDipper wrote:Summer School Session 1 begins tomorrow, and four of the 2017 recruits have arrived to begin classes: Tahirou, Austin, Crisshawn, and Taki.

Unfortunately Taki is hobbling around on crutches from relatively recent knee surgery.

I bumped into Taki hobbling around downtown yesterday. He said that the knee surgery is from a torn meniscus so nothing too major. He's about 3 weeks into rehab and is hoping to be back soon.

I'm not sure if this has been posted anywhere else yet but he also mentioned they will be going on a preseason trip to London.

DoubleDipper wrote:While we wait for Marcus Shaver's decision (Sunday!!), it is worth noting that this thread, 2017 Recruiting, is now the most viewed thread on PilotNation, ever.

I guess you didn't specify WHICH Sunday.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:While we wait for Marcus Shaver's decision (Sunday!!), it is worth noting that this thread, 2017 Recruiting, is now the most viewed thread on PilotNation, ever.

I guess you didn't specify WHICH Sunday.

Fax machines are slow...and where are you gonna find one?

From the LOI site:

Copies transmitted by facsimile or electronically are considered to be valid."

He could instagram it.