All Things Class of 2015 Recruiting - Class Finally Complete? Nope Chris Obekpa visit

[eker0016]

I don't think Mason is a combo guard, I'm sure he could maybe slight over if you want to throw an odd lineup out there, but he is by far best suited at the PG position, unlike hollins. He is actually pretty underrated recruit on this board. He will be hard for any incoming recruit beat out for the starting spot with a year under his belt. I'm really excited to see him play for the gophers, I have heard great things about him, and he is going to be better than people think. He may be the best of our class when it is all said and done, but also think the other 4 guys have a lot of potential too.

The only thing I'm going off is his Rivals profile lists him at SG, but people on here talk about him as a PG. I don't remember what Pitino's comments about him said. I figured he would most likely play PG...but it would be ridiculous to not have a player on our roster capable of bringing the ball up the court. I'm sure Jarvis is talented but even if he did
commit to us, it wouldn't be a good idea to have him be our only PG. I'm curious about why exactly he was mad.

 

[GuyFawkes]

The only thing I'm going off is his Rivals profile lists him at SG, but people on here talk about him as a PG. I don't remember what Pitino's comments about him said. I figured he would most likely play PG...but it would be ridiculous to not have a player on our roster capable of bringing the ball up the court. I'm sure Jarvis is talented but even if he did
commit to us, it wouldn't be a good idea to have him be our only PG. I'm curious about why exactly he was mad.

Yea I agree with, and we were recruiting other PGs at the time, which kinda leads me to believe it could be personal but that is pure speculation on my part. Whatever happens, happens I guess, like others have said he is good but isn't a program changer, we'll be fine regardless where he goes, plenty of good players in our reach

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[MadtownGopher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Dupree McBrayer 6'4 2014 New Heights

Tells me Minnesota Seton Hall & Pitt have now offered

New St Johns & Penn St interest
<a href="https://twitter.com/InPree_WeTrust">@InPree_WeTrust</a></p>— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamieShaw5/statuses/462083169479852032">May 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

From Zags Blog:

Dupree McBrayer, the fast-rising, left-handed guard from The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J., plans to spend a year at prep school before enrolling in college beginning in 2015.

“I decided to go [to prep school] because I think an extra year of development [will help] for my body and for my game, too,” the 6-foot-4, 165-pound guard told SNY.tv by phone Wednesday. “I still have weaker parts of my game.”

McBrayer, who played very well for New Heights at the Pitt Jam Fest last weekend, said he’s undecided on where to attend prep school and will huddle with his mother, his mentor and Patrick School coach Chris Chevannes before picking one.

“He just needs to develop his body and if he can develop his body I firmly believe that he has a tremendous, tremendous upside,” said Chevannes, who believes McBrayer should prep next year.

“I think he’s better off prepping for a year and developing his body.”

Meantime, Seton Hall, Minnesota and Pittsburgh have all offered him and are recruiting him hard. McBrayer said all three schools are recruiting him for 2015.

“All three of those schools are recruiting me pretty hard right now,” he said. “They’re going to wait until 2015.”

Minnesota assistant Kimani Young is also from New York and has been recruiting McBrayer.

“I was talking to Kimani because he’s from Queens, too,” he said. “I also talk to coach [Richard] Pitino.”

 

[DeathClutch]

I don't think Mason is a combo guard, I'm sure he could maybe slight over if you want to throw an odd lineup out there, but he is by far best suited at the PG position, unlike hollins. He is actually pretty underrated recruit on this board. He will be hard for any incoming recruit beat out for the starting spot with a year under his belt. I'm really excited to see him play for the gophers, I have heard great things about him, and he is going to be better than people think. He may be the best of our class when it is all said and done, but also think the other 4 guys have a lot of potential too.

In his press conference to announce the fall signees, Richard said Nate would probably play the 1&2.

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[Former Goofer]

...6-foot-4, 165-pound guard ...

Makes Corey Brewer look like Schwarzenegger

 

[Bad Gopher]

I only want kids that desire to be a Gopher. If Jarvis decides his heart lies elsewhere, I will lose no sleep over him if he decides to go elsewhere.

Right on.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

Carson Shanks, though he didn't qualify. So we know Pitino has considered this idea before.



After doing some google searching, it seems like Busch would fit that description as well.

So, you realize it's not going to happen right?

 

[UWOle]

I'd like to hear more opinions of people that have seen Jarvis play. From the little I have heard it seems like he is an elite athlete, but not necessarily an elite PG, at least quite yet. Almost like the PG version of Rodney Williams. Does that jive with what some of you guys have seen and heard?

I've seen Jarvis a number of times, and I really like what he brings to the table. That said, I don't see him as an immediate impact guy at the next level. I think he can play early on, but I'm not sure I'd want to have to count on him to start from day 1. There's a chance that I'm biased ( ), but I think UW could be a great fit for Jarvis as he wouldn't have to be the guy right away. He'd be able to play some in his first year or two, while having an opportunity to learn and grow his game. I certainly understand that most guys want to play as much as possible right away though.

Specific to Jarvis' game, he stands out as an excellent athlete. He also handles and passes pretty well, which results in him being very difficult to handle in transition. He's OK in the half-court, with the best part of that being his play with ball screens. DLS seems to do a lot of that, and he does well because he can get to the bucket, but also has the counter of being able to elevate and hit the mid-range jumper. His shooting mechanics appear to be pretty good, so while I would consider an OK shooter now, he should be able to develop more consistency from downtown with continued work. He is good offensively, but I just think there are things he needs to learn about running an team and taking care of the ball before he can play heavy minutes at the next level.

Defensively, he can be very good, but needs to do so more consistently. With his quickness, he can very tough on the ball, but he did not do that all the time in the games I have seen. Off the ball, he definitely needs to improve his awareness to ensure that he's not a weak link in the team defense. There were multiple instances in the games I saw this year where Jarvis' man was on the weakside of the floor, and he was looking directly at the ball on the other side of the floor with his back to his man. I doubt very many coaches at the next level will accept that.

He very clearly has a lot of potential as a player, but I am of the opinion that he still has a little ways to go in his development, which is certainly not uncommon for HS juniors.

 

[MadtownGopher]

Thanks UWOle.

 

[Blackhammer]

There would be nothing wrong with having multiple guys who can play some point. Look at Louisville and U Conn the past few years. Mason and Jarvis would be a great starting backcourt.

 

[WolfontheProwl]

Jarvis Johnson is going to be a very good College Basketball player in the right system. He is more of a natural point guard or has been at the high school level. It will be interesting to see if he gets the chance to score more in his senior year with no Reid Travis to throw the ball too. I think he is perfectly suited to play in an up tempo style of game which Coach Pitino prefers. His size and athletic ability should allow him to thrive in that type of system. The biggest question I would have one Johnson is his outside shot which he has not been asked to show off all that much in his high school career. Johnson would be a great addition for the Gophers because he can make other players by getting them the ball.

 

[GuyFawkes]

Jarvis Johnson is going to be a very good College Basketball player in the right system. He is more of a natural point guard or has been at the high school level. It will be interesting to see if he gets the chance to score more in his senior year with no Reid Travis to throw the ball too. I think he is perfectly suited to play in an up tempo style of game which Coach Pitino prefers. His size and athletic ability should allow him to thrive in that type of system. The biggest question I would have one Johnson is his outside shot which he has not been asked to show off all that much in his high school career. Johnson would be a great addition for the Gophers because he can make other players by getting them the ball.

yup, it'll be interesting to see how the team plays with Travis gone, I think Sacar Anim has the best opportunity to improve his stock, he'll be more heavily relied on in all likelihood, but everyone will have an added role on the team, and it will be interesting to see how they handle it.

 

[BleedGopher]

STrib: Point guard Jimmy Whitt among Minnesota targets for 2015

Rivals.com' Eric Bossi, who watched Whitt at the Jayhawk Invitational last weekend, wrote that he "outplayed" his national ranking, noting that while there are bigger and more athletic guards, "very few in the class of 2015 have as developed or advanced off-the-dribble scoring and mid-range game as Whitt."

"He's definitely the complete package," Johnson said. "There isn't anything on the court that he can't do as far as offensively, and he's a lock-down defender. He's got great athleticism. He can shoot the ball extremely well, he can handle it and he's got a very high IQ for the game of basketball."

Dave Johnson, Whitt's coach at Hickman High School has plenty of Minnesota ties personally, playing JUCO ball at Fergus Falls and coaching at Brainerd Community College. He's long followed Minnesota basketball and called new coach Richard Pitino attractive for recruits and a "shot in the arm" for the program.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/257692821.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[UWOle]

UW offered Whitt yesterday, which I believe was his 4th Big 10 offer (UW, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska). Whitt will be in Minneapolis for Pulley's AAU event starting this evening. He plays with the KC Run GMC.

 

[The Brain Trust]

UW offered Whitt yesterday, which I believe was his 4th Big 10 offer (UW, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska). Whitt will be in Minneapolis for Pulley's AAU event starting this evening. He plays with the KC Run GMC.

KC Run GMC is undefeated and has a number 2 national AAU ranking. Likely to meet up with Pulley in playoff action Sunday.

 

[Uncle Rico]

As a lifelong Gopher hoops fan, I gotta say I have reached the point where I agree with some others who have previously posted that they only want kids who really want to be Gophers.

Personally, I cannot figure these kids out but it is their life and they are free to do whatever they want. But a kid like Jarvis should not be a difficult get in my view. That being said, if he really doesn't have the Gophers as the leader in the clubhouse (if for no other reason than that its his hometown school), then why the heck should the program jump through hoop after hoop for him? Its not like he's Harrison Barnes or Tyus Jones.

Now that Pitino is here, I think he will find top shelf athletes from all over, so its really not the end of the world if the local kids think they are too special for the U. The only solution is for Richie to build up the program to a level like an ISU, and at that point I would have to think it will be more difficult for the local kids to give the U the cold shoulder.

Bottom line, if I was Pitino and these local kids didn't give me the vibe they really wanted to play for me, I think I'd move on too.

 

[BJN]

Of the three top (local) targets, I'd put Johnson below Illikainen and Manyang in terms of how badly I want to see them in gold. That being said, it will still sting badly if he ends up at UW and Pitino whiffs on bringing in a similar caliber PG.

 

[cjbfbp]

The only solution is for Richie to build up the program to a level like an ISU, and at that point I would have to think it will be more difficult for the local kids to give the U the cold shoulder.

Bottom line, if I was Pitino and these local kids didn't give me the vibe they really wanted to play for me, I think I'd move on too.

Interesting that you named Iowa State (I'm assuming that's who you meant) because I am familiar with the basketball histories of both of Iowa's flagship universities and Iowa State has been the one that has seemed less concerned about recruiting Iowa and other local kids through the years. Many of the U of Iowa fans seem to expect that school to go after the most talented local kids and they grumble about it when the school fails to obtain them, whereas the Iowa State fans don't seem to care as much where their players come from. Iowa has gotten some pretty good players from instate over the years but has had some others that they might have done better by not recruiting.

Fred Hoiberg has built ISU into a developing success story largely by recruiting transfers from other places along with some freshman from outside the area. I see a bit of Hoiberg's strategy in Pitino in that he seems to have focused on some older players (both transfers and entering freshmen) and so far mostly has gone outside the regional area (and even outside the country) to obtain his talent.

 

[cjbfbp]

Of the three top (local) targets, I'd put Johnson below Illikainen and Manyang in terms of how badly I want to see them in gold. That being said, it will still sting badly if he ends up at UW and Pitino whiffs on bringing in a similar caliber PG.

I don't care who he recruits as long as the recruit can play and I trust that Pitino can identify those kinds of players. I try not to be a fan of one choice or another anymore so I don't get disappointed if 1) the kid decides not to come here or 2) the kid comes here but isn't as good as I thought he would be after he arrives. I'd rather wait to become a fan after a recruit arrives and earns his fans.

 

[katze019]

I don't care who he recruits as long as the recruit can play and I trust that Pitino can identify those kinds of players.

I agree for the most part, still will be disappointed if we don't get at least one of Johnson or Illikainen.

 

[go_gophers]

Recruiting local players energizes the casual fans and increases overall interest in the program (as long as they win). With that comes better attendance (and revenue) that can help grow the program. That's why local players are important and coaches often talk about locking down the borders. That being said, sometimes it's easier to establish the program with whomever is available (no matter where they're from) to increase the program's prestige and make the local players want to be here.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that signing the top local talent is an important aspect of developing a program for the long haul. It's one part. Winning is a much more important part. If you win, they will come.

 

[BleedGopher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>2015 Wayne F Ahmad Wagner (<a href="https://twitter.com/Ahmad_Prodigy21">@Ahmad_Prodigy21</a>) offered by Iowa and Minnesota! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23B1G&src=hash">#B1G</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23AOR&src=hash">#AOR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23congrats&src=hash">#congrats</a></p>— ALL OHIO BASKETBALL (@All_Ohio) <a href="https://twitter.com/All_Ohio/statuses/462423762864848897">May 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!

 

[corcoran1]

I agree for the most part, still will be disappointed if we don't get at least one of Johnson or Illikainen.

I won't be disappointed if we don't get Johnson because he does not appear to want to be here. If he wants to spend four years playing Bo ball, or in Ames, I will be fine with a different PG.
If Pitino gets a chance for another good PG before JJ is ready, he should just take him. Not out of spite, just to be sure the program is on good footing.
Illikainen might be disappointing to lose because he does seem interested, but we will get big guys from somewhere if we can't get them here.
Just win and recruiting issues will be solved. I am sorry Maturi let the program sink to the point local kids don't get it, but Pitino has to deal with reality.

 

[The Brain Trust]

I won't be disappointed if we don't get Johnson because he does not appear to want to be here. If he wants to spend four years playing Bo ball, or in Ames, I will be fine with a different PG.
If Pitino gets a chance for another good PG before JJ is ready, he should just take him. Not out of spite, just to be sure the program is on good footing.
Illikainen might be disappointing to lose because he does seem interested, but we will get big guys from somewhere if we can't get them here.
Just win and recruiting issues will be solved. I am sorry Maturi let the program sink to the point local kids don't get it, but Pitino has to deal with reality.

fact check if you seriously believe that the AD as much to do with in state recruiting then you need to look at the facts which are that a very high% of in state kids offered by the gophs men's basketball coaches under Maturi signed with the gophs vs 0% under norwood

 

[Gopherfan12]

fact check if you seriously believe that the AD as much to do with in state recruiting then you need to look at the facts which are that a very high% of in state kids offered by the gophs men's basketball coaches under Maturi signed with the gophs vs 0% under norwood

Norwood has been here for what 3 years?

 

[Sheldon Cooper]

fact check if you seriously believe that the AD as much to do with in state recruiting then you need to look at the facts which are that a very high% of in state kids offered by the gophs men's basketball coaches under Maturi signed with the gophs vs 0% under norwood

You understand that correlation does not imply causation, right?

 

[Winasota Gopher]

fact check if you seriously believe that the AD as much to do with in state recruiting then you need to look at the facts which are that a very high% of in state kids offered by the gophs men's basketball coaches under Maturi signed with the gophs vs 0% under norwood

Joey King and zach lofton don't count?

You're a terrible poster

 

[USTHoops]

One underrated guy that I wouldn't mind coming her I Sacar Anim from DeLaSalle. He excels in the fast break and is very athletic.

 

[GuyFawkes]

One underrated guy that I wouldn't mind coming her I Sacar Anim from DeLaSalle. He excels in the fast break and is very athletic.

+1, I'm a big fan of his, and feel like he is going to be that one kid we look back at and wish we had offered(if we don't). I do think his stock will skyrocket this year with Travis gone.

 

[Gopherfan12]

+1, I'm a big fan of his, and feel like he is going to be that one kid we look back at and wish we had offered(if we don't). I do think his stock will skyrocket this year with Travis gone.

I love the kids athleticism, but he's not that great of a jump shooter