Darner and Company recruiting to date
Aug 13, 2015 11:18:37 GMT -6
gbbrl97, stillaphoenixphan, and 1 more like this
Post by thetulsawarrior on Aug 13, 2015 11:18:37 GMT -6
I posted this on May 22nd and wanted to do some footnotes:
Since the dust seems to have settled on the Nix coaching change and at least four new recruits are on board I think it’s fair to ask this question. How does the revamped recruiting class compare to the one that left with Wardle and Company’s departure? This is intended not to knock those who bailed on GB but rather an evaluation of where the Nix are heading into the future.
Antoine Pittman looked like an immediate impact player for Green Bay and an ideal Darner type player. The problem was he had no prior relationship with the new Nix coach. The new staff did pick up JUCO Charles Cooper who has 30 pounds on Pittman and several years of college ball under his belt. Pittman will be good for Bradley University but Cooper looks to have a bigger impact in 2015-16. Will Cooper make up for Pittman and GB transfer Daeshon Francis? We’ll see. (Sure wish Francis would have stayed on board)
Joel Okafor seemed to be Green Bay’s point guard of the future. He’s an athletic true point who appears to be a late riser who is working on his offensive game. Anthony and Avery Brown should offer a unique chemistry and more backcourt depth.
Wardle signed a project big man in Julian Torres, a 6-9, 240 pounder who opted out of his GB LOI in favor of Illinois-Chicago. It will be a few years to assess the defection. Darner has at least a year to find a true post space eater type. Returning players Kenneth Lowe and Karem Kanter have the role covered. Does anyone know what’s up with Henry Uwadiae?
JUCO recruit, Jamar Hurdle is listed at 6-7. His physical build is closer to graduated Greg Mays and Alonzo McKinnie than Torres. Hurdle will clearly help more in the coming season than anything we would have seen from Torres.
To date, on paper the transition from Wardle’s recruits to Darner’s looks to be a draw at worst. For immediate impact I’d favor Darner’s group. The reliance on two JUCO recruits is pragmatism. It does present an overload junior dominated team in the coming season. That buys time to build relationships with high school and prep players. As the transition goes into year two I think we may see one or two additional transfers (into the program) or JUCO players to help even the classes out.
The GB staff has been able to replace Torres with Merrill native David Jesperson. Torres did not figure to be a major contributor in 2015-16. Jesperson's addition and the fact that he will have to sit out as a transfer means the end impact on the Nix program remains to be seen. Jesperson didn't do much at Pepperdine University but a change of scenery should help plus that extra year to work his way into Darner's system should not be underrated. Jesperson's shooting range and skill set is already better than Torres. Torres figures to be an inside banger in college. Jesperson comes from a great family and adding a recruit from northern Wisconsin should help with strengthening contacts for the future.
Yesterday's verbal commit from Kameron Hankerson adds another athletic player to Darner's recruits. While Jesperson is an average athlete with skill -- all the other recruits are well above average athletes. With the addition of the Brown twins, the two JUCO recruits and Jesperson I think Darner has pulled off a rare transition for a division one program. This recruiting class is better than what Wardle was set to bring in. New coaches normally are setback at least one recruiting class in the transition. Now it's time to see what Darner does with the returning and new players. Even before Wardle left it looked like the 2015-16 season would not measure up to the previous two seasons.
Since the dust seems to have settled on the Nix coaching change and at least four new recruits are on board I think it’s fair to ask this question. How does the revamped recruiting class compare to the one that left with Wardle and Company’s departure? This is intended not to knock those who bailed on GB but rather an evaluation of where the Nix are heading into the future.
Antoine Pittman looked like an immediate impact player for Green Bay and an ideal Darner type player. The problem was he had no prior relationship with the new Nix coach. The new staff did pick up JUCO Charles Cooper who has 30 pounds on Pittman and several years of college ball under his belt. Pittman will be good for Bradley University but Cooper looks to have a bigger impact in 2015-16. Will Cooper make up for Pittman and GB transfer Daeshon Francis? We’ll see. (Sure wish Francis would have stayed on board)
Joel Okafor seemed to be Green Bay’s point guard of the future. He’s an athletic true point who appears to be a late riser who is working on his offensive game. Anthony and Avery Brown should offer a unique chemistry and more backcourt depth.
Wardle signed a project big man in Julian Torres, a 6-9, 240 pounder who opted out of his GB LOI in favor of Illinois-Chicago. It will be a few years to assess the defection. Darner has at least a year to find a true post space eater type. Returning players Kenneth Lowe and Karem Kanter have the role covered. Does anyone know what’s up with Henry Uwadiae?
JUCO recruit, Jamar Hurdle is listed at 6-7. His physical build is closer to graduated Greg Mays and Alonzo McKinnie than Torres. Hurdle will clearly help more in the coming season than anything we would have seen from Torres.
To date, on paper the transition from Wardle’s recruits to Darner’s looks to be a draw at worst. For immediate impact I’d favor Darner’s group. The reliance on two JUCO recruits is pragmatism. It does present an overload junior dominated team in the coming season. That buys time to build relationships with high school and prep players. As the transition goes into year two I think we may see one or two additional transfers (into the program) or JUCO players to help even the classes out.
The GB staff has been able to replace Torres with Merrill native David Jesperson. Torres did not figure to be a major contributor in 2015-16. Jesperson's addition and the fact that he will have to sit out as a transfer means the end impact on the Nix program remains to be seen. Jesperson didn't do much at Pepperdine University but a change of scenery should help plus that extra year to work his way into Darner's system should not be underrated. Jesperson's shooting range and skill set is already better than Torres. Torres figures to be an inside banger in college. Jesperson comes from a great family and adding a recruit from northern Wisconsin should help with strengthening contacts for the future.
Yesterday's verbal commit from Kameron Hankerson adds another athletic player to Darner's recruits. While Jesperson is an average athlete with skill -- all the other recruits are well above average athletes. With the addition of the Brown twins, the two JUCO recruits and Jesperson I think Darner has pulled off a rare transition for a division one program. This recruiting class is better than what Wardle was set to bring in. New coaches normally are setback at least one recruiting class in the transition. Now it's time to see what Darner does with the returning and new players. Even before Wardle left it looked like the 2015-16 season would not measure up to the previous two seasons.