Fresh: The Top Recruits and Their Playing Time
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 10:01 am
Scoring, rebounding, team play – these things are all very important to success in college basketball. But perhaps the most important thing of all is recruiting. Without recruiting, none of the above is possible. Coaches need to scour the country for the best high school talent and use anything at their disposal to convince teenagers to dedicate the next few years of their lives to a college program.
However, there seems to be a contradiction in recruiting and the actual college season. When coaches are telling these young men that they will be the face of the program and their talent will take the team to the next level. But in their freshman year, these prime talents struggle to find playing time. Last year #2 pick Jeffrey Duren scored 5.3 points a game in limited time despite having better attributes than the starter, 1st Team All American William Sullivan. The third pick, Harland Ellinger out of Oklahoma State, is currently averaging 11 points a game off the bench for the Magic, which is more than he scored in college after riding the bench.
Clearly these players are talented enough to impress scouts and become high draft picks, but college coaches are stubborn. With that in mind, I wanted to look at the top 10 recruiting classes in PCBA and see how the touted freshmen from those classes are playing, if they’re getting decent playing time, and if it will likely affect their draft position.
1. Syracuse
Rating: *****
Best Player: Lyman Diaz
The defending champion Orangemen had a stacked class of young men who could be PBSL players sooner rather than later. Headlining the class is Lyman Diaz, a young man out on Pennsylvania who is already a great passer and defender and projects to be a good shooter and rebounder as well. However, we have seen none of that so far, because Lyman has yet to see a minute of action in ten Syracuse games due to an academic suspension that is finishing up now. It should be noted, however, that two of their five freshmen are starting: Thomas Jones and Kintan Leonard. So at least some freshmen are getting trust on this team. Leonard is delivering as well, although his size and lack of speed leaves his pro prospects limited.
2. UCLA
Rating: *****
Best Player: George Langevin
The 25th ranked Bruins brought in an astonishing seven freshmen this year, and they are starting two of them. Among the starters is their blue chip prospect George Langevin, a 6'10 power forward who will likely have to play at C at the next level. The other top prospect, Kurt Kelly, has the size and athleticism to be a decent SF in the league and is getting 25 minutes a game to prove that, though right now he has not done much proving.
3. Duke
Rating: *****
Best Player: Albert Meadows
The Duke Blue Devils are roaring through the start of the season, and like UCLA they have large contributions from two freshman to thank for it. Star recruit Albert Meadows is showing his already potent jump shot and decent perimeter defense, as he is averaging 14 points on decent shooting. Every other freshman on the team is getting minutes, although only Arthur Hardie is producing much, and his quickness and 6'8 frame does not bode well for advancing to the next level. It is interesting to note that Jarvis Chambers, last year's #4 recruit, is performing only marginally better than he did last year in more minutes.
4. Texas A&M
Rating: *****
Best Player: Hernando Medina
Gone is Duren, gone is Sullivan, and gone is the #1 ranking. These Aggies are not the same as last year, and perhaps coach Abel Pollard is justified in last year's decision to bench Duren: the team is 8-4 this year with top recruit Hernando Medina leading the charge at point guard. While Medina is an intriguing prospect at the pro level, he hasn't been able to make this team live up to expectations as of yet. Bill Wilson, the freshman recruited to step into William Sullivan's spot, is averaging 12 points a game but his professional prospects are in question. Perhaps the saddest story here is freshman Phil Johnson, who started the first game of the season and promptly dislocated his patella. Thanks to a loophole he was able to redshirt the year, but it was a quick end to what could have been an impressive one-and-done campaign.
5. Cincinnati
Rating: *****
Best Player: Sean Meissner
The Bearcats are ranked 16th in the country, a far cry from their dominance last year. In order to get back to that, they believe in relying on their upperclassmen and sophomores to get the job done. They are only starting one freshman, the point guard John Twigg. Twigg, an intriguing passing prospect like his predecessor (2013 Player of the Year Kevin Carr) is averaging 11 and 4 in the playmaker spot. Top recruit Sean Meissner has not seem the floor nearly as much, only scoring 32 points in his 5.7 minutes per game this year. Perhaps he has not impressed his coach yet, but his potentials and decent athleticism make him an intriguing professional prospect.
6. Stanford
Rating: *****
Best Player: Vernon Desantis
The 3rd ranked Cardinal only brought in four freshmen this year, but it was quality over quantity that caused their recruiting class to make the top 10. But of the four freshman, two have not seen a minute of action with no explanation, and one is going to miss the next month with an academic suspension. Vernon Desantis, though, has made up for the others with his extended minutes, his ferocious play in the middle, and his intriguing potential. Tons of pro teams are going to line up for an already elite inside scorer who can see the floor, pass, and protect the rim.
7. Kansas
Rating: *****
Best Player: Roscoe Diggs
The Jayhawks also brought in four freshmen, and although James Ellis missed the first month with an academic suspension, the others have seen their share of playing time. For top prospect Roscoe Diggs, he probably feels that 17 minutes a game isn't enough for a scorer of his talents. However, he has made the most of those minutes, scoring 10ppg off the bench and wowing scouts with his offensive prowess. None of the other freshmen look to be one-and-done stars, but Kendall Thompson may eventually develop into a decent player on the college level.
8. Oregon State
Rating: *****
Best Player: Emilien Lorfeuve
Making the top 10 is very promising for Alvaro Bailey, as the northwest sometimes struggles to attract prime basketball talent. But just because he got all that talent doesn't mean he's actually grateful for it. None of his freshmen have become huge contributors to this 9-2 season. Emilien Lorfeuve is the closest, and you have to imagine that his size, athleticism, and offensive potential will influence him to declare for the PBSL Draft after this season.
9. Butler
Rating: ****
Best Player: Nicholas Anderson
With only four freshmen, the best of which only a 4 star recruit, and none averaging more than 21 minutes a game, it's hard to see why this class cracked the top 10. Even Nicholas Anderson, their best recruit, doesn't have intriguing potential and hasn't played a minute due to an academic suspension (sensing a trend here?) Their best prospect for the next level may be David Coughlin, an undersized center who projects to be a good two-way player.
10. Connecticut
Rating: *****
Best Player: Johnathon Askins
Connecticut may be the worst of the top 10 in terms of its freshmen contributions. They only recruited three freshmen. One has only palyed two minutes in two games. One has averaged less than four minutes a game and has virtually no shot of making it in the PBSL. And their best young player, Johnathon Askins, appears to be undersized and underskilled and can't crack the main rotation. The Huskies are playing well enough behind Damien Jeske's top play that things probably won't change any time soon.
****
Of the top 10 recruiting classes, half are not getting positive contribution from their star recruits. The premise of waiting your turn makes sense, but in a world where one-and-done is the norm, it doesn't make sense to make your best players rot away at the bench and possibly tank their draft position. Hopefully these young players get a better chance to show their skills as time goes on.
However, there seems to be a contradiction in recruiting and the actual college season. When coaches are telling these young men that they will be the face of the program and their talent will take the team to the next level. But in their freshman year, these prime talents struggle to find playing time. Last year #2 pick Jeffrey Duren scored 5.3 points a game in limited time despite having better attributes than the starter, 1st Team All American William Sullivan. The third pick, Harland Ellinger out of Oklahoma State, is currently averaging 11 points a game off the bench for the Magic, which is more than he scored in college after riding the bench.
Clearly these players are talented enough to impress scouts and become high draft picks, but college coaches are stubborn. With that in mind, I wanted to look at the top 10 recruiting classes in PCBA and see how the touted freshmen from those classes are playing, if they’re getting decent playing time, and if it will likely affect their draft position.
1. Syracuse
Rating: *****
Best Player: Lyman Diaz
The defending champion Orangemen had a stacked class of young men who could be PBSL players sooner rather than later. Headlining the class is Lyman Diaz, a young man out on Pennsylvania who is already a great passer and defender and projects to be a good shooter and rebounder as well. However, we have seen none of that so far, because Lyman has yet to see a minute of action in ten Syracuse games due to an academic suspension that is finishing up now. It should be noted, however, that two of their five freshmen are starting: Thomas Jones and Kintan Leonard. So at least some freshmen are getting trust on this team. Leonard is delivering as well, although his size and lack of speed leaves his pro prospects limited.
2. UCLA
Rating: *****
Best Player: George Langevin
The 25th ranked Bruins brought in an astonishing seven freshmen this year, and they are starting two of them. Among the starters is their blue chip prospect George Langevin, a 6'10 power forward who will likely have to play at C at the next level. The other top prospect, Kurt Kelly, has the size and athleticism to be a decent SF in the league and is getting 25 minutes a game to prove that, though right now he has not done much proving.
3. Duke
Rating: *****
Best Player: Albert Meadows
The Duke Blue Devils are roaring through the start of the season, and like UCLA they have large contributions from two freshman to thank for it. Star recruit Albert Meadows is showing his already potent jump shot and decent perimeter defense, as he is averaging 14 points on decent shooting. Every other freshman on the team is getting minutes, although only Arthur Hardie is producing much, and his quickness and 6'8 frame does not bode well for advancing to the next level. It is interesting to note that Jarvis Chambers, last year's #4 recruit, is performing only marginally better than he did last year in more minutes.
4. Texas A&M
Rating: *****
Best Player: Hernando Medina
Gone is Duren, gone is Sullivan, and gone is the #1 ranking. These Aggies are not the same as last year, and perhaps coach Abel Pollard is justified in last year's decision to bench Duren: the team is 8-4 this year with top recruit Hernando Medina leading the charge at point guard. While Medina is an intriguing prospect at the pro level, he hasn't been able to make this team live up to expectations as of yet. Bill Wilson, the freshman recruited to step into William Sullivan's spot, is averaging 12 points a game but his professional prospects are in question. Perhaps the saddest story here is freshman Phil Johnson, who started the first game of the season and promptly dislocated his patella. Thanks to a loophole he was able to redshirt the year, but it was a quick end to what could have been an impressive one-and-done campaign.
5. Cincinnati
Rating: *****
Best Player: Sean Meissner
The Bearcats are ranked 16th in the country, a far cry from their dominance last year. In order to get back to that, they believe in relying on their upperclassmen and sophomores to get the job done. They are only starting one freshman, the point guard John Twigg. Twigg, an intriguing passing prospect like his predecessor (2013 Player of the Year Kevin Carr) is averaging 11 and 4 in the playmaker spot. Top recruit Sean Meissner has not seem the floor nearly as much, only scoring 32 points in his 5.7 minutes per game this year. Perhaps he has not impressed his coach yet, but his potentials and decent athleticism make him an intriguing professional prospect.
6. Stanford
Rating: *****
Best Player: Vernon Desantis
The 3rd ranked Cardinal only brought in four freshmen this year, but it was quality over quantity that caused their recruiting class to make the top 10. But of the four freshman, two have not seen a minute of action with no explanation, and one is going to miss the next month with an academic suspension. Vernon Desantis, though, has made up for the others with his extended minutes, his ferocious play in the middle, and his intriguing potential. Tons of pro teams are going to line up for an already elite inside scorer who can see the floor, pass, and protect the rim.
7. Kansas
Rating: *****
Best Player: Roscoe Diggs
The Jayhawks also brought in four freshmen, and although James Ellis missed the first month with an academic suspension, the others have seen their share of playing time. For top prospect Roscoe Diggs, he probably feels that 17 minutes a game isn't enough for a scorer of his talents. However, he has made the most of those minutes, scoring 10ppg off the bench and wowing scouts with his offensive prowess. None of the other freshmen look to be one-and-done stars, but Kendall Thompson may eventually develop into a decent player on the college level.
8. Oregon State
Rating: *****
Best Player: Emilien Lorfeuve
Making the top 10 is very promising for Alvaro Bailey, as the northwest sometimes struggles to attract prime basketball talent. But just because he got all that talent doesn't mean he's actually grateful for it. None of his freshmen have become huge contributors to this 9-2 season. Emilien Lorfeuve is the closest, and you have to imagine that his size, athleticism, and offensive potential will influence him to declare for the PBSL Draft after this season.
9. Butler
Rating: ****
Best Player: Nicholas Anderson
With only four freshmen, the best of which only a 4 star recruit, and none averaging more than 21 minutes a game, it's hard to see why this class cracked the top 10. Even Nicholas Anderson, their best recruit, doesn't have intriguing potential and hasn't played a minute due to an academic suspension (sensing a trend here?) Their best prospect for the next level may be David Coughlin, an undersized center who projects to be a good two-way player.
10. Connecticut
Rating: *****
Best Player: Johnathon Askins
Connecticut may be the worst of the top 10 in terms of its freshmen contributions. They only recruited three freshmen. One has only palyed two minutes in two games. One has averaged less than four minutes a game and has virtually no shot of making it in the PBSL. And their best young player, Johnathon Askins, appears to be undersized and underskilled and can't crack the main rotation. The Huskies are playing well enough behind Damien Jeske's top play that things probably won't change any time soon.
****
Of the top 10 recruiting classes, half are not getting positive contribution from their star recruits. The premise of waiting your turn makes sense, but in a world where one-and-done is the norm, it doesn't make sense to make your best players rot away at the bench and possibly tank their draft position. Hopefully these young players get a better chance to show their skills as time goes on.