Breaking Hoops Recruiting News: Texas Lands Elite Sophomore
by Peter Bean on Mar 4, 2008 2:30 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns Recruiting
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PrintThe Statesman is reporting that Texas has secured a commitment from the #5-ranked sophomore basketball player in the country - 6-8, 215 pound forward Tristan Thompson (St. Benedectine Prep, Newark, NJ)
"He’s a big Kevin Durant fan," said Ro Russell, Thompson’s AAU coach for the Grassroots Canada team. "And he was impressed by Rodney Terry and Rick Barnes."
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Check the scout list
5 of the top 10 sophomores are already committed!!
I was just about to create this diary
Big grab for Barnes. Excellent job by Terry. I'm excited for this bit 'o news, but also we must remember he's a sophomore. Lots of stuff can happen between now and his graduation. He will surely continue to be contacted by every other coach in the land, and he might even take some visits elsewhere. But it's nice to see some legacy left by KD, and the kid sounds solid in his word.
More good news from the rest of the article in that the Horns will be hosting 3 recruits Sunday: J'Covan Brown, Wesley Witherspoon (#56 senior), and Renardo Sidney (the #1 junior!!).
Ricky B raids the East Coast, again
About Thompson's game, a Newark blogger goes all Jay Bilas on us, saying Thompson is
an extremely long and athletic rebounder and shot blocker whose game is still developing, yet he appears to have a tremendous upside.
While it doesn't seem like Thompson scores much right now, the product of Canada plays on a loaded team under Bobby Hurley's brother Danny with two other top prospects: Samardo Samuels, 2009's no. 5 player (going to Louisville), and Greg Echenique of Venezuela. Only a sophomore, Thompson will benefit from the increase in competition from his days in Toronto while biding his time to be the star of the team.
Also per the Statesman, two more recruits, Wesley Witherspoon of 2009 (6-8, no. 56 senior) and Renardo Sidney (6-10, no. 1 junior) will make a visit to Austin on Sunday to watch the Okie State game. Interesting note on Sidney, as of his sophomore year (not sure about now), he didn't play on a high school team, only concerning himself with AAU ball because he likes to win "tournaments and rings and stuff like that." Hmm. Could this be a new trend and what impact will that have on high school basketball?
by ghostoftheplaymaker4 on Mar 4, 2008 3:06 PM CST reply actions
I love Rick Barnes
We will remain elite in years to come!
Sophmores?
The fact that 15-16 year old kids are recruited is offensive to me. I'm a huge sports fan, and I love Texas, and I understand this is just how things are. But at the age of 16, to tell a child (make no mistake, these are children) that they cannot do anything in their lives besides play basketball is horrendous. It attaches their entire self worth to what is essentially a game.
Given that this is the state of things today, I'm glad Texas is signing these recruits, but that 16 year old kids are already being treated like professional athletes is downright disgusting.
by pleaseplaykindle on Mar 4, 2008 3:15 PM CST reply actions
It sort of got to me too
and to these posters on the AAS article above:
"By S Young
March 4, 2008 2:10 PM
My son who just turned 6 also today committed to play for the horns in the 2020-2021 season . watch for Seth Young in the future!"
Followed by:
"By Robbie
March 4, 2008 2:59 PM
Sorry. But Rivals has listed 6-year old Seth Young as no better than a 2 star recruit. He is mostly likely destined for junior college on a Burger King scholarship."
I don't personally like the direction recruiting has taken but I'm sure it won't be reversed anytime soon.
horndude:HS recruiting::Horn Brain:DKR advertising
The more I think about it...
the worse I feel about this. A 15/16 year old just committed to college. Think about you at 15/16. Did you know how to make good decisions? Did you know where the best place for you would be? Definitely not. Now I'm not suggesting his parents were not involved here, but there was certainly more pressure on the child than any other child going to college.
Now, do you know that Texas Recruiting took into account this guy's life outside of basketball? Probably not. I'm not faulting Texas recruiting here, these things need to be done. But its the fault of our system that treats high school kids as commodities and does them a disservice.
Imagine if this guy comes to Texas and does not play well, for whatever reason. By recruiting him at 15/16, we tell him that his only value to anyone is his basketball ability. Is it fair to tell a child that? Is it fair to tell anyone that?
I don't have answers, I'm just irked. We make such a big deal about emphasizing graduation rates in collegiate athletic programs, yet we do nothing to address the underlying problem -- that student athletes are told from a young (and getting younger) age that the expectation that we have of them is to play a game well, or be ignored.
Lets see a teacher tell that to a student about Algebra and see what kind of lawsuits erupt.
by pleaseplaykindle on Mar 5, 2008 12:41 AM CST up reply actions
What kind of player is he?
A 6'8" forward. Does he play more like a PF or a SG? What's his skill set?
by goingforthecorner on Mar 4, 2008 3:36 PM CST reply actions
This is the first thing I think of...
...anytime the discussion of early recruiting comes up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy878...
Great news
Now that he knows his way to the East Coast, Barnes should keep going that direction to see if he can find a true center somewhere in Europe. It seems we no longer grow them in the US.
Not sure if you are being facetious
But Euro centers tend to be more in the mold of Connor Atchley than back to the basket players. Think Andrea Bargnan and Dirk Nowitzki types. The European game focuses less on traditional post moves but more on cross training all players so that everyone can dribble, shoot, and pass. There is less difference in tutoring for short and tall players, as opposed to the American game, which tries to teach players specific skills based on their height. The anomalies are the guys like Spencer Hawes and Joakin Noah, who were guards before they grew into seven footers. I think the different focus of the European game may be a result of preference or a function of the wider international lane, which doesn't allow a player to post up and hold position where the block would be in the American game.
by ghostoftheplaymaker4 on Mar 6, 2008 3:18 PM CST up reply actions
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