I guess the hard part about this logic (and, I'll be clear, if this was something that Trent and staff drove, I will trust their judgement until they give me reason not to) is that according to that list anyway, Galloway and Williams were both higher rated targets than Ralston Turner (of course, many scouting reports have Turner higher). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, and perhaps Trent has a good feel for why Turner might fit better. But, the flipside to this is that Trent also said he'd try to build around LA players, and if his staff deemphasized that, perhaps there's a problem, or at least a change in direction.

In any case, this is just one of those ever hard issues--is it the coach's jobs to sell the players and create the "want to", or is it the player's jobs to like the schools and go somewhere they feel comfortable. I think the hard part of this is clearly, you'd like to put that "wall" around LA recruits in basketball like you do for football and baseball--although that may be a little unrealistic in hoops.

Derenbecker, if he was the LA priority, will have to make that choice as well soon. Does a kid have an "obligation" to go to the home state school, to play not only for him but for his community? That's really the question for these kids.

http://lsu.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=960230

Matt says in this newest article that LSU has "sold him enough" and that he knows what he's getting with Trent and LSU. But, despite this, he's looking at LSU, Stanford, Georgetown and Georgia Tech, with Virginia now perhaps entering the mix. When a kid like this makes a call to go to a school like Stanford or Virginia, is that worse than Galloway, Brown or Williams making the call to leave?

Yeah, there are some like ESPN that have Turner ranked a lot higher. Obviously, Johnson is one of them.

As for building around LA players. We already have a commit from the top player in 2011 in John Isaac. The key will be what happens with the Fab Five in New Orleans in 2012.

I think this is TJ's plan from what I can tell. Grab the three guys I mentioned along with Courtney for 2010. Sign Isaac and a big man in 2011. Then go after the Fab Five in 2012. We should have a ton of open scholarships in 2012 as quite a few graduate that year.

I'm pretty confident in Derenbecker this year, despite him having those other good alternatives that you spoke of. Stringer and Turner will be the questions.

Who in the heck is the Fab five for 2012?

I think you are right... that is the plan, now the question is can CTJ execute on that plan. Soon after the season, the "plan" seemed to circle alot around Langston G, as well. So, missing on him has some folks starting to publicize the idea that perhaps LSU is missing a step here and there.

See the Advocate: 2theadvocate.com | Sports | Laney: Tigers miss out in early basketball recruiting — Baton Rouge, LA

Let's hope that Courtney's commitment continues to play in the mind of Stringer, and that Ludwig's presence plays in the mind of Derenbecker--I think in both cases, it's going to be very important. I get the feeling now, tempering expectations, that nothing is guaranteed. You'd like LSU, Trent and staff, the promise of our program to be enough to recruit in itself, but clearly there are still kids that either need constant convincing or aren't convinced.

As for the "Fab Five", I know the anchor is Ricardo Gathers (6'6" big man PF) --there are several others in a pretty deep class in 2012. But, my worry is that was what was said about 2010. The interesting thing is that often times a class of fairly good player from the same state or region has to have the right chemistry to work out. For example, I had always theorized that recruiting Galloway, Williams and Derenbrecker on paper was an interesting call--although they play AAU ball together, is there natural competition between them all? For 2006, it worked for us b/c you've got Temple, Tas, Tyrus and Glen all in essentially different spots and having a very tight knit support network. If there's any shot at 2012's "Fab Five" signing, you've got to hope that inherently those kids WANT to play together, which I have no idea on. Others closer to the scene would. At this stage, I'd be happy with signing a Fab 3.... Look, I also don't fault Trent for what he did... at some level, you have to identify the LA kids that you believe fit your program and deserve an offer--he made offers to all of these kids. It's then in those kid's hands to decide if they want to play for LSU, play for the flagship school in their home state. No one seems to be pointing the fingers at these kids for wanting not to do this. :dis:

FWIW, I do think a class of Stringer, Turner, Derenbecker and Courtney would be a tremendous class, and a class that fit well together--the penetrating quick PG that Trent likes, the two talented bombers from the wing, and a hard working, blue collar man down low. Hopefully, they all realize what a great class and program they can be a part of. We have to see as well, how the landscape shifts between now and signing period, b/c it always does. :geauxtige:geauxtige:geauxtige

Ya gotta remember that it takes more than a couple of seasons to build a basketball program...ask Dale Brown. He didn't recruit Maklin and Scales and Hi C his first coupla seasons. I know Brown was starting a program from a deeper hole than coach TJ, and it's difficult to compare eras but I still believe in being patient. Trent Johnson will deliver...in time.

Good point--let's not get ahead of ourselves, right? :wink:

Of course, when you talk about a rebuilding/transition effort, you also don't expect that coach to win the SEC Championship. You also get bombarded with news of folks like John Calipari, Sean Miller, and the like lighting up the recruiting news and they have yet to even play. So, it's hard to temper expectations.

Certainly, I'm going to give CTJ the benefit of the doubt for a few more years. He's already done so much for the program that go beyond what the former regime did (i.e., attendance boost, raised the respectability/credibility, etc.). We just have to have faith that this translates into more kids wanting to be a part of what he's preaching.

New Orleans' version of the Fab Five making an impact on local high school basketball scene - Sports - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com

Link about the New Orleans Fab Five referred to earlier in this thread.

Well, Galloway/Williams aren't the caliber of recruits that Davis, Bass, Mitchell, etc were. Brady was the luckiest man alive to have those types of players in Baton Rouge in a couple year period, it saved his job for a few years.

It was a pretty dumb article by theAdvocate. Why can't LSU recruit against Alabama for a player from Mississippi like Stringer? They didn't do enough research.

I understand the concern that you have. I am just willing to give Trent the benefit of the doubt at this point. He is the one who talks to Stringer and Turner a lot, so he knows if we're in good shape with them.

Noel Johnson was a totally different animal. It is always going to be much harder to get a kid like that from Atlanta, when he has ACC schools that he lives even closer to.

Wow, Coach Trent needs to be all over those kids and their coaches to make sure they have the acadmics as well. Some of it reminds me of Colis Temple, Sr. with his son and big baby. A lot can happen between now and their senior year.

This is what I was referring to when I mentioned it takes time to build a pipeline. Lots of personal relationships have to be forged in order to overcome the glamour of the ACC and UCLA, USC etc.

Personal relationships with parents and coaches is what Dale Brown was great at. (Coach Les Miles also...in football.)

Thanks for the link. Great article.

Yes, I do think that Trent caught on very early, and made it a point to visit with coaches from Reserve and St. Augustine. The word is that Trent made a good impression and was much better regarded that the former HC. But, time will tell--I hope we see something developing with Ludwig and Derenbecker (Ludwig represents a pretty big signing in that respect--first N.O. signing in a while). The "Fab Five" certainly sets up nicely for the future, especially if we end up getting a good number of players in 2010, b/c there will be seniors leaving and the 2010 class will be juniors. 2011 has only a few spots to fill.

It's hard to say how many of these Fab 5 will still be "fab" when they get to seniors, but it's clear that Gathers, Felix and London would be huge pick ups, if Trent can maintain that pipeline. Trent's staff would be smart to start working N.O. constantly, as that was NOT one of Butch's strong spots--he was better able to recruit B.R.