Well, if you want to be critical, Trent made a run at Demarcus Cousins. Went to AL to visit him a few times, and made mention of him on a radio show (so we know Trent cared enough). And, we can't say that he didn't have enough time, b/c Demarcus went with Kentucky after Cal went there. We could also potentially put Daniel Orton in that mix, b/c Trent was publicly after him as well. Noel Johnson wasn't a top 25 kid, but arguably was a pretty high profile recruit that was a near miss. Don't get me wrong, I don't think any of these kids were in Trent's sights long enough to really "chalk" them up as big losses, but make no bones about it, he WAS recruiting these kids. So, that's what makes me say what I did, which is so far, Trent hasn't turned a "premier" kid on to LSU. That said, it's also fair to say that none of these kids were LA kids--if that's your criteria for "obtainable" top flight signings. If we give Brady (Pierre) credit for his McDAAs, they were largely (if not exclusively) local products (Swift, Bass, Davis, T Mitchell--the only "find" was Thomas). So far, Trent hasn't had the benefit of his LA kids being the top 20-30 kind of kid--but he has clearly zeroed in on his top LA targets and landed them (so far, is that really only Ludwig and Derenbecker (throw Malcolm White in for measure)). So, when 2012 rolls around, Trent and staff would have had enough time to develop relationships, would have had a couple of key N.O. signings (courtesy of the Country Day kids), and also would have developed consistency in the program. Certainly, Gathers and the Fab 5 will have a good reason to pick LSU. The question still obviously remains will they?
do gallon and mason-griffin count? i cant remember, were they out of the picture completely by the time ctj got here, or were they waiting to see who lsu hired? what about that russian kid? nata____. not top 25?
Rightie-o, Gumbo. If you wanted to be a hard-ass, I'd say losing Tommy Mason-Griffin was probably a slight on Trent. He was committed to LSU, but chose to re-open his recruitment and went to Oklahoma. TMG was a McD AA, but was never a top 25 kid, probably more like a top 40-50 kid. Keith Gallon was never that far along with LSU, BUT was a friend of TMG's, so if TMG would have stayed committed, we might have been in on Gallon--but that's too speculative to count against CTJ. I'd honestly say, you add J'Mison Morgan (top 40-50 also) to this list before Gallon. This was a kid who was also committed but chose to go the other way, with CTJ as head man. Kryrl Natyazhko (or whatever), was recruited by Trent, but never took a visit. You could say the same about Deshonte Riley. But, neither of them were top 25, they were more like top 75. Now, of course, hindsight is 20-20 and we don't know how much of these kids falling off the radar may have been due to Trent himself. Folks like Natyahko and Riley may not have been super high priorities of Trent. Also, to be fair, TMG, Gallon and Morgan, fall into the camp of kids switching when the guys they recruited are no longer there--more often than not, kids want to change their vote when their coach is no longer there. Even coach Cal had some of that happen to him when Billy G left. Although again (but know that I don't hold any of this against Trent, just calling a spade a spade), Coach Cal brought in the #1 class in a matter of weeks. Sean Miller has had an immediate impact at Arizona (signed Natyazkho among others). Crean did pretty well at Indiana (although, you've got to ask yourself, is it the school recruiting or the coach?). To counter that, it's taken Kevin O'Neill, Mark Fox, Tony Bennett Jr, and Anthony Grant, longer to establish a hold at USC, GA, Virginia and Alabama--so it's not like every coach/school has that kind of recruiting pull. I think though, that if Trent would have kept TMG and Morgan, imagine where LSU might be right now. Of course, Morgan did squat at UCLA, and I had called him out as overrated. Tommy Mason Griffin is who I regret not landing.
Unfortunately, not a lot at the "Showcase" to report as it pertains to LSU. The final showcased teams did not include the Louisiana team or any LSU prospects. But, there wer also tourneys in Vegas at the same time, and LSU is mentioned by Louisiana Future AAU Team's Shavon Coleman. He is starting to get some buzz and is definitely in LSU's sights. He's also quietly snuck up to 127 on Rivals 150 list for 2010... Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting - Vegas: Mitchell continues to rise No LSU offer yet? :huh: Presumably b/c of Ralston Turner...
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting - Nationals gets going in Orlando Article has a little tid bit about R. Turner... The more I hear the more i like this guy!
In addition to Ralston getting some pub, LSU commit Matt Derenbecker is being shown the love after a productive July AAU circuit showing... http://lsu.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=969719 Expect Rivals at least to move Matt up on their lists. What's interesting about the team being assembled, is also what choices CTJ and staff are making in terms of the team they're trying to build. You compare that to what clearly was Brady's (and really, we're finding out more and more that it was Butch's) recruiting strategy, and you see Butch's preference for "athletes" vs Trent's preference for "basketball players". Butch and Brady clearly prioritized the athleticism to compete in the SEC. Even now, Oklahoma State (Butch) prioritized Markel Brown (super athletic slasher) and Brian Williams (versatile, athletic SF), while Trent chose to focus on Derenbecker (skilled, "solid" shooter). Ralston Turner also would be by most accounts a well-decorated Alabama player with decent physical stature (prototypical 6'5" guard) but more known for his shooting, consistent mid-range game, than his hops or athleticism. Will smart, fundamentally sound, if not blazingly athletic, kids compete well against the speed and quickness of the SEC? Only time and success will tell. But, a very quick PG in Stringer, surrounded by smart, good-shooting wings, and rangy, lean big men (in Harris, Courtney, Green, White, Warren), has the making of a much different kind of team than past LSU teams. It's gonna be exciting! :thumb: :geauxtige:geauxtige:geauxtige
not necessarily if they have a high quality teacher like CTJ, and are high IQ players receptive to that coaching. while the kids with hops to jump thru the roof are exciting (i.e. TThomas), and produce that instant gratification, give me a team with smarts, effort, and decent athleticism any day of the week. i believe CTJ will get the results, short and long term with the class he is assembling. in the infamous words of Justin Wilson, I guaroontee it.
You also forgot, a team that doesn't make mistakes (perhaps thats smarts to some degree). That was something that Matt emphasized in his quotes about Trent teams. You give me a team that doesn't make stupid turnovers, follows coaches orders and plays within a system and often times the system will over come an overly athletic team which doesn't have the discipline to play against that. We certainly saw that as an achilles heel of Brady teams probably in a few losses every season. Now, you have to have the balance of good enough, talented athletes AND that smarts and discipline, but I think that's what Trent is shooting for.
Ok, take this for what it's worth (and who it's coming from), but Dandy Don reports today that Trent expects two official visits from recruits this weekend, including noneother than Andre Springer (DD means Stringer of course :hihi. Dandydon reports that there will be two recruits in, and doesn't name the second kid... could be Courtney and Stringer, could be Derenbecker, or some completely new kid? Anyway, be on the look out on campus folks! This is a surprise since it was last reported that Stringer wouldn't be to LSU until a home football game. If true, I wonder if Trent is getting his game on and just trying to close on his kids. It would be very nice to do that and not leave a kid like Stringer with the likes of Bruce Pearl (i.e., jilted by Selby) and other programs circling and zero-ing in on a much needed PG. Stringer was my next highest priority in terms of dominoes to fall :thumb:
