Matt Gramling to Army

[tropicalshox]

The 6-3 combo guard from San Antonio, Texas (Macarthur) has the interest of the Shockers. Army has offered and other schools with interest are Bucknell and Southern Methodist. TexasHoops has him at #59 for the class of 2012.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1156098

[wushock]

59th in state and recruited by Army. That ought to get us in the NCAA

[Ricardo del Rio]

Re: Matt Gramling Class of 2012

The 6-3 combo guard from San Antonio, Texas (Macarthur) has the interest of the Shockers. Army has offered and other schools with interest are Bucknell and Southern Methodist. TexasHoops has him at #59 for the class of 2012.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1156098

Great 3 ball shooter? Probably.

[pinstripers]

Maybe, but I'm gonna go with.....long and athletic, gets to the rim with ease.

[WSUwatcher]

Hmmm...

59th in state and recruited by Army. That ought to get us in the NCAA

The usual carping...

If you don't like Army, focus on Bucknell. Some people in Lawrence certainly remember them.

[Aargh]

In baseball recruiting there's always this question: "But can he hit a D1 curve ball"?

Maybe we need to start asking if perimeter recruits can stop dribble penetration before the layup is in the air.

[tropicalshox]

His brother goes to Army and Matt says it would be a perfect fit for him. Sure sounds like he will end up there. He also has an offer from UT-Arlington.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?highlight=wichita&CID=1190373

[shoxlax]

There are kids within a ten minute drive from our campus that play the same position that I think I would rather have.

[Good News]

I went to his playoff game last night - I have some notes that I'll try to add sometime today. Kid is a player, I can understand why he's getting a look.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/high_school/high_school_boys_basketball/article/Guard-s-clutch-layup-lets-Mac-edge-Judson-in-OT-1026045.php

[tropicalshox]

He's known as the best point guard in San Antonio. He must have some skills.

[SubGod22]

There are kids within a ten minute drive from our campus that play the same position that I think I would rather have.

And who would those kids be? I can only think of one in the City League but wasn't overly impressed with his game or demeanor in the game I worked. And that was the kid from East.

[shoxlax]

There are kids within a ten minute drive from our campus that play the same position that I think I would rather have.

And who would those kids be? I can only think of one in the City League but wasn't overly impressed with his game or demeanor in the game I worked. And that was the kid from East.

Buddy Hield from Sunrise for one. Nathan Jackson from East is another although he is not really a combo guard, so I stand corrected there.

Now, I must admit I have never seen this kid from San Antonio play. I just think really highly of the two local guys.

[SubGod22]

I'm not familiar with Hield. I don't recall Jackson standing out much which isn't good or bad in my mind. I wasn't there to scout talent.

[tropicalshox]

Pretty slim pickens for available HS point guards this spring. Hield of course is 2012. If we are going to add a pg, good chance it will come from a prep school or juco IMO.

[Good News]

Background – MacArthur plays 5A ball, which is the largest classification in the state. His school is in the 2500-3000 enrollment range, but there are high schools elsewhere in the state that are significantly larger. The opponent last night, Judson, is a football school known for producing state championships and NFL players, but had a very solid and athletic team on the floor. It’s the playoffs, so there are no bad teams. Relatively and mathematically speaking, I’d say the district level is right around the level of the final 8 6A teams in Kansas (the San Antonio-Austin corridor has a 3.5M+ population, there are approximately 250 5A schools in the state, and the enrollment cutoff for 5A is around 2100).


Main thoughts, in order of importance:

• Excellent ball handling skills. Ball on a string and is completely comfortable behind the back, between the legs, and in transition. In comparison to this Shocker team, I’d say only Ragland has as good or better handle right now (note that I’m saying handle, not PG skills). Got picked once, but it was a great defensive play. Little to no wasted movement, dribbling, or unnecessary flash. Good job of looking everywhere for the next pass. Appears to be a mentally complete player, very active, looking to do “little things” while still being capable of “big things”.

• Of the ~10-12 times he decided to drive, I might have seen his man stay in front of him once. Every other time ended in a layup, good shot, assist in traffic, free throws, or pass/assist to the perimeter. Quick first step, crossover both ways is polished and effective against equal/superior athletic ability. At the end of the first overtime, the other team got a lucky bounce on a 3 to tie it up, then went man press with their best player on him. Gramling took the ball at ¾ court, broke his man down at half court, got around him, split two defenders in the lane, and laid it in for the lead.

• Those first 2 points are why I think he’s getting – and will continue to get - D1 interest. The rest are just notes.

• Seemed to be clutch and poised. Hit a huge 3 in the 2nd half when they needed it. Took over primary PG duties (they have a 5’8” lightning-quick senior that’s a natural point guard and can’t play anywhere else that got in foul trouble) and made the team better. His play at the end of regulation and OT speaks for itself. Got sent to the deck pretty hard on a 3, popped up quick and hit all 3 FTs.

• Played all 40 minutes of regulation and overtime, with no dropoff in energy.

• Solid physical build for a kid his age. Speed and leaping ability easily satisfactory for the next level. I don’t want the whole board to go bonkers, but it’s not difficult to see him end up looking like Hatch, or at least Bryan Mullins, assuming he’s still got some growth left in him. Some people may not be huge fans of Hatch, but we’d be in a pretty good spot with true point guard skills in that size guy.

• On D - they played a matchup 3-2 zone most of the game so I didn’t get to see as much of his man D skills as I would have liked. Didn’t relax in the zone, worked to not get sealed off, collapsed to try to strip offensive rebounds from big men. When they switched to man late in the game, he took the other team’s best athlete and scorer; good footwork, okay on ball screens, nothing unexpected either way. Played tough and technically correct with footwork, with no switch help from teammates that couldn’t handle his man. I think his offensive skills are a little ahead of his defensive skills though.

• 7 of 9 from the FT line, but the 2 misses were the exact same stroke and missed exactly the same just long. No doubt in my mind he’s an 80%+ shooter over his career.

• Shooting – smooth and effective, still developing, didn’t take many since he was able to affect the game with his drive. Has the tools and form to be a good shooter. I think he’s their leading scorer as a junior in the 20ppg range, against good competition.

• Will be interesting to see how this kid develops – fun player to watch because of the handle, penetration, and effort. I’m guessing he moves to full-time PG next year since graduation takes their current PG.