Darraja Parnell '16 sg 6-2 (committed to Central Arkansas)

[shocks02]

I'm gonna go ahead and start this now because there is gonna be a lot of talk about this kid in the next 4 years. I have no idea whatsoever if WSU is recruiting/contacting him at all.

Darraja is a Freshman at Andover Central and scored 29 points in his high-school debut last night against Campus.

Highlights (yes, they're from middle school basketball): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcJZ07LUVYs

[tropicalshox]

Do you know his height and position?

[ShockTalk]

Do you know his height and position?

6'2 or 3", SG.

[forevershockerfan]

WOW!!!

[C0|dB|00ded]

Is he older than the kids he is playing against (i.e. was he held back)? He looks pretty good but it will take a few years before he shows a clear separation from similarly mature peers and not just an early puberty advantage.


T


...:cool:

[Shocker91]

Is he older than the kids he is playing against (i.e. was he held back)? He looks pretty good but it will take a few years before he shows a clear separation from similarly mature peers and not just an early puberty advantage.

Not at all true. As was stated earlier, Parnell scored 29 points in his HS freshman debut. No puberty advantage there. Those familiar with the HS basketball scene in Wichita have known about Darraja for about a year now. Saw him play in showcase in the spring and showed some great stuff. Did good things against unsigned seniors. May be recruited as a combo guard, even if he continues to grow. Shows flashes as a passer and while he makes some flashy plays off the dribble, he needs to tighten up his handles a little bit.

In my opinion, this thread is kind of a waste of time. Will probably be a high-level, high-major prospect in my opinion.

[shocks02]

Not at all true. As was stated earlier, Parnell scored 29 points in his HS freshman debut. No puberty advantage there. Those familiar with the HS basketball scene in Wichita have known about Darraja for about a year now. Saw him play in showcase in the spring and showed some great stuff. Did good things against unsigned seniors. May be recruited as a combo guard, even if he continues to grow. Shows flashes as a passer and while he makes some flashy plays off the dribble, he needs to tighten up his handles a little bit.

In my opinion, this thread is kind of a waste of time. Will probably be a high-level, high-major prospect in my opinion.

Hmm. Are you thinking the level of top-50 recruit? Top 150?

In either case though, there is no reason why the Shox wouldn't have a chance to land this kid. Certainly he won't be above the exposure Perry Ellis received, and yet we we're still in Perry's final decision.

[Shocker91]

Hmm. Are you thinking the level of top-50 recruit? Top 150?

In either case though, there is no reason why the Shox wouldn't have a chance to land this kid. Certainly he won't be above the exposure Perry Ellis received, and yet we we're still in Perry's final decision.

I have no idea. WAY too early, and I don't like ranking recruits in that fashion anyway (can't compare most players; apples and oranges). I just think that, given his age, not knowing anything about WSU interest, and his talent level being as it is (in my opinion), mentioning him as a potential WSU recruit may be both premature and a bit misguided. Talking about him as a talented young D-I prospect in the area is fine. If he starts to receive legitimate interest from WSU (and it seems reciprocated), then maybe this is warranted. I also don't think anyone is sure how good he may be and how much exposure he will eventually get.

As far as Perry is concerned, it is naive to think WSU was really ever in contention. Marshall never thought so. There are a number of signs that point to this, but those have consistently been ignored by Shocker fans. I am sure this is a comment I will be reamed for; but it is important for fans to face this as a reality.

[wufan]

Okay 91, so this kid is too good for WSU because he is too high major for WSU, yet you refuse to speculate on how good he is. Please post with facts, logic, or at least something that is a coherent opinion.

Now, WSU was never considered by Perry despite his listening to multiple pitches? And that is something WSU fans should know? Give me a break! If you don't like the way things "are at this level" you should go cheer for the terrapins.

[Shocker91]

Okay 91, so this kid is too good for WSU because he is too high major for WSU, yet you refuse to speculate on how good he is. Please post with facts, logic, or at least something that is a coherent opinion.

Now, WSU was never considered by Perry despite his listening to multiple pitches? And that is something WSU fans should know? Give me a break! If you don't like the way things "are at this level" you should go cheer for the terrapins.

I don't think refusing to ascribe some arbitrary numerical ranking to Parnell means I am "refusing to speculate on how good he is." I said I think he's a high-major talent. To say something about a player that young is pretty bold and makes clear what I think of his talent level. To try to say he is the #20-something or #70-something prospect in his class when he's 14 or 15 years old and I haven't seen a whole lot of top-shelf players in his class would be the illogical move here.

WSU never made a super strong play for Perry. This is a statement that many do not like but is true nonetheless. Marshall and staff did not show out in force at Kansas Pray n Play (Players) games. This is a fact. Kentucky, Kansas, Kansas State, Duke and others did show out with multiple coaches at a number of games that summer. That is also a fact. Don't you think that, if WSU had a chance, coaches would've been at every one of Perry's games (often in multiples)? I can assure you they would have. Heights changed shoe affiliation that summer as well (from Nike to Adidas), undoubtedly in part because he was going to select Kansas. WSU wasn't showing up at Heights open gyms after Evan graduated, and there's good reason why. Marshall certainly offered the option of coming to WSU, but never anticipated that Perry would take up that offer. The "finalists" for Perry's services (like most elite prospects) were quite likely schools whose fan bases he did not want to upset (yet) and/or whose coaches he had formed some kind of meaningful relationship with. As a high-school kid, would you want to eliminate WSU then run into Shocker fans everywhere you go (including Koch Arena) for a couple years? It's the nature of the beast. Players want to play with and against the best players they can.

I can assure you I am a Shocker fan and think the game at the mid-major level is a beautiful thing. I also believe that, in some cases, Wichita State has and will continue to sign players away from high-major schools. But there is a wall that WSU is not likely to break as long as the Shocks are in a mid-major conference. Even Gonzaga has not been able to bust through that recruiting wall for the most part. Perry lied beyond that wall, and I believe Parnell will be there as well.

[wusphlash]

Question 91. Are you a Shocker fan first and foremost or are you simply a "fan" of the Shockers.

[SubGod22]

WSU made a number of strong plays for Perry and were in his final 3 and by most accounts, were in the final two right behind KU. You sound like you prescribe to the Mark Turgeon philosophy of recruiting and I'm thankful that you have zero say in who we recruit. We wouldn't have FVV or Early if you were. A number of schools outside of the BcS conferences land kids in the Top 150 and yes, even Top 100 and some in the Top 50. And with how WSU is going, they're going to find their way in a number of doors that you seem to think would not only be closed to us, but locked and booby trapped with explosives to keep us out.

As far as those rankings you hate so much, they're not really apples an oranges. These people watch tons of basketball for a living and travel all over. They rank only those that they've seen, so those on the list are definitely some of the top talents in the land. That's not to say there aren't some that haven't been seen as much that may be in the 100-150 range had they had more exposure. FVV is one of those and he was still able to sneak into the Top 150.

One should never place barriers in front of themselves. Turgeon did that and it held him back here. 3G doesn't believe in that and that's why we're seeing better teams and better depth than any team here in a long time if not ever. Hell, Garrett Stutz was recruited pretty hard by Kentucky and we got him here. DJ Bowles was recruited by BcS teams and he's ours. Just because we may recruit against a KU or someone like that doesn't mean we're going to get the kid, but there will be times. Even Gonzaga has recruited a number of 4* recruits in the last decade or so. Same with Xavier. To tell yourself you can't, you never will.

[Shocker91]

Yes, I am a WSU graduate and a fan of the Shockers first. Fans can be realistic, too.

WSU did not show up in force (meaning multiple coaches at most games) during the summer for Perry, and his AAU and HS teams changed affiliation to Adidas many months before his announcement. Won't argue with you about it; that's just how it is. Whatever accounts you speak of, if they are not from the 5 or 6 people who sat in on Perry's inner-circle meetings, then they are unreliable (and untrue).

When I talk about a "wall," I mean in terms of offers, not talent. VanVleet is a great example of a talented, likely underevaluated player that became a Shocker and then received great accolades. I think he is exactly the type of player we should be recruiting. And, like I said, "Wichita State has and will continue to sign players away from high-major teams." Demetric had offers from Washington State and Iowa. Bowles, as you pointed out, had offers from Penn State and Texas Tech. But those guys aren't examples of what I'm talking about. Their offers are borderline mid/high level (mostly unsuccessful HMs, with some successful MMs). When a player has handfuls of offers from successful high-level schools, he doesn't choose a mid-major but for some extenuating circumstance. As for Gonzaga, who is definitely the gold standard for schools in mid-major conferences, they have gone to other countries to get players (namely Canada), grabbed underevaluated prospects, and gone after guys who fit their system. They have developed those players and had success. But they haven't busted through that wall, with the exception of Gary Bell. Plus, WSU is not currently at the level of Gonzaga, Xavier, etc. I hope that day comes, but it hasn't yet (and will take time).

As for those recruiting guys, they don't know what you think they know. They do it for a living with no qualifications (not former coaches; often didn't even play college ball). They certainly aren't qualified to evaluate talent (with the exception of Paul Biancardi and Reggie Rankin, both of whom have been college coaches). They also often feed unqualified, inaccurate info to fans who otherwise have no info whatsoever. I once had a Division I assistant tell me that he looked at who Rivals said they'd offered and 50% of those that claimed offers did not have one. Many of the players they were recruiting were not listed at all and some who claimed serious interest had only gotten a letter or two. So, if you choose to buy into these recruiting "experts," go ahead. But if I took a random basketball fan and had him watch basketball yearlong, it wouldn't make him a good evaluator. And that's exactly what most of these people are.

As for Turgeon, I certainly don't think he is perfect, but he took this program to the Sweet 16. Matt Braeuer, Paul Miller, PJ Couisnard, etc. had excellent careers. Whatever recruiting philosophy he had, it worked (at least briefly). He now makes a ton of money coaching at a school with a rich basketball tradition. I'd say he must be pretty good at what he does. If you can do better, why hasn't someone hired you?

[vancedave56]

I think all he said was that he believes 3G has done better, because he doesn't recruit just "at this level." :)

[wusphlash]

The recruiting ceiling is only as low as the coaching staff puts it.