Darrlyn Willis pf 6-8 2016 offered, A Shocker!

[shockmonster]

My point wasn't that he knew exactly what was going on. But since he tweeted the earlier information, I'm surprised that he didn't tweet an update of what he did know about it at 3:00. I would think that he tried to make contact with his source.

[AZ Shocker]

I met him earlier today as he was getting out of his car and starting to walk to the Arizona St. campus. Of course I was wearing my Wichita St. shirt along with my Wichita St. hat. He saw me coming. Glanced over at me with a "Whoa...who is this guy coming up to me look on his face." I introduced myself and told him to get in my car so we could have a "talk".

Of course there was a delayed twitter response this afternoon. You know where the young man is? You can thank me later. ;)

[shocks02]

Eric Bossi @ebosshoops 1m1 minute ago
JC forward Darryln Willis will pick from Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Marquette, Arizona State & Wichita State @2:30 pm central Friday

[Aargh]

Back in the '60's, there was a JuCo trfr FB player living in Fairmount Towers. School hadn't started yet, but he had committed to WSU and was on campus for the practices before school started. A couple of USC assistant coaches walked right into Fairmount, straight to his room, spent about half an hour there, and then took him to the airport where they got on a plane for LA.

Can't remember the name right now. Miller Farr or Mel Farr, I think. He was rookie of the year in the NFL and had a great career.

It's never over 'til it's over.

[Stickboy46]

One new crystal ball for WSU and one person flipped from ASU to WSU. Both are listed as "Mississippi State insiders"

[shockmonster]

Back in the '60's, there was a JuCo trfr FB player living in Fairmount Towers. School hadn't started yet, but he had committed to WSU and was on campus for the practices before school started. A couple of USC assistant coaches walked right into Fairmount, straight to his room, spent about half an hour there, and then took him to the airport where they got on a plane for LA.

Can't remember the name right now. Miller Farr or Mel Farr, I think. He was rookie of the year in the NFL and had a great career.

It's never over 'til it's over.

Miller Farr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_Farr

Mel Farr

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150804/NEWS/150809967/mel-farr-who-parlayed-his-detroit-lions-career-into-an-auto

I think that Mel Farr who was from Texas came about the same time as Boyd Converse a JUCO football coach from Texas who won a JUCO National Championship or something like that. Converse had a great recruiting class but he and probably boosters paid them lots of money. Probation was the result. This was at a time when the WSU community had great aspirations to have a big time football program. Some of these details may be a little off as I was a small kid when this was going on. I do remember the excitement in the city that surrounded this promising time for our football program and then the bottom dropped out. Anyone with better details should correct any mistakes I made.

[pogo]

John Eckman was the starting QB for WSU when Boyd Converse became the new coach. Rumor has it that during the spring game Converse's recruits played the varsity team. The varsity team got its butt kicked but then Boyd was gone after one year. He resigned amid an ncaa investigation on recruiting. Also resigning were assistants Larry Lacewell and Jimmy Johnson who both found jobs at Iowa State. Jack Straw can probably verify or correct parts of this since this was a story from some of the others in the fraternity.

[WSUwatcher]

Bottom line is that Willis wasn't ready to decide yet, so he postponed. He probably doesn't know even now. It's probably also an indication that ASU found a persuasive way to put on a late full-court press, so to speak, and that it's now up to WSU to refocus him on what the Shocker program has to offer.

So we'll see -- but 2016-17 is going to be good at WSU regardless of how things come out with Willis. It's just a question now of whether he gets to be involved.

[Aargh]

I was a Fr when Converse was the first-year FB coach. I was a dormie and buddies of all the FB players. The Fr team shut out the varsity in a scrimmage. The ineligible transfers shut out the varsity something like 40-0.

Problem was that Converse had gone to all the players he had contacts with who were in the SEC and asked them if they were happy. If they were happy, he asked them how much $$ it would take to make them unhappy. Yeah, he actually did that. SEC schools were not impressed.

This is going to rile some "Wichita guys can do no wrong" posters because I'm about to trash a FB hero in Wichita. Eddie Kriwiel cut a deal with the NCAA and the WSU athletic department, that he would tell all if he would be the next FB coach at WSU. Kriwiel was a great HS coach. Kriwiel is also credited with reporting WSU to the NCAA.

[tropicalshox]

Sullentrop says Willis will announce at 2:30pm on Friday.

[WSUwatcher]

So Bossi and PaulS are on the same page -- now we just have to get Willis to join them.

Personally, I think the last-second dithering may be a sign he's going elsewhere, although I hope I'm wrong, because Marshall and the coaches seem very high on him. But even if he does, life will go on. Playing successfully at WSU requires a very high level of commitment -- more than many other schools -- and dithering always makes me wonder a bit.

Plus, I've said all along that, for myself, I'd like to see WSU go into the spring / post-season with an opening, so they can have a place for the next Isaac Humphries or Anton Grady who comes along. Obviously, that doesn't appear to be Marshall's view, and he knows recruiting and roster management better than I do and is paid many times more to make those judgments, so I'll happily trust him to do what's best. But I'm not going to go crazy, either with glee or despair, regardless of what happens Friday (or whenever the decision gets made).

Meanwhile, I'm eagerly awaiting confirmation that Daishon Smith's letter has arrived. One step at a time.

[1979Shocker]

It could depend on if he wants to play immediately. Unless he's good like Shamet and McDuffie, he could be waiting in line for a year if he chooses WSU.

[Stickboy46]

Jerry Meyer just switched his Crystal Ball to WSU. So thats 80% WSU 20% ASU now.

[mac117]

Drew Messmer just switched his Crystal Ball to WSU, now WSU is 100%

[pogo]

I'm tellin' you those crystal balls are worth their weight in gold. :)