General Observation

[WuDrWu]

I know we all are waiting anxiously (some more than others 'pin... :) ) for the next little tidbit of informtion on who will or will not be wearing black and gold next season.

I thought we should look back and see who Coach Marshall has brought to the program in the 2+ years and how we feel about what they are bringing to the table.

Ramon Clemente - Ok, really recruited by Mark but Gregg resealed the deal. We had to have the body and had no choice really but he performed admirably. Hard to count this as a recruit though.

Mantas Griskanis - Certainly wasn't a name being discussed by many. Frankly, if he doesn't get hurt I think he would have had a big year. The kid has a fantastic shot and with his size....he certainly would have helped us this year. For a last minute kid that not too many others wanted, he brought a lot to the table. We may have hoped above hope that the knees would last.... 1 star

AJ Hawkins - The young man could not shoot a lick but he had physical skills.....he wanted out of STB, and we needed a body. In the mold of the type of player Gregg wants (athletically) but we'll probably never really know why it didn't pan out. He was good enough to start...2 star

Aaron Ellis - Couldn't get into USC...another chance signing with no real opportunity to recruit. Glimpses of brilliance with far more regular signs of struggling. Better "get it" soon or else....1 star with potential.

Clevin Hannah - Big time shooter in an undersized body. Certainly not all conference but pretty darned good so far. 3 star

Reggie Chamberlain - Stop gap. We needed a shooter, bad. Problem was Reggie couldn't do much else. 1 star

Garrett Stutz - tons of upside. I still believe (not want to...sincerely believe) that he will dominate this league before he is done. 3 star with tons of upside.

Toure Murry - Winner, skilled, athletic. What more could you ask for? He ran down at the end but the kid is very, very good. 4 star

David Kyles - Brings a lot to the table. Again, can do a lot that you cannot teach. 2 stars again with a lot of upside.

Jerome Hamilton - The one we know the least about. Very athletic. Good motor....needs to develop his game....probably a lot. 1 star with potential.

Kenny Manigault - If you missed seeing this kid play, too bad. PLENTY to work on but he is FAR more athletic than Toure, better at finishing than Toure (and that is saying something) not nearly as good a shooter and much worse from the line...maybe not quite the game savvy as Toure but probably played some better talent occassionaly. 3 star minimum

Gabe Blair - Don't know yet....could be an AJ clone as he "moves up in class"...I doubt it but we don't know yet. 1 star

Johhny Coy - How did we get this kid? Nothing about him screams WSU or Gregg Marshall. Arizona State thought enough of his skill to give him a full ride so he has to bring something to the table. The second recruit (imho) that breaks the recruiting trend. For the steal and ASU and upside I have to give 2 stars.

Not that it's breaking news but anyone see the trend? Gregg goes after the best athletes he can get with the best mix of basketball skills, but he leans to athleticism over skill. The latter you can teach, the former you cannot. Recruit what you can't teach.

So far I would describe the staff as opportunistic, over achieving and athletically focused. His first real class was outstanding...I think this year will be a shade below that....if it turns out I am wrong then watch out.

[xazshox]

Coy

Doc, I had a friend visit here near the end of the basketball season who is a former NBA scout. He lives in the Phoenix area and as such, is very familar with the ASU basketball team. He has a much higher opinion of Coy than you do based on watching him practice at ASU. But, I'd rather not go into it anymore. Let's just let Coy show us what he can do once he starts playing for WSU!

[Smooth007]

I really couldn't be any happier with the recruiting done under the GM watch. He really has upgraded talent very quickly and doesn't seem like he is losing his focus either. I think we will continue to recruit well and be a good team for years to come. I give him an A for recruiting.

I would have to say that player development has been slower than I expected. At many times this year, I felt that we were not getting consistent improvement out of players. With that said, our record at the end of the season would indicate otherwise. AE and GS often looked as lost at the end of the year as they did in their first game. I hope player development will improve with age for our young team. For this, I would grade our team a C.

[Overtime]

Players that progressed well and played up to their ability...Hannah, Murry, Kyles,Durley,Hatch...Players that have not yet gotten there...Ellis and Stutz...... I think Coy, Blair and Manniguat will play alot.....I would be surprised if at least 2 out of the 3 didn't make us better....It will be fun to see how Hamilton turns out...Over all I would be stunned if we aren't signicantly better.......NIT or NCAA

[WstateU]

Players that progressed well and played up to their ability...Hannah, Murry, Kyles,Durley,Hatch...Players that have not yet gotten there...Ellis and Stutz...... I think Coy, Blair and Manniguat will play alot.....I would be surprised if at least 2 out of the 3 didn't make us better....It will be fun to see how Hamilton turns out...Over all I would be stunned if we aren't signicantly better.......NIT or NCAA

Time to shoot for the stars… NCAA or bust! :good:

Ad Astra Per Aspera - "To the stars through difficulties"

We've sure experienced our fare share of difficulties.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Re: General Observation

Gregg goes after the best athletes he can get with the best mix of basketball skills, but he leans to athleticism over skill. The latter you can teach, the former you cannot. Recruit what you can't teach.

In the words of Coach Crum, "Give me players, who can run and jump. I will teach them the rest."

[shockmonster]

He did say on one of his last interviews following the season though that what we are looking for in a recruit is a good perimeter shooting capability. He said that this was a need or weakness that they were looking to recruit with this spot.

[BostonWu]

He did say on one of his last interviews following the season though that what we are looking for in a recruit is a good perimeter shooting capability. He said that this was a need or weakness that they were looking to recruit with this spot.

I would agree with this. You can recruit all the athletes you want but you also need a deadly 3-ball assassin and the combo of the two is very rare. I’d like to throw a classic maker in the lineup just to keep defenses honest. It would be very beneficial if Hatch can locate his shot during the offseason. I would say Burns was the last consistent outside shooter we had (not counting any transfers). Say what you want about tall athletic guards but I’d love to have a Randy Burns to insert into our lineup.

[Snapshot9]

Aaron Hogg had a pretty good outside shot. Having an athletic team does you no good if all they do is throw up bricks. If you don't have decent outside shooting, it is too easy for other teams to key in on your game plan.

Good teams have guards that can shoot besides running the team, and the 3 man has to have a complete game, outside and inside.

[RoyalShock]

We definitely need a shooter next year to compliment Hannah and what I hope is an improved shot from Toure. If Hatch can find his shot and utilize his new athleticism to get open, that would certainly help.

[tropicalshox]

It will help if Coy can play the three. I think he has the shot.

[RoyalShock]

It will help if Coy can play the three. I think he has the shot.

Defending the opponent's SF will likely be the deciding factor for whether Coy plays the three or four.

[Dan]

I thought Ogirri was out last 3 point assassin.

[BostonWu]

I thought Ogirri was out last 3 point assassin.

Notice I said not counting transfers. Personally I'd take Burns over Ogirri any day.

[WstateU]

I thought Ogirri was out last 3 point assassin.

Notice I said not counting transfers. Personally I'd take Burns over Ogirri any day.

In a heart beat! :good: :good: