Basketball Recruiting update
In my last post I talked about the great job AK has been doing on the court with the Rebels. I figured it's fitting to talk about how he's doing off the court in this post.
Coach Kennedy was brought in to replace Coach Rod Barnes, who people still defend as being a "great guy and a true representative of the University." Well, to them I say Coach Cut was a good guy, but you still all hated him. Ole Miss fans have a problem caring about anything other than the football team, and turn a blind eye to the success, or lack thereof, in the other programs. Basketball was a prime example. I had been calling for Rod's head for the past couple of years. I thought he was a terrible recruiter, let personal conflicts with players influence playing time (John Gunn and Jonathan Loe), was incredibly boring both on and off the court (big factor to lack of attendance) and that he was simply not that good of a coach. Unfortunately, his status as an alum, and his persona of a "good guy" kept him around longer than he needed to be.
Luckily, Pete Boone canned him one year after deservedly extending his contract for getting one SEC Road win (sarcasm button). My number one choice, Andy Kennedy, was hired and the fans saw immediate results (see article below). However, with one season under his belt how is the new kid on the block handling recruiting for a school with little tradition and dilipidated facilities? The answer is great!
Kennedy, with the help of former Lady Rebels Coach Carol Ross, has convinced AD Pete Boone to provide funding for a new basketball practice facility across from the Gillom Sports Center. This is going to pay huge dividends for Kennedy in recruiting, in which he is doing a fantastic job.
Kennedy entered last offseason with the task of trying to make his team more competitive and athletic. He was able to ink JUCO transfer Kenny Williams, FL prep star Eniel Polynice, and Rodney Jones who all had major contributing roles in the Rebels run to achieving a share of the SEC Western Division Title.
This offseason Kennedy is faced with that same task, but with the added challenge of replacing his three best players from last years team. So far, Kennedy has gone above and beyond the expectations of many fans in this recruiting class. With the departure of Ogide, Hansbro, and Hampton due to transfers and Abernethy, Doyne, and Sanders to graduation Kennedy had plenty of scholarships to handout. So far, his list of commits include Trevor Gaskins, Chris Warren, Zach Graham, Terrence Watson, Kevin Cantinol, Wesley Jones, and it is being rumored that UCLA PF may soon transfer our way. On top of these players, Flordia transfer, David Huertas, will be eligble to contribute.
Let's take a look at these recruits/transfers.
David Huertas
Huertas is a 6'5 combo guard who will see immediate playing time. He'll have two years left to play.
Gaskins:
Gaskins is a 6'3 point guard from Georgia who is considered one of the best kept secrets in the state. He is known for his ability to be a prolific scorer and was ranked the 18th best prospect in the state of GA.
Warren:
Chris is a scrappy 5'11 point guard who has drawn comparisons to A.I. due to his tough nosed style of play. He is ranked the 15th best prospect in the state of Florida and will probably see playing time as a freshman.
Zach Graham:
Graham may be Ole Miss biggest signee of the year. He's ranked the 37th best overall Small Forward in the nation, the 127th best prospect overall, and the 9th best player in Georgia. Graham will add much needed athleticism and size that was lacking at the SF position last season.
Wesley Jones:
Jones is a 6'7 tweener who dominated JUCO last season averaging 24 points a game. Jones is heralded for his ability to wreak havoc down low and stretch the court with his three point range.
Cantinol:
Cantinol is the mystery recruit this season. Not much is known about him but the fact that he is tall and athletic. Kennedy is trying to make the team more athletic and acquire big men who do not have to play with their back to the basket. Cantinol is one of these big men, but it is still unsure how he will perform on the next level.
Terrence Watson:
Watson is my personal favorite for best recruit of the year. Watson is coming to Ole Miss from Flint, Mi and recently won the JUCO National Championship with his team Mott C.C. Mott ran a 10 man rotation, a la Hubie Brown, so his offensive numbers are skewed. Despite sharing time with nine other players, Watson was able to garner JUCO defensive player off the year and be named to the JUCO All-American team. Watson is 6'5, but has a 7'1 wingspan that allows him to wreak havoc on anyone on the floor.
Kennedy went into this offseason with two goals in mind: replace the three seniors and make us more athletic. He accomplished both of these tasks this offseason and he still may not be done.
Coach Kennedy was brought in to replace Coach Rod Barnes, who people still defend as being a "great guy and a true representative of the University." Well, to them I say Coach Cut was a good guy, but you still all hated him. Ole Miss fans have a problem caring about anything other than the football team, and turn a blind eye to the success, or lack thereof, in the other programs. Basketball was a prime example. I had been calling for Rod's head for the past couple of years. I thought he was a terrible recruiter, let personal conflicts with players influence playing time (John Gunn and Jonathan Loe), was incredibly boring both on and off the court (big factor to lack of attendance) and that he was simply not that good of a coach. Unfortunately, his status as an alum, and his persona of a "good guy" kept him around longer than he needed to be.
Luckily, Pete Boone canned him one year after deservedly extending his contract for getting one SEC Road win (sarcasm button). My number one choice, Andy Kennedy, was hired and the fans saw immediate results (see article below). However, with one season under his belt how is the new kid on the block handling recruiting for a school with little tradition and dilipidated facilities? The answer is great!
Kennedy, with the help of former Lady Rebels Coach Carol Ross, has convinced AD Pete Boone to provide funding for a new basketball practice facility across from the Gillom Sports Center. This is going to pay huge dividends for Kennedy in recruiting, in which he is doing a fantastic job.
Kennedy entered last offseason with the task of trying to make his team more competitive and athletic. He was able to ink JUCO transfer Kenny Williams, FL prep star Eniel Polynice, and Rodney Jones who all had major contributing roles in the Rebels run to achieving a share of the SEC Western Division Title.
This offseason Kennedy is faced with that same task, but with the added challenge of replacing his three best players from last years team. So far, Kennedy has gone above and beyond the expectations of many fans in this recruiting class. With the departure of Ogide, Hansbro, and Hampton due to transfers and Abernethy, Doyne, and Sanders to graduation Kennedy had plenty of scholarships to handout. So far, his list of commits include Trevor Gaskins, Chris Warren, Zach Graham, Terrence Watson, Kevin Cantinol, Wesley Jones, and it is being rumored that UCLA PF may soon transfer our way. On top of these players, Flordia transfer, David Huertas, will be eligble to contribute.
Let's take a look at these recruits/transfers.
David Huertas
Huertas is a 6'5 combo guard who will see immediate playing time. He'll have two years left to play.
Gaskins:
Gaskins is a 6'3 point guard from Georgia who is considered one of the best kept secrets in the state. He is known for his ability to be a prolific scorer and was ranked the 18th best prospect in the state of GA.
Warren:
Chris is a scrappy 5'11 point guard who has drawn comparisons to A.I. due to his tough nosed style of play. He is ranked the 15th best prospect in the state of Florida and will probably see playing time as a freshman.
Zach Graham:
Graham may be Ole Miss biggest signee of the year. He's ranked the 37th best overall Small Forward in the nation, the 127th best prospect overall, and the 9th best player in Georgia. Graham will add much needed athleticism and size that was lacking at the SF position last season.
Wesley Jones:
Jones is a 6'7 tweener who dominated JUCO last season averaging 24 points a game. Jones is heralded for his ability to wreak havoc down low and stretch the court with his three point range.
Cantinol:
Cantinol is the mystery recruit this season. Not much is known about him but the fact that he is tall and athletic. Kennedy is trying to make the team more athletic and acquire big men who do not have to play with their back to the basket. Cantinol is one of these big men, but it is still unsure how he will perform on the next level.
Terrence Watson:
Watson is my personal favorite for best recruit of the year. Watson is coming to Ole Miss from Flint, Mi and recently won the JUCO National Championship with his team Mott C.C. Mott ran a 10 man rotation, a la Hubie Brown, so his offensive numbers are skewed. Despite sharing time with nine other players, Watson was able to garner JUCO defensive player off the year and be named to the JUCO All-American team. Watson is 6'5, but has a 7'1 wingspan that allows him to wreak havoc on anyone on the floor.
Kennedy went into this offseason with two goals in mind: replace the three seniors and make us more athletic. He accomplished both of these tasks this offseason and he still may not be done.
posted by Jason Smith at 12:26 AM
1 Comments:
May be wrong, but I think that Huertas will have three years to play.
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