Eli Wright

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Honestly speaking, what is the worst that would happen if we just said to hell with recruiting the Jackson area AAU circuit? Other than Charles Rhodes, we haven't had an impact player from Jackson in the past two decades or so. I know its the best MS has to offer, but MS isn't much of a basketball state anyway and there's plenty of talent elsewhere.

I'd consider the Weatherspoon's Jackson area kids.

[HSVDawg]

I'd consider the Weatherspoon's Jackson area kids.

Well first off, the Weatherspoons are from Canton and went to HS 30 or 40 miles away from inner city Jackson. Secondly, I probably should have been more specific. The ones to avoid are the ones from the Callaway-Murrah-Lanier cesspool. Those are the ones that seem to be the most tied to AAU corruption and leech handlers or relatives. Look no further than Keglar and Newman as evidence. And as stated previously, we've had one impact player in two decades plus from those "Big 3", and even Rhodes took 2 years or so to learn how to play in a structured environment, and had quite a few adjustment issues himself.

[Dawg61]

I'd consider the Weatherspoon's Jackson area kids.

You know he's correct so not sure why you're nitpicking it. There's been a whole bunch more misses on Jackson and Mississippi players than there's been two Spoons and a Stapleton. We'd improve immediately if we didn't recruit another MS player for ten straight years. I am not saying to do that but I am saying recruit other areas of the world a bunch more than we are already. Let someone else try to win with the South's AAU superstars. Toughness, shooting, character and high basketball IQ should be the qualities we are signing. If we commit to those ideals we will quickly leave most of the SEC in the dust as they continue to fail with dumb athletic divas.

[RocketDawg]

Who is Omar Carter?

[Homedawg]

You know he's correct so not sure why you're nitpicking it. There's been a whole bunch more misses on Jackson and Mississippi players than there's been two Spoons and a Stapleton. We'd improve immediately if we didn't recruit another MS player for ten straight years. I am not saying to do that but I am saying recruit other areas of the world a bunch more than we are already. Let someone else try to win with the South's AAU superstars. Toughness, shooting, character and high basketball IQ should be the qualities we are signing. If we commit to those ideals we will quickly leave most of the SEC in the dust as they continue to fail with dumb athletic divas.

I get what you are saying. However, this isnt a perfect world. Those guys are found that often. Much less signed by us.

[Dawg61]

Those guys aren't found that often. Much less signed by us.

A whole bunch of them are found every year and signed by non-P5 basketball schools every year. I could probably build you 5 full teams of dudes that weren't recruited by P5 schools that would make the tourney next year if I wanted to waste two hours just to prove a point.

[Homedawg]

A whole bunch of them are found every year and signed by non-P5 basketball schools every year. I could probably build you 5 full teams of dudes that weren't recruited by P5 schools that would make the tourney next year if I wanted to waste two hours just to prove a point.

yeah, after you see how well they've done after already being in college. who can't. Point is, there is a reason those guys went to where they went, because p5 schools didn't want them. Don't be stupid man. Plus, ever thought that some of those guys just might not want to play at msu anyway? It happens you know.

[Dawg61]

yeah, after you see how well they've done after already being in college. who can't. Point is, there is a reason those guys went to where they went, because p5 schools didn't want them. Don't be stupid man. Plus, ever thought that some of those guys just might not want to play at msu anyway? It happens you know.

It's my belief the SEC has a widespread breakdown in the type of basketball player that gets signed and it's been that way for 15+ years now. There's too much loyalty to the Southern basketball player that is nowhere close to the same type of player that the West/Midwest and North sign. Besides Kentucky and Florida there hasn't been a consistent tournament team in this league for a long time. How long are we going to keep trying to fit a square peg into a circle? How many SEC coaches have gotten fired in the last 15 years? They keep doing the same dumb shit is why they keep getting fired and that dumb shit is being too loyal to the local talent and chasing overrated AAU players that are very low basketball IQ players and very high on thinking they are LeBron James talent. The problem stems at the high school level and AAU level. It's out athlete basketball that no longer works when you get to the college level. I am just tired of watching this same stupid shit every single year. Howland isn't gonna hurt our feelings if he doesn't recruit this state very much moving forward. I want to win not make all the AAU coaches feel loved.

[yjnkdawg]

Who is Omar Carter?

Omhar Carter is Kegler's legal guardian and an AAU Coach.

[RiverCityDawg]

No we don't. Most of the players coming outta Jackson are not good for our program. It won't take long before everyone sees that Ohmar Carter is a leach and until that happens we can recruit other areas of this country/world were the players are not divas. Plus we got the two best players outta Jackson already in the two Spoons. I'll take my chances we get the 3rd one as well without dealing with Ohmar. The reason Ohmar acts like this is because he's scared everyone into thinking they have to suck his balls to get good players. Malik Newman and Mario Kegler aren't exactly winning awards and having scouts drooling over them lately so where exactly are these "good" players that Ohmar has again?

The Weatherspoons and Tyson Carter played AAU ball for Carter. He usually has the top team in the state and it's not just made up of Jackson kids. You can't completely burn the bridge.

People were up in arms for a while because Cam Akers wouldn't even consider us. Imagine if we are completely shut out of contention for the top basketball recruit or the top 3 in this State because they play for MBA Hoops.

And don't count on people seeing that the guy is a leach. These guys are everywhere and the AAU deal is here to stay unless the NCAA decides they want to do something about it.

[HSVDawg]

You know he's correct so not sure why you're nitpicking it. There's been a whole bunch more misses on Jackson and Mississippi players than there's been two Spoons and a Stapleton. We'd improve immediately if we didn't recruit another MS player for ten straight years. I am not saying to do that but I am saying recruit other areas of the world a bunch more than we are already. Let someone else try to win with the South's AAU superstars. Toughness, shooting, character and high basketball IQ should be the qualities we are signing. If we commit to those ideals we will quickly leave most of the SEC in the dust as they continue to fail with dumb athletic divas.

Whoa now. I think that the Jackson talent is largely overrated, due largely to the diva AAU aspect. But turning our backs on the whole state would be a tremendous mistake. Starkville and Meridian have both produced way more elite talent than than the Jackson area in the past 15 years or so, and that is just two relatively rural cities with not even half the combined population of Jackson. Add in the coast and greater Memphis area, and there will be tons of places we can find good players in MS without having to depend on the 3-ring circus that comes along with the JPS kids.

[Dawg61]

Whoa now. I think that the Jackson talent is largely overrated, due largely to the diva AAU aspect. But turning our backs on the whole state would be a tremendous mistake. Starkville and Meridian have both produced way more elite talent than than the Jackson area in the past 15 years or so, and that is just two relatively rural cities with not even half the combined population of Jackson. Add in the coast and greater Memphis area, and there will be tons of places we can find good players in MS without having to depend on the 3-ring circus that comes along with the JPS kids.

I was exaggerating. I don't want us to completely stop recruiting this state. That would be stupid. I just don't want to be dependent on it anymore for the foreseeable future.

[maroonmania]

I thought Keglar's effort was fine when I saw him (which admittedly I didn't get to see most of our games). He was a true freshman having to adjust to playing the three without the athleticism advantage he enjoyed in high schooland I thought he looked very promising. I can't imagine how he would think it's in his best interest to transfer and sit out as opposed to spending the next year being a starter for what hopefully will be a breakout team.

If Garrison Brooks hadn't jumped ship on us then losing Kegler wouldn't be as big a deal. We just don't have a lot in the way of athletic 4 guys on the team now. Holman is about it. Ado and Herard are really Centers and Stapleton is a little small for a 4. Feazell is about the right size but not expecting much out of him as a FR.

[HSVDawg]

I was exaggerating. I don't want us to completely stop recruiting this state. That would be stupid. I just don't want to be dependent on it anymore for the foreseeable future.

Well we haven't ever really depended on it. There isn't enough talent overall to build even a semi-competitive roster with even as many as 35-40% MS kids, let alone over 50% or something. I don't ever see that changing.

[MarketingBully]

If Garrison Brooks hadn't jumped ship on us then losing Kegler wouldn't be as big a deal. We just don't have a lot in the way of athletic 4 guys on the team now. Holman is about it. Ado and Herard are really Centers and Stapleton is a little small for a 4. Feazell is about the right size but not expecting much out of him as a FR.

I think Feazell is better then people give him credit for. Iowa State wanted him bad. He is fully recovered from his injury and has better size and range then Mario. He is a true stretch four more then Brooks was. If he can challenge Holman and push him in practice I think we will be fine in the post.

[Dawg61]

Well we haven't ever really depended on it. There isn't enough talent overall to build even a semi-competitive roster with even as many as 35-40% MS kids, let alone over 50% or something. I don't ever see that changing.

Alright well go ahead and extend that into Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas and lets stop relying on 80% of our players coming from these five states (MS the 5th). It's shit basketball. Every once in a blue moon a player like Mario Austin or Rhodes comes here but there's way more Flat Top Fred's and Malik Newman's to wade thru to maybe get lucky. It's just proven to be a bad recruiting strategy at this point. This isn't just MSU that keeps falling for the fools gold. It's every damn program in the SEC the last 15 years besides Kentucky and Florida (not counting the 2 newbie Big 12 teams).

Recruit smart basketball players that are tough and can shoot. Build a program with them and we will soon be a very mature very smart team that isn't losing players after 1 year and we will run circles around the AAU diva all-stars that don't understand how to play good basketball. At some point you gotta ask why does a program like Butler and Gonzaga keep producing top 15 basketball programs year in and year out? You think Butler is out recruiting us based on recruiting rankings? Hell no they aren't. They just have figured out they need to be a smarter better shooting basketball program than the more athletic stupid teams. And it works. Every year. No reason at all we can't copycat Butler and Gonzaga. They have given us the blueprint. It isn't hard to figure out. Are we above copying their formula for success? Sure seems like we think we are.

[HSVDawg]

Alright well go ahead and extend that into Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas and lets stop relying on 80% of our players coming from these five states (MS the 5th). It's shit basketball. Every once in a blue moon a player like Mario Austin or Rhodes comes here but there's way more Flat Top Fred's and Malik Newman's to wade thru to maybe get lucky. It's just proven to be a bad recruiting strategy at this point. This isn't just MSU that keeps falling for the fools gold. It's every damn program in the SEC the last 15 years besides Kentucky and Florida (not counting the 2 newbie Big 12 teams).

Recruit smart basketball players that are tough and can shoot. Build a program with them and we will soon be a very mature very smart team that isn't losing players after 1 year and we will run circles around the AAU diva all-stars that don't understand how to play good basketball. At some point you gotta ask why does a program like Butler and Gonzaga keep producing top 15 basketball programs year in and year out? You think Butler is out recruiting us based on recruiting rankings? Hell no they aren't. They just have figured out they need to be a smarter better shooting basketball program than the more athletic stupid teams. And it works. Every year. No reason at all we can't copycat Butler and Gonzaga. They have given us the blueprint. It isn't hard to figure out. Are we above copying their formula for success? Sure seems like we think we are.

Not sure if serious.

From MS:
Spoon
Gavin Ware
Rodney Hood
Timmy Bowers
Charles Rhodes
Markell Patterson
Erick Dampier
....and many, many others

From AL:
Craig Sword
Mario Austin
Daryl Wilson

From TN:
Jamont Gordon
Jarvis Varnado
Jalen Steele
Barry Stewart
Dontae Jones

From LA:
Brandon Vincent
Derrick Zimmerman
Lamar Peters

From Ark (may give you this one):
IJ Ready

That's just off the top of my head, and all of those guys were tremendous players for us over the past 2 decades. Thats a shit ton of players. There is no way a program of our stature could ever not use its immediate regional footprint as its recruiting foundation. It also fails to include all the straight to the NBA guys we would have landed from MS (Outlaw, Ellis, Bender) if the rules were the same then as they are now.

[MCsMGs]

If Garrison Brooks hadn't jumped ship on us then losing Kegler wouldn't be as big a deal. We just don't have a lot in the way of athletic 4 guys on the team now. Holman is about it. Ado and Herard are really Centers and Stapleton is a little small for a 4. Feazell is about the right size but not expecting much out of him as a FR.

I'm not ready to write off Datcher yet...He was hurt much of his last years in HS, but showed some glimpses of potential last season. He will give us some physical play and 5 fouls in the paint which should help in some games.

I watched Feazell play in the State playoffs and was unimpressed with his intensity. He clearly has skills, but he should have dominated the team I saw him play. He never established himself down low and got out rebounded by smaller and less athletic players all night. He's in for a wake-up call when he gets to MSU...hope He's ready to step up!

[confucius say]

I'd consider the Weatherspoon's Jackson area kids.

Camden is 50 minutes at least from downtown Jackson and is as rural as it gets. And I'm not saying we should abandon all Jackson recruits.

[Dawg61]

Not sure if serious.

From MS:
Spoon
Gavin Ware
Rodney Hood
Timmy Bowers
Charles Rhodes
Markell Patterson
Erick Dampier
....and many, many others

From AL:
Craig Sword
Mario Austin
Daryl Wilson

From TN:
Jamont Gordon
Jarvis Varnado
Jalen Steele
Barry Stewart
Dontae Jones

From LA:
Brandon Vincent
Derrick Zimmerman
Lamar Peters

From Ark (may give you this one):
IJ Ready

That's just off the top of my head, and all of those guys were tremendous players for us over the past 2 decades. Thats a shit ton of players. There is no way a program of our stature could ever not use its immediate regional footprint as its recruiting foundation. It also fails to include all the straight to the NBA guys we would have landed from MS (Outlaw, Ellis, Bender) if the rules were the same then as they are now.

Of the 19 players you listed I could pick apart half of them if needed and your list literally spans 20+ years to Daryl Wilson days. So basically 9 decent guys in over 20 years. Do the math that's 1/2 a decent player a year. That ain't ever gonna win shit.