Possible Recruits
 

I enjoy following all recruitment information. Does anyone know our main targets to go along with Mike Saunders Jr, and also any applicable knowledge or chances of landing these guys. Sorry if this is a redundant topic. I am new.

Go Cats!

Really tough to say here. There are a lot of offers on the table right now. Some to kids who are highly coveted by other big programs and some who aren't. Obviously the priority would go to the best talent but other offers are on the table perhaps to put some pressure on one or the other.

Tough to count but there could be more than a dozen 2020 offers...maybe even 15-20 by now. Brannen may try to land 1 or 2 now and then save spots for higher ranked kids or transfers later. It literally seems like there is a new offer every other day.

I would guess there are some kids out there like Loveday or Galloway or Leal etc. that Brannen would take in a heartbeat. Probably a few others that Brannen would take now so he can be more selective later in filling holes or landing a top level recruit.

Wish there was more to add here but I can't say we have a specific "right now" target for the next Dancing Bearcat. Multiple reports out right now on Austin Van Zyl who seems to be a 2019 prospect. Either we are moving more players out...or he reclassifies for 2020 but all signs are 2019 as of now.

Just too much going on to get a good handle on it all...

I am by no means an insider, I just follow people on Twitter and follow it through there. We seem to be offering a lot of guys. No clue how close we are to signing any of them. Trey Galloway, Anthony leap, Zach love day, seem to be the highest rated. They seem like long shots though. But you never know. Those are a few names.

Yeah, just seen the Austin Van Zyl thing. Is he a juco guy? Says he’s 20 years old. To me, 2019 wouldn’t make any sense. We would have to get rid of a guy we just signed. We already have too many guys at the guard and wing spot.

To sign Van Zyl, Trevor would be the odd man out, but it wouldn’t make much sense. You just signed 2 point guards and you have another one coming next year. Jarron can also handle the ball. This one is confusing. He did get an Indiana offer also.

Apparently he went overseas and has all 4 years left. Very strange but definitely intriguing. I would have to guess the non Brannen recruits would be the next options to leave if this were a 2019 thing. And that would be either Moore or Gillam. But who knows. I can't imagine he would want to reclassify as 2020 considering his age but he did go overseas for 2 years so maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to him.

Or perhaps one of the current Brannen recruits is having second thoughts or has grade issues??? Just very weird...unless the offer report is false.

Based on video he can do it all. Shoot, pass, and handle

Van Zyl reported he was offered by IU. He was never offered by IU. Im willing to bet he wasnt offered by UC either. He is saying all of this, noone else. He is also saying hes meeting with NBA guys to maybe go pro. The guy shoots 18% from 3 and turns the ball over a lot. zero percent chance any of this is true

If that’s true, I respect his hussle. It would make more sense.

Maybe he's just trying to create some buzz for himself...

How would they have second thoughts? They are already here and committed.

Harvey? How many saw that one coming? Who knows...I don't know all the ins and outs of when a kid can or can't transfer but if a player wants out and the coach or university grant it...is that enough to make it happen??

I don't know what happens after a kid enrolls in school. Does that make things more difficult??

Either way I am just speculating and this latest news is certainly very weird and perhaps not even legit. But the player is saying it happened which is only one way of a two way street.

If this isn't legit...he will be the boy who cried wolf twice. And we all know what happens after that. Or was it after the 3rd time...LOL! Either way his cred will be absolutely shot...

Can anyone link an article that says Harvey isn't coming here now. His status shows as enrolled.

Harvey is here. This new "offer" isnt legit. Nor was his " IU offer" The kid is making them up

We need a source for you call him out like this

Not sure the accuracy of Van Zyle .... JB is currently in Hawaii on a family vacation.... this is odd, I personally do not want Van Zyle, I’m ready to ride with Mika and Saunders

Not much news going on right now but from the looks of things Brannen has been focused on wings and bigs for 2020 (with Saunders already in).

I think he has probably offered 10+ wings and 10+ bigs. I don't know if we are getting close on any of them but it's great to see him going after a few 4 star kids and getting some of them to campus. Sounds like more visits are being set up and possibly a few that we are not involved with anymore.

Brannen says he likes the early signing period so I would guess we will get at least 1 big and 1 wing in that period which will leave us with 2 remaining spots. Then I suppose he can be a little more selective.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him go for a traditional 5 and stretch 4. On the wing a SF and SG. To go with the PG we already have. A full 5 position team in one class would be pretty cool.

Traditional 5's...Kalkbrenner, Hugley types
Combo 4/5's...Loveday, Gibson and Iriel types
PF's...Eason, Fararr, and Traynor is a new one

The wings mostly seem to be in that 6'4-6'6 range with only a couple outside of that. I would imagine a few of these guys could fill either role on the wing. SG or SF

Leal, Gordon, Scrubb, Galloway, Madsen, Calhoun, Walton, Kirby, Johnson etc.

Again some of these may no longer be applicable...but I would guess at least half of them are still in play. I think Leal just trimmed his list.

Yeah Leal trimmed his list down to IU and Stanford. He is pretty much an IU lock. Scrubb would be nice but I read in an article not too long ago, and it had a quote from his dad saying that he might declare for the draft after this year. Can't remember the last time someone was drafted straight from JUCO.

Galloway gone now too. IU. That’s okay we tried. I would not bet on Scrubb or Loveday.

Anyway it doesn’t hurt to offer and get them on campus. Most of the offers I have seen are pretty solid even if they don’t have 4 stars. I see some 3 star guys I would take before some of the 4 star guys.

I like Traynor and Wesley. Both would be solid gets. As for Scrubb, I'd bet U of L or NBA. Not saying it's impossible, I'm saying improbable.

Traynor's dad played at U of L...not sure how much of a factor that might play. Wesley is in ND's backyard. Again, not sure how that might factor.

Lots to be optimistic about though. I'm still high on Eason and Gordon.

Agreed, I like that JB is going after these guys. It's like the old saying goes...you never know until you try.

Sounds like we offered Gabe Madsens brother (Mason) in what would seem to be a strong push to get Gabe.. So the staff must be really high on Gabe or thinking we may not have a great shot at some of the other wing offers. Gabe's brother is a mid major level recruit (right now) but I don't think he would be too far off of a guy like Trevor Moore who didn't have a lot of high level offers. Maybe he has some upside but at least he could be a role player toward the end of the bench.

I was thinking we would try to get a couple of wings and a couple of bigs for 2020...so this would fill both wing spots. At 6'3 and 6'4 I would like to see another inch or two but who knows.

Again, there must be a high level of confidence that Gabe Madsen will be a star. Or Brannen thinks he has already done enough with guys like Woods, Davenport and Harvey and just needs 1 more very good wing. Of course Madsens brother Mason could end up improving to the point he is also very productive.

My other thought is that this move could put some pressure on another wing who doesn't have a lot of high D1 offers yet. Basically putting them into a position where they feel they need to make a decision sooner than later or no wing spots will be available anymore.

After watching a little more video on both...I can say I would be very OK with getting this twin tandem. Gabe can do it all. He has a lightning quick release, pretty good handles, good passer, and can create shots and knock them down from anywhere. Nice step back shot and knows how to create space and use stop go action to get his looks. He can get the ball in the bucket through contact around the rim with either hand. Very good body control and always ready to shoot.

Mason has even better handles than Gabe and probably even better passer from the looks of things. He has a similar quick release and can shoot off the dribble if he needs to. Gabe seems to be more of a player who can create scoring whenever he wants and Mason seems like more of an opportunist and gets his teammates more involved. I like the idea of him being a backup 6'3" PG to Saunders (or Woods). His ball skills seem to be pretty tight as well as passing.

They both look pretty good IMO. I think Mason certainly looks capable of filling a role even at the level of the AAC. With some work could even end up being a solid contributor.

I hope we get these guys! This doesn't seem to be a token package deal. I think Mason can play. He's much better than walk on quality and possibly even capable of quality high level D1 play.

I'm seeing anywhere from 6'4" to 6'6" for Gabe Madsen. let's call it 6'5" which I think is plenty of size for a wing.

It seems like he has been (and is) a major priority for the staff which makes even more sense with the offer to his brother. Outside of Scrubb (who is a no brainer) he could be very high on the wing list...maybe even the next highest to SCrubb.

The question becomes...since Scrubb will be entertaining NBA potentially after this season...that even if Scrubb does commit to UC (a longish shot with UL also in the mix) he could be a "one and doner" type. Would we rather 3-4 years of a high caliber Madsen or 1-2 years of a higher caliber Scrubb?

I say lock down Madsen because the overall program value would be higher than the short term value for Scrubb. I would take either one but I would hope to get a couple years out of Scrubb (which would be up in the air). It's possible that there could be a 3 year difference in the amount of use we can get between the two if Scrubb would leave after 1 and Madsen was here for 4.

While I don't think you can really go wrong...my opinion is always take the best talent you can get. So if Scrubb is the better talent, I'd take him for 1 year. If you take the best talent each year you are in the best position. Now - I guess if the 2021 wing class is light, could be a reason to do something different. Glad I'm not the coach and he has to worry about all that!

In theory I would say that works well too. The only thing I would say is that even most of the jucos we have had go through a one year adjustment period even if SCrubb is a little higher caliber than we have seen.

I will be happy to land either one.

Things seem to be heating up a little bit after a period of little news. We have some visits coming up for the UCLA game.

It seems like the Madsen brothers are becoming a real possibility and we are getting closer on guys like Eason and Traynor. IN addition to Saunders that would put us with 4 of 5 spots filled going into spring if we could get the Madsens and a PF. Maybe a grad transfer or any other high caliber HS kid to round out the class would be pretty cool. Scrubb please!!

Saunders
Madsen
Madsen
Eason/Traynor

and one player TBD doesn't sound too bad. I know Mason Madsen is kind of looked at as more of a tag along to Gabe but consider he is getting mid major looks and there is always the possibility of Mason at some point either improving to the point he can produce or he could wind up thinking eventually he would rather be getting PT somewhere else if he's riding pine all the time. Worst case for him (and UC) is he never gets off the bench and rides pine 4 years eating up a scholly. Nobody wants that either player or program. But even if we have 1 player dedicated to eating a scholly out of 13 I don't think it impacts the overall performance of the team much. We have had pine sitters every year since I can remember. Some pan out by junior or senior year, some transfer, and some just get spot minutes for the duration of their time.

After watching a little more video on Gabe Madsen I would say he's got a lighting fast release and a step back shot that I would call "virtually unguardable" considering his height and quick release. He seems to have that same level of BB IQ as a guy like Cumberland. He just looks like he knows what he is doing out there and knows how to create space and use his body. His shooting touch looks awesome and precise!

If he can get his handles to be as good as his play making/shooting...he can probably go one on one with just about anyone and be a go to end of clock guy.

Fully expect the Madsen brothers to commit sometime in the next 2 weeks. They are ours to lose.

Gabe is very talented and very smooth. He will be a great addition.

Both Gabe and Mason Madsen look like good ball handlers and decent outside shooters. They still have a lot of scheduled visits besides UC, so hard to say how it will fall. Gabe certainly looks like some of the players Brennen has recruited in the past. I'd say he'd be a good four-year kid, not an impact player right away, but he has all the tools to make his mark.

Not clear why Mason isn't as highly regarded, as their skill set seems really similar, but I'll have to trust the recruiting scouts on that one.

I'm guessing height is one difference, a few inches makes a big difference. Mason also seems to be less able to create his own shot. He could still be a solid backup PG and maybe eventually a starter.

Gabe looks like a solid four year starter, potentially a star as an upperclassman.

I'm not sure the 2-for-1 is worth it though. Seems like we should be able to get a 150ish rated player without needing to take on a 300+ rated player as well. I know a lot of people love Brannen's recruiting, but to me it still doesn't look any better then Cronin's, and our best recruits (if we get Gabe/Mason) are a guy with legal troubles that kept teams away and a guy whose desire to play with his brother kept some teams away.

The other big concern I have is the lack of quality bigs. As I've consistently said, skilled big men are the hardest guys to recruit. We've gotten two 7' transfers (Vogt/Sorolla) who look rather unimpressive. Our tallest freshman recruit is a 6'7" SF. If Mason/Gabe commit it would leave us with 2 scholarships remaining for next year. With only 2 guys over 6'7" on the roster for next year (Diarra/Vogt), I'd hope both scholarships get used on bigs.

I know others aren't concerned about our lack of bigs as I am, so hopefully I am proven wrong. I feel like I've seen too many games where a P5 team with a pair of quality bigs can just dominate a mid-major team that lacks size on the inside.

We are only 5 months into Brannens tenure and the quality of recruits interest and visits is definetely up from the Cronin years. Sure the guys are similar rating to what Cronin would pull but I fully expect only better and better recruiting results over the next 5 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm very excited about the future with Brannen.

I think the main difference between the two is that Gabe is a shot creator and Mason looks like more of a facilitator and waits for his moments while Gabe creates them.

Called it. Expected it yesterday but the Madsen brothers committed today. Add Traynor or Scrubb and this will be a very very nice class.

If Brannen wins and keeps trying to get bigger recruits, eventually he will get one or two. And one or two top 80 guys can make a big difference. I like what he has done in the limited time he has been here. Now he has to prove he can win games and the recruits will come.

I would think the remaining two scholarships will go to bigs. Probably one high school and one transfer.

I would go with two freshmen bigs. 2020-21 is looking like a down season, currently we will have 7 players or are freshmen/sophomores in 20-21 and only 4 upperclassmen. 2 of those upperclassmen (Moore, Vogt) are guys who haven't looked very good at this point in their careers.

We already saw this year that quality grad transfer bigs are hard to get. It would be nice to add a freshman PF who can contribute immediately (would presumably be Prince's backup). A grad transfer PF is also an option, but if 20-21 is a down year, than it's better to give playing time to younger players.

Traynor is an interesting prospect and a guy I'd definitely take. He has the offensive skills to be a major threat. But his lack of weight and experience playing down low is concerning. Seems like a guy who will RS and hopefully the potential will pay off in a a couple years. I'm not sure his rating will stick, with the way he shot up, I could easily see him dropping back to the 100-150 range.

Vogt is better than you think, definitely need another pf with prince being our only one on the roster. It will be interesting to see how good mamadou actually is this year, he’s been posting some pretty impressive stuff on Instagram, but not sure how it will translate into actaul game play. But Vogt will be better than Sorolla.