Bball Recruiting

[Hog and Eggs]

I was thinking it about it and basketball recruiting is going to be nuts next year. We will have potentially 5 guys to replace (Qualls, Williams, Bell, Durham, Miles). That's a lot of freshman to bring in at one time, especially if you want quality. Obviously, Anderson could continue his trend of bringing in transfers. I know we are on Monk and Davis, what are some of the other names who have expressed interest and how might it play out?

[Hawg Red]

Mitchell Smith and Jaylen Fisher are two 2016 prep guys that we're recruiting. There are more, but those immediately come to mind. I'm sure Anderson will mix the class, at least to some degree. He's always looking at JUCOs.

[Hog and Eggs]

In my view, we have to hit on some top targets. The last few years we have really only had Ku and Florida consistently good, but if you check out a&m and LSU classes they are on the way IP. It wouldn't be difficult to be left behind.

[-Blu]

I was thinking it about it and basketball recruiting is going to be nuts next year. We will have potentially 5 guys to replace (Qualls, Williams, Bell, Durham, Miles). That's a lot of freshman to bring in at one time, especially if you want quality. Obviously, Anderson could continue his trend of bringing in transfers. I know we are on Monk and Davis, what are some of the other names who have expressed interest and how might it play out?

We're recruiting quite a few guys for 2016.  Of course you have Malik Monk that will be a top 5 guy in his class.  Then you have guys like Daryl Macon (JUCO), Mitchell Smith, De'Ron Davis, Jayln Fisher, Jalen Johnson, Lawson Korita, Payton Willis, and Adrian Moore.  Then there's a few more guys as well, though I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

Of that list I say we should have a pretty decent shot at landing Monk, Smith, and Macon.  Macon has been lighting it up in JUCO and staff has went in to watch him play, he's been on record as wanting to be a hog, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets an offer, and should be a top JUCO guy in 2016.  Mitchell Smith stock should really rise over the summer, he'll probably end up being a 4-star kid if he continues to progress as he has, already has offers from Ark, Ok State, and Creighton.  And if we continue to improve and bring in talented players, I think that should be enough to keep Malik Monk in-state.  We also, have some other in-state kids that could rise in the rankings with good summer performances such as Payton Willis, Lawson Korita, and Adrian Moore.  We'll learn a lot more after the summer.

[Hog and Eggs]

It's nice that this is the season that we are finally putting it all together. If we can put up a good showing in the tourney and then start well next year, it might be exactly what we need to get over the hump and really add a number of really talented kids to the program. In my view, the next year and a half will be big in determining the long-term success of the program.

[The_Iceman]

We're recruiting quite a few guys for 2016.  Of course you have Malik Monk that will be a top 5 guy in his class.  Then you have guys like Daryl Macon (JUCO), Mitchell Smith, De'Ron Davis, Jayln Fisher, Jalen Johnson, Lawson Korita, Payton Willis, and Adrian Moore.  Then there's a few more guys as well, though I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

Of that list I say we should have a pretty decent shot at landing Monk, Smith, and Macon.  Macon has been lighting it up in JUCO and staff has went in to watch him play, he's been on record as wanting to be a hog, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets an offer, and should be a top JUCO guy in 2016.  Mitchell Smith stock should really rise over the summer, he'll probably end up being a 4-star kid if he continues to progress as he has, already has offers from Ark, Ok State, and Creighton.  And if we continue to improve and bring in talented players, I think that should be enough to keep Malik Monk in-state.  We also, have some other in-state kids that could rise in the rankings with good summer performances such as Payton Willis, Lawson Korita, and Adrian Moore.  We'll learn a lot more after the summer.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Danny J]

We're recruiting quite a few guys for 2016.  Of course you have Malik Monk that will be a top 5 guy in his class.  Then you have guys like Daryl Macon (JUCO), Mitchell Smith, De'Ron Davis, Jayln Fisher, Jalen Johnson, Lawson Korita, Payton Willis, and Adrian Moore.  Then there's a few more guys as well, though I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

Of that list I say we should have a pretty decent shot at landing Monk, Smith, and Macon.  Macon has been lighting it up in JUCO and staff has went in to watch him play, he's been on record as wanting to be a hog, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets an offer, and should be a top JUCO guy in 2016.  Mitchell Smith stock should really rise over the summer, he'll probably end up being a 4-star kid if he continues to progress as he has, already has offers from Ark, Ok State, and Creighton.  And if we continue to improve and bring in talented players, I think that should be enough to keep Malik Monk in-state.  We also, have some other in-state kids that could rise in the rankings with good summer performances such as Payton Willis, Lawson Korita, and Adrian Moore.  We'll learn a lot more after the summer.

I agree.....Monk will likely want to play with other really highly regarded players.

[OnTheHillHogFan]

Korita has the best chance of an offer out of him, Moore and Willis.

[ricepig]

Korita has the best chance of an offer out of him, Moore and Willis.

That's my understanding of how it stands now.

[Dominicanhog]

Monk, Davis, Smith, Fisher.... it's the class that solidifies Hawgball as "back" on the national scene...  :razorback:

[The_Iceman]

Daryl Macon started following me on Twitter last night. I have no idea why. Ive never tweeted at him or mentioned him in a tweet. Weird.

[Hogimus Prime]

Any word if MA is after any swingmen in the 6'5-6'7" range?

[The_Bionic_Pig]

Daryl Macon started following me on Twitter last night. I have no idea why. Ive never tweeted at him or mentioned him in a tweet. Weird.

Do you have a Hog related moniker as your twitter name or you are consistently re tweeting Hog Basketball related subjects.

[The_Iceman]

Do you have a Hog related moniker as your twitter name or you are consistently re tweeting Hog Basketball related subjects.

Moniker = No. But I do RT basketball topics.

Sounds like the kid is a Hog if offered.

[mbgrulz]

I don't think people understand how good Mitchell Smith is/can be. He needs to keep developing, but you have to admit that he's on par with where Portis was at this stage.

[The_Iceman]

I don't think people understand how good Mitchell Smith is/can be. He needs to keep developing, but you have to admit that he's on par with where Portis was at this stage.

If gets to some camps this offseason, and puts on some muscle, I wouldn't be surprised if he took a Portis like jump up in the rankings.

[The_Iceman]

Just a couple games ago, Daryl Macon scored 31 pts on 5-10 from 3pt.

http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/div1/players/darylmaconns40

[Hogimus Prime]

I don't think people understand how good Mitchell Smith is/can be. He needs to keep developing, but you have to admit that he's on par with where Portis was at this stage.

I really hope Smith ends up a Hog.  He can be the next Portis

[Thepigdoctor]

Fisher loves CMA's style and is very high on the Hogs. Wouldn't be surprised to see us land him.

Getting Davis, Monk, Fisher, Smith, and Macon would be an incredible class. Mix that with Beard, Kapita, Whitt, Kingsley, Thompson, and Babb...look out.

[The_Iceman]

Fisher loves CMA's style and is very high on the Hogs. Wouldn't be surprised to see us land him.

Getting Davis, Monk, Fisher, Smith, and Macon would be an incredible class. Mix that with Beard, Kapita, Whitt, Kingsley, Thompson, and Babb...look out.

Fisher isn't the best shooter. Mike's style might help him cover up that glaring weakness until he can work on his shot more.

[Thepigdoctor]

Fisher isn't the best shooter. Mike's style might help him cover up that glaring weakness until he can work on his shot more.

Right, Ice and correct me if I'm wrong but he's a true pg isn't he? Be a great compliment to a jr beard as another true ball handler off the bench.

[benji]

Right, Ice and correct me if I'm wrong but he's a true pg isn't he? Be a great compliment to a jr beard as another true ball handler off the bench.

Jaylen is a true pass first PG. He's got fantastic handles and will do really well with the drive and dish and pick plays (whether roll or pop). His shot release is low and he pushes from the front of his face, so he will have to get that fixed. His shot reminds me a bit of Mardracus Wade. If he isn't wide open, we will get blocked.

[The_Iceman]

Jaylen is a true pass first PG. He's got fantastic handles and will do really well with the drive and dish and pick plays (whether roll or pop). His shot release is low and he pushes from the front of his face, so he will have to get that fixed. His shot reminds me a bit of Mardracus Wade. If he isn't wide open, we will get blocked.

Fisher would be a great distributor in our offense with the weapons we can put around him. Letting him play behind an experienced Beard would be a great way for him to develop and learn. Put him in a free-for-all place like Memphis, and he might get lost. Mike can develop him.

[Thepigdoctor]

Fisher would be a great distributor in our offense with the weapons we can put around him. Letting him play behind an experienced Beard would be a great way for him to develop and learn. Put him in a free-for-all place like Memphis, and he might get lost. Mike can develop him.

My thoughts exactly. From what I've heard about him initially and from his last reported comments, sounds like the Hogs are his number 1 right now. I'll see if I can go find that interview.

[The_Iceman]

My thoughts exactly. From what I've heard about him initially and from his last reported comments, sounds like the Hogs are his number 1 right now. I'll see if I can go find that interview.

I think our staff can help him with his jump shot. All the other skills are there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmtcbhdVOv4

[Thepigdoctor]

I think our staff can help him with his jump shot. All the other skills are there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmtcbhdVOv4

Agreed. What jumps out to me watching his videos is the court vision. He's one of those players you watch that even though you see them looking one way, you know they are seeing the entire floor.

IMO, that's a key trait that a lot of very successful basketball players share. A couple of our key players have that tunnel vision problem.

[mhuff]

We're recruiting quite a few guys for 2016.  Of course you have Malik Monk that will be a top 5 guy in his class.  Then you have guys like Daryl Macon (JUCO), Mitchell Smith, De'Ron Davis, Jayln Fisher, Jalen Johnson, Lawson Korita, Payton Willis, and Adrian Moore.  Then there's a few more guys as well, though I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

Of that list I say we should have a pretty decent shot at landing Monk, Smith, and Macon.  Macon has been lighting it up in JUCO and staff has went in to watch him play, he's been on record as wanting to be a hog, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets an offer, and should be a top JUCO guy in 2016.  Mitchell Smith stock should really rise over the summer, he'll probably end up being a 4-star kid if he continues to progress as he has, already has offers from Ark, Ok State, and Creighton.  And if we continue to improve and bring in talented players, I think that should be enough to keep Malik Monk in-state.  We also, have some other in-state kids that could rise in the rankings with good summer performances such as Payton Willis, Lawson Korita, and Adrian Moore.  We'll learn a lot more after the summer.

Great info.......keep it coming.

Not sure why we are not really pursing Adrian Moore. I thought he was in top 100. We are going to need a big time SF. Maybe we can get one from Memphis when they fire Pastner.

[bulldog04]

Rivals shows WR commit Jordan Jones as a bball recruit.  Is he good enough to play bball for the hogs?

[Hawg Red]

Adrian Moore has not developed as it was projected he might.

[The_Iceman]

Adrian Moore has not developed as it was projected he might.

The most recent video of his shows this. Just didn't develop like they thought he would when he first kinda burst only the scene as a 9th grader.

Good player, just not a very high ceiling for him.

https://vimeo.com/115155823

[Hog and Eggs]

The most recent video of his shows this. Just didn't develop like they thought he would when he first kinda burst only the scene as a 9th grader.

Good player, just not a very high ceiling for him.

https://vimeo.com/115155823

Is he still worth offering or is he destined for a smaller school?

[The_Iceman]

Is he still worth offering or is he destined for a smaller school?

He should not be in our plan A of offers. That needs to be for guys like Monk, Davis, Mitchell, Fisher, and Macon. Moore is more in the group with Payton Willis and Lawson Korita.

[Hawg Red]

Is he still worth offering or is he destined for a smaller school?

I'd say he's more of a mid-major player at this point.

[donk]

I think our staff can help him with his jump shot. All the other skills are there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmtcbhdVOv4

Did they tell them not to play defense?

[ricepig]

I'd say he's more of a mid-major player at this point.

Yeah, good high school player, but nothing stands out to say a top D-I player.

[mhuff]

Surprising ... thought he was an elite player. I have not seen him play.

[Thepigdoctor]

He should not be in our plan A of offers. That needs to be for guys like Monk, Davis, Mitchell, Fisher, and Macon. Moore is more in the group with Payton Willis and Lawson Korita.

This is the problem with so much recruiting exposure. Kids that develop early our ranked highly based on what they do with an advanced body. Kids catch up to them physically and they free fall. Some kids also become complacent and forget that being highly rated as a freshman doesn't mean they should stop working.

One thing that's clear with Fisher, he's still growing and filling out in a big way. His lower body still has a long way to go, but he's getting there. You can tell at times watching him, he's still getting used to his body. There was a story about this were he made a quick drive to the basket and threw one down over somebody, but in the process rolled his ankle. When you aren't used to dunking like that, the toughest thing to learn is coming back down to earth. It's a good sign to see that kind of aggressiveness though. I think he has a great upside as a pure point, we'll have other scorers.

[mhuff]

Mitchell Smith and Jaylen Fisher are two 2016 prep guys that we're recruiting. There are more, but those immediately come to mind. I'm sure Anderson will mix the class, at least to some degree. He's always looking at JUCOs.

Have you seen Mitchell Smith play..... How good is he against competition?

Ice, what makes you say that he is not a shooter. I know clips always show the best; however, he looked more than proficient to me.

Also doc, I was impressed by his court vision as well.

[tophawg19]

Just a couple games ago, Daryl Macon scored 31 pts on 5-10 from 3pt.

http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/div1/players/darylmaconns40

he may want your name . Daryl '' iceman'' Macon .

[RazorAg]

We're recruiting quite a few guys for 2016.  Of course you have Malik Monk that will be a top 5 guy in his class.  Then you have guys like Daryl Macon (JUCO), Mitchell Smith, De'Ron Davis, Jayln Fisher, Jalen Johnson, Lawson Korita, Payton Willis, and Adrian Moore.  Then there's a few more guys as well, though I haven't heard anything about them in a while.

Of that list I say we should have a pretty decent shot at landing Monk, Smith, and Macon.  Macon has been lighting it up in JUCO and staff has went in to watch him play, he's been on record as wanting to be a hog, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets an offer, and should be a top JUCO guy in 2016.  Mitchell Smith stock should really rise over the summer, he'll probably end up being a 4-star kid if he continues to progress as he has, already has offers from Ark, Ok State, and Creighton.  And if we continue to improve and bring in talented players, I think that should be enough to keep Malik Monk in-state.  We also, have some other in-state kids that could rise in the rankings with good summer performances such as Payton Willis, Lawson Korita, and Adrian Moore.  We'll learn a lot more after the summer.

Other names to be familiar with:

Nate Morris 6'9 Post
Micah Thomas 6'7 Combo F
DeShawn Williams 6'1 Combo G
Eric Curry 6'7 Combo F
Cameron McGriff 6'7 Combo F
Emmanuel Ugboh 6'10 Post
Schnider Herard 6'10 Post
Nolan Narain 6'9 Post

[RazorAg]

The thing with Adrian Moore is that he doesn't do anything great.  He has prototypical 2 guard size and high major college athleticism.  But, his skill hasn't greatly improved since he's been receiving exposure.

I wouldn't say he doesn't have a high ceiling.  That's usually reserved for players that are aren't very athletic and are undersized for the position they project to.  That's not the case with Moore. 

[-Blu]

Other names to be familiar with:

Nate Morris 6'9 Post
Micah Thomas 6'7 Combo F
DeShawn Williams 6'1 Combo G
Eric Curry 6'7 Combo F
Cameron McGriff 6'7 Combo F
Emmanuel Ugboh 6'10 Post
Schnider Herard 6'10 Post
Nolan Narain 6'9 Post

Cool, thanks for update, haven't heard of some of those guys.  Any with an offer that you know of?  Also, I forgot about DeShawn Williams, how's he been doing this year?  He had an offer from Uconn last year didn't he?

[Scott7703]

Other names to be familiar with:

Nate Morris 6'9 Post
Micah Thomas 6'7 Combo F
DeShawn Williams 6'1 Combo G
Eric Curry 6'7 Combo F
Cameron McGriff 6'7 Combo F
Emmanuel Ugboh 6'10 Post
Schnider Herard 6'10 Post
Nolan Narain 6'9 Post

Which ones are you most impressed with on the list?

[mbgrulz]

I wish DeShawn Williams was bigger. I think 6'1" is a stretch, but the kid can flat play.

[RazorAg]

Cool, thanks for update, haven't heard of some of those guys.  Any with an offer that you know of?  Also, I forgot about DeShawn Williams, how's he been doing this year?  He had an offer from Uconn last year didn't he?

I've seen offers reported for all except for Williams, Curry and Ugboh, but I don't put stock into those reports.

Yes, there was a reported offer from UConn for Williams.  He has played very well for SCA in Little Rock since transferring there.  Led them in scoring quite a bit.  He is a nice scorer at that level.  I want to see more this spring/summer from him.

[RazorAg]

Which ones are you most impressed with on the list?

I need to see more from all of them, but I'll tell you that Thomas intrigues me the most of the crew at this point.  Out of Memphis and grassroots teammate of Jaylen Fisher, he fits our system and Mike Anderson's profile to a T.  Combo Forward, really long, quick, athletic, can guard multiple spots and can score on top of that.  Gotta believe he's high on our board.

[Thepigdoctor]

I'd really like to see us target a longer wing type, like Jonathan Isaac out of Florida. He has a couple big decent offers, but still fairly overlooked. Interestingly enough he has an offer from Arkansas State I believe.

He's a 6'9 SF who is very lean. Think Jacorey Williams as an offensive player. Has three point range with a very smooth and repeatable stroke. He'll have to put on weight in a big way, but has a good looking offensive skill set, with good handles for a player his size.

I don't know any details on him beyond watching a few of his game tapes, his shot, length, and lean build really stand out. He's very easily knocked off his base on drives.

[chiti66]

Really hope we pick up:

Monk
Smith
Macon
Moore
Fisher

The player I really want (aside from Monk, duh...) is Moore.  The kid has the idea size for a SG (D-Wade is 6'4), is a really good shooter and can defend!  Plus he is a 4-year player.  Macon is a pure scorer and Fish is the future PG.  Don't know why folks have acted as though Moore is an after thought.  I know that Monk is the GEM of the class, but we would be getting MAJOR talent if we can land the other 4 IN STATE players.  These guys are really that good and I know that CMA can't wait to get these kids on the Hill.  Along with Beard, Whitt, Manny, Hannahs, Kapita, Moses and Trey?  And if we could somehow land Davis.....man we'd be stacked!!! 

LETS GO!!!

[Thepigdoctor]

Any wish list of kids we are currently on in 2016 also must include Terrance Ferguson. I'm not sure if we have a realistic shot with him, but he played on the USA developmental teams with Davis and Monk.

Landing those three in '16, would give us a serious shot to have our own fab five.

[Music City Hog]

The entire razorback men's basketball team showed up to watch Malik Monks game tonight.