Basketball Recruiting Projections/General Discussions

[Napoleonbuck]

My only concern with BJ will be how he plays defense and rebounds against other elite players. Reading all the updates about him in AAU, it seems he gets most of his praise on the offensive end. Even Greg had some issues with defense when he first started(playing screens effectively comes to mind first and foremost), and I expect BJ to have even more problems because he doesn't seem to have the natural instincts that Greg possesses defensively(timing and body control).

I think Dallas could possibly take some time away from Mullens because I expect him to be way ahead of Mullens defensively by the time Mullens gets here.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Assuming you are only going to get one year out of BJ, there might be a couple of guys that I would take over him for that freshman year. I think he has some maturing to do on the basketball court and unfortunately he doesn't face the level of competition in HS that will enable him to grow much in that area. I think there will be several guys in that '08 class that may have better freshman years because of that.

Due to the fact true centers with his size and athletic ability do not come around often, there is no one I would take before him. That is not to say the other guys are not as talented. It is a personal preference......take a look at the top 25......how many true centers do you see with BJ's combination of size and athletic ability? I do not list Samuels as a true center......more of a power forward.

Sure I'll name a few guys who I think could easily have more successful FR years and make a bigger impact for their team than BJ. A couple have already been mentioned in Monroe and Samuals. Samuals took it to BJ earlier this summer as evidenced by this quote:

"Samuels was absolutely dominating down low against Mullens and just powered his way to the rim with nimble feet and brute strength. The future Louisville post player did whatever he wanted to do against a much bigger and longer Mullens."

They matched up once on the AAU level.....that is not enough in my opinion to determine that he or anyone will EASILY have more successful Freshmen years....

[wigmon]

We are only talking about getting BJ for one year. As an NBA draft choice, there is no question you take BJ's size, athleticism and potential first. As to who is more ready to dominate their freshman years in college, I think there are a few others who are more prepared.

I understand the "its only one game" argument, but thethere are numerous reports that talk about Mullen's inconsistancy and I think that inconsistancy comes from the fact that he's not challenged the way in HS that he is AAU and will be in college. He's not yet learned how to deal with guys close to his size and athleticism and when there are great athletes all over the court.

Oden was much more advanced in terms of basketball IQ at the same age and he struggled even on the defensive end at times in college (can't really comment on his offense since he was injured). Big guys have a more difficult time adjusting to the college game because they don't get to go against guys their size very much in HS and likely will be even more so for BJ since he's playing at a lower level than a lot of big time prospects play.

[OSU_Buckguy]

yep, samuels is by no means a true center. he is a very strong power forward. he will bully less fit players. until bj becomes stronger, i can see samardo taking it to him. in the elite 24 game, i don't recall the two facing each other. i can't recall whom samuels faced for a period, but he made it a point to demoralize his defender at the post. he did what he wanted when he wanted.

as i stated before, players at least 7' don't manage their height until they're at least midway through college. bj is way ahead of the curve. that's not to say that there isn't room for him to improve athletically. there certainly is. once bj develops his core, he will be absolutely unstoppable. he is not a post player who plays only with his back to the basket. that's a very scary thought for his soon-to-be defenders.

if brandon jennings would tone down his game (and his ego) a little bit (there will always be playground in him), he would be the only player i'd think about taking instead of bj. brandon jennings is the real deal. his court vision is flat-out astounding. breathtaking. he sees plays develop so many steps ahead of everyone else. it's sick. it's borderline superhuman. on top of all of that, he has a great outside touch (though he does shoot fall-aways from the open line). i know it seems like i'm exaggerating, but he is the real deal and then some. he makes playground passes look they're regular chest passes. he will dominate games as a small guard.

[OSU_Buckguy]

Previewing The Fall Signing Period

cstv

Ohio State - Once again, Thad Matta and his staff are set to sign an inside presence who played his way into the Top 10 in B.J. Mullens (9). He's also got a commitment from a great backcourt talent in William Buford (15), who may even deserve a higher ranking than he has right now. Anthony Crater (88) and Walter Offutt are two in the backcourt who also can fill it up from perimeter. The Buckeyes are still sniffing around with Kevin Jones (66) and Eloy Vargas (17) and are hoping that the football team picks up the nation's No. 1 recruit in that sport who may also play a little hoops when the gridiron season ends - Terrelle Pryor (38).

Continued (other programs)...

[el mastiff]

Matta was at football game yesterday with a large group of recruits. He had a brace on his right lower leg.

[OmahaBeef]

Originally Posted by el mastiff

Matta was at football game yesterday with a large group of recruits. He had a brace on his right lower leg.

He was also at the Skull Session. I forget who has the microphone at the time, but he acknowledged Matta and Matta got a nice long standing ovation. Thought it was pretty cool and proves that people at OSU have become aware that we now have an elite basketball program as well as football program.

[ScriptOhio]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

Cleveland.com

High riser:
The one player who seemed to see his stock rise with every outing was 6-11 junior John Riek out of New York. Don't waste your time looking him up on the Internet recruiting sites; unless something has been posted in the last 24 hours, nothing is there.
But when he does make an appearance, look for him to rank among the top five juniors in the nation. Riek is a transfer from Sudan who arrived in the U.S. in January.

Now he is 7-2 and has an Ethiopian high school degree. I wonder how much an Ethiopian degree costs?

RIEK MAY SPEED UP NBA TRACK

According to multiple sources, 7-foot-2 John Riek is en route to the Winchendon School. He may have also sped up his route to the NBA.

Riek, a Sudan native who spent this past season as a sophomore at Our Savior New American (N.Y.), has left the Long Island school and is expected to begin classes at Winchendon (Mass.) early next week.

Riek was the most dominant player at Nike's Lebron James Skills Academy this past July and is a likely lottery pick - and could even be the No. 1 overall pick.

This is a huge turn of events because Riek could be eligible for this June's NBA Draft now that he's considered a post-graduate instead of a high school senior.

Riek told FOXSports.com that he spent three years in high school in Ethiopia. When he arrives at Winchendon, he will be classified as a post-graduate. An international player must turn 19 during the calendar year of the draft and according to Riek's birth certificate and passport (both of which have been obtained by FOXSports.com), he will turn 19 a year from November.

"When we reviewed his records, we have a diploma stamped from a high school in Ethiopia saying he graduated," Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes told FOXSports.com. "If John does come here, he's coming as a post-graduate and not to get his high school diploma.quot;