2012 MBB Offers Extended Today
UMHoops.com reports on several expected (and one confirmed) offers to 2012 recruits today.
It turns out that 15 June following a recruit's sophomore year is by NCAA rule, the first day that coaches can contact such recruits and by NABC guideline, the first day that offers should be made to such recruits.
Dylan's post indicates that many, if not most coaches ignore the NABC guideline on offers to rising junior and younger recruits, but John Beilein -- the chairman of the NCAA Basketball Ethics Committee -- "...refuses to officially offer any prospect before June 15th following their sophomore year..."
Here are the prospects who are expected to have received offers today:
- Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (6-foot, G, Park Tudor, IN)
- JaVontae Hawkins (6-foot-5, G/W, Flint Powers)
- Gary Harris (6-foot-3, G, Fishers, IN)
- Matt Costello (6-foot-8, PF/C, Bay City Western)
- Alex Murphy (6-foot-8, PF, St. Marks)
- Ray Lee (6-foot-2, G, Romulus)
And in this follow on post, Joe Stapleton does a Q&A with Harris and learns that he has indeed received his offer.
Has Michigan offered you yet? I just picked up an offer from Michigan today.
What’d you think [of your recent Michigan visit]? I liked it a lot, it’s a great school with a lot of tradition.
Did you get to meet any of the other coaches? I know Jackson just left and LaVall Jordan is taking his place. Me and LaVall, we already had a good relationship. And the other coaches I have a good relationship with, too.
How do you know LaVall Jordan? Well, he used to recruit me at Iowa, then when he didn’t have a job for a certain amount of time we would always talk, he would come to some of my games and stuff.
So it appears the LaVall Jordan hire is already paying dividends.
Here's Stapleton's take on Harris:
Whenever I talk about Harris, I have to remind myself not to drift into hyperbole, but it’s hard sometimes. He’s really, really good. He was the best player in the tournament in my opinion. One of the major reasons for that was his consistency. He didn’t just play well for a half before the other team figured him out. He didn’t just whup on all the bad teams. He carried a U16 D-3 Heat team that was playing up to a 17U championship. He had some help, but he was clearly the best player on the court in every game he played. The thing is, every team knew this, keyed on him, and still couldn’t stop him.
Here's their story on Harris with video of him playing with his team at the King James Classic back in April.
It looks like this kid can really play and it would be awesome to see him playing along side Brundidge does anyone know though where he stands in his recruitment so far?
All I've heard is that Indiana and state likely lead for Harris, but it is still very early and he seems to like our coaching staff. And it could never hurt what with Dion Harris and Manny Harris having respectable careers here. Let's make it a tradition.
finally seems like he has stepped up the level of recruits he is going after following a 2010 and 2011 campiagn where he aimed a bit too low IMO. Being in on Zegler gave me a little hope and now that's hopefully being reinforced.
whats the word about Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell ? Is this kid supposed to be the next great thing or is everyone just in love with the nickname "Yogi"
...all the material on Yogi at UMHoops.com. They've got two videos, a recent Q&A and this analysis:
Ferrell is a dynamic point guard that displays all the traits that you want to see in a lead guard. He is lightning quick, has a good shot, loves to finish with contact, and has a smooth pull up jumpshot. The one knock on Ferrell is that he is undersized, if he can grow a couple more inches before he graduates he should be the perfect college point guard.
Ferrell averaged 23.4 points and 4.6 assists per game and shot 77% at the free throw line. He also led his team to the state championship game after getting off to a slow 4-8 start.
Definitely more than a name. Yogi is the real deal. He's also not lacking in confidence given his answer about who he compares to. In the Q&A he also confirmed that he'd been told to expect an offer today.
What would you bring to Michigan? On the court, winning games pretty much, being a leader out there, showing no fear when we play. Off the court, I’m a great guy to hang out with, just making everyone laugh. I’m not one of those guys who causes drama or anything.
What are you focused on improving about your game? With my high school team I usually have to score a lot but with my AAU team I have to be more of a distributor, so I’m working on that right now instead of trying to score. But I would say my strength is–when I’m trying to drive, I’m playing up so I’m playing bigger guys but I know I have to be strong.
Who do people compare you to? I’ve heard a couple people say I remind them a little bit of Isaiah Thomas.
Shoe, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite contributors here. It seems like anytime a question is asked, you provide an answer supported by (several) links. Keep up the good work.
...for the compliment.
...2012 offers. UMHoops.com now has a Q&A up with JaVontae Hawkins (6-foot-5, G/W, Flint Powers). In it he confirms that yesterday he received his official Michigan offer.
What do you like about Michigan? I like the campus, I like Coach Beilein’s character, how he treats his players, and how they treat recruits.They bring them in and show them around and make them feel welcome.
How would you fit in to Beilein’s system? Like I said, I can shoot pretty well and I can take it to the basket. Coach Beilein is going to fine-tune my shot and make me into a complete basketball player.
Is there a player you’ve been compared to? Durrell Summers from Michigan State.
What ultimately goes into your decision? Top-notch education, having a good social background, and top athletics.
...great fluff on Gary Harris and his mom, Joy Holmes Harris a former Purdue G/F All-American and Big Ten women's co-Athlete of the Year in 1991. His mom had a career in the ABL and WNBA culminating in a stint with the Detroit Shock in 2000 and 2001. She's been an assistant coach with Cincinnati, IUPUI and Middle Tennessee State.
According to the article, Harris now has an offer list that includes 15 schools.
...[H]is father, Gary Harris Sr., said that [list] will shrink to a more manageable amount. His offer list currently includes: Butler, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, IUPUI, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon State, Vanderbilt and Xavier.
"There are some advantages to narrowing down the amount of schools that are interested in him," Gary Harris Sr. said. "But I also don't want him to discount anybody yet, either, until we've had a chance to check them out. We talk constantly about establishing some criteria. Our family is pretty close, so it would be nice for him to not be too far away and we could be part of the college experience, but he also has to go where he wants to go."
Here's hoping that distance does remain a key criterion since it's only a two hour drive between Hamilton, IN and Ann Arbor.
...by Joe Stapleton at UMHoops.com, this time for Matt Costello.
Costello is tall, long, tough and coordinated. A lot of times with young big guys, you get the sense that they’re still growing into their bodies, but he looked perfectly at home. You looked at him and expected him to dominate the glass, and he did. He kept the ball high in the post, which takes some guys years to learn. When didn’t receive entry passes, he went and got them. He was quick on his feet for someone his size, losing his defenders in the post and staying in front of whoever he was guarding.
Confirmed offers include: Costello, Yogi Ferrell, JaVontae Hawkins, Gary Harris and Ron Patterson.
Check out the link for details and for links to information on all these 2012 recruits.