I'm looking forward to next season and really looking forward to Jason's Jr/Sr seasons.

things seem to be shaping up nicely. next recruiting class will be interesting. have 3 scholarships, maybe 4 if last one this year not used.

Maybe it's based on optimism. It's something you don't seem to be real familiar with.

Yep, that's it.

Actually, I'm hopeful. I'm also a big fan of Carter. Have told many followers of college/MAC basketball that he'll be MAC MVP before he's done at Ohio after following him through high school and then his freshman year in college.

However, I'm not as high on Ohio's roster in its entirety when compared with the top of the MAC as some BA posters are. We'll see.

Do you guys know something about Dartis that the majority of us don't?

I get the skepticism, but I refuse to form an opinion on recruits until I see them in person. Most MAC stars (that aren't transfers or cast-offs from other schools) are not superstar recruits. Here's some of the best offers these guys got that I can find.

Eugene German: I can't find any but NIU
Thomas Wilder: WMU only offer?
CJ Massinburg: Sam Houston St?
Elijah Minnie: Robert Morris?
Daniel Utomi: Prarie View A&M?
Jaylin Walker: I see an "interest" from Iowa but no offer
Jaelen Sanford: Northern Kentucky or Illinois State?
Nick Perkins: Detroit or Cleveland St?
Justin Turner: La Tech or Oakland?

Those are 9 of the top 10 scorers in the conference from last season. Which of them would you have looked at from a recruiting offers standpoint and say "We have to get that kid!?"

Just for kicks without looking up his offers list, I did see this about the first one on that list I looked for (Justin Turner)...

A 6-4 combo guard from Detroit, Michigan, Turner averaged 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 2015-16 as a senior. Ranked as high as 10th overall in the state of Michigan for the 2016 class by Bank Hoops, Turner was named to the 2015-16 Detroit Free Press All-Detroit First-Team, the 2015-16 Detroit News All-Detroit First-Team and the 2015-16 Detroit PSL All-City First-Team.

-----------------------------

A far cry from 2 points per game in h.s.

You're basing the staff's entire recruiting prowess on one guy, who by all means is a project and most on this board think so, and who hasn't even stepped foot on the floor of the Convo in a meaningful game.


Since we're into posting stats from high school, because apparently that's what matters:


Jason Carter - Averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks per game as a senior in 2015-16 en route to earning Associated Press Division II First Team All-Ohio High School Athletic Association honors for the second year in a row ... Earned Associated Press Division II First Team All-Ohio High School Athletic Association honors as a junior in 2014-15, averaging 20.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.2 assists en route to leading the Johnnies to a 21-4 overall record, a Licking County League title and an OHSAA Division II Central District runner-up finish

James Gollon - Averaged 30.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game at Pacelli High School under head coach Brad Rutta in 2014-15 ... Garnered Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 All-State honors, Third Team All-State recognition (all divisions) and Stevens Point Journal Central Wisconsin Player of the Year distinction ... Earned Conference 8 Player of the Year honors and First Team All-Conference 8 laurels

Teyvion Kirk - Helped lead the Tigers to a 24-6 overall record and a second-straight appearance in the Illinois High School Association Class 4A sectional title game as a senior in 2016-17, averaging 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game ... Garnered Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A/4A Second Team All-State honors, Associated Press Class 4A Honorable Mention All-State and Southwest Prairie Conference Most Valuable Player recognition

Ben Vander Plas - Averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals over 70 career games at Ripon High School under head coach Dean Vander Plas, his father ... Averaged a double-double with 19.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game as a senior in 2016-17, earning first team all-state laurels and East Central Conference Player of the Year honors for the second straight season ... Helped lead the Tigers to an undefeated regular season and a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament appearance

Gavin Block - Averaged 14.4 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game over his career at Lincoln Community High School under head coach Neil Alexander ... Garnered Chicago Tribune Third Team All-State honors as a senior after leading Lincoln Community to a trip to the Illinois High School Association regional finals after averaging 18.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals ... Shot 42 percent from three-point range and 50 percent from the floor en route to vaulting the Railsplitters to the Illinois state championship game as a junior in 2013-14

Jordan Dartis - Averaged 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals in leading Newark to a Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I district title as a senior in 2014-15 ... Shot 52 percent from the field, 42.1 percent (56 of 133) from three-point range and 86.7 percent (144 of 166) at the free throw line over his senior season ... Named Capital Conference-Ohio Division Player of the Year following his senior campaign ... Garnered First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference and First Team All-District honors in the 2013, '14 and '15

Connor Murrell - A guard out of Sioux City, Iowa, Murrell helped the Sioux City East basketball team an 18-5 record last season, including an appearance in the substate finals...He also finished fifth in scoring in Class 4A as he averaged 21.3 points per game...Murrell also connected on more than 50% of his shots, 48% of his three point attempts and 80% of his attempts from the free throw line.

Antonio Cowart, Jr - graduate of McComb High School…averaged 18.5 points & 3.7 assists per game as a senior…helped the Tigers to back-to-back state titles his sophomore & junior year…named All-District 11th & 12th grades…named team Offensive MVP 12th grade



NO LONGER WITH TEAM

AJ Gareri - Garnered Third Team All-Ohio honors from the Associated Press as a senior in 2016-17 at Ellet High School after averaging 18.6 points per game under head coach Mark Fisher, helping to lead to the Orangemen to an Akron City Series championship ... Followed up a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 blocks with a junior campaign in which he averaged 22.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game ... Helped guide Ellet to an Akron City Series title in 2014-15 after a sectional championship in '13-14

Zach Butler -Earned all-state honors as a senior after leading Dorman to a South Carolina High School League 5A state title, making a layup with 21.5 seconds left to lift the Cavaliers to the crown in the championship game ... Averaged 14 points per game as a junior in 2015-16 at Norcross after averaging nine a game as a sophomore at Dorman in 2014-15.

Mike Laster - Helped lead the Technicians to two Detroit city championships and a district title as a senior ... Averaged 15 points and seven rebounds during the team's run to the Class A MHSAA Regional Final as a senior in 2013-14 ... Garnered Second-Team All-Metro selection

Ryan Taylor - Completed a prep year at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wis., under Krayton Nash ... Averaged 23 points, six rebounds and three assists per game for the Lancers in 2013-14 ... Competed for Michigan City High School under John Boyd, averaging 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game and earning selection to participate in Indiana's Northwest All-Star Classic

Classy as always. At least you're consistent. ;-)

Absolutely. You're a recruiting genius, I was merely using Google for 5 minutes. Clearly the recruiting sites I looked at were wrong, and I'm dumber than you (which you already knew). I expect your full report by tomorrow morning on the other 8 guys I had in that list.

Cowart, to me, passes the eye test!

With the not certain but highly probable situation that Dartis misses all of next year - this team has a whole bunch of unknowns.

PG - Kirk/Preston
SG - Gollon/Cowart
SF - Block/Murrell
PF - Carter/Vander Plas
C - Taylor/?

It was imperative to sign a backup PG. Hope Preston is up to the challenge for at least 8-10 minutes a night. Kirk needs to fix his AST:TO ratio.
SG is thin thin thin on paper but Gollon played well down the stretch and Cowart could be a useful piece. One/both could improve this off-season and step up to being a real contributor or both could be essentially bench/role players. Just don't know.
SF - I love Gavin Block, but he can't be a starter on a championship caliber team IMO. Great person. Great teammate. Does the little things. He's just not "good" enough. Sadly unless/until Kirk becomes a more natural PG Gavin is needed as our "point forward" simply because he can take care of the ball and knows where it needs to go. The less we have to rely on him for these roles the better we'll be.
PF - I think we're set here with Jason and Ben. Strongest unit on the team and possibly best in the MAC. Don't see how McMurray gets any minutes ahead of these guys.
C - Doug is Doug. Steady if not spectacular. Wish he'd develop into more than a rebounder, but he is what he is. If we had 3-4 other "scorers" in the starting 5 he'd be perfectly fine. We don't which is unfortunate, but he's not going to lose us games. Who backs him up though? Carter? He was forced to be an undersized C his freshman year and struggled mightily on defense - commonly getting into foul trouble. Springs? Will he be good enough NEXT year? Doubtful. I think he has loads of potential but it's going to take a couple years to develop. Vander Plas and McMurray seem too light in the butt to bang in the post with other top centers.


So in my mind we could still use a backup C and another wing, but we'll see how it goes.

Do I think we win the MAC in Cleveland next year (regular season doesn't matter)? Probably not, but crazier things have happened.

Question is, will it be enough to save Saul's job?

I like the analysis here, if the rumors are true that Jordan isn't able to go in 2018-19. I would hate to see the injury bug hurt the team again, but I'd rather see the kid be able to walk when he's 50 than play another minute of basketball if his hips are that unforgiving.

If he is, we still have solid wings who can score and shoot from distance. Gollon can easily play the SF along with Block/Murrell if need be.

I'm not really counting on McMurray to come in and blow the doors off people, but I do think we'll be surprised by his athleticism and nose for the ball. He seems like a high energy guy, which is what this bench will desperately need. If you get any kind of production from him on a given night, the need for a Center doesn't seem as glaring.

It will be interesting to see what they do with the last scholarship for sure. Given the injury problems the squad had last year, I would hate to see them pocket it again. We need bodies.

Nice rant, Mrs. Phillips. You must like going 14-17.

As far as players not going to jail... they're not supposed to. Not getting thrown in jail should be the norm. Just as every time a commercial air flight takes off and lands without crashing, it doesn't make the national news. Because that is what is supposed to happen. Basketball teams actually have had winning seasons and some even won their conference without the players turning out to be drug addicts and wife beaters. It has been known to happen.