[Realist]

I actually have no idea if he was rated higher than the unc kid (don't even know his name) when that ranking was put out, just giving that guy who's obcessed by it some fuel.

[jmdickens]

like I said, no way WU got someone ranked that high.......

[Realist]

Are you trying to change history now JMDickens? Why does this bother you so much?

[jmdickens]

change history???? I am basically just calling you out on this ranking........Where is the proof???

You don't fall from 4 to 2 stars over the summer and get recruited by high majors....oh wait, its only Winthrop

[Realist]

I didn't just make that one paragraph up, It came off rivals, where he was ranked #9. He fell some, but I'm also learning that the reason for it was that he sprained his ankle over the summer and hurt his AAU play which dropped that ranking. So I'm actually pretty excited about this guy, he has crazy talent. I hate to inform you since you have some weird thing about a top ranked player in the nation going to WU, but it's true.

[paradox]

Wow, sounds like you just landed the next Michael Jordon. Had MJ only sprained his ankle the summer before he committed to UNC, he probably would've ended up in Rock Hill instead of Chapel Hill as well. Funny how the distance between these two hills is surprisingly small.


Congratulations on landing the next Michael Jordon. Or is he the next Brian Faison? Time will tell.



If you're lucky, you may have landed the next Michael Jenkins ... which I'm sure Randy Peale will take any day of the week.

..

[El Scorcho]

Michael Jordon.

Wow. Seriously? He's arguably the most famous athlete of all time, and you GMTM his name?

[SuperJon]

Here's the deal on this kid:

When he was younger, he was basically a prodigy almost. He developed faster than the other kids, and at one point in time, was one of the best SGs in the country. However, for whatever reason, his talent has leveled off. Other kids have caught up and many have passed him. What looked to be a very high ceiling on this kid even as early as a year or two ago has come down. He was passed by a lot of other kids (including the kid going to Carolina). This is a solid pickup for Winthrop. He won't be All-Everything and score 30 points a game, but he's going to be a solid contributor. It's a good pickup for him, and if we were to get him, we'd be happy about it.

[olldflame]

In other words Jones was an "early bloomer". Of course, we are hoping our own top backcourt recruit follows in the footsteps of his brother as a "late bloomer".

The more I look at the recruiting process the more sceptical I am about stars, rankings, etc. IMHO, the only reliable barometer (and even that can be off) is "who has offered the kid a scholarship"?

[LUconn]

You should be skeptical of the rankings. They're stupid. But it's nice to flaunt it if you've got a high one.

[Killn'emsoftly]

Ask the coaches at High Point and VMI how highly recruited were AZ or Reggie were... That shows you stars mean nothing.

[Realist]

I agree with a lot of what is said, I'm actually no huge stickler for rankings either. But this kid was highly sought after, and only after an ankle injury before he began AAU ball was his "ranking" lowered. He's a great pick-up.

"His stock slipped this past spring, when he suffered a severe ankle sprain and did not play well while competing for the Boo Williams All-Stars, the top AAU team in Virginia and one of the best in the nation, and at some summer camps." That's from a local charlotte paper. I'm happy with someone who was ranked that high and then downgraded just due to a recoverable injury.

[paradox]

In other words Jones was an "early bloomer". Of course, we are hoping our own top backcourt recruit follows in the footsteps of his brother as a "late bloomer".

The more I look at the recruiting process the more sceptical I am about stars, rankings, etc. IMHO, the only reliable barometer (and even that can be off) is "who has offered the kid a scholarship"?

Yea, and every recruit claims that he was "offered" by no less than three ACC schools and turned all three down in order to play in an insignificant conference.

So, in the end, it's a vicious cycle trying to weed through all of this because the athlete's self-esteem and self-importance play a large part in the misinformation between casual interest versus a bona fide offer from a big name school.

[LUconn]

Acutal offers are official, I believe. So that would be easy to verify.

[jmdickens]

it sounds like people were overhyping him early and realized later he was just average......It is still a good pickup, I am just informing you that if this kid was a superstar

Actually that 4 start ranking thing was from a blog, not rivals....
oh.....that 5.7 ranking on rivals......is below 4 star level and it means he is in the top 750 in the country.....that is not an elite level prospect

I really hope he does great for WU......

[Realist]

Whatever you like to believe boys.....

[jmdickens]

thanks woman

[panfan01]

There is no question in my mind that the the LU posters are tuff and tenacious. I'm glad to see that there are others out there that just don't roll over and buy all the koolaid WU is selling.

[JK37]

you cannot be #9 in the country at PG and go to Winthrop......

He did fall off, a bit. Winthrop, just like everyone else in the East, has been tracking his progress for a long time. But don't make stupid comments like this. Their program is so much further ahead of the Big South right now. And this is how they stay there.

Conference affiliations aside, Winthrop is as good as or even much better of a men's basketball program than any of those schools listed who offered him.

This statement, although hyped-up, applies to the Greg Marshall era. The post-Greg era is going to be defined by what they actually achieve, not by what Greg Marshall achieved along with former players, most notably Bradshaw and Martin.

I would agree. The program, naturally, is in a "wait-and-see" sort of stage.

[ludeal]

congrats on the pick up, you stole one from EAST CAROLINA, and WILLIAM and MARY.................................. Dickens is right, yeah hes good, but there is a reason that the big schools stopped showing interest, he definitely hit his ceiling. Even two years ago before he had the ankle sprain, he was not one of the first two off the bench for his Boo Williams team. He is Just a kid, that was a man among boys that has not lived up to his potential. However if Liberty landed this guy, i would be tickled.

[jmdickens]

congrats on the pick up, you stole one from EAST CAROLINA, and WILLIAM and MARY.................................. Dickens is right, yeah hes good, but there is a reason that the big schools stopped showing interest, he definitely hit his ceiling. Even two years ago before he had the ankle sprain, he was not one of the first two off the bench for his Boo Williams team. He is Just a kid, that was a man among boys that has not lived up to his potential. However if Liberty landed this guy, i would be tickled.

SJ, someone listened to me..............it feels great

[Realist]

[SuperJon]

congrats on the pick up, you stole one from EAST CAROLINA, and WILLIAM and MARY.................................. Dickens is right, yeah hes good, but there is a reason that the big schools stopped showing interest, he definitely hit his ceiling. Even two years ago before he had the ankle sprain, he was not one of the first two off the bench for his Boo Williams team. He is Just a kid, that was a man among boys that has not lived up to his potential. However if Liberty landed this guy, i would be tickled.

SJ, someone listened to me..............it feels great

It's cause he's one of your best friends.

[jmdickens]

let me know how it feels when you have someone........


Hey, don't be upset because I am right

be upset because you are wrong

[SuperJon]

How am I wrong? I never said he was a great player. I said he used to be. I was just showing you that you were flipping out over nothing and that you were only half reading everything.