I've been meaning to share my two cents on our
2012 B-ball class. I can't wait to see how these kids develop, gel and
contribute. Hopefully, they'll be the start of a consistent upward
trend. If there are others who have seen some of these kids in action,
please share your thoughts too.
2012 Basketball Recruiting Class
Sharief Adamu
- Could turn out to be a solid find for us considering that we'd missed
on so many of our top targets and were really in a pinch. He has solid
to good athleticism combined with a workman-like attitude that allows
him to play lunch pail, blue collar B-ball. He should definitely be able
to give us what Adrian Forbes provided in terms of fouls, rebounding
and hopefully solid defense. At times, he can get TOO much into role
play where he plays down to the level of the role, instead of playing
his complete game the way it does in pickup games. If he could find a
way to tap into his loose, free wheeling mode, and play with his swag
turned up a full notch, he could be a pleasant surprise and turn out to
be a true SEC level player. He can help this team if he simply plays the
Adrian Forbes role, (and he can definitely do that with potential to do
achieve quite a bit more if he develops at a high level).
Cons: His
play can really be up and down. He will sometimes show up big for a
stretch, but also has a tendency to disappear for long periods where
he's just another body on the court. I believe it's because he gets so
zoned into role playing mode, that he goes into a robot like mindset,
(where he acts as if it's illegal to do anything beyond grabbing
rebounds, defending and restricting himself to put backs on offense). He
may need to go see the wizard, and let his hair down just a bit, while
still doing what's asked of him.
Pros: He's a solid
athlete who is physically ready to get in there and mix it up a little
in the post. I hope he's patient if he's not getting the minutes that he
wants. He's strong and athletic enough to give us a body in the post,
and I'm viewing it as if we have Adrian Forbes for another two years
. At the height of his potential, he has the ability to provide some scoring in stretches too, (
IF he can find a way to break out of the shell under the big lights).
Summary: He's an upgraded Adrian Forbes type who's likely to be more of a role player for us, however, IMO he
does
have the potential to do more than Adrian on offense if he can tap into
it and just play his complete game. He has pretty much the same size
and strength as Adrian, same or better jumping ability, but he's more
skilled. I'm glad to have him, and I hope he works as hard and develops
as much as Adrian did in his two years.
--------
Asauhn Dixon-Tatum
- He has good length, adequate athleticism and could be a really
important recruit by bridging the gap after Rob completes his
eligibility this season, (
until we hopefully land some other frontcourt stud(s)
). He has a very nice touch on his jumper, his FTs, and overall, he
shoots the ball well. I haven't seen any of the 40 inch vertical or
explosiveness that others have mentioned in scouting reports, but
hopefully, it exists. He's pretty thin, and definitely needs to hit the
weight room and training table to reach his full potential. His low post
repetoire could benefit from some expansion and polishing, and if Rob
Chubb and Adrian Forbes are any indication, he should develop in these
areas if he works hard and is dedicated to his craft. Overall, kids
close to 7 foot tall don't grow on trees, and I'm glad that we have him.
Cons:
He needs more size and strength to develop into a first order boss down
on the blocks. I've seen him get moved around by stronger players. He
then tends to overextend and get off balance in there pushing too hard
trying to get/maintain leverage, (or spend too much time and effort
chicken fighting and re-positioning). While he does shoot the ball well,
he sometimes takes a bit too long to get his shot off. That didn't hurt
him as much in JUCO, (
where he frequently enjoyed a significant height advantage),
but I wonder if it might hurt him a bit at this level. Hopefully, he
can learn to get his shot off quicker and still retain his accuracy.
Hopefully, he's already working on that in practice, and is well on his
way to improving in that area. At times, he also seems to do everything
in semi slow motion. I hope he's able to speed things up and be more
sudden/explosive in his movement. There's not much to be done about his
lack of strength and light weight, (for this season), and I hope the
gains he's made are enough to allow him to be an effective rebounder and
defender at this level.He also needs a polished back to the basket game
to be complete.
Pros: Good length, adequate to solid timing as a shot blocker,
(though the jury is still out as to how effective he'll be blocking shots at this level). He can shoot the ball, (out to 12 feet or so), and even shoots FTs well for a big man.
Summary:
I hope his skillset and abilities transfer well to this level, and he
develops a lot in the two seasons of eligibility that he has left. He
could really help us with his shooting ability and length on defense. We
also really need him to be a solid or better rebounder.
--------
Jordon Granger
- I really like his long term potential. He brings a needed skillset to
the team. He's not flashy, not freakishly athletic etc., but he can
flat shoot the basketball,
(which is his biggest asset right now).
Fortunately, that is a skill that we direly need. He's somewhat of a
"tweener" in that he's a semi-landlocked, one dimensional PF, in a slim
wing player's body. He's a little thinner than Kenny Gabriel was when he
arrived, but he doesn't have the skillset to play out on the wing like
KG. If he was skilled enough to play out there, it might allow him to
mask his size deficit some until he gets bigger and stronger. He could
possibly be exposed trying to go toe to toe with bigger, stronger
frontcourt players. Will this limitation keep him off of the floor? I
hope not. He might be a candidate to redshirt to gain some size, if he
didn't shoot the ball so well. If he can handle the physical demands, he
should be able to help us this year.
Cons: Unfortunately,
his current game doesn't fit his body type. He's a real skinny bean who
plays a true PF game, and even long term, he
COULD have trouble
getting big and strong enough to bang down in the low post at this
level. I could see him eventually getting somewhere around Kenny
Gabriel's size his senior season, but his game is different from
Kenny's, (as he doesn't
currently have the same ability to
play on the wing the way Kenny did, nor does he currently have the
run/jump abilities that Kenny did). At this point, he doesn't have a
real back to the basket game, and even if he did, I believe that he's
just too light to tangle with frontcourt monsters and execute it right
now. His offensive game will likely be turn-around and faceup jumpshots.
Pros:
He has adequate to solid athleticism, good quickness, serviceable to
solid rebounding skills. His best attribute is that he really shoots the
ball well. He has a few basic back to the basket moves,
(though he'll really need to expand his repetoire at the college level).His
bread and butter are his face up and fall away jumpers, (with a range
well out to 15-16 feet). He might even develop into a good 3 point
shooter,
(if he's used at the 3 and/or allowed to float around the perimeter some). I could see him developing into a good passer, as he seems to have solid instincts in that area.
Summary:
If he can gain some weight and get bigger and stronger, look out! He
could be a real sleeper and take his game to considerable heights
.However,
IMHO, that's a pretty BIG if. He seems to be one of those body types
that might stay pretty thin regardless of how hard he works in the
weight room, and how much he eats. I hope he starts on the "Rob Chubb"
physical development plan, ASAP.
--------
Brian Greene
- I really don't know a lot about him first hand. He's a good athlete,
very hard worker, and complete basketball junkie. He seems to have a
solid handle, and can play either guard position for us, (
though, I
think down the road he could be a better at the 2 if we're running a
true DDO where he would be able to use his athleticism, quickness and
bounce to get to the hole and finish).
Cons: He
doesn't seem to be a pure shooter, nor does he seem to be the most
natural PG, (at this point of his career). However, his work ethic,
attitude and willingness to compete should allow him to help us
immediately at both backcourt positions. As hard as he works, who knows
what he'll eventually develop into.
Pros: Really good
athleticism for his size. Quantez Robertson type, workman attitude and
fierce competitor. Really coachable kid who wants it bad. He can get to
the tin, and finish at and above the rim. He really helps us address a
big need by upgrading our athleticism and size in the backcourt. He
could develop into a Derrick Bird, Bryant Smith type shut down defender
too.
Summary: Great job by our staff to scour the country
and pull a kid with his potential from under a rock at the last minute.
He's the kind of kid who could work himself into a real stud. We really
needed to upgrade our athleticism at guard, and he definitely fits the
bill, (as he has SEC-ready body and athletic ability).
--------
Shaq Johnson
- Rick James in the house everybody, (as he's a complete "super-freak"
of an athlete). Dominique Wilkins, human highlight reel part deux. He's
definitely a 5 star athlete, but as a B-ball player, he's very raw in
some areas. He has worked very hard over the last few years, to improve
all phases of his game. IMHO, his shot needs to be completely broken
down and reconstructed from scratch. He also needs instruction, and
maturity as a defender. He's a decent rebounder as well. Of course, he's
best known as an absolutely spectacular leaper, and he can really get
the crowd hyped with his high flying, acrobatic dunks and alley-opps.
Cons: He's a work in progress, and I hope he doesn't put too much pressure on himself,
(or allow others to do so), to live up to his 4-star ranking. He's a 5-star athlete, but probably a low 3 star
basketball player, (
and at times, even a high two star B-ball player).
He could require some serious patience as he's being polished up and
fine tuned. He's also somewhat of a tweener. He has the height of a
typical two, but doesn't have the skillset to play that position right
now. Can he match up defensively with other SEC small forward's?
Pros:
Incredible athleticism that can't be taught. Extremely hard worker
who's come a long ways in all phases of the game. He's come a long way
with his handle, but needs to continue working. He has the ability to
hype the crowd ala Chris Porter with his incredible leaping ability.
IMHO, an overlooked portion of his game, is his ability to get to the
hole. He's very explosive, and can get to the cup and finish much better
than most realize. IMHO, he doesn't look to take advantage of that his
ability in this area nearly enough. He could be heck on wheels in a true
DDO if we can shoot it well enough from the outside to keep teams from
sagging. His passing skills are also underrated. He really sees the
floor well for a SF, and seems to understand spacing and passing lanes
etc. well enough to set up his teammates for some easy opportunities. He
should be fun when we're in a wide open, up and down the court style of
play.
Summary: He has serious, top notch potential, and you can only
hope
he reaches that potential. Just as you sign "project" players in
football, and hope they develop, bloom and eventually turn out to be
real diamonds in the rough, Shaq is the kind of kid that our B-ball
program has to sign, (
and be glad to get them), and then
develop,and polish and fine tune them to a tee. Shaq definitely has NBA,
"sky is the limit" type athletic ability. If he continues to work as
hard as he can, live in the gym, and become a real student of the game,
he might do big things. His game out of HS reminds me a lot of Travis
Leslie,
(who played at UGA, and is now in the NBA). Travis was an
uber athlete who couldn't shoot, and really needed development in a lot
of areas. But by his junior season at UGA, he was a dual-threat who
could take over a game in stretches. Shaq has this same ability to
become a dual-threat if he can develop an even average jumper. With his
passing skills, he might even become a triple threat and drive opposing
coaches crazy. You give him space, and he'll take his time and knock
down a wide open jumper. You step up anywhere remotely close, and he'll
blow by you and break you off something, with a roof raising dunk.Or,
he'll dash in and draw defenders, then drop it off to a teammate for an
easy bucket. That's what we're all dreaming and hoping for, and truth be
told, even if he doesn't reach those heights, I'll take another high
hustle, great defense and hype the crowd type contributor all day.
--------
Jordan Price
- A big thick bodied kid who's very versatile. I believe that he could
even play the point in a pinch,and he could also give us minutes at SG,
or SF, (
though he'd be at a height disadvantage at times). While he's not a first order passing wizard, he
does see the floor well, and has the ability to distribute the ball. I see him as more of a point-forward, (
ala Luke Walton), than point-guard, and he'd be an and incredible forward if he were a true 6'6" - 6'8". He has a solid to excellent handle, (
depending on the position that you play him),and
is very crafty when handling the ball in tight spaces. The tighter the
space, the better his handle gets. He can create space, move and get his
shot off, or navigate past multiple defenders playing him tight. He is
good at getting to the hole and finishing with either hand, and should
be better served the closer we get back to a true Dribble Drive Offense
(DDO). He has an okay/solid jumpshot, but he needs to work on becoming
more consistent with it. He'll drop 3 or 4 three's in a row, but then go
cold, and clang 4 or 5 in a row. He's not a super athlete, but he is
sneaky quick/sudden. While he may not be a first order greyhound up and
down the floor, his first step or two is explosive enough for him to get
enough space to do his thing. His biggest contribution early in his
career, should come as a scorer, just finding a way to get the ball in
the hole in bunches.
Cons: He's not an superior athlete,
and though he has the versatility to help us at a number of positions, I
could see him being somewhat of a liability on defense at times,
(especially against quick guards). Like a lot of kids coming out of HS,
he has to learn to play good defense. Embrace it, own it, and love it.
He's also somewhat of a tweener, in that he will likely have to either
defend quicker guards on the perimeter, or taller 3's in the frontcourt.
He can be somewhat streaky with his jumpshot.
Pros: Good
size, and strength, that might give him a chance to overcome a height
disadvantage when playing the 3. He's a fabulous scorer who just finds
ways to get the ball into the hole. He can also set up his teammates
nicely with very nice SF passing skills. He has the ability to play
multiple positions.
Summary: He should help this team
immediately by taking advantage of his best asset; scoring the ball. His
shooting is just adequate, (in that he's streaky), but he's an
excellent scorer who should be able to do some damage in a true DDO. His
outside shot will hopefully develop over time, and he eventually may
end up being a player who can do it all, (pass, score and shoot). I
don't know if he'll ever be Bryant Smith on defense, but he can lay it
all out there, and be one of those 100% effort guys who uses his size
and strength to his advantage. Uses his smarts to take advantage of
positioning, making intelligent use of angles etc. He is a prime time
get, and should be one of the most solid recruits in what could turn out
to be our foundation class for the program.
Overall Grade: C+ When
I gave this grade, I was considering a raw, unadjusted score, (when you
compare it to other top classes around the country). I.e., I'm
not grading
on a curve, nor have I made AU specific adjustments that take into
account some of the unique challenges here at AU. It's just a raw sizing
up and comparison with classes like UK's and UF's, Kansas, and Duke
etc. If I were grading on a curve, and taking into consideration all of
the unique challenges our staff faces here at AU etc., I'd probably move
it up a full grade or more, into the B+ to A range. Just judging it
against other top classes, we did not land the same caliber of recruit
as they did,
(duh...). All and all, this should be a
very good class
FOR US
when considering the bigger picture. I hope it eventually becomes the
foundation for us reaching a championship level and becoming perrenial
contenders.
IMHO, our 2012 recruiting priorities were:
1. Get Shooters, scorers, and more shooters. (Our
coaches positioned us to get open looks time and time again last year,
and we just could not knock down the open shots at a high enough clip to
compete. We'd have UF or Kentucky on the ropes and in the last 3 or 4
minutes, they'd assert their superior talent, and their guys would step
up and nail critical three's etc., (while ours couldn't), and they would
pull out the "W". We needed shooters and scorers to capitalize on the
good to great strategy that's gotten us in position to get all of the good looks we've been missing)
2. We must get more athletic at the guard positions,
(While still adhering to #1, we need better athletes who can provide championship level guard play and lock down other top guards on defense)
3. As always, we need to sign bigs with solid or better potential, each and every year,
(whether a Herb Pope type 4, or a Kouassi type 5 or better)4. We need to sign a true PG,
(preferably, while adhering to #'s 1 and 2 above)Overall,
I think we did a solid job meeting most of our recruiting priorities,
(when all things are considered). We didn't land a pure shooter in the
backcourt to help out
this season, so we'll have to hope that Frankie and Noel step up as the bell cows, (with occasional help from Jordan, CD3
(Sleptrock),
and maybe even surprises like Brian, Allen Payne, or even Josh. We did
land K.T. Harrell, (who is eligible next season), Jordon Granger and
Asuahn Dixon-Tatum who can all shoot the ball. We also upgraded our
athleticism with guys like Shaq and Brian Greene, and got a scorer like
Jordan Price. Even though CTB and staff had to scuttle their original
recruiting plan/strategy, start over, and adapt, we have slowly been
upgrading the quality of our targets through extreme hard work, strategy
and doing a great job selling Auburn and the program. I'm glad to have
all of these kids and I hope we look back and see that this class was
the cornerstone/foundation for something big.
Yahoo! Sports
