Wednesday, May 14, 2008

09' Recruiting Breakdown

As the AAU Summer Circuit gets into high gear, we thought that we would give Zag fans a breakdown of what prospects GU appears to be looking at. Keep in mind that recruiting is a very fluid process, so many of the players who GU is interested in today, may not be of high interest in a couple of months.

Committed for 09: Mangisto Arop: Arop was the second person to commit for the class of 09. Unfortunately, previous commit Brock Osweiler, elected to pursue football at Arizona State. Arop is a 6'5 SG/SF from Canada. He is coming off of a great performance at The Albert Schweitzer Tournament, where he helped the Canadian U 18 team to a 5th place finish. He is known for his great athleticism and ability to finish at the rim, but his outside shooting appears to be inconsistent. We will hopefully learn more about Arop over the summer as he will continue to play with the Canadian National Team.

Considering GU: Solomon Hill, Rivals-27 Scout-NR: Hill is a 6'6 SF who attends Fairfax high school in Los Angeles. He is a very versatile forward, who can rebound and pass at an extraordinarily high level. He is also blessed with great athleticism, and is known to throw down thunderous dunks. His main area of weakness is his jump shot, which has improved over his high school career, but is not at this point very consistent.

Tyler Honeycutt, Rivals-119 Scout-NR: Honeycutt is a 6'7 SF from Sylmar, California. Honeycutt was not a well-known recruit until this summer circuit kicked off, but he has emerged as one of the more unique talents on the West Coast. He is a great shooter, with range that extends beyond the 3 point line, and is a very solid defender. Many people have compared his skill set and build to current GU standout, Austin Daye. Honeycutt is blowing up on the national recruiting scene, as he recently picked up an offer from Arizona. He recently said that he was very high on Arizona, Gonzaga, and Washington.

Joe Burton, Rivals-105 Scout-NR: Burton is a 6'8 PF from West Valley, California. Many Zag fans have been clamoring for a true post player, and Burton appears to fit the bill. He is a true low post scorer, and understand how to use his big body to gain advantages in the post. He is also an incredibly skilled rebounder. Burton wont "wow" anyone with his athleticism, but he is a steady, and potentially dominant bruiser in the post. He currently holds offers from San Diego St and UCF, but his recruitment will pick up by the end of the summer.

Anthony Marshall, Rivals-109 Scout-55: Marshall is a 6'3 CG from Las Vegas, Nevada. Marshall has been on the Zag radar for a long time, as the coaching staff began recruiting him during the beginning of his junior year. Marshall is an elite athlete, with very long arms and elite athleticism. On the offensive end, he is not a great shooter, but will use his strength and athletic ability to get to the rim and finish. It is also refreshing to hear that he is a great student and a true gentleman off of the court. Marshall is a personal favorite of mine, and I think he will be able to play both the PG and SG at the next level. Marshall holds offers from GU, Colorado State, Miami, Virginia, UW, and WSU. He has also mentioned UNLV while Kansas and Kentucky have been showing interest.

Jeff Reid- Rivals-NR Scout-85: Reid is a 6'5 SG/SF from Topeka, Kansas. Reid has been on the Zag radar for a long time as well, and even took an unofficial visit to Spokane last season. He is a very good scorer, with underrated athletic ability. He can throw down very strong dunks, and can shoot the ball at a very high level. He is a very unselfish teammate, and plays for a strong KC Pump 'N Run team, that won the recent Jayhawk Invitational. Kansas State is the only listed offer for Reid, but much of the Big 12 and Big 10 is showing interest.

Sam Dower- Rivals-139 Scout-NR: Dower is a 6'9 PF from Osseo, Minnesota. Dower really emerged over this summer as a high level post player. He is lefty who plays with an very high motor, and is a very good athlete. He finishes well at the hoop with a hook shot, but tends to drift out to the perimeter. He is not yet a consistent performer, but flashes good ability. Dower currently holds offers from Saint Louis, UWGB, UWM, Montana, and Northern Iowa. However he has emerged as a high major prospect, and has been recieving interest from the likes of Marquette and Minnesota.

Marshall Henderson, Rivals-NR Scout-NR: Henderson is a 6'2 PG from Hurst, Texas. Henderson is a score first PG, who is known for his deadly shooting ability. Henderson can shoot from well beyond the 3 point line, and is a solid shooter off the dribble and in the lane. He has been described as an above average passer, but might not have enough PG skills to play the position at the next level. Henderson is not an elite athlete, but his ability to shoot more then makes up for this. Henderson currently has a top 3 of Gonzaga, Utah, and Bradley.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweet. Any news on recruting some studs from the Hoosier state?

Anonymous said...

Another nice job! Thanks! (Jeff Reid's visit, though, was unofficial. Can't take an official visit until the start of one's senior year. Jeff visited in January of his junior year.)

Anonymous said...

burton looks like one of my roommates. BIG BOY!