The Big Ten Topic

Penn State Recruiting Recap
With 6 open 'ships and coming off of a disappointing season, there was much work to do in the offseason in Happy Valley.  First, the bad news...we failed to land a PG which left us only one on the roster.  Not good.  Other than that, hopes are high for the future after signing 2 C, 2 PF (one JuCo2),  1 SF, and 1 SG.  All of the signings have solid potential although there are no superstars (hopefully no EE's either).  With only 1 SR on the squad and just 2 JR (one of whom is Easterling who just signed), these next two seasons will be dicey at Penn State.  The hope is with the future that if we can sign a stud PG next season with our single open 'ship (not likely), we should be able to compete for a conf championship.  The outlook for this season is more modest as we are hoping to sneak into the NT or dominate the PIT.  No recruiting promises and lots of leftover recruiting cash leave us with maximum flexibility and we will just hope for the best.

-goodyr
2/20/2011 2:40 PM
Season 35 Predictions 

East
Michigan - Boes is a monster, and if Campbell makes shots they will be tough to beat.  Look for freshman big man Andrew Perryman to really come on in the second half of conference play.

Michigan State - Lang, Schiable, and Vosburgh give the Spartans some scoring punch.  If Patnode provides a presence on the inside the Sparty's will be back in the Big Dance this year.

Wisconsin - The Badgers will be led by Paul Quillen, but will count on big contributions from Ronald Felix on the interior.  If they can get decent post play Wisky is a team to watch.

Notre Dame - Don't have much depth, but some solid sophomores should excite Irish fans.

Iowa - Young team who will struggle this season, but the experience will pay off in a few years.

Minnesota - Like Iowa, a young team who will gain valuable experience this season, but it probably won't translate into many wins.


West
Illinois - Absolutely loaded.  Should dominate the conference and be a favorite to win the National title.

Penn State - A disappointment last season, but something tells me they rebound in Happy Valley this season.

Indiana - Return two great players in Madewell and Bush, but lack of depth could hurt the Hoosiers this season.

Purdue - Not much depth, but a solid 8 man rotation will keep them in a lot of games.

Ohio State - Much like Purdue they don't have much depth, but have some talented players that should keep them in most games this year.

Northwestern - Not much talent, and not many wins expected out of Evanston this season.

POY - Frank White - Illinois 
DPOY - George Boes - Michigan
COY - Goofypook - Michigan
FOY - Theodore Swan - Purdue

1st Team All B10
PG - Stanley Madewell - Indiana
SG - Frank White - Illinois
SF - Jimmy Vosburgh - Michigan State
PF - Dikembe Azure - Wisconsin
C - George Boes - Michigan

2nd Team All B10
PG - Paul Quillen - Wisconsin
SG - Roosevelt Rodger - Ohio State
SF - Casey Denney - Illinois (isn't a SF, but plays that position)
PF - Joseph Carter - Penn State 
C - Peter Bush - Indiana

2/20/2011 4:08 PM
Wisconsin Recruiting Recap

With Five openings I was looking to find at least 2 bigs and a Shooting guard.  Without anyone I really liked in Wisconsin  I was looking at a few bigs in Illinois and a couple in Michigan.  With Illinois also having 5 openings i wanted to try and avoid battles with him and his A+ prestige I guess correctly on the bigs in Illinois and signed C Ronald Felix He will be a solid rebounding and defensive player with ok offensive abilities probably won't ever be a serious scoring threat for the badgers.  I also signed Theodore Wysong from Indiana as an ineligble player i will have to wait a year to enjoy his play.  I expect him to be a pretty solid scorer throughout his badger career.  I signed 2 sg's Freshman Wilbur Bostic and Junior Melvin Boylan.  I didn't realize that boylan was  junior while recruting him (Ooops) but he knows the offense and defense so should be able to contribute this season and next.  He's not the most athletic but he can hold his own in other areas.  Bostic is a project that has very good potential in the important areas and should be able to contribute especially by his junior season.   Was a bit dissappointed to lose out in a battle with the Wolverines for another big guy but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.  Looking forward to a fun season in the Big Ten.
 
 
2/20/2011 7:29 PM
Season 35 Predictions

East
Michigan - NT
MSU - NT
Wisconsin - NT
Iowa
Minnesota
Notre Dame
 
West
Illinois - NT
Indiana - NT
Penn. St. - NT
OSU - PIT
Purdue
Northwestern

2/21/2011 6:55 AM
Purdue Recruiting Recap

This offseason was going to be a make or break year in West Lafayette.  Coming off an Elite Eight run, the Boilermakers had a newfound A- prestige and the scholarship money to fill 6 open spots and Coach McAuley's strategy was to target 3-4 top tier players and fill in the gaps as he could.

However, within a few cycles it become apparent that, outside of Illinois, the top tier teams in the Big Ten were cannibalizing themselves and there were a several elite teams from other conferences that were recruiting in the Midwest.  Purdue found itself in battles with Syracuse, Indiana, Ohio State and others.  Unfortunately, not all of those battles could be won and it will be difficult for McAuley to field a full team to play 40 minutes each game.

Overall, the class boiled down to 2 Big Fish.  One of the fish was reeled into the boat, another was pulled out of the water in Bloomington.   Coach Tanzetti's post said all that needs to be said about PF Michael Mooring.  We'll focus on dynamic incoming SF Theodore Swan, the perfect multifaceted swingman who will be at least good in every category (likely 70+ in each) and overall could be great if he sticks around (though the 8 man rotation in West Lafayette might have something to do with that). 

The only other recruit landed by Coach McAuley is a project guard, Sebastian McFann.  Purdue had to fight off programs like Mercyhurst and others to land McFann, who, in all honestly, is not a DI player at this point.  He would be a below average DII player, in fact.  However, he has HIGH or HIGH/HIGH potential in ATH, SPD, DEF, SB, PER, BH, PASS, STA and average in REB and LP, so the sky is the limit for McFann several years down the line.  Playing time won't be a problem early, because everyone is going to be playing big minutes this season.

While it would be easy to focus on the misses during recruiting at Purdue, but provided Coach McAuley isn't fired after likely missing postseason play this year, the Boilermakers are well set up to have another shot at it next season, losing only one senior (Holsey) and having 5 open scholarships.  It's going to be up to McAuley to make something happen this season.
2/21/2011 9:07 AM
                                   Illinois Season 35 Recap

Another season has come and gone, and the Illini have once again made a strong showing in the regular season and in post season play. The Big Three led the Fighting Illini to another historical season, but once again fell short of their National Title Dreams. Coach Brown led his squad to a 32-2 record, toping last seasons record for most wins. The Illini were able to capture the Big Ten Regular Season Championship for a fourth straight season, with their only loss coming to Wisconsin in Madison. In addition to their Regular Season Championship they were also able to capture their third straight Conference Tournament Championship.

With the success in the regular season and conference tournament Coach Brown was awarded the Conference Coach of the Year along with the National Coach of the Year. The Big Three swept the Shooting Guard All Conference 1st, 2nd and 3rd Team members. The Illini were awarded a one seed in the National Tournament and knocked off Norfolk State, Boston College, Iowa State, and then Duke as they reached their second straight Final Four. Then the Illini were knocked off in a heartbreaker against Maryland, where all signs pointed in favor of the Illini. The ratings just didn't translate to the court as Frank White and Stanley Crawford had to sit for a majority of the game due to foul trouble. Both members of the Big Three fouled out and left Mr. Denney on the floor by himself trying to aid a comeback that just couldn't be done alone.

Casey Denney will leave Illinois as the schools All-Time Leading Scorer and a member of the Big Three, the success that these young men brought to the school will not be forgotten. They left a legacy that will be remembered forever in the hearts of Illinois fans across the country. Denney will take his success most likely to the NBA and will be followed by Frank White who also declared for the NBA Draft this morning. Leaving Stanley Crawford the lone member of the Big Three to carry the majority of the weight come next season. White wasn't the only member of the Illini to declare for the draft as Timothy Corbett also decided to enter the draft as a surprise to Coach Brown. Corbett only a Sophomore wasn't a real factor for the Illini this season but will be missed because of the lack of depth now in the frontcourt. 

The Illini will will be a very inexperienced team next year and with six open scholarships to fill the Illini need to bring in a very talented class to help fill many holes in the frontcourt and the backcourt. The team will have a solid first five but with little depth the team will look for the incoming Freshman to make an immediate impact. Coach Brown has also discussed the possibilities of switching from the Zone Defense and Flex Offense he inherited and converting to the Man to Man Defense and Motion Offense that he is accustomed to. Another National Tournament appearance will be a success for the young Illini come next season as Coach Brown will have to be patient with the incoming freshman and new offensive and defensive schemes. 

3/14/2011 6:28 PM (edited)
Wisconsin Recruiting Recap

I had 3 openings going into recruiting this season and my only real need was one big man to fill out my rotation.  Scanning the recruits in the area I really didn't like any of them as there was no one real close to me and being on the wrong end of the scholarship amounts to illinios and Indiana would put a hurting on me getting any of the guys that really looked nice.  I decided to go all in on an international PF and managed to real him in.  He Looks to be great in every area except stamina hopefully with 25 minutes of conditioning that can jump up pretty fast and get him to the point where he isn't struggling to get 15 minutes of playing time as a starter.  With 2 walkon's and 3 sr's that will set me up for 5 openings next season when hopefully the recruits will be more to my liking.  

Augustus Ziems
PF | 6'9" | 236 lbs.
Polish Junior National Team | Warsaw, Poland
PF
789
  • Ratings
  • Recruit
  • History
  • Future Stars Notes
Athleticism 93
 average
Speed 46
 low
Rebounding 72
  high           
Defense 92
 average
Shot Blocking 79
 high
Low-post 90
 low
Perimeter 63
 low
Ball Handling 55
 high
Passing 50
 average
Work Ethic 51
 
Stamina 37
 high
Durability 61
 
Previous Season Stats
GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG
24 19 42.0 4.7 70.0 58.0 66.6 0.5 0.3 1.3

 
3/22/2011 2:25 PM (edited)
Indiana Season 35 Recap

Heading into season 35 there was a feeling around campus that this team could be something special.  The return of Madewell and Bush meant that two of the conference's best players would be back in Bloomington.  After a fierce battle to land Michael Mooring resulted in the Hoosiers brining him to Indiana the coaching staff felt they had the right pieces in place to make a decent run in the NT.  But no one thought they would end up in the National Championship game as they started the season.  

The Hoosiers had a strong non-conference schedule with games against perennial powers Pitt, Oregon, and Arizona State.  The Hoosiers lost all three, but those game would help them later on in the season.  

As Big 10 play started, it was quickly established that Illinois was the team to beat in the conference.  After playing the Illini close in their first meeting of the season, Illinois manhandled them in their next two meetings.  Stanley Madewell and Peter Bush were once again great in conference and helped lead IU to a second place finish behind Illinois.  With a solid showing in the Big 10 tournament the Hoosiers punched their ticket to the Big Dance with excitement of getting a good seed and hoping to make a run in the tourney.

After the bracket came out, the Hoosiers were disappointed to come up as  7 seed.  They faced a probable second round matchup with Pitt who beat them earlier in the year, but somehow they escaped with a victory to advance to the Sweet 16.  After beating Pitt, the Hoosiers got another gift when 1 seed Texas A&M was upset in round 2, which paved the way for an Elite 8 showdown with fellow Big 10 member Penn State.  After getting by PSU, they faced Oregon in the Final Four.  Learning from mistakes from the first game, the Hoosiers knocked off Oregon to send them to the title game against Maryland.  The dream ended though at the hands of the Terps.

Following this record setting season in Bloomington, Peter Bush was drafted as the 3rd overall pick in the draft, but there was a shock throughout the Big 10 world when Stanley Madewell went undrafted.  The two-time All American and IU's all-time leading scorer is continuing his career overseas, hoping to catch on with an NBA team soon.  

Season 35 was definitely a great one in Bloomington, and Coach Tanzetti is hoping that it will be a springboard to consistent success in the Big 10 as well as nationally.
3/22/2011 11:13 PM
IU Recruiting Recap

Coach Tanzetti had three scholarships to fill and had to replace two IU greats following this past season.  Fortunately for IU, there was some solid talent in the midwest this season.  They identified three guys early in the process and went after them from the start.  Late in the game, it appeared they had a chance to add a fourth member to this class, but in the end they didn't have the pull to bring Jack Williams to Bloomington.  But lets take a closer look at the three additions to the Hoosier family:

Brent Randel

A SG from the Queen City who is expected to make an early contribution to the Hoosiers.  IU had to battle UC to get him, but they were able to bring in the talented swingman from Aiken High.  There is talk around campus that Randel could end up being the same type of scorer that Stanley Madewell was.  That's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman, but Tanzetti believes he can handle it.

Everett Pfannenstiel
"Fanny" comes to IU from Manchester High in Manchester, Indiana.  He also comes in as a SG, but seems better suited to play the SF spot in college.  Fanny possesses the ability to become a well rounded scorer both on the inside and on the perimeter.  His development will be key in the future of this program.  Coach Tanzetti is excited about the future that he and Randel could potentially bring to Bloomington.

James Collins
Collins comes to IU from the juco ranks out of Illinois.  He hits the campus as a tremendous rebounder and will be counted on to play big minutes for the Hoosiers.  He has the ability to start for the Hoosiers at some point, but it will depend on how quickly he can adapt to the offense and defense run by IU.  

In short, a solid class brought in to Indiana, but had they landed Williams it would have been a great class.  IU will hit next season with four open schollies, hoping to build upon the foundation established the past few seasons.
3/22/2011 11:33 PM
                         TBrown's 3rd Annual Conference Predictions 

First off I just want to start by saying what a year it was for the Big Ten, heading into the National Tournament the conference as a a whole was ranked dead last out of the Big 6 Conferences. We didn't let that stop us though as Tanzetti made a miracle run to the National Title before being knocked off by Maryland, the same team that knocked my illini out in the Final Four. Penn State was able to reach the Elite Eight, and Michigan won the PIT. Cyric led his Badgers to the Sweet Sixteen and the Spartans made it to the 2nd round. Overall it was an awesome finish for the Big Ten and really helped bolster our funds for recruiting. I was personally expecting to see a lot more battles with all the open scholarships and money on the table, but I think I was the only one to battle for guys in conference. Anyways enough small talk lets get to the predictions. 

East

1. Michigan State- The Spartans will be led by their upperclassman, having 5 seniors will help them pave their way to the Conference Crown. Netgym will rely on his top two guards in Lang and Schiable for scoring along with Krause and Vosburgh. The Spartans will be a very balanced team and have scoring options everywhere and depth to make a nice run in the National Tournament. The last few seasons I have doubted the lack of rebounding for the Spartans and that continues not to be an issue for them so I am definitely buying into them this season as the team to beat in the East. 

2. Wisconsin- Cyric and his Badgers will have a new look this year without his top two players from a year ago in Paul Quillen and Dikembe Azure. I still predict the Badgers to finish second thanks to Mr. Matthew Lacefield. The senior Small Forward can really play and averaged 15 points a year ago, I expect him to carry this team along with his Big Men in Felix, Irving, Wysong and his new buck Mr. Ziems. The foreigner can really play but has a serious case of asthma and can only go for spurts at a time but will be a force in the future if his stamina can improve. 

3. Michigan- The last two years I predicted the Wolverines to reach the Big Dance and both years they have come up just short. So again I am saying they reach the National Tourny. Goofy has an inside and outside punch with Perryman and Hunter down low and Fuller and Campbell filling it up from deep. The Wolverines have a very solid starting five and have some depth this season, with five seniors it will be interesting how the upperclassman mesh with the young guns goofy has. I think they will be a bubble team but this will be the year they return to glory.

4. Iowa- The Hawkeyes appear to have their best team in several years, I still feel however the bottom three teams are a tossup and could go in any order. However, the Hawkeyes have a playmaker in Senior Point Guard Donald Mueller, he will have to be the leader on this team and carry them at times. They are a balanced team with Ginther at the Shooting Guard and several serviceable Big's. It should be an interesting year but I still think they are a few years away from reaching post season play.

5. Minnesota- The Gophers will be looking for double digit wins this season and with mbalding as their coach I think they can do it. It's been 5 years since they have hit at least 10 wins, so the Gophers will be motivated to accomplish this hurdle. The Gophers are a young team but really made a splash in recruiting when they landed Davidson who looks to be a beast. He quickly steps in as their best player and go to guy. If the young Gophers can play together and find a way to win some close games it could be a nice year for mbalding.

6. Notre Dame- The Irish are actually rated higher than Iowa and Minnesota but were only able to squeak out 3 wins last year. Gordon has to get his guys playing better and make a serious run or his time as the Irish head coach may be slipping. He's very excited about his recruiting class so hopefully they can gel right away and make some noise. I placed them last but am actually rooting for them to do well because I would like to see Gordon stay around.


West

 1. Illinois- With back to back Final Four appearances the illini are preseason ranked second. I personally think that is a little generous, my team is very young with only one senior who we added in recruiting to allow for carryover money. Stanley Crawford is the highest rated player in the country and will most likely play the point this year and be the heart and soul of the team. If he takes good shots and doesn't force the issue the illini could make another run, my top 5 players are as good as anyones in the conference but the depth may be an issue because they will all be underclassman off the bench. If I can find the right lineup and keep the ball in my playmakers hands we should be all right. We start the season off with a very difficult non-conference schedule that should help us later in the year. The illini could very easily be a top team or the young team could fold under pressure and have me searching for answers to reach the tourny, it should be an interesting year.  

2. Indiana- A year after a miracle run and the loss of their two best players will be a blow to the Hoosiers but not too big of one, with Mooring a star studded Sophomore and Thompson at the point the Hoosiers will be strong again. Tanzetti brought in a very nice recruiting class and I loved the Randel signing he's got a chance to be a stud in the future and was a player that I really liked. The Hoosiers will once again make the National Tourny and have a definite shot at taking the conference crown. Hoosier fans should be excited what Tanzetti is doing in Bloomington and that success should continue this year as well.

3. Penn State- The Nittany Lions will once again be led by Gorrell and Gaines the two superstar guards will have to carry the backcourt until the highly talented Reginald Ballard is ready to take over the reigns next year. Flood down low is a beast who is a real matchup nightmare. The Lions have talent and could be a team to watch, I'm not sure they have the firepower to make it back to the Elite Eight but should have no issues reaching the Big Dance.

4. Purdue- The Boilermakers have an interesting squad, their overall ranking is a little misleading with the core of this team being very solid. Matthew Smith is a very talented point guard who can carry this team on their back. Swan will most likely start at the SF position and is a very talented Sophomore who should continue to improve and be a great asset this year and in the future. Evans rounds out the backcourt and is another very good player who can score it from deep. Munsen, Peterson and Penrose will likely hold down the frontcourt and help the Boilers make a postseason appearance. I think they are a Bubble team for the National Tourny but only time will tell.

5. Ohio State- CP brought in three really nice pieces to this recruiting class in Beecher, Ulrich, and Hamilton. Those three with Big Willie Haupt and Hinton should have  a nice starting five. The only issue with the Buckeyes will be lack of depth and experience. The Buckeyes have a foundation to build on I'm just not sure that they have enough firepower for this year with all the young guys. If CP can take this team to the postseason it should be considered a success, I see them as a PIT bubble type team, where coaching should get them in there. 

6. Northwestern- Finally, a coach takes over the reigns at Northwestern. It's just a shame they are so bad this year for steeple, he was able to bring in a few projects that should pan out for him in the future. There is nowhere to go but up for the Wildcats and I'm glad steeple was up for the challenge. It will take him a few years to build them up but I think he is the right man for the job. Good luck in Wildcat country and look forward to a lot of recruiting money in the future. 

3/24/2011 10:42 AM (edited)
Season 36 Predictions

East 

1) Michigan State - Led by Lang, Schaible, and Vosburgh; look for the Spartans to reclaim the top spot in the East.  This team is loaded and ready to make a run come March.

2) Wisconsin - If there is one thing you can expect from Cyric's team, it's consistency.  Look for pre-season AA Matthew Lacefield to lead this team to a strong showing in conference play and a potential deep run in March.  If Wysong and Ziems can adapt quickly in the post Wisky could potentially wrestle the East from MSU.

3) Michigan - What will we get out of Ann Arbor this year?  Fresh off their PI Championship expectations are high in Ann Arbor.  With Fuller and Perryman anchoring the team on the perimeter and post, these guys should make the Big Dance for the first time since season 32.

4) Iowa - Led by Ginther and Edwards, the Hawkeyes are going to be a lot tougher opponent this year then in year's past.  Even though they are still a bit away from contending for a post season berth, things are really trending up at Iowa.

5) Minnesota - Mbalding brought in a solid class to Minneapolis led by Jr. Big man James Davidson.  Much like Iowa, they won't be an easy win on most nights, but are still a few players away from being where they want to be.

6) Notre Dame - The pressure is on Rgordon and in spite of the calling for his head by alumni, he reeled in a solid class to South Bend.  Can he do enough this year to keep his head above water?  That will be the big question in South Bend this season.

West 

1) Illinois - Can anyone dethrone the Illini?  No!  They are the most talented team in the West and led by Mr. Crawford will win the title again.  The real question for fans in orange is how will this young team do come March?  Based off previous years we think pretty well.

2) Penn State - Flood, Gorrell, and Gaines provide Nittany Lion fans with their own version of the Big Three.  This team has talent and should get back to the Big Dance.  There is a lot of excitement in Happy Valley and Goodyr is planning on building off the Elite 8 run from last season as he continues to put his stamp on the program.

3) Indiana - The Hoosiers lost some key players off last year's surprising national runner's up team, but should be solid this season.  Led by the backcourt duo of Thompson and French, IU should be a NCAA tourney team in March.  The key for IU looks to be how quickly the young players develop on the season.

4) Purdue - A real wildcard team this year in the conference.  They have a great starting five, but after that they are filled with questions like many others in the conference.  You know the Boilers will be in most games and if they can get some contributions from some of the young guys they could get back in the Big Dance this season.

5) Ohio State - Don't expect to see them here too much longer.  They had a great recruiting class and as these young players develop this will be a team to watch.  Look for some big wins from these guys this season and an appearance in the PIT.

6) Northwestern - They have their work cut out for them.  Steeplechasr inherited nothing and has a long road ahead of him.  The good news is that the expectations have been lowered so he should have time to put his stamp on the program.

Conference Awards
POY - Stanley Crawford 
COY - Netgymrat
DPOY - George Lang     
FOY - Augustus Ziems

1st Team
PG - George Lang
SG - Stanley Crawford
SF - Matthew Lacefield
PF - Michael Mooring
C - Willie Haupt

2nd Team
PG - Matthew Smith
SG - Michael Gaines
SF - Jimmy Vosburgh
PF - George Gingras
C - Andrew Perryman

3/25/2011 10:10 AM

Michigan State Spartans Season 36 Recap

This season marked the senior year for coach netgymrat's inagural recruiting class and featured high expectations overall. The recruiting period saw no new faces for the Spartans, having gone 'all in' and missing out on the services of Richard Haden. Redshirt SF Nicholas Poirier was slotted in as backup SG and a redshirt player was added to the roster.

The Spartans started out well, winning their first five contests before losing three of their next five to ranked teams (including one SIM), but opening the season with the #1 RPI spot when it was released. MSU hovered in the top 15 or so throughout the regular season and ran through the Big Ten conference with a 15-1 record. The only loss came on the road to a very tough Indiana squad.

For their effort, the Spartan cagers earned a conference championship and coach netgymrat was rewarded with the conference coach of the year honor. In the conference tournament they ran out of gas against coach tbrown's Illinois team in the semifinals and picked up a #3 seed in the National Tournament.

In the Big Dance they drew and overmatched Drake team in the first round and won easily. However, this resulted in a second round matchup with Oldresorter's Texas squad - a rematch of the second game of the regular season. Being such a good gameplanner, OR outmaneuvered the Spartan staff to finish the MSU season.

After the season's conclusion the coaching staff was encouraged by George Lang and Justin Patnode's decisions to return to school, which should provide a solid base upon which to build. Dalton Perkins decide to leave to program, which was not a surpirse considering his lack of minutes in the past two seasons.

4/17/2011 8:12 AM
                                       Illinois season recap

Heading into the season expectations were not nearly as high in Champaign as they had been the past few seasons. The one lone bright spot was Stanley Crawford who was a beast, but with only one upperclassman to play along him he was a one man show, with a couple of Sophomores who tried to help out. The illini stumbled out of the gate and lost a heartbreaker at Vanderbilt and then lost to UMBC a few games later who was not nearly as talented as us, but we were able to knock off LSU. After the rough start to non-conference play, Coach Brown was not sure what to think because the young guns were not producing and teams were double teaming Crawford making things difficult.

However, as the season progressed our IQ's progressed and finally got up to the B range, and the illini knocked off the Hoosiers in back to back contests to secure a number two seed in the conference tournament. The illini took down a talented Michigan team and then had to face arguably the best team in the conference in the Spartans, and somehow we were able to squeak by them for a showdown with the Badgers. Coach Brown led his troops past the Badgers and continued his streak of consecutive Conference Tournament Championships, moving the total to four in a row.

After a great conference championship showing the illini were awarded a four seed in the Big Dance and cruised past Missouri-KC. In the second round the illini were stunned in a game that they were really never in and lost to a team that was around 100 total team points less than mine, it was a terrible way to go out and ended a long year. After the season concluded I was really hoping an early exit from the tourny would help me keep Crawford. Only to wake up and find out that not only did Crawford leave but so did George Gingras and Dustin Duckworth. I completely understood Crawford leaving because he was the highest rated player in the country, but as far as Gingras and Duckworth they had no business leaving. Gingras is the fourth highest rated Big Man in the Big Ten and Duckworth was tied for 8th. To say the least I was not happy to have lost my 4th and 5th Big Man to the NBA Draft in the past 3 seasons, where two have been Sophomores and the others Juniors. The illini have taken some huge hits the past few seasons to EE's, 5 in the past 2 seasons and 6 in the past 3. With all that being said I was very close to leaving Champaign and trying heading to USC to try to take over and rebuild the Trojans as I am slowly getting tired of WIS, in fact I didn't withdraw the application until 2 a.m. yesterday morning. 

Heading into recruiting the illini only have 3 Big Men on the roster and only 2 that will actually play so that will be an area of emphasis along with looking for a SF. Coach Brown has also mentioned wanting to redshirt another player and will most likely look for a guard with high work ethic and lots of potential to help out in the future and not abandon him for the NBA.

4/18/2011 12:05 AM
Wisconsin Season 37 recruiting recap
With 5 opening I was looking to find a few nice players.  Unfortunately I couldn't really find anyone I really liked close by other than a SF that Iowa state jumped on.  Looking at my 5 scholarship openings and A prestige and his 6 scholarships and A+ prestige plus the fact that no one was on any of his other recruits and that I had wasted some money on an international player that didn't even come up considering me I figured i better look somewhere else.  I managed to sign 3 players a Guard a SF and a PF.  Overall they should be decent players but not superstars and i will have to look to fill in the holes next season with hopefully more good players in the Area.  First up the PG

Kenneth Zerangue
PG | 6'1" | 185 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
Wisconsin Lutheron HS | Milwaukee, WI
PG
593
  • Ratings
  • Recruit
  • History
  • Future Stars Notes
Athleticism 34
 
Speed 70
 
Rebounding 7
 
Defense 56
 
Shot Blocking 1
 
Low-post 32
 
Perimeter 61
 
Ball Handling 65
 
Passing 78
 
Work Ethic 75
 
Stamina 68
 
Durability 46
 

Next up the SF
John Todd
SF | 6'6" | 223 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
Southland HS | Adams, MN
SF
618
  • Ratings
  • Recruit
  • History
  • Future Stars Notes
Athleticism 56
 
Speed 60
 
Rebounding 32
 
Defense 32
 
Shot Blocking 24
 
Low-post 28
 
Perimeter 71
 
Ball Handling 59
 
Passing 58
 
Work Ethic 63
 
Stamina 70
 
Durability 65
 
And lastly the PF
Frederick Schumacher
PF | 6'9" | 230 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
Edwardsburg HS | Edwardsburg, MI
PF
588
  • Ratings
  • Recruit
  • History
  • Future Stars Notes
Athleticism 78
 
Speed 30
 
Rebounding 71
 
Defense 66
 
Shot Blocking 69
 
Low-post 42
 
Perimeter 45
 
Ball Handling 15
 
Passing 29
 
Work Ethic 34
 
Stamina 52
 
Durability 57
 
Overall  the guard and small forward shouldn't be horrible although their defense leaves a lot to be desired.  The PF should work out nice he will never be an offensive Superstar but with high potential in lp and perimeter he should turn out ok
4/23/2011 11:37 AM
Michigan State Recruiting Recap - Season 37
 
Years from now when (simulated) college basketball historians are looking back at the fortunes of the Michigan State Spartans, they will point to the recruiting period of season 37 as a pivotal moment.  Perhaps this season's crop of incoming players will be seen as the backbone of something special in East Lansing, but more likely it will be seen as a tragic set of 'What Ifs...' that will have people scratching their heads.  
 
At a time where quality recruits were at a premium in the Midwest, the Spartans had a major challenge in restocking the roster with pieces that fit well.  Coach netgymrat was tasked with replacing his first set of four year players as well as attempting to correct for some recruiting mistakes from the past couple of seasons.  The coaching staff made the decision to stay local, figuring that the pool of talent was adequate to fit their needs, although unimpressive as a whole.  Wing players (SG and SF) were the primary need, with added depth across the roster as a secondary consideration.
 
Top ranked SG Wayne Butler, hailing from the State of Michigan, was identified early as a target, although initially considering in-state rival Michigan.  At the SF spot two players drew focus, David Fletcher from Illinois and Jonathan Burgess from Ohio.  The coaching staff was surprised to receive enthusiastic support from Mr. Fletcher and only token resistance from Kentucky on Mr. Burgess.  Soon both players were eagerly anticipating the first day of practice.  Rounding out the class, two Michiganders were recruited William Keller and Richard Borden as well as an Illinois point guard Robert Williams.  Mr. Williams seemed to have a chip on his shoulder at being slighted in the national media by in-state powerhouse Illinios.
After such an easy time with the initial targets, the coaching staff decided that they were interested in bankrolling the leftover recruiting budget for a top-flight player next season.  This is where the problems started.  The coaching staff had forgotten the WCAA restrictions on class size and extended a scholarship offer to Anthony Loney with the intention of him taking a redshirt year.  This made seven offers to high school freshmen.
 
When siging day arrived Jonathan Burgess was the last to submit his paperwork to the institution and was not allowed to matriculate under WCAA rules.  This left the door open for Kentucky to swoop back in and procure his services for a song.  The coaching staff turned to transfer PG William Reynolds to fill the final roster spot and preseve the remaining funds to rollover.
 
This blunder will likely haunt the program for seasons to come.  Loney will struggle to earn minutes, even after a redshirt season and Burgess was anticipated to start from day 1.  David Fletcher and Robert Williams seem maxed out in their abilities and will likely get passed by for minutes and starts by future recruits.
4/25/2011 8:06 AM
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