- Joined
- Nov 22, 2013
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Cant say I disagree with the assessment although we are still looking good:
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncb...12353/early-signing-period-winners-and-losers
LOSERS
St. John's
When Steve Lavin arrived in Queens, he hit the ground running on the recruiting trail. His first class with the Red Storm featured eight players, including four ESPN 100 prospects. Lavin followed that up with four-star prospects JaKarr Sampson and Chris Obekpa, plus some transfers and foreign players. Then there was five-star point guard Rysheed Jordan in 2013. An underwhelming 2014 class meant Lavin needed to make a splash in 2015 -- and that splash was supposed to be Briscoe. Things were lining up for the Red Storm to keep Briscoe home: Briscoe's father wanted him local; he went on several visits over the final few weeks of his recruitment; and St. John's had put on the full-court press. But in the end, he chose Kentucky. Lavin did bounce back with a commitment toward the end of the period from guard Samir Doughty, but the Red Storm have plenty of work to do in the spring.
Connecticut
The Huskies will still end up with a very solid recruiting class, but it was a bad few days for Kevin Ollie's program. Last Thursday, Connecticut lost out on three ESPN 100 targets: Mack, Briscoe and Derrick Jones (No. 22). While the Huskies weren't a true threat for Briscoe against St. John's and Kentucky, public perception said they were on his final list. There can be no mistaking Mack and Jones, though. UConn was in a battle with VCU and South Carolina for Mack, yet lost out. The Huskies were the early leader for Jones, but UNLV made a push and Ollie's late rally wasn't enough. The Huskies still have ESPN 100 prospects Jalen Adams (No. 25) and Steven Enoch (No. 98), but they still need a wing scorer. Elite center Diamond Stone (No. 6) is the next big target in Storrs.
Memphis
As the hours were counting down to Labissiere's announcement, it became clear Kentucky was going to get the five-star center. Memphis was going to finish second. In a vacuum, losing an elite prospect to Kentucky isn't surprising. But for Memphis to lose Labissiere was unexpected. The Tigers were the favorite for a very long time and all signs pointed to Labissiere staying in-state when he made his college decision. Then, Labissiere essentially shut down his recruitment in October and things changed. Kentucky picked up all the momentum, and Memphis was left without a shot heading into the final days. Josh Pastner still has Dedric (No. 28) and K.J. Lawson (No. 40) in his 2015 class -- which got a boost with the reclassification of commit Randall Broddie -- but Labissiere was always expected to enter the fold. To lose him late was a disappointment.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncb...12353/early-signing-period-winners-and-losers
LOSERS
St. John's
When Steve Lavin arrived in Queens, he hit the ground running on the recruiting trail. His first class with the Red Storm featured eight players, including four ESPN 100 prospects. Lavin followed that up with four-star prospects JaKarr Sampson and Chris Obekpa, plus some transfers and foreign players. Then there was five-star point guard Rysheed Jordan in 2013. An underwhelming 2014 class meant Lavin needed to make a splash in 2015 -- and that splash was supposed to be Briscoe. Things were lining up for the Red Storm to keep Briscoe home: Briscoe's father wanted him local; he went on several visits over the final few weeks of his recruitment; and St. John's had put on the full-court press. But in the end, he chose Kentucky. Lavin did bounce back with a commitment toward the end of the period from guard Samir Doughty, but the Red Storm have plenty of work to do in the spring.
Connecticut
The Huskies will still end up with a very solid recruiting class, but it was a bad few days for Kevin Ollie's program. Last Thursday, Connecticut lost out on three ESPN 100 targets: Mack, Briscoe and Derrick Jones (No. 22). While the Huskies weren't a true threat for Briscoe against St. John's and Kentucky, public perception said they were on his final list. There can be no mistaking Mack and Jones, though. UConn was in a battle with VCU and South Carolina for Mack, yet lost out. The Huskies were the early leader for Jones, but UNLV made a push and Ollie's late rally wasn't enough. The Huskies still have ESPN 100 prospects Jalen Adams (No. 25) and Steven Enoch (No. 98), but they still need a wing scorer. Elite center Diamond Stone (No. 6) is the next big target in Storrs.
Memphis
As the hours were counting down to Labissiere's announcement, it became clear Kentucky was going to get the five-star center. Memphis was going to finish second. In a vacuum, losing an elite prospect to Kentucky isn't surprising. But for Memphis to lose Labissiere was unexpected. The Tigers were the favorite for a very long time and all signs pointed to Labissiere staying in-state when he made his college decision. Then, Labissiere essentially shut down his recruitment in October and things changed. Kentucky picked up all the momentum, and Memphis was left without a shot heading into the final days. Josh Pastner still has Dedric (No. 28) and K.J. Lawson (No. 40) in his 2015 class -- which got a boost with the reclassification of commit Randall Broddie -- but Labissiere was always expected to enter the fold. To lose him late was a disappointment.
