another commitment

[Copenhagen]

We were looking at other SG-prospects; how close were we to;

- Ruben Guillandeux
(St. Patrick HS)
Elizabeth, NJ
6-4.5/175 (he lost an inch, and in this 2nd listing he lost 2-stars going from 3 to 1,)

Brooklyn Native Has Top Six List:

Boston College, Central Florida, Providence, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, USC

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- Larry Wright
(Saginaw HS)
Saginaw, MI
6-2/170/17.0

Central Michigan, Dayton, Illinois, St. Bonaventure, Tennessee, Western Michigan, Xavier, Kentucky

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- David Gonzalvez
(Notre Dame Preparatory School)
Fitchburg, MA
6-4/190

Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville, James Madison, Mercer, Murray State, St. Bonaventure, UT-Chattanooga, Virginia Commonwealth, West Virginia, Winthrop

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Hope James Williams turns out to be a quality contributor, 6th man playing behind; AJ; Jordan.....in the rotation guy.

So the question is; will we have more than 1-scholarship to give this recruiting year....and if someone drops out who will it be & when?

[SyracuseBonnie]

This reminds me a lot of last year, when we signed dave fox in the early recruiting period. I think we all questioned that move but figured it was, at the very least, to secure a big body to fill the lane. A reasonable decision. But the addition of Williams has to leave you
scratching your head. My quick claculation tells me we have 3 ships to give (Lottin, Smith, Dunston), am i missing someone? So with that set i figure there are 3 important things we should be going after.
1. It seems that each year (yes, i know there have only been 2)Soloman gets someone who we consider the gem of our recruiting class. (Lee and hopefully Hawkins) Morris seems to fit that role. An all purpose player who demonstrates he has an all around game.
2. A 4 yr point guard. I don't think Relph is a true point. I'd like to see him play the 2 instead. Diggs only has 2 years with us.
3. A 4 yr big man. All of our big bodies are upperclassmen. Big men usually take 1 if not 2 years to develop. JUCO's are usually good for patch work but they're not the answer long term.

So, the result of this is that I have no idea where Williams fits in to this team, especially being a JUCO. As a general rule I don't like getting JUCO'sMaybe there is something about him that the coaches see but at this point his numbers don't warrant a scholarship to play A-10 basketball.

[Deleted]

As a general rule I don't like getting JUCO's

I think most people on this board feel the same way, they must thing that a JUCO soils the program somehow?!? He was an academic problem or something? Trouble maker? I don't understand why people don't like jucos. Why, because they're only here for two years? Typically they contribute more immediately then any freshman SBU will get.
Put it this way, people would be nuts about this guy if he was a freshman. He was a 1st team 5A (second highest class in Kansas). 2nd team overall, one of the 10 ten players in the state. His team won the state championship when he was the only senior on the team. (that shows me a lot of leadership!)
The fact is he'll have two years of seasoning in the toughest juco conference in the nation. He will be the best player on his team that is predicted to finish third in the conference.

syracusebonnie said:

but at this point his numbers don't warrant a scholarship to play A-10 basketball.

I remember the exact same thing being said about Wade Dunston last year! And all Wade did was finish second on the team in scoring.

SBU will lose three wings this year, but return Relph, Michael, AJ, Paul Williams, Ivan, and add Rodney. This should be a very good team. There is an immediate need for another proven wing. Benson more then likely will be a solid role play. Morris will be very good but is more of a combo forward (see Michael Lee) that will need time to develop into a three.

[EddieBall]

Others may have more knowledge of the J.C. scene than I, but, it seems to me, that most kids, out of high school, directly anyway, don't start the first year. This guy played in one of the top J.U.C.O. conferences in the country and did very well. Just my opinion, but I think this Spring he would have recieved even higher level attention. I try to keep in mind, that this program redemption is going to be a five-year plan getting done--and nobody wants respectability again more than this "Old Bonnie"!

[Copenhagen]

sounds great to me, I'm sold.....looking forward to follow his progress this year as well as KMorris's.

I'd be happy with Magee, especially since he is still growing (6'-8")...

if we do have another spot open up then the best available guy regardless of postion.

[wgt]

The restoration of competitive Bona BB, in the aftermath of the short JvBK era, is a monumental task requiring hard work focusing on the best available 4 yr recruits as the optimal route to success. However reliance on some Juncos at this stage is an absolute necessity. Anthony & staff are remarkable in their focus, commitment & diligence in engaging a large number of quality recruits, with character, on a very limited budget. Anthony has an effective way of connecting with these athletes but his challenges are great. The ammunition used against us by the competition is enormous. I have confidence in Anthony to harvest players that will restore us to a competitive level in the A10. This will require time & patience which fans are short on. Financial support of the Bonnies is an effective way that the Bona faithful can act to support the efforts of Sol & staff. Welcome James Williams to the Enchanted Mountains!