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Emmett13 · 01-14-2023, 01:30 AM

Recruiting is effectively over and all together I think it has to be seen as success.

Let's start with the good news: We signed 3 well regarded post players, all of which I think can contribute immediately. They all play defense at an extremely high level which is what I was looking for, and each of them are unique enough to play different roles offensively.

Let's start with the highest ranked and go from there.

Khadre Thurman, 6'7", 227, Pearland, Texas, 4*, #98

Players have photos now! Only the incoming guys have photos, so they will remain faceless, but a pretty awesome touch.

Thurman is undersized and his offensive game isn't much at all as you can see from his underwhelming stats. But, he's a defensive whiz in the post. An extremely hard worker (which is a priority) and tremendous defensive awareness. I'm a little worried is subpar offensive game will limit his potential, but there's always use for guys who play hard and play great defense in a grit and grind system.

Troy Moss, 6'9", 230, Coppell, Texas, 4*, #102

Moss is a very athletic big man who we promised a starting spot during recruiting. Like Thurman he looks tremendous in the post defensively and is a solid rebounder and I think we will see a lot of double doubles in his future. In addition to his athleticism and defense, he's got great intangibles and has a strong looking three point shot. I like all three posts we signed, but Moss is definitely the one I think that will be the most impactful both short term and long term.

Christian Hannah, 6'9", 234, Denton, Texas, 4*, #153

Only has one year of high school stats, but Hannah had a really productive season and is very skilled for a big man, with his ability to shoot the three and pass the ball. He's very strong, but I'm a little concerned his lack of athleticism could hurt him in the Big XII. He's noticeably less athletic than the other freshmen and the transfer post Gabriel. But, he uses his strength and freakish 7'4" wingspan to guard the rim and play excellent defense. I think he'll be a great role player for four years.

Rene Ross, 6'1", 187, Midlothian, Texas, 1*, NR

Ross was a bit of a panic take and in hindsight if I'd been more patient I think I could have signed a higher quality player. But, I mismanaged some early resources and put all my eggs in one basket, going after a PG who was ranked #30. I almost grabbed him, but lost him to La Tech. It was pretty late in the recruiting game, so I went into desperation mode and landed on a guy ranked 10,000+ (really). That's not truly indicative how good he is (I hope), because there are some hidden gems scattered in the depths of the recruiting pool.

Anyways, Ross. He's a decent athlete that plays really strong perimeter defense, and uses his quickness to pester guards on the perimeter and generate some turnovers. His offensive game is pretty basic, but I think he could handle the point for a few minutes at a time as a freshman. He's smaller than I'd like, and could be a candidate to be encouraged to move on after just one year. But, this team is really lacking a lead guard. Beachem and Thomas are both listed as point guards, but both guys are probably better suited to be off the ball. I don't anticipate Ross playing at all, but I needed a third point guard.

I also missed out on a 3* center from Oklahoma City, he was 7'1" with some decent game, but I think he would have been buried on the bench for the foreseeable future, so I'm not too upset.

All four signees are hard workers, which fits with the defensive, grit and grind system I'm employing. I think this core of posts will be make us pretty competitive in the paint the next few years, even if this season could be a struggle with 3 freshmen and a sophomore soaking up all the post minutes.

Not signing a strong lead guard, puts a ton of pressure on next year's class as we lose 3 perimeter players, and outside of El Darwich the other returners aren't exactly all-conference types.

We will add 3 walk on players and will be off to training camp in the next few days. I'll likely prioritize defense for about every player, as I'm RPG'ing it some and really leaning into this defensive identity. I'm going to attempt to make this the best defensive team in the country and a team that just grinds their opponents into dust by the end of the game.

01-14-2023, 01:30 AM	#7
Emmett13 Mascot Join Date: Aug 2003	Class of 2038 Recruiting is effectively over and all together I think it has to be seen as success. Let's start with the good news: We signed 3 well regarded post players, all of which I think can contribute immediately. They all play defense at an extremely high level which is what I was looking for, and each of them are unique enough to play different roles offensively. Let's start with the highest ranked and go from there. *Khadre Thurman, 6'7", 227, Pearland, Texas, 4, #98 Players have photos now! Only the incoming guys have photos, so they will remain faceless, but a pretty awesome touch. Thurman is undersized and his offensive game isn't much at all as you can see from his underwhelming stats. But, he's a defensive whiz in the post. An extremely hard worker (which is a priority) and tremendous defensive awareness. I'm a little worried is subpar offensive game will limit his potential, but there's always use for guys who play hard and play great defense in a grit and grind system. Troy Moss, 6'9", 230, Coppell, Texas, 4, #102* Moss is a very athletic big man who we promised a starting spot during recruiting. Like Thurman he looks tremendous in the post defensively and is a solid rebounder and I think we will see a lot of double doubles in his future. In addition to his athleticism and defense, he's got great intangibles and has a strong looking three point shot. I like all three posts we signed, but Moss is definitely the one I think that will be the most impactful both short term and long term. *Christian Hannah, 6'9", 234, Denton, Texas, 4, #153 Only has one year of high school stats, but Hannah had a really productive season and is very skilled for a big man, with his ability to shoot the three and pass the ball. He's very strong, but I'm a little concerned his lack of athleticism could hurt him in the Big XII. He's noticeably less athletic than the other freshmen and the transfer post Gabriel. But, he uses his strength and freakish 7'4" wingspan to guard the rim and play excellent defense. I think he'll be a great role player for four years. Rene Ross, 6'1", 187, Midlothian, Texas, 1, NR* Ross was a bit of a panic take and in hindsight if I'd been more patient I think I could have signed a higher quality player. But, I mismanaged some early resources and put all my eggs in one basket, going after a PG who was ranked #30. I almost grabbed him, but lost him to La Tech. It was pretty late in the recruiting game, so I went into desperation mode and landed on a guy ranked 10,000+ (really). That's not truly indicative how good he is (I hope), because there are some hidden gems scattered in the depths of the recruiting pool. Anyways, Ross. He's a decent athlete that plays really strong perimeter defense, and uses his quickness to pester guards on the perimeter and generate some turnovers. His offensive game is pretty basic, but I think he could handle the point for a few minutes at a time as a freshman. He's smaller than I'd like, and could be a candidate to be encouraged to move on after just one year. But, this team is really lacking a lead guard. Beachem and Thomas are both listed as point guards, but both guys are probably better suited to be off the ball. I don't anticipate Ross playing at all, but I needed a third point guard. I also missed out on a 3* center from Oklahoma City, he was 7'1" with some decent game, but I think he would have been buried on the bench for the foreseeable future, so I'm not too upset. All four signees are hard workers, which fits with the defensive, grit and grind system I'm employing. I think this core of posts will be make us pretty competitive in the paint the next few years, even if this season could be a struggle with 3 freshmen and a sophomore soaking up all the post minutes. Not signing a strong lead guard, puts a ton of pressure on next year's class as we lose 3 perimeter players, and outside of El Darwich the other returners aren't exactly all-conference types. We will add 3 walk on players and will be off to training camp in the next few days. I'll likely prioritize defense for about every player, as I'm RPG'ing it some and really leaning into this defensive identity. I'm going to attempt to make this the best defensive team in the country and a team that just grinds their opponents into dust by the end of the game.