2012 Basketball Recruiting Thread

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Originally Posted by Cockabeau

If you don't believe me then take a look at the Blue Devil Nation article. Pretty much proves my point.tyhaveaniceday

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I can't read the article, as I'm not a premium member, but I'm skeptical as to how strongly it can prove your point. The article is from a Duke-centric site, so any focus on the Blue Devils might come from the interviewer and not necessarily from the player. Keep in mind that a less partial reporter might ask more questions about other schools (that the recruit might also think highly of), giving a very different picture. Again, I haven't read it so I can't say for sure, but that's just my suspicion.

More importantly, however, nothing is ever proven in recruiting, at least not until the player commits. (And even then, who knows?) Even if a player speaks glowingly about a particular school in an interview, you never know if or when his mind will change. All we can do is try and sift through the swirling rumors and churn out every possible interpretation of every sentence the recruit utters until he finally finds his way to a campus somewhere for his freshman year. I know this may seem obvious (it is, after all, essentially the first postulate of recruiting), but the casual confidence of your post seems to disregard it.

Alex Murphy and J.P Tokoto to visit Duke tomorrow:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/05/d...top-prospects/

I know Tokoto is at another level entirely, but is Murphy rated any higher/supposed to be any better than his brother Erik, who we recruited a few years ago and missed on, causing a lot of people to be upset, only to see him go to Florida and have an unimpactful (if that's a word) freshman season?

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Originally Posted by tommy

I know Tokoto is at another level entirely, but is Murphy rated any higher/supposed to be any better than his brother Erik, who we recruited a few years ago and missed on, causing a lot of people to be upset, only to see him go to Florida and have an unimpactful (if that's a word) freshman season?

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Is it really true that Tokoto is at another level compared to Anderson and Muhammad? Obviously all three are terrific, but can someone who has seen them play describe the differences in their respective games and give some speculation on which of them maybe the best?

Though still early, it sounds like the consensus is that Tokoto is a heavy UNC lean at this point.

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Originally Posted by DreAllDay

Is it really true that Tokoto is at another level compared to Anderson and Muhammad? Obviously all three are terrific, but can someone who has seen them play describe the differences in their respective games and give some speculation on which of them maybe the best?

Though still early, it sounds like the consensus is that Tokoto is a heavy UNC lean at this point.

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I'm pretty sure that the OP said that Tokoto was on a different level compared to Murphy...Anderson and Muhammad weren't even mentioned.

I think verga did a good job of breaking down all their strengths and weaknesses.

The knock on Tokoto right now is that his outside shot is lacking. He's an above-average athlete, has a good handle, and is solid at getting to the rim.

Anderson is an elite athlete and has a very developed body, but his basketball instincts and skills are lacking.

Muhammad is a very good athlete, attacks the basket very well, has a good midrange and outside shot, and is very quick. He and his family want him to play the 2/3 in college as they see that as his NBA position.

Murphy has a very good handle, can shoot from outside with the best of them, finishes very well around the basket, and a very solid all-around talent. The staff sees him as a Mike Dunleavy type.

Savon Goodman is a very good athlete with incredible hops and a good ability to finish around the rim. Doesn't have much of a shot.

Amile Jefferson is similar to Tokoto in that they both have slim builds but are smooth with the ball and are slashers.

As you can see, there are quite a few WFs Duke is targeting to varying degrees in the '12 class. TJ Warren is another local kid who has seen some interest from the staff but I don't know a whole lot about his game.

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Originally Posted by DreAllDay

Is it really true that Tokoto is at another level compared to Anderson and Muhammad? Obviously all three are terrific, but can someone who has seen them play describe the differences in their respective games and give some speculation on which of them maybe the best?

Though still early, it sounds like the consensus is that Tokoto is a heavy UNC lean at this point.

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I don't think it is really that far off at all. Andersen is a great young prospect with tons of upside, but still raw in a lot of his game:

These are recent tweets about him via Draft Express:

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. Justin Anderson (2012) didn't play great, but I absolutely love him as a prospect. Plays his I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. off, defends, rebounds, is smart, unselfish

Justin Anderson cnt'd: A top-10 recruit that regularly dives on floor for loose balls. Unheard of. Not skilled. Average shooter/ballhandler.

Justin Anderson cnt'd- Young, so still has time to work on his skill-level (for now is poor). Looks like a hard worker, good guy. Smart.

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Seems like a kid who is still learning the game and a kid who will need some seasoning throughout the next couple seasons. Someone with this athletic ability doesn't come around that often and should be able to develop some more polished skills throughout the next couple years.

J.P Tokoto is a kid who can drive to the rim, above average athlete, though not at the caliber of Andersen, and is a very good ball handler, a lot better Andersen.

Alex Murphy I would say is the best shooter out of this group. He is also a good athlete and can handle the ball extremely well. I like him to be like a Singler type... Wouldn't be a bad prospect at all, and like Andersen, I see a strong chance that he gets offers at some point this summer if not this summer.


Muhammad is one of the prospects I like the most in this class along with Andersen. Super athlete has a great mid range and a good long range jumper.. He like Andersen has expressed a lot of intrest in Duke among other schools..

I have not seen Jefferson or Goodman.

How tall is Murphy? From the videos I have seen of him he seems not very tall but i could be wrong.

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Originally Posted by Dukefan4Life

How tall is Murphy? From the videos I have seen of him he seems not very tall but i could be wrong.

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He and his coach said he was 6'8" 205 lbs.

I'll throw this in there as well. His Mom bought a #12 Duke jersey from the team store. Kyle is one of Alex's favorite players along with Mike Dunleavy.

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Originally Posted by airowe

He and his coach said he was 6'8" 205 lbs.

I'll throw this in there as well. His Mom bought a #12 Duke jersey from the team store. Kyle is one of Alex's favorite players along with Mike Dunleavy.

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Can't hurt for him to like those players.. Maybe he can pull a Harrison Barnes and go to a school because his mom likes Singler.. :D

In all seriousness though, this is usually a very small thing in recruiting. Murphy will go to the school which he is the most comfortable with and where he think he can enhance his basketball future or career paths.

i think in comparing the brothers Murphy, that Alex is the better player at this point in his career, imo having seen both. Will he continue to improve, that is not something i can answer. If you think about who Duke ended up with in the 2009 class you will see just how much things can change. Mason Plumlee was a unc fan and who knows about Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins was getting ready for his senior year:) in high school the point being, its not over. Tokoto has family in North Carolina an aunt i believe, so there is a tie in with unc . No matter who we end up with, they will be well coached and they will do things the right way.

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Originally Posted by Osiagledknarf

Andersen

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I hate to be that guy, but I've seen you do it at least 15 times already-his name is AndersON. It's like the whole Shelden-Sheldon thing, but after a while it's kinda annoying to look at.

These guys are 16 years old and still have two years of high school left. As airowe pointed out earlier, Kyrie wasn't a solid top 50 until the summer before his Junior year, and look where he is now. The point is, don't get so hung up on who is the best of the 2012 wings now and where they're ranked via Scout, Rivals, ESPN, etc. It's fine to speculate and everything, but ultimately the guys who will end up coming to Duke are going to be awesome! Who cares about the rankings now? This is an extremely talented class for wing forwards already and whoever commits is going to be a star at Duke. Now, I would like to ask, are we looking at any big men yet for 2012 besides maybe the Bhullar Bros. (2012 and 2013)?

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Originally Posted by whirlieduke4

Now, I would like to ask, are we looking at any big men yet for 2012 besides maybe the Bhullar Bros. (2012 and 2013)?

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Andre Drummond (everyone's looking at him), Alex's AAU teammate Kaleb Tarczewksi (sp?), and I'm sure a few others. '12 should be another four to five man class, maybe six with the departure of Carrick. Guys will begin to emerge and we will start to recruit guys as time rolls on. No one thought we'd end up with Tyler Adams or Michael Gbinije during their Sophomore to Junior transition.

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Originally Posted by whirlieduke4

I hate to be that guy, but I've seen you do it at least 15 times already-his name is AndersON. It's like the whole Shelden-Sheldon thing, but after a while it's kinda annoying to look at.

These guys are 16 years old and still have two years of high school left. As airowe pointed out earlier, Kyrie wasn't a solid top 50 until the summer before his Junior year, and look where he is now. The point is, don't get so hung up on who is the best of the 2012 wings now and where they're ranked via Scout, Rivals, ESPN, etc. It's fine to speculate and everything, but ultimately the guys who will end up coming to Duke are going to be awesome! Who cares about the rankings now? This is an extremely talented class for wing forwards already and whoever commits is going to be a star at Duke. Now, I would like to ask, are we looking at any big men yet for 2012 besides maybe the Bhullar Bros. (2012 and 2013)?

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Excellent points. I think we all get a bit over zealous with recruiting, especially in the summer when it is off season for our Blue Devils with no games to discuss, and AAU season is in high gear. Easy to get caught up in it all.

You are very correct though, regarding rankings and change. Anyone recall hearing the name Eric Bledsoe prior to last April? The guy came out of nowhere. When I first heard his name last April he was rated the 8th best PG in his class. People on this board were arguing about whether or not he would be a good PG in college since he was so "Lowly" rated. As we saw he ended up being so good he turned into a 1 and done and will likely be a first round pick in a few weeks. No one saw that coming.

There are other stories similar to that in both directions. Shav was ranked numero uno in his class his soph year, yet his ranking dropped each year after that.

Until their bodies and games mature and they get to their Sr years it is just hard to tell. Who knows who the best WF will be in 2 years? It could be anyone of those guys or could be someone we have not even heard of yet.

The moral of the story I guess is to let things play out and put more stock in the rising seniors right now than the sophomores.

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Originally Posted by MisterRoddy

While Tyler is more of a project I believe Mike could have a breakout year his sophmore season, I believe he is that good

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So before he plays his junior season of high school, before he plays his senior season of high school, and before he plays his freshman year of college, you're ready to state that you believe he could have a breakout sophomore year of college? I know it's the off-season and all, and people are bored, but this kind of flat-out guesswork is loooooony tunes!!

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Originally Posted by Boozer

The moral of the story I guess is to let things play out and put more stock in the rising seniors right now than the sophomores.

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I hope that by "let things play out" you really mean spread rumors, contribute to widespread speculation, bite fingernails, and generally make wild and baseless declarations extracted from the scant evidence given in occasional interviews (such as how long recruits maintain eye contact with reporters during questions, their tone of voice, body language, breathing patterns etc.). Otherwise where is the fun? :D

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Originally Posted by tommy

So before he plays his junior season of high school, before he plays his senior season of high school, and before he plays his freshman year of college, you're ready to state that you believe he could have a breakout sophomore year of college? I know it's the off-season and all, and people are bored, but this kind of flat-out guesswork is loooooony tunes!!

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Your point is good, but Tyler Adams and Michael Gbinije are finishing their junior years, about to start their senior years. So mostly guesswork, but maybe not totally loooony. :)

As noted elsewhere on this thread, our passion for Duke hoops turns to recruiting in the off-season, and it gets a bit carried away.

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Originally Posted by tommy

So before he plays his junior season of high school, before he plays his senior season of high school, and before he plays his freshman year of college, you're ready to state that you believe he could have a breakout sophomore year of college? I know it's the off-season and all, and people are bored, but this kind of flat-out guesswork is loooooony tunes!!

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1) He already played his Junior year of high school

2) It's not flatout guesswork. Its reasonable to assume that his freshman year, he will be coming off the bench and playing more of a supporting role. It's also reasonable to assume that a smart 6'6 wing thats a very good shooter, good ball handler, athletic and very solid on D who has been lighting it up on the AAU circuit (also being praised by scouts) where many of the good players in the class seperate themselves has the potential to be a very good player by his sophmore year in college. It's not crazy at all to believe that. It's much like how many people believe players like Thornton and Adams will be solid contributors in their latter years at Duke.

So, yes I am ready to state that, thank you.

Another kid who Duke is reportedly in on, and beginning to gain major national attention is Montrezl Harrell. He is a PF from Tarboro NC, and has been raising a lot of eyebrows at the The Tournament of Champions. He is 6 8" with a wingspan of 7 "3, really impressive stuff. The Duke staff has begun to show intrest in him these past couple weeks.

He has been one of the better players, if not the best player at The Tournament of Champions.

Here is some more stuff about him: http://georgiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1089221

According to the TheRecruitScoop, we have now offered 2012 wing Shabazz Muhammad.