2021 Men's Basketball Recruiting Thread

[dukelifer]

Gonzaga is the pick. He has a custom T-shirt that shows him in a Gonzaga uniform. He was AAU teammates with Jalen Suggs and heard great things about the Zags from Suggs.

He could be the guy that puts them over the top. He is a unique player.

[SkyBrickey]

A lineup on the floor of Moore, Griffin, Baldwin, Banchero and Williams might not be the longest in the NBA but maybe top 5? And it’s an NBA athletic lineup.

I’m not suggesting Moore start at PG over Roach, but those 5 on the court together would be a site to see.

[Kedsy]

A lineup on the floor of Moore, Griffin, Baldwin, Banchero and Williams might not be the longest in the NBA but maybe top 5? And it’s an NBA athletic lineup.

Shortest wingspan in that group would be Moore's 6'11".

[CDu]

In general, next year's team is going to be pretty darn big. We only have one recruited player under 6'5", only two under 6'6". If we do land Blakes, that would bump us up to two and three, but even Blakes has tremendous length and size for a 6'2" guy (195lb, 6'8" wingspan).

[SkyBrickey]

That lineup would have an average height of 6 feet, 8.6 inches.

I only spot-checked the Denver Nuggets who set the record for the tallest starting lineup in NBA history last summer (included Bol Bol). Denver's 5 starters from their most recent game (Gordon, Barton, Porter, Jokic, Morris) are an average 6 feet 7.4 inches.

I'm pretty sure our group would alter a lot of shots and gobble up a lot of rebounds playing an aggressive 2-3 zone. It would be intimidating. A fan can dream....

[sagegrouse]

I’m not suggesting Moore start at PG over Roach, but those 5 on the court together would be a site to see.

Yep, 'bout half the time the "site" is Cameron and half the time at other "sites."

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

He could be the guy that puts them over the top. He is a unique player.

Gonzaga's new team motto: Next Year!

[Rich]

Gonzaga's new team motto: Next Year!

I thought it was, "When they zig, we zag"

[Owen Meany]

Gonzaga is the pick. He has a custom T-shirt that shows him in a Gonzaga uniform. He was AAU teammates with Jalen Suggs and heard great things about the Zags from Suggs.

FWIW, Baldwin was an AAU teammate of Jalen Johnson and Brakefield.

[tommy]

FWIW, Baldwin was an AAU teammate of Jalen Johnson and Brakefield.

Is that supposed to be a plus or a minus given that both players left the program quickly?

[CDu]

Is that supposed to be a plus or a minus given that both players left the program quickly?

I would suspect the latter. But you never know.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Usually, it's a bad idea to tweet at recruits. This one was pretty good, not gonna lie.

https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/stat...20750249295881

[luvdahops]

In general, next year's team is going to be pretty darn big. We only have one recruited player under 6'5", only two under 6'6". If we do land Blakes, that would bump us up to two and three, but even Blakes has tremendous length and size for a 6'2" guy (195lb, 6'8" wingspan).

And not just in terms of height and length. Banchero, Griffin and Keels all appear to be pretty muscular and physically mature for incoming frosh. Same with Blakes. John clearly fits that description as well, and I would expect Williams to add strength in the offseason, too. Same with Henry, though he's already pretty damn strong. I could see Wendell going the other way, though - shedding some pounds to gain quickness and maybe some bounce in order to defend smaller guys.

I had my fill this past season of seeing Duke players lose 50/50 balls, go up soft and get blocked at the rim, or have the rock simply stripped away from them. I am confident that we won't see any of those things nearly as often in the coming season.

[MartyClark]

He could be the guy that puts them over the top. He is a unique player.

Don't get me wrong, I wish Duke had Holmgren, but he is really skinny.

I wonder how he will do against a physical team like Baylor. If the refs allow contact, he will get pushed all over the floor by strong, less skilled guys.

Hope he does well except, of course, against Duke.

[flyingdutchdevil]

And not just in terms of height and length. Banchero, Griffin and Keels all appear to be pretty muscular and physically mature for incoming frosh. Same with Blakes. John clearly fits that description as well, and I would expect Williams to add strength in the offseason, too. Same with Henry, though he's already pretty damn strong. I could see Wendell going the other way, though - shedding some pounds to gain quickness and maybe some bounce in order to defend smaller guys.

I had my fill this past season of seeing Duke players lose 50/50 balls, go up soft and get blocked at the rim, or have the rock simply stripped away from them. I am confident that we won't see any of those things nearly as often in the coming season.

The general rule of thumb is the bigger the player, the slower the player. Yes, there are many exceptions. But while next year's team has plenty of size, they do not have plenty of speed.

I really don't think speed will be an issue on offense. On defense? Let's just say this team will not be a good M2M defensive team.

[CDu]

The general rule of thumb is the bigger the player, the slower the player. Yes, there are many exceptions. But while next year's team has plenty of size, they do not have plenty of speed.

I really don't think speed will be an issue on offense. On defense? Let's just say this team will not be a good M2M defensive team.

Yes, because that 2010 Duke team was notably fast on defense.

I think it's fair to say that we aren't likely to be overly quick/fast for our positions next year if the roster remains as is and we add Blakes. I wouldn't take the next step in saying we won't be a good man-to-man defensive team. There is more to defense than being quick/fast, and being quick/fast isn't a prerequisite for being a good defensive team.

That's not to say whether we will or will not be good defensively. That's something we can't know for sure until we see it.

[jimsumner]

Yes, because that 2010 Duke team was notably fast on defense.

I think it's fair to say that we aren't likely to be overly quick/fast for our positions next year if the roster remains as is and we add Blakes. I wouldn't take the next step in saying we won't be a good man-to-man defensive team. There is more to defense than being quick/fast, and being quick/fast isn't a prerequisite for being a good defensive team.

Some might say that team was alarmingly not overly quick/fast.

[tommy]

And not just in terms of height and length. Banchero, Griffin and Keels all appear to be pretty muscular and physically mature for incoming frosh. Same with Blakes. John clearly fits that description as well, and I would expect Williams to add strength in the offseason, too. Same with Henry, though he's already pretty damn strong. I could see Wendell going the other way, though - shedding some pounds to gain quickness and maybe some bounce in order to defend smaller guys.

I had my fill this past season of seeing Duke players lose 50/50 balls, go up soft and get blocked at the rim, or have the rock simply stripped away from them.

You mean we were knocked back??

[budwom]

You mean we were knocked back??

ack, can't think of a phrase I hate more...maybe Fauci can use it, "the Covid virus really knocked us back...."

[proelitedota]

ack, can't think of a phrase I hate more...maybe Fauci can use it, "the Covid virus really knocked us back..."

"We didn't respond well in the first half".