2018 Recruiting Class Could Be The Best Yet

[Red Rooster]

Rumors circulating that 4 star guard Luther Muhammad (long said to be a near lock for St. John's) is now almost a sure thing for Ohio State after his visit. If we don't get this kid it will be extremely painful. It just always seems major talents in other states tend to stay home much more than our local players in the NYC metro area. If we don't get him and have a bad season with LoVett likely leaving after this year and Ponds on his way out soon, it can get brutal fast. Lavin's ultimate downfall was underperforming with very talented teams and inconsistent recruiting (1 great cycle then a few awful ones won't cut it). If we lose Muhammad and we have a rough season, I fear I will get that vibe from the Lavin era again. Hope I'm wrong.

I think at some point St. John's needs to reevaluate the types of players that they are recruiting. Just looking at the roster SJU always seems to have so much turnover. It constantly seems they are "a year away," and then someone leaves early or transfers out, and the timeline gets pushed out another year. I think Mullin could be better served chasing high character 3* guys that will stay four years. Get some veteran leadership and build a foundation for a program. Or as with Simon and Clark, maybe the transfer route is the way to go for those 4* kids who leave NY and want to return after a year out west, south or midwest. Creighton seems to be doing quite well with transfers. There are far worse options, for kids wanting to move up in class or return home, than playing in the BE at MSG.

It's always gonna be that way when a program is in flux, and even more so in this day in age. There's enough talent on this year's team to win and put the "year away" montage on the back burner. They lack overall depth, but how many teams actually play 10 players anyway? Typically, team's go about 8 deep at the most. St. John's have enough personnel to go about 8 or even 9 deep.

The only thing I'll say is the staff needs to cast a wider net on the recruiting front. That way you put yourself in position to land other viable options when or if you miss out on your initial targets.

[Hall2012]

5* Louis King is expected to announce for Oregon today. This is a big blow for Seton Hall as the Pirates were considered to be in great shape as long as he didn't receive his coveted Kentucky offer. Then he took his official visit (I believe 2ish weeks ago?) to Nike U and everything changed as he was blown away to the point of canceling his other 4 official visits.

[CrawfishBucket]

5* Louis King is expected to announce for Oregon today. This is a big blow for Seton Hall as the Pirates were considered to be in great shape as long as he didn't receive his coveted Kentucky offer. Then he took his official visit (I believe 2ish weeks ago?) to Nike U and everything changed as he was blown away to the point of canceling his other 4 official visits.

King to Oregon

2018 four-star forward Ian Steere tells me that he has decommitted from Creighton

https://twitter.com/JKimElevate/status/ ... 8651498497

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Rumors circulating that 4 star guard Luther Muhammad (long said to be a near lock for St. John's) is now almost a sure thing for Ohio State after his visit.

http://scout.com/college/basketball/rec ... -107795548 - Scout.com - September 23, 2017

On Friday evening Luther Muhammad, who combines toughness and athleticism, picked Ohio State over Xavier and St. John's.

St. John's Red Storm Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com – updated September 23, 2017

St. John's 2018 Basketball Targets - 247 Sports – updated September 23, 2017
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Verbal Commits – Big East

Yesterday, 2018 PF Solomon Uyaelunmo (6-8, 220, 3★) committed to Towson over Georgetown.

Georgetown Hoyas Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com – updated September 23, 2017

Georgetown 2018 Basketball Targets - 247 Sports – updated September 23, 2017

[Red Rooster]

Rumors circulating that 4 star guard Luther Muhammad (long said to be a near lock for St. John's) is now almost a sure thing for Ohio State after his visit.

http://scout.com/college/basketball/rec ... -107795548 - Scout.com - September 23, 2017

On Friday evening Luther Muhammad, who combines toughness and athleticism, picked Ohio State over Xavier and St. John's.

St. John's Red Storm Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com – updated September 23, 2017

St. John's 2018 Basketball Targets - 247 Sports – updated September 23, 2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Verbal Commits – Big East

Yesterday, 2018 PF Solomon Uyaelunmo (6-8, 220, 3★) committed to Towson over Georgetown.

Georgetown Hoyas Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com – updated September 23, 2017

Georgetown 2018 Basketball Targets - 247 Sports – updated September 23, 2017

St. John's losing out on Luther Muhammad wasn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. It was the perception of losing out on him more than anything.

Nevertheless, Greg Williams, a top 100 player out of Louisiana, will visit the Johnnies next month. He was rated a bit higher at one point, but he didn't participate on the AAU circuit this season, and it more than likely sunk his class ranking.

[jfan]

Crawfish, you claim to be a fan of the BE, but seem to be very happy to post negative news about the BE. You are clearly a troll. What is the point of being a troll? Why don't you stay on the AAC board where you can share similar viewpoints with their fans. Not that I don't really enjoy having you show up here?!!

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Congratulations to Jay Wright, who had two 2018 scholarships available and filled them with solid 4-Star recruits:

Villanova 2018 Basketball Commits - 247 Sports

National Rank: 19, Big-East Rank: 1

HARD COMMITS (2)

# 42 - Cole Swider, St Andrews School (Barrington, RI), PF, 6’-7”, 210 lbs. (Committed June 30, 2017)

# 54 - Brandon Slater, Paul VI Catholic (Fairfax, VA), SG, 6’-6”, 180 lbs. (Committed May 24, 2017)

Villanova Wildcats Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com

Villanova does not have any scholarshipped seniors on their 2017-18 roster, and is presently predicted to finish first in the Big East in early predictions.

In 2018-19, Jay Wright could well have 13 experienced returning players on his roster. I expect the Wildcats will have another good season next year.

2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster - Villanova University

[JohnW22]

Congratulations to Jay Wright, who had two 2018 scholarships available and filled them with solid 4-Star recruits:

Villanova 2018 Basketball Commits - 247 Sports

National Rank: 19, Big-East Rank: 1

HARD COMMITS (2)

# 42 - Cole Swider, St Andrews School (Barrington, RI), PF, 6’-7”, 210 lbs. (Committed June 30, 2017)

# 54 - Brandon Slater, Paul VI Catholic (Fairfax, VA), SG, 6’-6”, 180 lbs. (Committed May 24, 2017)

Villanova Wildcats Recruiting News and 7-Year Basketball Recruiting Scholarship Chart - VerbalCommits.com

Villanova does not have any scholarshipped seniors on their 2017-18 roster, and is presently predicted to finish first in the Big East in early predictions.

In 2018-19, Jay Wright could well have 13 experienced returning players on his roster. I expect the Wildcats will have another good season next year.

2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster - Villanova University

We going to pretend Brunson, Bridges, and Spellman are all going to return?

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

We going to pretend Brunson, Bridges, and Spellman are all going to return?

We’re not pretending anything, but we’re also not speculating on possible NBA defections on a 2018 Recruiting thread. That's another topic altogether.

As far as I’m concerned, Brunson, Bridges, and Spellman are Wildcats until they declare for the NBA Draft and sign a contract with an agent.

Jay Wright and his players know that if everyone (or nearly everyone) returns for the 2018-19 season, Villanova will be one of the preseason favorites for the 2019 NCAA Championship.

Three priorities for Villanova’s basketball players are (1) get a great education, (2) play on a great basketball team, and (3) have a lot of fun.

If you’re a college basketball player, winning a NCAA Tournament Championship trophy tops the list for 'fun'. Also, far more often than not, being a member of a National Championship team enhances a player’s stock in the following NBA Draft, another factor which Villanova’s players will be considering.

Finally, don’t underestimate the value of a Villanova education. The players know that an NBA career doesn’t last forever, and that a Villanova University Diploma is worth more than its weight in gold.

Villanova University - Admissions - CollegeData.com

Overall Admission Rate: 48% of 16,206 applicants were admitted = 7,761 admitted students.
Students Enrolled: 1,818 (23%) of 7,761 admitted students enrolled.

ACT Scores of Enrolled Freshmen
Range of Middle 50%: 29-32
Score of 30 – 36: 60%
Score of 24 – 29: 36%
Score of 18 – 23: 4%
Score of 12 - 17: 0%

Xavier University - Admissions - CollegeData.com

Overall Admission Rate: 73% of 11,605 applicants were admitted = 8,489 admitted students.
Students Enrolled: 1,291 (15%) of 8,489 admitted students enrolled.

ACT Scores of Enrolled Freshmen
Range of Middle 50%: 22-27
Score of 30 - 36: 11%
Score of 24 - 29: 53%
Score of 18 - 23: 35%
Score of 12 - 17: 1%

College basketball players consider many factors before deciding to leave their college team early, and such things are hard to predict accurately.

Bluiett to test NBA Draft waters again, won't hire agent – Cincinnati Enquirer - March 31, 2017

Trevon Bluiett returning to Xavier, might become All-American for Top 25 team - CBS Sports - May 24, 2017

Musketeers get a player coming back who can be their alpha and maybe help them reach another Elite Eight

Trevon Bluiett, a potential preseason All-American, will return to Xavier for his senior season, multiple sources told CBS Sports.

Bluiett called Xavier coach Chris Mack on Tuesday evening to tell him the news that Musketeer fans have been hoping to hear for weeks.

Bluiett will have an opportunity to be the Big East Player of the Year, and certainly could set a career high in scoring. Bluiett has been an impact player since he arrived at Xavier, with his scoring average going up each year, from 11.0 to 15.1 to 18.5.

EDIT: Related thread: BE Players Who May Declare Early for the 2018 NBA Draft - started September 25, 2017

[JohnW22]

We going to pretend Brunson, Bridges, and Spellman are all going to return?

We’re not pretending anything, but we’re also not speculating on possible NBA defections on a 2018 Recruiting thread. That's another topic altogether.

As far as I’m concerned, Brunson, Bridges, and Spellman are Wildcats until they declare for the NBA Draft and sign a contract with an agent.

Jay Wright and his players know that if everyone (or nearly everyone) returns for the 2018-19 season, Villanova will be one of the preseason favorites for the 2019 NCAA Championship.

Three priorities for Villanova’s basketball players are (1) get a great education, (2) play on a great basketball team, and (3) have a lot of fun.

If you’re a college basketball player, winning a NCAA Tournament Championship trophy tops the list for 'fun'. Also, far more often than not, being a member of a National Championship team enhances a player’s stock in the following NBA Draft, another factor which Villanova’s players will be considering.

Finally, don’t underestimate the value of a Villanova education. The players know that an NBA career doesn’t last forever, and that a Villanova University Diploma is worth more than its weight in gold.

Villanova University - Admissions - CollegeData.com

Overall Admission Rate: 48% of 16,206 applicants were admitted = 7,761 admitted students.
Students Enrolled: 1,818 (23%) of 7,761 admitted students enrolled.

ACT Scores of Enrolled Freshmen
Range of Middle 50%: 29-32
Score of 30 – 36: 60%
Score of 24 – 29: 36%
Score of 18 – 23: 4%
Score of 12 - 17: 0%

Xavier University - Admissions - CollegeData.com

Overall Admission Rate: 73% of 11,605 applicants were admitted = 8,489 admitted students.
Students Enrolled: 1,291 (15%) of 8,489 admitted students enrolled.

ACT Scores of Enrolled Freshmen
Range of Middle 50%: 22-27
Score of 30 - 36: 11%
Score of 24 - 29: 53%
Score of 18 - 23: 35%
Score of 12 - 17: 1%

College basketball players consider many factors before deciding to leave their college team early, and such things are hard to predict accurately.

Bluiett to test NBA Draft waters again, won't hire agent – Cincinnati Enquirer - March 31, 2017

Trevon Bluiett returning to Xavier, might become All-American for Top 25 team - CBS Sports - May 24, 2017

Musketeers get a player coming back who can be their alpha and maybe help them reach another Elite Eight

Trevon Bluiett, a potential preseason All-American, will return to Xavier for his senior season, multiple sources told CBS Sports.

Bluiett called Xavier coach Chris Mack on Tuesday evening to tell him the news that Musketeer fans have been hoping to hear for weeks.

Bluiett will have an opportunity to be the Big East Player of the Year, and certainly could set a career high in scoring. Bluiett has been an impact player since he arrived at Xavier, with his scoring average going up each year, from 11.0 to 15.1 to 18.5.

I'd say we can speculate on players leaving when you say that Nova could have 13 players on the roster when the Wildcats are still are still active in the 2018 recruiting class. And if you say players leaving to the NBA is for a different topic then ACT scores are for a different message board. These players are focused on basketball not school and to pretend otherwise would be a joke