Redbird Recruits 2021

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The Redbirds have signed on one player so far in their 2021 class.

In case you missed it, Rob Johnson, former head coach of The Skill Factory prep school (Woodstock, GA) has joined the Redbirds' staff in place of Brian Reese. He's made quick work bringing in one of his former players.

The Birds have signed on Tennessee State transfer 5'10 point guard Mark Freeman. Freeman, who will have three years of eligibility, started all but one game and averaged 16.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 turnovers. His percentages are not great from 3-shooting 28% but 40% from the field. He also likes to get drive and get to the foul line and is a 81% free thrower.

Sy Chatman, a 6'8 forward from UMASS has also decided to return to ISU after initially entering the portal.

The Birds have 4 scholarships to fill and will be looking to replace 63.7% of their scoring from last season if you count Antonio Reeves who is going through the NBA draft process without hiring an agent.

Hopefully they bring in some solid talent through the portal. No need taking on "projects" because Muller's type is limited and he's not going to get to develop players.

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The Redbirds have signed on one player so far in their 2021 class.

In case you missed it, Rob Johnson, former head coach of The Skill Factory prep school (Woodstock, GA) has joined the Redbirds' staff in place of Brian Reese. He's made quick work bringing in one of his former players.

The Birds have signed on Tennessee State transfer 5'10 point guard Mark Freeman. Freeman, who will have three years of eligibility, started all but one game and averaged 16.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 turnovers. His percentages are not great from 3-shooting 28% but 40% from the field. He also likes to get drive and get to the foul line and is a 81% free thrower.

Sy Chatman, a 6'8 forward from UMASS has also decided to return to ISU after initially entering the portal.

The Birds have 4 scholarships to fill and will be looking to replace 63.7% of their scoring from last season if you count Antonio Reeves who is going through the NBA draft process without hiring an agent.

Hopefully they bring in some solid talent through the portal. No need taking on "projects" because Muller's type is limited and he's not going to get to develop players.

Freeman is a high volume shooter who needs the ball in his hands - but I think a decent get for ISU at this stage. Besides - who else is there to handle the ball?

[Adunk33]

The Redbirds have signed on one player so far in their 2021 class.

In case you missed it, Rob Johnson, former head coach of The Skill Factory prep school (Woodstock, GA) has joined the Redbirds' staff in place of Brian Reese. He's made quick work bringing in one of his former players.

The Birds have signed on Tennessee State transfer 5'10 point guard Mark Freeman. Freeman, who will have three years of eligibility, started all but one game and averaged 16.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 turnovers. His percentages are not great from 3-shooting 28% but 40% from the field. He also likes to get drive and get to the foul line and is a 81% free thrower.

Sy Chatman, a 6'8 forward from UMASS has also decided to return to ISU after initially entering the portal.

The Birds have 4 scholarships to fill and will be looking to replace 63.7% of their scoring from last season if you count Antonio Reeves who is going through the NBA draft process without hiring an agent.

Hopefully they bring in some solid talent through the portal. No need taking on "projects" because Muller's type is limited and he's not going to get to develop players.

Freeman is a high volume shooter who needs the ball in his hands - but I think a decent get for ISU at this stage. Besides - who else is there to handle the ball?

Howard Fleming, freshman PG last season, has shown flashes of being an elite pass-first PG. I expect the college game to slow down for him some and him to improve as the primary ball handler. This would allow Freeman to move off the ball. I will say, a 6'5 pg in the MVC could potentially cause some match-up issues.

Birds have added a couple more players
Julian Samuels is a 6'0 guard out of Annawan, IL who spent a post-grad year at Central Pointe Christian in Orlando. He'll be the fourth preferred walk-on on ISU's roster. He averaged 11 ppg (43% from 3 and 83% from FT) while collected a pair of steals and three rebounds per game.

Kendall Lewis is a 6'7 forward with long, long arms and is a transfer from Appalachian State. He'll have 3 years of eligibility and averaged 9.9/4.1. He can play the 3, 4, or 5, but it seems the way recruiting is going, he'll spend most of his time at the 4. Out of HS, he held offers from SIU, Nebraska, St. Bonne, and TCU, among others. He only played 9 games for App State before leaving the team, citing "personal matters." Seems like Muller is taking a swing here similarly to Chatman. This is another player brought in by the new assistant coach.

Birds have three scholarships remaining. They need to be going after size.

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With Abdou coming back, the Birds have 2 scholarships remaining. The hope is to bring in a ready big man.

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Redbirds replace Dusan Mahorcic with 6'11, 220 forward Ryan Schmitt out of Des Moines Area CC. His team won the D2 NCJAA National title this season where he averaged 13.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.8 while shooting just shy of 60% For the season, he went 11.8 points, 7 boards, 1.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks. First team all-conference, all tournament team.

Will be a welcomed addition to a team that was in need of size. This kid reminds me of a standard UNI big. Great hands and touch around the rim, finishing with both hands.

The Birds have one scholarship remaining, but if Reeves doesn't come back and stays pro, they'll have two. Muller mentioned the final couple scholarship would be for a big (Schmitt) and then they have flexibility with the other one.

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Birds fill their "final" scholarship with the edition of Liam McChesney, a transfer stretch 4 from Utah State.

The 6'10, 185lbs forward redshirted his freshman year, and was out for the season his sophomore year with an ankle injury. He'll have 4 years of eligibility though a junior, academically.

He was a a 4* player and top of his recruiting class in Canada, averaging 35 ppg his senior year. Minnesota and Kansas State made hard pushes on him late out of HS but he opted to join the Aggies.

Could be a steal, could be a bust. Recruiting his a crap shoot.

I say the Birds have filled their final scholarship because Antonio Reeves has not announced whether or not he will stay in the NBA draft/go pro (hehe) or return to school. I believe the withdrawal date is here in a couple weeks, so we should know definitively by then. It's sounding like he's going to return, but that in itself proposes some challenges to the team. We all know the team will likely struggle. Will Reeves use his talent to help lift them up or will he choose to just get as much tape/numbers for himself to go pro after next season, ignoring the team element. We'll see.

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Redbirds add another player. This one, a 6'6 SG/SF out of Lilburn, GA. Elijah Williams just completed his senior year at a private school in GA, averaging 12.7/7.7/3.2. This is another connection to the new assistant coach, Rob Johnson. He's been a part of bringing in a 2-3 players this off-season.

If he is on scholarship, the Birds are -1. If Reeves returns, I assume Williams is a walk-on. If Reeves doesn't return, I'd have to think his scholarship goes to Williams.

The Birds have brought in some interesting pieces this offseason. If they can jell together early, who knows. I'm just hoping for progress from last year's miserable season.

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Just wanted to toss in one final quip on this "nobody cares" thread. The Redbirds have filled all of their scholarships (13) and have 5 walk-ons with the addition of Williams. With 18 dudes, the Birds should never have to go through a practice again with less than 10 players, which they had done multiple times due to injury over the past several years. Can never have too many bodies! Hell, I say bring in two more and get a full A squad and B squad. Why not? What's there to lose?

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Antonio Reeves has removed his name for the draft, is back on campus and has attended some workouts. There has been no formal announcement, but signs are pointing to his return.