Ranking the recruiting classes

by **Wufan** » March 31st, 2014, 6:16 pm

I can't rank the incoming players as I don't have enough information. Now is the time to lay down all the hype! I know that Drake signed a "potential" monster. ISU has a great incoming group with Hawkins, McIntosh, Purnell.

Here's what WSU has:

Eligible Red-Shirts;

Rian Holland - 6-0 guard. 2* recruit. He came in as a 140 lb SG. He's put on nearly 20 lbs and has been tutored on PG. He's an explosive athlete (behind the head dunks) and great shooter. Is he capable of running the point, or is he more suited as an ISUr SG?

Shaq Morris - 6-8 post. 3* recruit with interest from Oklahoma, Tulsa, ORU, Tulane, Fresno St. He dropped from 280 lbs to 250 lbs. He's an explosive leaper with range out to 18 feet. He red-shirted in order to work on conditioning.

JUCO Transfers;

Tom 'Bush' Wamukota - 7-0, 235 lb center. 2* recruit with SEC offers. He's an athletic center still learning the game, but already a great defensive center with the skill set to be an important offensive player. He should fit in well with Marshall's plan.

Expect one more signing from a JUCO AA PF.

Freshman;

Corey Henderson Jr. - 6-3, 3* recruit with offers from Fresno St and St. Louis. He's a lengthy PG with skills to score. Able to create off the dribble or hit the 3 ball. Needs to add some weight, but should be able to spell VanVleet immediately.

Zach Brown, 6-7, 3/4* recruit that committed to WSU before the eminent offers from Texas, Baylor, and UCLA came to fruition. Spent last summer playing with the Shockers instead of AAU, and then spent a year at prep school playing the point for Sunrise academy. Averaged 15, 5, and 3 for a team that beat several JUCO teams. He needs to work on his outside shot, but can get to the rim in a hurry. Will back-up Baker and/or Cotton as a freshman.

Rashard Kelly, 6-8 3* recruit with offers from Xavier and GW. Able to hit the mid-range and three point shot with consistency. He's a wiry PF with the ability to play inside and out. Great rebounder and defender.

Eric Hamilton, 6-8 4* recruit with offers from Georgia and Alabama. He is a Cleanthony Early clone. Plays above the rim and can hit the 3. He's raw from a BBIQ standpoint and could use an RS year to add weight and learn to defend.

**Sponsor**

by **shockem** » April 1st, 2014, 7:23 am

edit: that's Zach Brown, not Zach Bush. Bush is a walk-on currently on the team.

by **BCPanther** » April 1st, 2014, 8:15 am

UNI---

Wyatt Lohaus--6-2-195-PG-Iowa City (West)
------Iowa Mr Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year. Will challenge for playing time right away. Great mid-range game. Led HS team to 95-9 record and 3 straight state titles and was teammate of Jeremy Morgan. Father Brad had long NBA career.

Paul Jesperson--6-6-230-SF-Merrill, WI (Virginia Transfer)
------Started 33 of 35 games for Virginia during sophomore season. Was asked to be lead perimeter defender. Only averaged 4 ppg, but will be able to be more of an offensive player in The Valley. Expect to start from Day One and will have two years of eligibility.

Bennett Koch--6-10-215-PF-Ashwaubenon, WI
------The last of the UNI Koch brothers. Tallest of the three and probably the most offensively gifted. Will play the swing 4. More like Adam than Jake. Most skilled of the 3 coming into college. Redshirted last year after coming in at 180 pounds. Will play significant minutes off the bench.

Robert Knar--6-0-185-SG-Mundelein, IL
------2000 point HS scorer, would have played this year but tore ACL. Player in the Johnny Moran mode, but better ball handler. Major concern that he tore ACL in same knee in back to back years. Not sure how many minutes will be available with all of the back court returning.

Klinton Carlson--6-6-235-PF-Waverly, IA
------Bruiser in the middle. Led his team to state title his senior year. Will be asked to provide physical minutes off the bench. Closest comp is Lucas O'Rear, but has a bit more of an offensive game. Will be asked to defend bigger players.

by **Drakey** » April 1st, 2014, 9:47 am

Who is the "potential monster" signed by Drake? I have heard nothing of him.

by **Wufan** » April 1st, 2014, 10:40 am

Drakey wrote:Who is the "potential monster" signed by Drake? I have heard nothing of him.

I was referring to the class as a whole. The two big guys have big upside.

by **DUBulldog** » April 1st, 2014, 11:03 am

Bulldogs signed 5 in the fall; it's possible they'll be another 1-2 this spring.

Kory Kuenstling-- 6'11" Dunkerton, IA. 1st team all state (Class A) in smallest school class. Averaged approx 20 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 bpg. Team finished 2nd in state, getting blown out in state championship game. Very skinny, will probably need a redshirt year. Played small school competition, but appears to have some skills and can run the court well. Lack of strength is his biggest issue.

Casey Schlatter-- 6'9" Iowa Falls, IA. 1st team all-state in Class 2-A. Averaged 35 ppg and 15 rpg despite being double and triple teamed all season. Also led team in assists and blocked shots. Probably sold popcorn at halftime. High school team was very poor, finished something like 8-14. Can score inside and out, but needs to add weight/strength. Should see some minutes next season.

Ore Arogundade-- 6'3", Wheeling, Illinois (Saint Viator). Averaged about 20 points and 5 assists per game in Chicago's northwest suburbs. Team was one of top 10 in the state. Hit multiple game winning or game tying shots....wants the ball in his hand at crunch time. Strong and athletic. Was named his area's player of the year by Daily Herald newspaper. Could be 4-year starter.

Reed Timmer-- 6'1", New Berlin, WI (Eisenhower). Point guard averaged approx 28 ppg. 1st-team all-state. Can stroke the 3 and can get to the hoop. Averaged about 10 free throws per game. Probable 4-year starter.

Carleton (CJ) Rivers--- 6'3" Cahokia, IL. Very long and athletic. Averaged 12 ppg and 5 apg for very good team. May not be as polished as the other 2 guards coming in, but has very high "ceiling" as far as potential.

With the loss of two forwards in the last few days, I expect Drake to sign 1-2 more big men this spring.

by **Wufan** » April 1st, 2014, 6:06 pm

Schlatter, Arogundade, and Timmer all look very promising on paper. What kid averages 35 and 15?

by **PantherSigEp** » April 1st, 2014, 6:35 pm

Wufan wrote:Schlatter, Arogundade, and Timmer all look very promising on paper. What kid averages 35 and 15?

I'd be interested in seeing his stats with the Iowa Barnstormers AAU team. He played with Kuenstling and UNI recruit Wyatt Lohaus on that team and would've faced much better competition. Heck I'd love to see all their stats actually. Casey was essentially the DJ Ballentine of his high school team and had to do everything.

If Kuenstling puts on a lot of muscle he could be a solid player, but given the competition level he faced in high school I'd hesitate to say he'd be ready to step foot in the Valley until he's at least a RS-Sophomore, barring some major gains in the next year.

by **achrist70** » April 2nd, 2014, 7:00 am

Kuenstling is bad, to me that is a waste of a scholarship, he's tall but nothing else, I have seen talented 6'6" kids absolutely dominate him in class 1A, which is a far cry from anything he is about to see. I would guess he doesn't last long at Drake.

Schlatter is a talented player, but I have heard negative things when it comes to his character traits, not being a very good teammate, this came from a coach who coached against him, so you can take that for what its worth.

by **DUBulldog** » April 2nd, 2014, 7:46 am

PantherSigEp wrote:
Wufan wrote:Schlatter, Arogundade, and Timmer all look very promising on paper. What kid averages 35 and 15?

I'd be interested in seeing his stats with the Iowa Barnstormers AAU team. He played with Kuenstling and UNI recruit Wyatt Lohaus on that team and would've faced much better competition. Heck I'd love to see all their stats actually. Casey was essentially the DJ Ballentine of his high school team and had to do everything.

If Kuenstling puts on a lot of muscle he could be a solid player, but given the competition level he faced in high school I'd hesitate to say he'd be ready to step foot in the Valley until he's at least a RS-Sophomore, barring some major gains in the next year.

I saw Kuenstling play in the state tourney, and he definitely needs a redshirt season to gain weight/strength. Not the most aggressive player, either. He's definitely not ready to contribute now, but he can potentially help down the road.