It has been 4 months since the MAC tournament finals, and I still look back in pain and agony over the second half of that championship game with UB against Ohio. Now, with Midnight madness 3 months away, and my therapy sessions coming to an end, it is time to look forward to the upcoming season of MAC basketball.
To get everyone up to speed I have ranked the recruiting classes of the 12 schools. With all of the different levels of high school competition and all of the players from overseas, sometimes it is tough to find accurate information on players, but here is one writers right opinion on how the recruiting classes are shaping up for the upcoming season.
If you are interested in a full list of the recruits for all of the MAC schools, this is the site where I found all of the information on the recruits.
Big honking winners
- 1. Bowling Green
Bowling Green takes the number 1 spot under the strength of Dusan Radivojevic. The 6’7Radivojevic, from Serbia and Montenegro, averaged 35 points and 6 rebounds for his Amateur team, the top junior team in Yugoslavia. Bowling Green is working under the assumption that size does matter, as all of there recruits are at least 6’4. Out of there 8 recruits, 3 averaged at least 20 points per game last season.
2. Eastern Michigan
Just like Molson, Blue Rodeo, and Juan Mendez, Eastern Michigan’s big time recruit is an import from North of the Border. Kyle Dodd, from Rockwood Ontario, averaged 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 blocks per game last season. With the strength of Dodd and Geno Smith a 6’7 “balla“, who averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds last season, Eastern Michigan fans have a lot to be looking forward to for this upcoming season. Out of the 7 recruits that Eastern Michigan has signed, 4 of them averaged at least 20 points per game.
Just Plain Honking Winners
- 3. Miami
With Miami of Ohio being a veteran team, they only signed 3 new players to a scholarship for the incoming freshman class. Out of the 3, 2 averaged at least 20 points per game. The new freshman may not see a lot of playing time this season as Miami is once again expected to compete for the MAC title. Incoming freshman Adam Fletcher has the potential to be an offensive threat before his time is up at Miami. At 6’9 he is considered a good shooter, and an inside presence. Fletcher is also in the running for the player of the year in West Virginia. These incoming freshman may not be the difference this season, but this class should make sure Miami is competitive for the next 4 years.
- 4. Ohio
Ohio has signed only four recruits for this upcoming season, but with Williams , Fears , and Troutman ,they don’t need a lot of contribution from these incoming freshman. Nevertheless, Ohio managed to sign 6’6 Jerome Tillman. Tillman averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 40 % from the land of 3. Out of the four Ohio incoming freshman, 2 of them averaged at least 20 points per game.
- 5. Toledo
Toledo has a nice group of well rounded recruits. Though they have signed only three players, two, averaged at least 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. The big deal from this class is Jerrah Young, a transfer from West Virginia University, where he did not receive a lot of playing time. As a senior in high school Young was considered the number 8 recruit from the state of Illinois by highschoolelite.com. In this class Toledo brought in a big man a point guard and a swing man, all with the ability to play in the near future.
E for Effort
- 6. Kent State
Kent State has brought in 5 recruits for this upcoming season. 2 of them averaged at least 20 points per game. 2 of Kent’s recruits are transfers from either military school or community college. Kent’s best soignée is Julian Singer. Singer averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds at Fort Union Military academy. Singer also averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior in high school. Kent State is also high on big man Brandon Parks who was awarded as the best rebounded at five star camp in Pittsburgh.
7. Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois will operate under the theory of Quality over quantity as they have only 2 incoming freshman this year. Both Quintan Lipkins and Ben Rand averaged over 23 points per game, while Rand pulled down 8 rebounds per contest, and Lipkins dished out just under 10 assists per game. Though Lipkins stands at only 5’9, he is a quick and athletic point guard with a great shot. The only faults preventing Northern Illinois from being ranked in the top 3 is that Lipkins is only 5’9, and They only have 2 freshman coming in.
- 8. Akron
After missing out on Lebron James 2 years ago, though they signed 2 of his high school teammates, Akron is looking to find the Next NBA icon. There big soignée, Nick Dials, comes by way of transfer from “THE†Ohio State. As a senior in high school Dials averaged 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Dials averaged 4 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound, while starting 9 games at Ohio State. After sitting out last season due to NCAA regulations for transferring, Dials will be a big key for Akron this season. Of the four recruits that Akron signed, Dials is the only one to have averaged at least 20 PPG in his senior year of high school.
Anna Kornikova part 1 – Didn’t win but looks good losing
- 9. UB
I can’t be to tough on my Bulls after last year’s magical season, but this recruiting class may not be up to par to the top classes of this season. UB is a team with a lot of veteran leadership and it may not be necessary for the freshman to have an impact this season. Despite this fact two recruits, Greg Gamble and Vadim Fedotov, stand out as players who have a shot of contributing sooner then later. Fedotov hails from the same school in Germany as Yassin Idbihi and Christian Schmidt, where he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds last season. There are high hopes for Fedotov but coming to a new country and learning a completely different style of play, it may be asking to much of him to contribute this season. Watch out for Fedotov in 2 seasons. Greg Gamble is a clone of graduating Bulls senior Danny Gilbert. Gamble is 6’4 and is a hard working tireless defender with a developing offensive game due to hustle. If Fedotov pans out and Gamble’s offensive game continues to improve then UB’s ranking could be much higher.
Anna Kornikova part 2- all style no substance. No where near winning
- 10. Central Michigan
Central Michigan may have found the steal of the draft class in Andre Smyth, and that is what prevents them from being in the bottom spot. Smyth was considered one of the top players in Canada last season, averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists. The problem for Central Michigan is that there other 5 recruits had relatively undistinguished high school careers. Smyth is going to have a lot of pressure on him to contribute this season for Central, it should be interesting to see how he lives up to his potential.
- 11. Ball State
Ball State signed five recruits for the upcoming season, yet none averaged over 20 points or 10 rebounds per game last season. Jaylon Perryman has potential to contribute before his time at Ball is done. Perryman averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a senior last year. At 6’5 Perryman was ranked the number 7 player of all recruits from Michigan
- 12. Western Michigan
Western Michigan signed 4 recruits for this upcoming season, but none stand out. Shawntee Gray has possibilities as an athletic wingman. Gray shot 58% from 2 point range as a junior, averaging 16 points per game. Western Michigan also signed Andre Ricks, a 5’9 point guard who was ranked the number 45 high school player in Michigan last season. But at 5’9 it remains to be seen if his skills will translate to success in the MAC.
So there you have it. One writers only “semi†bias rankings of the recruiting class for the upcoming 2005 MAC basketball season. Remember this is just my opinion and your entitled to your own, as long as you know that your wrong. Seriously, anyone with questions comments or differences with these rankings, you can contact me at alhoopsjunkie@mail.com.
Until next time, peace easy.
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on Oct 19th, 2005 at 2:08 pm
Good articles here. I think you may be underestimating the BSU recruiting class, though. We Cardinal fans are very excited about this class, much like we were about the Mills/Stovall/Yates group a few years ago. Maurice Acker averaged 16.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 steals last season from the point and may be starting by the end of the season by most accounts. D’Andre Peyton averaged 16.3 pts, 6.8 boards, and 2.9 blocks at Vincennes last year. Jalon Perryman averaged 19.1 pts, 5.5 assists, and 8.2 boards per game his senior year. Pat Nelson practically averaged a double-double with 10.0 pts, 9.9 boards and 3.5 blocks his junior year (can’t find his senior stats). Ames was rated the 25th best juco last year, although his stats look modest on paper. I’ll take those stats any day.