Here We Go Again!

Here we go again. I guess this month I am very pro Seton Hall University. Maybe I can be pro Rutgers University next month and St. Johns the following month. Oops I forgot, that month is reserved for Villanova. Folks are so vicious and alarmed when an opposing school gets acknowledged. Heck it was just a few weeks ago that the SHU Staff thought I was hard on them because of my thoughts on the Brandon Walters saga. Now I am just pro SHU based on MY OPINION. Well again it is my opinion. Please allow me to have one.

Now lets get back to the facts. I am not even looking at this season when I talk about Seton Hall University. Folks can hate on them all they wish but the bottom line is the talent is great........yes I said it, GREAT! Pope and Mitchell up front? Hazell and Lawrence at the 2? Harvey and Theodore at the 1? An experienced Mike Davis at the 5? With the possibility of Mr. Famous joining him? Any way you look at it, this is great talent and could be one of the most talented teams in years at SHU. Every one of the players I mentioned has an opportunity to earn a Good living playing basketball when their college career is over. And I am not talking about playing in Korea for $25,000 and coming home saying you made $125,000 as many often do..

Maybe I am just dumb when it comes to this stuff. But it seems to me that the SHU talent could match up with anyone in the Big East. Especially if they play hard and commit to defense. But again, These are my thoughts and last time I looked I was not on salary at SHU, nor am I scouting for any NBA teams. But to say I lose credibility? never knew I had any lol.

Lets look at this Tobias Harris situation. Tobias is only a junior in HS. His Dad is smart enough to know that he has to look carefully at all of the options his son has. As an ex player, with a D1 Daughter, he understands better than most. And like most 16 or 17 year old kids, his son will like everywhere he visits. After all, schools will always put their best foot forward when a kid they want is visiting. What is it not to like? At any university? They all will kiss his butt on a visit and show him the depth chart and where he will be in the offense. They might even show him his future locker and have his jersey inside with his name on the back. He might even walk into the arena and the PA announcer will introduce him as starting at a position he wants to play, but most likely might never get that opportunity. So of course he will love everywhere he visits. But sometimes the main comp dogs each other so much that they could eliminate each other and the kid being recruited winds up at another school.

And for the record it seems the Harris Family is doing a great job with their son's recruitment. Trust me they know what they are doing to the point they will not allow one cent to be spent while they are on an un-official visit. So all the schools have an opportunity it seems. But there are 2 schools also getting involved and they like them just as they like RU and others. Those are Notre Dame and West Virginia. But again, this is a long process for them and as I say to everyone all the time, Go Where You Are Loved, not Where You Are Just Wanted!

Lets look at the Greg Enchique (sp) situation. I never said he was not going to be a good player. I just laugh at how folks think it will be easy for him to come in and claim a starting spot. He has game, but it takes so much more than game to make it in the Big East. Does he have the drive? Commitment? Determination? Toughness? Skill Set? Maybe so, but the transition from HS where you had a super star as a teammate and all you had to do is play 2nd or 3rd fiddle and look good, to the college game where every night you have to COMPETE, is a difficult one. He seems like an outstanding kid from my observations and I hope he does a great job. But to think he will put JR and Griffin deep on the bench is a stretch. But one thing for sure, kids have to take advantage of opportunities. Greg has a great opportunity to establish himself from the start based on JR and Jeron getting suspended. This could be what is needed for him to really excel. If he does it will be hard to replace him. Last kid that did this was Davis West at Xavier. He was going to be 11th man or red shirted his freshmen year. Injuries forced him to start and the rest is history since he is now an NBA All Star.

Lastly when I talk about why would a kid go to a school with starters in place for the next few years. I am talking about 3-4 star rated players. I was not talking about Dexter Strickland, Lance Stephenson (sp), MoMo Jones, etc. In fact I was stunned that Jordan Theodore choose the Hall knowing that he would sit behind Harvey for two years. But the kid they lost could have been buried deep on the bench. And I am sure he understands that. Some schools are different. North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Uconn, and others can get the 5 star players to sign knowing they will be bench players initially. But those schools are in the super category as opposed to High D1. Kids will sit and wait their turn because others before them have done it and become successful getting drafted or going into business.

Finally allow me to end by again saying this blog is not for scores, or taking clippings from newspapers and linking them, or writing who beat who by what score. It is a blog that will provide my opinion on college and high school basketball while entertaining others opinions whether they agree or disagree. But remember if you say something I disagree about, I will come back at you in the spirit of your comment.

Almost time to play ball!!!!!