My Marlin Defense

[Cajunsmike]

Thanks Mike. You always bring civility & intelligence to the board. So how long should it take these guys to come together as a team when & if they all get here?

Well, I am confident there will be three new guys next year. They are Brown (injured this year), big man Jackson (already signed), and shooter Register (already signed). If no more pieces are added to the puzzle, they may have a winning season next year and start playing well in the middle of conference play. If another competent big man is brought on board, I expect they will have a winning season and I would expect to see results after about 10 games or so.

[Bandwagon King]

Well, I am confident there will be three new guys next year. They are Brown (injured this year), big man Jackson (already signed), and shooter Register (already signed). If no more pieces are added to the puzzle, they may have a winning season next year and start playing well in the middle of conference play. If another competent big man is brought on board, I expect they will have a winning season and I would expect to see results after about 10 games or so.

So how many of these guys are being overhyped like the kid that transferred in & then transferred back out without playing a game? How many can play & how many have the ability to contribute? When I hear words like competent being used by someone as yourself, I tend to get a little scared because it makes me think we are all really just in a wait & see guessing game where no one really has a good idea of what to look forward to. I know anything is possible, but this men's team needs some life pumped into it before it is left to die on the side of the road.

[raginsaints]

I like you Kyle, but you were really wrong about Elfrid Payton.

[Just1More]

So how many of these guys are being overhyped like the kid that transferred in & then transferred back out without playing a game? How many can play & how many have the ability to contribute? When I hear words like competent being used by someone as yourself, I tend to get a little scared because it makes me think we are all really just in a wait & see guessing game where no one really has a good idea of what to look forward to. I know anything is possible, but this men's team needs some life pumped into it before it is left to die on the side of the road.

Mike is so matter of fact about basketball, it's scary. He gives extremely relevant, matter of pure fact, observations regarding basketball. Mike doesn't over hype. No one knows whether we've got the answers on the way until they come in and prove it. But again, "Mike" wouldn't be the guy on here that pumps basketball sunshine up your butt because he's hoping it will stop our rainy days.

[Cajunsmike]

So how many of these guys are being overhyped like the kid that transferred in & then transferred back out without playing a game? How many can play & how many have the ability to contribute? When I hear words like competent being used by someone as yourself, I tend to get a little scared because it makes me think we are all really just in a wait & see guessing game where no one really has a good idea of what to look forward to. I know anything is possible, but this men's team needs some life pumped into it before it is left to die on the side of the road.

I used the word "competent" because a normal D1 "4" man will do wonders for this team. For most of the year, the guy who has played that spot, Elridge Moore, is really a defensive "3". In other words, his specialty should be putting the clamps on the wing players of the opponents. However, he has had to battle inside all year against taller and bigger players. He gives it his all but simply does not have the god given size to be effective. Some are surprised we actually won 12 games with all our shortcomings. Just a few more rebounds per game can turn this thing around. The great majority of schools are in a wait and see guessing game in regards to how their recruits will perform at the college level. No one guessed that Elfrid Payton would turn into the player he is. On the other hand, plenty of guys have never lived up to the hype. We will sign at least two guys in April but won't have an idea of what they can do until next fall.

[Bandwagon King]

I used the word "competent" because a normal D1 "4" man will do wonders for this team. For most of the year, the guy who has played that spot, Elridge Moore, is really a defensive "3". In other words, his specialty should be putting the clamps on the wing players of the opponents. However, he has had to battle inside all year against taller and bigger players. He gives it his all but simply does not have the god given size to be effective. Some are surprised we actually won 12 games with all our shortcomings. Just a few more rebounds per game can turn this thing around. The great majority of schools are in a wait and see guessing game in regards to how their recruits will perform at the college level. No one guessed that Elfrid Payton would turn into the player he is. On the other hand, plenty of guys have never lived up to the hype. We will sign at least two guys in April but won't have an idea of what they can do until next fall.

Thanks Mike. When is the height of the recruiting season & what time of year is the normal time to say, hey we got this guy he was really good at this & should either be able to do this & this, provide bench help immediately, or provide future help here or there, or either a project player.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Both have deficiencies, and will probably play, but have limited positive impact. Neither is projected to be a high impact freshman player, few are, but when you consider how weak this team is they should get lots of minutes.

This is not the class that the now villainized Robert Lee brought with many all state players, some who left, many who simply matured at different rates to become top line SBC players. So far the only freshman to fit in that is EP, who because of youth was overlooked, and Long who was unhappy at Mississippi State. So far I see one freshman Marlin has gotten that turned to gold, and one transfer that is very good, the rest role players at best

[SlappyCajun]

This is not the class that the now villainized Robert Lee brought with many all state players, some who left, many who simply matured at different rates to become top line SBC players. So far the only freshman to fit in that is EP, who because of youth was overlooked, and Long who was unhappy at Mississippi State. So far I see one freshman Marlin has gotten that turned to gold, and one transfer that is very good, the rest role players at best

Who were the top flight Sunbelt players, besides Tyren and LaRyan.

[Cajunsmike]

Thanks Mike. When is the height of the recruiting season & what time of year is the normal time to say, hey we got this guy he was really good at this & should either be able to do this & this, provide bench help immediately, or provide future help here or there, or either a project player.

Basketball has two recruiting periods. One is for a week in mid November prior to the season starting. We signed Kamani Jackson (inside player) from Dallas and Heyward Register of Comeaux (shooter) this past November. Shawn Forrest got Jackson due to his connections while at UNT. We had an advantage on Register as he grew up a Cajun fan. 2nd recruiting period is from mid April to mid May. It is not like football where most people sign on the first day. People sign throughout that one month period. Our focus this April will be on junior college players as we have enough youth on the team now (five freshman on the team this year who will be sophomores and two new freshman coming in). We need a couple of guys who are physically grown and ready for the rigors of D1 ball. Those of us who are members of the Cajun Red Zone Premium folder get reports from Josh Parrott on who we are after and what their roles will be after we sign them. He also gives us an idea on who may contribute early. Sometimes I do additional research on guys he gives us a lead on. That is how I know that JC guys are the focus this spring. That does not mean a HS kid won't be signed if one is identified who can help late. That is what happened with Elfrid Payton. Hope that clears things up a little.

[Bandwagon King]

Basketball has two recruiting periods. One is for a week in mid November prior to the season starting. We signed Kamani Jackson (inside player) from Dallas and Heyward Register of Comeaux (shooter) this past November. Shawn Forrest got Jackson due to his connections while at UNT. We had an advantage on Register as he grew up a Cajun fan. 2nd recruiting period is from mid April to mid May. It is not like football where most people sign on the first day. People sign throughout that one month period. Our focus this April will be on junior college players as we have enough youth on the team now (five freshman on the team this year who will be sophomores and two new freshman coming in). We need a couple of guys who are physically grown and ready for the rigors of D1 ball. Those of us who are members of the Cajun Red Zone Premium folder get reports from Josh Parrott on who we are after and what their roles will be after we sign them. He also gives us an idea on who may contribute early. Sometimes I do additional research on guys he gives us a lead on. That is how I know that JC guys are the focus this spring. That does not mean a HS kid won't be signed if one is identified who can help late. That is what happened with Elfrid Payton. Hope that clears things up a little.

It is very helpful. Now the question is with the everchanging landscape of D-1 basketball & so much competition out there, is there enough size & talent in the JUCO ranks these days to compete & get one, two, or even three quality athletes who can come in & really help your program year one? Having asked that, if there is, do we have the inside track on quality athletes who can help us next season?

[Cajunsmike]

The Jackson kid we signed out of HS from Texas specialty is rebounding. I saw him play on TV one game and think he would have started ahead of Moore simply because he has more of the size needed for the position and is a decent athlete. Preferably, a JC guy takes that role due to more maturity. We do have a good chance of signing a quality inside guy out of one of the junior colleges around Plano Texas. They are also looking at some guys from the Mississippi JC ranks.

[Civil Cajun]

With Mbamulu, Long, and Payton coming back next year this team will be even better. I am an optimist, but there really is no other way to see it. All these guys are averaging about 15 points a game. And if Payton improves half as much as he did in between Freshman and Sophomore years......Wow! Hearing Marlin talk about Payton the other night on Nothing but Cajuns got me fired up.

http://www.ragincajuns.com/cumestats...ball&year=2012