Ragin' Cajuns Basketball Recruiting Class Named Best in SBC

[NewsCopy]

UL - Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns basketball recruiting class has been named the best in the Sun Belt Conference, according to The Hoop Scoop. Louisiana’s three-man recruiting class - Jeremy Barr (New Providence, Bahamas) Lester Ferguson, Jr. (Baton Rouge, La.) Colby Batiste (Lafayette, La.) – edged out Florida Atlantic and New Orleans for the top spot on The Hoop Scoop’s conference-by-conference poll. “The ranking of this recruiting class is another giant step in the rebuilding of our program,” Louisiana head men’s basketball coach Robert Lee said. “We feel that the addition of our new recruits, along with our current young and exciting players, will help us reach our goal of competing successfully on a national level very soon.” Barr, who signed with the Cajuns during the first day of the national signing period on Nov. 14, is currently at San Jacinto Junior College in Pasadena, Texas. He spent his freshman season with USC in 2005-06 before transferring to San Jacinto. During his rookie season, Barr averaged 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 23 games with the Trojans. As a prep, he averaged 19 points and nine rebounds, while leading Houston’s Westbury Christian High School to three straight Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state titles. Barr was named first team All-State and was a McDonald’s High School All-America nominee. Ferguson is averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11 games for the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions, which were ranked 11th nationally in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Preseason Top 25 Poll. Batiste, a Lafayette native and Teurlings Catholic product, is averaging 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds as a freshman for Laramie County (Wyo.) Community College. Batiste lettered two years at Teurlings before moving on to Hill College, where he was took a redshirt during the 2006-07 season. “My recruiting coordinator Jai Steadman along with assistant coaches Rick LeBato and Johnny Simmons have done an outstanding job,” Lee said. Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns will return to action Tuesday, Dec. 11, when they travel to Orlando, Fla., to face the UCF Knights. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (CT). RaginCajuns.com

[CajunProud]

Great news.

Let's hope we can turn this potential into wins.

Good job Coach Lee

[HoustonCajun]

_ Great news.

Let's hope we can turn this potential into wins.

Good job Coach Lee _

I haven't seen anything on Batiste. Can you provide info on him?

[CajunProud]

_ I haven't seen anything on Batiste. Can you provide info on him? _

Sorry, I can't. Just giving props to Coach Lee based on the article.

[CajunT]

_ Sorry, I can't. Just giving props to Coach Lee based on the article. _

Batiste was redshirted last year at Wyoming JC. He is 6-8,225-pound forward,playing his first year this season.

[Hatch]

So will all three of these guys be coming in as Juniors next year? If so that would put 13 Juniors on the roster. I know that some of those guys have a chance to play another year if they graduate on time but man that could be a potential huge hole in the roster in a few years. Is there still a scholarship available to sign a high school player in the spring with only three guys graduating this year?

[cajun1300]

Batiste will be a sophomore, he is currently playing in his redshirt freshman season at Laramie County CC.

[rhineaux]

_ So will all three of these guys be coming in as Juniors next year? If so that would put 13 Juniors on the roster. I know that some of those guys have a chance to play another year if they graduate on time but man that could be a potential huge hole in the roster in a few years. Is there still a scholarship available to sign a high school player in the spring with only three guys graduating this year? _

With the two new guys, I only counted taht we'd have 11 JRs, might have missed something though. and, I think that there are 3 or 4 that will have the ability to earn another year back. Cajunsmike would know better, I'm sure.

[BrudaCajun]

_ So will all three of these guys be coming in as Juniors next year? If so that would put 13 Juniors on the roster. I know that some of those guys have a chance to play another year if they graduate on time but man that could be a potential huge hole in the roster in a few years. Is there still a scholarship available to sign a high school player in the spring with only three guys graduating this year? _

As long as our team is on the up and up I am not concerned about two to three years from now. I think The General will continue to recruit well.

[Hatch]

I just glanced over the roster real quick and counted Forest in my 13, so with Batiste being a sophmore that does make 11. If there isn't going to be a freshman coming in next year I think is another reason to leave the redshirt on Bureau.

I do have full trust in the General though, if he thinks he should play this year he should play, I'm not the one seeing the kid in practice every day. If he does play who on the current roster will be losing minutes, Gradnigo? Gary? Dees? Dison?

[NewsCopy]

With the UL men's basketball team losing three seniors after this season, one of the nation's youngest squads will get even younger next season. The Ragin' Cajuns, though, won't be hurting for young talent. UL's three-man recruiting class was recently ranked the best in the Sun Belt Conference by The Hoop Scoop magazine and Hoop Scoop Online. The Cajuns finished just ahead of Florida Atlantic and New Orleans in the rankings. "I think this sends a message to the rest of the Sun Belt Conference," UL coach Robert Lee said. "It sends a message around the country. And it sends a message to our fans that we're definitely going in the right direction with this program." UL's incoming class includes three junior-college post players standing at least 6-foot-8: Jeremy Barr (New Providence, The Bahamas), Lester Ferguson (Baton Rouge) and Colby Batiste (Lafayette). The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[NCAA or BUST]

Who said this team has no talent? Serious though so much for those recruiting gurus who rate talent before it hits the floor.