Men's Basketball News

[zephyr]

No, you got to give the guy credit where credit is due. I know Elfrid PAYTON flew way under the radar. Thats why you have to credit Marlin for finding a player that nobody else was even looking at. That's called good recruiting. And if you say he was mediocre before he got here then you have to acknowledge Marlin's role in developing him from a mediocre player to a #10 draft pick.

And the seeds for SHAWN coming here were planted before he even arrived at Miss. State. Shawn was talented enough that he could have gotten transfer offers from hundreds of schools. He ended up here because of the relationship our coaches developed with him. You got to give him the credit for that.

From what I hear Jerekius Davis and Malik Marquetti will be on the same level of Shawn and Elfrid.

Now all the other recruits, well, some of them have been duds. I'm not going to name names. That's also on Coach Marlin.

It's however you want to slice it. Bottom line, Marlin does not attract the top recruits. Have you seen how successful we are in recruiting players in this state? We are not even attracting mid level talent in Louisiana. You say Shawn and Elfrid? Well, when we had them, how successful were we? How many times did we win our conference? If he's done so well in recruiting, why didn't we see more success with those players on the team? Because we didn't surround them with guys who could reach those levels. We went to the Big Dance and that's a feather in his cap but that also happens to lots of teams that get hot at the right time. I prefer to think that the players have as much to do with that as the coach.

You want to play devil's advocate that's fine but the main point here is that is the program any better off now than when Marlin got here? You want me to give Marlin credit for Long and Payton? Fine. I don't necessarily agree with it but I'll concede that he did well with both of them but what about the rest of the talent that our program has seen walk through the doors? If they are so talented, where is even a marginal level of success?

[CajunEXPRESS]

Third level post season tournaments aren't anything to pin to your resume. He can't recruit, can't out coach, and won't fund raise, won't schedule to a better RPI.

[Cajunsmike]

Who's your source??

Elfrid's dad called the Cajun basketball program to set up a workout. We didn't recruit him.

Also, personal issues got Shawn to Lafayette. We won by default.

Stop what you are doing.

Just a couple of clarifications here; We saw Elfrid play in the Top 28 when it was held in Lafayette and became interested. We did recruit him at that point. We recruited Shawn and were his 2nd choice when he went to Miss. State. There were folks who encouraged him to play in the SEC. A few weeks into summer school there everyone knew it was a mistake and no one was surprised when he came here.

[Big Buds]

I can't remember the last time the Cajuns landed a big name straight out of High School. We've had some solid transfers over the years that's for sure.

Maybe Chris Gradnigo (sp?)

[Cajunsmike]

I can't remember the last time the Cajuns landed a big name straight out of High School. We've had some solid transfers over the years that's for sure.

Maybe Chris Gradnigo (sp?)

Gradnigo may be the last highly regarded guy out of HS we brought on board. Probably is from Louisiana. Jekarius Davis was fairly highly rated coming out of Mississippi. We will see next season if his play justifies that ranking.

[scotto_25]

Gradnigo had a coach on the staff who was his uncle, correct..............?

[Turbine]

Gradnigo had a coach on the staff who was his uncle, correct..............?

His uncle was hired to keep CG here.

APR was a big concern for David Walker at the time. Inmates began running the asylum then.

[CrazyCajun]

Gradnigo had a coach on the staff who was his uncle, correct..............?

Godfather I believe

[scotto_25]

Kind of like Simmons. He would have NEVER STEPPED ONE FOOT on LSU's campus w/out that "family" connection

[Just1More]

Kind of like Simmons. He would have NEVER STEPPED ONE FOOT on LSU's campus w/out that "family" connection

Give it a couple of years. There's a "rebel" in the tiger den corner bar that will slam the Johnny Jones critics... and remind them that he recruited and coached Simmons up to the first pick in the draft. Just give it a couple years.

Rebel: "You have to credit Johnny for having the vision to set up the family connection and get him here."

Critic: "And look what he did with him. Nothing."

Rebel: "But he recruited him and developed him into a first round draft choice! Oh... but Jones sucks ****!"