Recruiting

2023 Recruiting

The only scholarship to give has been given to a class of 2023 HS recruit this week. If you take the staff at their word, the best-case version of this plan is to develop young players. If it works, this is essentially the team for the next two seasons. The only difference is that Debaut will be replaced by Cyr Malonga. (Only 1 scholarship to give in 2024 too)

 

I think Malonga is a good prospect on a team that has proven older players he could play behind for a few years, but college basketball will still have 2 super-senior classes left when he arrives. Any 7 footers that aren't ranked highly are usually projects because there has been a lot of scrutiny on them simply because they are the most visible. He is foreign originally I believe but plays at a US high school.

Malonga's rankings and offers are solid but those are usually inflated to some degree for 6-10+ guys. Duke and many P5s offered Charles Coleman. Deng Riak had Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, and Virginia Tech offers. There are fewer players at that size and the demand is always higher even as a flyer.  I'm more skeptical about any player in the frontcourt with above-average size for that position. Alexis Reyes had a higher rating on 247 just last year. At least with him if you didn't believe he was a 6-7 small forward, at least he could still in theory help you some at PF at 6-7. With 6-11 guys if they can't play effectively there is nowhere for them to go but the bench. That's where most spend much of their careers. I wouldn't expect a big positive impact early on from Malonga, as old as college basketball will still be. Physically he's pretty thin right now as well.

247 has only ranked 250 prospects so far, not the 500+ it used to. They don't need to rank as many high schoolers as in the past because they just aren't getting signed after a point with covid super seniors still around and all the transfers now. The only thing I have seen statistically from Malonga was at a high level of AAU. It's only 79 minutes of action,  5 games 15.8 minutes per game, 5.6ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.2bpg on 61% FGs.  That's pretty productive but it's vs 17 years olds. It's more evidence of being all-in on high schoolers.