2015 recruiting class - already full?

[UtahsMrSports]

As summer is upon us, recruiting for the 2015 class begins in earnest. Soon the coaches will be off to camps and tournaments to scout for the next generation of Runnin' Utes.

This summer, in theory, will not be as busy or as interesting for Ute fans as last summer was, when we scoured the internet looking for anything which might lead us to believe that Brekkott Chapman would sign with us. Kyle Kuzma and Isaiah Wright, two names which were practically unheard of at this point last year, came along shortly thereafter.

What do the Utes need in the 2015 class?

Well, here is my breakdown of the current roster (assuming we land Namon Wright)

Sr:
Delon Wright
Dallin B

Jr:
Jordan Loveridge
Dakari Tucker
Brandon Taylor
Jeremy Olsen

Soph:
Chris Reyes
Kenneth Ogbe

Freshman:
Kyle Kuzma
Brekkott Chapman
Isaiah Wright
Namon Wright
Jakob Poeltl

With two seniors leaving, and no one leaving for an LDS mission, we have two spots before inevitable post-season transfers.

At present we have one commitment (Noah Togiai) and one returning LDS missionary (Brandon Miller). Unless Togiai is a sign and send, we are full in 2015.

I want to land Makol Mawien as much as the next guy, but is overbooking going into a season a good idea? The other thing to consider is, if we do not land Namon Wright, we can sit on the scholarship for a year and then have another opening for 2015.

At any rate, three names that I will be keeping my eyes on as we get into this summer time: Makol Mawien, Tres Tinkle, and Brock Miller. Without a doubt, more names will surface. But right now, if we do not land Wright and we land Tinkle and Mawien with Miller and Togiai as sign and sends, then we will have done extremely well. Stay tuned!

[Applejack]

As summer is upon us, recruiting for the 2015 class begins in earnest. Soon the coaches will be off to camps and tournaments to scout for the next generation of Runnin' Utes.

This summer, in theory, will not be as busy or as interesting for Ute fans as last summer was, when we scoured the internet looking for anything which might lead us to believe that Brekkott Chapman would sign with us. Kyle Kuzma and Isaiah Wright, two names which were practically unheard of at this point last year, came along shortly thereafter.

What do the Utes need in the 2015 class?

Well, here is my breakdown of the current roster (assuming we land Namon Wright)

Sr:
Delon Wright
Dallin B

Jr:
Jordan Loveridge
Dakari Tucker
Brandon Taylor
Jeremy Olsen

Soph:
Chris Reyes
Kenneth Ogbe

Freshman:
Kyle Kuzma
Brekkott Chapman
Isaiah Wright
Namon Wright
Jakob Poeltl

With two seniors leaving, and no one leaving for an LDS mission, we have two spots before inevitable post-season transfers.

At present we have one commitment (Noah Togiai) and one returning LDS missionary (Brandon Miller). Unless Togiai is a sign and send, we are full in 2015.

I want to land Makol Mawien as much as the next guy, but is overbooking going into a season a good idea? The other thing to consider is, if we do not land Namon Wright, we can sit on the scholarship for a year and then have another opening for 2015.

At any rate, three names that I will be keeping my eyes on as we get into this summer time: Makol Mawien, Tres Tinkle, and Brock Miller. Without a doubt, more names will surface. But right now, if we do not land Wright and we land Tinkle and Mawien with Miller and Togiai as sign and sends, then we will have done extremely well. Stay tuned!

Togiai is a sign-and-send, from what I've heard. Is Reyes just a soph? I assumed he would be a junior.

[justaute]

I believe Reyes has three to play three.

[LA Ute]

"Thank you to all the coaches who've been apart of this process, but I'm a Tiger baby. I've decided to re-commit to the ZOU!"

https://twitter.com/kharyw/status/467332074299330560

[U-Ute]

Burgess tweeted out this morning that he was heading to OKC.

[concerned]

Burgess tweeted out this morning that he was heading to OKC.

Sure hope this means Durrant has us in his top 5.

[U-Ute]

Sure hope this means Durrant has us in his top 5.

Crossing my fingers!

[Applejack]

I've said this before, but i couldn't invent a better college hoops name than tres tinkle,

[SoCalPat]

Burgess tweeted out this morning that he was heading to OKC.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with recruiting, but it's an interview for a job that actually pays?

Also, as an undergraduate assistant, I don't think Chris can go out and recruit, but I don't know how many hoops coaches in the program are allowed to do that, per NCAA rules.

[U-Ute]

Or maybe it has nothing to do with recruiting, but it's an interview for a job that actually pays?

Also, as an undergraduate assistant, I don't think Chris can go out and recruit, but I don't know how many hoops coaches in the program are allowed to do that, per NCAA rules.

Hush you. I'm holding onto the dream that we land the Slim Reaper.

[UBlender]

As summer is upon us, recruiting for the 2015 class begins in earnest. Soon the coaches will be off to camps and tournaments to scout for the next generation of Runnin' Utes.

This summer, in theory, will not be as busy or as interesting for Ute fans as last summer was, when we scoured the internet looking for anything which might lead us to believe that Brekkott Chapman would sign with us. Kyle Kuzma and Isaiah Wright, two names which were practically unheard of at this point last year, came along shortly thereafter.

What do the Utes need in the 2015 class?

Well, here is my breakdown of the current roster (assuming we land Namon Wright)

Sr:
Delon Wright
Dallin B

Jr:
Jordan Loveridge
Dakari Tucker
Brandon Taylor
Jeremy Olsen

Soph:
Chris Reyes
Kenneth Ogbe

Freshman:
Kyle Kuzma
Brekkott Chapman
Isaiah Wright
Namon Wright
Jakob Poeltl

With two seniors leaving, and no one leaving for an LDS mission, we have two spots before inevitable post-season transfers.

At present we have one commitment (Noah Togiai) and one returning LDS missionary (Brandon Miller). Unless Togiai is a sign and send, we are full in 2015.

I want to land Makol Mawien as much as the next guy, but is overbooking going into a season a good idea? The other thing to consider is, if we do not land Namon Wright, we can sit on the scholarship for a year and then have another opening for 2015.

At any rate, three names that I will be keeping my eyes on as we get into this summer time: Makol Mawien, Tres Tinkle, and Brock Miller. Without a doubt, more names will surface. But right now, if we do not land Wright and we land Tinkle and Mawien with Miller and Togiai as sign and sends, then we will have done extremely well. Stay tuned!

Utah will no doubt take Mawien and most likely Tinkle even if they don't have an apparent scholarship open at the time of a commitment, but you are right it makes things a little dicey if you are oversigned for next season before this season even begins. You risk having a situation where the guys who aren't in the rotation right away assume they have already been replaced and decide not to compete for minutes.

It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

On a somewhat related note, the 6-win Ute team had a kid named Wilkinson that walked on and played a lot before leaving on a mission. I remember reading that Larry had told him to enjoy it that year because by the time he returned the roster would be so much improved that he would have very little shot of ever playing. I remember thinking at the time (and I know many shared the sentiment), "I expect improvement but I'm not so sure we get that good that quickly to where this kid couldn't at least get some reserve minutes". Well, here we are two years later and we are at a point where we worry about losing legitimate PAC 12 contributors (and we've lost two this off-season) after hardly having any D1 (let alone PAC 12) players just a short two years ago. Larry's recruiting has been shockingly good given where the program was two years ago and that it was supposedly not his strength as a coach. (I have no idea if the Wilkinson kid is going to come back to Utah basketball, that wasn't really the point of the story).

[Senioritis]

On a somewhat related note, the 6-win Ute team had a kid named Wilkinson that walked on and played a lot before leaving on a mission. I remember reading that Larry had told him to enjoy it that year because by the time he returned the roster would be so much improved that he would have very little shot of ever playing. I remember thinking at the time (and I know many shared the sentiment), "I expect improvement but I'm not so sure we get that good that quickly to where this kid couldn't at least get some reserve minutes". Well, here we are two years later and we are at a point where we worry about losing legitimate PAC 12 contributors (and we've lost two this off-season) after hardly having any D1 (let alone PAC 12) players just a short two years ago. Larry's recruiting has been shockingly good given where the program was two years ago and that it was supposedly not his strength as a coach. (I have no idea if the Wilkinson kid is going to come back to Utah basketball, that wasn't really the point of the story).

Blake Wilkinson played at Viewmont, which means he should die of gonorrhea and roast in hell

I believe he played on the same team as #13 and #11. I don't remember their names, because I promised myself I would not learn their names as a sort of silent, internal protest. It was very therapeutic.

I would like to say that it isn't unbelievable that #11 and #13 wouldn't see time on the 2014-2015 Utes. It's very believable, like Tom Hanks in the last 10 minutes of Captain Phillips believable.

[SoCalPat]

Utah will no doubt take Mawien and most likely Tinkle even if they don't have an apparent scholarship open at the time of a commitment, but you are right it makes things a little dicey if you are oversigned for next season before this season even begins. You risk having a situation where the guys who aren't in the rotation right away assume they have already been replaced and decide not to compete for minutes.

It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

On a somewhat related note, the 6-win Ute team had a kid named Wilkinson that walked on and played a lot before leaving on a mission. I remember reading that Larry had told him to enjoy it that year because by the time he returned the roster would be so much improved that he would have very little shot of ever playing (1). I remember thinking at the time (and I know many shared the sentiment), "I expect improvement but I'm not so sure we get that good that quickly to where this kid couldn't at least get some reserve minutes" (2). Well, here we are two years later and we are at a point where we worry about losing legitimate PAC 12 contributors (and we've lost two this off-season) after hardly having any D1 (let alone PAC 12) players just a short two years ago. Larry's recruiting has been shockingly good given where the program was two years ago and that it was supposedly not his strength as a coach. (I have no idea if the Wilkinson kid is going to come back to Utah basketball, that wasn't really the point of the story).

1. Two years ago, Larry would probably be the first to tell you that if Blake Wilkinson ever saw meaningful minutes post-mission, that his job was in serious jeopardy.

2. Anyone who thought that either didn't give Larry enough credit going forward or thought the 2011-12 Utes were actually a competitive team. It was kind of like Ryan Hunt in our 14-14 season under Majerus -- with enough capable players around him, Hunt could be a spot contributor, and he was just that. With an upgraded roster, Hunt never saw the light of day. I have no idea what Wilkinson's plans are, but he could probably go to SUU and be an immediate impact player for the T-Birds.

[UBlender]

1. Two years ago, Larry would probably be the first to tell you that if Blake Wilkinson ever saw meaningful minutes post-mission, that his job was in serious jeopardy.

2. Anyone who thought that either didn't give Larry enough credit going forward or thought the 2011-12 Utes were actually a competitive team. It was kind of like Ryan Hunt in our 14-14 season under Majerus -- with enough capable players around him, Hunt could be a spot contributor, and he was just that. With an upgraded roster, Hunt never saw the light of day. I have no idea what Wilkinson's plans are, but he could probably go to SUU and be an immediate impact player for the T-Birds.

I agree with both points. I just thought things were so low in 2012 that on May 13, 2014 we'd be seeing threads about whether Larry needed to at least make the CBI in year 4 in order to save his job or whether Utah should start gambling on kids with a little shade in their past in order to get some real PAC 12 talent on the floor. I figured we'd have better talent than in 2012 (how could we not?) but maybe the unathletic local kid would still have a spot as the 12th man and earn spot duty. (I suppose I would be in the camp of not giving Larry enough credit as I didn't believe he'd be able to recruit this well). And yeah, that kid should probably go to SUU or Weber if he wants to see the court.

[SoCalPat]

Utah will no doubt take Mawien and most likely Tinkle even if they don't have an apparent scholarship open at the time of a commitment, but you are right it makes things a little dicey if you are oversigned for next season before this season even begins. You risk having a situation where the guys who aren't in the rotation right away assume they have already been replaced and decide not to compete for minutes.

It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

It's what happened with Jimmy when he started Marshall Henderson ahead of Jordan Cyphers in 2009-10. Cyphers became such a cancer that even when Henderson was suspended for the Emery phantom punch, Cyphers stayed glued to the bench. No doubt that also led to the season-long friction between Carlon, Drca and Henderson.

[Senioritis]

It's what happened with Jimmy when he started Marshall Henderson ahead of Jordan Cyphers in 2009-10. Cyphers became such a cancer that even when Henderson was suspended for the Emery phantom punch, Cyphers stayed glued to the bench. No doubt that also led to the season-long friction between Carlon, Drca and Henderson.

Dude, I don't know what you are doing in your free time, but if you wrote a behind the scenes expose of the Boylen years, I would buy an entire gross of them and distribute liberally to my framily as gifts that mean something.

What I wouldn't give to have someone hunt Luka Drca down and meticulously record his thoughts about those tumultuous years, or, better yet, punch him the in the face. Or to have the drug addled, stream of consciousness recollections of Marshall Henderson. Or to figure out exactly what the heck is up with the shape of Carlon Brown's head.

That team seemed to hate each other more than the 1994 US Women's Figure Skating Team.

Seriously. Do this. Even if it's just an E-book. Or a pamphlet. Or a series in a monthly publication. Or a blog. There are dozens of dollars to be made.

[Applejack]

Dude, I don't know what you are doing in your free time, but if you wrote a behind the scenes expose of the Boylen years, I would buy an entire gross of them and distribute liberally to my framily as gifts that mean something.

What I wouldn't give to have someone hunt Luka Drca down and meticulously record his thoughts about those tumultuous years, or, better yet, punch him the in the face. Or to have the drug addled, stream of consciousness recollections of Marshall Henderson. Or to figure out exactly what the heck is up with the shape of Carlon Brown's head.

That team seemed to hate each other more than the 1994 US Women's Figure Skating Team.

Seriously. Do this. Even if it's just an E-book. Or a pamphlet. Or a series in a monthly publication. Or a blog. There are dozens of dollars to be made.

I too would pay upwards of 2 dollars to read the Kim Tillie Chronicles.

[LA Ute]

I think it is perfectly obvious that Larry's done a terrific job of recruiting, better and more quickly than anyone expected or even hoped for.

Signed,

One of Larry's (increasingly vindicated) Lapdogs

Miniature_Australian_Shepherd_red_tricolour.jpg

[SoCalPat]

I think it is perfectly obvious that Larry's done a terrific job of recruiting, better and more quickly than anyone expected or even hoped for.

Signed,

One of Larry's (increasingly vindicated) Lapdogs

Look at L.A. going all neener-neener! Most of us have recognized the great job Larry has done and given the man his due, but for me personally, I'd wait until we're in the NCAA Tournament and win a game there before rubbing it in people's faces.

[LA Ute]

Look at L.A. going all neener-neener! Most of us have recognized the great job Larry has done and given the man his due, but for me personally, I'd wait until we're in the NCAA Tournament and win a game there before rubbing it in people's faces.

I'm just making fun of everyone, including prominently myself. To the extent I have been right about LK I've just been lucky. I could be eating crow right now, and I may yet.

[#1 Utefan]

I always felt pretty good about Larry and am happy to see him recruiting well andproving a lot of naysayers wrong. What solidified my thoughts that he would be a good coach was that Mr. Crimson was so negative and down on him even before he had coached one game. I took this as a very good sign Larry knew what he was doing would be likely to succeed here.

On a side note, the rumors that Boylen may be the front runner for the Jazz HC job continue. I find it very hard to believe Dennis Lindsay would have the cajones to make that hire given the potential backlash and baggage he would bring. If true, I think Lindsay doesn't fully comprehend just how polarizing and risky that move would be. Maybe he knows something I don't but my memories of the Boylen era are still fresh and painful in my mind and the thought of Boylen in SLC again and on the Jazz sideline makes me cringe.

[SoCalPat]

I always felt pretty good about Larry and am happy to see him recruiting well andproving a lot of naysayers wrong. What solidified my thoughts that he would be a good coach was that Mr. Crimson was so negative and down on him even before he had coached one game. I took this as a very good sign Larry knew what he was doing would be likely to succeed here.

On a side note, the rumors that Boylen may be the front runner for the Jazz HC job continue. I find it very hard to believe Dennis Lindsay would have the cajones to make that hire given the potential backlash and baggage he would bring. If true, I think Lindsay doesn't fully comprehend just how polarizing and risky that move would be. Maybe he knows something I don't but my memories of the Boylen era are still fresh and painful in my mind and the thought of Boylen in SLC again and on the Jazz sideline makes me cringe.

That's a nice double standard you're applying there.

[U-Ute]

That's a nice double standard you're applying there.

Except we've seen Boylen coach a few games.

[SoCalPat]

Except we've seen Boylen coach a few games.

As it pertains to John Stockton's resume, we've seen Boylen coach a team to a league title and a conference touranment. He's been affiliated with nothing but contending and championship teams in the NBA.

[LA Ute]

Light the U reporting that 2015 grad Nico Clareth has been offered.

Balitmore kid, has an offer from USC and Charleston too.

[justaute]

He appears to have a terrific release and touch. Knows how to use the glass -- one of the many tell-tale signs to me for understanding the game. His recruitment should be interesting in that he also seems to have offers from SMU (making a big splash), Tennessee, UNLV, and Virginia Tech.

[SoCalPat]

He appears to have a terrific release and touch. Knows how to use the glass -- one of the many tell-tale signs to me for understanding the game. His recruitment should be interesting in that he also seems to have offers from SMU (making a big splash), Tennessee, UNLV, and Virginia Tech.

He plays on a Nike-sponsored AAU team, which means at best we're slight underdogs to get him. Add to the fact our last two kids from the DC area transferred out of the program after one year, and I would say we're huge underdogs to land this kid.

[UtahsMrSports]

Light the U reporting that 2015 grad Nico Clareth has been offered.

Balitmore kid, has an offer from USC and Charleston too.

Ah, this is one of my "favorite" things of the summer recruiting season. With such a limited number of basketball scholarships (and this year in particular for us), coaches cant afford to go willy-nilly with hard offers like you can in football to an extent. At the same time, aau coaches are always anxious to talk about who is offering their players, and to leak this info to recruiting sites. I wonder if this is a hard offer, or (more likely in my opinion) someone on our staff expressed interest and wanted to keep in contact and it got reported as an offer.

[UtahsMrSports]

Well, this is some really really good news!

http://hardwoodhoopscentral.com/2014...-american-camp

Looks like Makol Mawien is down to Utah and Gonzaga, and is leaning toward Utah. This kid has the potential to be an elite rim protector. Close the deal, Larry!

[LA Ute]

I should add that Larry's shown himself to be a good recruiter, but not yet a good in-game coach. To this lapdog is not fully on LK's lap yet.