Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Local recruiting for Aggie hoops

Following my Jim Coleman post, the topic came up about local recruiting for Aggie basketball in general.

Two Oñate senior guards are currently borderline Division I prospects in Tim Jacobs and Terrel de Rouen.

Considering all Aggies, should these kids be looked at for scholarship offers from the program?

From my understanding, both have received interest with de Rouen garnering slightly more. Again, from my understanding, no scholarships have been offered.

Terrel is very athletic, with a long wingspan and high hops. At just over 6-feet tall and wiery, he seems to have a couple more inches to grow in him. He’s a great competitor, which can boil over at times. With that being said, he’s instilled that fiery nature in his Oñate teammates, which all-in-all has been a positive for the program. His jump shot is spotty. He has swagger on the court and is driven.

Jacobs is much more understated — steadier in nature, less flashy on the court. He is a true point guard. He understands the game — he has an innate sense for where all 10 players are on the floor. He has a good feel for the tempo of a game and can affect the outcome without scoring a single point. His jump shot isn’t consistent at this point and his athleticism doesn’t jump off the court. He’s a good kid who steers clear from trouble and seems to do well in the classroom.

Inconsistent shooting is correctable in the offseason simply by getting in the gym and putting up jumpers. I have no doubt both players will work on this craft.

In the end, they’re local kids. Could they make an impact on the Aggies? That’s for coach Marvin Menzies to decide during the recruiting process.

Right now they have one scholarship available which seems will be going to 6-foot-7 wing player Remi Barry. They have a need at point guard — Hernst Laroche will be a senior next season and the team hasn’t had a suitable backup this year. And no matter what a starter will need to step in when Laroche departs.

The team will also need improved shooting — Gordo Castllo, their one classic catch-and-shoot player — is a senior.

They also need to put more fans in the seats — I don’t think anyone would dispute that — and local players will help in that effort, to a point.

Another scholarship or two could open up depending on if the Aggie roster sees any turnover during the offseason. At the end of the day it’s about doing what’s best for the program and getting wins in the process.

I think de Rouen and Jacobs will be fine college players, but at what level and where? Should the Aggies bring them on board?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

If the local (any NM high school player) maintains a decent GPA, and could walk on, the lottery scholarship would pay for tuition. Maybe take some of the pressure off the scholarship situation for them.

Teddy said...

Good point....

Anonymous said...

I don't think they're borderline. I asked Saul who all has been in contact with him and the two Onate players and he said Clemson of the ACC has interest in Jacobs and Georgia State in DeRouen. I think they'll go D1.

Anonymous said...

The 2:42 p.m. post above was from me--Jeff Matthews. I hit publish your comment too fast.

Teddy said...

Jacobs has been offered a scholarship from UC Davis....

Anonymous said...

Menzies, won't even recruit American players, what makes anybody think he would consider a local kid? The local kid would have a serious language barrier if he became part of the team.

I've had enough of Menzies recruiting "athletes" with upside, who he gets stuck trying to teach the fundamental game of basketball to. He is incapable of developing players.

We should not be experimenting 4 years into his tenure.

Anonymous said...

"If the local (any NM high school player) maintains a decent GPA, and could walk on, the lottery scholarship would pay for tuition. Maybe take some of the pressure off the scholarship situation for them."

They need to give them full scholarships. Lottery only pays for tuition, but get stuck with fees and books. That why the Football program doesn't give the local kids full rides. They call them preferred walk on. Don't be like football. They gave it to Gordo, why not these kids. If they can play, give then a full ride.

Anonymous said...

I didnt know Gordo was from another country other than the U.S.
I could of swore he was born and raised in Las Cruces.

Anonymous said...

Other good, and at this juncture even better programs than NM State are willing to give Las Cruces kids full ride scholarships. It's still a slap in the face when the incompetent Menzies is only willing to offer them a spot as walk-ons. With the way things are going with Menzies' international team, he should be begging Las Cruces and New Mexico kids to play at NM State.

K Aggie '98 said...

the Aggies are in serious need of capable guards.

ball handling
drive and dish
jump shots
drive and score (made easier with a real jump shot)

hearnst laroche is the only guard that can do these things.

i have never seen the local kids play, but they sounds like guards to me!

Anonymous said...

Well now they are State Champs and its was Onate's guard play, namely Jacobs that led them to the Blue Trophy. De Rouen fouled out of two of the three games at the Pit, but scored in bunches to help the Knights and his defense was stellar. He even had to guard a 6'11" kid in the C-ship game and got the job done. Jacobs assisted in this tasks as well when de Rouen was sidelined with fouls. Both of these kids can play at the D1 level it will just have to be the right fit. Is NMSU the right fit? They are definitely without a serious backup guard. CK is not getting the job done. My prediction - he will not be here next year (pick the issue). De Rouen may fit in better with the type of players Menzies recruits. Jacobs on the other hand, needs to go to a solid program with solid coaching and good student athletes and he will shine. It would be a slap in the face for these local kids to attempt to walkon to save them a scholarship, when these two can hold their own. Some would ask the question: Can they help get them to the top 25 and I would say that depends largely on coaching, but from a revenue POV the Pan Am would definitely increase their season ticket holders and the attendance numbers per game would go up dramatically. Ultimately that is what the school wants: a packed arena with some excitement.

Unknown said...

Forget recruiting local players just for the sake of recruiting local players. Go after the best players you can find around the nation. In the area within 20 miles of where we live in west Houston, there are at least 50 5-A high schools teeming with talent that did NOT get scholarships. Look at what can happen, for example just with one far-away team:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkc/men/7490454.html

In 1975 new Aggie assistant Weldon Drew hit the Houston area hard (because that was where he was a HS coach) and brought in a stellar group of players from that part of the state who made big impacts.

I graduated from NMSU in '80 and those were some sweet years.

If Menzies would like introductions to some of these HS coaches I could help him.