Countdown 10/4/13

36 days remain...

I don't cover recruiting very much, partially out of a disdain for the way these kids are put on a pedestal at such a young and impressionable age and also because I don't really care when a prospect cuts his list. Unless it's Jabari Parker including BYU in his final five, it's probably not that newsworthy, in my humble opinion. However, when a player commits to a school, that's newsworthy. That's also what just happened an hour or so ago when Jesse Wade committed to Gonzaga.

Wade is a 6' 1", 165lbs junior point guard out of Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. While he will graduate with the class of 2015, he will take his two year LDS mission before attending college. This effectively puts Wade in the recruiting class of 2017, a class that I was not likely to pay any mind for at least another year.

The Zags already signed a highly touted 2014 point guard in Josh Perkins, so Wade would likely not get much playing time if he was with the 2015 class. By the time Wade arrives, Perkins will be a senior. The Zags appear set at the starting point guard spot for the next eight seasons. That is incredible!

Countdown 9/27/13

43 days remain...

Are you wondering how BYU is going hold down the paint without Brandon Davies? This video should put an end to that wonder. 

2013 Recruiting Continues: Jamal Aytes

BYU went full staff for Jamal Aytes. July statement
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) July 27, 2013

Jamal Aytes said he's likely to visit Gonzaga and West Virginia next week. Officials.
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) July 27, 2013

Jamal Aytes has blown up on the summer hoops circuit. The 6'7" forward out of J Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California is rated as a three star recruit by ESPN and comes in at 28th in California and 66th in the nation at the power forward position. Largely unheralded before this summer, only three schools were showing interest in Aytes.

Offseason Personnel Movement Around the WCC

The landscape of college basketball is ever-changing. Some of that change, conference realignment or selfish reasons for transferring, can be negative. Some though, like natural roster turnover due to graduation, is a necessary part of the college game. Regardless of whether the change is good or bad, we have to deal with it. Unfortunately, that can be really difficult. How are you supposed to keep track of players when so many are graduating, transferring in/out, coming off redshirts/redshirting or arriving for their first year at college?

Well, this is how. I've amassed all the information on the personnel movement happening at WCC basketball programs this offseason. It's all here, listed school-by-school. Take a look at who won't be back on your least favorite team next season (because you should already know who won't be back on your favorite team). You'll also find all the new recruits, the players who will be returning from a redshirt season or two year mission, the transfers, the dismissals as well as any coaching/staff changes. Plus, there are some charts to help you understand just how much each team is losing in terms of production.

Players listed under the "going" section are shown with the year they were listed as during the 2012-'13 season. Players listed under the "coming" section are shown with the year they will be for the 2013-'14 season.

Saint Mary's Point Guard Problem

Craig Neal was hired as the head coach at New Mexico on April 3rd, shortly after former head coach Steve Alford took the top job at UCLA. Since April 3rd there has been speculation surrounding his son, Cullen Neal. The 6'4'' point guard was ranked 150th in the class of 2013 and had committed to Saint Mary's. Today came the, somewhat expected, news that Cullen would play for Craig; Saint Mary's is allowing the prized recruit to decommit and go to New Mexico.

Neal is coming off a stellar, 26.5 points per game, senior season at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was in the mix to replace the outgoing, 15.8ppg, Matthew Dellavedova  in Moraga. So, not only are the Gaels losing a top recruit but they've further opened a gaping hole in their 2013-14 roster.

Quality Over Quantity: Przemek Karnowski is a Zag!

Gonzaga has finally secured a recruit, a very big and big time one, for the 2012 season. Przemek Karnowski is a 7'1'' 250lbs Polish center who just committed to Gonzaga. Karnowski was recruited the hardest by Gonzaga but also received considerable interest from Califorina, which he visited after visiting Gonzaga in mid-April. Marquette, Kansas, and Duke also courted the big man but he spurned their offers and turned down the chance to visit.

Up until Karnowski committed to Gonzaga, the Zags had lost every single recruiting battle they were engaged in for 2012 talent. What's interesting about that is the Zags had lost out to schools that were on Gonzaga's level or had the added help of being in a BCS conference. Anrio Adams, a shooting guard from Seattle, chose Kansas over Gonzaga. Demarquise Johnson, a shooting guard from Phoenix, engaged in a Evergreen State three way but chose Washington State over UW or Gonzaga. Another shooting guard, Tyrone Wallace of Bakersfield, chose to stay in state and play for Cal. Chris Reyes, another product of the Golden State, went to Saint Mary's. Most recently there was Amadeo Della Valle, an Italian shooting guard who chose Ohio State.

Karnowski was recruited exclusively by schools who made the NCAA tournament in 2012. He passed up the Big East's Marquette, the 2010 national champion and all time great program (with Polish speaking Coach K) in Duke, defending national runner up Kansas, and then the scenic California to play his college basketball with Gonzaga. I was worried by this year's recruiting losses until Karnowski committed. Gonzaga is able to recruit with and beat out the big dogs for top prospects, they just can't win most of the battles, yet.

Read more about Karnowski after the jump.

Gonzaga Recruiting: 2012 - 0, 2013 - 1

Update: In the 3 days since I have written this Gonzaga has not only added a 2012 recruit, but handed out several offers for the 2013 class and beyond.

I've recently written on the stacked 2012 recruiting classes of the WCC's two up and coming teams, Loyola Marymount and San Francisco. LMU looks to continue their ascent in the conference standings next season with their incoming freshmen while USF is trying to battle a serious case of the transfer bug and maintain their place in the standings with their class. Of the conference's "Big Three" only BYU has a full class at this point, with 5 incoming players. Saint Mary's, as of now, will be adding two new players next season. Gonzaga, the king of the conference, will be losing four players in the offseason, two to graduation and two to transfers. To fill that hole for next season they currently have nothing. No signed letters of intent and no verbal commitments.

A national powerhouse program, like Gonzaga, doesn't recruit simply for the next season's roster. Powerhouses are able to sustain success over the long term. That said, thanks to Gonzaga's recent recruiting classes I am confident the Zags could win the WCC next year without adding a single player to the roster. I hope they don't have to, and am equally confident that is not why the Zags are already looking forward to their 2013 class.

Loyola Marymount: From Surprising to Sustaining

Last season LMU was the biggest surprise in the WCC. That's because the year before the Lions finished with 2 wins in league play, and only 11 total. Despite suffering thru more injuries than most teams could imagine dealing with, only one Lion played in all 34 games last season (Anthony Ireland), Loyola Marymount added ten wins to their previous season's total. This incredible turn around against all odds earned Max Good the WCC coach of the year award and his team a post season berth in the CIT.

Next season looks to be even better for the Lions, despite losing four seniors. The most important of those is Drew Viney, the Lions second leading scorer (15.2), rebounder (5.5), and ball stealer (1.2). Joining Viney in the alumni ranks are LaRon Armistead, Tim Diederichs, and Kelsey Chine. Other than Viney, Armistead is the only serious loss for the team, as he averaged 8 points per game.

It's hard to replace a player like Viney, who is a big reason for the turnaround of the LMU program. The Lions aren't in any trouble though. Just like San Francisco, Loyola Marymount has assembled a recruiting class of steals and under the radar players. Unlike San Francisco, Loyola Marymount isn't replacing nine players this off season. What does that mean? I'm willing to wager that if it's not the Zags who win the WCC this year, it will be the Lions (though my money is on Gonzaga).

Last season's injuries brought playing time to the Lions bench, which should prove invaluable in November and December as the departing players are replaced and the freshmen acclimate to the D-1 game.

Surging San Francisco Transfers out of the Fast Lane, Part 2

This is the second part of a two part series on San Francisco's already tumultuous yet promising off-season. If you haven't read part one yet please do so and then come back for part two. As I explained in part one, San Francisco is having a personnel problem. They've lost the bulk of their roster in terms of stats, minutes, and simply, players. They haven't lost them all, and that is important, at the very least as a starting point to build on for next season.

Most important among those returning players is starting point guard Cody Doolin, who will be a junior next season. Doolin has started for both of his seasons as a Don making him by far the most experienced player on the roster. Comparing his stats from his Freshman and Sophomore years you can see they remained mostly stagnant except for the noticeable jump in scoring. Doolin attempted and made more field goals this past season than his first, leaving him at 9.3ppg compared to 7.7.

Doolin is a streaky player. Three times last season he shot 0% from the field and 11 times below 30%. The flip side of that is that when he's hot, he's very good. It's not just that he can have very solid games that's important for the Dons, it's when he has those games. From the Dons' 1 point loss to BYU on February 16th, the third to last regular season game, until the end of the season Doolin was straight up ballin. In the WCC quarterfinals against Loyola Marymount he poured in 16 points and pulled down 7 rebounds along with dishing out 4 assists. Then in the semifinal against #21 Saint Mary's Doolin played out of his mind. In 39 minutes he scored a career high 28 points on 10 of 16 shooting and 4 of 7 from long range. He also managed to dish out 5 assists and pull down 5 boards, all while committing only 1 turnover in the high stakes game.