Hoops Marinara: Class of 2009

Showing posts with label Class of 2009. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Rivals150 Revisited: 2009 Edition

In a somewhat annual event, I took a closer look at the final Rivals150 rankings for this fall's incoming freshman to see how the Big Ten recruiting fared in the nation's eyes.

"A bit better" was the answer, perhaps in part due to last season's league-wide improvement. Again the Big Ten ranked fifth among all conferences. But the 19 signees were up slightly from a year ago despite a drop in the total number of Top 150 recruits Big Ten states produced ... all without Ohio State signing a single player for 2009.

As you can see below, it was a down year among Ohio preps. Conversely, Minnesota churned out a bumper crop. And as we know, the Illini are back on their horses when it comes to recruiting and Bruce Weber got a good chunk of his in-state talent to stick around. So did Thad Matta just luck out that he didn't need any players this year or was this a part of his master plan?

Here's where coaching comes into play when looking at these lists. The SEC (17) ranked just behind the Big Ten in total Top 150 signees, but landed eight of the top 30 recruits -- seven of them five-star recruits. The Big Ten only had one five-star recruit (Royce White) in the top 30. Even when you factor in the Calipari effect at Kentucky, this is a big disparity. However, last year's performances back up the notion that the Big Ten is set up very well to take advantage of the talent it does get. We'll see if that continues this season.

2009 Rivals150 recruits: 19
Indiana: 5
Illinois: 4
Michigan: 2
Michigan State: 2
Minnesota: 2
Wisconsin: 2
Penn State: 1
Purdue: 1

Players-by-State in 2009 Rivals150: 27 (2008: 30)
Illinois: 7 (7)
Minnesota: 5 (2)
Indiana: 4 (4)
Pennsylvania: 4 (3)
Michigan: 3 (2)
Wisconsin: 3 (1)
Ohio: 1 (9)
Iowa: 0 (2)

Same rules as last year apply for why I pulled this particular data, though I should note one thing. I counted D.J. Richardson as an Illinois product and Johnnie Lacy as a Wisconsin product since these players went the prep school route for their final year only. If you look strictly at the "hometowns" that Rivals provides, you get a skewed picture of which states produce the most talent each year based on the prep school powerhouses that are based in states like New Hampshire (Brewster Academy, Tilton School), Nevada (Findlay Prep), Virginia (Oak Hill Academy, Hargrave Military) and Massachusetts (Notre Dame Prep).

Statsheet.com uses the RSCI rankings to provide a plethora of info, charts and graphs on this same subject. Over the last five years, consensus Top 100 centers and point guards have been the toughest players to find. Only Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan State pulled at least one player from the RSCI Top 100 into the conference this fall.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Catching Up With Mike Bruesewitz

Life has changed a lot for Mike Bruesewitz since moving into his summer dorm room on the University of Wisconsin campus last Sunday.

"This week has been pretty crazy getting adjusted to college life," said the 6'7", 215-lb. member of Bo Ryan’s newest freshman class.

After completing the requisite paperwork and physical exams, Bruesewitz began working out with his new Badger teammates right away. Add summer classes into the mix and you can see he has a lot on his plate right now. Luckily the transition to his new surroundings will be easier because of the familiar faces around him.

"I knew Diamond (Taylor) pretty well before because we met on our official visit and then saw him a few times throughout the year," Bruesewitz said. "I also know the Minnesota guys really well, especially Jordan (Taylor) and Jon (Leuer), because I've played or worked out with both of them quite a bit."

Before arriving in Madison, Bruesewitz spent "almost every day" working with former NBA player Chris Carr. And you know, graduating from high school.

"I played one 19u tournament with some of my friends," Bruesewitz said. "My spring and extremely short summer at home consisted of playing open gym at my high school and at Chris Carr's 43 Hoops facility."

The workouts helped the young forward add a few pounds of muscle to his frame, a necessity when playing forward in the Big Ten. Bruesewitz says his best strengths are his rebounding and an ability to make others around him better. But he also knows exactly what areas he wants to become better in this summer.

“The biggest thing I think I need to work on is being a more consistent shooter,” Bruesewitz said, “as well as just becoming physically stronger and working on lowering my center of gravity both on offense and defense.”

Bruesewitz is probably as prepared as any freshman to transition to the scale of the college game. Hailing from the resurgent Henry Sibley basketball program in Mendota Heights, MN, he had the luxury of practicing against and playing alongside a 7-footer and two other 6’8” players on the Warriors’ frontline. Bruesewitz averaged 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals as a senior and was named Minnesota's AP Player of the Year. He credits coach Tom Dasovich and his teammates for allowing him to become well-rounded:

“Both my coach and team did a lot to prepare me for the college level. Because we had such a big team I was able to work on both my inside and outside game. My coach was great at realizing when I had a mismatch on the perimeter and also when I could just go down on the block and score over a smaller defender. Also we played a very good schedule, always playing very tough non-conference teams, which allowed me to play against the best players in the state.”

So the Wisconsin staff is getting a forward skilled enough to initiate the offense with his ball handling but whose favorite player is Shaquille O’Neal? That diversity is obviously one of the things that attracted the Badger coaching staff. Yet Bruesewitz is not content with the versatility he has already developed – he wants more.

“I will be playing the 3 and 4 mostly but hopefully (I will) become a good enough shooter and also quick enough to slide down to a 2,” Bruesewitz speculated.

Watching every step of the way will be his parents, who – if you were curious – do indeed have the Big Ten Network.

“My brother told me he was going to figure out how to get it on the east coast,” Bruesewitz added. “Since I'm the youngest in my family they won't have too much to do in the winter so I expect them to be at quite a few games."

Though Tubby Smith certainly created a buzz when he arrived in the Twin Cities, Bruesewitz never had second thoughts about playing for Bo Ryan. Bruesewitz echoed sentiments that many recruits have mentioned as Wisconsin has built a national roster.

“I never had any doubt about my choice. This is where I wanted to be,” Bruesewitz explained. “It was by far the campus and the people (that appealed to me). People in Wisconsin love their Badgers and really come out and support all the teams.”

Bruesewitz is the fourth Minnesota native to occupy a scholarship for Bo's current squad, which is actually more than the number of Wisconsin-born scholarship players. The team now boasts players from eight different states after Jeremy Glover joined the 2009 class as a walk-on.

As you might guess of someone who grew up in Minnesota, Bruesewitz is also a former hockey player. That experience no doubt attributed to the toughness he possesses on the basketball court. So who will Bruiser be rooting for when his hometown Gophers pay a visit to the Kohl Center ice later this year?

"I'll probably be rooting for the Badgers because I have class with quite a few of the freshman hockey players right now and I can't be cheering against my team."

Good answer Mike.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wisconsin Survives and Adds Signees

Wisconsin 64, UW-Whitewater 47
In last night's final exhibition, Wisconsin overcame a frisky UW-Whitewater squad in the final 10 minutes to post a deceptive 64-47 victory. The Warhawks made the Badgers earn it.

Keaton Nankivil got the start again, with Jon Leuer first off the bench. The ensuing substitutions went like this: Tim Jarmusz second, then Jordan Taylor ... *long stretch of no subs* ... Rob Wilson, Kevin Gullikson ... and finally Ryan Evans got in during the last minute. There is a solid 8-man rotation being set here, with Wilson, Gullikson and one of the bigs (hopefully) getting playing time as the situation dictates.

I am almost 100% sure that Ian Markolf will redshirt, but not as certain about Evans. He could use one since Wilson and Jarmusz seem equipped to get the extra PT on the wing. Based on some of Bo Ryan's comments after the game, I am hoping that Jared Berggren sees some action this year. Bo mentioned that as far as freshman go, "Jared is not that far behind," which seemed like one of Bo's typical sly, half-compliments. Redshirts must be determined by Sunday's opener.

Looking at the statistics, it was hard to tell why Wisconsin had such trouble with Whitewater. The Badgers dominated the rebounding department in the second half, which is usually how such games go. The 12 turnovers was a bit too high for an exhibition game and that total including four traveling violations. Ick. Taylor struggled early with three TOs, but settled down. Leuer had four TOs as well and was seemingly benched after his last one.

Besides the turnovers, I noticed that Trevon Hughes still does not appear to be 100 percent healthy. A glaring weakness last night was the ability to penetrate the defense, which Hughes usually provides. Only Jason Bohannon accomplished this with much effectiveness. Conversely, however, J-Bo had trouble sticking with his man on defense. It was not all his fault, though, as the team defense left a lot to be desired at certain points. I think it goes without saying that this team will not be as tough defensively as last year's edition. Bohannon logged a ton of minutes because Hughes sat with some questionable foul trouble. J-Bo's mark, Warhawk guard Miles McKay, sprung for a game-high 16 points. Bohannon eventually fouled out, though he was also on the raw end of some calls in terribly over-officiated game -- thanks Ed Hightower!

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Wisconsin adds two on signing day
Today Mike Bruesewitz and Diamond Taylor signed national Letters of Intent to play for Wisconsin. Now that both are officially in the fold, Bo Ryan is finally allowed to comment on each of these players from the Class of 2009.

Rivals.com tabbed Bruesewitz as the Big Ten's top incoming power forward for next season. While not on many people's radar when he verballed, Badger fans have warmed to the idea of having a successor to Krabbenhoft running around the court. It sounds like Bruiser's game is a perfect match for the swing offense. Bo on Bruesewitz:

"While always possessing a competitive fire and desire to win, he has recently made huge strides in his perimeter game out to the 3-point line. His improving perimeter ability combined with his post skills and work ethic make him a more complete player that will allow him to continue to excel when he gets to Madison."

The staff clearly views Diamond Taylor as a combo guard. Bo on Taylor:

"It has been neat to watch Diamond develop from a camper who attended our basketball camps when he was first entering high school to the great young man he is today. His versatility and knowledge of the game will allow him to play multiple perimeter positions at our level."