With the Brett Roseboro commitment in-hand, Marquette coach Buzz Williams further narrowed the scope of his recruiting yesterday when he informed Racine's Jamil Wilson that he was no longer recruiting the 6'7" forward.
The reliable Mark Miller from the Wisconsin Sports Network and Wishoops.net broke the news yesterday afternoon. Talk about it on MUScoop.
By adding Roseboro to a group that already includes combo forward Jeronne Maymon, wing forward Erik Williams, point guard Junior Cadougan and combo guard Dwight Buycks, the Warriors have a balanced class hitting campus next summer. Unlike the tired Tom Crean strategy of over-recruiting at a key position or three, Williams seems to prefer a more diverse pool of talent, betting that a complementary mix of skills will take the program further than a kluge of redundant talent.
This is a good sign for the direction of the program.
As we've seen during the Three Amigos' tenure, excellence in just a few areas of the game can take a program only so far. In the case of James, McNeal and Matthews, 'so far' is relative. Many expected Marquette to struggle when it entered BIG EAST play, but this core of players elevated the program to an admirably successful level for a sustained period of time. Regardless, the inability to surround the Three Amigos with complementary, skilled talent has prevented the program from taking that next leap forward.
With that in mind, Buzz Williams is moving on from Jamil Wilson.
Yet, while the door may be closed for another forward, it appears that coach Williams is intent on adding one more guard (preferably a shooter?) to this year's recruiting class despite being full-up for scholarships at the present time. Marquette still has interest from a pool of sought-after talent including 6'4" Sherrod Wright from Mount Vernon, guard Chris Colvin from Chicago, former Seton Hall commit Jamel Jackson, and high school All-American shooting guard Michael Snaer from California. With the pending graduation of the Three Amigos and the limitations of David Cubillan and Maurice Acker, Buzz Williams' interest in these recruits is understandable.
Wow, walking away from Jamil Wilson took guts. He's a cheesehead and the first star recruit from Racine to consider Marquette since Jim Chones.
ReplyDeleteThe locals may be irritated, but this class looks great. There's a certain Al McGuire air to the incomings that is both exciting and tantilizing about our chances for the coming years.
Buzz -- I believe! For the first time in my life, I went to Marquette Madness to see what you are doing. I'm impressed in the recruiting. I'm impressed in the way the guys handle themselves and I'm impressed with what I'm seeing.
If it translates into excellence this year, the sky is the limit.
While I hate to see us voluntarily back away from a top 100 recruit...one that is in our backyard...all things considered, I'm not upset about this at all.
ReplyDeleteLike you guys said, it's about as well-rounded and quality class MU has ever had. We aren't sacrificing quality for quantity.
While Roseboro's sudden rise worries me from an "is he really ready" standpoint, he does seem like the kind of guy that got to where he is with work. And, more importantly, in the Big East, we need guys like him. Bangers down low.
Coming from a guy that loved Crean, I have to say so far I'm thrilled with what Buzz has done. Hopefully he keeps up the good work and coaches a hell of a game too.
Still can't get over how quick and athletic Matthews looked last weekend. Can't wait for the season to start.