Dontavious Sears

[tornado]

"Dontavious Sears, a 6-4 wing from Eastern Oklahoma State, to pay official
visit to Bradley this weekend. Avged 16.7 ppg & 6.6 rpg last year."

juco stats: 16.7 ppg, 50% FG shooting, 40% 3-pt shooting (59-147), 6.6 rebs - Theron Wilson-type - 6-5 & 180 lbs
...ISU had also been looking at him...so has Hawaii, LMU, UT-Martin, Lamar

[amckillip]

Just what we needed a 6-4 guy who can't shoot...

I love watching these type of players because they are fun, but I don't think they are foundational to success in the MVC, more the type that take you from good to great, let's get to decent first...

[egib52]

Just what we needed a 6-4 guy who can't shoot...

I love watching these type of players because they are fun, but I don't think they are foundational to success in the MVC, more the type that take you from good to great, let's get to decent first...

I agree I would like some more size, but I don't know that I would say he can't shoot. 40% from 3 is better than a lot of guys we are looking at. If he truly is Theron-esque, I'm game.

[tornado]

admittedly Theron had better numbers in juco - closer to 20ppg & 10 rpg but I am willing to give the kid a chance - honestly how many game-changers are sitting around A WEEK BEFORE THEIR FINAL CHANCE to commit & sign with no satisfactory offers & waiting to hear from someone else?
Remember how many of the past two years' late additions were touted as high major, difference-makers, & quality talent and were far from it...

[LongTimeFan]

I wonder if this affects Bradley's recruiting of Yarbrough?

[Da Coach]

I wonder if this affects Bradley's recruiting of Yarbrough?

I would guess that Bradley is still very much interested in Yarbrough, but this is getting very late in the 2014 recruiting cycle, and the coaches cannot be left empty handed waiting for just one or two of their top recruits. Yarbrough is interested in taking more visits, so the coaches wanted to lock up some recruits while we can. If Yarbrough still wants to come to Bradley, I suspect there will be a scholarship for him.

[tornado]

Well, right now don't ya think we are a bit overloaded with wing players?
We need help at PG, pure shooter, and BIG MEN/low post players....this is and has been the case for 3 years and even our staff have stated it.
Something has to give - either a couple more have to leave or we're going to have more players than can be kept happy with the playing time we have on the wing...

Yes we have a PG coming in but everyone else on the map has been a wing player - Donte Thomas, Kendahl Amerson, Dontavious Sears, Macari Brooks, Milik Yarbrough, Dinjiyl Walker...

BUT - almost half the returning players on our current roster are already combo guys and wing players - Ka'Darryl Bell, Jordan Swopshire, Stefan Zecevic, Omari Grier - even Shaw, Fields, and Barnes are more off guards than PG or big men...

and you know just because of their experience - and the fact that they are by far - our three best returning players --
.. Barnes, Grier, & Bell are going to get >80 minutes per game between them (they combined for 78 mpg this year).
...then whoever is playing PG plus whoever gets the low post spot & PF will occupy another 80-100 mpg ...
So unless we go with 4 guards - there's not a ton of PT there for more wing players.

[ihatetea]

Generally playing your best players gives you the best chance to win, so I would no be upset with playing small lineups, but that is an adjustment geno hasn't seemed ready to embrace, preferring to always have two post type players on he floor. Then again it has only been three years. If next year he plays small and presses a lot I'll be okay with that. Whatever leads to wins, baby!

[tornado]

Well, right now don't ya think we are a bit overloaded with wing players?

Something has to give - either a couple more have to leave or we're going to have more players than can be kept happy ....

so now we confirm what many have known & we see the blueprint of what's been the plan each of the three past seasons -- dismiss the least productive even before they've had a chance to develop and go for the short term fix...

[wily coyote]

so now we confirm what many have known & we see the blueprint of what's been the plan each of the three past seasons -- dismiss the least productive even before they've had a chance to develop and go for the short term fix...

T may not have a lot of support with what I'm gonna say but I think Geno had to run some off. Blake's situation was a positive because he was gonna be no help, as was SZ gonna be no help. In looking at DS and JC leaving,I think it was the right thing to do but it didn't work for us because we didn't replace them with better players and if your gonna get better you have to keep bringing in better players than you lose . If not you end up with a year like last year. This can still be turned around but it is imperative that Geno hit's Home Runs with who he brings in this Spring. If not, we probably aren't gonna like next years results either.
My biggest concern right now is not hearing names of anyone with some size. I hope we are recruiting some size and the staff is just not making it public. I could be wrong but I think XT & Wells need HELP at the 5. Hope the staff has a surprise in store for us or it could be a long Winter in Peoria and The Villages.

[Da Coach]

I think all fans are ready for any move that improves the team and boosts the program back to any kind of level of success, which we have not seen for several years. But I also think even the most ardent supporters of this staff will admit this is not the best recipe for sustained success of the program.
I notice most of the other MVC programs are out visiting 2015 and 2016 recruits, and some are even hosting recruits from those classes. Yet Bradley is falling behind again on the future recruiting because so much effort, time, and resources are focused now on filling late openings and replacing scholarship players who were just dismissed today. We have already seen more scholarship players dismissed early in these last 3 years than in the 10+ years previously.
Again, I think we all can accept this if it is leading to the acquisition of true "impact players", but that is not what has happened. This shuffling of personnel every year just keeps leading to more juco fill-ins and more players leaving early every year.

[tornado]

exactly - we reload and spend all our time each spring for that current year's recruiting class....
every other school in the league is already busy working on & filling out their 2015 recruiting class

[wily coyote]

exactly - we reload and spend all our time each spring for that current year's recruiting class....
every other school in the league is already busy working on & filling out their 2015 recruiting class

It sure seems like that is the case but lets be honest ,none of us know how much time is being spent on 2015 or 2016 recruits. I don't think we can assume that is not happening unless you know something the rest of us don't know.

[LongTimeFan]

My count may be outdated but I believe we have offered 7 2015 players and 5 2016 players. This is all info I picked up from the postings on this site. Closing any those deals will not be easy. Several, such as Coupet, have probably moved on to bigger schools. I would like to get a verbal for 2015 but we need to worry about 2014 first.

I think we all agree that recruiting must be better than it has been in several years. We need an impact player or two this year. I, too, would like to see a big front-court player.

[Da Coach]

Dontavious Sears enjoyed his visit to Bradley a lot- but there is no word on a commitment yet.


Here is an update about another BU recruit- Milik Yarbrough-

https://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=294486#post294486