2019 & Beyond Recruiting Targets

[tornado]

T, if you think we must sign someone eligible this year you are going to be disappointed.

turns out I am not disappointed at all - I'm actually quite satisfied with our final spring commit!
Coach was already a step ahead of my thinking and accomplished exactly what we needed without even using a scholarship
...when he signed Sean Houpt....
note that Northern Iowa just landed an almost identical similar player (altho right handed -- and from a school that is less than 1/4 the size of Sean Houpt's school) and with nearly identical high school numbers except that Houpt also performed at that same level playing at the highest AAU level, too....
....and they had to use a scholarship to get him, where Coach Wardle got the job done without needed another athletic scholarship.

[tornado]

A new name Bradley is following-

2019 Nathan Johnson- a 6'7" forward playing a post-grad year this season at Sunrise Christian Academy near Wichita, Kansas. He is originally from Adel, Iowa, and attended Waukee High School (near Des Moines) prior prep school. Scouting reports say he is a very good shooter and the year of prep school will benefit him-

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/high-school/recruiting/2017/11/03/these-iowa-2018-basketball-prospects-could-become-ncaa-division-one-recruits/821621001/

https://www.prephoops.com/2017/10/recruiting-report-nathan-johnson-2018-3/

Video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz7or-YT7TU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5qHNgNkey4

http://verbalcommits.com/players/nathan-johnson-ia

not too relevant since I am sure Bradley passed on him long ago, but Nathan Johnson just verballed to UMBC -

[Da Coach]

There are still a couple available 2019 recruits and transfers that Bradley remains in contact with.

[tornado]

this week (Wednesday) is the deadline for kids if they want to withdraw from the NBA Draft......and some kids who want to return
will need their teams to have an open scholarship or may cause other kids to leave if they don't want to play behind the guys who
are returning from checking out the Draft....
One such kid - South Carolina's AJ Lawson, just announced he is returning - he's an ALL-SEC guard and two redshirt kids are only today
finding out that now they will be playing pretty deep on the bench behind Lawson. Both of those kids (Jermaine Couisnard & Tyler "TJ" Moss)
are kids Bradley's staff knows or has recruited or offered previously. It will be interesting to see if anyone leaves looking for more playing time.

[egib52]

There are still a couple available 2019 recruits and transfers that Bradley remains in contact with.

Aren't we full?

[tornado]

Probably but....
We thought the exact same thing a year ago at this point (2018 ) then this happened - https://www.bradleyfans.com/forum/sp...35-bile-leaves

and ISU thought the same at this point in 2017 then this happened - https://www.bradleyfans.com/forum/sp...igible-for-isu

so if our staff is still looking and keeping their eyes open, I am all for it..

[tornado]

TCU transfer and Bradley recruiting target Jaylen Fisher has withdrawn from the NBA Draft
and now will transfer from TCU - he is originally from Memphis area so he could take Memphis' final scholarship...

[Da Coach]

Ethan Kizer is currently playing for his Peoria Hollis 8th grade team and has carried them all the way to the Championship game of the IESA State Finals (previous report said the family will move to Metamora and Ethan will then likely play there when in high school)....

As you can see - Ethan is far more physically developed than any other 8th grader - so time will tell if he's able to compete against high schoolers to the same degree - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UWQg0Gl2I

Ethan Kizer (2023) just finished the 8th grade. It was previously reported that he might attend Metamora HS in the fall. Does anyone know for sure? He apparently lives in Hollis Township where he attended middle school, which I think would feed into Limestone HS, so it might require a move by his family.

Here is a brief video clip of Ethan Kizer competing for the Illinois Irish this spring. He is still dominating his age group-
https://twitter.com/IL_IrishMBB/stat...51660813443072

I can't remember if I could do that in 8th grade.

[tornado]

there were prior reports that the family has already moved to Metamora but that Ethan finished the school year at Hollis

this report by one of our reliable posters also mentions that Ethan's brother Caleb is already playing for Metamora - and a recruiting article a couple days ago also said so - https://www.journalstandard.com/spor...to-oswego-east

[tornado]

there were prior reports that the family has already moved to Metamora ...
....Ethan's brother Caleb is already playing for Metamora...

there's videos posted on Twitter showing Ethan now playing this summer with the Metamora varsity basketball team...

[tornado]

in the very brief report they have, the PJStar claims he (JaMir Price) will take a scholarship in 2019-20 and so that leaves us with only one remaining...

...I believe they are wrong

...a much more thorough article.....they still say he will "sign during the November signing period"....

.....He can sign this fall - he is eligible to do so, and can then back out & go to prep school - but if he does, we get that scholarship back

Our coaches were and are way ahead of the game - they knew the rules and what is possible, and had this planned from the start to bring Jamir in and work with him all summer, then since he had not enrolled full time, he would not burn a 2019 scholarship, his "clock" would not start and he could head to Prep School, and still enroll to start his career in 2020.

To doubters who may say "but now we're locked in if he doesn't develop" or "if he blows up, he can still change his mind and head elsewhere"....
The answer to those questions is "no .... and ....yes"
No to the first because we are not locked in - altho Coach must see something special in JaMir, but if there's any reason he should not be here in 2020, we would not be obligated.
The 2nd - if he blows up, sure he can go elsewhere but that's true nowadays for everyone on the roster and everyone we have ever offered a scholarship to. Darrell Brown, Jr. could have gone elsewhere - but didn't. Eli and Donte could have but didn't. Something makes me say I doubt he would stiff the only school that truly had faith in him and wanted him. Guys are staying at Bradley out of LOYALTY.

[tornado]

TCU transfer and Bradley recruiting target Jaylen Fisher has withdrawn from the NBA Draft
and now will transfer from TCU - he is originally from Memphis area so he could take Memphis' final scholarship...

Jaylen Fisher finally lands at Grand Canyon - that's too bad he isn't gonna play here...he'd have been great in the MVC

[Da Coach]

It is confirmed that Bradley is recruiting Nana Akenten again.
https://twitter.com/scottybsc...21817182134272

This is a bit of a strange one.... Nebraska transfer Nana Akenten, a 6'6" sophomore who played a key reserve role on their team last season and who left Nebraska when Tim Miles was fired, was getting interest from a couple major schools, as well as a bunch of good mid-majors. As noted, Bradley was interested.
He has finally committed to SEMO. It seems like a nice get for SEMO.

[Da Coach]

Ethan Kizer (2023) just finished the 8th grade. It was previously reported that he might attend Metamora HS in the fall. Does anyone know for sure? He apparently lives in Hollis Township where he attended middle school, which I think would feed into Limestone HS, so it might require a move by his family.

Here is a brief video clip of Ethan Kizer competing for the Illinois Irish this spring. He is still dominating his age group-
https://twitter.com/IL_IrishMBB/stat...51660813443072

I can't remember if I could do that in 8th grade.

WEEK/Channel 25's Jim Mattson did a brief video piece on Ethan Kizer, now a freshman at Metamora, and the Curley "Boo" Johnson summer camp..
https://week.com/sport/2019/08/07/me...above-the-rim/

[Da Coach]

New names-

2019 Jermaine Hamlin- 6'9" forward from Lincoln High School, in Lincoln, Illinois.
https://www.prephoops.com/2017/12/re...e-hamlin-2019/
https://www.prephoops.com/2017/06/in...e-hamlin-2019/
http://www.ny2lasports.com/player_de...playerid=12118

One time Bradley recruit Jermaine Hamlin, a 6'10", 240 pound center who played at Lincoln, IL High School, and was planning on attending Link Year Prep School in Branson, Missouri has decided to skip prep school and he has committed to Illinois as a 2019 recruit.
https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/...d30db485c.html

He was very lightly recruited out of high school and only had offers from 4 relatively low D1 schools (Purdue-Fort Wayne, Eastern Illinois, South Dakota, and North Dakota). So he decided to attend the prep school, reclassify to a 2020 recruit, and took the unusual step of playing AAU ball the summer after his senior year. This summer he averaged a paltry 3.4 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 19 games. But Illinois head coach Brad Underwood apparently liked his potential, offered him a scholarship, and he accepted.
One of Illinois' other 2019 big man recruits, 6'10", 240 lb. Bernard Kouma, is still pending clearance by the NCAA eligibility center, so maybe Illinois is expecting him not to be cleared.