Rivals150 for class of 2008

[lightsout]

I was looking through Rivals list a came upon a 6'8" 185 pound forward named Wesley Witherspoon. Wesley is ranked #56 on this list and Bradley is listed as one schools in the running. Does anyone have any information on this kid? Other schools in the running include Memphis, Texas, Virginia, Cincinnati, Clemson and a few other great programs. Here is a link to the Rivals list if anyone hasn't seen it.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1617

[bugregshu]

Go to the recruiting section.

There has already been a lot of talk about Witherspoon and there is a thread on the first page about him.

Here is a link--

http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3709

[tornado]

But now Witherspoon has a lot of BCS schools after him, and the odds of BU landing him are slim

[Da Coach]

Here is a new article about Wes Witherspoon, from a Rivals network site related to Georgia high school basketball--
http://gavarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=777379

It is a premium article, but it reports that Witherspoon's high school team, Berkmar HS of Lilburn, GA, starts play in the state tournament today (Friday 2/22).
On the recruiting front, Witherspoon has offers from many major schools.
He told the reporter--
"Memphis, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, Clemson, Florida, Cincinnati and Uconn came to visit me today."
Me and my family will sit down. I'm going to have the final say-so but it's really going to be a family decision." On when he might make his decision: "I'll probably make my decision in May."

[J Money]

Wow he would be a great signing for Coach Les. Looks like it's getting pretty thick in there, though, with the likes of Memphis, UCONN, Texas, and Florida in the mix. Does anyone know if he has/plans on visiting campus or are we pretty much conceding him at this point?

[ER3]

Wow he would be a great signing for Coach Les. Looks like it's getting pretty thick in there, though, with the likes of Memphis, UCONN, Texas, and Florida in the mix. Does anyone know if he has/plans on visiting campus or are we pretty much conceding him at this point?

We have no chance to land Wesley Witherspoon...We need to turn our attention elsewhere to more realistic recruiting targets...Just let Wesley know that if he doesn't like any of the 50 BCS offers he has, then give us a call.

[SFP]

We have no chance to land Wesley Witherspoon...We need to turn our attention elsewhere to more realistic recruiting targets...Just let Wesley know that if he doesn't like any of the 50 BCS offers he has, then give us a call.

OK so let's just role up the carpet and quit because others percieved bigs are after him. I am sure JL has had conversations with him and his parents and you never know what they are looking for. BU can give him a fine education (100% graduation rate), some new top of the line facilities coming in, guarateed playing time as a freshman and by his junior year if not sooner the spotlight. I'm sorry, if I stopped going after business because of percieved big businesses were in the deal I'd never crawl out of my hole.

[ER3]

OK so let's just role up the carpet and quit because others percieved bigs are after him. I am sure JL has had conversations with him and his parents and you never know what they are looking for. BU can give him a fine education (100% graduation rate), some new top of the line facilities coming in, guarateed playing time as a freshman and by his junior year if not sooner the spotlight. I'm sorry, if I stopped going after business because of percieved big businesses were in the deal I'd never crawl out of my hole.

You're certainly entitled to your idealistic opinion...but we are not at the point as a program where we should be wasting extensive time, money, and resources chasing 4 and 5-star recruits around the country. Get the new facilities built, go to the NCAA Tourney on a regular basis, win a few Valley titles, and then we can realistically start to hope that a 4-star guy might come here every few years (like you see at Creighton and SIU right now). Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that Les aims high and pursues these kids...I think it's great to be mentioned in the recruiting of the Wesley Witherspoon's and Iman Shumpert's of the world...but in the end, those guys simply aren't going to come here...It just isn't going to happen...As much as we all wish that it were different, it just isn't...4 and 5-star kids that get good ACC, SEC, and Big 10 offers are going to take those offers over BU every single time...and our recruiting focus would be better spent on the quality 3-star guys out there...(Zack Novak, Chris Babb, Varez Ward, Marshall Henderson, Twanny Beckham, Larry Anderson, Tim Frazier, etc.)...because those are the guys that we should be aiming high for and labeling as the priorities in our recruiting process.

Sure, Les should check in with Wesley Witherspoon from time to time (via text message, email, or legal phone calls) and let him know that he has a scholarship here anytime he wants it...but other than that, any money, time, recruiting travel expenses spent chasing him are a waste and highly counter-productive to our overall recruiting process, at this point.

[thefish7]

I guess I think I'll defer to the coach on how he chooses to pursue recruits, particularly since I have no understanding or appreciation of what effort Les is making. For all we know he's just calling him from time to time to see how it's going. Frankly, I have absolutely no regrets on the Iman Shumpert recruiting because we were in the final 3 schools in his list, and on there after many of the BCS schools had been eliminated. That we didn't get him doesn't make me bitter, nor does it make me question Les' expenditure of recruiting assets in pursuit of him (he made one of his official visits to BU, after all).

It doesn't sound like we have much of a shot on Witherspoon, like it did with Shumpert, but none of us know what Les is actually doing to pursue him either, so it's all just kind of speculation as to Les' just calling or flying out to meet the parents.

[Lakeview Brave]

OK so let's just role up the carpet and quit because others percieved bigs are after him. I am sure JL has had conversations with him and his parents and you never know what they are looking for. BU can give him a fine education (100% graduation rate), some new top of the line facilities coming in, guarateed playing time as a freshman and by his junior year if not sooner the spotlight. I'm sorry, if I stopped going after business because of percieved big businesses were in the deal I'd never crawl out of my hole.

I dont think BU has 100% graduation rate.

[BUBrave28]

Every senior that was on the team during Les' tenure has graduated.

[ER3]

I highly doubt that there are many 4-star and 5-star recruits that care at all about the graduation rate of a program when they are going through the recruiting process.
They want to play in a "big-time" conference, they want to be on TV as much as possible, and they want to get to the NBA as soon as possible.

[Lakeview Brave]

Every senior that was on the team during Les' tenure has graduated.

Is that how graduation rate is calculated? I thought it was players who are on the team at any point. Doest Saihoo Jassey count against us? Im not sure but I think that is right

[thefish7]

I'm not sure about Jassey, since he transferred out, but I know that Patrick O'Bryant counts against us on that measurement.