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Henricksen's final look @ 2011

Rankings can be a bit of a crap shoot -- here's an example --
The 2010 ranking of the best junior college players nationally --
http://rivals.yahoo.com/jucojunctio...s/rank-2526;_ylt=AnDXApUdkaQvsDVYPafzUmZrWpB4

As one can see the entire TOP 10 are guys whose jump to D-I was nowhere near as successful as predicted....in fact the #3 guy NATIONALLY simply fell completely off the map! (And - The #4 guy Waithe shoulda gone midmajor as was noted many times when BU was recruiting him)
Also -- in fact, the 11th guy - Mamadou Seck might just have had the best year of anyone in the entire Top 40...and the #120 guy Joe Ragland did better than 100 of the guys ranked ahead of him.

Also - the top rated kid the MVC has seen in nearly a decade - Andrew Bock -- was rated the #17 best PG nationally and Top 100 -- where is he now?


FWIW here's the 2008 juco rankings - 2008 rankings -- arguably Chris Roberts (#42), Dodie Dunson (#66), Clevin Hannah (#36), and Lloyd Phillips (#185) - all were far better players and had far better college careers than the vast majority of guys ranked well ahead of them.


Then one more for fun -- the 2009 Illinois high school rankings...
The #2 guy in the state barely made it to D-I at EIU, and half the Top 20 have had no impact while kids ranked as low as #40 are studs (Covington) and kids in the upper teens and 20's (Jordan, Pross, DSE) are decent or impact players.
The highly touted #5 - Brandt has a career total of only 168 points.
IMHO -- the rankings are fun but I wouldn't count my eggs yet as Bobby Hill was the highest ranked Valley guy in that 2008 juco Top 200.
 
45otseoj said:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/2011/05/by_joe_henricksen_the_anthony.html#comments
Click to expand...

We know Joe Henricksen doen't rate DH highly. That has a lot to do with DH not playing for the last 2 years, regardless of what Henricksen says.
I have talked to someone who has seen him play, and he believes Devon has D1 skills and great potential. If he develops his work ethic like Coach Ford will demand, he will be a solid player in the MVC.

There are always risks when you sign a player this late, but here is what Coach Ford said about DH. He obviously thinks he can play and likes his upside.-
"Devon gives us a versatile frontcourt player who can play multiple positions," Ford said. "He graduated from high school young (17) and is already carrying 220 pounds. With good development he has a lot of upside."
"He runs the floor really well and moves his feet extremely well laterally for a guy his size, which will be key on the defensive end. We're figuring he'll have a chance to come in and compete for a significant role early on as soon as he adjusts to the speed and strength of players at this level. I definitely know his best basketball is ahead of him."
"We only want to add kids this spring we know are good enough to play," Ford said. "We're not just trying to fill out the roster."
http://www.pjstar.com/bradleyhoops/x173162290/Ford-likes-Hodges-versatility-upside

When he was playing, Devon was ranked fairly highly. Here he's #18-
http://illinoishsbasketball.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=26&id=322&catid=10&func=fb_pdf

Here is an old national ranking that has DH at #351, which is the 17th best player from Illinois-
http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2011-juniors-fall2009.asp


BTW- here are a few videos of Devon Hodges. He's 6'7"+ with a strong body, and he does have good footwork, and decent ball handling ability for a big man.
Here he's #33-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaxBuml0sZA

Here he's #59-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SqIdubnbO8

Others-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mORXsmdPiTA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2jR2XGlDfU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLKrFB5YMXs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3tigzi1WQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtiR7Pa3d5o
 
It will be fun to keep track of. no doubt.

A poster asked a question. I found him an answer.

IMO Geno is building for the future, and my reports tell me that Devon is a raw project. I'm hearing better things about SS and DS. (don't know about DC)

Only time will tell...
 
Just to show how much rankings can vary- Here is another ranking from Hoopscooponline from just last August (Aug. 5, 2010). It ranks the Top 200 players nationally. Hoopscooponline is a paid subscription recruiting service that a lot of college coaches pay $500 a year to subscribe to. It has been around since 1983, well before most of the recruiting experts today, and is run by Clark Francis, who also writes recruiting columns for USA Today. He is a respected recruiting expert who travels all over the country, and watches more events than just about anyone. He relies primarily on his own personal evaluations and input from his network of reliable experts.
Devon Hodges is ranked #110 in the nation, just prior to his decommitting from Wisconsin-
http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/classof2011-seniorrankings.asp

According to this ranking, Devon Hodges is the 8th best player from Illinois.
Here are the players from Illinois in hoopscooponline's Class of 2011 National Top 200-
1. Anthony Davis
17. Wayne Blackshear
64. Sam Thompson
78. Chasson Randle
82. Tracy Abrams
95. Nnanu Egwu
104. Mychael Henry
113. Devon Hodges
121. Mike Shaw
132. Bruce Barron
140. Ryan Boatright
159. Frank Kaminsky
170. 'Dre Henley
177. George Marshall
195. Roosevelt Jones
 
Please, nobody has said that. In fact this entire thread was started by you, an ISU fan on a Bradley board, solely to tout that the 2 ISU recruits, Johnny Hill and Nick Zeisloft, were ranked by Joe Henricksen higher than Bradley recruits.

My only purpose for finding these other rankings is to show that all these rankings are highly subjective, and also very inaccurate. Note the old rankings by Henricksen are wrong more than they are right, and that the 2011 rankings by other respected recruiting experts are vastly different. Time will tell who is right, but it was you who started this by touting Johnny Hill.

For the record, I do not expect Devon Hodges to be All-Freshman next year. But I also think you might be over-rating Johnny Hill, and I guarantee you are over-rating Nick Zeisloft. :)
 
Da Coach said:
Please, nobody has said that. In fact this entire thread was started by you, an ISU fan on a Bradley board, solely to tout that the 2 ISU recruits, Johnny Hill and Nick Zeisloft, were ranked by Joe Henricksen higher than Bradley recruits.
Click to expand...
Please, I never said that. You know what they say about assumptions...

For the record, I do not expect Devon Hodges to be All-Freshman next year. But I also think you might be over-rating Johnny Hill, and I guarantee you are over-rating Nick Zeisloft. :)
Click to expand...

:-o
Really?
Because I've predicted that they both redshirt this season.
:p

And I'll add that my assesment of these two players comes from personal witness. Don't read these rankings. Do your own research.
 
Don't read these rankings. Do your own research
Click to expand...

Now it sounds like you are making my case for me.

Didn't you think Jordan Threloff was going to contribute last season? I was correct in predicting he'd redshirt based on my own personal observations. I do tend to assess players based on more objective things than what sombody else's list says, and I am not so quick to praise recruits as most fans are.

Again, it was you, not me, who started this thread by touting the ISU recruits on the list from the Sun Times. To me, lists like that, and the ones I posted mean very little. For the record, I think Bradley's 2 incoming freshmen from Illinois (Stewart and Hodges) will get more playing time next season than the 2 ISU recruits (Hill and Zeisloft), but I don't think any of them will make the All-Freshman team..

And I am on record in predicting that Zeisloft will redshirt.
I would be surprised if Hill redshirts, but it's possible given the glut of 2-guards on the Redbird roster. But I do think he might be better than several of the current Redbird guards.
 
Da Coach said:
Didn't you think Jordan Threloff was going to contribute last season? I was correct in predicting he'd redshirt based on my own personal observations. I do tend to assess players based on more objective things than what sombody else's list says, and I am not so quick to praise recruits as most fans are.
Click to expand...
I'm not trying to rehatch an old debate, but Mishler's improvements allowed Thre to redshirt. Sure, he had games where he couldn't keep up, but the 'meaningful minutes' he played in some games (@ BU comes to mind) helped the Birds to victories. I predict the Thre will be able to step in to the backup 5 role that Mish leaves behind.

For the record, I think Bradley's 2 incoming freshmen from Illinois (Stewart and Hodges) will get more playing time next season than the 2 ISU recruits (Hill and Zeisloft), but I don't think any of them will make the All-Freshman team..
Click to expand...
But that's all about circumstance. If Hodges was on his way to ISU he would redshirt. At BU, there is a greater need for a 4. DS, on the other hand, might play a lot at ISU. That's why people are predicting that Moore will play enough minutes to make a major contribution. (FWIW I'd put good $$$ on Moore making the All-Frosh team if he stays healthy.)

And I am on record in predicting that Zeisloft will redshirt.
I would be surprised if Hill redshirts, but it's possible given the glut of 2-guards on the Redbird roster. But I do think he might be better than several of the current Redbird guards.
Click to expand...
Circumstance again. If we weren't bringing in Brown and Clark then Johnny would certainly be looking at a solid chuck of time. Now, not so much.

IMO the starting lineup of Moore, Brown, JW, Ekey, and Jackie will make a run at the MVC title in 2 years; a boatload of talent there.
 
Future Walk-On said:
TA was also hurt his entire Junior year and part of his senior year... he played in an all star game on ESPN 3 with the likes of boatright and henry and was awesome
Click to expand...

Tracy Abrams was slightly less than "awesome" in the IBCA game last night as his North squad was embarrassed by a bunch of low-D-I kids from the South squad..he scored one point but ISU recruit Nick Zeisloft was scoreless
 
45otseoj said:
..
Emmanuel Ochenje, 6-9, C, Carbondale (Brehm Prep): Chattanooga..
Click to expand...

Emmanuel Ochenje joins the long list of the midwestern prep school kids who are highly touted and ranked, and who go D-I and then totally flop..

ChicagoHoops.com actually at one point ranked Ochenje as the #1 recruit in the entire STATE (Class of 2012)!!! And was also ranked Top 100 nationally by several services.

He ended up going to Pepperdine..and over two seasons - 30 games .. averaged a little over a miniscule 1 pt, 1 reb per game
http://www.pepperdinesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/manny_ochenje_760922.html

He joins so many other midwestern prep kids who get so incredibly overrated then don't produce when the actually face college competition..


BTW - ChicagoHoops' Class of 2012 ranking may just stand as their worst effort ever.
Here was their TOP 10 when the kids in the Class of 2012 were Sophomores & Juniors:
Player Height Position School
1. Emmanuel Ochenje
2. Antonio Drummond
3. Aaron Simpson
4. T.J. Bell
5. Delvon Rencher
6. Jermaine Morgan
7. Derrick Randolph
8. Jelani Neely
9. Charles Harris
10. Conner Boehm

Really - not one had has any impact since leaving high school - in fact only one or two have even played in college!
..at least a dozen kids who got no notice by ChicagoHoops ended up doing far, far better - Ka'Darryl Bell, Steve Taylor, Jay Simpson, Fred Van Vleet, Darius Paul, Jeff White..
 
tornado said:
Emmanuel Ochenje joins the long list of the midwestern prep school kids who are highly touted and ranked, and who go D-I and then totally flop..

ChicagoHoops.com actually at one point ranked Ochenje as the #1 recruit in the entire STATE (Class of 2012)!!! And was also ranked Top 100 nationally by several services.
........
Click to expand...


Former #1 rated kid in Illinois Emmanuel Ochenje lands at University of Indianapolis..a D-II school...
..hopefully he can play at this level - but I guess what amazes me is how regularly and how consistently those who rate high schoolers, overlook the history of so many of these MUCH older foreign kids from "prep schools" like Brehm & La Lumiere - who proceed to flop at the next level (Beas Hamga, Bawa Muniru, John Riek, Thijin Moses, etc..) but still get rated by the gurus as the best high schoolers..
 
tornado said:
BTW - ChicagoHoops' Class of 2012 ranking may just stand as their worst effort ever.
Here was their TOP 10 when the kids in the Class of 2012 were Sophomores & Juniors:
Player Height Position School
1. Emmanuel Ochenje
2. Antonio Drummond
3. Aaron Simpson
4. T.J. Bell
5. Delvon Rencher
6. Jermaine Morgan
7. Derrick Randolph
8. Jelani Neely
9. Charles Harris
10. Conner Boehm
.....
Click to expand...

just saw where Delvon Rencher just now signed to play at Prairie View A&M - pretty low on the D-I scale...
but of those in that list of TOP recruits in 2012 - amazingly NOT one of that entire TOP 10 has actually been playing ball and contributing anywhere at the 4-year college level.
Several, including Rencher, Simpson, Jermaine Morgan, etc...still have a chance to bloom but that really was a bad ranking back in 2012...
 
a re-hash of this discussion on the Illinois Class of 2012...
In reflecting back - not one of even the TOP TEN ended up with any more success at DI than "a cup of coffee".......(note Jermaine Morgan, Bobo Drummond, ISU's former commit Aaron Simpson were all on the list)

but one guy who actually made it to DI, although he didn't stick- is still around and is still available!!
Delvon Rencher, who went to Prairie View A&M then bounced around a bit is still looking for a DI to finish out his career.
Sadly, and consistent with the others from the 2012 list, his only interest currently is DII
http://verbalcommits.com/players/delvon-rencher


(btw- Anthony Beane, Akeem Springs, and FRED VAN VLEET were all in that Illinois Class of 2012 and turned out to be better than anyone else on that TOP TEN list)
 
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