Rivals Recruiting Article

[More Cowbell]

Which program or programs outside the Big Six conferences is compiling the most impressive 2011 class so far?

Meyer: Xavier is almost always at the top of the list for non-Big Six schools in regards to basketball recruiting. They are at the top of the list so far in the class of 2011. Four-star small forward Dezmine Wells is a powerful athlete with a versatile game. Darwin Davis is a point guard with scoring punch. And rounding out the class is Jalen Reynolds, a promising power forward prospect.

Bossi: Well, if you go strictly by conference then there's no other answer than Chris Mack's Xavier program. They are currently No. 18 in our top 20 classes for 2011 thanks to four-star Dezmine Wells and three-stars Darwin Davis and Jalen Reynolds. The same thing could be said for Butler where they've amassed a nice class led by Rivals150 member Roosevelt Jones. Others that jump out at me are Houston where James Dickey and his staff have landed three in-state, three-star prospects. Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference has its own trio of Texas bred three-stars and UTEP and New Mexico are a couple of others that have put together good-looking classes at non Big Six programs.


http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1132784

[XU 87]

I was reading a preseason College basketball magazine (I think Lindy's) yesterday and they ranked Wells at 30.

P.S. It was Athlon.

[sash19]

I was reading a preseason College basketball magazine (I think Lindy's) yesterday and they ranked Wells at 30.

Dez has been ranked fairly high from all sites save Rivals. The problem with Rivals (in my mind) is that they half ass watch a player (focusing too much on the Top 10 kids) and when it comes time to rank him, they are doing it off incomplete info. Case in point is that Eric Bossi was at the NBA Top 100 camp and left at halftime of the semi finals. He then proceeds to miss Dez becoming the tourney MVP. Jerry Meyer is another story-he goes to less than 10 places a year (I believe) and all these guys do is rank a player based on NBA potential. I think that this is very short minded and foolish as these guys are not qualified to evaluate NBA talent. They are paid to discuss college recruits and they do that to the best of their abilities. Either way, Dez could be #1 or #500-Xavier is getting a very special talent. Not only is Dez an amazing athlete, he is a hard worker and student. Kid is putting in extra work on the court AND in the classroom at Hargrave. He is dead set on getting a 4.0 and I believe right now he is saying he has a 3.5 or 3.7. He will be here on the 23rd for the Musketeer Madness event. Everyone needs to show him some serious love as he is CONSTANTLY doing it for X.....

[MADXSTER]

Sash, you are absolutely correct with everything you said.

Especially ......


He will be here on the 23rd for the Musketeer Madness event. Everyone needs to show him some serious love as he is CONSTANTLY doing it for X.....

I've never seen a recruit shout out "Xavier" as much as Dez. Basketball, Xavier and grades. That's pretty much everything he preaches.

[madness31]

Wells should turn out to be a great player if he is truly this dedicated to the game and the classroom. He obviously has natural talent and enough size to play at the next level so this dedication should land him in the NBA. It is great to have X players making that leap on a regular basis so hopefully one or two of the guys on the current roster will make that list. When the HS kids see X players going to the NBA every other year or more frequently it will help land the top prospects.

Hopefully most of the guys stick around for the degree but as we get top 50 and top 25 players you have to expect some to leave early. That gives me mixed feelings as I like to see the players grow and develop over 4 years and not just play a year or two. Some of the top programs (title holders) manage to keep players for 3+ years so maybe X can do the same. I definitely don't want to turn into a kentucky or osu and rent players for a year before they move on.

Props to Wells for his dedication.

[sash19]

Wells should turn out to be a great player if he is truly this dedicated to the game and the classroom. He obviously has natural talent and enough size to play at the next level so this dedication should land him in the NBA. It is great to have X players making that leap on a regular basis so hopefully one or two of the guys on the current roster will make that list. When the HS kids see X players going to the NBA every other year or more frequently it will help land the top prospects.

Hopefully most of the guys stick around for the degree but as we get top 50 and top 25 players you have to expect some to leave early. That gives me mixed feelings as I like to see the players grow and develop over 4 years and not just play a year or two. Some of the top programs (title holders) manage to keep players for 3+ years so maybe X can do the same. I definitely don't want to turn into a kentucky or osu and rent players for a year before they move on.

Props to Wells for his dedication.

I agree with what you are saying. One thing though-Xavier will NEVER become a UK or OSU with "rent a players." With our structure and academic requirements, those kids just dont "fit" into our model. Some will come in the future but to see it like a UK or OSU (yearly) wont ever happen.

[X-man]

If the kid from Monmouth is as good as the coaches think he is, he may well have the most impact of any of the new players next fall. It sounds to me that all four of these guys will be good enough to either start or at least get significant court time from the day they put on that Muskie uniform. Best of all is the fact that appear to complement each other by position.

[kyxu]

I agree with what you are saying. One thing though-Xavier will NEVER become a UK or OSU with "rent a players." With our structure and academic requirements, those kids just dont "fit" into our model. Some will come in the future but to see it like a UK or OSU (yearly) wont ever happen.

If a top 5 player in the country with "one and done" potential wanted to come to Xavier for his year of college basketball, there's no way Matta or Miller or Mack would have turned them down.

But those types of players aren't really looking at schools like Xavier for this to be an issue.

[Xman95]

If a top 5 player in the country with "one and done" potential wanted to come to Xavier for his year of college basketball, there's no way Matta or Miller or Mack would have turned them down.

But those types of players aren't really looking at schools like Xavier for this to be an issue.

I think Sash's point was that Xavier will, in fact, get players like that in the (near) future. But, unlike the UK's of the world, it won't become the norm.

[MADXSTER]

Even UK's situation at the present time is eery. I've never seen a program(even Duke or UNC in their hayday) pull in top tier recruits like UK is doing right now.