Posts Tagged “Memphis Tigers Basketball Recruiting”

Jun 07 2009

Memphis Basketball Recruiting – Josh Pastner 1, John Calipari 0

Posted by admin in 2009 NCAA Recruiting, Memphis Tigers, tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Josh Pastner, Memphis Coach

Josh Pastner, Memphis Coach

Well, it hasn’t even been a week since I wrote Is Josh Pastner a Better Recruiter than Coacl Cal, when Coach Pastner turns around and signs Will and Antonio Barton, two star guards in the 2010 recruiting class. Will is ranked as the number 7 overall rated player in his high school class. Coach Pastner was able to sign the Barton brothers in direct competition with Coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. The Memphis, Commercial Appeal reported that the brothers signed with Memphis after the recent SAT issues of NBA guard Derek Rose came to light with Coach Cal appearing to be complicated in the matter. Will Barton is expected to compete for a starting spot with Memphis immediately in the 2010-100 season and his brother will likely be a role player for his first year or so on the team.

2010 Memphis Tiger Basketball Recruiting Class
#1 – 2010 Memphis Tiger Basketball Recruit – SG – Will Barton
Ht: 6’6″
Wt: 170lbs
Rank: 7
Will Barton is a dominating guard who has game changing impact in multiple facets of a basketball game. He’s not afraid of contact in the pain and is able to finish strong at thte rim. He has great size for a guard at 6’6″ and is able to score from all over the court. Will brings a good outside shot as well and is considered an excellent defender as well. Considered to be very coachable, Barton is one of the top-rated prospects in the 2010 class and could very well end up as the number 1 overall 2010 prospect.


#2 – 2010 Memphis Tiger Basketball Recruit – PG – Antonio Barton
Ht: 6’2″
Wt:170lbs
Rank: 3 Star
Antonio is a bit shorter than his brother but still brings good size at 6’2″ tall. He’s a great combination guard prospect who is playing the point on his AAU and school teams. Able to beat his opponents on the dribble and create shots for teammates and himself. Antonio brings decent ball handling and a good basketball IQ to the mix as well. Antonio is not as strong of a defender as is brother, however, and that is the area of his game that requires the most improvement.

View the True Blue Tiger video interviewof the Barton Brothers here.

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Jun 06 2009

Memphis Basketball Recruiting – Should Josh Pastner Pursue Lance Stephenson?

Posted by admin in 2009 NCAA Recruiting, Memphis Tigers, tags: , , , , , , , ,

Lance Stephenson

Lance Stephenson

Memphis Basketball Coach Josh Pastner still has a few scholarship spots available for next season for the “Right [level] player.” Lance Stephenson is one of the highest ranked 2009 prospects that remains unsigned for the 2009 NCAA recruiting class. At 6’6″ and 195lbs, Stephenson already has NBA size and would be one of the last pieces that Pastner needs to compliment his already stellar 2009 Memphis Tigers Basketball Recruiting class that has been put together in the past 8 weeks. What’s the problem with Stephenson? Well, he and a teammate are going back to court on June 29th on sexual assualt charges for groping a female student. Arizona and Memphis have been mentioned as two of the front-runners in Stephenson’s recruitment. Kansas had previously been thought to have the lead until Xavier Henry reneged on his committment to Memphis after Coach John Calipari left for Kentucky this past spring.Memphis Basketball Recruiting – Lance Stephenson’s Pedigree

If you don’t know who Lance Stephenson is, then the best place to check out first is the online documentary made of his junior season at Lincoln High School in Coney Island, New York. He’s best known in New York for leading his team for four City Basketball championships while living in a poorer area of the city. Stephenson has been one of the most productive scorers in his high school class for several years. He’s considered to have solid ball handling skills and scores close to the rim similar to Tyreke Evans and Derek Rose at the same point in their careers. On the downside, Lance is not considered to have outstanding quickness and relies on his size to overpower the smaller guards he has competed against in high school. He’s also considered to be a bit greedy with the ball at times compared to other high-profile players in his class.

Should Coach Pastner Pursue Lance Stephenson?

That’s the main question. With the turmoil that the Tigers basketball program has gone through over the past two months, should recruiting a star prospect who is pending sexual assualt charges be added to the mix? Many major college coaches don’t consider Stephenson to be worth the trouble despite his talent. Even if he beats the charges later in June or pleads to a lesser charge, would Stephenson be worth the risk to bring to Memphis? Someone will definitely sign the kid (or whatever we call the variant of obligating to a school since the May signing period is over). Stepheson would bring one of the last pieces of the puzzle to the Memphis Tigers for the 2009-10 season in a high profile, scoring guard. Do you give the young man a second chance and get him out of New York? I think if Coach P does pursue him, that he can’t give the young man any leeway. First sign of trouble if he does come to town and he needs to be sent home…that is, if he’s worth the trouble to bring in the first place.

 

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