re: Fuller Rumors: NCAA Charges Coming

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I will say the recent commitment has peeked my interest, more so because he actually fills a position of need more than because of a flashy name. I can see the potential with some of the youngsters, but they all seem to offer the same thing, meaning what they don't offer is the same as well, which results in big holes in the team. I think Phillips helps to eliminate one of those holes. What's your thoughts?

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I like Phillips in some key ways. His video mixtape shows a lot of ability to drive to rim and good eye for dishing it off for an assist when he does so, as well as some nice defensive plays. Can't glean much but compared to most mixtapes that just show dunking and scoring it gives you a sense of who he is. Wiry and athletic. I'm not sure why he has been so "criminally underrecruited" as Jerry Meyer put it, but he clearly takes pride in generating lots of assists and you always want someone like that in your program. Also, just like Oriakhi and Tony Mitchell liked having Phil Pressey pass them the ball so much that they signed with Mizzou, be aware that Phillips has some junior teammates on Oak Hill academy who are 4 star, highly rated big men and maybe one or two of them will want to come to Mizzou as a result.

I can make cases for Phillips, Van Leer and Puryear individually as each having upsides to develop into contributors. As a whole though, if you stop there and say "this is the recruiting class" then yes I get nervous because this team and roster needs scoring help and immediate outside shooting help next year. And with that group of probably role players in the class, I don't see it yet, unless Van Leer is the next Reggie Miller or something.

It seems like KA has been going through the motions of recruiting the high level top 20 recruits like Blakeney, Briscoe, Tatum et al both because he'd be crazy not to and because Fuller and Fulford are capable of getting in on them. But when left to his own devices it seems like there's a pattern with what "KA recruits" are gonna be like when get to the Allens, Isabells and Phillips types. Guys who win at a high level in high school and are competitive, willing to hustle at all times and get some floor burns, good athletes, but may have some perceived deficiency or something that caused other high majors to overlook them in high school. Sounds kinda like the Pinkel football recruiting model and best case we have to hope that's what it is.

I think the progress on this year's team was good the last two games before Lipscomb. I had told my buddies before the Lipscomb game that with a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds coming back from two high energy, loud arenas against major conference opponents and now coming back to lifeless Mizzou Arena vs a no name opponent that we would come out flat and struggle and we did. But overall there's still progress, and if the group of 7 sophomores and freshmen will just stay together for a couple of years I really think they can be a force nationally by time they are seniors and juniors in 2017.