Rivals - St. John's hones in on prime targets
- Thread starter gman
- Start date
Agree that Nuri was not a pure point. Nuri reminded me of a Marcus Hatten type player. Other than the game against us last year, I haven't seen Branch play. Hopefully he will be a good one.
I hope so also, MCN.
No recruit is a slam dunk but as I said before there are some questions about Branch .He was given the opportunity to play at A&M, as you can see by the video of the SJU game. After that,his playing time was reduced as the season progressed.
He had a very high turnover rate, and was non productive. It was only ten game but he was very disappointing.
A & M. never went into his reasons for leaving but playing time and pouting seemed to be part of the picture.
He visited SJU and didn't immediately climb on board until he conferred by phone with, his recruiting coach,,Mark Turgeon who previously had moved on to Maryland.
Turgeon couldn't assure him of a spot and/or playing time because he prioritized the Harrison twins who, at the time, seem to be Maryland bound.
Branched cancelled his visit to Maryland and joined us that weekend.
Among some of the reasons given for optimism about Branch is that he will be scrimmaging against Phil Greene. At A&M he had senior point guard Dash Harris to scrimmage with and that was little help, in improving his game.
It's seems that it's all about playing time with Branch. He wasn't getting it at A & M., so adios. After that, Turgeon , his former recruiting coach at A&M now at MD wasn't falling all over him . In the least, that's not a good sign.
To be fair, if you profile Branch, he is a top 60 player who was unhappy and transferred. He does have a ton of talent but how many times before has talent been marginalized by attitude.
Is it unfair to say that unhappy transfer students, to a significant percentage, carry baggage. This can be overcome, but my point is that it has a significance in underwriting one's performance.
Was Steve right in grabbing him---- of course, but in no way should we write his name in with ink.
The above is why to me he is a big ???.
Allnet, do you have some inside info about Branch pouting and Turgeon rejecting him at Maryland, because I haven't heard any of that? You are assuming there is an attitude component to his transfer, something I haven't heard anything about. In addition, branch had nothing to do with the Harrison twins recruitment. They aren't going to be around at the same time. That is a falsehood. There seem to be a lot of assumptions about Branch's character in your post and about him being a malcontent which I haven't heard anything about. To say he was nonproductive also isn't fair. He played half of 10 yearly season games as a freshman and decided to play for a different coach where he'd fit in better into the team's plans.
Moose
Well-known member
Branch checked in with Turg but it just wasn't meant to be. At that point Turg was in flux with recruiting and had a backlog at the guard spots. Not sure what conspiracy theory allnet is coming up with. I give Branch a lot of credit staying with A/M and trying out Kennedy. He didn't like it and left. And that is different than Nuri leaving so please anyone spare us trying to tie their actions together.
ALLNET:
Branch checked in with Turg and it wasn't meant to be because the Harrison twins were coming in 2013 and Branch would only start or get significant playing time, at best, for half of a season.
If you research the entire Branch leaving A&M history, you will read everything that I wrote is not my own personal concoction.. When you give Branch a great deal of credit for leaving after six months it is really heavy and distorted spin.
He was not getting playing time, he averaged 1.3 turnover per every three of his possessions. He was an unhappy camper. You give him credit for leaving, Come on ! He bailed. His playing time was less and less and he knew a top point guard was coming in, and he chose not to compete.
He still may be successful but before you go off and say I'm creating something, do some research on the subject.
I understand that you want Branch to be successful but if there are negatives about him, don't jump all over me just because you don't want to read the truth. Try and be objective.
My main thrust here is that we shouldn't put all our eggs in his basket because there could be problems.
Google Branch, Turgeon, the Harrisons, all of the pertinent articles about Branch leaving A &M and then make accusations if you think they are accurate.
When Branch left A&M the school handled it in a very dignified way. Coach Kennedy had come down with Parkinson's and it was a very sad time there. It was a time for the school to keep away from any acrimony.
Even so, stories leaked through about pouting and being unhappy. Branch did finish his academic part and they praised him for that..
Branch left because he saw no playing time future there and you might blame the coaches at A &M for that, if you desire to give Branch the benefit of the doubt.
.Don't you think that there is a possibility that Branch, the player could have been, a major part of the problem, or is it too painful for you to entertain that thought.
OUR TEAM CAN DO NO WRONG !
Looks like you're spinning it based on the stories of disgruntled A&M fsns on the message boards. That's just dumb. Your postulation about the Harrison twins is just as dumb. You saying that Maryland would realistically spurn a top talent like Branch, even as a backup PG? Maryland doesn't even know if they will land the Harrison twins two seasons down the line.
A part of what problem? There wasnt any problem. You're calling it a problem when the coach that recruited the kid left and he wanted to leave the situation he was forced into. I think its pretty that you're taking all the stories of disgruntled A&M folk as bond because it is obvious that is what you're doing.
I'm not saying SJU can do no wrong. That had nothing to do with Branch who had no mention of any behavioral nor attitude issues. He had a new coach take over and decided mid season that he wanted a different scene. Very simple.
I'm not too worried about Branch. He was a highly touted player who struggled the first 10 games of his career. So what if an 18 year old has maturity issues and pouts when losing playing time? If anything I blame their coach who mishandled the situation. Every player is different but I don't know anyone who takes too kindly to demotion.
I'm not saying the A&M coach was wrong for reducing his minutes but there are good ways to bench players and there are bad ways. Clearly they didn't see Branch was a bit immature which shouldn't be surprising and their loss is our gain. And if he somehow stinks this year then he can spell Greene and hopefully learn to embrace a role as a backup with the optimism that heading into his final 2 years he will improve vastly.
I'm not saying the A&M coach was wrong for reducing his minutes but there are good ways to bench players and there are bad ways. Clearly they didn't see Branch was a bit immature which shouldn't be surprising and their loss is our gain. And if he somehow stinks this year then he can spell Greene and hopefully learn to embrace a role as a backup with the optimism that heading into his final 2 years he will improve vastly.
I'm sure Branch was recruited by Turgeon as a starter for him, maybe not as a frosh but down the line. Instead Turgeon bails and his replacement signs a top 10 pg from 2012 by hiring his father as an assistant coach. So now Branch has to compete on an uneven playing field for the starting job as a soph. Are you shocked he was not happy with the way things were working out. Branch was ranked highly and as a defensive whiz out of HS. If he didn't show that in his first 10 games as a frosh, well they were his first 10 games as a frosh, but clearly scouts and experts saw potential. Lavin and staff have gotten kids to reach and exceed their potential already in just two short years at STJ so I'm pretty sure they have a good shot of doing it with Branch and probably know what to expect already since Branch was able to practice with the team all 2nd semester. The fact that they didn't make a concerted effort to find another PG as they signed a class of 6-7 kids in the spring tells me they have faith in him and that's good enough for me.
Moose
Well-known member
Allnet
Try not to quote posts because your all over the place mixing things said by multiple ppl.
I love the our team can do no wrong line. Real cute. I really love how your among a few select others feel I'm a blowhard for the team. Too many posters who have met me, watched games with me, traveled to road games across the country can vogue for what kind of fan I am. I'm brutally honest. And that doesn't mean all is rosey all the time. But I do deal in facts. You know nothing about Jamal Branch and the kind of kid he is. You don't know anything about who recruited him. And what happened after. And you mysteriously bring up Kemnedy being sick. Ironic because Branch was never quoted talking about a coach being sick or absent in the reason he left. But oh yeah. Nuri WAS.
So yes I give the kid credit for giving the new coach a shot. And it didn't turn out well. And he left. If you feel otherwise it's your deal. But don't make up conspiracy theories. Stick the facts
Try not to quote posts because your all over the place mixing things said by multiple ppl.
I love the our team can do no wrong line. Real cute. I really love how your among a few select others feel I'm a blowhard for the team. Too many posters who have met me, watched games with me, traveled to road games across the country can vogue for what kind of fan I am. I'm brutally honest. And that doesn't mean all is rosey all the time. But I do deal in facts. You know nothing about Jamal Branch and the kind of kid he is. You don't know anything about who recruited him. And what happened after. And you mysteriously bring up Kemnedy being sick. Ironic because Branch was never quoted talking about a coach being sick or absent in the reason he left. But oh yeah. Nuri WAS.
So yes I give the kid credit for giving the new coach a shot. And it didn't turn out well. And he left. If you feel otherwise it's your deal. But don't make up conspiracy theories. Stick the facts
Allnet, that is just a terrible post all around. Branch averaged 18.6 minutes in just ten games, but you are making it seem like he had some huge falloff in minutes played due to his performance. His last four games he got 22, 12, 17 and 15 minutes. That was right around his average played for the ten games he was at A&M. Why did his minutes go down at all? Well, A&M's second leading scorer (and leading scorer from 2010-2011), Khris Middleton, started playing again for the first time in three weeks the game Branch only played 12 minutes--Middleton went for 24 that game. A&M was 8-3 and a top 25 team when Branch left and they finished the year 14-18.
Dash Harris was a senior and three-year starter at PG (and played 13 mpg as a freshman for a 24 win tournament team). Elston Turner was a fourth-year junior and the teams leading scorer at the other guard spot. A&M also had a junior guard, Naji Hibbert, who played 13.2 mpg as a frosh and 20 mpg as a soph on tournament teams. They also had another freshman ranked as the #114 player in the class at SG that averaged 16 mpg.
Texas A&M won 24 games a year the three seasons before Branch got to campus . Dash Harris was the starting PG for two of those NCAA tournament teams and played significant minutes as a frosh for the other. In fact, five players from the 2010-2011 tournament team that returned to play with Branch last season played between 18 and 37 minutes in the NCAA tournament game. That doesn't include the leading scorer for A&M, Elston Turner, that redshirted.
I don't think Branch is a "can't miss" type of talent, but he has shown absolutely no reason to doubt his top 60 ranking thus far. You just can't judge a freshman off of 10 games...look at how much Harrison, Greene, and Garrett improved after their first ten games. Freshman don't walk in and take over positions of kids that have led three straight 24-win teams to NCAA tournaments.
Dash Harris was a senior and three-year starter at PG (and played 13 mpg as a freshman for a 24 win tournament team). Elston Turner was a fourth-year junior and the teams leading scorer at the other guard spot. A&M also had a junior guard, Naji Hibbert, who played 13.2 mpg as a frosh and 20 mpg as a soph on tournament teams. They also had another freshman ranked as the #114 player in the class at SG that averaged 16 mpg.
Texas A&M won 24 games a year the three seasons before Branch got to campus . Dash Harris was the starting PG for two of those NCAA tournament teams and played significant minutes as a frosh for the other. In fact, five players from the 2010-2011 tournament team that returned to play with Branch last season played between 18 and 37 minutes in the NCAA tournament game. That doesn't include the leading scorer for A&M, Elston Turner, that redshirted.
I don't think Branch is a "can't miss" type of talent, but he has shown absolutely no reason to doubt his top 60 ranking thus far. You just can't judge a freshman off of 10 games...look at how much Harrison, Greene, and Garrett improved after their first ten games. Freshman don't walk in and take over positions of kids that have led three straight 24-win teams to NCAA tournaments.
To repeat a non-basketball perspective about Nuri, put yourself in the position of having endured the death of two brothers and your best friend and now the guy you trusted and committed to (Lavin) who was your path back to the rest of your life is sick with cancer and your two missed free throws are the capstone on his season and his replacement who is absolutely no-nonsense (Dunlap) is giving you warts and all feedback about the holes in your game and someone says you don't have to put up with this and your mom endorses that viewpoint and .....
Of all the people at STJ Nuri may have been the one too brittle from recent losses to cope with coach's illness.
Of all the people at STJ Nuri may have been the one too brittle from recent losses to cope with coach's illness.
Hate to pull a Baldi but hot off the presses-Devonta Pollard scout 25th ranked recruit of 2012 and a Mickey D's all-american just committed to Bama over Texas, Missouri and G'town so I guess the happy St J's angle is at least he didn't sign with G'town all though I know some of you advocate strong BE non football schools.