In and Out Big East Conference Summer Preview

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July 25, 2008 6:00am

Here is a look at the recruiting classes from writer of Calm Before the Storm column on Johnny Jungle, Garrett Knieste + quick analysis of those classes by Pico Dulce (of course Pico is not his real name), the proprietor of the East Coast Bias blog. For each team, we list the recruiting class, the individual player rankings from Rivals and Scout, and some short notes about how the school will be affected by the incoming class.

The format: Player name; Class (transferred from/ to if applicable); POSITION; Size; Rivals rank (in stars); Scout rank (in stars) –or– statistics from previous Division I school.

Obviously, some schools are very set in their rotation, and freshmen may be learning through limited minutes (let's say under 40% of the minutes they could have played). Other schools have needs, and will be plugging freshmen in to critical roles off the bench. And some schools will have serious needs and will have to depend on their freshmen to hold down a role. One or two freshmen can make impacts on a veteran squad, but leaning solely on freshmen is not a recipe for success, as we know from last year's St. John's team and 2007's Connecticut team. But the right freshman/ first year player can lead one's teams to all kind of heights. Purdue pulled off the 4-freshman roster off very nicely; freshmen can have program-changing impact at the Big East level as well.

By the same token, players and whole teams can regress as well; the impact of the freshmen can be offset by poor performance by the returning veterans, by team in-fighting, by coaching and player issues, and by injury. Players are spending the summer getting stronger, building endurance, and learning how to counter that team that scraped them last year. The Big East has some fluidity, no matter how many writers go off in June about how there will be 9 NCAA Tournament teams from the league. So take the early pre-season commentary with a grain of salt, and know that some team is going to come out of next-to-nowhere like Notre Dame did last year.

So, let's take a look at the incoming recruits of the Big East in reverse alphabetical order (let's show West Virginia some love, huh?), with an eye towards how they will play this year, and each team's early outlook:

Pico Dulce is a midwest guy with east coast roots. He enjoys watching his sports via satellite TV because you aren’t catching too many New York games in Chicago bars. PIco is a diehard Mets and St. John’s fan and yes he does have an East Coast Bias. You can email him at pico.dulce@gmail.com

Who's In?

• Devin Ebanks (freshman) SF – 6'8" 185lbs *****/ *****

• Kevin Jones (freshman) PF – 6'7" 210lbs ****/ ****

• Darryl Bryant (freshman) SG – 6'2" 190lbs ***/ ***

• Roscoe Davis (freshman) PF – 6'10" 205lbs ***/ ****

• Demetrius Proby (transfer from Lufkin Angelina College – Junior) PF – 6'9" 250lbs

Who's Out?

• Joe Alexander (NBA Draft – #8 Milwaukee) – 31.6mpg, 16.9ppg, 6.4rpg

• Darris Nichols (graduation) – 34.6mpg, 10.7ppg, 3.2apg

• Jamie Smalligan (graduation) – 11.7mpg, 2.2ppg, 1.8rpg

West Virginia 26-11 (11-7)

West Virginia's freshman class will have a positive impact, especially the coveted scorer Devin Ebanks who may be plugged right in to the small forward spot. Losing Joe Alexander is a blow, but the incoming freshmen will replace his athleticism with… more tall athleticism. Darryl "Truck" Bryant will back up at point guard, and Dee Proby will hold down the middle more adequately than Smalligan. Roscoe Davis may not be qualified this year and may prep; the outcome is uncertain. The team still has Da'Sean Butler and Wellington Smith, and may play smaller at the forward positions for another year until the new center recruits arrive in 2009.

Freshman Impact: High impact class. Huggins definitely has his recruiting moving in the right direction; the new forwards will give the Mountaineers relentless height. If Ebanks and Jones are strong enough to play West Virginia's physical style of defense as freshmen, this team will go far.

Overall: This team has a chance to play multiple weekends in March, again, if everything bounces right. The Mountaineers lost some close games, and I expect them to do better in that regard. They lay down a stinker of a performance against Cincy that was unbelievable, considering their other efforts; the offense and defense are often tied together by turnovers/ strong defense. Finding a rebounder and post defender is key for this squad. But Ebanks and Jones should fill the scoring role that West Virginia definitely needs to fill. Ruoff and Butler will reprise their roles as well.

Villanova 22-13 (9-9)

Who's In?

• Maurice Sutton (freshman) C – 6'10" 210lbs ***/ ***

• Taylor King (transfer from Duke – RS Sophomore) SF – 6'6" 230lbs (9.7mpg, 5.5ppg, 2.0rpg) *must sit out 08-09 season

Who's Out?

• Malcolm Grant (transfer – University of Miami) – 12.7mpg, 5.6ppg, 1.4apg

The Wildcats won't look to their eligible recruit Sutton for large contributions. Their rotation should look much the same next year; when Taylor King is eligible, he will be joined by at least two-top level recruits. They didn't shoot particularly well, partly because the inside presences (Cunningham, Pena, Clark, Drummond, Anderson) were hit and miss.

Freshman Impact: Small; Sutton needs to put on a few pounds before he can really put his height to use.

Overall: Reynolds, Fisher and Stokes will have to shoot better for the Wildcats to enjoy another trip to the NCAA tournament. Some more inside scoring and defense from Anderson, Cunningham, Pena, and Drummond would really help the Wildcats get to the postseason. I don't think they get past the first weekend of the tournament without more varied scoring. Pena, Stokes, and Fisher have room for improvement; Pena shouldn't turn over the ball as much and the guards need to put up fewer bricks from the outside. The defense needs improvement; they allowed big numbers to mediocre squads like Cincy, Rutgers, and DePaul.

Syracuse 21-14 (9-9)

Who's In?

• Mookie Jones (freshman) SF – 6'6" 190lbs ****/ ****

• Kris Joseph (freshman) SF – 6'7" 210lbs ***/ ****

• Wesley Johnson (transfer from Iowa State – RS Junior) SF – 6'7" 195lbs (27.0mpg, 12.4ppg, 4.0rpg) *must sit out 08-09 season

Who's Out?

• Donte' Green (NBA Draft – #28 Memphis (traded to Houston)) – 35.8mpg, 17.7ppg, 7.2rpg

Donte Green hoisted up a lot of shots and is impressing in the summer league. The team he left behind will get two guards coming back from injury in Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf. The versatility of both Jones and Joseph will allow the Orange to work the returning players in more slowly and expand what was a short, iron man rotation last year. Both are long and talented, with Joseph coming in with a better reputation as a passer and Jones with a better defensive/ athletic reputation.

Freshman Impact: Solid impact; one of the freshmen may start. But the shots will come from Flynn, Devendorf, Rautins, and Harris. There is room for one of those players to be a scoring 6th man or starting small forward, especially if he can make plays for teammates.

Overall: If Devendorf returns with his athleticism intact and continues to take smart shots, this team will be in the top third of the conference and get to the NCAA tournament. They might be even better than that, but at first blush, I can't see them being better than some of the other conference foes. They will be a middle-pack Big East team unless the defense is better than last year. The freshmen need to be part of a supporting cast, not the main focus. But the team will have grown from the playing time last year… this is the team that could really surprise a lot of folks if Rautins and Devendorf play near their former levels.

South Florida 12-19 (3-15)

Who's In?

• Eladio Espinosa (freshman) PF – 6'7" 210lbs ***/ ***

• Gaby Belardo (freshman) SG – 6'2" 180lbs [NR]/**

• Gene Teague (freshman) PF – 6'8" 295lbs [NR]/**

• Augustus Gilchrist (freshman) C – 6'10" 230lbs

• Alex Rivas Sanchez (transfer from Pratt C.C. – Junior) C – 6'10" 230lbs

• Mike Mercer (transfer from Georgia – RS Junior) SG – 6'4" 190lbs (29.3mpg, 13.6ppg, 4.4rpg) *sat out 07-08 season

Who's Out?

• Kentrell Gransberry (graduation) – 31.8mpg, 16.0ppg, 10.8rpg

• Dante Curry (transfer – Georgia State) – 9.0mpg, 2.0ppg, 1.2rpg

• Aaron Holmes (transfer – Santa Fe CC) – 9.7mpg, 4.1ppg, 2.0rpg

• Solomon Bozeman (transfer – Arkansas Little Rock) – 18.8mpg, 5.1ppg, 1.5apg

• Amu Saaka (transfer – Furman) – 10.5mpg, 2.6ppg, 1.7rpg

• Orane Chin (transfer – Cal State Fullerton) – 18.0mpg, 3.9ppg, 2.9rpg

Losing Kentrell Gransberry, the focal point for this team, is a huge blow. Replacing his rebounding will be the most difficult task. But the other transfers, well, some guys aren't made for the Big East, and Stan Heath cleaned the house. Time will tell if the new recruits are ready; Rivas-Sanchez and Espinosa will get a lot of time in the paint. If Gus Gilchrist can get the waiver of his transfer year, as he would like, he will be the Bulls' inside presence. On the basis of size alone, Teague will get some looks as well. Mike Mercer will be eligible in the second semester and will find time alongside Dominique Jones and point guard Chris Howard. Chris Howard and Jones are real players, and Jesus Verdejo wasn't bad overall.

Freshman Impact: Modest impact. The Bulls lost 5 players who did not have a big impact and brought in at least 2 who should be Big East level players (Mercer, Gilchrist), a JC center, and some power forwards who can compete for time.

Overall: They're getting closer to being a real scare for teams, but they'll take a slight step back without Gransberry, unless one of the freshmen is strong inside defensively… or shoots 3-pointers efficiently. South Florida shot just under 33% last year. They will once again pull up the rear, but not by much.

Coming Soon...

Sunday 7/27/08 Part 2: Seton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, Providence

Tuesday 7/29/08 Part 3: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Marquette, Louisville

Thursday 7/31/08 Part 4: Georgetown, Depaul, Connecticut, Cincinnati

Big East Conference Tournament Stats Since 1980-1981 Season

West Virginia

Appearances

27

Wins

25

Losses

25