2005 Recruits`

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Charger 13, we can not win D1 games with D2 talent. Its as simple as that and thats no reflection on Austin Hansen. He was a great player, but if we want to take our program to a new level we need better talent, plain and simple.  

I am not so sure the NCC and even the SDSU has been D1 and maybe we are being a bit braggy. I think when SDSU and NCC teams have made it to the Elite 8, we can hardly claim dominance. Often NCC and SDSU have been eliminated in first and second rounds. So in our own minds our local talent may be over rated.

[jack100]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Charger 13, we can not win D1 games with D2 talent. Its as simple as that and thats no reflection on Austin Hansen. He was a great player, but if we want to take our program to a new level we need better talent, plain and simple.

I am not so sure the NCC and even the SDSU has been D1 and maybe we are being a bit braggy. I think when SDSU and NCC teams have made it to the Elite 8, we can hardly claim dominance. Often NCC and SDSU have been eliminated in first and second rounds. So in our own minds our local talent may be over rated.

Your reasoning that Austin Hansen was not a great player makes about as much sense as the time you stated the NDSU kicker has a drinking problem because he got drunk on his 21st birthday and got in trouble with the Fargo police.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Jack100:
Dont put words in my mouth. I never said that Austin Hansen was not a good player.  Why is everyone so touchy about this particular athlete?  I say again so you non readers on this board can absorb what I am saying.

I am saying we can't base future recruiting on nostalgia of past legends, ie Austin Hansen.  My favorite of the past Jim Sutton 1955-1957, who did get a tryout with the Boston Celtics. Yes maybe he could have played at D1 level too, but we got to move forward, and not dwell on the past.

I am saying we need to recruit better talent if we want to be competitive at D1.  That means we need more talent than than what Hansen brought to the table when he was a freshman. I dont knock him for his work ethic, its just as a D1 program we need more and better talent.  

The program is going to change a great deal in the next five years and beyond. If we become self satisfied with a losing season, then we dont have to change anything in terms of recruiting. Keep on recruiting Austin Hansen's.

As far as the O Gorman Kid, Begaman, he may not have totally fit into SDSU program in terms of what we need. If he did I tend to believe that an offer would have been  made to him in the early signing season and he would have signed last month.

If SDSU had made an offer why would he turn it down if he telling people that SDSU is his first choice.  Now all of sudden he is going to USD. Why because no offer from Nagy maybe??? ??? ???. That does not make him a lesser player, its just that I believe that there are better choices out there for Nagy to pick from such as the one from Iowa and maybe the Yackley kid from Sully Buttes, Jim Sutton's grand son.

Its not about South Dakota kids anymore, its about finding the best talent who will be happy at SDSU if we are to move forward at the D1 level.  


I think SDhoopsfan who really leans towards USD with fan sentiments was trying to make us feel bad by his report on Begaman. It did not fool me.

[SoDak]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

I would never turn down an Austin Hansen at any level. SDSU has been a DI caliber team for many years becasue of players like Austin Hansen. Sometimes I really don't understand your reasoning SDSUFAN.

I agree

[Jacks99]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

I tend to agree with SDSUFan. I too have dreams of SDSU having a top notch DI team. Austin was a great Jacks DII player. I doubt he would be a great DI player, good DI player likely. He would probably get a look, but as far as future potential, I would have to guess Nagy may have looked past him, not knowing what he could become.

However, I could easily say he would be the best Jacks player this year at his junior/senior year and would likely have two more DI wins. But 4 years down the road it would be nice to have someone with more potential.

If a SD kid has serious DI potential, let's get him. Otherwise Nagy is going to build the best team he can.

Don't shoot down a person for looking to the top. His intention was never to dog Austin.

[SDsportsFan]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

[quote author=SDSUFAN link=board=sdsubb;num=1102006570;start=0#13 date=12/24/04 at 12:37:12]

If SDSU were going to remain in the NCC and D2, I would agree.  If Austin was D1 material, I think he would have been picked up by a D1 team and that did not happen.  If I recall Hansen red shirted one year which means he was not ready to play right out of high school.
quote]

This might be the most ridiculous post I have read yet. Austin certainly had D-I material. There are a lot of D-I teams he was good enough to play for, the fact that he chose us does not mean he wasn't good enough to play at a D-I school. I would give my left nut to have Austin this year. Somebody else already stated it, but I think it deserves repeating. The reason we have been a D-I caliber team the last 10 years is because of players like Austin.
Austin did redshirt coming out of high school, but in case you don't remember we had another D-I caliber point guard running the show already.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

I did not know that Austin Hansen was the topic here so I am not going to respond and will not until we have some more news about 2005 recruits, I believe that is the topic.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

D1 and D2 use the exact same balls, exact same height rims, and exact same three point line. None of that would have changed for Austin and none of it would have effected the way he could absolutely shoot the lights out. Yes, he would have been playing against bigger, stronger, and faster athletes, but he also probably would have gotten more open looks as defenses wouldn't have keyed on stopping him so much. I have to agree that SDSU FAN you are off track here and you started talking about hansen from the beginning. Having Austin Hansen this year would at least have us two more DIVISION 1 wins for sure(Manhatten, SEMO) and possibly Denver, Illinois-Chicago, and Marquette. He could provide what we lack, consistent scoring from the guards, and defense against the perimeter.

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Jackrabbit1979 summed it up pretty good...

"He could provide what we lack, consistent scoring from the guards, and defense against the perimeter."

Not to mention what we seem to be lacking most...A true leader who has proven time and time again he can win games.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

The line between a D1 and D2 player is not as defined as one may think, especially in basketball.

In football, most coaches look for a player's attributes in the big three categories: 1. Speed/Quickness 2. Size 3. Football ability. A D2/D1-AA player is generally lacking in one of the above categories. The rare players like the Steve Heidens and the Adam Timmermans are generally instances of being overlooked. However instances of D2 players transforming themselves into D1 level and professional level athletes happens all the time.

In basketball, the three categories are: 1. Size/height 2. Quickness and 3. Basketball ability (shooting, passing, etc.). The borderline D2/D1 players are generally going to again be lacking in one of the above categories or they wouldn't be available to a school like SDSU (as a D2 institution or a D1 institution at our current level). Unless SDSU gets to a level of recognition like a Gonzaga (which I think is a viable long term goal for SDSU) we're going to be looking at a future where convincing the Joe Krabbenhofts of the world is going to be a difficult task. Even if we reach Gonzaga status it's going to be a difficult task to get a top 50 prep player to ever choose SDSU over a Purdue, etc.

For the most part, I think our future is going to be filled with the majority of our players being somewhere in the middle of the upper D2/lower D1 talent level; or the Austin Hansens of the world. That's not a knock on our program or SDSU as a whole. In fact, that's how most of the country's mid-major D1 programs survive. The thing we have going that many of the mid-major programs don't is a great coach who knows how to win.

Just my opinion.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

I have to agree that Austin Hansen would be a great upgrade from anyone in our guard cohort this year. Nothing against Giever, Hokenson, and Kleinjan, and they've been playing great the last couple of games, but I would be very happy to have an Austin Hansen on the team this year. I think he would fit in that upper D2/lower D1 level and I think his ability and leadership would really have given us a lift.

I can certainly see what SDSUFAN is trying to say. There is a qualitative difference between the better D1 and the top D2 players. It would be nice to think we could someday get those top D1 players, but we just won't. I think MilwaukeeJacks is right that we're going to get upper D2/lower D1 level players, and that's fine with me. I see Holdren as being a good example of that kind of player. Give me a bunch of players at his level, or perhaps slightly better, and Nagy as our coach, and I think we'll be pretty darned good.

[rabbit_tracks]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Bob Blitz, West Lutheran: Blitz had a game nearly as sweet as his name: 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks in a 60-53 victory over Blake in the Holy Family tournament.

Found this bit of information in today's Star Tribune. Hope this is sign of the future for Jackrabbit basketball.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

rabbit tracks:
This is the kind of news about 2005 recruits that would be of interest to me. I thank Ok Rabbit for his agreeable comments, and Milwaukee Jack seemed to have a very good analysis as to what we can expect in the near future in terms of recruits. Even if we do get some D2 players, I tend to believe they will be somewhat more talented than what we had in the past.

If they are very hard workers and coachable as Austin Hansen, we cant go wrong.  Thanks to Steve Emming he mentioned that Austin Hansen was the second highest scorer in SDSU history, so no doubt he would have HAD an impact this year, but we need to remember that Austin no longer has NCAA eligibilty and SECONDLY HEhas been coaching for the past two years. I doubt Austin could step on the court with the same phyical condition and skills that he left us with in the UNK Regional game.  So he is a legend and we have to put him there and cherish the action play that he brought to SDSU fans.  

I never thought Hansen was not a good player, its just  Iwould expect our coaching staff to find players with a little more talent maybe.  I agree with Milwaukee in that we said in that we would have to become a Gonzaga to draw talent.  Who knows that very possible with Nagy in charge. I think we got one of the best basketball minds in the entire NCAA membership. How many other coaches would take the blame for this season as he has done?

I think our coaching staff is  doing a very good job recruiting.  Maybe as I said, Begaman from O Gorman may not have been the complete package for SDSU. I can think of another very loyal SDSU family whose daughter did not get recruited by SDSU. That disappoint some folks, but I think there was a reason in that situation too. Often there are many variables involved and if we expect our coaches to win, then they have to make good and rational choices when it comes to recruiting.

I would suspect that one reason that Coach Nagy hired Troy Larson was because of his network of contacts through out the state of Iowa and maybe Illionois.  I think some doors that are were not open at the D2 and NCC affliation would now be open to SDSU even in this reclassification period.

I liked newsers post over on the football 2005 Recruits thread.

 Good things are happening despite, a 2-10 record thus far for the Men's BB.

[filbert]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Here's where we are, personnel-wise.  My take:  we definitely will continue to take our lumps this year.  We're very young, and not very deep.  We'll be very young next year, too, but will have a lot more depth, and the minutes that Casey, Holdren, Loney, Green, and Beran are racking up this year will be valuable experience going forward.  

Getting players like Cadwell, Gilbert, and Weinig on the court next year will significantly improve our overall athletic ability.  Having two legitimate centers in Engen and Bilitz will improve the post play, even if they're both freshmen.

Next year we'll still be an up-and-down team.  We'll have the athletic ability to beat some teams who are "better" than us, but we'll also still be young enough to lose to some teams we shouldn't.

It's a great time to be a Jackrabbit (alum, fan, player)!

(mpg=minutes per game; ppg=points per game, rpg=rebounds per game)
Recruits
Engen, (6'10" C, 21 ppg, 10 rpg)
Bilitz, (6'10" C, 15.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg)
Yackley (unconfirmed) (6'5" G/F)

Fr
Casey (6'0" G, 14.4mpg, 2.3 ppg, 2.0rpg)
Holdren (6'5" F, 29.3mpg,11.8 ppg, 6.2rpg)
Loney (6'6" F, 22.3 mpg, 9.3 ppg 4.0rpg)

Fr (RS)
Keller (6'2" G)
Cadwell (6'3" G)
Gilbert (6'7'" F)

So
Kleinjan (6'3" G, 14.8 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 0.8rpg)
DeWaard (6'5" G/F, 2.8 mpg, 0.0ppg, 0.3rpg)
Green (6'8" F, 22.1 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 4.4rpg)
Beran (6'7" F, 25.0 mpg, 10.8 ppg, 5.6rpg)

So (RS)
Weinig (6'5" F)

Jr
(nobody)

Sr
Giever (6'2" G, 30.2mpg, 9.7 ppg, 2.4rpg)
Hokensen (6'1" G, 27.5mpg, 6.5 ppg, 2.9rpg)
DeJong (6'11" C, 23.8 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 4.3rpg)

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: 2005 Recruits`

Filbert,
great analysis; thanks for the work.