It looks like EMU has 7 scholarship players next year so there are 6 open scholarships. Murphy needs to bring in a slew of recruits to have a chance at being considered competitive. Getting legit high school seniors is not likely considering the instability of the head coach's future. A few JUCO's? Perhaps. A grad transfer or two? More likely.

Combine a depleted and patched-together roster with the inflexibility of Murphy's system and the reality is that next year looks to be a sub-10 win season. Good luck selling tickets and good luck building any energy in the program.

Next Feb or March we'll likely see the change we all know is necessary - a new coach. The new guy will come in and likely have 6-8 open scholarships and a short recruiting period to work with. Hopefully that class will be loaded with good HS players. 2020-21 will also likely be a poor season but at least we'll be able to see something new and, hopefully, a program on the rise. We'll all need to be patient with the new coach as he'll basically be building a program from scratch.

If all goes well then we might be back to being reasonably competitive by 2021-22.

Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

I can appreciate what everyone is saying (and everyone is saying pretty much the same thing in different words).

It does appear that say 1/2 of the 2019 - 20 team will be new.

What I'd suggest is folks sit back, enjoy March Madness (there are some GREAT matchups this year. Maybe Duke/MSU? Maybe UofM/UBuffalo? Maybe Murray State/?, etc.). The MAC women are still playing. CMU vs. MSU today. UBuffalo women play UConn tomorrow.

I'd sit back, relax, enjoy whatever and WAIT for the roster to fill out. Murphy has a tendency to get decent recruits in April, May and June. The July roster of kids in school looks very different than the one in March.

As for myself, I refuse to even thing of next year's lineup until I have a feel for say at least 11 of the players.

I can honestly see us going back to the clock-draining pace from Murphy's first year in order to be competitive. A lot will depend on what kind of players we bring in. Would be nice to hit a home run on a JUCO or grad transfer, but I'm expecting it to be the McAdoo/Groce/Toure Show. Pretty obvious that we DESPERATELY need a point guard, because I don't think Ellison is starting material and Damari Parris wasn't impressive when given minutes. Expect a JUCO there.

My expectations are minimal for next season, even with so much attrition throughout the rest of the conference. I don't think we will be as bad as WMU was this year, but I think 7 MAC wins is probably our ceiling. The zone keeps our floor pretty high, especially if we slow our pace down, but I still don't see it ending in any other way than Murphy not being retained...which is why it's so stupid to not buy him out now and get the rebuilding process started sooner.

(03-23-2019 10:32 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  I can honestly see us going back to the clock-draining pace from Murphy's first year in order to be competitive. A lot will depend on what kind of players we bring in. Would be nice to hit a home run on a JUCO or grad transfer, but I'm expecting it to be the McAdoo/Groce/Toure Show. Pretty obvious that we DESPERATELY need a point guard, because I don't think Ellison is starting material and Damari Parris wasn't impressive when given minutes. Expect a JUCO there.

My expectations are minimal for next season, even with so much attrition throughout the rest of the conference. I don't think we will be as bad as WMU was this year, but I think 7 MAC wins is probably our ceiling. The zone keeps our floor pretty high, especially if we slow our pace down, but I still don't see it ending in any other way than Murphy not being retained...which is why it's so stupid to not buy him out now and get the rebuilding process started sooner.

I don't think Parris got a fair chance to play fair minutes. Murphy handed the job to Jackson for up to 40 minutes per game.

This is a case where I'd disregard this season for Parris as he didn't get a chance to play meaningful minutes (I mean 10 minutes at a time not 3 or 4 or 2.) He has a good resume and can play, but needs a fair opportunity.

Classic example of "Player B was stuck behind Player A and was unable to develop his game when given a few minutes of playing time..."

I wish we could get back to the days where EMU recruited HS kids with a few JUCOs sprinkled in. I'd especially like to see kids from within 3 hours of EMU. Ramsey did the same as Murphy when he got desperate, just go for the quick fix.

(03-23-2019 10:32 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  I can honestly see us going back to the clock-draining pace from Murphy's first year in order to be competitive. A lot will depend on what kind of players we bring in. Would be nice to hit a home run on a JUCO or grad transfer, but I'm expecting it to be the McAdoo/Groce/Toure Show. Pretty obvious that we DESPERATELY need a point guard, because I don't think Ellison is starting material and Damari Parris wasn't impressive when given minutes. Expect a JUCO there.

My expectations are minimal for next season, even with so much attrition throughout the rest of the conference. I don't think we will be as bad as WMU was this year, but I think 7 MAC wins is probably our ceiling. The zone keeps our floor pretty high, especially if we slow our pace down, but I still don't see it ending in any other way than Murphy not being retained...which is why it's so stupid to not buy him out now and get the rebuilding process started sooner.

Parris played in 12 OOC games and averaged 20 minutes a night before the first Buffalo matchup. He was glued to the bench in MAC play, but he was definitely given plenty of opportunities to show that he belonged in the rotation, and I just didn't see it at all. I hope he proves me wrong, but if we are relying on him and Ellison to be our point guards, it's going to get ugly.

(03-23-2019 11:16 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  I wish we could get back to the days where EMU recruited HS kids with a few JUCOs sprinkled in. I'd especially like to see kids from kids from within 3 hours of EMU. Ramsey did the same as Murphy when he got desperate, just go for the quick fix.

We are only two years removed from the Ellison and McAdoo class, plus Groce in a unique transfer situation. All three guys played in Metro Detroit, and we are dreading the upcoming season where those guys will be focal points.

I'm all about recruiting the best 4-year players we can, but Michigan might not be the best place for it. Two of Murphy's three best (and only) 4-year recruits came from out of state, where there is less of the "EMU-stigma" that almost certainly haunts us when recruiting against the other mid majors in Michigan.

And I definitely wouldn't mind less JUCO's either, but that's probably Murphy's only chance to save his job, so we will see several in this class.

(03-23-2019 11:25 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 11:16 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  I wish we could get back to the days where EMU recruited HS kids with a few JUCOs sprinkled in. I'd especially like to see kids from kids from within 3 hours of EMU. Ramsey did the same as Murphy when he got desperate, just go for the quick fix.

We are only two years removed from the Ellison and McAdoo class, plus Groce in a unique transfer situation. All three guys played in Metro Detroit, and we are dreading the upcoming season where those guys will be focal points.

I'm all about recruiting the best 4-year players we can, but Michigan might not be the best place for it. Two of Murphy's three best (and only) 4-year recruits came from out of state, where there is less of the "EMU-stigma" that almost certainly haunts us when recruiting against the other mid majors in Michigan.

And I definitely wouldn't mind less JUCO's either, but that's probably Murphy's only chance to save his job, so we will see several in this class.

I was always a 'compare and contrast' kind of guy... Lot of times analogies really show things...

We have MORE MI h.s. players on our MBB then on our WBB (hint: WBB had NONE this year). https://emueagles.com/roster.aspx?path=wbball

We also have trouble recruiting MI in FB.

Why? I don't want to spawn another thread with scores of posts trying to explain why EMU hasn't been successful recruiting MI in decades (going back to the 90s with Tolbert, Wilson, Dial, Head, etc.).

That said, I think the old axiom about recruiting within say 150 miles of your campus, follow the recruit in 10th and 11th grade, offer in the 11th and sign him in Nov. of his 12th grade doesn't seem to hold for mid-majors (it does for high majors).

Recruiting and building a team is so different then it was 20 or 25 years ago. Kids transferring from D-I to JUCO and be re-recruited. Grad eligible transfers. None of that happened 25 years ago.

Bottom line: MBB, WBB and FB build their rosters with a preponderance of non-MI 4 year high school grads.

That's the way it is...

(03-23-2019 10:03 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  It looks like EMU has 7 scholarship players next year so there are 6 open scholarships. Murphy needs to bring in a slew of recruits to have a chance at being considered competitive. Getting legit high school seniors is not likely considering the instability of the head coach's future. A few JUCO's? Perhaps. A grad transfer or two? More likely.

Combine a depleted and patched-together roster with the inflexibility of Murphy's system and the reality is that next year looks to be a sub-10 win season. Good luck selling tickets and good luck building any energy in the program.

Next Feb or March we'll likely see the change we all know is necessary - a new coach. The new guy will come in and likely have 6-8 open scholarships and a short recruiting period to work with. Hopefully that class will be loaded with good HS players. 2020-21 will also likely be a poor season but at least we'll be able to see something new and, hopefully, a program on the rise. We'll all need to be patient with the new coach as he'll basically be building a program from scratch.

If all goes well then we might be back to being reasonably competitive by 2021-22.

Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Agree completely Nickle -- we are simpatico.

Let's look at our current roster, keeping in mind that this could change any minute:
-Jorden Peterson
-Malik Ellison
-Boubacar Toure
-Bud Jones
-Kevin McAdoo
-Damari Parris
-Jalen King
-Ty Groce
-Derek Ballard

How many of these are scholarship guys?
-Ellison, Toure, McAdoo, Parris, and Groce seem certain.

Do any of Peterson, Jones, King, or Ballard have scholarships that you all are aware of?

(03-23-2019 11:39 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 11:25 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 11:16 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  I wish we could get back to the days where EMU recruited HS kids with a few JUCOs sprinkled in. I'd especially like to see kids from kids from within 3 hours of EMU. Ramsey did the same as Murphy when he got desperate, just go for the quick fix.

We are only two years removed from the Ellison and McAdoo class, plus Groce in a unique transfer situation. All three guys played in Metro Detroit, and we are dreading the upcoming season where those guys will be focal points.

I'm all about recruiting the best 4-year players we can, but Michigan might not be the best place for it. Two of Murphy's three best (and only) 4-year recruits came from out of state, where there is less of the "EMU-stigma" that almost certainly haunts us when recruiting against the other mid majors in Michigan.

And I definitely wouldn't mind less JUCO's either, but that's probably Murphy's only chance to save his job, so we will see several in this class.

I was always a 'compare and contrast' kind of guy... Lot of times analogies really show things...

We have MORE MI h.s. players on our MBB then on our WBB (hint: WBB had NONE this year). https://emueagles.com/roster.aspx?path=wbball

We also have trouble recruiting MI in FB.

Why? I don't want to spawn another thread with scores of posts trying to explain why EMU hasn't been successful recruiting MI in decades (going back to the 90s with Tolbert, Wilson, Dial, Head, etc.).

That said, I think the old axiom about recruiting within say 150 miles of your campus, follow the recruit in 10th and 11th grade, offer in the 11th and sign him in Nov. of his 12th grade doesn't seem to hold for mid-majors (it does for high majors).

Recruiting and building a team is so different then it was 20 or 25 years ago. Kids transferring from D-I to JUCO and be re-recruited. Grad eligible transfers. None of that happened 25 years ago.

Bottom line: MBB, WBB and FB build their rosters with a preponderance of non-MI 4 year high school grads.

That's the way it is...

Note that I didn't say MI kids, I said kids within 3 hours of EMU. That means OH and IN too.

Why couldn't Eastern have the foresight to hire Nate Oats when he was just down Michigan Ave at Romulus? Imagine how things would be different at EMU. The one that got away.

(03-23-2019 10:32 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  Whpy couldn't Eastern have the foresight to hire Nate Oats when he was just down Michigan Ave at Romulus? Imagine how things would be different at EMU. The one that got away.

There's a guy at Ferris State who will have a similar impact when he gets an opportunity. Hopefully it will be here.

(03-23-2019 12:59 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 10:03 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  It looks like EMU has 7 scholarship players next year so there are 6 open scholarships. Murphy needs to bring in a slew of recruits to have a chance at being considered competitive. Getting legit high school seniors is not likely considering the instability of the head coach's future. A few JUCO's? Perhaps. A grad transfer or two? More likely.

Combine a depleted and patched-together roster with the inflexibility of Murphy's system and the reality is that next year looks to be a sub-10 win season. Good luck selling tickets and good luck building any energy in the program.

Next Feb or March we'll likely see the change we all know is necessary - a new coach. The new guy will come in and likely have 6-8 open scholarships and a short recruiting period to work with. Hopefully that class will be loaded with good HS players. 2020-21 will also likely be a poor season but at least we'll be able to see something new and, hopefully, a program on the rise. We'll all need to be patient with the new coach as he'll basically be building a program from scratch.

If all goes well then we might be back to being reasonably competitive by 2021-22.

Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Agree completely Nickle -- we are simpatico.

Let's look at our current roster, keeping in mind that this could change any minute:
-Jorden Peterson
-Malik Ellison
-Boubacar Toure
-Bud Jones
-Kevin McAdoo
-Damari Parris
-Jalen King
-Ty Groce
-Derek Ballard

How many of these are scholarship guys?
-Ellison, Toure, McAdoo, Parris, and Groce seem certain.

Do any of Peterson, Jones, King, or Ballard have scholarships that you all are aware of?

Jones and King were scholarship past year

(03-24-2019 11:21 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 12:59 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(03-23-2019 10:03 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  It looks like EMU has 7 scholarship players next year so there are 6 open scholarships. Murphy needs to bring in a slew of recruits to have a chance at being considered competitive. Getting legit high school seniors is not likely considering the instability of the head coach's future. A few JUCO's? Perhaps. A grad transfer or two? More likely.

Combine a depleted and patched-together roster with the inflexibility of Murphy's system and the reality is that next year looks to be a sub-10 win season. Good luck selling tickets and good luck building any energy in the program.

Next Feb or March we'll likely see the change we all know is necessary - a new coach. The new guy will come in and likely have 6-8 open scholarships and a short recruiting period to work with. Hopefully that class will be loaded with good HS players. 2020-21 will also likely be a poor season but at least we'll be able to see something new and, hopefully, a program on the rise. We'll all need to be patient with the new coach as he'll basically be building a program from scratch.

If all goes well then we might be back to being reasonably competitive by 2021-22.

Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Agree completely Nickle -- we are simpatico.

Let's look at our current roster, keeping in mind that this could change any minute:
-Jorden Peterson
-Malik Ellison
-Boubacar Toure
-Bud Jones
-Kevin McAdoo
-Damari Parris
-Jalen King
-Ty Groce
-Derek Ballard

How many of these are scholarship guys?
-Ellison, Toure, McAdoo, Parris, and Groce seem certain.

Do any of Peterson, Jones, King, or Ballard have scholarships that you all are aware of?

Jones and King were scholarship past year

Thank you sir.

That means we have 6 scholarships to work with to get to 13, and that’s if we believe that all seven who currently have scholarships will return. That seems unlikely.

I see a scenario where Jones, King, Ellison, and Parris are given firm handshakes goodbye, giving the staff 10 slots to work with.

If your Wetherbee you gotta fire him in the next two weeks.

Hire Bronkema or a Mississippi State coach and let's move on.

Believe there is national hoops convention coming up soon

(03-24-2019 03:29 PM)emu79 Wrote:  Believe there is national hoops convention coming up soon

At the Final Four. It is the coaches' convention.

How much does each MAC team earn for each round Buffalo progresses? Wonder if that figure in Buy-out Options?

(03-24-2019 03:45 PM)emu79 Wrote:  How much does each MAC team earn for each round Buffalo progresses? Wonder if that figure in Buy-out Options?

Maybe Beilein will reach into his deep pockets and pay it off for us. Then his son can have the job.

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