Traci Carter announced this week that he’ll be playing college basketball at Marquette, leaving Kevin Ollie with two open scholarships for next year, and painfully few options.
Going into this recruiting season, it was clear that the Huskies would be looking for, at the very least, two big men, a wing, and a ball-handling guard. Ollie landed one big man in Norwalk’s Steve Enoch, but missed out on Jessie Govan (Georgetown), Chance Comanche (Arizona), and Josh Sharma (Stanford), and it’s not looking good for Diamond Stone, who appears to be choosing between Wisconsin and Maryland at the moment. Ollie has been unable to land a wing, whiffing on Derrick Jones (UNLV), Tevin Mack (VCU), and Chris Clarke (Virginia Tech).
The team’s performance this year has demonstrated the need for additional ball-handling guards. While Ollie did sign Jalen Adams, he was unable to secure the services of Isaiah Briscoe (Kentucky), who would have been a likely starter as a freshman.
Ollie is also waiting on Bruce Brown, a 2016 swingman, to attempt to reclassify for 2015. Brown is a legitimate high-major talent, comparable to Mack, Clarke, and Jones, and he’d certainly be worth a scholarship if he’s able to convince the NCAA Clearinghouse to allow him to head to college early.
That being said, as the Huskies now wait on 3-star options like Jahshire Hardnett and Nych Smith, it might be time to consider other alternatives. Rather than recruiting a four-year project who is unlikely to ever be an impact player, it might be a better idea to use these scholarships on graduate transfer players who will be able to contribute right away, and who won’t cost the team recruiting flexibility beyond next season, as they pursue high-profile targets like Mario Kegler, Schnider Herard, and Tyrique Jones.
So far, some names that have come up as possible graduate transfers include:
Four McGlynn, a sharpshooting 6-2 guard from Towson. McGlynn isn’t a ballhandler, but he’d be a great weapon to have, and a real asset at the end of games, hitting 92% from the line this year.
Shonn Miller, a 6-7 forward from Cornell. Miller is forced to transfer because of the Ivy League’s rules against graduate players participating, but was one of the top players in the league this season, averaging 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.
John Brown, a 6-8 forward from High Point University, probably best known for this dunk (or this one). Brown is an explosive, versatile forward who has averaged 18.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks in three years with the Panthers. If the Huskies were to land him, Brown is likely starting at one of the forward spots with Daniel Hamilton.
Damion Lee, a 6-6 swingman from Drexel. Lee has been a monster for the Dragons this year, averaging 21.4 points and 6.1 rebounds on 44% shooting (39% from 3) on the season, with five games of 30 or more points.
[…] While the Huskies have clear needs (and open scholarships), they also must be weary of mortgaging future recruiting flexibility to fill short term needs. If Ollie can land Brown or Stone, great. If not, he should make a hard run at fifth-year seniors – one-year options that can help the team but leave room for any 2016 recruits. For a list of some interesting fifth-year candidates, read this article by Peter. […]