Monday morning notes (JUCO guard Macari Brooks to visit UNT)

[Harry]

The late singing period in basketball begins this week, when UNT will have yet another visitor to campus.

Macari Brooks, a highly regarded shooting guard from Blinn College, will visit Denton. Brooks posted on his Twitter account this morning that he can’t wait for his visit to the school to begin.

We wrote about Brooks not too long ago on the blog.

UNT has churned its roster quite a bit in the off-season. Kelvin Gaines decided to pursue a professional career, while Keith Coleman is also no longer on the roster.

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/04/14748.html/

[Harry]

[Harry]

[Harry]

[Harry]

[Harry]

[Harry]

[NT03]

I like this guy

[cogido]

Does he "sing" as well as the rest of our guys ?

[oldguystudent]

Macari Brooks, Mohammed Ahmed, Nouhoum Bocoum. Juco, juco, juco.

What does that mean, if anything, in basketball?

[bstnsportsfan3]

Macari Brooks, Mohammed Ahmed, Nouhoum Bocoum. Juco, juco, juco.

What does that mean, if anything, in basketball?

To me, it means Benford is trying to save his job, and is willing to sacrifice the future of the program to do so.

[forevereagle]

To me, it means Benford is trying to save his job, and is willing to sacrifice the future of the program to do so.

Not sure that the JUCO route is as damaging to basketball as it is football in the long term. It looks like we are looking for a quick fix over developing players, but given our lack of ability to get HS players on campus and playing, I don't know how we would fill the roster otherwise. I don't know enough about the players we are getting to tell you if it will work.

[BillySee58]

To me, it means Benford is trying to save his job, and is willing to sacrifice the future of the program to do so.

So many of the good high school players in the state and across the country sign during the early signing period that there just isn't much left. And a lot of the kids who don't sign in the fall are often kids choosing between schools like Kentucky, Kansas, and Syracuse, and are just waiting to pick until after the season to see who declares for the NBA.

So it's sort of a combination of things. 1. He needs to win now 2. He got his butt whooped this recruiting cycle trying to land the high school kids he wanted, save for Jeremy Combs 3. The high school kids left are either out of his reach or projects who would be risks because they may never develop and would take some time even if they were to develop.

I'm sure he has/will continue to kick the tires on high school kids left, but those factors I listed above make JUCO prospects much more likely.

[UNT90]

Benford is hoping to get players that are already developed because he knows he doesn't have the ability to do so himself.

[THOR]

i think jucos make sense for this year due to so many graduating next year...now next year, he better get high school players in that can play and that he can develop...don't need jucos next year...

[TheTastyGreek]

The difference between a JUCO or a High School recruit at this stage of the game is that a JUCO recruit will only have one year left if Benford gets fired next year, rather than three. It gives a new coach a shorter window of time to turn over the roster without screwing people out of an education.

If Benford is signing guys, our best case scenario for the future is JUCOs. We'll need the next coach to be someone already out on the trail, ready and able to bring in talent IMMEDIATELY. But, this shortens the turnaround period when the firing inevitably happens.

Since we're apparently going to let Benford restock us next year... The more JUCOs, the better, until he's gone.

[oldguystudent]

when the firing inevitably happens.

I did not know you were a religious man. Your display of faith is phenomenal.

[NT03]

Not sure what this means, but Brooks went back and deleted the tweet that said he was visiting...

[UNT90]

Damn you, GMG.com!!!

[Andrew]

Not sure what this means, but Brooks went back and deleted the tweet that said he was visiting...

Would you rather have him or a big lie that Bacoom (spelling?) kid.

[NT03]

Would you rather have him or a big lie that Bacoom (spelling?) kid.

I'll take the recruit that has a skill set over one who just offers size. I don't see the kid from PJC being an improvement over Gaines or Coleman nor has the staff proven to be able to develop a big

I think you can win in this league without having a dominant big man. In fact the best one is transferring out, Obi. Give me the 5 best athletes out on the court ( any combo of Jones,Brooks,Jordan,Aniefiok,Wesley,Combs,Voss,Ahmed)

Benford has stressed a up tempo offense, I don't see how a nearly 300 lb big man fits into that

Just my HSO

[buff64]

UNT has chosen to follow DII basketball , recruit nothing but Juco players and well traveled transfers . Will never develop a consistent winning program until they take the time and effort to coach high school recruits into college players . The truth is that even Mitchell did not help the program to any large extent.

[UNT90]

Benford has stressed a up tempo offense, I don't see how a nearly 300 lb big man fits into that

Just my HSO

Looks like a Coleman clone.

[Andrew]

I'll take the recruit that has a skill set over one who just offers size. I don't see the kid from PJC being an improvement over Gaines or Coleman nor has the staff proven to be able to develop a big

I think you can win in this league without having a dominant big man. In fact the best one is transferring out, Obi. Give me the 5 best athletes out on the court ( any combo of Jones,Brooks,Jordan,Aniefiok,Wesley,Combs,Voss,Ahmed)

Benford has stressed a up tempo offense, I don't see how a nearly 300 lb big man fits into that

Just my HSO

That sounds great to me. I rather have brooks as well.