I know it might not be on the minds yet with the WCC coming around the corner but the '10 class is a huge one for us. Grier has been here a couple of years and had the opportunity to get in on these kids when they were still young and it looks like he has. Casey James has been a verbal to us for a long time and the guy I am probably most excited about it a teammate of his, Kevin Panzer. 6'8 power forward who scout says we have offered. Here is what ESPN says about him....
September, 2008: Panzor had an up-and-down summer, but at this event (2008 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic) he displayed all the skills and upside that make him such an intriguing prospect for the next level. At his size there may not be another 4-man around the country that can shoot like him. His release is textbook and he has range out to 23 feet. He is very good at spotting up for his shot and he is far from selfish. In addition to his prolific shooting stroke, he is quite bouncy around the rim as he had a number of outstanding finishes around the basket. He still needs to get stronger and much tougher around the basket, but he still has two years left before he reaches the next level. He is an excellent passer, especially in the half-court set, but his ballhandling is shaky when defenders get into him. Panzor should be an excellent fit in a motion style offense where he could come off of screens and shoot or he could be lethal in a pick-n-pop situation.
Another Big to keep an eye on is Dennis Kramer out of La Costa Canyon. 6'9 and ESPN has him rated as a 93, making him one of the top Big's in the country. Sounds like exactly the kind of player we wanna keep close to home.
October, 2007: Kramer possesses a great frame and has overall nice length for the "five" at the next level. He has long arms, soft hands, and ever-improving footwork in the paint area. He isn't overly bouncy, but he's quick enough around the basket to convert over most bigs. He runs fairly smooth in transition and has the ability to hit the pull-up in transition although that part of his game is in its infantile stage. On the other hand, in the half-court set he can step out and hit the mid-range shot at the elbow with regularity. His stroke is smooth and his release is tight. Despite his ideal size and overall length, Kramer has to get stronger and considerably tougher to make an immediate impact at the Division I level. He gets pushed around too easily against high-level competition and needs to much more assertive and aggressive when it comes to rebounding and finishing at the rim.
November, 2007: Kramer is one of the more promising bigs in the class of 2010. He has a lengthy frame that oozes potential. He is a solid athlete who runs well and is fairly quick off of his feet despite his under-developed body. Although he's physically weak at this point, his overall length (long arms) allows him to be an effective rebounder and finisher. He has a great pair of hands and a solid drop step move to the basket. In addition, he has soft touch that extends out to about 15 feet. Overall, Kramer has an outstanding upside and once he fills in that impressive frame and become more assertive, he has the potential to play at the high-major level.
Another 93 ranked player we are in on is Jordin Mayes a guard out of Westchester in LA. Obviously some stiff competition on him.
February, 2009: Mayes is one of the smoothest players on the west coast. His game is effortless and his skills are outstanding. His jump shot has a feathery touch out to the stripe and he is always on balance. He isn't the quickest or the fastest at his position, but he has a knack of breaking down opponents and finding the open man. His passing is high-level as well as his overall feel for the game. In addition to his skills and savvy, he has a tremendous demeanor about him. He never gets rattled under pressure and he possesses great leadership ability.
Other players to keep an eye on are Anthony Brown for Oceanciew (may be a stretch), Terrel Slogin from Arizona who we were in on real early, Aaron Bright from Bellevue Wa, Terrence Ingram from Hoover (teammate of Chol), and Ben Vozzola from Vegas.
These are all pretty big time players and whether we will be there in the end should be fun to watch. I don't think we can really judge Grier or his ability to recruit until he had some time to start recruiting a player young like everyone else and build a relationship with the player and their families. Looks like he is off to a good start for 2010 with all these guys showing USD coming at them
