Rivals - generic 3 star (doesn’t surprise me)
Scout - 3 star/#52 overall for 2018
ESPN - NR
247 - 3 star/#70 overall for 2018
Future 150 - #6 overall for 2018
Offers - appears to hold offers from IU, Butler, Xavier, Cincinnati, Purdue
Exactly one 247 prediction…to MSU
My take on appropriate ranking - think Easley is a top 30-60 type player. So much time to develop though, so who knows how it shakes out for the next 2 years. Think Scout is about right in terms of ranking…Easley probably not athletic enough to warrant a top 25 ranking, but he’s certainly not a generic 3 star by any means. I like Easley more than Brandon Johns for 18 (who I think is overrated by most sites).
Speaking personally, THIS is the exact type of thing I look for/want to hear about. So tired of getting beat for 50/50 balls and low motor/effort plays…really irks me
Easley visited OSU last week for their victory over Iowa, MSU was in to watch him a few weeks back and in January, visited Louisville in early Feb…kid is definitely going to garner some interest from powerhouse schools
Was able to find this hidden gem of film - Easley going one on one vs Paul Scruggs as a freshman. Man, Easley looks like a grown man as a freshman…the talent is clearly there. Obviously will have to tighten up the handle, but for a 6’7 freshman, his change of direction looks nice and fluid.
Easley plays in one of the toughest basketball leagues in the midwest too.
Stu, Ryan Cline, Eric Gordon, Jeremy Hollowell, Chris Thomas, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Steven VanTreese, Chris Hill…all kinds of players come out of the MIC.
His coach has won almost 750 games and has sent players to Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Coach K, Izzo, Pitino etc.
Declaring any sophomore in high school a must get is a bit premature. He is the type of player we need to get back to high level of play. But lots of programs are going to be after him. It’s not like he’s from Ann Arbor and grew up a diehard Michigan fan. That kind of kid would be a must get. If we are his leader or end of his leader, then that kind of statement makes sense to me.
If you want make final fours he is a must get. I don’t care who his leader is and where he is from. Go get him. Him being young also has nothing to do with it. He is a talent
Recruiting starts earlier and earlier in football and basketball.
Why put him at the top then? Why not say the top 10 players are all must gets?
There is plenty of time for him and other players in that class to develop. If he commits to Indiana next week, is the 2018 class considered a failure? That’s what I would say if he was a must get. But It’s a year and half til his signing day. It’s a bit silly to act like if we don’t get him, it’s over.
Maybe we just have different ideas of what a “must get” is. I think he’s a must get type of talent. But he himself is not the must based on current context.
Arguing semantics here. With respect, if the only “must-gets” are kids from Ann Arbor who grew up loving Michigan then there’s no hope for this program. I don’t think Easley (or any single player) is a “must-get” but I do think that Michigan “must get” a player of his talent level in most cycles to be competitive. If every midwestern recruit of that level has a MSU offer, then so be it – gotta beat them once in a while in a recruiting battle if we’re ever going to beat them on the basketball court again.
General speculative question: does anyone know to what extent Izzo and his staff use negative recruiting against Michigan and has anyone heard what, if anything, he tells guys about M’s program? It just seems that guys being recruited by MSU are often portrayed as having little interest in M and – aside from traditional post players who can be forgiven for having zero desire to come here – I just don’t understand why that would be.
Um really?? You can’t understand why? It’s called a final four about every 3 years. That’s exposure. Also this crap about Izzo not developing players and JB does is such a Michigan fan myth. How have our players fared in the NBA?? Not well
NBA is big physical athletes that must play defense or they are shipped off. Wonder which program develops that??
I think we’re on the same page. I am just interested in Izzo’s angle on negative recruiting vs Michigan. Izzo doesn’t have a great reputation for getting guys quickly into the NBA and yet he has recently upped his game landing potential one-and-dones. For M’s part, I sometimes wonder if JB points this stuff out to recruits or considers it to be unsporting.
Honestly WB every program negatively recruits but Izzo probably just sticks to pointing to the rafters. If I was MSU I would point out how soft Michigan plays then ask the recruit if he is tough.