Before we get into Valley recruiting, former WSU assistant Tad Boyle’s Northern Colorado team plays at Oregon on Friday, where he and Mark Turgeon once worked together. There’s not much doubt Boyle is remembered fondly around here as a great guy and a key member of the staff that revitalized Shocker basketball.
I don’t blame former WSU AD Jim Schaus for not giving Boyle much of a look when Turgeon left in 2007. WSU needed and deserved somebody with head coaching experience. Scott Sutton and Gregg Marshall own better resumes. However, I remember thinking during those hectic days that while Boyle might not be on a three- or five-man list of candidates, it wouldn’t take me long after that to get to his name as the best choice. I think he could have been successful at WSU, surrounded by the right assistants to help with recruiting. I think assistants – well-paid, well-connected and hard-working assistants – are more crucial than I previously thought. They get you in the door with the right players. Look at WSU’s current coaches and their experience and connections.
Here’s another blast from the past. This goes back to the 1980s, when Xavier McDaniel and Aubrey Sherrod wore MTXE on their short shorts.
- Illinois State needs Chicago talent and here is a start.
- Missouri State lands two from St. Louis.
- Bradley signed two big men. The Braves also received good news about forward Jeff Wilkins, who may be eligible in December.
- Here’s a baseball player who got away from the Shockers.
- Enid (Okla.) pitcher Tobin Mateychick signed with WSU on Wednesday. Pro ball is definitely an option, as he makes clear in the story. He also mentions that Oklahoma State made a recruiting pitch this week. Unlike Arkansan Matt Vinson, Mateychick stuck with the Shockers. I can see some gray areas in the oral-commitment business, but in general there should be some honor among coaches. Isn’t recruiting and coaching tough enough without your peers poaching on your hard work? And if you’re slobbering after athletes who committed elsewhere, aren’t you admitting your past poor evaluation and recruiting?
Here’s a name to keep an eye on for the spring recruiting season. Arkansas-Fort Smith forward Jenniro Bush visited WSU this fall. He will not sign this week. Coach Josh Newman said Bush is going to wait until the spring as he evaluates his options, WSU among them.
“They’ve done a great job recruiting him,” Newman said. “They’re still involved.”
Bush was a big scorer in high school in Mississippi and committed to Arkansas at one point. Newman said he can play both guard spots and small forward. Competition for Bush figures to be tough – Newman said he has inquiries (but not offers) from schools such as Memphis and Arizona.
Arkansas-Fort Smith is in its last season as a junior college. Next year, they play as a member of NCAA Division II as a four-year school. Players have the option of staying or moving on.