Rivals.com weighs in with the opinion that WSU point guard signee Kenny Manigault is the top recruit in the Valley.

WSU coach Gregg Marshall on his new players:

• Manigault (6-4, Pinewood (S.C.) Prep) – “Kenny is a strong, physical and athletic point guard that is pass-first. He has great reach and jumping ability and can touch the top of the square on the backboard.”
• Jerome Hamilton (6-7, Worth County (Ga.) – He gets out in transition and is strong. He’s also a ball-getter in the mold of Ramon Clemente, and is a tremendous athlete that likes to dunk it.”

For the women, guard Jessica Diamond (5-foot-7), center Jazimen Gordon (6-2), small forward Michelle Price (6-1) and forward Chynna Turner (6-0) are officially Shockers.

Coach Jody Adams on her new players:

• Diamond (Houston Nimitz) – “Her mid-range game is among the best I’ve seen and that’s a lost art in the game of women’s basketball. She has three-point range and has the ability to run the point, so she is extremely versatile.”
• Gordon (West Memphis, Ark.) – “Her ability to play around the rim is something that really excites you as a coach. To have that type of athleticism around your basket for second shots and to board the ball on the defensive end is something that will help us immediately.”
• Price (Kingwood, Texas) – “She has range, and is great with her back to the basket. Michelle is extremely explosive and could have as many offensive boards as she does defensive boards.”
• Turner (Eisenhower, Houston, Texas) – “She can score from three-point range, and with her back to the basket. Chynna has a really nice high shot, and can flex from the four to the three which can give us really good size on the fringe at this level.”

Don’t expect news out of the volleyball camp. Coach Chris Lamb, as usual, is going to play it quietly with his recruits, some of whom will be scholarship players and some walk-ons. Nebraska setter Chelsey Feekin is one player expected to sign during this week. Some of these newcomers may be what is known as “preferred” walk-ons, where they redshirt next fall and earn a scholarship the following year. If you look at WSU’s roster – two seniors and seven juniors – it is easy to figure Lamb has little money this year and much more to give out in the the future.

Here’s a volleyball update from Eagle prep writer Joanna Chadwick: All-Metro pick Brianna Kaiser of Valley Center is on board. So is Haley Dotson of Andover and libero Lindsey Engel of Andale.

Volleyball, I have learned today, is a sport where some secrecy about signings is sometimes part of the routine. I guess there are several reasons for keeping walk-ons and scholarships (volleyball teams are allowed 12 full rides) private. One could be for competitive reasons. Alerting other recruiters to whom is walking on may make that player a target of a school with a scholarship to spare. The difference between volleyball and other sports, such as basketball, would be that walk-ons are necessary to field a team in volleyball. In basketball (with 15 scholarships for women and 13 for men), walk-ons are not as important.

I think. Now you know what I know about volleyball recruiting. These are the things that become important when the team is ranked 11th nationally.

This is way more time devoted to volleyball recruiting than I ever thought possible. If we hear of more, and I think there are more out there, we will pass it on. I can’t promise much more than that. Lamb cannot talk about walk-ons. If he is hesitant to identify scholarship players from walk-ons, WSU won’t issue a release and he won’t talk about any of them.

I think.

Softball: Sammie Shook of Derby signed today.

Around the MVC:

• Brandon Sampay played well for Illinois State in Tuesday’s exhibition victory. The Redbirds stand a much better chance of contending if Sampay is healthy and in shape. Osiris Eldridge and Champ Oguchi also scored big.
• SIU opened with a win over Division II California (Pa.) The Salukis play UMass tonight at SIU Arena.
• Creighton sophomore Kenton Walker plays better than he practices.
• Our Hungarian correspondent (more accurately our Wichitan who knows Hungarian) reports that former Shocker P.J. Couisnard continues to play well for Soproni. He scored 24 in a recent victory. Former Wichita South and Kansas State player Manny Dies recently joined the roster.

Wednesday, I sat in on the meeting, which took place 15 minutes before practice. Kemnitz gathers his flock with the signal words “flow, flow, flow, flow, flow,” which is Kemnitz speak for talk, chatter, babble, whatever. The pitchers meet in the Eck Stadium team room.

• They arranged the schedule for the next few days. Anthony Capra, recovering from an appendectomy Saturday, will throw a “legit” bullpen Thursday in Long Beach. If he doesn’t throw Sunday against the Dirtbags, Tim Kelley is on. Some pitchers are to throw in Wednesday’s scrimmage, mostly those who did not throw or throw much in the first three games. Those who didn’t throw in games are expected to take the scrimmages seriously. It is their chance to make an impression.
• Each pitcher gives a status report on his arm. Everybody, if I remember correctly, reports “sweet” except for freshman Cameron Maldonado. The right-hander is on the shelf with a shoulder impingement. Kemnitz does not expect the injury to sideline him for long.
• Kemnitz hands out duties for the scrimmage. Senior Andy Womack gets the soft drink run to Sonic.
• Kemnitz gives the staff around a B-plus for its first three games. The Shockers have a 1.00 ERA and allowed seven runs, so that seems reasonable. Two pitchers who struggled – senior Khol Nanney and sophomore Clint McKeever – discuss their issues. Nanney rushed his pitches in his relief outing against Fordham. He threw two wild ones that let in two runs. WSU’s defense let McKeever down, but then he added to his own problems against Emporia State by giving up two two-out hits and a two-out walk. McKeever realized he tried to throw too hard when he got in a jam. Kemnitz tells him to “muscle down” instead of “muscling up” to preserve the heavy sink on his ball. When McKeever throws too hard, his ball flattens out and hitters prosper.
• The weekend rotation will be Rob Musgrave, Aaron Shafer and TBA.
• Junior Logan Hoch got the pitchers out of running with baseball advice on savvy. “Savvy” means knowing the game, and knowing what you don’t know about the game. Hoch’s advice is to pick the brains of the older players. Kemnitz liked it, and absolved the staff of burnouts.