ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

Kansas and Texas have enjoyed an immense amount of recruiting success over the last few years. Consequently, those recruiting triumphs have also led to a consistent stream of victories on the court for both programs. Kansas coach Bill Self and Texas coach Rick Barnes have established their teams as national powers, with the ability to convince highly-coveted prospects from anywhere in the country to play for their respective programs.

The vast majority of programs in the Big 12 have exerted an enormous amount of effort and spent considerable resources in their attempts to compete with these traditional conference powers on the court as well as on the recruiting trail. These institutions understand that shrewd and skilled recruiting along with intelligent and confident coaching serves as the blueprint for a winning program. As a result, most of these up-and-coming programs have made changes to their coaching staffs in hopes of shortening the distance between them and the likes of Kansas and Texas. As testament to this fact, excluding Self, only one coach (Baylor coach Scott Drew) in the top half of the Big 12 (listed alphabetically) has enjoyed longer than two-year tenure with their respective program.

Here is a peek at the 2008 recruiting hauls for the first half (listed alphabetically) of the Big 12 conference.

Baylor, one commit
Baylor coach Scott Drew appeared well on his way to landing his best recruiting class at Baylor when he received three verbal commitments from two Top 150 forwards as well as another big man with good upside. Now only one prospect, ESPN 150 6-9 SF Anthony Jones (Houston, Texas) remains committed to the Bears.

Fellow ESPN 150 player, 6-8 PF Storm Warren (Monroe, La.), has apparently reneged on his original commitment to Baylor. This latest development comes on the heels of 6-9 SF Ater Mojak, who plays his prep ball in Australia, withdrawing his previous commitment to Baylor two weeks ago.

Drew understood that he had to add interior depth to accompany the perimeter depth that he had assembled, including Preseason All-Big 12 selection Curtis Jerrells. Gaining these three 2008 recruits would have helped the Bears exponentially by providing talented big men to balance with their stable of guards. Baylor currently does not have a great deal of depth on their roster and all of these recruits would have challenged for immediate playing time.

With very slim pickings remaining for interior players in the class of 2008, expect the talented but physically underdeveloped Jones to get significant playing time when he arrives on campus. Jones has good athleticism and quickness for his height and shoots the jumper well for a man of his size. However, he will need to continue to add strength and muscle to his frame and improve his post game for the next level.

Colorado, four commits
Colorado, unable to sustain an extended period of success since the departure of Buffs legend and current Detroit Piston Chauncey Billups, turns to new coach Jeff Bzdelik to rekindle the lost magic.

Bzdelik has a very young team that features five freshman and six sophomores. His 2008 recruiting class currently consists of three 2008 high school prospects -- 6-9 PF Trey Eckloff ( Englewood, Colo.); 6-7 SF Toby Veal (Savannah, Ga).; 6-8 PF Austin Dufault (Killdeer, N.D.) and a junior college transfer, PG Javonte Clanton (Brenham, Texas). Eckloff leads the way for Bzdelik's 2008 recruiting lot, combining impressive shooting range and accuracy to go along with his size.

To ensure success in the Big 12, Eckloff has to increase his strength and improve his footwork and post moves. He plays hard and should benefit from the passing-game, motion offense that Bzdelik will employ. With the departure of leading scorer Richard Roby after the 2007-08 season, Colorado will need major contributions from some of its young players, including Eckloff, to compete in the Big 12. Due to his coaching skills and the infusion of young talent, the Buffaloes should develop into one of the stronger teams in the conference in the near future.

Iowa State, four commits
Iowa State coach Greg McDermott enters his second season with the Cyclones and has gotten off to an impressive start recruiting. McDermott currently has seven freshmen and four seniors on his roster, which means he will lean heavily on his 2008 recruiting class for contributions.

His 2008 recruits include 6-2 PG Dominique Buckley (Romulus, Mich.), 6-11 C Justin Hamilton (Highland, Utah), 6-3 PG Wes Eikmeier (Freemont, Neb.), and 6-7 PF Clinton Mann (Overland Park, Kan.). Buckley, an ESPN 150 prospect, has a chance to make an immediate impact for the Cyclones. He has very good athleticism and quickness, which allows him to penetrate easily to the basket. Buckley also shoots from the perimeter very well and as good vision and passing skills.

Hamilton, with current Iowa State center Jiri Hubalek scheduled to depart in 2008, also has a chance to see significant playing time when he arrives on campus. Hamilton runs the floor very well for a big and blocks shots at a very high rate. He plays with a high level on energy and competes for rebounds, though he needs to improve his post game and add strength for the rigors of the Big 12.

Kansas, three commits
Kansas has experienced nothing but success on the recruiting trail, thus spoiling its fans in the process. Some of these devout fans have become concerned when their beloved Jayhawks happen to miss out on targeted recruits, which has rarely occurred under former coach Roy Williams and current coach Bill Self. Though Self did not win the Greg Monroe Sweepstakes (committed to Georgetown), Kansas fans should not fret. Self has drawn interest from some talented uncommitted recruits and probably will end off his 2008 recruiting class in resounding fashion. Kansas also has two ESPN 150 recruits and a talented junior college player, Marion Little (Marianna, Fla.), slated to come to Lawrence.

ESPN 150 6-5 SG Travis Releford (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) has a chance to contribute when he steps on campus. With steady guard Russell Robinson scheduled to graduate in 2008 in addition to possibly losing both Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers to the NBA, Kansas may have to look to Releford to play immediately. Releford does not do anything spectacular, though he does a number of things adequately. He plays great defense and stays within the confines of the offense. Releford passes the ball very well and plays an unselfish brand of basketball. He has decently athleticism and will have to continue to improve his perimeter shot and ballhandling for the Big 12.

6-7 PF Quintrell Thomas (Newark, N.J.), another ESPN 150 player, may have to pay instant dividends upon his arrival as well. The Jayhawks will lose current center Sasha Kaun to graduation in 2008 and may also lose standout Darrell Arthur to NBA early entry, therefore the rugged Thomas has to come to Lawrence prepared to play. Thomas has good athleticism and leaping ability, but must improve his perimeter shot and post game for the Big 12.

The remaining undeclared recruits rank as the real story for Kansas. They have received real interest from ESPN 150 players 6-4 combo guard Willie Warren (Fort Worth, Texas), 6-10 C J'Mison Morgan (Dallas, Texas), and the 6-9 PF Morris twins, Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris (Cherry Hill, N.J.). Self has a chance to close the 2008 recruiting season with great fervor if he lands any of these talented prospects.

Kansas State, no commits
Kansas State coach Frank Martin had to prove his worth immediately to the Kansas State faithful by persuading the heralded 2007 recruiting class assembled by former coach Bob Huggins to remain in Manhattan. Fortunately for Martin and Kansas State, the talented 2007 group, including 2007 Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year Michael Beasley, elected to stay in the Little Apple.

Martin has yet to secure his first commit from the 2008 class, though he has interest from some undeclared ESPN 150 prospects including 6-8 SF Wesley Witherspoon (Lilburn, Ga.). While still trying to get his first 2008 pledge, Martin has made significant strides in the 2009 class, securing commitments from two players, 6-7 SF Wallace Judge (Jacksonville, Fla.) and 6-4 SG Rodney McGruder (Washington, D.C.). Both recruits play for the AAU powerhouse DC Assault, the same organization which helped develop current Kansas State players Beasley and Ron Anderson. Martin has now established a pipeline with this renowned AAU organization as well as the talent-laden Washington, D.C., region.

Missouri, six commits
With a roster that currently includes five seniors and only one freshman, second-year coach Mike Anderson will count on his 2008 recruiting class for immediate contributions. Anderson has five high schools players from the class of 2008 as well as a junior college transfer (6-8 PF Keith Ramsey - Niceville, Fla.) for his recruiting haul. Due to the constant full-court pressure and fast-breaking attack that Anderson utilizes, he will need as many athletic bodies as he can find.

With current Tigers point guard and leading scorer Stefhon Hannah slated to graduate in 2008, ESPN 150 6-1 PG Miguel Paul (Lakeland, Fla.) should step right in and fill the void created by Hannah's departure. Paul possesses outstanding quickness and puts incredible pressure on the ball defensively. He has the pass-first mentality that coaches love in point guards and has a great temperament for the position. He has the ability to shoot from the perimeter.

Fellow ESPN 150 recruit, 6-9 C Steve Moore (Independence, Mo.), also has a chance to contribute immediately. The Tigers do not have an abundance of size on their roster and Moore should help alleviate that problem. He finishes string around the basket and has decent footwork in the post. He also has the ability to knock down the perimeter jumper consistently out to about 12 feet. He does a great job of rebounding on both ends and scoring from offensive rebounds.

Athletic 6-7 SF Laurence Bowers (Memphis, Tenn.), 6-4 SG Kim English (Fitchburg, Mass.), and 6-1 SG Marcus Denmon (Kansas City, Mo.) join Paul, Moore and Ramsay in Mizzou's 2008 recruiting class. Look for Anderson's passion in addition to his style of play, which afford playing time for a number of players, to attract interest from top prospects. If Anderson can continue to reestablish Mizzou's presence in the talent-rich St. Louis area, the Tigers will quickly become one of the top programs in the Big 12.

Antonio Williams is a recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc.