Basketball recruiting target - 6-4 G Jonathan Octeus Wabash Valley CC

[IAA Fan]

     I do not agree that our program is down after watching this past year's performance.  We had a winning record.  We had a winning record against the Horizon League, which ranked twelfth of thirty-three Division I conferences in the county.  We beat every team in the Horizon League with the exception of Butler.  We had a Sagarin rating in the upper 48th percentile of Division I.  We played an exciting brand of running, quickness oriented ball which was admired throughout the Horizon League.  We had a teriffic guard who will be returning for two more years and a good inside man whose major fault is he is two inches too short and twenty-five pounds too light. 

     On the subtler side we may have two good recruits committed for next year.  Additionally, two players whose upside was limited elected to transfer, thereby providing unexpected recruiting opportunities. 

     Sound to me like a program moving in the right direction . . . finally.         

Thanks Chez, and great points:

Our difference from the rest of the league is part of what gave us our success last season. We were the only team in the conference that could actually put 5 shooters on the court at the same time. Factor in our ability to shoot the long ball & people had to come out and guard us. Which helped open up the inside & also forced opponents to put in one less shooter to cover. Or they left one our players opened. I like seeing this approach & that it has worked. The only time we were in trouble (outside of Butler) was when we had to put in the inexperienced 2's. I hope that will change next year.

[Dmorton]

This will be my last post for awhile.  I enjoy reading all your comments and learn a lot from everyone posting on here.  All I have been indicating is that I don't want the program to regress and continue its upward  trend .   My hope as is probably everyone's else's is to remain competitive and progress within the league.  Hopefully, someday make one of the post season tourneys. 

[ysufan0505]

Yahoo sports has Oceteus as committed to YSU? Has anybody heard anything yet? He scored 12.3 PPG for his JUCO team Wabash Valley College this year

[ysuindy]

I just checked the Rivals page (which I think is Yahoo) and it does not show him as committed.  Shows as offer with high interest.  Nothing on the local newspaper site either. 

[ysuindy]

Octeus will choose April 28 between offers from YSU, Cleveland State, Indiana State, Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky per the Twitter feed of Palm Beach Post writer Jeff Greer

https://twitter.com/#!/jeffgreer

[ItalianPenguin]

Geez Indy, that's pretty stiff competition. Hope he signs here, although some might not want him since he's not 7' tall!!

[MentorViking]

High school basketball in the Mahoning Valley is a wasteland.  Can't get any help here.  Players in other parts of the country want to come to a basketball school where fans are excited about their game.  Hey, thirty years ago, but not now.  But there is a potential source of talent that we have largely ignored.  Basketball in Europe is vastly superior to what it was thirty years ago.  For our community, with over half the population tracing their roots to southern or eastern Europe, this source should have been tapped long ago. And eastern Europeans tend to be taller than say, French or Spaniards.  And those players would leap at the chance for an American college education (paid for with their basketball skills.)  And there are ethnic organizations in the Mahoning Valley with cultural ties to those ancestral homelands.  We should be networking with those folks and seeking info about potential talented teenager players in Lithuania (remember Vytas) Greece, and the remnants of Yugoslavia.  And Slocum (or at least one assistant) should fly out there once a year.  But that takes money, and we all know that administrative staffing takes priority over recruiting in all sports except football.

the downside is that getting guys from Europe can cause MAJOR NCAA violations as if you're any good in Europe you're getting paid to play, which means you are more then likley going to be ruled ineligable to play in the NCAA. No Reason to take the chance of the Basketball program getting the death penalty just to get some scrubs from europe

[IAA Fan]

High school basketball in the Mahoning Valley is a wasteland.  Can't get any help here.  Players in other parts of the country want to come to a basketball school where fans are excited about their game.  Hey, thirty years ago, but not now.  But there is a potential source of talent that we have largely ignored.  Basketball in Europe is vastly superior to what it was thirty years ago.  For our community, with over half the population tracing their roots to southern or eastern Europe, this source should have been tapped long ago. And eastern Europeans tend to be taller than say, French or Spaniards.  And those players would leap at the chance for an American college education (paid for with their basketball skills.)  And there are ethnic organizations in the Mahoning Valley with cultural ties to those ancestral homelands.  We should be networking with those folks and seeking info about potential talented teenager players in Lithuania (remember Vytas) Greece, and the remnants of Yugoslavia.  And Slocum (or at least one assistant) should fly out there once a year.  But that takes money, and we all know that administrative staffing takes priority over recruiting in all sports except football.

the downside is that getting guys from Europe can cause MAJOR NCAA violations as if you're any good in Europe you're getting paid to play, which means you are more then likley going to be ruled ineligable to play in the NCAA. No Reason to take the chance of the Basketball program getting the death penalty just to get some scrubs from europe

I am not saying yeah or nay, but a couple of legendary coaches did it for Butler ...and look where the program is today.

[MentorViking]

High school basketball in the Mahoning Valley is a wasteland.  Can't get any help here.  Players in other parts of the country want to come to a basketball school where fans are excited about their game.  Hey, thirty years ago, but not now.  But there is a potential source of talent that we have largely ignored.  Basketball in Europe is vastly superior to what it was thirty years ago.  For our community, with over half the population tracing their roots to southern or eastern Europe, this source should have been tapped long ago. And eastern Europeans tend to be taller than say, French or Spaniards.  And those players would leap at the chance for an American college education (paid for with their basketball skills.)  And there are ethnic organizations in the Mahoning Valley with cultural ties to those ancestral homelands.  We should be networking with those folks and seeking info about potential talented teenager players in Lithuania (remember Vytas) Greece, and the remnants of Yugoslavia.  And Slocum (or at least one assistant) should fly out there once a year.  But that takes money, and we all know that administrative staffing takes priority over recruiting in all sports except football.

the downside is that getting guys from Europe can cause MAJOR NCAA violations as if you're any good in Europe you're getting paid to play, which means you are more then likley going to be ruled ineligable to play in the NCAA. No Reason to take the chance of the Basketball program getting the death penalty just to get some scrubs from europe

I am not saying yeah or nay, but a couple of legendary coaches did it for Butler ...and look where the program is today.

not with guys who got paid over seas, not all players do

[ysuindy]

Octeus will be signing with Colorado State.  Looking back the offer to Beamon was likely in response to this news

http://www.examiner.com/article/colorado-state-s-larry-eustachy-lands-second-recruit-jc-transfer-jon-octeus

Jeff Greer of the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday morning that Wabash Valley College guard Jon Octeus will sign with Colorado State Friday.

The report says Octeus originally signed with Garden City Community College in the spring of 2010, following his senior season in high school, but the 6'4” guard landed in Mt. Carmel, Illinois at Wabash Valley.

As a freshman, Octeus averaged 12.3 points on 41 percent shooting with 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He should fit right in with the Rams as a skilled shooter, knocking down 37 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last year, while hitting 79 percent of his free throws.

Octeus also had offers from Eastern Kentucky, Missouri State, Youngstown State and Indiana State, but he chose CSU and all the positive momentum the program is building.

The Rams made the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time since 2003 and the first time as an at-large bid since 1991. That was the cherry on top of five years of improvement by the men's basketball team, led by Tim Miles.

[jbags]

Heard that Octeus has commited to Colo St. Any word on Beamon or someone else?

[ItalianPenguin]

Beamon is visiting today.