Offseason 2024

[mbenecke]

Coach Simon is teasing a commitment from a new player on Twitter, so I figured now was as good a time as any to start the “official” offseason thread.

[mbenecke]

JZ Zaher has declared for the NBA Draft, per his Instagram.

I… uh… okay.

[BillyLP]

JZ Zaher has declared for the NBA Draft, per his Instagram.

I… uh… okay.

He’s a character. I’m sure it’s all in good fun and he’s just moving on.

[guest44]

Braelon Green has committed. Transfer from Arizona St. He visited Toledo, Western Michigan, Central Michigan also.

[BillyLP]

Braelon Green has committed. Transfer from Arizona St. He visited Toledo, Western Michigan, Central Michigan also.

Guest with the Woj Bomb! That’s a great pickup. I was hoping he was the one who committed. Super athletic combo guard. Unsure about his shooting, but great athletes like him can improve over time.

[mbenecke]

Braelon Green has committed. Transfer from Arizona St. He visited Toledo, Western Michigan, Central Michigan also.

Guest with the Woj Bomb! That’s a great pickup. I was hoping he was the one who committed. Super athletic combo guard. Unsure about his shooting, but great athletes like him can improve over time.

In terms of shooting, his stroke looks solid on tape. His percentage at ASU looks good (44%) but it was only on 9 attempts. Very limited playing time as a freshman out there. I think he has a lot of potential.

[mbenecke]

TJ Nadeau II has received an offer from BG. 6'5 guard/wing from Detroit Catholic Central HS.

I didn't realize we were still thinking about adding high school kids in the class of 2024, but this offer tells me we're open to it.

[BillyLP]

TJ Nadeau II has received an offer from BG. 6'5 guard/wing from Detroit Catholic Central HS.

I didn't realize we were still thinking about adding high school kids in the class of 2024, but this offer tells me we're open to it.

Looks like he might be a three point specialist. Makes sense.

[Matty B]

TJ Nadeau II has received an offer from BG. 6'5 guard/wing from Detroit Catholic Central HS.

I didn't realize we were still thinking about adding high school kids in the class of 2024, but this offer tells me we're open to it.

Looks like he might be a three point specialist. Makes sense.

He won the 3 point contest at the Mitten Classic all star event so I'd say the assessment of a shooter is correct. He also holds an offer from Arkansas and Michigan State has offered him as a PWO, and has heard from most of the MAC.

[Flipper]

Green was a 4* recruit on ESPN....

[mbenecke]

Green was a 4* recruit on ESPN....

Per 247…

He was the #156 recruit nationally last year.

Had offers from:
Arizona State
Alabama
Duquesne
Eastern Michigan
Kansas
Maryland
Michigan State
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oakland
USC
VCU
Washington

[Falconwriter]

Green was a 4* recruit on ESPN....

Per 247…

He was the #156 recruit nationally last year.

Had offers from:
Arizona State
Alabama
Duquesne
Eastern Michigan
Kansas
Maryland
Michigan State
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oakland
USC
VCU
Washington

Has BG had a higher rated basketball recruit in the last 40 years, transfer or otherwise?

[guest44]

I don't know about the history of recruiting rankings, but I feel strongly BGSU has a better roster in 24-25 than it did this year. Just like the known commodities become attractive to the bigger schools, players needing playing time and a chance to perform are looking for places to play and coaches who can help them develop. Marcus Hill will be gone, but his year here will help in recruiting going forward.

[BillyLP]

Offer out to Major Freeman Jr., JUCO guy who averaged 15/5/4 and shot 41% from 3pt.

[hammb]

I don't know about the history of recruiting rankings, but I feel strongly BGSU has a better roster in 24-25 than it did this year. Just like the known commodities become attractive to the bigger schools, players needing playing time and a chance to perform are looking for places to play and coaches who can help them develop. Marcus Hill will be gone, but his year here will help in recruiting going forward.

That's why I don't really think this new wave of losing the top MAC players is the death knell for the program if the coaching is worthwhile. If Marcus Hill lands a 6 figure NIL deal to go play at Alabama or something, there are 500 kids in the portal from "lower rungs" than BG that want to become the next Marcus Hill.

MAC basketball is in a bad place compared to where it was 20 years ago, but with D2, and juco, etc there are still a lot of "lower levels" to draw talent from. And there are so many good basketball players in this country (world) that we can fill out a roster if we have a coach willing to put in the effort and build the reputation as a winner/developer of talent.

It's maybe not ideal. It's certainly not the same as it once was. But it can still build good teams (if not a program) and be fun to watch.

IF the conference would invest in paying top flight coaches and scheduling worthwhile schedules then we could get back to being a pretty good conference. It wasn't THAT long ago that Buffalo was nationally ranked. There's a final 4 team right now starring a guy that played in the MAC a couple seasons ago. If you keep investing with good coaches you should be able to leverage that as a place where guys with lofty goals can be a stepping stone. Maybe it's not what we all would like, but unless the MAC is going to find a crapton of money to put into NIL, that's our lot in the NCAA basketball landscape.