Bartons to Memphis
by Ben Broman on Jun 6, 2009 11:00 AM EDT
in Basketball Recruiting
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PrintA lot of people said Will Barton was done to Kentucky a few weeks ago. Weeks passed, and it became apparent that he wasn't definitely a Kentucky guy, at least not yet. As a result, a lot of people started to get excited in regards to Barton possibly coming to Maryland. The Terps definitely had a shot with the star shooting guard, but it turned out not to be.
Via Memphis Commercial-Appeal:
The word came late Friday night, after Will and Antonio Barton had spent just a few hours participating in the University of Memphis' first elite camp under head coach Josh Pastner.
"It's official. We have committed," said Antonio Barton, referring to he and his brother's verbal pledge to the Tigers on Friday.
Having led Baltimore Lake Clifton High to a 28-0 record and a Class 3A state title this past season, Will, a highly ranked 6-6 shooting guard, and Antonio, a 6-2 combo guard, became Memphis' first two commitments from the Class of 2010.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
The Bartons' departure is a bit of a blow to the Terps' confidence, but Will was never our only shot to have a good class. He would've been great, don't get me wrong, but odds were never high that we'd land him. It sucks that he didn't commit to Maryland, but he would've been icing on the cake, not the cake itself. I would be shocked to find out the staff put all of their efforts into Will Barton alone. Other big targets remain.
On the commit itself, this was a pretty big surprise, especially with the controversy swirling around Memphis right now. I had never heard that Memphis was very high on Will's list, although they were always listed. I hate to speculate (not really, I love it), but Will is rumored to have academic issues...I kid, I kid. Maybe.
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He must have issues
I’m sorry, but Memphis has nothing going for it right now other than the fact that they’re a Tier 4 (!!) school with kindergarden education levels and low admissions standards. i can’t imagine any other reason to go there unless you want to be a big fish in a small pond and have terrible grades.
We’re obviously biased, but the ACC schools (UMD, UNC, UVA, Puke) have some of the best academics in the country and compete on the court too, as a player that’s exactly what i’d look for, but i guess i’m different…
Maryland has issues
Memphis has a lot going for it right now. Josh Pastner has been a brilliant recruiter, landing Latavious Williams and the Barton brothers in just a few months on the job. The team is scheduled to play top notch teams like Kansas this season. After two Elite Eights, one Finals appearance, and one Sweet 16, the Tigers have set the college basketball world on fire.
Maryland, not so much.
by the other Greg Childers on Jun 6, 2009 5:38 PM EDT reply actions
Memphis has issues as well...
There is a chance (I don’t know how this wouldn’t happen) that Memphis will get some sort of sanctions for all the stink coming from their recruiting practices of the last several years. With all of these allegations coming out, it certainly seems like some terribly shady dealings were taking place there. Other then that, the school has little to offer and would be hard-pressed to keep up their success if they are sanctioned. as a player, i would be careful with going there but if it was my number one i would at least wait a while until this whole thing clears over; there is no need to declare now when all of this is going on…
I was about to say the same thing
I was literally in the middle of writing a comment when this popped up.
While it’s doubtful they’ll get a penalty too harsh, it’s very possible. The NCAA could try to set an example and do a year of no TV appearances, or no postseason. That should be a huge issue to the Bartons.
Plus, it remains to be seen just how good Josh Pastner is. He could still be getting by on Memphis’ rep at this point.
Maryland actually has some huge pluses – in the ACC, huge media market, legendary coach, strong 2010 class, close to home. Memphis and Maryland are actually pretty close at this point.
Memphis > Maryland
Memphis recent successes in the NCAA trump Maryland’s three NIT trips and two second round NCAA departures in the last five years. Every year, Maryland seems ready to run Gary Williams off for losing too many games.
As for the NCAA allegations, the worst that will happen to Memphis is that they may be forced to vacate their record for the 2007-08 season. If Derrick Rose cheated on the SAT and Memphis administrators had no knowledge of it, he would be declared ineligible and they would vacate all wins in games he played. Other than that, nothing will happen.
Josh Pastner was hired at the beginnning of April. So far, he’s signed Latavious Williams (Rivals #17 player Class of 2009) and Martin Ngaloro from France. He just landed 2010 commitments Will Barton (Rivals #7) and Antonio Barton (Rivals NR 3-star). What has Gary Williams done lately? Josh has only been on the job for two months and he’s got a much better recruiting class than Maryland for this year and next.
by the other Greg Childers on Jun 7, 2009 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Memphis > Maryland?
In terms of success on the court and over the last 4 seasons? Yes. Everything before that, I’d argue just the opposite. First off, Maryland has a national championship this decade…Memphis does not. Maryland has never had a season vacated by the NCAA…Memphis already has one and could have another one.
You act like Memphis vacating their 2008 season is no big deal but for a program who’s last Final Four appearance was also vacated (1985) it is. It doesn’t bode well when the most successful seasons your program had are both taken away because of cheating. Also, you completely ignore the latest violation hurled against Memphis that yet another player, Robert Dozier, cheated on his SAT.
In terms of Josh Pastner, we get it, he can recruit. Still, he’s yet to coach a game. Also, the wonderboy who’s bringing in top recruits as his program is being investigated learned the tricks of the trade from who? Calipari.
Memphis > Maryland? Give me Gary Williams, Juan Dixon, and integrity any day.
Completely agree
Yep, exactly right.
Unfortunately, a lot of top recruits couldn’t care less about some of the things you mentioned. From a recruits perspective, Memphis is very high risk, very high reward. They play in a wide open system (dribble-drive offense) and they know the admissions standards are low. They don’t have any idea what Pastner is going to do as a coach and what the sanctions will be. This could end up great for the Bartons, or horribly.
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