February 22, 2008

Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Jerry Meyer is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. He tackles your questions in his weekly mailbag feature.
Previous mailbags
Feb 14: Who's next?
Feb 8: Can O'Neill recruit at Arizona?
Feb 1: Does Duke measure up?

What is the breakdown on this spring's hottest recruit Brad Tinsley?

What kind of impact will Delvon Roe have for Michigan State next year?

These questions and more are answered by National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer in this week's mailbag.

Jerry's Mailbag

Fitting in How do you see Elliot Williams fitting in at Duke next year, especially with the departure of DeMarcus Nelson? -- Dan from Erie ----- Williams, who does have a game quite similar to Nelson, is a great fit for the Duke system. Offensively, he is an athletic slasher who creates a lot of scoring opportunities off the bounce. I don't know that Williams will shoot 42 percent from 3-point range his freshman year like Nelson is doing this year, but I de expect Williams to shoot better than 32 percent - which is Nelson shot his freshman season - from behind the arc. If viewed as the replacement for Nelson, the biggest challenge for Williams will be matching Nelson as a rebounder. Nelson's superior physical strength has helped him average just under five rebounds per game for his career. There is no doubt that Williams has great athleticism, but he probably doesn't have the strength right now to be a dominant rebounding guard. Defensively, Williams is as versatile as Nelson. Whereas Nelson can guard the two and the three, Williams can go between guarding the one and the two. Williams' defensive abilities and mind-set are a great match for Duke's pressure man-to-man approach. With a lot of quality guards on the roster, I'd expect Williams to come off the bench. But I also expect his minutes to steadily increase during the season and for him to be a pivotal cog in the Duke attack.

Tinsley's rise Is North Carolina going to offer Brad Tinsley? What is his game like and who are his leaders? -- Stephen from Charlotte ----- I have no idea if North Carolina is going to offer Tinsley. Whether Ty Lawson enters the draft will be a large factor in the decision. Also, Roy Williams is expected to evaluate Tinsley next week, so how he plays under Williams' watch certainly means a lot. As for what his game is like, I'd compare Tinsley to current Tar Heel Bobby Frasor. Both are similar in size and athleticism, although Tinsley is a better leaper. Like Frasor, Tinsley is a combo guard with a very high basketball IQ. Identifying Tinsley's leaders is a difficult proposition at this point. Since gaining his release from Pepperdine, the number of suitors for Tinsley has continued to grow. Only Tinsley's father is speaking to the media, and he hasn't indicated who his son is favoring, if he is favoring anyone. We do know, however, that Tinsley unofficially visited Oregon last weekend for the Washington State game. With Tinsley being from Oregon City, you would have to think that the Ducks are major players. Mr. Tinsley also noted that Colorado, Virginia and Vanderbilt are vigorously pursuing his son after offering scholarships prior to Brad signing with Pepperdine. Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Butler, Iowa and Arizona State were also described as schools that "are coming on the hardest." Tinsley's second wave of recruitment is a glaring example of how an uncommitted prospect's stock can skyrocket just prior to the spring signing period.

Hood hearing from several I have heard that Texas has been in contact with Jon Hood. That's two Big 12 schools now. Any truth and is they anywhere where Hood is leaning to? -- Chris from Franklin ----- Yes, both Texas and Kansas have been in contact with Hood recently. Both schools are looking forward to watching him, and there is mutual interest from Hood. Duke is another school showing strong interest in Hood, but Coach Mike Krzyzewski isn't going to extend an offer until he has an opportunity to watch him. Duke will definitely be one of the front-runners for Hood if they do indeed offer him. Another school to watch out for is Tennessee. The Vols have been recruiting Hood for a while now and have offered a scholarship. A common thread with all four of these teams is a fast, wide-open style of play - which fits Hood's abilities. A versatile and athletic 6-foot-6 perimeter player, Hood put on a performance in his last game that gives an indication of his array of abilities. While playing the point guard position the majority of the game, Hood scored 39 points on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range and 14-for-18 shooting from the field. He added 14 rebounds and seven assists while committing only two turnovers. Although Hood is ranked as the No. 39 prospect in the class of 2009, he is still under the radar nationally. This spring, Hood will have a hoard of coaches from some of the top programs in the nation evaluating him to determine whether they want to offer him a scholarship.

Roe's impact How big of an impact player do you see Delvon Roe being? Also, could you address some of his strengths and weaknesses? -- John from East Lansing ----- Granted that Roe is healthy, he will be in a position to make a big impact for Michigan State next year. With Raymar Morgan at the small forward spot, there will be a lot of minutes for Roe at power forward - his natural position. Roe is also athletic enough and plays with such an impressive motor, Michigan State could go small and play Roe at center at times. It's not outside the realm of possibility for Roe to play some minutes at the small forward, but that is a bit of a stretch. One of Roe's strengths is versatility as an athletic frontcourt player. In transition, he can run with anyone. He is a beast on the boards. Being left-handed gives him an advantage, and he has a dangerous jump hook with that left hand. I love the way he passes the ball from the high post, and he moves his feet well defensively. As for weaknesses, Roe doesn't have 3-point range yet. He can make a 3, but he's quite inconsistent from that range at this point. If he learns to shoot the ball with more arc and gets his legs into his shot, he should be able to become a solid 3-point shooter. This process, however, will take some time. The other area where there is room for improvement is his ballhandling. When pressured in the open court, Roe is susceptible to committing a turnover.

McDonald's 2009 Now that the 2008 McDonalds All-Americans have been named, can you cast a prediction as to the 2009 players? Maybe the "guarantees" and the other players that have a decent to good shot at making the game. -- Marcus from Atlanta ----- Here are your likely participants next year: Renardo Sidney, Xavier Henry, Derrick Favors, Lance Stephenson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kenny Boynton, Jordan Hamilton, John Wall, Isaiah Armwood, Daniel Orton, Dominic Cheek, Abdul Gaddy, Dexter Strickland, Leslie McDonald, Travis Wear, David Wear, Nolan Dennis, Reeves Nelson, Hollis Thompson and John Henson Outside of these 20 prospects: Although Karron Johnson is the No. 6 ranked prospect in the class of 2009, he is in danger of being a "character exemption" due to the fact that he has bounced around different schools. DaShonte Riley is a talented prospect with upside but will need to increase his production. The same goes for Ari Stewart and Deshawn Painter. Terrell Vinson needs to have a productive summer. Several four-star prospects such as Noel Johnson, Peyton Siva, Royce White, Jamil Wilson, Jon Hood, Greg Echenique and Maalik Wayns, to name a few, have a strong chance of playing their way into the game. There is a lot of ball left to be played, so it will be interesting to see how I would answer this question at the end of the summer. And let's don't kid ourselves either. What school and what conference a prospect signs with have a lot to do with who makes the McDonald's All American rosters.

Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his Mailbag.