Ok... hold on to your seats, Roc is recruiting BIG time talent!

[Guest mffl]

Seems like that west coast road swing has gone well!

When looking for sleepers in the west, Marcus Ruppel might be one of the best. The 6-foot-7 forward from Deer Valley High School in Arizona fits the mold of someone that is lying under the radar.

Even after a successful junior campaign where he averaged 21.4 points and 9.8 rebounds a game and a strong performance at the Pangos All-American camp in June, Ruppel is still waiting to break out on the high-major scene.

Marcus Ruppel is eying a handful of fall visits.

"I would like to think [that I am a sleeper]," Ruppel says. "I haven't been playing with the biggest club team out there so people haven't really be able to see me this summer. When I see all of these big names going to all of these schools, I think I can play with them. But that's okay. I'll go and get my education somewhere at a mid-major and then do my thing there."

If one thing is for certain, Ruppel is a must-get guy for a number of quality mid-level programs.

He is claiming offers from Boise State, Lamar, San Diego, San Diego State, Oregon State, James Madison, George Mason, UC Riverside and UTEP. USC, Arizona State and UNLV are also in the mix, he said.

Ruppel will take the SAT for the first time on Sept. 13, he said. Shortly after taking the test, he will set up dates for his official visits. Ruppel said he does have a handful of schools that he would like to consider visiting.

"The only four that I know for sure is UTEP, Lamar, Boise State and Oregon State," he said. "UTEP has been on me really hard. They do a good job of staying on top of me."

Ruppel participated at San Diego over the summer, too. The plan, he says, is to sign early in November after taking his official visits.

"I want to find somewhere on the West Coast and somewhere that I can play and get a good education," Ruppel said. "After college, I will be set and be able to do whatever I want if I can find that."

Edit: I know some of you make think this guy is a long shot, but if we can get a visit, which he says he wants to do, you never know! I would encourage everybody to get out to the Montagne this year so we can get guys like this to play for our team! He would make an immediate impact his freshmen year for sure.

[KFDM COOP]

Get em ROC!

[fatelvis04]

The fact that the guy wants to take a visit here is a good sign I'd say. It's all in closing the deal.

[Guest abovetherim]

Look forward to seeing how recruiting goes with Coach Price on board.

[Guest mffl]

I think Coach Dominguez may be responsible for this but who knows. It should also be mentioned that another article i read on him said that he is an honor student with a 3.2 GPA.

[BLUEDOVE3]

The fact that the guy wants to take a visit here is a good sign I'd say. It's all in closing the deal.

I think it would be a good idea to provide a back-drop behind the Montagne Center to camouflage  Mobil Oil if he visits Beaumont.

[Guest abovetherim]

I don't believe Mobil Oil is the refinery behind the Montagne Center. Why would you want to camouflage "money"? One day one of these refineries just may make a large donation to the athletic department.

I was starting to miss your comments, or at least the factual ones!

[BLUEDOVE3]

I don't believe Mobil Oil is the refinery behind the Montagne Center. Why would you want to camouflage "money"? One day one of these refineries just may make a large donation to the athletic department.

I was starting to miss your comments, or at least the factual ones!

Mobil, Standard, Motiva, Texaco, or whatever! It's time to shell out some money to the program. 

[AJ25]

Seems like that west coast road swing has gone well!

When looking for sleepers in the west, Marcus Ruppel might be one of the best. The 6-foot-7 forward from Deer Valley High School in Arizona fits the mold of someone that is lying under the radar.

Even after a successful junior campaign where he averaged 21.4 points and 9.8 rebounds a game and a strong performance at the Pangos All-American camp in June, Ruppel is still waiting to break out on the high-major scene.

Marcus Ruppel is eying a handful of fall visits.

"I would like to think [that I am a sleeper]," Ruppel says. "I haven't been playing with the biggest club team out there so people haven't really be able to see me this summer. When I see all of these big names going to all of these schools, I think I can play with them. But that's okay. I'll go and get my education somewhere at a mid-major and then do my thing there."

If one thing is for certain, Ruppel is a must-get guy for a number of quality mid-level programs.

He is claiming offers from Boise State, Lamar, San Diego, San Diego State, Oregon State, James Madison, George Mason, UC Riverside and UTEP. USC, Arizona State and UNLV are also in the mix, he said.

Ruppel will take the SAT for the first time on Sept. 13, he said. Shortly after taking the test, he will set up dates for his official visits. Ruppel said he does have a handful of schools that he would like to consider visiting.

"The only four that I know for sure is UTEP, Lamar, Boise State and Oregon State," he said. "UTEP has been on me really hard. They do a good job of staying on top of me."

Ruppel participated at San Diego over the summer, too. The plan, he says, is to sign early in November after taking his official visits.

"I want to find somewhere on the West Coast and somewhere that I can play and get a good education," Ruppel said. "After college, I will be set and be able to do whatever I want if I can find that."

Edit: I know some of you make think this guy is a long shot, but if we can get a visit, which he says he wants to do, you never know! I would encourage everybody to get out to the Montagne this year so we can get guys like this to play for our team! He would make an immediate impact his freshmen year for sure.

too many other big time schools

[Guest mffl]

Never count out the Roc when it comes to recruiting.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Never count out the Roc when it comes to recruiting.

The old days are definitely gone.

College athletes are earning degrees at record rates, according to a NCAA report released Tuesday, and at higher percentages than the overall student body.

[Guest coachacola]

I think part of the campus master plan is to plan some type of tall trees behind the stadium and the Montagne Center.  One thing that bugs me about watching a game on the west side of the arena is you can see the trains through the exits across the way.

We've talked about this before but the Montagne definitely needs an upgrade, not so much the seats but the scoreboard and concessions.  Also, telling recruits they'll be playing in front of 1000 fans for conference away games can't be too exciting.

BTW, it looks like Marcus Ruppel has verbally committed to UTEP.

[Guest mffl]

Yes, he committed after the UT-UTEP game.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Man, sometimes I do long for the good ol' days. Scandal, sex, cheating and illegal players in college sports. I had a dad tell me this past weekend his son isn't accepting any offers from schools unless they offer something under the table.

The men's basketball program (UTCC), led by former Miami coach Perry Clark, is also a target of the report. The NCAA alleges an assistant coach made at least 43 impermissible phone calls to four recruits. A separate allegation involves the program providing impermissible recruiting inducements to a possible transfer, including transportation to the border town of Laredo so the player could renew his immigration documentation.

Included among the allegations is a secondary violation involving men's basketball, in which the NCAA said Teter told Clark to use personal funds for recruiting and not program funds.

Clark did not immediately return a call to his office on Saturday.