Hoop Scoop says LU’s Roccaforte on recruiting roll

[NickKBTV]

From Bob West:

Lamar basketball coach Steve Roccaforte still isn’t ready to divulge his latest recruiting class, saying it’s not yet complete, but online recruiting tracker Hoop Scoop has blown Roc’s cover and offers some interesting insight. Hoop Scoop, which rates each signee from 10 down to 1, then ranks recruiting classes based on total points, has Lamar No. 12 nationally. According to Hoop Scoop, Roccaforte has signed 10 players, including 6-2 guard Devon Lamb, the nation’s No.1 junior college scorer at 28 points per game, and 6-6 Brandon Davis, the No. 15 JC scorer at 23 points. Hoop Scoop  listed Lamb and 6-5 Vincenzo Nelson from Itawamba JC in Mississippi as the top signees in the class. Asked about Hoop Scoop’s Lamar breakdown, Roccaforte would only say, “It’s not 100 percent correct.”

[LamarFanatic]

Where is the site to read this?

[Guest coachacola]

Here's the link: http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/toprecruitingclasses-classof2010.asp

13.    LAMAR (26 Points)..........10 Recruits..........2.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southland Conference..........(4) Vincenzo Nelson, 6'5, WF, Itawamba (JC) MS; (4) Devon Lamb, 6'2, 2G, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (3) Tremell Adams, 6'1, PG, South Suburban (JC) IL; (3) Kavon Rose, 6'2, 2G, Lamar State (JC) TX; (2) Brandon Davis, 6'6, WF, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (2) Tre Lynch, 6'1, PG, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Michale Kyser, 6'8, PF, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Demetris Smith, 6'4, WF, Pflugerville (H.S.) TX; (2) Darius Harris, 6'7, PF, Port Arthur (Memorial) TX; (2) Orlando Brazier, 6'7, C, California Community (JC) CA.

The top 4 is rated similar in talent to the 2007 class:

81.    LAMAR (14 Points)..........4 Recruits..........3.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southland Conference.......... (4) Kenny Dawkins, 5'9, PG, Arizona Western (JC) AZ; (4)  Ashton Hall, 6'6, WF, Angelina (JC) TX; (3) Justin Nabors, 6'6, PF, Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS; (3) Brandon McThay, 5'10, PG, Kilgore (JC) TX.

[LumberCard]

I'll believe it when I see it. Roc has had some nice players "sign" with Lamar but never show up in a Cardinals uniform.

I don't think I will believe a recruiting site or any other "source" including Roc himself. I want to see it on the court.

[HH]

Monday, May 17, 2010 (HoopScoop)

It looks like Lamar head coach Steve Roccaforte, who previously worked as an assistant coach for John Calipari at the University of Memphis, is a chip off the old block as he and his staff have landed what appears to be an entire team.  We're talking about 10 players in a recruiting class that is now ranked #9 on our  list of the    Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  The latest addition is 6'1 Michael James from Eastern Arizona (JC) AZ.  And he might just be the best of the bunch.  James is a true combo guard, which means he is capable of playing either guard spot equally well.  However, James had to carry the load on his junior college team and, as a result, put up prolific numbers to the tune of 25.9 ppg, 3.9 agp, and 1.8. spg this past season.  And James isn't the only player in this recruiting class who can light up a scoreboard.  Did you know that 6'2 Devon Lamb from Southwestern Christian (JC) TX, who was named a Second Team  NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division I All-American and averaged 27.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg, and 5.6 apg, finish first in scoring and 13th leading rebounding in the junior college ranks and 6'6 Brandon Davis from Southwestern Christian (JC) TX, who averaged 20.8  ppg and 5.7 apg and shot 111-232 (47.%) from beyond the arc, finished ranked #15 in the nation in scoring and fifth in the nation in 3-point shooting?  There also is   6'1 Tremell Adams from South Suburban (JC) IL, who was named the Region IV Player-of-the-Year and a First Team All-American in the Division II junior college ranks and averaged 22.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 3.3 apg and shot 74-197 (38%) from behind the arc, and 6'5 Vincenzo Nelson from Itawamba (JC) MS, who was his team's leading scorer and rebounder and 12.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg and also  took home game MVP honors in the Mississippi Junior College All-Star Game with 15 points and 12 rebounds.  In other words, it looks like Roccaforte is stockpiling the kind of firepower and scoring necessary to do his former boss and mentor (Billy Tubbs) proud, as the Cardinals have the potential to average over 100 ppg next season.  And, if that weren't enough, Lamar also has four in-state high school players in 6'1  Tre Lynch from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Michale Kyser from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Demetris Smith from Pflugerville (H.S.) TX, and 6'7 Darius Harris from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX and an undersized  junior college big man in 6'7 Orlando Brazier from California Community (JC) CA in this year's recruiting class.

[bullets13]

isn't this the case pretty much every year?  "great" recruiting classes that either don't materialize, or the players come and underperform.  I'm with Lumber... i'll believe it when i see it.

[geezer]

I see three 6 1 guards, can they score against 6 4 defenders?

[UNLV]

Terror and katfans are steaming over this class. hehe. Any bets SHSU come in last place this season?

[Guest coachacola]

Looks like Kavon Rose from LCS-PA is no longer coming to Lamar.  Here's the updated list:

9.    LAMAR (27 Points)..........10 Recruits..........2.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southland Conference..........(4) Michael James, 6'1, PG, Eastern Utah (JC) UT; (4) Vincenzo Nelson, 6'5, WF, Itawamba (JC) MS; (4) Devon Lamb, 6'2, 2G, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (3) Tremell Adams, 6'1, PG, South Suburban (JC) IL; (2) Brandon Davis, 6'6, WF, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (2) Tre Lynch, 6'1, PG, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Michale Kyser, 6'8, PF, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Demetris Smith, 6'4, WF, Pflugerville (H.S.) TX; (2) Darius Harris, 6'7, PF, Port Arthur (Memorial) TX; (2) Orlando Brazier, 6'7, C, California Community (JC) CA.

Mike James is #46 on Rivals top 150 JUCO players of 2010 and Vincenzo Nelson is #112 on the list.

[Lazeek]

Great recruits and poor coaching = Another Lame Season for Lamar!!!!  Does no good to bring in great talent if you have a bunch of ?? coaching!!!!

[NorthoftheBorder]

I've been following the Cards since Tubbs first year in his 1st stint.  I've seen recruiting classes come and go and I dont remember near the hoopla over the class that included Davis and Oliver and that was best class ever.  Since Abatemarco, we have been given a lot of fanfare over recruiting classes without much production on the court.  We are way beyond the "little boy who cried wolf" days with recruiting classes.  It always sounds great, gets the fans hopes up, and then we go through a 14-16 season with lots of ups and downs and missed opportunities.  I want the basketball program to succeed in a fantastic way, but after over 20 years of mediocrity, I am excited about football coming back and ready for a new program to put hope in.  Here's hoping that Roc turns it around with this recruiting class, but I'll wait to see if it pans out.  No wild predictions here about next season.

[UNLV]

[quote name="bullets13000" post="802805" timestamp="1274144273"]
isn't this the case pretty much every year?  "great" recruiting classes that either don't materialize, or the players come and underperform.  I'm with Lumber... i'll believe it when i see it.
[/quote]No, lets not pretend LU was SLC co-champs under Roc. Injuries hurt his teams mostly. Roc coaching has improved.

[Guest coachacola]

[quote name="UNLV" post="802911" timestamp="1274189283"]
[quote author=bullets13000 link=topic=69768.msg802805#msg802805 date=1274144273]
isn't this the case pretty much every year?  "great" recruiting classes that either don't materialize, or the players come and underperform.  I'm with Lumber... i'll believe it when i see it.
[/quote]No, lets not pretend LU was SLC co-champs under Roc. Injuries hurt his teams mostly. Roc coaching has improved.
[/quote]

I agree.  Plus Roc's last two recruiting classes have been disappointing.  In 2008 Miles and Harper were the tops of that class and they were not highly rated.  Nobody from last year's class made much of an impact, but he did bring in a lot more freshmen than before.

[ForeverADog]

Well Roc's best recruiting class he won with. The last two recruiting classes weren't great. Just known for some more high school players than juco players. This one is supposed to be good. So we will see what we can do. But at least we can expect more exciting basketball with the possibility of 100 points per game.

[LamarFanatic]

there is no doubt that the offense will be better were going to be able to score some points but it raises the question will the Defense be able to hold down the opponents scoring? The class is great no doubt about it and i am a very excited to see what they can do its gonna be a great year for Lamar Basketball!!

[Guest coachacola]

[quote name="LamarFanatic" post="802999" timestamp="1274198838"]
there is no doubt that the offense will be better were going to be able to score some points but it raises the question will the Defense be able to hold down the opponents scoring? The class is great no doubt about it and i am a very excited to see what they can do its gonna be a great year for Lamar Basketball!!
[/quote]

Roc's teams never play good defense so I doubt they'll start this year.  ;D

[LamarFanatic]

well coach i will let the players prove that point  ;D i hope they can tho

[badndn]

Outside scoring!!!!

This was the biggest weekness this year. The Davis kid shot 47% from outside (and took 232 shots) in a tough JUCO league. And at 6'6" he has the size to get off his shot over the typical 6'4" - 6'6" guys that will defend him at the 3. You don't shoot 47% on 232 shots by being lucky. The kid can shoot!

Several of these guys shot 40%+ from outside. So hopefully that part of our offense will pick up tremendously. If so it will really open up the middle for Coy, Harper, Brown, and whoever else they bring in down low as well as free up Miles to get to the basket, which is what he does best.

[LamarFanatic]

nice call three point shooting was nothing but horrible last year and these kids can do nothing but improve the team in that category

[Guest coachacola]

This team should be a lot like the team that won 19 games a few years ago.  There were a lot of good outside shooters on that team, and most of the players were JUCO.  Hopefully one or two inside players will step up because there's no Lamar Sanders on this team.

But I'm still wondering who won't be back.  With only 3 seniors and 2 redshirt freshmen on last year's team and 10 players supposedly signed, something has to give.  Roc will probably redshirt some of the freshmen, Custer is on an academic scholarship, Lopez will be playing football, but there must be some players that won't be back.  I think 13 is the maximum number of scholarships allowed for basketball so who's going to be on the team?

[LumberCard]

[quote name="UNLV" post="802814" timestamp="1274147101"]
Terror and katfans are steaming over this class. hehe. Any bets SHSU come in last place this season?
[/quote]

I'll take the bet. No way they finish in last place. NO WAY.

They might not win the league, but I will garuntee they don't have a year like the Cards did this year.

[UNLV]

[quote name="LumberCard" post="803363" timestamp="1274287717"]
[quote author=UNLV link=topic=69768.msg802814#msg802814 date=1274147101]
Terror and katfans are steaming over this class. hehe. Any bets SHSU come in last place this season?
[/quote]

I'll take the bet. No way they finish in last place. NO WAY.

They might not win the league, but I will garuntee they don't have a year like the Cards did this year.
[/quote]Ok, not last place because this conference stinks in BBall. But I bet SHSU have a very bad year
and next few years.

[Guest mffl]

Talk about it in the Message Boards
Eastern Arizona JC 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Mike James is among the best individual talents in America's junior college ranks, but saw his college recruitment go up and down this season.

 

Eastern Arizona JC 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Mke James has signed with Lamar University (TX).
After a long, drawn out recruiting process for the Oregon native, James has decided to end his college recruitment and sign a scholarship with a Southland Conference school.

On Friday afternoon, James signed a national letter of intent with Lamar University and Head Coach Steve Roccaforte.

Lamar University assistant coach Silvey Dominguez was instrumental in recruiting the talented guard James, after it seemed that many other schools that were recruiting the ACCAC's top scoring guard had backed off.

James heard from almost every school in the country over the past two seasons at Eastern Arizona JC. Schools from high major programs such as the PAC-10 Conference, Big East, Big-10, SEC and ACC Conferences all considered recruiting James over the past two seasons.

Such schools as Florida State, Auburn, Creighton and Houston began to recruit James late this spring, while he also received scholarship offers from such programs as Portland State, Santa Clara, Northern Colorado, San Diego, UC-Riverside, Moorehead State, Sam Houston State and Louisiana Tech.

But in the end, after taking a visit to Gardner-Webb University, James decided to end his college recruitment and take his game and future to Lamar University.

James, a second-team ALL-ACCAC Conference selection this past season, averaged an eye-popping 25.9 points /per/game this past season, leading the conference in scoring and serving as the conference's best individual talent.

A native of Portland, Oregon, where he attended Grant High School, very few players have James' combination of skill, athleticism and swagger on the basketball court, which makes him very fun to watch. Some people find him to be an enigma, while I just see him as a unique individual.

James is a superb talent that walks to the beat of his own drum. His exploits on the basketball court make him a very attractive college basketball prospect, as he has one of the best natural abilities to score the basketball in America.

Congratulations to James on his decision and we hope him the best in his future at Lamar University. Lamar is truely getting a high-major talent that could be one of the best steals in America next season.

James told us that he is currently on pace to graduate this summer, after a couple of summer school classes. He would like to major in Business Management next fall.

Arizona Preps Scouting Report: James has the ability to run a team as he sees the floor very well and can get the basketball to the open man - almost at will. He can get to anywhere he wants to on the floor and is capable of completing the simple pass to a teammate, or even the flamboyant one when he wants to, just to add a little flare to the game. Either way, he gets the job done. Offensively, he is a tremendous individual talent, capable of making plays even under insurmountable odds, as he utilizes his athleticism and ability to create off the dribble to get the job done. He is also a very good scorer off the dribble, and is capable of creating his own shot at will. While his shot selection can be questionable at times, James is capable of knocking down several shots in a row in a hurry. James is at his best in the open floor, where he is able to finish high-flying dunks and finish plays strong at the basket over defenders. James also gets to the free-throw line quite often, as he was the league-leader in free throw attempts in the conference and shot 77.7% from the free-throw line this season. Defensively, James is capable of being a lock-down defender, as a result of his exceptional lateral quickness and quick hands. He currently ranked 7th in the conference in steals with 1.8 steals per/game.

[NorthoftheBorder]

Well, according to that assessment, LU will be league champs with Mr. James.  We will just have to wait and see if he passes his summer classes and then what he does on the court.

[UNLV]

10.    LAMAR (27 Points)..........10 Recruits..........2.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southland Conference..........(4) Michael James, 6'1, PG, Eastern Utah (JC) UT; (4) Vincenzo Nelson, 6'5, WF, Itawamba (JC) MS; (4) Devon Lamb, 6'2, 2G, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (3) Tremell Adams, 6'1, PG, South Suburban (JC) IL; (2) Brandon Davis, 6'6, WF, Southwestern Christian (JC) TX; (2) Tre Lynch, 6'1, PG, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Michale Kyser, 6'8, PF, Lancaster (H.S.) TX; (2) Demetris Smith, 6'4, WF, Pflugerville (H.S.) TX; (2) Darius Harris, 6'7, PF, Port Arthur (Memorial) TX; (2) Orlando Brazier, 6'7, C, California Community (JC) CA.



http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/toprecruitingclasses-classof2010.asp