A view from thje cage: What to do with the new-found scholarships
ANDREW THORPE
MUNCIE, Ind. — Well we have lost two so far, no suprise there, but there was a suprise in losing Josh Murray, our three-year starting forward. That leaves us with two scholarship available for next year, assuming they don't spen them on Moodie (who can walk on) and Burns (ditto). This moves my thoughts to what kind of players would I like to see in a BSU uniform.
One obvious choice is Gabe Miller. Miller, a extremely under-recruited forward from Carroll (Allen) High School, is a 6-8 swingman who can fill the need at small forward and power forward. He is kind of a tweener. He is two slight of build to be a big time power forward and maybe a 1/2 step slow to be a star on the perimeter, but you never know. Miller put up sloid numbers in leading his team to the semistate final in Class 4A where they lost to Penn.
Miller could be a nice fit for the Cardinals. He has the ability to stick the open three and can also put the ball on the floor and hit the mid-range jumper. Miller can also effectively rebound and could prove to a a solid defender, but it is too early to speculate on a player we know not much about.
With the other scholarship, I'd like to see Buckley take a shot at a junior college forward. We need someone who can step in and contribute (probably start) right away. There are two possibilites right now I can think of who might fill that role. 1. Martin Brothers, Logan JC in Illinois. The 6-9 power forward center can play effectively with his back to the basket and can score and rebound. He also has the ability to step out and knock down the mid-range jumper, something Murray lacked. Brothers was a rugged inside player in high school at Indianapolis Arlington. He was a solid rebounder and defender too. What the question might be is if he has the character or the desire to play here? That is a big question.
2. Greg Morgan, Parkland CC in Illinois. He wasn't highly recruited out of high school and has seen his stock rise in JUCO. Morgan is 6-8 can score and rebound and can step out and hit the three. He is cut out of the same mold as Theron Smith, but I don't think he is at the same level skill wise. I have never seen Morgan play and don't know much about him, but I'd still like to see him here.
Another possibility is using the scholarship on a down the road player like Bryson MacKenzie at Gary West. MacKenzie was a late developing center who stands 6-9 and is overshadowed on his team by 6-11 Chris Hunter (Class of 2002). MacKenzie is a lot like Lonnie in that he is a tall, slender, shot-blocker who is limited at the time offensively.
The last option is to keep ahold of the scholarship and use it towards someone in next year's class and maybe sneaking in a high-major type player from in-state. Oh well, a kid can dream can't he.
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