Cuonzo Martin doesn't recruit a specific style

[zjcvols]

In looking at Cuonzo's recruiting since he got here in April 2011, I was thinking about how he doesn't really have a style that he recruits for a position. Look at his signees/commits/current recruits:

Point Guards

Wes Washpun- Great athlete, very good defense with no offense.

Travon Landry- Okay athlete, pass first point guard, decent D, okay shooting.

Josh Newkirk- Explosive athlete, score first combo guard, okay defense, good shooting.

Wings

Josh Richardson- Good athlete, very good D, can play three positions, okay offense, can't shoot outside.

Armani Moore- Good athlete, score first combo guard, good D, okay passer and ball handler.

Derek Reese- Long, rangy athlete. Good D, little offense. Great rebounder.

Quentin Chevious- Very strong, aggressive defender. No offense. Can also play the 4.

D'Montre Edwards- Good shooter that can play D. Average rebounder and athlete. Can't create own shot.

Robert Hubbs- Great scorer, very good athlete, plays very solid D, and can shoot the ball. Strictly a shooting guard

Markel Crawford- Good athlete, can score very well from 18 feet in. Decent D, okay long range shooter. Okay ball handling.

Nick King- Great scorer. Rebounds well, plays decent D. Not a bad defender and a pretty good athlete.

John Williams III- Very good, lengthy athlete. Good mid range game. Solid rebounder. Decent D. Can also play the 4.

Posts

Jarnell Stokes- Great post scorer, very good rebounder. Above average D, not a good athlete. Was 6'8/250 as a recruit.

Yemi Makanjoula- Good defense and rebounder. Solid athlete with good length. No offense or basketball IQ. Was 6'9/230 as a recruit.

Dwight Miller- Good rebounder, okay defense. Not a good athlete, but strong with little offensive game. 6'8/245 as a recruit.

Austin Nichols- Good scorer, great athlete, very good shot blocker, decent rebounder with nice mid range game. 6'9/220 as a recruit.

Akoy Agau- Very good rebounder with great shot blocking abilities. No offense but very good athlete. 6'9/220 as a recruit.

Desmond Ringer- Very good offensive game. Solid rebounder. Okay defense, but not a great athlete. 6'9/230

Schuyler Rimmer- Good rebounder and good offensive game. Not a good athlete. High basketball IQ. 6'9/230 as a recruit.

As you can see, there really isn't any kind of style that Cuonzo recruits to. He seems to just find basketball talent and recruit that. It'll be interesting to see if it works.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

He recruits basketball players and good kids with a good work ethic.

 

[zjcvols]

He recruits basketball players and good kids with a good work ethic.

Well, if you want to put it that way and save me thirty minutes, then fine then.

 

[zansdad]

Since Martin got here, I have done some reading up on the Motion Offense. One of the advantages of a true Motion Offense is the offense molds to the players not the other way around. A big PF that likes to play on the low block should be just as successful in the offense as a "stretch 4" that likes to step out and hit the 3. A SG that is a spot up 3 point guy should do just as well as a slasher type guy. And on and on. This versatility in the offense lets CCM recruit the best available players he can and then sort it out when they get on campus. The common denominator so far, are guys that CCM thinks are high character guys that will work hard and represent his program will. So far, so good. Hopefully elite talent will come with elite character in this class.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Basically what I was saying, just a bit too lazy tonight to type all of that haha.

But yea, the motion lets him recruit best available players, and the motion allows those guys to play their game.

 

[volunteerfan94]

You recruit the best players you can find. Zo does it as good as anybody

 

[DaDuRkEr]

I agree with almost all the assessments zjc, but I think Stokes athleticism is vastly underrated by most. With his frame, its easy to overlook his athleticism. For his size and body type, he elevates really well when he goes up to dunk. He is really bouncy and often was quickly getting the 2nd and sometimes 3rd rebound. I think he is more athletic than Yemi. Stokes has pretty quick hands too and showed flashes of amazing footwork. He just isn't "fast" but he is quicker than I thought he would be tbh.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

Zans, excellent post.

Dad, I agree.

Zjc, good to see you dude. Intriguing and informative thread as usual.

 

[germanicus]

Since Martin got here, I have done some reading up on the Motion Offense. One of the advantages of a true Motion Offense is the offense molds to the players not the other way around. A big PF that likes to play on the low block should be just as successful in the offense as a "stretch 4" that likes to step out and hit the 3. A SG that is a spot up 3 point guy should do just as well as a slasher type guy. And on and on. This versatility in the offense lets CCM recruit the best available players he can and then sort it out when they get on campus. The common denominator so far, are guys that CCM thinks are high character guys that will work hard and represent his program will. So far, so good. Hopefully elite talent will come with elite character in this class.

That sounds great, but that's the same thing they said about the flex and it drove me crazy. I'm starting to get some of the same vibes when Coach Martin talks about his offense not requiring a "true" point guard. Pearl's offense didn't require a true PG, either, and we wound up with that being a sore spot on the team for much of his tenure. I still think the best teams have a "true" 1 - a guy who's responsibility is running the team - and a "true" 5 - a guy who rebounds and guards the basket while scoring opportunistically.

 

[zjcvols]

Zans, excellent post.

Dad, I agree.

Zjc, good to see you dude. Intriguing and informative thread as usual.

Thanks Chris, appreciate it.

 

[zansdad]

That sounds great, but that's the same thing they said about the flex and it drove me crazy. I'm starting to get some of the same vibes when Coach Martin talks about his offense not requiring a "true" point guard. Pearl's offense didn't require a true PG, either, and we wound up with that being a sore spot on the team for much of his tenure. I still think the best teams have a "true" 1 - a guy who's responsibility is running the team - and a "true" 5 - a guy who rebounds and guards the basket while scoring opportunistically.

I don't remember that being said about Pearl's flex. He actually recruited specific types of guys that fit his system.

 

[germanicus]

I don't remember that being said about Pearl's flex. He actually recruited specific types of guys that fit his system.

Not saying you're wrong, but my memory is different. The flex was all about recruiting athletes and putting them in position to make plays and you didn't need a pure PG because the offense created the openings, not a particular player. The further into his tenure, the more Bruce recruited "long athletes who could play multiple positions" which is pretty much what Coach Martin says he's doing. Now, maybe he'll be able to exercise more control over them or teach skills better (something Pearl's staff didn't do so well), but listening to the two coaches talk about the players they are recruiting sounds very similar.