BG Picks up MBB Verbal from Latvia

BG has landed what would appear to be its 5th recruit for next season.  This guy is really interesting.  His name is Matiss Kulackovskis and he is from Saldus, Latvia.  He came to the US to try and get a basketball scholarship, attending Archbishop Ryan in Philly, where BG is recruiting hard.  He is BG's first Latvian basketball player (as far as I can recall), though BG did have Ralfs Freibergs on the hockey team.  Ralfs played for Latvia in the Olympics.

Kulackovskis follows another trend for BG's signees, which is to increase the team's overall length.  He is 6'7" but plays that stretch game you expect out of a European.  He scored 17.6 PPG and is an excellent 3FG shooter, which is a matchup problem in the MAC with his size.  There is an excellent article about him and his recruitment here.  

Basically, he is a later bloomer, struggled with confidence when he first arrived here (you trying moving to Latvia) but has emerged this year as a leader and as a player.  Once BG locked onto him they worked it hard until they landed him.  He doesn't have other offers, which could be because of the late blooming.  If you can get a guy like this it is like buying low on a stock that breaks out big.

Fans will be reminded a little of Dusan Radivojevic, a Dakich-era Serbian who had a similar physical profile.  He didn't work out terribly well here, though he transferred to Arkansas Tech, where he played effectively on a team that made the DII tournament and was ranked #1 for part of the year.  The coach of that team was Mark Downey, who was at BG for 1 year with Coach Jans.  Today Dusan is coaching in Brazil.

Anyway, BG badly needs an outside threat and if Matiss can be that guy he helps turn this program around.

BG returns the following 9 players who are on scholarship right now.  The 5 recruits would put them one over the limit of 13.  My guess is that Matt Fox's scholarship is year to year.  Also, you never know if someone else doesn't return.

1. Wiggins
2. Hluchoweckyj
3. Caldwell
4. Frye 
5. Turner
6. Lillard
7. Uju
8. Fox
9. Worrell

Welcome to the Falcons, Matiss.

MBB Verbal is Florida Big Man

#BGSU 🏀📝 @Florida_Vipers @nikki_mcthay @JadaBreona #DillardBoys #Back2Back pic.twitter.com/ZpeaVF0E7o

— King Niyah Byngi (@JoniyaBYNGadson) October 2, 2016

So, just when we needed some good news, here's a new verbal for the men's basketball team.  His name is Joniya Gadson and he plays at Dillard HS, which is in Ft. Lauderdale.  Here is the really exciting thing about him...he 6'10" and when combined with our most recent verbal, Derek Koch, gives us the beignning of a badly needed inside game.

Dillard won their state championship last year.    Gadson started both the semifinal and ifnal, but played only 7 minutes in each game.  His AAU stats are somewhat similar.  Looks like he has some pretty good teammates, so numbers don't always tell the story.

He had offers from Bethune-Cookman, Quinnipiac and Kennesaw State. 

Welcome to the Falcons, Joniya!

MBB gets JUCO Commit

West Texas CC forward, Jeffrey Uju has committed to Bowling Green..he played great at the All American @jucoshowcase in Dallas last week

— Scott Golden (@HoopExchange) April 25, 2016

 So, BG has a new '16 Basketball commit, Jeffrey Uju.  Jeffrey is originally from Bolingbroke, IL, and went to Oak Hill Academy in VA, which is a big basketball training ground with about two dozen NBA players to its name.  He played last year at Western Texas College (which is kind of funny, almost like we still have the Chris Jans recruiting grounds).  He's 6'7" and shot 46% from 2FG and 3FG.  He scored 7 PPG and had almost 6 RPG.  Now, based on the stats, that was in 16 minutes per game, so it needs to be adjusted a little bit.  I don't know what the deal is with the PT, except I've seen it before...sometimes JUCO teams distribute playing time very evenly.

He says he is in pre-med and wants to be a surgeon after he plays as a professional.  He will have two years of eligibility.

Welcome to the Falcons, Jeffrey.

BG MBB Early Signees

Yesterday was the early signing day for basketball.  BG inked the two players we were anticipating, Dylan Frye and Rodrick Caldwell.  Both look like really good players as we rebuild our program.  The thing is that they are both 1s...and the program desperately needs inside players.  I'm confident that Coach Huger is aware of the need for inside players and they are working on it.  Anyway, Rodrick and Dylan, welcome to BG.

BG nets 2nd 2016 MBB Verbal

Want to thank God, my family, and friends... Today, I would like to commit to the Bowling Green State University!!! pic.twitter.com/9B38h3Y321

— BALLisLife11 (@RodrickCaldwell) September 28, 2015

Rodrick Caldwell is the biggest in-state recruit for BGSU in a few years. My fellow Falcon Basketball fans should be excited. Kids big time.

— Ethan Knopp (@EHoopsOhio) September 28, 2015

BG has picked up a 2nd verbal for '16 and it looks to be a pretty good get for the new coaching staff.  The young man is Rodrick Caldwell, a 5'10" PG from Huber Heights Wayne HS, which is down in the Dayton area.  He had reported offers from Miami, Wright State, EKU, NKU, Indiana State and Ball State.

As a Junior, Caldwell's HS team won the Division I state title, which is huge.  They had a big team including one Big 10 recruit and one A-10 recruit, but Caldwell tallied 14 points in the title game.  He was 2nd team all-conference...but that's partly because Wayne that three other players (and seniors) on the all-conference team.  He played at Dayton Stivers the year before and was an Honorable Mention All-State as a Sophomore in DIII.

BG is definitely loading up on guards, which is important.  Winning in the MAC is primarily a guard-driven enterprise and Coach Huger played PG at BG.  Speaking of which, there are a bunch of PGs on our list...sometimes I think HS teams put their best G on the point and that doesn't mean they aren't able to translate to 2s in the MAC.

Welcome to the Falcons, Rodrick.

BG with First MBB '16 Verbal

Recruiting News: 2016 (Pg) 6'2 Dylan Frye (Mater Academy) commits to Bowling Green University #RMF @DylanFrye05 pic.twitter.com/cMWGFSPTpI

— RMF Magazine (@RMFmagazine) September 13, 2015

So BG has picked up its first verbal for the 2016 class.  For this young man, Coach Huger has picked into his old home in South Beach, and brought back a 3-star (Rivals) commit.

His name is Dylan Frye and he is a 6'2" PG (Mater Academy) who has been getting strong notices for some time.  He was 2nd team All-State (6A) as a sophomore, transferred to another school, led them to a state title and then transferred back to Mater where he will play his senior year.  He is a good student with a 4.3 GPA.  You can check here for some of his AAU stats and some scouting that includes that this might be the dual-threat passing and shooting PG BG has been looking for for a long time.

An internet website has ranked him as the #22 recruit in Florida.

He had D1 offers from Bryant, High Point, Liberty, Loyola MD, N Florida, Radford, Rider and UCF.

Welcome to the Falcons, Dylan!

BG Men's Basketball Verbal

Ishmael Ali (6'1/PG/2015) from Antelope Valley CC (CA) has committed to Bowling Green

— Brad Winton (@JucoRecruiting) June 14, 2015

BG has filled its last open men's basketball scholarship with a PG from California.  His name is Ismail Ali and he played for Antelope Valley CC in the California Community College Athletic Association.  As you can see, he's 6'1" tall.  As a sophomore he started 25 of their 29 games and had 6.3 assists per game over 2.4 turnovers.  Also, he was playing on a team that scored 83 per game, so that has to be taken into account.  He scored about 9 points per game, shooting 44% and 42% on 3FG, although they were rare.

In HS, he scored 10 PPG and had 4 assists in his senior season.  You can see here what some scouts said about him as a HS player...article also says that he had mid-major interest while in HS.

One other interesting tidbit above.  Ali will be the fifth straight PG from Antelope to play D-1 ball.  BG has two PGs back next year, but both are seniors, but Ali can help provide some transition into the next year.  Also, Joseph and Austin have both played 2-guard from time to time.

Welcome to the Falcons, Ismail.

Update:  It appears that Ismail will be the backup PG, as explained in this subsequent post.

New Falcon Hoops Verbal....

BG has now picked up what is anticipated will be its 3rd new player for next season and the second signed by Coach Huger.  This is Wesley Alcegaire, a G who played JUCO ball at Daytona State.  Before that, he did have a D1 deal at Liberty.

There are some interesting things about him.  He is 6'5" which is long for a G.  He was a big prep player in Miami...

• Named to the 2011-12 Florida Association of Basketball Coaches 3A All-State team
• Earned first team All-Dade County honors his senior year
• Averaged 28.1 points, 11 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game
• Led the Knights to a 27-3 record, district championship and a regional appearance
• Second team All-Dade during junior and sophomore season
• District champion in high jump

When he got to Liberty, he red-shirted and then decided to leave after playing in 13-14 but only about 2 minutes per game.  He transferred to Daytona State, where he had some success.

He only played one season there since he had already played one at Liberty.  He was succesful...he scored 17.1 PPG, shot 46%, made 37% of his 3FG and had 6 RPG, and all that came in only 26 minutes per game.  It was a good team, they were 21-8, they won their conference and those are good numbers.  He does have decent height, which could be an advantage at that level.

With BG losing Clarke and Henderson, we clearly need some help at G and Alcegaire might be able to stretch to a 3 if need be.

Welcome to the Falcons, Wesley!

Falcon Men's Basketball Verbal #3

Officially part of Bowling Green State University #TalonsUp 🏀💯 pic.twitter.com/UhvIyfNSSb
— Malik Hluchoweckyj (@Malik_ABC) October 6, 2014

So BG has a 2015 verbal from Malik Hluchoweckyj--and I think we all saw Todd Walker shudder a little--to play men's basketball.  He is BG's third verbal and he is a HS player from Bellevue West HS in Bellevue Nebraska.  He is a 6'0" shooting guard with offers from Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Colorado, according to rivals.

This site says he was:

First-team Super-State after helping the Thunderbirds to the Class A state title, averaging 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.

Here's some more.  Apparently, he started the year at PG and moved to SG for the title run.  Here's a quote from his Coach (CJ is their other guard):

"CJ’s natural thought is pass, facilitate. Malik’s is score. Since we made the move, our record was better. Malik averaged 17.5 instead of 12 points, and hit 50 percent instead of 40 percent. Malik has gotten a lot better. He played extended periods at point in our district, but it’s hard to take advantage of his skills if he starts with the ball and then has to get it back." -- Bellevue West coach Doug Woodard

So, we landed a guard whose natural thought is to score...no doubt, that's something that BG has not seen a ton of.  (He's also a very good WR).

Welcome to the Falcons, Malik.

Jalone Friday, BG Men's Basketball Verbal

The Falcons have landed their first 2015 verbal in men's basketball.  He is PF Jalone Friday, a 6'8" PF from Oklahoma City.  He is a 3-star recruit on Rivals.  The last 3-star recruit BG landed on Rivals was Danny McElroy.

He plays at Millwood HS and was Honorable All-Mention All-City.  Looks like he was a low double-figure scorer as a HS Jr.

Friday at Millwood High last year but will be home-schooled and play for OKC Storm this year. Played for Avery West on Dallas/OKC Mustangs
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) August 31, 2014

This is one of those things that you probably won't have stats for, especially in HS.  Presumably BG and Rivals saw him play this summer, and were able to persuade him to come to BG.  According to this site, he's a combo player who presents matchup difficulties with the ability to score 3s and near the rim.  Certainly, in the MAC, a player with this size who can score from outside

The Jans coaching team is certainly recruiting the center of the country, where presumably he has some stronger contacts.  Which is fine...we need players who will lift the MAC Championship trophy.

Welcome to the Falcons, Jalone.

Falcon Men Land Their Third Commitment

That's three, and if everyone is coming back that will be all.  (As it turns out, BG has a 4th signee, see next post)

The third commit is indeed a JUCO PF, as BG looks to construct an inside game for the 14-15 season.  His name is Delvin Dickerson.  He played most recently at Paris Junior College, which is not in France.  It is in Texas, located between Dallas and Arkansas.  According to their website, they regularly put 5-6 players in 4 year colleges to play ball.

Also, his coach there was Chuck Taylor, who had a shoe named after him.

They were 26-8 last year and won the Region XIV conference tournament.  Dickerson scored 11 points a game.  He shot 47% from the field, averaged 4.5 RPG.  He committed only 77 fouls in 30 games.

He originally signed out of HS with South Alabama. Here is what they wrote about him when he signed there...

Dickerson led Westbury Christian to a 37-2 record last season and a runner-up finish in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state tournament. The Wildcats and head coach Russell Carr are ranked No. 47 in ESPN.com’s Preseason POWERADE FAB 50 Rankings and have won three state titles in the last six years.

As a junior Dickerson averaged 17.8 points and 11.0 rebounds and was named MVP of the 71st annual Houston ISD Boys Basketball Tournament in December 2010.WCHS defeated two-time defending 4A champion Houston Yates in the final behind 25 points and 12 rebounds from Dickerson.

Obviously, a guy with D1 ability who fills a need in BG.  He very well could end up starting for BG.

Welcome to the Falcons, Delvin.

Rasheed Worrell is 2nd BGSU MBB Verbal

Next year I will be a #BowlingGreenStateUniversty Falcon 😆🏀🏀🏀 #WeAreBg #RollAlong http://t.co/C5CSryIiVv
— Rasheed worrell (@take_flight247) April 29, 2014

And now there are two.  Worrell is a 6'8" PF from Tuscaloosa, AL.  He is a soon-to-be HS graduate and will be eligible in the Fall.  Worrell touched off a mini-firestorm of recruiting interest when he sought and received his release from Appalachian State after they fired the coach who had recruited him.  Various internet sources indicate offers from WKU, Illinois State, Stephen F. Austin, Loyola-Chicago, Tennessee Tech, Tulane and Monmouth.  So clearly, considerable D1 interest.

From a local paper, here are some pertinent numbers.

Worrell missed one game while playing four seasons for Sipsey Valley coach Kevin Austin. Worrell averaged 13.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a senior and helped the Bears to a second-straight 20-win season. He was a second-team All-State selection in Class 3A.

Two things here. First, he looks like he has the potential to be a very good player for us.  Just as importantly, he fills a need.  With just Holmes, Gomez and Mayleben returning, BG is very short on inside guys.  (Parker is really a 3 at best).  So, Worrell can get minutes right away and if he is productive, he makes a big difference.

Would not surprise me to see BG get another inside guy via JUCO or Prep with the final scholarship...but that remains to be seen.

Welcome to the Falcons, Rasheed.

David Joseph Commits to BG Men's Basketball

Wanna thank my parents, coaches & close friends on helping me make this decision, I honestly think #BG is the best fit for me overall.
— IG: PEP57AVE (@PEP57AVE) April 24, 2014

The Jans Era has its first verbal commit, today, based on the internet.

His name is David Joseph, a JUCO G from Howard College, which is in Big Spring, TX.  He is listed as a PG on verbalcommits.com.  He appears to be an excellent player...he scored 13 PPG on 49% shooting and added 6.3 assists per game.  That assist total is #12 in the country for Junior Colleges, Division I.  Howard had 24 wins last year.

According to this story, Joesph grew up in New York and moved to Florida when he was in HS.  He attended Zion Lutheran Christian, which is near Boca.  It is a small school (he played in Florida's smallest classification) but he was putting up some sick numbers.  As a Junior, he was plugging at 28.6 PPG and 10.6 Assists per game.  

He is 6'0" tall and comes to BG as a junior.

For the team, a couple of upshots.

First, it was no secret that BG had struggles at guard last year and at PG.  Part of that was Orr and Denny being injured.  Part of it that was just a lack of consistent productivity from the guys we did have.  I actually think it is possible that Jehvon Clarke is better suited to be a 2 as opposed to a 1.  If Joseph can run the point, I think Jehvon can produce off the edges and get to the basket, which is something he can excel at if he has the space to operate.

I know some people are going to be disappointed that he is a transfer.  A bunch of MAC teams are getting transfers, though, and some (like UT) have built their program around them.  If Joseph solidifies BG on the point, it could make a difference remember, remembering that while we are all frustrated at the state of the program, this was not a 4-28 team.

In fact, it would not surprise me to see at least one and maybe both of the remaining scholarships go to D1 transfers.  There are a ton out there.  It is late, and if you are looking at guys who are HS players but projects, they aren't going to help you for a year anyway.

Anyway, welcome to the Falcons, David.

Update:  About 4 pm Joseph tweeted that he had signed his LOI.

Update II:  BGSU has a release up about the signing now...here are some details about prep school and other play.

At Nia Prep in 2010-11, Joseph averaged 13.3 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, as his team went 26-8 overall on the year and made an appearance at the National Prep Championship in Connecticut. For his strong season, Joseph represented the New Jersey Boys Team in the 2011 JCCS Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Classic that season.

Joseph signed with Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah out of Nia Prep where he redshirted his freshman year in 2011-12 before transferring to Howard College.

Also, we should apparently be calling him "Pepe."

So, welcome to the Falcons, Pepe.

Edwards Re-Opens recruiting

2014 Lehigh Acres (FL)/former BGSU commit G Bernard Edwards, Jr. is reopening his recruitment. @b3edwards http://t.co/ccdY0rDw0q
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) April 7, 2014

So, the news today for men's basketball is that Bernard Edwards, Jr. is reopening his recruitment.  Edwards actually signed a LOI back in November, so if he is going to go somewhere else, I would assume he is going to need a release.  Also a caveat, sometimes guys re-open and then stay where they were committed in the first place...and there has been a coaching change...anyway, we will watch and wait.

Bernard Edwards Signs with BGSU Men's Basketball

We covered this a couple weeks ago, but it is now official:  Bernard Edwards Jr. has signed with BG Men's basketball.  The skinny is that he has been a very productive player for his team in HS.  He is a PG.  He was all-SW Florida second team last season, and has shown to be a very productive player.  BGSU's release said he had offers from Northwestern State, Austin Peay, and Ball State.  He's 6'0."

Yes, his father was a WR for OSU from 88-91.

Here is Coach Orr's quote about him.

"We are extremely pleased and excited to have Bernard and his family join our Falcon Family. BJ is not only a talented and athletic point guard, but also a high character individual that will fit in well with our guys both on and off the court. He brings quickness, playmaking, scoring and defense to our team. He will give us a penetrating guard that can put pressure on the opposition on both ends of the floor," stated Coach Orr. "He has very good pace to his game and can finish in the lane with both hands, as well as having the ability to shoot the three. He is a team player, and comes from a Lehigh High School program that is led by an outstanding coach in Dawn McNew. BJ is truly blessed to have a lot of love and support from great parents, Bernard Sr. and Lashonda Edwards. We gladly welcome them to our family and appreciate their trust and support."

If he truly had offers from Austin Peay and Ball State, those are good signs. AP has a good program and there's a new coach at Ball State. It is really hard to project HS stats to D1 performance because you have to know what kind of talent he was playing against.  Still, better good stats than bad.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing him in orange and brown.  Welcome. Bernard.

Falcons Get Men's Basketball Verbal

I'll bet you didn't expect to see that today.

His name is Bernard (BJ!!!) Edwards from Lehigh Acres, which is in FL in the Ft. Myers area.  Edwards is a 6'0" PG who made a visit a weekend ago, watched our scrimmage and liked the atmosphere at BG, the facility, etc.

Edwards Jr. averaged 18 points, six assists and six rebounds per game last season as a junior.  No idea about the level of competition in the area.  He also played for the Nike Team Florida AAU squad.

Presumably, he will sign during the November signing period, which starts on the 13th.  No idea what he has in the way of other offers.  Welcome to the Falcons, BJ, and here's to you lifting the MAC Championship trophy someday.

Men's Basketball Recruiting Round-up

So, this has been going on for a few years.  One of the very good points being made is that BG basketball didn't get to be average when Louis Orr got here.  It has only rarely been more than average since the ill-fated WVU adventure.  I'm not saying that's a cause, I'm just saying we were a successful program before and not since.

The most significant cause--not to put too fine a point on it--has been the lack of talented players.  Below is a year by year listing of BG's recruiting classes for men's basketball.  It contains both players who did not stay and players who did and failed to rise much above average.

We can close the door on the '08-09 class.  It was pretty good.  In fact, with Brown, Thomas and Calhoun, it was probably the 2nd best BG class of the post-WVU era and the best under Coach Orr.  The best, in my view, is 05-06, with Marschall, Moten, Samarco and Clements, three of whom who formed the core of a MAC regular season title team.  This was a Dakich class.

The 09-10 class can also be closed.  It is less successful.  You have Crawford who certainly made his mark, but behind that you have Kraus and Erger, who were never highly accomplished players, and DaVon Haynes, who is an accomplished player but he is doing it for Arkansas Pine-Bluff.  And Danny McElroy.

Anyway, without further delay, here is the annual update of the recruiting scorecard.

Falcon Hoops Recruiting Scorecard, Updated April 2013

02-03
Stephen Wright--Productive player, left prior to his senior season.
Ron Lewis--Two productive seasons, no junior year. Prominent Big 10 player.
Raheem Moss--26 games, two starts, 66 career points, left program. Contribued at Cleveland State.

03-04
Chris Hobson, 28 games, 51 points, left program.
Austin Montgomery 56 games, 189 points, transferred.
Reggie Harwell--Nada.
Matt Lefeld--A contributing senior and a true warrior. Academic All-American
Isaac Rosefelt--24 minutes, two points. Left Program for stellar DIII career.
John Floyd--Played 59 games averaging 8.4 ppg. 247 career assists Left program.

04-05

Scott Vandermeer, 60 points and 40 fouls. Transfered, contributed at UIC where I think he ended up as a pretty good player.
Moon Robinson, Left program after sophomore season. Transferred.
Mawel Soler, completed eligibility. Effective player, even good in spots.

05-06

Jeremy Holland--left program after one practice
Nick Wilson--left program without playing a game.
Lionel Sullivan--Sayonara. 30 minutes, 6 points.
Dusan--Minor contributions. Left program prior to Junior Season.
Erik Marschall--Injury plagued career ended with effective senior season.
Daryl Clements--Good contributing player, played strong D, stable presence and probably underappreciated player.
Brian Moten--MAC sixth man of the year in junior season and all-MAC HM as a senior. Good player at this level, had game-changing shooting potential.
Martin Samarco--2nd team All-MAC, finished career.

06-07

Ryne Hamblett--Contributing player, but kicked off team prior to senior season.
Brandon Bland--Left the program.
Marc Larson--Gets minutes, is more valuable than his stats indicate.
Otis Polk--Productive starter.
Ryan Sims--left team early in Junior year. Made little contribution.
Nate Miller--All-MAC First team. Great player, carried team into post-season.
Chris Knight--Transferred following two seasons at BG. (Technically, he was a Dakich recruit).

07-08
Joe Jakubowski--Four year starter, among the program's career leaders in assists and steals.
Cameron Madlock--Transferred out.

08-09
Dee Brown--1,000 point scorer.
Scott Thomas--Third team All-MAC as senior. 1,000 point scorer. 10th in career assists, 10th in career rebounds, 6th in career 3-pointers.
Au'ston Calhoun--Two-time Second-team All-MAC, 19th all-time leading scorer @BGSU.
Adrion Graves--left before appearing as a Falcon.
Darion Goins--Played sparingly, left team in first season as a Falcon

09-10
Jordon Crawford--Honorable mention All-MAC.  1,000 pt scorer, 4th in career assists, 5th in steals.
James Erger--Averaged 10 minutes per game as a Senior.  Role player.
Luke Kraus--Started 25 games as a senior.  Scored 4 points per game.
DaVon Haynes---Left program without playing.  Averaged 12 points and 7 RPG for Ark-Pine Bluff.
Danny McElroy--Left program. Ran afoul of the law.

10-11
Anthony Henderson--Made 9 starts as a RS-SO shooting 32%.
Cam Black--29 starts as a JR.  Defensive specialist. Averaged 19 minutes per game.
Torian Oglesby--Juco. Solid role player. Set NCAA record for most consecutive FGs.
Craig Sealey--Averaged 10 minutes as a junior.

11-12
Jehvon Clarke--Played 12 minutes per game as SO, shot 32%.
Chauncey Orr--Team's 3rd leading scorer as SO.
Desmond Rorie--Left program without appearing in a game.

12-13
Richaun Holmes--Set school record for blocked shots.  Averaged 6.5/5 in 19 MPG.
Spencer Parker--Made 15 appearances as a FR.

13-14

Zach Denny, DII, All-Ohio Second team 35.0 points per game
JD Tisdale...All-State Special Mention, Michigan....and Flint Dream Team.
Mayleben...8.6/6.3 for Milford this year.
Gomez....Iona Transfer

Falcon Men's Basketball Recruit Lighting it Up

Just a quick note for you.  Zach Denny is one of our recruits--he has signed a NLI to come play for Bowling Green next season--and he is having a monster senior season.  He plays at Valley View, which is down by Dayton, and he has had 3 straight games in which he scored more than 40 points and in one of the games he scored 51.

That's in a 32 minute HS game, in case you were wondering.

If you read this blog, you know we're always on the lookout for guys with gaudy scoring numbers who are doing it with indiscriminate shooting....not so here (from Dayton Daily News...

If you’ve never seen Denny play it’s easy to assume he’s a gunner. He’s not. He takes 42 percent of his team’s shots, but he’s making 46.2 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from 3-point range. On Friday he took 29 shots (and made 15) against Jefferson. Nine other Spartans combined for 26 (and made eight).

So, that's not the case...he's scoring 40 efficient points against defenses who know that he's the guy.

Looking forward to seeing how all that translates into D1 in the orange and brown.

Falcons Men's Basketballers Sign NLI

No big news here, the three guys BG expected to get signed their NLI back when the signing period open.  The University has been rolling out (or along) these announcements and the men's hoopsters were just announced.

The players are Zach Denny, Garret Mayleben and J.D. Tisdale.  As always, these guys all look really good and it will be exciting to see how they develop in orange and brown.  I'd say that Tisdale is the most ready to play and his length would be really valuable for us at guard.  Denny would provide some shooting, and Mayleben seems to be a big guy who has upside but is still developing.

Welcome to the Falcons, Zach, Garrett and J.D!

Below you can find brief bios of the Falcon players and Coach Orr's comments taken from the BGSU official release.

Tisdale, a 6-foot-5 point guard from Flint, Mich. (Swartz Creek High School), averaged 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game as a junior. He was named second team all-area by the Flint Journal. At the AAU level, Tisdale has been coached by Marcellus Miller, while

“J.D. is an extremely talented and athletic point guard who has size, vision and explosiveness,” Orr said. “His ability to see over the defense at 6-5 and make plays for others and himself gives him an advantage over most other guards. He is creative and very active in the open floor and he has the ability to get to the rim and finish. With his length and quickness, he is a very good on-ball defender and rebounder. J.D. is a student of the game and he has the ability to impact the game positively in a variety of ways. He is a very hard worker, a good teammate and a quality young man. We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome him and his family to our Falcon Family.”

Denny, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Germantown, Ohio (Valley View High School), led the state of Ohio in scoring as a junior, averaging 28.8 points per game. He was a Division II All-Ohio Special Mention award winner and All-Ohio Honorable Mention as a sophomore after averaging 24.5 points per game. Denny has a single-game scoring high of 42 points heading into his senior season and he is coached by Ben Buehner.

“Zach is one of the best shooters and scorers in the state of Ohio,” Orr said. “He is a deadly three-pointer shooter, but also has the ability to score in a variety of ways. He is a very affective ball-handler and passer with a high IQ. He is a high-energy player that is active on both ends of the floor and he gets his hands on a lot of balls defensively. Zack is an extremely hard worker and a young man who puts the time in to improve his game. His ability to stretch the defense with his three-point shooting will be an added weapon for us. Zach is a good teammate and a quality young man. We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome him and his family to our Falcon Family.”

Mayleben, a 6-foot-9 forward from Milford, Ohio (Milford High School), averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior under head coach Joe Cambron. He was honorable mention all-conference at Milford.

“Garrett is a skilled and active big man who brings a lot of energy and effort to the court,” Orr said. “At 6-9, he has very good size and length. Garrett has a nice touch from the perimeter and can handle the ball. He has the ability to score and he is comfortable facing the basket as well as playing in the post. He is a versatile and active defender who runs the floor well and is an affective rebounder. Garrett has a high IQ for the game and is a hard worker with big upside. With his size, skill and talent, Garrett will continue to grow as a player.”

Men's Basketball Verbal! JD Tisdale to BG

Big news for the Falcon faithful, JD Tisdale of Swartz Creek, MI has committed to BG (during a visit on Saturday).

Tisdale has been the subject of a strong recruiting battle, particularly by WMU among 5 other offers.  He was set to announce his decision a few weeks ago but postponed it, reportedly due to Big 10 interest.  He's been a swingman, but is reportedly looking to play PG for his senior year in HS.  I don't have any idea where he might play at BG, but an athletic 6'5" guy is the kind of length we are looking to get.

This is from the mlive.com story on his commitment.

He averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game while making The Flint Journal’s All-Area Second Team in the 2011-12 season. This year the 6-foot-5 swingman would like to transition to the point guard spot under Dragons new head coach Scottie Wright.

Welcome to the Falcons, JD.  I know people are anxious about our men's basketball program, but winning a recruiting battle like this does help to give us a little confidence.  Nothing is sure until they play, but it looks to me like this guy will be a good MAC player.