Recruiting by Coach Smith

[7ICoug]

Mighty impressive so far. Always interesting when you have to hit the ground running and get a lot done in a very short time frame. Not only fill up the current class but get a bunch of 2020 offers out.

Retained Graduate Jeff Pollard Forward/Post
Added Grad Transfer Deion James Forward
Retained Commit Deron Hensen Stretch 4 Juco former Coach's Jewel
Added PG/SGJuco Isaac Bonton
Added Frosh Guard Noah Williams rated higher than any of the former Coach's recruits
Added Frosh PG Ryan Rapp - Australia
Added Frosh C Volodymyr Markovetskyy -- Euro

So Smith has shown so far that he can get Grad Transfer's, get and retain Juco's and get quality Frosh.

All of this while building a staff, getting together a schedule which includes trip to Cayman Island Classic.
Good job so far in my eyes.

 

[SaveFerris]

Good points and I think they have done a nice job as well. There’s no such thing as an immediate fix for us but you can see something good including upside for each player they have added. It’s too bad Cannon and most likely John are not going to stick but not everyone is going to buy in when there is change.

I am looking forward to seeing what they can do year 1. I don’t expect a lot year 1 but do expect a much better coached team on both ends.

 

[bogusto]

I expect to see solid defense played from game 1 on, as opposed to the 20th of the season and only intermittently thereafter as during Kent's regime.

 

[CecilYounger]

I expect to see solid defense played from game 1 on, as opposed to the 20th of the season and only intermittently thereafter as during Kent's regime.

I hope you are right, but my expectations (maybe this is all your were saying) are to see solid effort on defense with incremental improvement as the season goes on.

 

[etowncoug]

I hope you are right, but my expectations (maybe this is all your were saying) are to see solid effort on defense with incremental improvement as the season goes on.

Defense is about effort and athleticism. It's surprisingly easy to teach the basics. More curious about our results on the offensive end of the court.

 

[SaveFerris]

I hope you are right, but my expectations (maybe this is all your were saying) are to see solid effort on defense with incremental improvement as the season goes on.

This is in line with my expectation. While we should see improved play on both ends we still are going to have a significant talent gap compared to the rest of the conference.

 

[Glad Cougar]

Considering the challenge of putting together a late recruiting class....even more difficult for coaches at WSU....I think Smith has done a very good job– better than Bone & Kent were able to do starting this late. Of course we won't know for sure until a season or two goes by, but I like the balance of a grad transfer (James), JCs (Bonton and re-recruitment of Henson), and freshmen (Rapp, Williams, and Markovetskyy). I'm even more anxious to see how Smith & Co. do with next year's recruiting class, which I assume they are working on right now as well. They should have no fewer than 5 scholarships to hand out and a lot more time to cultivate relationships.

Glad Cougar

 

[CecilYounger]

Defense is about effort and athleticism. It's surprisingly easy to teach the basics. More curious about our results on the offensive end of the court.

It is more about discipline in my book. The basics are simple and probably easy but not easy to teach IMO. That is the genius of the Dick and Tony. Not the pack defense itself.

 

[CecilYounger]

This is in line with my expectation. While we should see improved play on both ends we still are going to have a significant talent gap compared to the rest of the conference.

And I suspect that we will be lacking in athleticism for the foreseeable future.

 

[SaveFerris]

It is more about discipline in my book. The basics are simple and probably easy but not easy to teach IMO. That is the genius of the Dick and Tony. Not the pack defense itself.

The next few years Smith will be yelling as much or more than Dick did those first few years.

 

[CougEd]

Considering the challenge of putting together a late recruiting class....even more difficult for coaches at WSU....I think Smith has done a very good job– better than Bone & Kent were able to do starting this late. Of course we won't know for sure until a season or two goes by, but I like the balance of a grad transfer (James), JCs (Bonton and re-recruitment of Henson), and freshmen (Rapp, Williams, and Markovetskyy). I'm even more anxious to see how Smith & Co. do with next year's recruiting class, which I assume they are working on right now as well. They should have no fewer than 5 scholarships to hand out and a lot more time to cultivate relationships.

Glad Cougar

Truth be told with such a late start if he gets 1 player who can really play and another who contributes the class will be graded on a curve as an A

 

[CougEd]

The next few years Smith will be yelling as much or more than Dick did those first few years.

Dick forced his will on those players . As someone said defense is about athleticism and desire . I look at Elleby and he should be a lock down defender .

It was one of the last games of the year and the Coug defense seemed to give up one layup after another . That is just not having the desire on that end of the court.

 

[Glad Cougar]

Dick forced his will on those players . As someone said defense is about athleticism and desire . I look at Elleby and he should be a lock down defender .

It was one of the last games of the year and the Coug defense seemed to give up one layup after another . That is just not having the desire on that end of the court.

I thought the players simply quit on Ernie. There was no physical reason why they were prone to give up so many easy shots.

Glad Cougar

 

[CecilYounger]

Dick forced his will on those players . As someone said defense is about athleticism and desire . I look at Elleby and he should be a lock down defender .

It was one of the last games of the year and the Coug defense seemed to give up one layup after another . That is just not having the desire on that end of the court.

Athleticism certain helps but if that it was it was about the Bennett teams wouldn't have been nearly as good as they were on defense.

 

[CougEd]

Athleticism certain helps but if that it was it was about the Bennett teams wouldn't have been nearly as good as they were on defense.

You can’t have bad feet and defend .

 

[avabob1]

Weaver and Cowgill were tremendous athletes defensively. Also Kelati and Moore were very good defenders

 

[SaveFerris]

Weaver and Cowgill were tremendous athletes defensively. Also Kelati and Moore were very good defenders

Cowgill and Weaver were really good and key but Low and Baynes were good as well even though Baynes size was called against him. He was called for a lot of phantom fouls IMO and should have lived at the line.

 

[7ICoug]

I'm even more anxious to see how Smith & Co. do with next year's recruiting class, which I assume they are working on right now as well.

Glad Cougar

Well they already have over 12 offers out perhaps more. And those of course don't include what ever international they are working on.

 

[random soul]

Weaver and Cowgill were tremendous athletes defensively. Also Kelati and Moore were very good defenders

Robbie Cowgill was just as important to the defenses of those teams as Weaver was. And even guys like Harmeling, who was just a ball player and not a D1 athlete, had so much court awareness and were so good at the basics that they could contribute and on a hot shooting night, put the dagger in somebody

 

[CecilYounger]

Weaver and Cowgill were tremendous athletes defensively. Also Kelati and Moore were very good defenders

The were tremendous defensive players but Cowgill was average athletically; so that leaves Weaver.

 

[CecilYounger]

You can’t have bad feet and defend .

Good feet compared to what. Do you think Tony's team had better feet than the rest of the pack 12 or were better coached?

 

[avabob11]

Cowgill was very under rated as an athlete. Funny, how all the people who worship good defense downgrade Cowgill as an athlete because he wasnt a scorer first. Not saying that he wasnt well coached our that the system wasnt great for him, but a 6-10 guy who could guard people like Nick Young isnt just doing it with mirrors and a great defensive system. Really high basketball IQ didnt hurt either.

 

[CougEd]

Good feet compared to what. Do you think Tony's team had better feet than the rest of the pack 12 or were better coached?

Good feet compared to players who struggle moving laterally. Have you ever seen a runner in track who is fast moving straight forward and when asked to move side to side would practically stumble over their feet?

And coaching defense in terms of technique you and I could do. Dick was a master of making it important to his players. They got they give everything defensively or they don't play.

 

[SaveFerris]

They got they give everything defensively or they don't play.

Smith will likely use the bench as well.

 

[acgcoug]

Good feet compared to players who struggle moving laterally. Have you ever seen a runner in track who is fast moving straight forward and when asked to move side to side would practically stumble over their feet?

And coaching defense in terms of technique you and I could do. Dick and his son, Tony Bennett were masters of making it important to their players. They got they give everything defensively or they don't play.

...and Tony is still a master at that...

Fixed

 

[CecilYounger]

Cowgill was very under rated as an athlete. Funny, how all the people who worship good defense downgrade Cowgill as an athlete because he wasnt a scorer first. Not saying that he wasnt well coached our that the system wasnt great for him, but a 6-10 guy who could guard people like Nick Young isnt just doing it with mirrors and a great defensive system. Really high basketball IQ didnt hurt either.

I don't worship defense and I think you were one of the ones that disagreed with my when I said he would contribute immediately after seeing my first practice. Cowgill guarded Nick Young with determination, intelligence, discipline and at best, slightly above average athleticism.

 

[CecilYounger]

Good feet compared to players who struggle moving laterally. Have you ever seen a runner in track who is fast moving straight forward and when asked to move side to side would practically stumble over their feet?

So you are saying you need to be a basketball player to be a basketball player.

 

[SaveFerris]

I don't worship defense and I think you were one of the ones that disagreed with my when I said he would contribute immediately after seeing my first practice. Cowgill guarded Nick Young with determination, intelligence, discipline and at best, slightly above average athleticism.

One of the more intelligent players I can remember on the court who used it to his advantage rather than allowing the processing to slow him down. He wasn't great vertically but used his length and lateral quickness really well on both ends of the court. To me that equates to a really good "athlete". I think it's one of those talent debates where maybe everyone isn't exactly talking about the same thing.

IMO Cowgill was simply a really versatile and good player however you want to slice it.

 

[CougEd]

Yes all players move well laterally that play college ball. James Donaldson back in the day. Great feet, right?

 

[CecilYounger]

Yes all players move well laterally that play college ball. James Donaldson back in the day. Great feet, right?

Are you saying James Donaldson wasn't a good defensive player? Seems to me he was as worst; a rim protector

My question for those that seem to have the strongest opinions on this is do you think we are going recruit athletes and 'feet' on par with the rest of the Pac 12?

 

[CougEd]

Are you saying James Donaldson wasn't a good defensive player? Seems to me he was as worst; a rim protector

My question for those that seem to have the strongest opinions on this is do you think we are going recruit athletes and 'feet' on par with the rest of the Pac 12?

This may be confusing you. How do you think Donaldson would do AWAY from the basket. No, I am not saying James wasn't a good defensive player, I am saying he had heavy feet, and that was an example of "bad feet". Granted he was 7 2 so they had him protect the rim.

Here is an example just from a girls high school bbal team. One could run fast and score like no tomorrow. Side to side she had heavy feet and might as well put a saddle on her player while playing defense.

Then there was player 2...to this day you could probably beat her down court in a foot race. But in half court, no one could get around her. Player one it was a freeway to the hoop against her. Player 2 she was probably the best defender in the program.

Because it becomes a half court game, players have to move laterally. Harmeling for example moved pretty well side to side. Was he ultra quick? No. But he was able to use guile, experience and desire to make up for a small differential in lateral quickness.

Then you have Reggie Moore. He had great feet. He just didn't have the desire to play defense, and he could have and probably should have been a great defensive player.

 

[avabob1]

Moore was actually a decent on ball defender by his second year. It was the switches and playing through screens where he struggled

 

[Glad Cougar]

For the record, David Jenkins Jr. has decided to follow his old coach from South Dakota State to UNLV. He had the Cougs in his final group although it never seemed likely he would come to Pullman. Thought he would be going to UO or Gonzaga.

Glad Cougar

 

[SaveFerris]

Thought he would end up at either Oregon or maybe Gonzaga although being a "westside" kid that might not have as appealing as it should be. I also "heard" GU wasn't as interested when they signed the grad transfer and it appeared there was no way Jenkins, Jr. would end up eligible for next year.

He never visited us as far as I have seen. He ended up with his old coach and visited places that were Tournament teams. Not a surprise we didn't get him.

 

[7ICoug]

Coach Smith met with him and his family, but clearly wasn't a good fit for either.

 

[SaveFerris]

Coach Smith met with him and his family, but clearly wasn't a good fit for either.

Interesting. Appreciate the info!

 

[Loyal Coug]

Cowgill and Weaver were really good and key but Low and Baynes were good as well even though Baynes size was called against him. He was called for a lot of phantom fouls IMO and should have lived at the line.

Spot on. Baynes never committed a foul, and never got the calls on the other players. The refs were always stacked against him. They still are in the NBA.