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Despite a disappointing season, Rutgers fans have been optimistic about Eddie Jordan based on his early recruiting successes. Here's the latest:
2014 Signed, Sealed, Delivered:
Bishop Daniels, JUCO, WF/G: This athletic guard is expected to bring a scoring punch to the Scarlet Knights. Daniels originally played at Miami (sparingly), before going the JUCO route. He's expected on campus next season, and will more than likely play an important role. For more, see Todderick Hunt's recruiting analysis.
Mike Williams, HS Senior, G: Williams, who plays at Bishop Loughlin High School, is considered the best shooter in New York. In a recent game, he scored 26 points, going 6 for 6 from behind the arc. Hunt also analyzed Williams, painting him a complete player.
Dwayne Foreman, HS Senior, F: Foreman has the possibility to be the steal of the recruiting class. He's a lefty with length and can play both wing and power forward. Before he committed to Eddie Jordan, rumor had it John Calipari and Kentucky were starting to take a look.
2014 Committed
Ibrahima Diallo, HS Senior, C: Diallo takes the place of Greg Whittington in this recruiting class after Whittington was unable to qualify. Diallo is 6'10" and is known for his rebounding and touch around the basket. He's the rim protector Jordan has wanted, and if he can block or alter shots, he should make the press much better. He adds much needed depth to the forward position. He's expected to sign in the spring and take the last available scholarship. Here's Hunt's take.
2014 Targets
What's that? Rutgers is out of scholarships! Well, they're still out there recruiting...
Jamall Gregory, HS Senior, G: Gregory seems to be exactly the type of player Eddie Jordan wants at the Guard position. 6'3" or 6'4" and long. He's athletic and can jump out of the gym. He's also blowing up late, an under the radar recruit that clearly passes Jordan's "eye test."
Adonis DeLaRosa, HS Senior, C: 6'10", 280 pounds. DeLaRosa is the kind of kid who's been getting looks for a while, particularly from St. John's. Rutgers recently got involved, showing up at a bunch of DeLaRosa's Christ the King HS games. Landing DeLaRosa would be particularly interesting, considering he recently received a technical foul and suspension for injuring Rutgers commit Mike Williams in a recent game.
Matt Farrell, HS Senior, G: Another late bloomer, this pure point guard has been mostly recruited by schools in mid-major conferences. But recently, both Seton Hall and Rutgers have checked in saying they love his style of play. He would fill an important role on this team, essentially getting a year to learn the point/lead guard position behind Myles Mack for a season.
2015 Commits
Leroy Butts, HS Junior, W/F: Butts is a top 150 player out of the DC area, who committed to Eddie Jordan early because he wanted to be a part of a building project. Butts can score, and he's long--will really fit in well with Jordan's style of play and the press.
Austin Burnette, HS Junior, W: Burnette is a major under the radar player. So much so that when he committed to Rutgers, no one had heard of him. But Burnette is starting to make a name for himself. The 6'6" wing reportedly has all the basketball IQ you'd want in a player. He makes the right pass, can hit the jumper and recently was called the 4th best player in North Carolina by Phenom Hoops.
2015 Targets
Here is where things get interesting. Jordan will probably have 4 more scholarships to give out, and he's clearly trying to knock it out of the park. The 2015 recruiting class can make or break Jordan's tenure.
Isaiah Briscoe, HS Junior, PG: Briscoe is the jewel of the 2015 class. He's a point guard who can do it all. Ranked 19th in the county by ESPN, Briscoe can get to the rim, create his own shot and make others better. Jordan and company have had him on campus, and been at a ton of his games. At the same time, Briscoe has recently been to the RAC to check out a bunch of Scarlet Knight battles. Winning this recruiting battle would make Jordan a real player for other recruits.
Moustapha Diagne, HS Junior, C: Another big time player, Rutgers is battling Syracuse for Diagne. This center out of Sparta is ranked 29th in the country by ESPN. Scouting reports say he's a defensive presence and shot blocker. He may be a project on offense, but could end up one of the best bigs in the country. Recently Rutgers had their whole staff on hand to watch Diagne play, according to Adam Zagoria. Landing him and Briscoe would almost instantly change the face of Rutgers basketball.
Esa Ahmad, HS Junior, PF: Originally considered an under-the-radar recruit out of Ohio, Ahmad has recently seen his recruiting blow up. Reportedly West Virginia, Maryland, and Rutgers has been recruiting him the hardest. He has his eye on the Big Ten and Kyle Triggs wants him on this team badly. A long power forward with a nice touch at the rim, ESPN ranks him as the 51st best player in the country.
Eli Cain, HS Junior, G: This shooting guard out of St. Benedicts has also seen his recruiting pick up recently. Memphis offered him this week, and he's getting a look from a bunch of bigger schools. Cain is 6'5" and has been playing very well.
Rivals Poster Aggs has been following the 2015 recruiting class very closely, and has put together a helpful Google Doc of the near 30 players Rutgers is targeting in the 2015 class.
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