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Ohio Basketball Recruiting Topic
Topic: 2021 6'8" PF Ijomah 'IJ' Ezuma (Hargrave Military Academy / Raleigh, NC) - Ohio Commit
Page: 2 of 3
OU_Country
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Posted: 4/15/2021 8:40 AM
FlashGary wrote:expand_more
IT'S ONLY WORDS ON PAPER. BUT YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!! From the Hargrave Military Academy Post-Grad team website:
You're not wrong, there's a lot to like in that coach's comments.
OU_Country
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Posted: 4/15/2021 8:44 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
That is truly a sign of a fanbase that is beginning to overvalue itself.
Truly a sign of an individual fan overvaluing.
I think so. Keeping grounded in reality is important. Reality is still that we are a MAC school. And not just a MAC school, but one that returns a rotation of 8 guys, and then just added a nice transfer in Jason Carter. No 4* is coming to Athens this year with this group. In the future maybe? Who knows.
Cleveburg Bri
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Posted: 4/15/2021 8:49 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
GoCats105
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Posted: 4/15/2021 8:59 AM
BuddyLee wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Have you even looked at some of the offer lists of the other guys on this recruiting page?
The Optimist
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Posted: 4/15/2021 10:54 AM
OU_Country wrote:expand_more
IT'S ONLY WORDS ON PAPER. BUT YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!! From the Hargrave Military Academy Post-Grad team website:
You're not wrong, there's a lot to like in that coach's comments.
Impressive numbers also. Seems like a lot of post-grad guys we get don’t put up huge numbers... Not the case here.
I've seen crazier things happen.
bobcatsquared
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Posted: 4/15/2021 11:24 AM
Cleveburg Bri wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
My first ever #1.
Last Edited: 4/15/2021 11:27:20 AM by bobcatsquared
shabamon
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Posted: 4/15/2021 12:26 PM
Ezuma has signed.
OUVan
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Posted: 4/15/2021 12:33 PM
BuddyLee wrote:expand_more
Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Who says we didn't?
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 4/15/2021 3:07 PM
Cleveburg Bri wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
True....but certainly the exception rather than the rule.

With Ezuma...he chose Ohio over offers from Tulsa and East Carolina of the AAC. Normally we would be impressed with that.
bobcat 2000
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Posted: 4/15/2021 9:35 PM
I recall when Keith dambrot was coaching at Akron. He successfully recruited zeke Marshall. He was 39th espn top 100 and a solid 4 star. Yes it can be done. Just gotta have faith in your program.
bornacatfan
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Posted: 4/15/2021 9:51 PM
NT
never argue with idiots, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Winter comes and asks how you spent your summer.....

The game loves and rewards those who love and reward the game
Last Edited: 4/15/2021 10:04:32 PM by bornacatfan
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 4/16/2021 12:36 AM
Cleveburg Bri wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
Please don't confuse these folks with actual facts, it really spoils their game.
The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 4/16/2021 2:41 AM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
Please don't confuse these folks with actual facts, it really spoils their game.
If you'll notice, I actually acknowledged that fact. 🙄
UpSan Bobcat
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Posted: 4/16/2021 9:17 AM
Cleveburg Bri wrote:expand_more
Disappointed he didn't have more offers. Figured we could go after a 4 star given our tourney success this year.
Mid majors cannot get 4 star high school or prep players any more. Maybe a few here and there by transfer.


https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/mark-sears
That's based on them showing Sears as a 4 star by ESPN (unrated by the other two services). If you click the link to the ESPN page, he shows as a 3 star (74 rating, so middle of 3 stars). No one actually rated Sears 4 stars.
oldkatz
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Posted: 4/16/2021 9:54 AM
Taking this in another direction, should his court nickname be "Monta"?

Semper Fi, y'all.
"All my inside sources tell me I have no inside sources." Salvatore "money bucks" Mafiosiano.
Kevin Finnegan
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Posted: 4/16/2021 11:53 AM
oldkatz wrote:expand_more
Taking this in another direction, should his court nickname be "Monta"?

Semper Fi, y'all.
Better yet, at his height, maybe Mount or the French spelling of 'Mont'. Nobody can conquer Mont Ezuma!
CatsUp
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Posted: 4/16/2021 12:33 PM
Kevin Finnegan wrote:expand_more
Taking this in another direction, should his court nickname be "Monta"?

Semper Fi, y'all.
Better yet, at his height, maybe Mount or the French spelling of 'Mont'. Nobody can conquer Mont Ezuma!
And, it could get really messy going to play a MAC team a second time after losing the first one. ;)
OU_Country
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Posted: 4/16/2021 2:47 PM
bobcat 2000 wrote:expand_more
I recall when Keith dambrot was coaching at Akron. He successfully recruited zeke Marshall. He was 39th espn top 100 and a solid 4 star. Yes it can be done. Just gotta have faith in your program.
Was Zeke really 39th on an ESPN list? He surely never played to that top-50 status if so.
Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Posted: 4/16/2021 4:38 PM
OU_Country wrote:expand_more
I recall when Keith dambrot was coaching at Akron. He successfully recruited zeke Marshall. He was 39th espn top 100 and a solid 4 star. Yes it can be done. Just gotta have faith in your program.
Was Zeke really 39th on an ESPN list? He surely never played to that top-50 status if so.
My biggest fear those years was Zeke ever figuring out how good he actually was. Some guys just don’t have the motor. I wonder how many different things Dambrot tried to light a fire under him.
Jeff McKinney
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JM
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Posted: 4/16/2021 8:03 PM
I'm pretty sure he was top 100, four star, as I remember.
allen
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Posted: 4/16/2021 10:53 PM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
I'm pretty sure he was top 100, four star, as I remember.
Jeanathan Williams of Buffalo was a 4 star recruit as well.
http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/...
Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach. Woody Hayes
Last Edited: 4/16/2021 11:05:25 PM by allen
cc-cat
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Posted: 4/17/2021 12:10 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
So he leads the team in rebounds and blocks while sharing the front court with a 6'9" 4* headed to Arizona State and the seven footer we offered for the '22 class. Yeah, I like this guy already.
So I'll ask the question no one else has (but thought of). Why was he still available this late?
Jeff McKinney
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JM
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Posted: 4/17/2021 10:14 PM
cc-cat wrote:expand_more
So he leads the team in rebounds and blocks while sharing the front court with a 6'9" 4* headed to Arizona State and the seven footer we offered for the '22 class. Yeah, I like this guy already.
So I'll ask the question no one else has (but thought of). Why was he still available this late?
I don't know. But he's had multiple offers on the table for awhile. Maybe he was holding out making a decision to see what other high major offers he might get?
longtiimelurker
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Posted: 4/18/2021 8:22 AM
cc-cat wrote:expand_more
So he leads the team in rebounds and blocks while sharing the front court with a 6'9" 4* headed to Arizona State and the seven footer we offered for the '22 class. Yeah, I like this guy already.
So I'll ask the question no one else has (but thought of). Why was he still available this late?
Very good question but I can't find even a listing on him on Scout, Rivals or ESPN. Maybe there is insight to be found in that blurb someone posted about him. One of the coaches said he played 5 years from middle school on at Hargrave. It looks like the High School team is not in the State tourney but plays in an Independent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Association_of_Ind... school tourney (what many here in Ohio would love to put all the private schools into). I can't find any AAU affiliation but he only played his Senior year with what they call the "PG" team. He played this Senior year on a post graduate prep school team in a year with no fans in the gym and a limited prep school schedule. From what coaches are saying and what is available a lot of kids with way more exposure in a year of very little High School and AAU tournaments most players at that level are being passed over expescially with the Transfer Portal. Not sure it can be this simple but it may have been lack of exposure and contact. It seems like we may be lucky to have that pipeline in place if he turns out to be decent.
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 4/18/2021 5:40 PM
I think the best barometer is, what schools offer a player? He had two AAC schools offer. Seems like that would put him in the recruiting niche Ohio should be aiming for.
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