Augusy 2, 2011
A question to consider
A question to ponder: Did Richard Longrus and Langston Morris-Walker maximize recruiting possibilities by being members of the nationally-ranked Oakland Soldiers or would each have benefited more from by playing with say the top Lakeshow team? The question is ultimately unanswerable due to time travel reality but it's still intriguing and one worth investigating.
At this point, Rivals has Colorado, Utah and UCLA as offering Longrus while Morris-Walker also has an invite from Colorado. More will come in and probably already have.
The potential of the former appears best suited for a team in the second half of the Pac-12 or at any of the top level West Coast Conference and Mountain West Conference schools. As for Morris-Walker, similar options seem plausible.
Both seemingly fall more under the complementary type of talent category which is the part each performed with the Soldiers.
However, Longrus and Morris-Walker would have been lead players and enjoyed much more court time and individual spotlight on a less talented squad.
This would have allowed recruiters to obtain a measurement regarding to what degree were the achievements of this tandem on the court in earlier club seasons was effected by the obvious defensive focus paid to the Big Three -- Brandon Ashley, Aaron Gordon and Dominic Artis.
A critical point in making a club choice is answering what role does an individual realistically see himself playing in college -- lead or secondary -- plus at what level?
If it is one where the team offensive design will feature himself as among the top two scoring options, then it's much more beneficial to actually present as such during the spring and summer because less projection is required from recruiters.
So the question remains: would college coaches be looking at either in lead roles had they participated with a spring and summer club that facilitated them playing in a lead role?
It's unknown what either Longrus or Morris-Walker envision as their next level guise and calling. For what it's worth, the typical high school recruit strives to go as high as possible, at least initially. It's the prevalent greater glory mindset.
Another element also worth considering is that playing larger on a less-talented team can mean less high level exposure.
Would Longrus and Morris-Walker be looking at Pac-12 offers minus membership with the Soldiers?
I think so.
Of course, maybe this is all much ado about nothing as it appears the duo will land a Pac-12 level scholarship and that is obviously top shelf.
But let's watch the college role each works into. Will it be different than the one performed with the Soldiers?