Add Florida A M to Schedule

According to Jeff Goodman’s blog, on the rundown of the MEAC conference teams, it is mentioned that Florida A&M will have a game against the Bluejays this seasion.    Florida A&M was ranked 321 out of the 347 teams in Division I last season and had a 10-21 record.  The Rattlers are filled with young players as only 2 starters return, but also had one of their veteran players,  senior Josh Davis, transfer out of the program.

As the budget crunch has hit Florida A&M, here is more from Mr. Goodman:

For the next 10 days, Eugene Harris is a one-man show.

While many high-major staffs whine to me that they need and want the NCAA to allow a fourth staff member to take the road during the July recruiting period, the Florida A&M head coach will be out for the entire 10 days all by his lonesome.

“It’s pretty difficult,” Harris said. “Especially when you’ve got to cover four courts in one game. I try to watch a volume of players in the summer, but there’s no way one person can get the job done correctly.”

Harris doesn’t have a secretary and hasn’t been allowed to replace assistant Johnny Jones – who retired this past January – due to the economy. His one assistant, Reggie Sharp, is expecting his first child any day.

“I didn’t want him to come out on the road, with this being his first child,” Harris said. “I’m a family man and sometimes we get caught up in this business. I believe the first four weeks is the most important time of a child’s life and he can help his wife, too.”

Harris, who said he had 10 buy games and pulled in an excess of $600,000 last year for the school, feels good about this year’s team. Entering his third season at the helm, he’ll have a roster filled with players he recruited.

“A year ago, we had a 5-foot-10 small forward,” he said. “Now we’ll have three guys at that spot who are all 6-foot-6.”

So there you go, here is one of those guarantee games for the Jays for the coming season.

2010 Class Full of Guards

Creightonjoey is a frequent poster on The Bluejay Cafe and a contributor to this blog following Creighton Bluejay Recruiting.  Check out his Recruiting Page.

——————————————————

‘Known Prospects’:

John Gasser - PG/SG - 6'4''

Ricky Kreklow - SG/SF - 6'5''

D.J. Peterson - SG/SF - 6'5''

Austin Kaczor - SG - 6'4''

Jacob Thomas - SG - 6'3''

Losing Guards:

Cavel Witter PG

Returning Guards:
PG
Andrew Bock (Soph.)
Antoine Young (Jr.)

SG
P’Allen Stinnett (Sr.)
Kaleb Korver (Sr.)
Darryl Ashford (Sr.)
Josh Jones (Soph.)

The 2009 addition of Andrew Bock combined with Antoine Young’s excellent rookie season give the Jays stability at the PG position for the foreseeable future. This would rule out the Jays making a serious run on talented Bishop Miege PG Trevor Releford, who has seemingly played his way out of Creighton’s reach with offers from Oklahoma, UCLA and Tennessee to name a few.  The Jays do seem very interested in Wisconsin product John Gasser who at 6’4” can play as more of a SG than his natural PG position. Gasser has offers from Northwestern, SLU and a few other mid-major schools.  Gasser has stayed fairly under the radar until recent success in AAU tournaments leading the talented Wisconsin Swing to multiple quality wins.  Virginia, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota have all begun to show Gasser interest. Gasser has made it no secret he would like to compete in a Big Ten atmosphere, but a visit to Qwest Center Omaha on game day might change his mind.

There is no question that SG position will be the deepest position for the 2010-2011 Jays, yet Stinnett, Korver, and Ashford graduating leaves only Josh Jones for the 2011-2012 season. This would seem to be a position of importance for the 2010 class.  The aforementioned Gasser would seem to be a good fit. But the Jays are also looking at sharpshooter Jacob Thomas, seen by many as the top 2010 college prospect in Minnesota. Reports claim that his grades could be an issue. Nebraska shooter Kaczor has impressed and has recently said he is leaning toward playing basketball over football.  DJ Peterson plays for Minnesota AAU powerhouse Howard Pulley, along with Thomas, and already claims offers from Baylor and UW-Green Bay.  He lists Creighton as showing some interest.  The most intriguing prospect at SG could be Missouri native Ricky Kreklow who has offers from Missouri, SLU, SIU, Missouri St., and Virginia.  Kreklow’s parents coach at Missouri which would seem like an obvious choice, but in many interviews Kreklow has mentioned his interest in getting away from home in order to grow as a player and person.  Despite that, Kreklow has listed Missouri along with Creighton as the top of his list before the summer. He impressed in summer work-outs at Minnesota, a school which he says would jump right to the top of his list if they were to offer. He has some relatives in Minnesota and has made it clear an offer from Tubby and crew would be enticing.

Despite the constant pleading for height from the Jay fan-base, it is clear that one and possibly two scholarships could be used on guards during this recruiting season.