USA Today: Early look at the 2013-2014 Top 25

[DumpsterFireA10]

Came in looking to have discussion with some of the A-10 hopefuls, and ran into Marquette.

[DumpsterFireA10]

...so how long until St. Louis is drawing better recruits than DePaul?

How about now?

[yorost]

Show me evidence of it. DePaul still lands some high profile recruits while it doesn't even look like St. Louis tries for them.

[ChicagoX]

DePaul is still a better draw for recruiting than St. Louis.

I'm not so sure this is true right now. While I'm obviously biased that I think Chicago is a better city than St. Louis, SLU has a brand-new, state-of-the-art arena on campus while DePaul plays their games out in Rosemont at shitty Allstate Arena. I know that isn't the only thing that matters when it comes to enticing recruits, but I think SLU, at least on the surface, appears to be the more attractive draw right now. I don't think there is any doubt about the present disparity in talent between the two squads.

I think DePaul made a mistake by not agreeing to play their home games at the United Center when they had that opportunity offered to them. I know they want to build their own arena, but I think it could take a decade before that actually happens, and they were offered a 10-year deal to play at the UC for FREE! It would have made it easier for students to go to games and I think they could have worked to become "Chicago's team" again like they were in the 80s.

DePaul wouldn't have filled the UC, but they definitely don't fill Allstate Arena so it doesn't really make much of a difference. I do think the move would have helped a bit with recruiting, too. Purnell has one heck of a challenge ahead of him to turn this thing around. If he can find a way to go into some of the top high schools in the Chicago area and get just the third-best player on some of these teams, they could be competitive again. There is a lot of hoops talent in Chicago, and I think the fact that they have hardly gotten any of it the past decade goes to show that there isn't much of a draw to play for the Blue Demons when it comes to recruiting.

[DumpsterFireA10]

:lol:

Show me evidence of it. DePaul still lands some high profile recruits while it doesn't even look like St. Louis tries for them.

Reggie Agbeko was a Duke target out of prep school. I've heard Duke recruits pretty well.

[DumpsterFireA10]

An argument with a Marquette fan over Depaul's recruiting?

This is good stuff here.

[yorost]

:lol:

Show me evidence of it. DePaul still lands some high profile recruits while it doesn't even look like St. Louis tries for them.

Reggie Agbeko was a Duke target out of prep school. I've heard Duke recruits pretty well.

A 2-star that might be a diamond. Not clear you beat Duke, but he drew interest almost entirely from programs weaker than St. Louis. Finding hidden talent is not the same as competing on the major targets, which DePaul still manages to do. They landed a 4-star in this upcoming class, how many 4-stars considered St. Louis? Maybe a bunch did, I don't know, but it doesn't look like any on a quick check.

[BillEsq]

well my 2 cents...

odds are slu will never "compete" with Depaul for recruits. The schools just have a history go going after different players and I don't see that changing in the near future. In regards to recruiting St. Louis will rarely go after what other people consider a high ranked recruit. Its a school that has long been defense first and there are no signs of that changing.

The recruiters at SLU generally go for high energy, high bball iq, and defense minded players. These kinds of players are rarely "high profile" and that is just the way the program likes it. While its not good for grabbing media headlines SLU teams are usually workmen like and efficient. I as a billiken fan have no problems with that.

Also the entire industry of rating high school recruits is so full of issues, that I do not put much stake "highly rated players".

[BillEsq]

Prior to these two years 2004 was better than St. Louis could say. You cracked a joke at DePaul that was wrong and coming from a program that has not outclassed them. You have recently been stronger than them, for 5 or 6 years, but prior to that they were outclassing you for the better part of a decade and had gotten into a stronger conference. That will continue to pay off for them. Things go up and down, and DePaul is still a better draw for recruiting than St. Louis. It can change, but it has not, yet.

I wouldnt' say DePaul really outclassed St. Louis. In the Conference USA and Great Midwest they played .500 ball against each other with a slight advantage to SLU. Although if you want to go full history DePaul has a edge over the SLU thanks to a 10 plus game winning streak in the 1930's.

[BillEsq]

:lol:

Show me evidence of it. DePaul still lands some high profile recruits while it doesn't even look like St. Louis tries for them.

Reggie Agbeko was a Duke target out of prep school. I've heard Duke recruits pretty well.

A 2-star that might be a diamond. Not clear you beat Duke, but he drew interest almost entirely from programs weaker than St. Louis. Finding hidden talent is not the same as competing on the major targets, which DePaul still manages to do. They landed a 4-star in this upcoming class, how many 4-stars considered St. Louis? Maybe a bunch did, I don't know, but it doesn't look like any on a quick check.

I don't want to go on too much about the flaws of the star rating system. But i can tell you not many 4-stars consider St. Louis. Then again St. Louis doesn't usually consider players based on any star system. It recruits based on its teams system and its teams needs, and most players rated highly by the "rating pundits" probablly wouldn't work as well in our system.

But while i'm on it. Some basic flaws of the system.
Heavily favors AAU players. - St. Louis stole a kid out of indiana that went under the radar because he played golf instead of AAU ball. 6'6 shooting guard who lit up the state of indiana (no easy task) and took third for Mr. Basketball Indiana. Prior to his committing to st. Louis he wasn't even listed on any rating system that i saw. I think he peaks at best as a 2 star.
Does not take into account senior seasons, different styles of basketball etc etc.... really its a horrible system there are tons of 2 star studs in college basketball and almost as many 4-5 star duds.