Troy Brewer is a 6'5" 180 lb shooting guard from Maryland. He is the fifth recruit to sign his letter of intent for Georgia's 2007 basketball recruiting class. He has been described as a shooter, a late bloomer and a kid that flew under the radar.He didn't start for his high school team until his senior year; however, he was Kevin Durant's backup the prior years. That hopefully explains how he flew under the radar. (Image: Scout.com)
When I say he was under the radar, imagine a drug smuggler flying a single engine plane about two feet off the water over the Gulf of Mexico. We're talking way, way under the radar. His other offers appear to have been Loyola-Maryland, George Washington and American. I'm assuming "American" is an actual college, and not the Selective Service.
Well...he wasn't flying this low.
I don't say any of those things to bash the kid.
He could pan out huge, and I hope he does. We took Jarvis Hayes away from Western Carolina, and he ended up being an NBA lottery pick. So anything can happen.
This kid could very well pan out and become a solid player like some of Felton's other hidden gems like Woodbury, Stukes and Gaines. But he could also become a Marcus Sikes, Dave Bliss, Steve Newman or Rashaad Singleton...kids that play almost exactly like their offers suggested they would play.
The difference between being a "diamond in the rough" and "just being rough" is where coaches make their money. And where bloggers spend their time second guessing.
All I know is that it's very difficult to improve your program by consistently out recruiting programs that your fans can't find on a map. I had hoped we were past that phase of recruiting.
What confuses me most about the offer is that we have 13 kids in state for 2008 that are Top 150 caliber kids. Around twice that many will sign scholarships with power conference programs from Georgia. With so much blue chip talent in state in 2008, we're spending a scholarship for a kid that's only other shot at a Power Conference roster spot was likely as a walk-on. And we're going all the way to Maryland to do that?
I don't really get that. We now have only two scholarships left for the 2008 recruiting class. Despite it's deep nature in state.
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I've generally defended Felton's recruiting; although, I've suggested that it needs to accelerate at the same rate as his obstacles to success have gotten smaller. It's hard for me to understand this offer in the context of what's available in 2008 and who else thought this kid was worth an offer.
It seems like Dennis Felton is putting an awful lot of eggs into making the NCAA Tourney this year. I don't fault him for that. I just wonder if this really gets us any closer or meeting that pressing / imminent need.
PWD
