Where are they now: The Missing Freshman

This year both the Bobcat and Grizzly men’s’ programs lost a freshman recruit just before the season started. The Griz lost 6-5 Thurman Woods, a combo forward from Compton California. For the Bobcats they lost 6-5 Frenchman Marco Bourgault, a sharp shooting wing player. In both cases the recruits were on campus, signed up for classes, and uniform assigned, before they found out that they had problems with the NCAA clearing house. I thought I would update you on what these players have been up to since leaving their respective program.

Thurman Woods

Woods left the Griz programs just before classes started when the NCAA still had not cleared him for to play D-1 ball. I am told the Griz coaches were pretty confident that Woods would eventually be cleared this year, but he did not want to take the chance, and be forced to sit out this season.

Odds and ends: 9-15-09

Another week and another odds and ends post.

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• I have heard that Thurmond Woods, who signed with the Grizzly program last November, will now be attending Santa Ana junior college in California this fall. It sounds like he will need to attend the JC for two years to get his D-1 eligibility, but I am not sure about that. Woods is originally from Dominguez high school in California, and was on the Montana campus this summer. From what I saw of him this summer I thought he had the chance to make an impact on the Griz this year as a true freshman.

Thurman Woods will not be a Griz … this year

The Missoulain today is reporting that, Thurman Woods of Dominguez high school in Compton California signed with Montana last November will not be attending the Big Sky school. He was having some problems with the NCAA Clearing House and decided to attend a JC closer to his home town. The NCAA still have not made a final ruling on his case but Woods decided not to risk enrolling at Montana where he could be forced to redshirt if the ruling did not go his way. By going the JC route he will be assured of being able to play this year. Then depending on the result of the final NCAA ruling he maybe eligible for D-1 after only one year at the JC. If the ruling does not go his way worst case is that he would become eligible next year. Tinkle did mention, though, that the Griz may re-recruit Woods.

I saw Woods in some pick up games this summer on the Montana campus, and I really thought he could contribute as a freshman for Montana. He really gave the Griz some aggressiveness and athleticism at the small forward spot. From what I saw he was a strong enough rebounder that I thought he may even give the Griz the options of playing two small forwards with Qvale at the center spot.

Griz announce the signing of Raason Young

The Griz have announced what we have suspected for a few months now, that Raason Young, a 6-6 wing player from Hagerston Community College in Maryland will be wearing a Grizzly uniform next season. I think this is a great pick up for the Griz for next year. Young will bring a lot of speed and athleticism to both the shooting guard and small forward position and a very potent offensive arsenal. He is also going to push both McGillis and Staudacher for their starting positions the minute he steps on the court. Competition is always good. This one addition is going to pay big time dividends for the Griz next year.

Griz Camp: Player Attendance

Typically, at college basketball camps every year, coaches will hire current and incoming players to help coach at the camps. Coaches love to do this, because they have a decent built in employee pool to hire camp coaches from, and it allows the players a chance to get together in one place, at one time, before the start of the season and get to know one another and play some ball. And if those same said player happen to play some pick up ball in the evening and some of the top recruits/campers just happen to come by and want to play , so more the better.

I am just going to say this more than one college athlete has earned a scholarship offer, after playing in one or two of these pick up games.

 

Griz FB recruit: Connor Halliday

It is being reported on scout.com and Rivals.com that Bobby Hauck’s Griz coaching staff is recruiting Connor Halliday from Ferris high school in Spokane Washington. Halliday is a 6-5 185 pound quarter back who went 170-of-286 for 2,366 yards with 20 touchdowns in 11 games his junior year at Ferris high school. Scout .com has him listed as a 3 star prospect while Rivals has him listed as a single star prospect.

ESPN gives him a rating of 67, and gave him the following evaluation:

Recruiting tid bits

Miscellaneous pieces of recruiting info

• I have been talking with a few people about Raason Young and his recruiting status with the Griz. From who I have talked to everyone seems to be under the impression that a commit or letter of intent has been tendered. I even have a comment on my blog from someone claiming to be Young’s brother and that he signed with the Griz on the 20th of May. For some reason, though, the coaches at Montana and Hagerstown JC are not commenting either way whether Young has committed to the Griz or even any other school. The feeling is that Young did sign with Montana but it was a conditional agreement (coming after the signing date) but conditional that Young will meet certain conditions. Typical conditional conditions could be approval of the NCAA clearing house, completion of an associate degree, acceptance of transcripts to UM.

What is up with the Griz

A complete lock down on information is in effect that Bill Belichick would be proud of. I will be honest most of my sources with the Griz basketball coming and goings either know close to nothing or have been sworn to secrecy on the threat of losing their first born. Even on the internet, and sources outside of Montana have been deathly silent on Griz recruiting news, either this year or just in general. I have been averaging two Bobcat recruiting tidbits a day for about a week now, and I am feeling rather guilt that I can not come up with hardly anything Griz related. I have one more Bobcat recruiting tidbit written and almost in the can, that I felt too guilty about posting with out some Griz news. So here are some small morsels of rumor I am hearing.

*** Breaking Rumor: Raason Young ***

Not to be confused with Breaking News.

 

I am told, by someone close to the Raason Young recruiting that barring a absolutely  disastrous visit this Friday and Saturday (May 22 & 23) Rasson will be committing/signing with the Griz.  Young is sold on the Griz program, and like the direction they are going.

 

Raason Young is a very athletic 6-5 guard forward from Hagerstown JC in Maryland.  You can find more information about him by clicking on his name.

Griz Recruiting: Raason Young

I have heard from multiple sources that Wayne Tinkle and his staff are recruiting Hagerstown Community College sophomore Raason Young. Young is a very athletic 6-5 guard / forward who played his high school ball at J F Kennedy high school in Maryland.

He played his first year of college ball for the Missouri State at West Plains JC Grizzlies so maybe that may help him feel more comfortable in Missoula.

Young is being recruited for the 2009-10 team.