ElDuque wrote:

Had a chance to chat with a local (NJ-NY) sportswriter who you Pittsburgh guys would equate to a Mike White. This is a legit sportswriter who sees hundreds of high school games every season and works for a major sports media outlet that's based in NYC. Here's what he had to say about Tarin Smith:
- Always liked him.
- Athletic, excellent defender, knows game, has some range.
- I bet he'll be exceptional in two years

I've always said that to win in the A-10, you need to have one of the top PGs in the conference. It would be great to see Tarin Smith develop into one of the best in the conference. Meanwhile, let's hope for at least some incremental continued growth (and certainly good health) from Mr. Colter.
 
 

You've been calling for this type of guard for a while. A Hurley guy at that. Barring unforseen problems (always a possibility at Duquesne ), we are set in the backcourt for the next 3 years.

ElDuque wrote:

My reporter friend had the exact same quote about Smith being a Hurley guy. Based on what I've been told, I think it's safe to say that if Ferry hands Smith the keys in 2016-17, he will have an on-court leader who will run his team right. Being a "Hurley guy" means he's already played in more big games than most guys will ever see in a lifetime, he knows how to win, he'll play defense (YAY!), and he'll have a chance to be a big-time player.

I've said a couple of times, Castro is a bit of a question mark for me. Does he play "under control?" Or does he play like Stevens, White, and other big rep scorers that think "me" are the only two letters in "team?" I don't have a trustworthy scouting report on him as I do on Smith. But let's say he's a kid who also plays defense, who can hit threes but doesn't launch them just because he has the ball, who can attack the basket, finish, and hit FTs. Then indeed in 2 years we should have the best backcourt of the Ferry era. If Lewis, Robinson, Gill, Powell and Sanders can combine for 15 points, 15 rebounds and 3-4 blocks, and at least one of the swing players (Jackson or James) can score a little and defend the wing, well, I'll stop there. Too many "ifs" still buzzing around.

But good signing on Ferry's part, getting back to Smith.

 

I'm not sure we can compare Castro to White, and Stevens. Castro is a legit D1 recruit, who signed with a top 50 program. The other two were JC guys.

I have to see it before I believe it WRT Castro. Sorry, but after some of the other hype that's been blown up our butts, I'm skeptical.

Al, Bob Hurley's kids play all over the country. It's always been that way. He looks for the best fit for the kid, not necessarily the coach, even if it's his own son. I trust my source. He knows his stuff. Sorry, but if Tarin Smith fails here, we have to look at the coach.

Al, I agree, show me on the court. My reporter friend is someone I know going back 35 years to my newspaper days. He is an objective reporter who tells you what he believes, not what you want to hear. And I trust his opinion. He probably saw Smith play 20-30 times against good competition in HS, unlike other sources on the internet that watch 10 seconds of YouTube highlights and proclaim every recruit to be a Godsend. As I said earlier, my friend ranked Smith as the #2 PG in the state at that time. He picks all-state teams in two different sports.

PS, funny story. He congratulated DU on its first St. Anthony's kid, and I told him we had signed Sean Rooney years ago. His reply: "Rooney was a head case in 6th grade."

When we signed Rooney, I thought he was going to be a major difference maker for us. I watched a game between Elizabeth HS and St. Anthony's that matched Luther Wright, a 7-footer who went to Seton Hall, and Rooney, who was 6-6. Rooney shut Wright down, and St. Anthony's won the game. Not a great scorer but a physical presence, tough defender and strong rebounder. And later in life, a regular on the Howard Stern show.