Freshman PG Rounds Out Recruiting Class

While we are still digesting the news of Jeff Holton's transfer, Coach Jones has surely been working tirelessly to snag a suitable replacement before the late signing period ends on May 19th. AU Athletics announced today that the search is over, and "suitable" is a bit of an understatement. Freshman point guard Wayne Simon II (another Simon?!) will be donning an Eagles jersey in 2010-2011, and let me be the first to say I'm glad he chose the Red, White, and Blue.

While it may seem like the last thing we need is another point guard, as between Danny and Blake there's plenty of competition and a year of experience under their belts, having a successor in that position to relieve them and push them even harder is not a bad thing. Remember when Derrick Mercer would play 40 minutes every game? The only thing worse than an exhausted Mercer on the court was no Mercer on the court. Having more depth on the bench during the two tournament runs we so fondly remember would have been huge, and is something we're gearing up to have this season. Of course, in order to relieve Danny and Blake, Wayne has to be good. So there's the question - is he good? Admittedly, I'm just a blogger, and I've never seen him play. A bit of research tells me, though, that he's going to make an impact. He might not be a 4-year starter, but he's not going to be warming the bench for 4 seasons either.

First things first, I'm pleasantly surprised we got him. Wayne comes out of St. Joseph's high school in Westchester, Illinois, under Gene Pingatore, one of the most legendary coaches in Illinois High School Boy's Basketball (if such a thing can be said to be legendary). Other players to come from St. Joseph's include Isiah Thomas (of Detroit Pistons fame), and current Big 10 players Evan Turner and Demetri McLamey. The Big East features Wayne's former teammates as well, including sophomore Nate Rogers, whose DePaul team we obliterated (I reserve the right to exaggerate) this past season on their home court. Wayne was being recruited by a lengthy list of schools, including North Dakota, Niagara, Lehigh, Western Kentucky, George Mason, Northeastern, Eastern Illinois, James Madison, Tulsa, and Tulane. Not a bad list at all. On top of that, Siena threw him a scholarship just three weeks ago. Something is conspicuously missing on that list however - American. We might not have been on the table for him because until Holton decided to transfer, there were just no scholarships available. So the fact that as soon as one opened up, we got him over, say, a recent mid-major power like Siena, says very good things about our program.

Wayne's rankings are fairly decent, with ESPN giving him an 81, and Hoopscoop a 592. ESPN wrote last July, "Wayne is a quick, athletic guard that uses his speed to challenge opponents. He has long arms for a 6'0 point guard, which allow him to get deflections on defense and guard bigger opponents. Simon has good ball handling skills and is tight with his dribble moves. He changes speeds and direction exceptionally well and attacked the basket fearlessly. Wayne makes very good decisions with the basketball. He has shooting range to three point line and is consistent with his form; he will get even better the more he works on his shot."

Wayne sounds like a player with a serious pair of cajones. With any luck, he'll jump right out on the court without hesitation, which was the shortcoming of last year's freshman guards near the beginning of the season. Looking at his stat line, he averaged 15 ppg his senior season, so he's probably more of a shooting guard than a true point. His relatively small frame (we have him listed at 5'10", for the record, not 6'0"), the fact that he's not a traditional PG but is listed as one, and that his rankings are probably based on one or two games from his junior season lead me to believe that, depending on factors such as his assist to turnover ratio (he averaged 4 apg his senior season, not too bad, but not great), he really deserves maybe an 85 or 86 on ESPN. But, of course, that matters little until we see how he adjusts to the college game.

Wayne averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game his senior season. He was named Illinois All-State 2nd team, played in the 2010 Chicago High School Classic, and traveled with the Illinois Wolves. The Chicago Tribune reported he was the best player in a one point loss to Chicago power Whitney Young, which has guards who committed to Purdue and Oregon State. His coach says of him, "I think the big thing is he's become our go-to guy. All year, he's the guy we could go to when we need a bucket and defensively he's been one of our stoppers. He's been a very reliable player in the two years we've had him. He's an outstanding young man." Chicagohoops.com calls him "one of the top 2010 basketball prospects in the State of Illinois."

Ultimately, I think Wayne definitely shores up the point guard position, which was without a doubt one of our weaker points this past season. While he might not be an immediate impact player next season, he might fill in a key role when Nick Hendra graduates. While he's not a true replacement for the big center that Holton was, we also have 6'9" Tony Wroblicky coming on board as well, so I'm not too worried - we have enough good big men for now. If Wayne is able to put on a little weight and improve his shot, he might be even better than I predict. What shot am I talking about? See below:



2010-2011 is going to be a good year. Hello March, you were missed last season.

Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh