Great add, guys. I had a feeling that this name would surface in this thread! Love the staff's penchant for going to the corners of the world for talent. Question on Malone for me though is is he a 2014 or 2013 recruit? MrGreen's video has him listed as a 2013, but some other sources are calling him a 2014. In any case, he fits the mold of someone LSU needs. Frankly, I was also wondering what became of Dylan Johns, the 6'10" kid from the UK that had spent some time in Houston. CJJ and David Patrick have one upped me and gone "down under" for this Aussie, who was reportedly spotted at the Missou game? Look, if this becomes a priority for LSU, I like it. We've seen how even a 7'3" walk-on tuba player can have an impact in the game after only a few years of organized basketball practice, so imagine what a kid like Malone, who at 7' 220lb and looks reasonably mobile and not a bean pole, can do with a redshirt year and LSU's strength and conditioning program. With most 6'10" + guys always expect a year or two of adjustment and body building, but if you've got a guy who can eat up space, get rebounds and just push folks around down low, it makes a world of difference for guys who shoot and slash around him. You think about even the "B tier" near 7 footers at LSU who have made it to the NBA and their impact (Hamilton, Hammink, Jabari Smith) on winning teams, and it's no surprise why recruiting a kid like Malone and bringing him to LSU for 4+ years is a good idea (not to mention, he's a teammate of Ben Simmons and Dante Exum). All of that said, I actually think that he's reasonably athletic looking from the video. At 7', 220, he's got reasonable size and appears to have a pretty fluid jumpshot. He compares favorably perhaps to a poor man's Plumlee (Duke)(who needed a year or two at Duke to develop his body) or even to recent LSU player, Justin Hamilton. There are actually some dunks and jumpshots in his videos and kid seems to get down the court relatively smoothly and easily, even if he doesn't have burner speed. You put a kid like this opposite an Odoh who is more athletic or O'Bryant/Martin, and you have the perfect complement... a fundamentally sound big man who can do some of the dirty work. Like it Like it Like it. Lovin' the recruiting reach of this staff. More on the kid... http://www.canberratimes.com.au/spo...malone-aims-for-the-stars-20120214-1t9pp.html
https://twitter.com/theACTAS/status/299421523708633088 Congrats to ACTAS basketball graduate Darcy Malone who today committed to a scholarship with Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball 1/2
Crazy job by CJJ and in this case David Patrick. As noted above, this is a good building block kind of recruit for various reasons. First while not an immediate impact, 7 footers don't grow on trees. Second it's our first Aussie and second int'l player. The pipeline for CJJ's staff just keeps getting wider! Welcome Mr. Malone.
Malone counts in the 2013 class. The best class on paper in LSU history. JJ has done what was seemingly the impossible. When your recruiting class finishes ahead of the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse and Louisville, that's crazy stuff. This team could be special in 2015 and 2016 and should be extremely competitive next year as well.
There has been a lot of criticism of the LSU AD, Joe Alleva. I wasn't wild about his hiring at LSU after the Duke fiasco, but maybe some of the recent LSU basketball recruiting success should go to Mr. Alleva. Sure looks like his hiring of Coach Jones was a very good selection. Maybe Alleva was just lucky with Jones. Any knowledgeable opinions re Alleva would be appreciated.
Nope. 1988. Chris Jackson and Stanley Roberts, both McDonald's All Americans, Players of the Year in Mississippi and South Carolina, respectively. Maurice Williamson, Player of the Year in New Jersey. Harold Boudreaux and Vernell Singleton, first team all-staters in LA and MS respectively. We also got the player of the year from North Dakota, but I can't come up with his name. Sadly, this class fell short on the court. Jackson was a 2-time All SEC and an All American, but Roberts only played one year, while Williamson and Boudreaux fell short of expectations, and the North Dakota guy never enrolled. Only Singleton gave us 4 solid years. But, on paper, never a better recruiting class.
Pretty Surprising given he missed out on some of the top guys in LA and just turned around and picked up similar or better prospects elsewhere. LSU seems to be building a fence around Australia. lol This year we are a pretty small team, next year we could have 4 starters 6'5 and higher and one being a Guard.
