Sterling Manley

[What Would Jesus Do?]

With Manley, 1 aspect that has not been discussed, that I have seen in any event, this thing about his ranking, what was it 255 in this class, barely 3 star if even that? I would suggest he has not been ranked, that 255 ranking, toss it out because it is more a place holder than it saying the kid is the 255th best in his class. His ranking could have as well simply said TBD.

Ok, can feel the hackles coming up as I say that, but I am suggesting that he has not been evaluated for a ranking spot, how could he have been? He was a 6'8" soph that broke his leg, came back and broke the other leg at the end of his Jr season. he got a place holder ranking as a soph that didn't change much after his Jr season because those evaluators really want to see you during summer play, they want to see you against better competition, they want to see you playing with better team mates, they are going to look much harder at that than high school play. Problem was for 2 straight summers manley didn't play, he was recovering from broken legs. Last they saw the kid was vs questionable HS talent and he was 6'8" and weighted in around 215 pr so. While on the shelf he sprouts up to 6'11" and adds about 40lbs, they had not seen that kid play, they saw the kid at 6'8" but not the 6'11" 250lbs kid he has become.

I don't care what number they placed on him, it is not accurate, it could not be accurate, how could it possibly be accurate when the kid has added 4" and 40lbs and has not been seen on the summer circuit for the absolutely most critical time where rankings are set?

I offer this because so many seem to have such angst over where he is ranked and yet that ranking number can not possibly be accurate, holding on to that number as reason for concern isn't accurate because there is no way Manley's ranked position can be accurate. To suggest that manley can not leap from 255 to the top 100 or better can not be called crazy or nutzs unless you first begin with the belief that he was evaluated and watched play as the player he is today, not the player he was 2yrs ago that has not been evaluated at all in summer play for the last 2 summers.

Tel ya this much, a 6'11" 255lbs kid that can walk and chew gun at the same time is pretty much always considered a top 100 kid, one that puts up double doubles finds the top 50 pretty much every time, Manley is already putting up the double doubles. IDK what his final ranking will be but you can bet the ranch it will rocket from where it was going in to his season, do you really believe the considered 2nd best player in Ohio is not a top 100 kid...

That makes sense.

I expect his ranking (and that of Huff and some of the other lower-ranking guys we looked at) will get more solid as they get attention during their senior years. Being Carolina commits will get them some extra attention, as well.

Then again how hard do these recruiting sites/personnel work on guys who have already committed? All the fun action is with the guys still on the boards.

Still, if you are watching the uncommitted HS seniors (not to mention the juniors and sophs) you will necessarily be seeing the commits, too. So why not adjust your ranking, if you see that they are better? After all, your reputation as a ranker depends on getting things more-or-less right.

 

[DSouthr]

I'm sure Wendell carter will have his hands full

That is all ya got, that smarmy statement is all ya got to add? Did ya notice anyone suggesting this kid was the match for carter? No, you didn't, but you just could not control that dukie impulse to be a smart arse, could ya?

 

[Archer2]

With Manley, 1 aspect that has not been discussed, that I have seen in any event, this thing about his ranking, what was it 255 in this class, barely 3 star if even that? I would suggest he has not been ranked, that 255 ranking, toss it out because it is more a place holder than it saying the kid is the 255th best in his class. His ranking could have as well simply said TBD.

To suggest that manley can not leap from 255 to the top 100 or better can not be called crazy or nutzs unless you first begin with the belief that he was evaluated and watched play as the player he is today, not the player he was 2yrs ago that has not been evaluated at all in summer play for the last 2 summers.

I agree with both these statements, Dave. I would add that I think rankings become les and less accurate once you get past 100 and up, simply because those guys get less evaluation with the lion's share of attention going to the cream of the crop. So the 255 ranking means little to me.

In effect, Manley has had very little evaluation due to the fact that he missed so much time when he broke both his legs in back to back seasons. I firmly believe he will evaluate well, move into the Top 100 by season's end, and earn a well deserved 4th star. He plays against good competition and is on a strong, well rounded team, which should give us a pretty accurate assessment. I see him as a totally different player from the guy who was evaluated 2 years ago. Now let's see if the experts concur.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

So, Dave and Archer (and anyone else), what do you think a more reasonable ranking of Manley and Huff (and Platek, too, if you wish) should be?