It’s a curious choice by Zeke Marshall to say the least.
“He committed to Akron last night,†confirmed his mother Nicole Bozeman. “Maybe the main reason was because he developed such a great relationship with the staff. He really liked them all a lot. Secondly, it was for academic reasons. He loved their computer program and that’s what he wants to major in.
“I always said that it’s his life and he has to go where he fits best,†she said, citing the fact if her son turns into an NBA quality player, the league will surely find him in Akron “And if he isn’t good enough for the NBA some day, he will still have a chance to have his own software company, which is his goal.â€
…
“He was not a fan of Pitt’s campus,†Bozeman said. “He wanted a campus feel, in the city, but not right in the city. Akron was just a good for him. Pitt’s campus didn’t fit his personality.â€
His mother has long maintained that Marshall planned to stay close to home, and Akron is short two hours and fifteen minutes from McKeesport.
First off, it’s only May and he can’t sign until November at the earliest so I don’t think the door is closed if Pitt really wants him. Just a week earlier, Pitt seemed like a lead dog. Things change.
Especially according to Marshall himself, who apparently made the verbal a few weeks earlier.
“I know people are going to be surprised [by the Akron decision],” Marshall said. “Most people think I should be going to the biggest school. But they don’t know what really goes on when you’re talking about players going to bigger schools. A lot of players who go to big schools are benched.”
Marshall said he never seriously considered Pitt because “I don’t like their campus. I don’t like a city campus. If they had a better campus, I would’ve considered them.”
Yet, he’s going to Akron. While the school can be happy, the city of Akron can take pride in the fact that they aren’t considered much of a city.
I can’t get too worked up over this even if he doesn’t go to Pitt. It’s Akron. It’s not like Marshall chose a major-conference school or Penn State. Wherever he went, he would be a project needing to bulk up. As you would expect at this point with a gangly 7-footer he has an inconsistent game. Without bulk, a 7-footer in the Big East these days is just meat. Chewed-up and spit out banging inside. Marshall seems to want early playing time. He’ll get that at Akron, but not any major conference or even the high mid-major schools of the A-10.
predictably, the jeff method is as follows:
poke, poke, argue against a straw man, respond to criticism with ‘holier-than-thou’ comments, chastise others and name call
that just needed to be pointed out.
link to basketballrecruiting.rivals.com….009&ra_key=1642
link to basketballrecruiting.rivals.com
In case the link is not working, he is now ranked 37th.
ZEKE MARSHALL IS RANKED HIGHER THAN THE “ALMIGHTY”…WE WANT HIM SAITH THE PITT FANS…FITZGERALD ranked lowly #102 AND wait hold on…JENNINGS…lowly #`116 AND WAIT A MINUTE PITT FANS…especially you STUART–hold on..wait a minute..OH MY…ZEKE IS #8 CENTER IN HIS CLASS AND where is Fitzgerald–NOT LISTED!!!!! Oh my and JENNINGS is #14 Center!!
WOW….I LOVE IT…ok Stuart..lets the world hear your ever so “eloquent” college vocabulary……HOLLA BACK YA!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the 1000th fucking time morons, no one is pissed that he isn’t coming to Pitt. No matter how great you think he is. You people should build a monument for him, he’s the best you’ll ever do. You people want him so bad, you have him. Why the continued insistance on trying to convince us of how good he is? Why does that matter so much to you?
Some of us know talent when we see it. I’d love to see D Blair one on one with this kid. Maybe Zeke will get out of the mon for long enough to come to the summer league – i’d love to see it.
Now, can we get back to the fact that A QUARTER OF YOUR COLLEGE CAN’T SCORE OVER 440 ON EITHER HALF OF THE SAT? 880 TOTAL? Wait, tell me again what an “amazing” community college you have there.
Here there is no difference between him and Fitzgerald: link to pittsburgh.scout.com
I heard all those lists are always right.
YOU SAID IT…I DIDN’T. Aahhhhh sooo true Stuart!!!
Take the time to actually read these posts you are responding to. No one said the program is a joke; in fact I said exactly the opposite. At the same time, it’s just humorous that you are defending your flawed position so vehemently. Pitt thinks the kid has potential; that’s why they offered him a scholarship. He was Tom Herrion and Orlando Antigua’s top priority. They missed on him.
That’s really the extent of it.
I have an honest question for you. You both seem to have some affiliation with Zeke. Do you feel that is the the 37th best player in the nation at this point in time? I am not trying to stir the pot, just get your opinion.
Having said all of that…EVERYONE who has seen him from his 9th grade year until now has seen TREMENDOUS growth and development in him as has he, himself. What I know about him is this…Zeke takes his playing very, very serious…but just like anybody playing an organized sport…you have to be TAUGHT how to play the game and unfortunately, most WPIAL coaches (including his current coach) dont know how to coach a TRUE “big man” which is why he didn’t put up ALOT of points..because that’s not what he was asked to do.
So to answer your question Jared…do I think he deserved the 37th spot..ABSOLUTELY…because while most of the people on this blog want to berate him and say he is no good…most of those same people probably did not see him play when he dropped 15 pts, 10 rebounds and 9 blocks during the morning game on Sat. AND 18 pts, 9 rebounds and 8 blocks against Blessed IJN (who by the way have a 7’1 kid and a 6’10 kid)at the Pitt Jamfest. They also probably didnt travel to Akron for the King James Jamfest when he dropped 14 pts, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks against Buckles of the Florida Rams nor did they see him when he dropped 16 pts, 12 blocks and 8 rebounds against Lou Will Elite (where..by the way..Coach Dixon was sitting “center court”) therefore it is understandable to see how all of the coaches and scouting services have rated him so high. ALL OF THOSE COACHES, SCOUTING PEOPLE AND POWERS THAT BE..CAN’T ALL BE WRONG. Lastly, I talked with his mom after the King James tourney and was told that immediately after that he got phone calls from Kentucky, Florida, ODU, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Maryland and Xavier.
And BTW…although everyone seems to think that putting up a LOT of points is the only way a player can be defined as “good”…noone is willing to look at the fact that this kid was one number shy of having at least 3 triple double games during this years WPIAL season (that includes points, blocks & rebounds).
I appreciate you asking the question Jared.
I said in previous posts, that I want Zeke to do well. So I hope you don’t take it any other way. If he were to come to Pitt I would be happy, but am also not crushed that he is going to Akron, because Pitt is on other highly rated guys as well. That isn’t to say they may have been better with Zeke in the long run. Time will tell.
So based on your response, you feel that Zeke is worthy of the ranking. You know better then me. I have never seen the young man play. The thing that strikes me as odd though is the selection of Akron at this point in time. As you said in your post, his recruiting is just heating up. It seems that he could have waited and gotten a lot of other offers. I know he wanted to stay close to home and that is fine. But it seems like he could have waited out the process and maybe gotten better offers then Akron (no offense to Akron). I am sure he could have committed to Akron in 6 months from now. You also say that Zeke takes his playing very, very seriously. I am glad to hear that and hope that he puts in the work necessary to make it to the NBA. But if he takes it that seriously and it is that important, why would he play in the MAC and not challenge himself more by playing in the Big East or Big 10?
These are just some things that don’t add up to me. Thanks.
“For the 1000th fucking time morons, no one is pissed that he isn’t coming to Pitt.”
I did not attack his BASKETBALL SKILLS. DO YOU PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE WORDS I AM TYPING?
I made 2 points: A) his mommy and him comparing Akron and Pitt in academic terms is LAUGHABLE, and B) made light of the fact that some of you people think him coming to Pitt is somehow important to Pitt’s basketball future, or even matters ONE BIT.
Now, instead of putting words in my mouth and attacking positions i have not taken and am not defending, attack what i said.
Sara, i’m especially dissapointed in someone from Pitt not being able to understand what i wrote…
Now quote what i said that is a “flawed position” (your words) and explain why.
I WILL REPEAT MYSELF–FOR THE LAST TIME—NO ONE WAS TALKING TO YOU. I WAS SPEAKING TO JARED. And for the freakin record..Zeke’s mother has WAY TO MUCH CLASS to be on sites like this one and respond to IDIOTS LIKE YOU!! FOR THE LAST TIME—I am NOT HIS MOTHER. I know her and I know Zeke very, very well. END OF THE DISCUSSION!! GET A CLUE YOU FREAK OF NATURE!!!!!!!!!
And for the record, I’ve seen him play in person 5-6 times, and if anyone wants to question my basketball knowledge because I am a female, that’s fine, but I played at the HS level, briefly at the college level and I currently coach youth league teams for both boys and girls.
Having said that, all of it means nothing in this argument because it’s not about X’s and O’s.
Is Zeke Marshall the 37th best player in the nation?
No, I highly doubt that he is.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t the 37th best PROSPECT. These are not lists of the “best HS players” — they are lists of players who, in the writers’ opinions (which are ALWAYS highly subjective) have the skill sets to eventually become the top Division 1 college players
To note — Roy Hibbert did not have as good a skill set as Marshall at this point in his career. Pitt fans will scream about Hibbert being overrated, but the fact is that he became an All-American.
Marshall is athletic, he can run and he is a great shot blocker. Those players change games.
Look at what Thabeet did to Blair in the game at UConn this past season. He completely altered Blair’s game – that’s the reason Pitt lost the game.
His defense is there and will be there at the college level. If he ever adds ANY offense to his skill set, its all gravy.
Pitt took Austin Wallace and Cassin Diggs — two projects at center — and neither worked out. I would MUCH rather take a center project who is much higher-rated than those two — which Marshall is. And further, he is a local kid. It’s almost moot at this point because the wave of local talent is beginning to disipate, so good ties to the local programs likely means less right now. But it would have been nice to add more than one.
(And Stewie, I do get a laugh out of your hyjinks on The Family Guy. Nice to confirm that’s the real you.)
I understand that you defended Zeke on a message board and felt that you had to keep doing that because some others on here attacked you. That makes sense. But to tout that he is ranked 37th of Rivals when you don’t think he is 37th best player is silly. You have to understand where other people are coming from. Pitt fans feel that have been burned by rankings and potential in the last few years. Of course, not everyone is going to work out. I personally don’t care about rankings. I am not any more excited for Lamar Patterson today then I was last week, just because his ranking is higher. The only thing that excites me is that a higher ranking could translate into being a McD’s AA and that would be great exposure for Pitt. But I don’t think he is any better of a player. I was excited about Patterson because he seems like a complete player and one who will contribute right away and could be great at Pitt. From what I have read, Zeke can’t contribute right away and would have to deveop. That takes time.
Sometimes I read into things to much but I worry about competition for Zeke. If he truly wants to play basketball and he is taking it more seriously, why is he going to play in the MAC? This is suspicious. Most great players want to challenge themselves and play the best. Obviously Zeke isn’t going to do this. Again, this is fine. But it can’t be both ways. Zooreview has said that he is taking it seriously and you have saved he is the 37th best prospect. I feel that if that were the case he would be challenging himself more by playing in a better conference.
So after all of this. My conclusion, right or wrong, is that he maybe taking basketball more seriously, but it isn’t number one priority. His priority seems to be location to home, computer science program and comfort. I don’t think basketball is in his top three criteria. I think his drive to be successful in computer science is higher then that to be a great basketball player.
I look forward to your responses.
Those lists are NOT of the best players in the country — a lot of people think that’s the case, but they are not. They are lists of the best PROSPECTS and that’s a huge difference. There are kids who will play D-3 who are better HS players than kids in the top 150. But for a variety of reasons — size, footspeed, strength, basketball IQ — they are not D-1 prospects.
Pitt is not likely to get someone who is a better PROSPECT than Marshall.
And understand that he is NOT a project on defense — not at all. The work with Marshall will have to take place on the offensive end, which is the case with 75% of high school seven-footers.
And as I said, there is not a doubt in my mind that at this stage, Marshall is further along than Hibbert was and MUCH further along than Thabeet. He is probably farther along that Aaron Gray was as well simply based on athleticism.
The main reason Marshall shot up the charts so much this off-season was because of his desire. I think a lot of that was due to confidence, but his newfound drive has been a pleasant surprise. Whether or not that continues is debatable, but that’s alos the case with 75% of the kids ranked in the Top 10 — usually that’s the biggest issue for the elite kids.
You really didn’t answer my question. You filled it up with other things to support your view, but didn’t answer the question. I understand that is the 37th best prospect. And that is probably deserved. There aren’t too many 7 footers that are athletes and can run. We agree on that. I know these rankings are done on potential. The fact is that probably half of these kids that are ranked on ‘potential’ won’t come close to fulfilling that ‘potential’. I think we would agree on that.
My concern is his ‘desire’ and ‘drive’. You brought up Aaron Gray, Thabeet, and Hibbert. I have seen quotes from all of there coaches about these players challenging themselves and being the hardest working players on the team. Development doesn’t happen by itself. You have to work for it. This is my concern for Zeke. If he feels he can put in the work and develop to reach his ‘potential’, then why would he go to play in the MAC? It is a pretty simple question. Elite playes who feel they are elite want to play the best.
Again, my conclusion is that either basketball isn’t the most important thing to Zeke, or he doesn’t feel that he has the potential to reach the level everyone else does. If he did feel he was that good (or could be that good) and basketball was the most important thing, he would be playing against the best possible players he could so that he could be the best possible player.
I believe that the real reason is an elitist attitude by a few folks. “How can lowly Akron dare compete with Big East thunder power PITT?”
It seems to me that those posters who hold such views actually need to enlighten themselves as to who Akron really is. ZOOREVIEW and a couple of others have accurately portrayed who the Zips are and where they want to go. Akron’s head coach, Keith Dambrot, has a good set of credentials along with a history of winning. He seems hell bent on the idea he repeatedly utters. That is, Dambrot wants to make Akron the Gonzaga of the East.
Thus far, in four seasons, he has moved Akron’s program a long way toward that goal. 92-38 record that includes several big time wins and a some darn close losses.
Dambrot has recruited well. He has found more than his fair share of diamonds in the rough. He also has a close relationship with LeBron James. Poo poo that all you want. Ask a HS kid who plays basketball just how much he would like to be in the company of LBJ. Its great currency.
Attendance at Zips games is steadily climbing. Talk of a new, larger arena is going on. The now
being built on campus football stadium draws interest. Akron now has one of the finest field houses in the nation. If you have not at least seen pictures of its interior you owe yourself to peruse them. They will make you envious. To claim otherwise is pure sour grapes.
Akron is a coming program. Frankly, its no big secret in the Akron community that the University wants up and out of the MAC. The coming realignment of the Big East in 2010 may be something that Akron shakers and movers may be looking at. There is talk of joining the C-USA.
The soccer program, a perennial top twenty-five team, may need a new home as only five MAC schools play men’s soccer. Hartwick is the sixth team. Previously Kentucky was the sixth team.
The MAC’s automatic soccer bid is hanging by a thread.
So, you see, there are a lot more factors than just getting a verbal from a quality HS kid. Every effort will be spent to capitalize on this commitment. They are not PITT, but that does not make the Akron staff stupid. Realize that the Akron coaches invested many hours in Zeke. They were on him early and stayed with him.
Go read the Akron fan blogs especially ZipsNation.Org – The Web Home of Akron Zips Fans Find out what drives them. There surely are lessons to be found there. Just as Akron fans learn from reading PITT blogs.
I find that stating facts is far more worthwhile than bluster. Its great that there is a lot of passion for PITT sports. Do not diminish that capital by belittling your opponents. To be the best you must beat the best. Like PITT, Akron strives to be the best.
Akron did a better job recruiting him. I said that from the beginning — Pitt screwed this one up. They clearly wanted him and failed to land him. I gave a ton of reasons for this early on in these series of posts.
As a player, if you feel comfortable with coaches, then you feel you can develop to your potential under those coaches. Maybe that’s what the kid felt.
When you say elite players want to play the best, that’s hardly the case across the board. There are a million reasons that go into why a kid chooses one school over another.
Why did JR Bremer play at St. Bonnie’s? Why did Delonte West and Jameer Nelson play at St. Joe’s? Why did Kojo Mensah, one of the most talented guards in his class, play at Sienna? Why did Lionel Simmons play at LaSalle? Why did … that list can go on and on and on.
Sara – exactly. You said i had a “flawed position” and I asked you to explain exactly what it is. You have nothing to say. Why don’t you read what i wrote before you take shots or put words in my mouth.
Like i said, the only two people that seem to care about not landing one single prospect are you and the akron child. No one else gives a shit, and our program will go on. In 2 years no one will ever remember who this kid is.
Good Luck Akron!!
You’re a moron if you think its sour grapes. We’ve tried explaining it, but you’re obviously too stupid.