What I said was true...those 3 players were NOT from the NYC area. Some of them played JUCO or other levels in the NYC area, but are not from there. Aren't Obekpa and Felix from Africa? And Sanchez is from DR. Facts don't seem to matter to some of you...just who's posting them does. Harkless is a VERY good recruit obviously...but like I said Jordan would be the BEST recruit Lavin ever pulled for us if he comes ranking wise. I love Harkless but I think some people overrate him at the college level. He is doing great in the NBA right now, but as a rookie he wasn't amazing. He had a few 30 pt monster games, but he couldn't shoot for his life and Harrison was the clear go to guy even with him here.
There is talk that Jordan will be upgraded to a 5 star prospect now. We have yet to have one under Lavin. All I'm saying is, if he goes to Temple it's a wakeup call that we need to get NYC area's best players i.e. Calhoun, McCollough, Lawrence, etc. to be more loyal. What that takes I don't know, but we have to own NYC's best before we can be dominant again.
Joe, count stars at your leisure;
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/141635/rysheed-jordan
Well look at that, he's now 5 stars. If Temple can land one there is no reason we can't. Is that so crazy to say? Especially considering we have a coach well known for his recruiting ability.
You're overstating the importance of a 5 star recruit Joe. Providence had 2 last year, how did that work out for them? Houston had one too, and Pitt has had 2 in recent years, Birch and Adams, and they've been less competitive the last two years than at any other point in this decade. I could go on (Arkansas has a 5star coming in.. etc)
Don't forget Dom Pointer was ranked as high as 24, and Jordan is coming in around 22. The rankings only tell you so much. And they usually over emphasize certain attributes (like height) at the expense of guys who see the court well and can shoot.
Getting a loi from Jordan isn't a sign that all is well with the program. Nor does it mean the sky is falling.
Things like the makeup of the roster, chemistry, and coaching matter just as much as recruiting ranks. I can be as critical as anyone but you gotta think big picture. And in my mind goals for this offseason go: 1) get D'angelo onboard and in a good place, 2) recruit the hell out of centers and forwards in the '14 class, 3) sign Jordan.
* and I'll add as an aside to re-evaluate the roles of the staff (although I doubt that happens).