Basketball recruiting analysis with current commits

There are several basketball recruiting threads going on, with several overlapping discussions. I wanted to share some thoughts on the recent news in one thread:

1. There is no doubt that LSU has had Deng and Odoh wrapped up for a while. David Patrick placed Deng at Lee Junior College, while Odoh has been a lock for LSU all along, with only academics standing in the way.

This was a timed news release for both of them, with the recent commitment of Damian Jones to Vanderbilt and LSU failing to make the finalists for Karviar Shepherd. With Jordan Mickey coming in for an official this weekend, LSU needed a little PR boost. Also, Mickey wants to play the 3 and having a center and power forward locked up is important.

2. Deng Deng: I had a source tell me a while back that David Patrick had placed a "7-footer" at a junior college and that LSU would eventually get him. Well, it appears this is the guy and the size was a little off. Patrick has connections at at least three junior colleges that I have been able to confirm, where there is a steady stream of Australians. Most of his connections come from his time at ULL and Nicholls. Several of the former assistants there are at the JUCO level now.

One overlooked aspect of the Deng commitment is the potential benefit for the recruitment of Thon Maker. With Patrick as an assistant, and a fellow Sudanese/Aussie on the team, that will be a huge positive in the recruitment of Maker. He will likely be making unofficial visits to LSU games over the next few years. Having a player like Deng to host him on these visits is very beneficial. Deng will be a senior in 2016, which is Maker's senior year in high school. Also, don't expect Deng to be the last Sudanese/Aussie. There are a lot of them playing in Australia right now, as well as U.S. prep schools and JUCOs.

3. I would have loved to have John Odoh eligible for the 12-13 season. However, I think this will be better for the long term. He is a freak athlete that has NBA potential, if he can refine his skill. Having a redshirt season at LSU will help him a lot. Having a season to work on his academics, as well as his play will be great.

4. I like these two commitments a lot. LSU needed to sign at least 4 post players. It is not realistic to expect them to jump out and sign 4 top 100 high school players in the post. Deng (sophomore) and Odoh (junior) along with a couple of freshmen will help to stagger the classes and will be better for scholarship allocation.

5. I expect LSU to sign 6 players this year. 4 post, 1 point guard, 1 wing.