A very important part of the college basketball season is just about wrapped up -- and it looks as if the UH men's team recruiters scored pretty well. UH recruits look good,
at least on paperWhether they hit the jackpot with another Anthony Carter is unlikely, but it appears to be a solid group that fits the team's needs.
Obviously, with starting center Seth Sundberg and his backup Danny Furlong both graduating, getting a big man was a must.
Bryan Moeller, 7-foot, 240-pounder from a junior college in Oklahoma looks like the answer. Head coach Riley Wallace said he is a "small 7-footer" compared to the bigger Sundberg, but he likes what he has heard from other coaches who have seen Moeller play.
It sounds to me like he is somewhere between Sundberg and Furlong talent-wise, which isn't all that encouraging. But all the team needs is a big guy to rebound, clog up the middle and get up and down the floor. Ten points or so per game would be nice, but he won't need to score if Carter and Alika Smith can lob them in like they did last season.
Chad Hook, a 6-2 guard from a JC in Iowa might be the best of the lot. He sounds like a Carter-type who would be perfect coming off the bench to give Carter or Smith a rest.
I have seen Erin "Helicopter" Galloway play in practice and he can jump through the roof. The big question will be if his new contact lenses help him with his weak outside shooting.
Casey Cartwright, a 6-5 swingman from Riley's old junior college, Seminole in Oklahoma, sounds like a Micah Kroeger-type -- and he could get a lot of minutes if Kroeger's repaired knee doesn't come around, especially early in the season.
Peter Kecskes, a 6-11 high school forward from Hungary, will be a promising project.
THE one remaining piece of the puzzle could be a huge one for the Rainbows. But don't hold your breath. UH is still patiently awaiting a signed letter of intent from Ravoslav Nestrovic, a 7-1 center from Slovenia. The letter had not arrived as of yesterday afternoon, but UH coaches are expecting it.
My guess is that it's about a 90 percent chance that he will instead take the professional route and play in Europe for some pretty big bucks.
However, if the basketball gods are smiling on Riley and company, and this lad decides to play a season or two in Hawaii, he will be a major force -- possibly enough to sneak UH into the top 25. From several accounts that I have heard, this dude can play big-time.
Now for the hard part. How do you blend the new players with four returning starters -- Carter, Smith, Kroeger and Eric Ambrozich? An even tougher job will be juggling the new faces in with guys like Mike Robinson, Ales Zivanovic and Greg Miller, who came through with some valuable playing time down the stretch last season, especially after Sundberg went down.
WALLACE is confident that the new recruits have been screened well enough and told that the success of last season's 21-8 team was, well, teamwork. Plus Carter.
Riley has made one smart move already. He told the starters that no one was recruited to replace any of them. You don't mess with a starting lineup that clicked so incredibly well together.
Sure, some of the new guys might have more talent than Kroeger or Ambrozich, but that doesn't mean they will fit in as well. And watch for Robinson, Miller and especially Zivanovic to step up their games.
Last season was certainly an outstanding one for the Rainbows. But if a few shots roll out here or there, it could have easily been 15 wins instead of 21.
Putting back-to-back 20-victory seasons together is very difficult, even with four returning starters.
Recruiting was especially crucial this year. Overall, Wallace, Jackson Wheeler and Bob Nash did a good job. At least it looks that way on paper.