Horns247 Board

Kind of an odd write-up. Even at the height they list him (and most recruiting services have him listed at 6'7") and with his frame (which tends toward the lean side), he would not appear to be exactly the sort of physique that one would look to being a "big body that can bang in the post," and most recruiting services list him as SF/PF instead of as a strict 4. I have no doubt about Mickey being an excellent player, but I do have questions about his ability to be a strong interior scorer and defender PF in high Div. I ball.

Highlight video can be seen here. It's not You Tube, so I didn't embed it.

http://blip.tv/ballislife/6-7-jordan-mickey-official-mix-best-athlete-in-class-of-2013-6084529

Oh, and "The 6-foot-8 Arlington, T.X., native" and "hometown Longhorns" are not two phrases that any editor worth his salary should allow to appear in an article regarding a single player. (Now, if a large portion of DFW basketball players want to start considering the Longhorns as the hometown team and want to commit to Texas, I certainly won't argue with them about it.)

Very favorable write-up on NBE for Mickey today. They even gave him another inch. (Of course, lower on the page they also listed Kendal Harris at 6'5")

Jordan Mickey (Urban DFW Elite 2013) – The 6’9” post player was unstoppable in an afternoon playoff victory dominating the paint from start to finish. Mickey has outstanding footwork on the block and can score over either shoulder with either hand. He uses spins, drop steps, and a host of other moves keeping the defense on its heels all the time with his wide array of options down low. Mickey also succeeded from the high post where his 15 foot jumper is deadly and he can use 1 dribble to attack the rim. Still a bit on the slender side, a college weight room will do wonders for Mickey’s development and he projects as a go to low post scoring option within his first couple years on a high major college campus.

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-0714/2012-adidas-invitational-friday-recap/

To explain my earlier comment, from what I have seen of Mickey, he looks like a 4 all the way. If he is of Tristan Thompson's size or better, he could excel. If he is 6'7" or so, then maybe not so much.

I believe Mickey is a legit 6'7 at this point but he does have some pretty long arms that allow him to play taller than he is.

Oh, yeah. He is playing for Urban DFW Elite.

From a 5* talent recruiting standpoint, Barnes deserves more credit than you've given him..

Kevin Durant, Jordan Hamilton, Tristan Thompson, Myck Kabongo, Cory Joseph, Cameron Ridley (ESPN 5*), Damion James, LaMarcus Aldridge, Mike Williams, Daniel Gibson, Avery Bradley

The future man, the future. Not all of those guys were five start accross the board either. It just seems like the past four years there has been a decline and it seems to be showing up in recruiting. Tired of always hearing long shot or we were down there to the end but lost at the very end. I am a die hard Texas Basketball fan till I die but, in case you have not noticed there is a school about 150 miles down the road that is about to pass Texas by and, even though they may not do it the right way they are still doing it. Texas seems to be stuck in the sand. No longer moving forward but not moving backward. They have to get out of that.

I think you are correct in some degree about Texas moving backward not forward in recruiting, but I think you overstate things somewhat. I am greatly concerned about the chance of missing out on all the great Texas prospects for 2013. That just can't be a good sign; however, I think recruiting is still fairly strong--witness the depth of the last two classes, and with a lot of top in-state talent in McClellan, Lewis, Holmes, Ridley and Ibeh, with Lammert and Holland as no slouches.

I do think Texas has found somewhat of a harder job in recruiting in the last 3-4 years as the wondiferousness of the Cooley Pavilion has become matched by similar facilities at other schools, and some tournament disappointments certainly haven't helped, but Texas still seems to recruit pretty well overall and has very few openings for 2013, so let's see what Texas gets in November and how this year's crop blends with last year's before we start panicking.

Lots of valid points...but, as I've learned from Gerry H, CBB recruiting is just a different world...some of the most talented players in the state come from the DFW area, & Texas is always gonna be on the outside when it comes to recruiting those kids...people involved that won't deal with Texas, or vice versa

You mentioned Ford, Aldrige, & Boddicker...2 players from HOU & 1 from Austin...also, Daniel Gibson from HOU

Looking @ 2013, Frazier & Randle from DFW area...2014 has 5* PG Mudiay from Arlington

As for fixing how Texas can recruit better in-state...just me, but that starts with changing the AAU stuff, getting the NCAA to actually give a damn about CBB recruiting problems, & a variety of other stuff...sometimes, no matter how hard Barnes & his coaches work, or no matter how much a kid wants to play for Texas, there's just gonna be other factors that prevent it...CBB recruiting absolutely sucks & it's not changing anytime soon, IMVHO

Actually, I do think Boddicker & LA are from DFW area, I may have been thinking of Brad Buckman when thinking of Boddicker...I really wish your argument would be that simple...just me, I've learned to accept CBB recruiting is never that easy of a decision, not with shoe companies, AAU coaches, World Wide Wes, Jazzy Hartwell, parents, HS coaches, & who knows what else involved in the decision...& now with Larry Brown @ SMU & his WWW connection, no telling what's gonna happen

Can somebody tell me how that scrub Carmelo Anthony starts over Durant on USA team?