NUHoops.com

Is this really "an excellent recruiting class"?
Or is Jeff Ryan's commitment just another step toward a mediocre recruiting class?
The only reason this recruiting class can be called "the best at NU in years" is that Carmody's previous signees have been, on the whole, either injury-prone (Vedran, Tolic) or underachievers (Hashad, Doyle) or quitters (Maley, Parker, Soltau) or academic problems (G. Lee) or suspension cases (Thompson and B Lee) or projects (Scott) or busts (Seacat).
Okay, in light of that record from a coaching staff that has had to rely on transfers and foreigners and walk-ons to fill out its roster, this is INDEED a fab recruiting class.
But to any other Big Ten team, this is a subpar recruiting class.
Ryan's bio reads just like that so many other NU recruiting "gets." Ryan is a very skinny kid who needs to work on his outside shooting but who is considered by many they type of kid who could be a "potential steal of somebody recruiting class." This entire 2005-2006 recruiting class is made up of kids who are being called "vastly underrated" and "potential steals" but never a "big time player" or "sure-fire star."
Ryan, like all NU commits, was recruited hard by mid majors and the Ivy League. DePaul and Iowa had contacted him but made no offers and he didn't visit.
This is just the type of kid Carmody signed at Princeton.
If a DePaul or Iowa strung him along and then ended up not offering the kid in the spring, Carmody would swoop in and grab him. If the kid did get a scholarship offer, he goes big time.
This is how the Ivy League works, the only difference at NU is Carmody can sign these kids in the fall rather than have to wait for them to be rejected by the major programs in the spring.
Who knows, maybe one of these skinny kids NU signs will turn out to be great.
But this is only a great recruiting class in light of previous diasters.
I'll get excited when Carmody signs a kid that MSU or Illinois or almost any other Big Ten aside from PSU school made one of their primary recruiting targets.
Then I'll be very happy indeed.
GO CATS! GO LIONS!

The thing is that Jeff Ryan is much better than most recruits NU sees. THe kid was a 2nd team all state selection by most people and would have gotten more publicity if he didn't play in the same district as Jon Scheyer. He also drew interest from Clemson and West Virginia. Kid is the real deal.