Jamelle McMillan to Sun Devils

Basketball Recruiting General75

Jamelle McMillan, the son of former NC State Basketball player Nate McMillan, announced today that he is planning to spend his college career playing basketball for former NC State Head Coach Herb Sendek at Arizona State University.

The whole trip overall was enjoyable, but there was one part of the visit that certainly sealed the deal. “The main thing was the closing speech by Coach Sendek at the end of the visit,� described McMillan. “You could feel how honest and dedicated he was with my recruitment. Coach Phelps, Coach Miller all gave their input and made me feel like I was better than anybody in the whole wide world. They showed all summer long how much the wanted me, but this visit really showed me how much of a great situation Arizona State will be for me.�

We’ve got a lot of thoughts on this, so let’s hit a blend of what we have been told and how we are analyzing this.

* We have been told that NC State’s coaching staff believes that IF State lands Chris Wright then the Pack wouldn’t necessarily want/need Jamelle McMillan.

* The problem with all of this is timing. Jamelle obviously is more eager to make a commitment than Wright and wants to get the process behind him. There is no doubt that Coach Sendek and the ASU staff have been selling this point and pushing Jamelle to go ahead and commit. Shrewd move.

* Outwardly, it never seemed as though Coach Lowe wanted to make the full court press on Jamelle, almost wanting him to go ahead and go somewhere else so that we didn’t have to tell him that we didn’t want him.

* Wolfpack fans now have to hope that Chris Wright appreciates the message that Coach Lowe and staff are sending to him that he is THE GUY. State has definitely put all of our eggs in one basket related to the point guard position now.

* As Wolfpackers , we definitely struggle with ^this strategy because we’ve never really seen a recruiting “strategy” pan out for us under Coach Sendek. We are being asked to ante back up with our “blind faith” (or is it “hope”) that our strategy to delay pursuing McMillan until after we learn about Chris Wright will work out well for us. To us, all eggs in one basket = Mustafa Shakur.

* Analyzing the situation strictly by the numbers – it appears that Fernold Degand ultimately took what would have been the scholarship designated for the Larry Davis/Jamelle McMillan role of a combo guard that can serve multiple roles in the backcourt. Degand would have had A LOT more value to the roster if he could have played THIS SEASON. Having to sit out for a year means that State basically ended up with Degand instead of Jamelle. Without DeGand we could have taken both Jamelle AND Wright in next year’s class.

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

Basketball Recruiting General

75 Responses to Jamelle McMillan to Sun Devils

  1. apexpacker 08/14/2006 at 5:57 PM #

    So… I guess Jamelle did not want to play much his freshman year and thinks he will be comfortable in a tightly controlled system that emphasizes repeating offensive patterns and passing over speed and driving to the basket. Good luck to him.

    Is Chris Wright still a possibility? It seemed that Georgetown had the inside track.

  2. westwolf 08/14/2006 at 6:18 PM #

    The speech by Herb sounded nice. It may be the last bit of emotion that Jamelle sees for the next four years.

    I hope we get Chris Wright.

  3. StateFans 08/14/2006 at 6:38 PM #

    At this moment, Georgetown doesn’t have any scholarships to offer.

  4. redfred2 08/14/2006 at 6:49 PM #

    We’ve had a decade of lifeless, unexciting, and hard to watch basketball thrust upon. This is like starting a whole new program, yet even from the very beginning we’ll be struggling against an the built in stigma of a hopeless and under accomplishing administration.

    I can’t really blame the former coach for that, he only embodied all that is wrong the attitudes around here and left when the time was right. But if anyone wants to know why I never cared for him as a coach, just ask your average kid on the street what he thinks about NC State basketball now. I do not of know any young kids who admire NC State University for the image it’s basketball program has portrayed for too many years now. Or ask the alums to take a poll to see who their children are pulling for these days. You don’t have to win regular season titles or any tournaments to have people respect your efforts. Those same kids are now the future of NCSU basketball, it’s been a decade, how long will it take to rebuild that image? Where’s the next crop coming from?

    Ten years of mechanical basketball with no preceivable rhyme or reason, or desire anywhere in evidence on the basketball court, will take at least half of that time again to even begin to overcome it’s effects.

    I read a thread where L Fowler said that Lowe is concentrating on kids who really want to play for State. That’s great, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be when a coach promotes his university, that is part of the head coaching job description. It is also exactly what has been missing in Raleigh for the past ten years!!!

  5. westwolf 08/14/2006 at 6:53 PM #

    ^I agree.

  6. RAWFS 08/14/2006 at 7:06 PM #

    This is not surprising, Coach Sendek has always been a superb recruiter. He also has a sterling reputation in the national media and amongst other coaches, who nearly to a person talk about what a brilliant coach Sendek is. That has a lot of appeal to a Jammelle Macmillan, and he chose to continue his relationship with Herb.

    While it is not surprising, in a way it is ironic that JM is not the first son of a former NBA player to play for Sendek. Any State fan worth his salt remembers the tale of Damien Wilkins, and of the harsh criticism of Sendek’s offense by both Dominique and Gerald Wilkins. Apparently, Nate Macmillan either has little sway with his son or little respect for two former veterans. Perhaps a combination of both. You make the call.

    So at the end of day, Mcmillan does not initially NC State. It will be interesting to see if this legacy recruit finishes here. Given the record of transfers in Sendek’s program at NCSU it seems entirely possible that by the time young Jamelle Mcmillan earns a sheepskin that it will have North Carolina State University printed on it.

  7. old13 08/14/2006 at 7:26 PM #

    ^Keep in mind that, according to Pack Pride, NCSU did not offer JM. He didn’t turn down State. State didn’t offer.

  8. Lock 08/14/2006 at 7:34 PM #

    ^^I don’t, but we’ve been over that before. I just feel someone should keep us from treating the man as a bigger enemy than UNC, Duke, and ECU combined.

    So, which is it? We’ve never seen a recruiting strategy pan out under Sendek, or he’s a shrewd recruiter? Wait…never mind. Please don’t answer that. It will lead nowhere constructive.

  9. thebigwood 08/14/2006 at 7:54 PM #

    maybe JM doesnt want to play for one of his dad’s buddies

  10. Mr O 08/14/2006 at 7:59 PM #

    Herb has always been a great recruiter. I am sure Herb Sendek is more determined than ever as a head coach.

    As far as Wilkins criticizing Herb’s offense, Damien never played in Herb’s version of the Princeton offense. So they actually criticized the offense of his first five years, not the one he used to lead NC State to five straight NCAA tourney appearances.

    Hopefully it will work out with Chris Wright. Our new staff could gain a lot of credibility with landing him.

  11. redfred2 08/14/2006 at 8:04 PM #

    ^Lock

    Sendek is a good recruiter, as a matter of fact I would say that he is a great recruiter, considering the handicap when a recruit looks at his portfolio of players that never developed, and all of the teams that played below their potential. It always bogled my mind, but I always gave him credit.

    Sorry, I am a little more than usually steamed right now. I am sincere when I say that I don’t really care if Sendek, currently plying his trade on the Sun Devil label now, wins the national championship next year. I know good and well his style and his personality was wrong for NCSU, I’ve said it all along. I don’t blame Sendek for that, never have, that is just who he is. It’s also the reason there aren’t young people coming along who believe in Wolfpack basketball. I would have kindly asked him to look elsewhere a long time ago, the fans wouldn’t be a odds among themselves, and we wouldn’t be struggling to find an identity, when in reality, we already have a great one.

  12. bTHEredterror 08/14/2006 at 8:05 PM #

    Was thinking the same thing, wood. Maybe Nate wouldn’t want any possibility of his son being in an uncomfortable position with one of his friends. Maybe Sid didn’t offer because he didn’t want the appearance of favoritism. In any event, young Jamelle, enjoy the land of the sun. Becuase there won’t be any light on the basketball program.

  13. redfred2 08/14/2006 at 8:30 PM #

    skip….scratch…..
    “the one he used to lead NC State to five straight NCAA tourney appearances”
    …..the broken record just keeps right on aplayin.

    Wulf, with all due respect, that may seem like a major accomplishment from your viewpoint, but it’s not that big a deal with the way the tournament is set up these days.

    It’s kinda like being asked to sing the anthem at a sports event, and then forgetting the words halfway into the first verse. You’re there, but no one really knows why.

    Ask Rosanne Barr.

  14. WolfRed 08/14/2006 at 8:36 PM #

    Can we please forget about Sendek? Let’s look to the future. I believe we have many good things to look forward to. The past ten years are not worth talking about.

  15. Wulfpack 08/14/2006 at 8:49 PM #

    “Wulf, with all due respect, that may seem like a major accomplishment from your viewpoint, but it’s not that big a deal with the way the tournament is set up these days.”

    Yes, and that is exactly why there are SO many programs out there that have had that same consistent success…wait…umm….I’m still searching.

    All subjective criticisms of Sendek are fair game. But please stop telling us all how horrible his results in Raleigh were. It’s getting really, really old. Your broken record just isn’t being heard. Most just ain’t buying it.

    He’s a fine recruiter who has proven twice now that he can build a program at the Division I level.

    As for JM…who knows. It’s hard to say whether or not ASU is now on more solid footing than NCSU. I can’t imagine that Sid wouldn’t have been able to land this guy if he put his egss into that basket.

  16. Astral Rain 08/14/2006 at 8:58 PM #

    ASU has an easier road to the tourney- how many top-tier teams are in the Pac-10?

    I think in 2-3 yrs Sendek will have ASU at about the level NCSU was at.

    In 3-4 years- we’ll either be sunk, or in decent shape with more of a future.

    Honestly, we should concentrate on people who want to be here though.

  17. choppack1 08/14/2006 at 9:33 PM #

    It’s hard for me to believe that Jamelle wouldn’t want to play for NC State – or would rather be a Sun Devil than a wolfpacker, but who knows.

    I think this is a case where Sidney didn’t focus hard on Jamelle. I have to respect that decision – he’s certainly seen him play more than I and has forgotten more about basketball than I know.

    My only concern is the all eggs in one basket theory. As this subject rightly adds – we have a smaller pg/2 guard prospect on campus in Degand. The additional good news is I can possibly see is that if Wright hangs us out to dry, it could be a quick lesson for Lowe. Get your guys who want to be here first and be prepared to build a solid team w/ solid Top 100-150 players and concentrate on the big fish you have the best shot at. In the last 15 years, we’ve seen too many recruits lead the pack on to sign w/ others when the chips are down – Donald Williams, Stackhouse, Mustafa Shakur, Mouton…the list goes on and on.

    The one thing that really intrigued me about Jamelle was that he supposedly shut down Tawon Downey when they matched up last year. I think a Guard who can shut down a PG or good shooting is almost as valuable as a one w/ a great handle, good shot and good leadership.

  18. Cardiac95 08/14/2006 at 9:39 PM #

    As much as like the thought of adding a legacy recruit, I can’t get too worked up over losing a barely Top 100 recruit. Especially if we didn’t officially offer as reported before any announcements were made.

    Kudos to Herb for recognizing the circumstances & taking advantage of it.

  19. one00_proof 08/14/2006 at 10:16 PM #

    Uh… just to make sure everyone knows, Jamelle DID have an offer from NC State, while as the article says, Lowe did not put the full court pressure on Jamelle.

    Jamelle most definitely had an offer from NC State when Herb Sendek was the Head Coach. Lee Fowler/the program made a decision to honor all outstanding offers during the transition. It sounds like a matter of semantics. Jamelle McMillan most definitely had an offer from NC State. Doesn’t sound like Jamelle McMillan was really offered something from Sidney Lowe’s staff.

    While it would have been nice to have Jamelle, let’s not get too caught up in the ratings. Remember, the Top 100 recruits in America get 4 stars, regardless of talent. I’m not saying that Jamelle is not talented, I’m just saying that “4 stars” indicates rank in relation to everyone else more than actual ability.

    While I’m never the type to put all my eggs in one basket, in Wright’s case, I think Lowe might have the right idea. Remember, Wright (at least from his interviews) is a very typical highly recruited bball player in that he likes being the “center of attention”. Hopefully Lowe can relate to him and reel him in.

  20. redfred2 08/14/2006 at 10:28 PM #

    ^WolfRed, you’re right

    I am tired of getting worked up over “the debate.”

    Besides I exert more energy and emotion typing on a keyboard in two nights, than he displayed the whole time he was here.

    He will go down in history as one of the best in ACC and Wolfpack history, beloved and cherished for all that he brought to both, the great following that he built for the university, and legacy that he left behind. Not to mention the constant and consistent alterations his decade required to all the record books.

    I’m outa here.

  21. gumbydammit 08/14/2006 at 10:57 PM #

    Whatever. If he wasn’t determined to run with the Pack, given his history with NCSU, then we’re better off. Echoing what was said before, let’s focus on who wants to be here. I do feel bad for him, though, because for all of Herb;s recruiting ability, he can’t coach for sh**.

  22. Dan 08/14/2006 at 11:10 PM #

    For all the complaining and commenting here, it would be nice if someone who criticized Sendek actually understood why he wasnt more successfull at NC State. Namely, the lack of a PG in trying to run a half court set. Enter Chris Wright at NC State….nix that….enter JM at Arizona State.

    Nothing is more tiresome than the endless “Herb was awful” rants when none of them ever offer any kind of basketball talk at all. Aliens from another galaxy who never saw a single basketball game could make smarter observations on past game results. They just wouldnt understand the workings or the flow of the game.

    “At this moment, Georgetown doesn’t have any scholarships to offer.”

    There is an offer on the table to Wright from G’Town now. I’m not sure where you are getting that they dont have the ‘ship to give Wright, but its the wrong place to be looking.

    SFN: Let us help you learn where we get our information.

    Big East Basketball Report:

    On paper, John Thompson III and his Georgetown staff has completed their recruiting efforts for 2007 with a full allotment of 13 scholarships claimed for their 2007 roster. However, with the strong possibility that at least one of their talented frontcourt duo in this year’s junior class opts to turn pro, the Hoyas are swinging for the fences on the recruiting trail with 2007 prospects.

  23. redfred2 08/14/2006 at 11:25 PM #

    Dan

    I am sorry to say it again, but to answer your excuse with a reply, the point guard position is no different from….say the…center position? That’s when you have the talent sitting right under your nose and still don’t have a clue how to use it?

    Again, I’ve asked this before, how does one person who possesses the abilities of a point guard, make such an overwhelming contribution in a positionless offense?

    Please don’t say penetration, we’ve had the personel to do that already.

  24. bTHEredterror 08/15/2006 at 1:02 AM #

    Herb’s gone. You can’t wish him back.

  25. StateFans 08/15/2006 at 7:08 AM #

    At least the HSSSers are consistent. ASU is going to be GREAT in 2 or 3 years!!

    Q: How many times did we hear that?
    A: Ten

1 2 3

Leave a Reply