Auburn Got a Steele

[ChaunceyGardiner]

After watching Jalen Steele score 46 points in the Region 2 AA championship game last night, I am more convinced than ever that Auburn has come into Knoxville and acquired a player capable of being at least a three year, and possibly a four year starter.

 

Not only is he an outstanding scorer but also a good ball handler, defender, and passer who makes good decisions with the basketball. He seems to compare very favorably to another Tennessean who has had a productive career at an out-of-state SEC school - Barry Stewart of Mississippi State.

 

Steele exploded for 46 on a night when, earlier in the day, he had to be given fluids intravenously.

 

I'm a little surprised that Bruce Pearl didn't recruit him more aggressively. I guess Bruce got early commitments from the two Georgia guards and didn't have room to recruit another guard. It's a situation similar to the one Buzz Peterson found himself in after getting an early commitment from Dane Bradshaw and having to pass on Lee Humphrey.

[yankees8589]

Steele is a very good player and one of the most underrated players in the South. My guess is UT didn't recruit him because they were looking for a higher caliber player than Steele and that got one to in Trae Golden. The decision to choose Auburn was ultimately Steele's and I think he will do well there. I hope it's the right move because Lebo probably won't be the coach much longer and Auburn is really not much of a basketball school. The Auburn job has to be one of the worst in the SEC because it's so hard to recruit really HIGH END players there. Some kids want to go to a high major conference even if it's a bad program. The SEC title hooks them. Auburn more or less recruits head to head with mid major programs because they have no choice. They lucked up and snatched Shawn Kemp because he didn't fit into Anthony Grants plans at Alabama.

 

Personally I would have liked to seen Steele go to Dayton, if in fact they were going to offer which I understand they was. Dayton is a better program than Auburn and is MUCH MUCH MORE LIKELY to be a NCAA tournament team than Auburn. In fact Dayton has a far superior class coming in than what Auburn has next season. It's really not even close. Dayton could very well at least challenge for an NCAA bid for the next 4 seasons and the Atlantic 10 is a VERY VERY GOOD conference that many times has 2 or 3 at large bids.

 

Like I said I think he will do well at Auburn and wish him luck.

[Photoman]

I'm a big Bruce pearl fan, but he's dropped the ball on this local talent. Everyone loves the hometown hero and would have wrapped their arms around jalen. He's the real deal on and off the court... and he can hit free throws in the dark.

 

Go Falcons!

[prospect]

I hope Jalen drops 30 on UT every time Auburn plays them.. How could Pearl pass up on him?! Unbelievable!!

[Purple & Gold Standard]

I'm a HUGE Tennessee fan.....I imagine you can see the differences in programs by the recruits you bring in...Tennessee is where they are at and Auburn will most likely be looking for a new coach when their season ends this week....

 

I will say it ticks me off when I see someone like a Jarvis Vanardo, Barry Stewart, the Delk trio, the kids from Portland and Maryville that played at Florida and others who come in and do good against the Vols....Tennessee is not going to compete on a National level with a team full of hometown heroes though....

[yankees8589]

bingo

[Photoman]

I'm a HUGE Tennessee fan.....I imagine you can see the differences in programs by the recruits you bring in...Tennessee is where they are at and Auburn will most likely be looking for a new coach when their season ends this week....

 

I will say it ticks me off when I see someone like a Jarvis Vanardo, Barry Stewart, the Delk trio, the kids from Portland and Maryville that played at Florida and others who come in and do good against the Vols....Tennessee is not going to compete on a National level with a team full of hometown heroes though....

 

Steele is no token local kid that they needed to take out of mercy. He's a D1 talent that UT will regret not taking.

[ChaunceyGardiner]

I'm a HUGE Tennessee fan.....I imagine you can see the differences in programs by the recruits you bring in...Tennessee is where they are at and Auburn will most likely be looking for a new coach when their season ends this week....

 

I will say it ticks me off when I see someone like a Jarvis Vanardo, Barry Stewart, the Delk trio, the kids from Portland and Maryville that played at Florida and others who come in and do good against the Vols....Tennessee is not going to compete on a National level with a team full of hometown heroes though....

 

I agree that Tennessee should recruit nationally as much as possible in order to compete nationally and agree that Tennessee should not overload its roster with in-state players just because they are in-state players (I don't believe Pearl has done that since the only in-state players in the current rotation are scholarship players Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince, and walkons Steven Pearl and Skylar McBee). Based on the major recruiting services, both Trae Golden and Jordan McRae are better prospects than Steele. Tennessee should have offered both. It would have been nice to have Steele, too.

 

My comments were based on "the eyeball test" after watching Steele play for four years (by the way, I am not a Fulton supporter, just a long time admirer of the way Coach Jody Wright's teams play ball). I have followed high school basketball in the Knoxville area since the mid-60's and have seen most of the area players who successfully advanced to play Division I basketball - for example - Ron Widby (UT), Bill Justus (UT), Jimmy England (UT), Joe Proctor (Memphis State), Gary England (Auburn), Chris Gettlefinger (Kentucky), Otis Howard (Austin Peay), Elston Turner (Ole Miss), Howard Logan (Louisville), Rob Jones (UT), Rodney Jones (ETSU), John Johnson (Maryland), Doug Roth (UT), Travis Henry (UT), Micah Marsh (Arkansas State), Travis Stinnett (Alabama), Halston Lane (Georgia Tech), Lee Humphrey (Florida), Tony White, Jr. (College of Charleston), James Gallman (MTSU). I'm sure I have inadvertently omitted several others. In my opinion, Steele compares favorably to quite a few of them.

 

I wasn't advocating that UT recruit Steele instead of the other two guards, just that I see him as a player capable of starting in the SEC for several years. I'm sure Pearl would have welcomed Steele as a walkon with open arms, but that was not going to happen because he deservedly received several offers from other Division I schools.

[Purple & Gold Standard]

I'm a HUGE Tennessee fan.....I imagine you can see the differences in programs by the recruits you bring in...Tennessee is where they are at and Auburn will most likely be looking for a new coach when their season ends this week....

 

I will say it ticks me off when I see someone like a Jarvis Vanardo, Barry Stewart, the Delk trio, the kids from Portland and Maryville that played at Florida and others who come in and do good against the Vols....Tennessee is not going to compete on a National level with a team full of hometown heroes though....

 

Steele is no token local kid that they needed to take out of mercy. He's a D1 talent that UT will regret not taking.

 

Steele can score 30 on the Vols every time they play....As long as the Vols win, it doesn't matter to me.... .... I have a good feeling that Tennessee is in and will be in better shape than Auburn will be for awhile to come....Plus, it's gonna be tough on Steele seeing as how he will be playing for a coach that didn't recruit him next season....