Marshall University Athletics
BOGACZYK: Bledsoe, Williams Up Next for Herd Hoops
11/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By JACK BOGACZYK
HERDZONE.COM COLUMNIST
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The two players in the Marshall men's basketball early recruiting class for 2016-17 have a very regional flavor … with a twist.
And while 6-foot-6 Phil Bledsoe of Wheeling Park High School brings an obvious in-state connection to the Herd, how is 6-8 Jannson Williams of Newnan (Ga.) High a "neighborhood" recruit?
"I always kind of wanted to go to Marshall and when they offered me the chance to play Division I basketball, that's where I was going," Williams said. "And then I'll have a place to go wash clothes and get a home-cooked meal now and then.
"That's important, too."
When Herd assistant coach Mark Cline - he recruited both Herd signees - and Coach Dan D'Antoni first saw Williams on the AAU hoops circuit, neither coach had any idea about Williams' area connections that are significant.
One of his grandmothers, Carolyn Wilkinson, grew up in the Tri-State area. One of Williams' cousins, Dr. Kelli Williams, is the chair and an associate professor of the Department of Dietetics at Marshall. Williams has two sets of aunts and uncles that live in Coal Grove, Ohio. Another cousin lives in Ironton, and Shanna Williams - Jannson's mother - said a "lifelong family friend" resides in Ashland, Ky.
At least a dozen family members can see Williams with a short drive … and maybe that will help ticket sales at the Henderson Center, but that's not why the Herd wanted the player who projects to a stretch 4.
"Williams is an upside frontcourt prospect who remained very much under the radar as far as his recruitment was concerned," said Thom Jones, of TJ Hoops Scouting in Christiansburg, Va.
"Recruiting bigs at the college level requires exercising more patience and faith than at any other position, without question. Bigs are notorious late developers from a position standpoint.
"My feeling is that Jannson will provide help to the program with each increasing season. His best basketball will very possibly be when he is an upperclassman during his final two seasons. He is athletic, bouncy and runs well. Offensively, he is better away from the basket facing up, rather than posting up inside. He can however guard both post players in the post or forwards defensively, giving his team defensive versatility."
In Bledsoe, Marshall is getting a plus-4.0 student whose slashing ability and basketball IQ caught Cline's eye. The Wheeling signee is only the second in-state scholarship signee direct from high school for the Herd since 2002, when big man Mark Patton signed from Cabell Midland High. The signee between Patton and Bledsoe is current Herd redshirt freshman guard CJ Burks, from Martinsburg and Hedgesville High.
"Year-by-year, Phil made improvements, but he made a huge jump last year," said Wheeling Park Coach Michael Jebbia. "He had a very good summer this year, and the amount of time and devotion he put into basketball paid off.
"I'm sure there's going to be an adjustment period to the Division I level, but Phil is 6-6, 215 (pounds), good size, a 3 or 4. He plays inside a lot for us, obviously, and he's getting more comfortable shooting the three."
Jones said he likes "Bledsoe a lot as a prospect, period - even more so for Marshall because I frankly feel he can play at an even higher level."
The talent scout compared Bledsoe to other below-the-radar prospects who became contributing Division I players that Cline has recruited as his previous coaching stops.
"Bledsoe is a very effective and highly efficient scorer. He can score at all three levels on the court and is extremely efficient and consistent," Jones said. "He isn't the type to score 22 one game and 5 the next. You are going to know what you are getting with Bledsoe night-in, night-out. He is going to be the 9-16 (points) type most every game.
"He can knock down the three, he has a very nice mid-range game both as a catch-and-shoot guy or pulling up off the dribble. His high shot release helps him consistently get his shot off against closely guarding defenders and he makes more than his share of contested shots. Then he can go down in the post and score against smaller players with his back to the basket. He has a running hook across the lane, can use either hand inside and uses a step thru move effectively inside. His consistency is without a doubt one of the very best traits in his game."
As for Williams, he committed to Marshall back in mid-June, and also had interest from Wofford, Mercer, Texas Tech and Florida Atlantic.
"He's a good athlete and can shoot the three-ball," Newnan Coach Rod Ladd said. "He's more of a perimeter guy, a 3 or stretch 4, but he is a good rebounder and the big thing he's working on is improving his perimeter defense. He's long, and we're working on getting him to move his feet better. He has a good competitive streak, too. He'll work hard for Marshall."
Williams called defense "the favorite part of my game."
"The thing I need to work on most is my endurance," the Georgian said. "If I'm more fit, I'll have better stats. I like blocking shots, and in college, I think I can be a stretch 4 because I'm confident in my shot. I can shoot the three."
Jebbia said Bledsoe - he averaged 19 points and 13.5 rebounds as a Wheeling Park junior last season -- opened many eyes with his performance against perennial Pennsylvania power Neumann-Goretti. In a game at Wheeling Jesuit University against the Philadelphia school, Bledsoe scored 29 points to go with 17 rebounds against an opponent that finished 2014-15 as the No. 22-ranked team in the nation.
"Phil had 13 offers, and I'd say the ones he was most serious about were Marshall, Winthrop, Wofford and Cornell," Jebbia said. "He's a high-character kid, and he's had a great support system in his parents (Phil Sr. and Alberta) and here at school. He's so respected in our school, a real leader-type kid."
Bledsoe visited Marshall for the Herd's football win over Purdue, then took a home visit from the MU coaches and committed in mid-September. He wants to major in business.
"I love the style Coach D'Antoni plays, giving his players freedom, uptempo on offense and defense, letting players use their basketball IQ," Bledsoe said. "And I really loved the university, the campus, the family atmosphere there.
"I can rebound at a high rate but I see myself as a versatile player. I can go to the basket and my three-point range is improving. My parents have supported me in it all along. My dad taught me the game. My coaches have worked with me and helped me. I've always wanted to play Division I basketball since I was a kid, and it's been about hard work and dedication."
Jebbia said Bledsoe is Wheeling Park's first Division I men's basketball signee since Rafael Cruz -- the state player of the year in 1997 - signed with UMass in November 1996. Cruz finished his career at Youngstown State.
Both Herd signees were "yes, sir; no, sir" types in interviews. To say they are anxious to get into and beyond their final high school seasons and come to Marshall next summer would be an understatement.
Talent scout Jones said he sees both players as solid mid-major "gets" by Cline for D'Antoni's Herd.
On Williams:
"His low post offensive game is a work in progress now, although he is starting to flush out a jump hook along the interior," Jones said. "But he looks and plays more comfortably in space with the ability to knock down jumpers out to about 16 to 18 feet. He can put it on the floor some as well. He is explosive off the floor and that enables him to act as a rim protector of sorts.
"As he gets stronger at the college level, he will be able to bang inside even better with post players. He is a fast-twitch type athlete and the type that will fit in well philosophically with what Coach D'Antoni wants to do with his bigs, with his full court defensive pressure and using his 4s to stretch the floor and face the basket offensively. Williams can be a very effective player at the apex or as the last line defender in full court pressure. He has a bright future at Marshall, especially if people exercise patience."
On Bledsoe:
"Mark Cline is as good an assistant as there is in the business at finding hidden gems in recruiting - the type of prospect that is under recruited or undervalued," Jones said. "Whether it be Cal Bowdler at Old Dominion, Eric Maynor at VCU or Coleman Collins at Virginia Tech, Cline has a history of finding little- known players that have very nice careers at their schools. Phil Bledsoe looks to be the next in line.
"He's a 4/3 type player, positionally speaking, that is solid on the glass on both ends, plays hard throughout the game and keeps constant pressure on the defense. Bledsoe will be a very tough matchup for defenders because he has such outstanding offensive versatility, can score from all over the court and he makes difficult, highly contested shots. Guarding him with a one position-centric defender will be difficult. It will require a versatile defender to match up effectively due to his ability to score at all three levels.
"I look for Bledsoe to have a very nice career at Marshall, and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him end up as a 1,000-point scorer. This is a really good pickup for Marshall."
