VERBAL - 2013 JUCO - Anthony Norris - 6'7" SF

[NT03]

We got him. No info yet. Sorry , I'm very busy @ work at the moment

Edited June 15, 2012 by NT03

[TheTastyGreek]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/102408/anthony-norris

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Anthony-Norris-102956

http://memphisroar.com/2010/01/2011-sf-anthony-norris-commits-to-tigers/

http://www.njcaa.org/colleges_college_player.cfm?sid=4&collegeid=1312&category=Roster&slid=2&teamid=119121&athleteid=355011

[TheTastyGreek]

http://www.cbs7kosa.com/sports/details.asp?ID=32642

[TheTastyGreek]

https://twitter.com/TXboysbasketbal/status/213727588940648448

Story coming tonight here: http://www.texasboysbasketball.com/

Since he went JUCO, should be a class of 2013 verbal? One of our 6 ships in that class.

[golfingomez]

so he committed to Memphis then ended up in Midland? did he not qualify originally?

[Harry]

With the 2010 recruiting class in the books (for the most part), the University of Memphis staff has managed to pull off their first 2011 commitment in 6’7″ 210-pound small forward Anthony Norris out of Houston, TX.

“Excited,” said Norris when asked about how he felt about his commitment. “That’s it. Excited. I have known that I wanted to go to Memphis since the seventh grade and today I went ahead and committed.”

Choosing the Tigers over teams like Marquette, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Baylor, West Virginia, Penn State, Virginia and Arizona State, Norris is the first of four to five likely players that will make up the Tigers’ 2011 recruiting class. Currently a junior at Sam Houston High School, he is rated at a 93 by ESPN Scouts, Inc. In their most recent evaluation of Norris, Scouts, Inc. had this to say:

October, 2009: Norris is a small forward that has great size and matching athletic ability. This lefty is a good shooter with three point range. He has good shot preparation with high elevation and a smooth release. Norris sprints the floor in transition and loves to spot up for three in the corners. He is has excellent court vision and passes well in traffic. Norris can pass over smaller defenders and put the ball on the money to a cutting teammate. He is a good open court ball handler and can make a scoring play from the wing.

http://memphisroar.com/2010/01/2011-sf-anthony-norris-commits-to-tigers/

[Harry]

I apologize to Tasty I missed that you had posted. Still friends?

[TheTastyGreek]

I apologize to Tasty I missed that you had posted. Still friends?

For now...

I'll probably merge all the threads about Norris and pin them in the Recruiting Forum later tonight or sometime over the weekend.

[All About UNT]

For now...

I'll probably merge all the threads about Norris and pin them in the Recruiting Forum later tonight or sometime over the weekend.

revolt?

[Harry]

Here's a story explaining more why he left Memphis:

Anthony Norris, a 6-7 forward from Houston who made a verbal pledge to the University of Memphis in January, withdrew his commitment Friday.

RCS Sports, a recruiting website devoted to Houston, first reported the story Friday afternoon.

The parting of ways could be characterized as mutual. Norris had struggled since committing to the Tigers, and a series of poor performances in spring tournaments dropped him out of Rivals.com's Top 150 for the Class of 2011.

It is unclear which side initiated talks of a decommitment, but sources indicated as early as February that the Memphis coaching staff was not totally sold on Norris and wanted to observe him this summer before putting him on track to sign in November.

Instead, Norris and Memphis agreed to end the relationship now, which will give him an opportunity to showcase his skills for other college coaches this month during the heart of the AAU season. The July evaluation period, which starts next week, is crucial for coaches to determine who they went to recruit in the fall. Memphis is not expected to continue recruiting Norris.

Read more: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/02/2011-commitment-anthony-norris-memphis-basketball-/

[H-towngreen]

I wonder if this is Benford capitalizing on a previous recruiting relationship from his days at Marquette? If his previous offer list is true it's quite impressive.

Edited June 15, 2012 by H-towngreen

[greenminer]

I wonder if this is Benford capitalizing on a previous recruiting relationship from his days at Marquette? If his previous offer list is true it's quite impressive.

Might be more of a family connection: Benford grew up in Hobbs with Norris' fam.

[UNT90]

Good get. I guess we now know who the Houston kid was that Benford mentioned at the coaching caravan in FTW.

6"7" and can play the 2. A defininte CUSA player.

Now. lets just hope his academic problems are behind him.

Welcome, Anthony Norris, to the Mean Green Nation.

Edited June 16, 2012 by UNT90

[LakeTravis]

So he would have 2 years left?

[UNT90]

So he would have 2 years left?

Yep

[greenminer]

The way I read it, he will attend Midland College for one more year, then join us in 2013-2014.

[Cooley]

Didn't have a great senior year but does have a ton of talent. Maybe he can regain his form at Midland.

Jim Hicks from RCS

"Often our players don't bring it every single day, and that is a must if you want to be acknowledged as elite. One bad game against a lesser rated opponent, and some folk have no idea how many emails I will get (either roasting or toasting one of the kids). Maybe Sanders (a 10th grader who led his varsity in scoring and assists) didn't quite live up to his hype at St Thomas HS? The question should be - How many St Thomas HS players did live up to the hype this season? Whew-wee, man don't even get me started...

Speaking of players who didn't live up to the hype... let's just put it nicely and state that this wasn't the best weekend for Anthony Norris 6'6 w (Sam Houston HS 2011), whom is rated #65 nationally by Rivals.com. All of us have a bad hair day every so often, but in the case of Norris - hopefully this serves as a warning shot of motivation. If you are ranked among the tops in the nation, committed to a big time D1 program, and (on two separate occassions) don't seize the opportunity to dominate a team of 9th graders, then it concerns me (and it probably concerns the coaching staff at Memphis as well). And this is by no means an attempt to tear down the spirits of Norris, he's a great respectable young man. But when you have a certain number on your back, the constructive criticism comes with the territory"

[greenminer]

Constructive isn't the only type of criticism that comes with the territory.

[RossDrapalski]

This is great news I'm excited.

[Dr. Seuss]

Might be more of a family connection: Benford grew up in Hobbs with Norris' fam.

Another family friend, sounds all so familiar....So whats his nickname going to be lil tony

All jokes aside, good start...

[nmforce17]

I can assure you, Benford didn't go after Anthony because he's a "family friend". Anthony played for me for 3 years with NM Force and after the spring and summer of his Junior year Anthony had 15-20 high major offers. He was ranked #30 in the country by ESPN and #65 by Rivals. He then moved to Houston for his senior year. Unfortunately, things spiraled due to the many distractions and some not so good people around him and in his ear. He's matured a lot and he finally has things back in order in his life. He's an extremely likable kid, he has all the tools to be a great player for UNT. If he works hard he could be special. Coach Benford did recruit him after his Junior year and he was offered by Marquette along with many other high major offers before committing to Memphis (then, de-committing). Coach Benford stuck with him and built a great relationship with Anthony. Anthony knows UNT and Coach Benford is the right fit.

www.nmforce.com

[H-towngreen]

I can assure you, Benford didn't go after Anthony because he's a "family friend". Anthony played for me for 3 years with NM Force and after the spring and summer of his Junior year Anthony had 15-20 high major offers. He was ranked #30 in the country by ESPN and #65 by Rivals. He then moved to Houston for his senior year. Unfortunately, things spiraled due to the many distractions and some not so good people around him and in his ear. He's matured a lot and he finally has things back in order in his life. He's an extremely likable kid, he has all the tools to be a great player for UNT. If he works hard he could be special. Coach Benford did recruit him after his Junior year and he was offered by Marquette along with many other high major offers before committing to Memphis (then, de-committing). Coach Benford stuck with him and built a great relationship with Anthony. Anthony knows UNT and Coach Benford is the right fit.

www.nmforce.com

Thanks for the background! What can we expect from him on the floor?

[nmforce17]

You are getting a real good one in Anthony! He played for me with NM Force for 3 years and he has the tools and ability, if he works hard all of the time, to be a special player for UNT and play beyond College. Coach Benford did an oustanding job building a relationship with Anthony over the last 2-3 years.

www.nmforce.com

[nmforce17]

You can expect a kid who is coachable. He is going to give Coach Benford 100%. He is long, athletic, and a high flyer. Anthony excels as a slasher and he can knock down the 3 pt shot. He rebounds well. He can cause matchup problems with his length, athleticism and size as he can take guys off the dribble from the perimeter or knock down the jumper (has great elevation), as well as take his guy inside. He is a very good passer and he excels in an uptempo style.

[greenminer]

Always nice to get some input from a player's former coach.