[KChiefs1]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colle...37b30f57f.html

2. ANY O FOR CUONZO?

Lots has been made of Cuonzo Martin’s offense. It’s been called primitive and frustrating. We all know Martin can coach defense. Five of his last six teams at Cal and Tennessee ranked among the nation’s top 75 for adjusted defensive efficiency (kenpom.com). Four of those six teams were in the top 40 and three in the top 20. What about offense? Martin’s teams have been defined by pace — a relatively slooooooooow pace.

Of his nine teams at Cal, Tennessee and Missouri State, eight ranked 200 or higher in adjusted tempo. Six of nine ranked higher than 250. This past season, his Cal Bears ranked 289. For an SEC comparison, that would put them in the vicinity of Vanderbilt (No. 284) and Alabama (No. 302) in terms of tempo. Martin’s nine teams have averaged a tempo ranking of 255. Under Kim Anderson, Frank Haith and Mike Anderson, Mizzou’s tempo ranking reached the 200s only once: 279 in 2014-15, Kim Anderson’s first year.

But slow tempo doesn’t correlate to bad offense. Martin’s first Missouri State team ranked No. 230 in adjusted offensive efficiency, but five of his other eight teams ranked in the top 100, three in the top 50. His 2014 Tennessee team that reached the Sweet 16 ranked No. 15 nationally — higher than Arizona, Villanova, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, North Carolina among many more with traditionally efficient offenses.

Martin has said his team’s offensive style has been shaped by the caliber of talent on his roster. His last Tennessee team was his most talented, featuring Josh Richardson, Jarnell Stokes and Jordan McRae. His most offensively efficient Cal team in 2015-16 (No. 52) featured his most talented roster, led by five-star freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb.

Martin could have his most talented roster this fall at Mizzou depending on how recruiting turns out the next few weeks, but we know he’ll have at least one five-star wunderkind in Porter Jr. — and, perhaps, a new offensive philosophy. Newly hired assistant Cornell Mann plans to install an NBA-inspired offense built around spacing and free-flowing action. Mann described his offense, absorbed through four years of coaching under Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State, as a system of NBA actions — not set plays — built within the structure of an offensive philosophy. What does that mean? We’ll find out this fall, but a peek at Hoiberg’s advanced metrics signal a different style of offense from Martin’s standard.

Hoiberg’s last four teams at Iowa State ranked Nos. 10, 11, 25 and 121 in tempo.

When it came to offensive efficiency, the Cyclones ranked Nos. 12, 10, 8 and 24.

Only one team ranked higher in offensive efficiency than Iowa State in all four years Mann was on staff: Duke.

4. HOOPS RECRUITING

Martin was expected to meet with East St. Louis forward Jeremiah Tilmon on Friday, the first day since last Sunday that coaches are allowed to have in-person contact with recruits. An East St. Louis source said Kansas and North Carolina have also shown interest in the 6-10 big man.

As for five-star small forward Kevin Knox, he’s in Brooklyn this week with Porter for Friday’s Jordan Brand Classic. (Porter is iffy to play in the all-star game because of a sore back.) Knox has put off any announcement about his college choice to late April or early May. Here’s what his father, Kevin Knox Sr., had to say about the prospect of Knox and Porter playing together in an interview from earlier this week with KFNS 590’s Frank Cusamano: “That’s what piques the interest of everyone. Having Michael Porter at 6-10, explosive, good shooter, high IQ playing with another person who’s 6-9, high IQ, explosive (and a) passer. To have those two individuals, you now have to start talking about the possibility of LeBron Jams and Kyrie (Irving) playing together. The late Oklahoma (City) Thunder when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Right now, Golden State with Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Back when the Boston Celtics had Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (who) came together to win a championship. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, two Hall of Famers. When you start putting that kind of talent on the same floor … and we’re not talking about collegiately. It’s the NBA scouts who are saying these two guys are special. You start putting those dynamics and tools together you definitely have something special.”

Also this from Knox Sr.: His 17-year-old son just went up in shoe size from 18 to 18.5. “His feet are still growing,” dad said, “so he’s still growing, so therefore he’ll probably still grow (taller than 6-9).

Should Mizzou land Knox, Martin’s team would join select company in one regard. In the last three years, only these schools have signed multiple McDonald’s All-Americans in the same year: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, LSU, UCLA, Texas, Arizona and Cal. Should Missouri join their company, Martin would be the only coach to make the list at two schools.

The final Rivals.com Class of 2017 rankings came out this week. Here’s where Mizzou’s signees and remaining targets were rated:

Porter, No. 1 (signed with MU)

Knox, No. 9 (Tampa forward, undecided)

Tilmon, No. 42 (East St. Louis forward, undecided)

Mark Smith, No. 52 (Edwardsville guard, undecided)

C.J. Roberts, No. 104 (signed with MU)

Blake Harris, No. 131 (signed with MU)

No player ranked No. 1 on Rivals.com’s annual list has played more than one year in college. The NBA’s current draft eligibility rules have been in place since the 2006 draft, requiring players to attend at least one year in college before entering the draft. Every No. 1 ranked player since the rule went into effect played in the NCAA Tournament his only year in college. Here’s the list of top-ranked recruits, their college choice and their freshman season team results.

2017: Michael Porter Jr., Missouri … ???

2016: Josh Jackson, Kansas … 31-5, lost in Elite 8

2015: Skal Labissiere, Kentucky … 27-9, lost in round of 32

2014: Jahlil Okafor, Duke … 35-4, won national championship

2013: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas … 25-10, lost in round of 32

2012: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA, 25-10, lost in first round

2011: Austin Rivers, Duke … 27-7, lost in first round

2010: Josh Selby, Kansas … 35-3, lost in Elite 8

2009: John Wall, Kentucky … 35-3, lost in Elite 8

2008: B.J. Mullens, Ohio State … 22-11, lost in first round

2007: Michael Beasley, Kansas State … 21-12, lost in round of 32

2006: Greg Oden, Ohio State … 35-4, lost in championship game

2005: Gerald Green, NBA draft

2004: Dwight Howard, NBA draft

2003: LeBron James, NBA draft

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