Many tactics have proven to be effective in college basketball recruiting. Many so-called “blue blood” programs set their targets on top-50 prospects, and often wage battles for those players that extend late in the signing periods. The danger in that tactic is that the runner-ups can come up empty handed, and struggle to complete a roster when other similarly talented prospects are off the board.
Cincinnati is a program that has traditionally not taken such a tactic to heart, as coach Mick Cronin targets high school and junior college players who fit his system. The track record of success for the Bearcats speaks for itself, in recent memory.
That said, Cincinnati landed two backcourt recruits just a few days, as 6-3 combo guards Troy Caupain and Kevin Johnson committed within days of each other. While neither is considered a top-50 player, both have the skills to be competent in the Bearcats’ system for years, and should be welcomed with open arms by fans.
Caupain, who hails from Virginia and plays in the strong Team Loaded grassroots program, and Johnson, a player from the backyard at Summit Country Day in Cincinnati, can both handle the ball. While it’s not clear which player will be the primary handler in the future, and which will play off the ball, it is clear that Cincinnati has projected replacements for their senior guards, JaQuon Parker and Cashmere Wright.
Both Johnson and Caupain are arguably top-150 players, and both received positive reviews during the spring circuit. Cronin and his staff have locked up both backcourt players prior to the July evaluation period, and both seem like solid additions. The key now for Cincinnati will to land a blue chip big man, after missing out on Chris Obekpa in the 2012 class to St. John’s.
One interior star that Cincinnati has their eye on is 6-9 power forward Jermaine Lawrence, a New York City transplant that plays high school hoops in New Jersey. With Caupain and Johnson in the fray, Lawrence is likely to be the subject of a full court recruiting press from the Cincinnati staff going forward. With or without Lawrence, fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the guard core has been replenished with sizable, lengthy and skilled players.
Kellon Hassenstab runs Hoopniks.com. Follow him on Twitter @hoopniks.
