KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Matt Balanc

G
6-3
Springbrook HS
MD
AAU: Mid Atlantic Select

Offers
URI
UMass
Bryant
Quinnipiac
UMBC
ST Bonaventure

Late bloomer; high flyer

My bad, I misread the name
Erased

Am I missing something? Does he go by two names like the prospect that goes by Alex and Sacha

He's a guard from Springbrook High School who plays with MAS (Mid-Atlantic Select). He has REALLY blown up this summer, to the point we have offered, and Coach Hurley has recently watched him and offered among many other schools. He's a 6'3/6'4 Guard who is extremely athletic.

Has really blown up within the last few weeks. It's a product of him playing well this summer, including during summer league and the first evaluation period. Coach Hurley watched MAS and Matt play earlier today.

Wow, this kid can really get up.
@yoocamo @MBalanc #BeElite https://t.co/6PjqabHMzA

He will visit URI in Sept. Had really good summer. Freak athlete that can score still young & developing. Huge upside. Comes from the same AAU program as CJ Keyser now at Witchita St that URI was recruiting few years ago.

Matt is high motor kid that plays extremely hard and is wired to score.

Welcome Slim

Slim wrote:He will visit URI in Sept. Had really good summer. Freak athlete that can score still young & developing. Huge upside. Comes from the same AAU program as CJ Keyser now at Witchita St that URI was recruiting few years ago.

Matt is high motor kid that plays extremely hard and is wired to score.

Awesome! He will love it here!

I'll be honest, but just from that highlight real alone, he looks like a four star recruit. Let's get him.

High flyer for sure

How is his jumper ??

reef wrote:High flyer for sure

How is his jumper ??

Jumper is good . Will be good 2G. Few SEC schools, & Big East, PAC 12 schools want him to prep in become class of 2019 due to him being a late bloomer. He will stay in class of 2018 looks like. High motor, high level athlete that can score. Still developing physically. Dad is 6"5 so he could still grow.

Like our chances with that group especially if he's all about winning. Looks like we'll have to wait until September, when he visits, for closure. Is it me or does he look like Tyson Wheeler facially?

Sounds like he needs some time to develop, but man this kid has the tools to be something special. I hope we can land him.

http://247sports.com/player/matthew-balanc-46047592
https://verbalcommits.com/players/matthew-balanc

wgracie99 wrote:Is it me or does he look like Tyson Wheeler facially?

I saw it too near the beginning of the video.

Our logo really needs a bump in its boldness.

Have you seen him? Hes the definition of late bloomer. I felt like every day during the live period he had a new offer. Had a great summer league. I have no inside knowledge on the player, but lets be honest, you dont either. I have no knowledge of his intentions for next year.
Washington Post reporter Jesse Doughtery just said he willbe taking an unofficial to Georgetown.

A word of caution with rankings. Rankings are fluid. Websites have yet to redo their rankings based onthe final live period. Look for his to change. Also- have you met any of the "scouts" for some of these websites? I trust Coach Hurley and co's opinion (and most just about every college coaches) on a recruit much more then theirs.

Yea you're right he's not a freak athlete...

Matthew is on unofficial visit today at Georgetown. Also, if he did a prep year he would be SEC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten recruit. He will do fine at A10 system that gets up and down where he can display his athleticism. He also is getting better daily. Most of the A10 offered some just didn't make his final list. Smart move by Hurley & staff getting involved now. If the kid waited until the late signing pd or did prep year it be harder to get him.

I know Matt and Cj Keyser both who Hurley and staff recruited hard. Cj went to Brewster and when that happen PAC 12, and others got involved he eventually committed and now is at Witchita St. My point is as Rising SR I would say Matt Balanc can score and shoot better at the same point then some on the current roster at the same age. Kid has high motor and is really trending upwards.

Rankings are overrated unless your one done type NBA player. Jalen Adams at St Bonnies was barley recruited now he's killer in the A10 and possible NBA prospect. Sorry I know and follow the A10 well. Matt would have to develop just like any other young player, but his athleticism & high motor with his scoring ability would make him good FIT at most A10 school. He still would need to develop physically. If he was physically developed today he would be sure power HIGH MAJOR RECRUIT.

steveystuds06 wrote:

Yea you're right he's not a freak athlete...

You can't make that claim based on ONE play. Literally any 6'4 D1 basketball player/prospect should be able to cram on a breakaway with a guy coming in from the side. The kid is very athletic, yes, he's going to be a D1 college basketball player. But let's ease on the term "freak athlete".

I had heard earlier that he would be taking an unofficial to Georgetown as stated above. I know he has listed his final 5 schools he is interested, but my question was why is he taking an unofficial to Georgetown if they are not is his listed final 5? Is he actually still open on his recruitment?

His tweet listing the final 5 did have the hashtag recruitment still open. Maybe he was using that final 5 tweet to pressure a school not listed to hurry up with their effort or he'd move on?

Rhody1992 wrote:

steveystuds06 wrote:

Yea you're right he's not a freak athlete...

You can't make that claim based on ONE play. Literally any 6'4 D1 basketball player/prospect should be able to cram on a breakaway with a guy coming in from the side. The kid is very athletic, yes, he's going to be a D1 college basketball player. But let's ease on the term "freak athlete".

It's not just one play... Look at any game tape. Ask people that have seen him play in person. The point is this kid can clearly get up and finish above the rim with power.

Rhody1992 wrote:

TruePoint wrote:

Rhody1992 wrote:Can we please stop pumping up these no name recruits? I'm all for the posts stating who they are, where the play and their interests, etc. But PLEASE stop with the "he's a freak athlete", "Late bloomer", "high upside". NO, STOP! He's a 2 star recruit. He'll be someone who MIGHT see the the floor as a backup to Fatts down the road. We seriously need to stop pumping up 2-star recruits, etc. We're competing with FGCU, Quinnipiac, and UMBC (for Christ sake). And UMass is down as a program. We shouldn't be thrilled about a recruit that we are competing with those schools for.

For example, if RUTGERS can be in 4-star PG Jalen Carey's top 6, why can't we at least push for (at the minimum) all upside 3-star recruits or higher. It's a joke. Some people on this board give us Rhody fans a bad rep. Quit being homers and let's push for and be thrilled about legit recruits (i.e. Jermaine Harris and Dana Tate). End rant.

I approved this post because there is nothing about that violates any forum rules, but I couldn't disagree any more with it. First of all, a lot of the analysis that a guy is a late bloomer comes from people who follow recruiting and not from fans of a program offering a kid that they've never seen. Second of all, recruiting involves 15 and 16 and 17 year old kids; inevitably kids are going to develop at different rates and on different timeframes. Third of all, recruiting services miss on kids (in both directions) all the time, and some staffs do better with player evaluations than others. If your staff consistently comes up with players that other programs missed, I wouldn't worry much about how the recruiting services regard players they offer. Five years ago you could have made this same rant in Hassan Martin's thread, and you'd have ended up looking like a dope. I can't guarantee this kid will be a great player at the A10 level, but if the staff thinks he has a chance at it I will reserve judgment. If there are evaluations out there from people who've watched the player play that tend to support that idea, then I think those evaluations are relevant (as are informed evaluations to the contrary).

You have your opinion and I have mine. I am very active in the recruiting world. I'm not just a "fan of the program" as you say. I understand Martin was the same case, however Martin is a rare case. Not many guys make that sort of leap. Also Hassan Martin was a 3 star recruit and inside the top 200. I have no problem with giving the kid an evaluation and profile on here, but all I'm saying is we don't need to pump the kid up talking like he's the rare diamond in the rough and we're stealing gold from every other program. He could be a nice little chip, but I just think we should pump the brakes on pumping his tires, that's all.

I'm glad you are active in the recruiting world, but I tend to think so is our head coach. I also tend to think he is unduly qualified over you, and most high school scouts, in evaluating talent. So fwiw i am going to trust the person who gets paid a lot of money to make those decisions and given we have offered I have to assume that means he sees something in him.

He hit 97 - 120 Free Throws last season. Not too shabby.
His high game for the year was 43 points in which he hit 12-13 FTs

https://www.washingtonpost.com/allmetsp ... fb67f9bc8c

» Springbrook guard Matt Balanc picked up offers from La Salle and Iona over the weekend, Mid-Atlantic Select director James Lee confirmed to The Post. Balanc, who plays for Mid-Atlantic Select’s 17U team, has used the July evaluation periods to greatly elevate his recruiting stock. He added seven offers — from New Mexico, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Quinnipiac, High Point and UMBC — during the first evaluation period. He has also attracted interest from Georgetown, Kansas State, Connecticut and Penn State, according to Lee, and now has nine Division I offers in total.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/rec ... 24d5829366

Again, I'm not saying he's bad. Clearly he's athletic, definitely raw. He may turn out to be great, I'm not saying he won't be. I'm saying we just need to ease up on the chest pounding and saying he's going to be a great fit and blowing him up like he's the next best thing. That's all. It's nothing on the kid at all, time will tell I guess. Until then, Dana Tate, 12pm on Saturday

I'm not against occasional reminders to the board to remain calm and to not carried away in one direction or another. But honestly, I don't see where anyone has gone way overboard in their comments about Matt.

TruePoint wrote:I'm not against occasional reminders to the board to remain calm and to not carried away in one direction or another. But honestly, I don't see where anyone has gone way overboard in their comments about Matt.

Agreed, just had to bring up my opinion that's all. Regardless, it's a great time for Rhody hoops. We can all agree on that.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:Thompson is good. He seems to have a similar build to EC. I fear he isn't even as good as Jamal Wilson. Never mind EC. I still think I'm in the top 5 of Thompson fans. Idk.

I don't like these posts saying this kid Balanc is good for the A10. For the most part URI is the top of the A10. The programs aren't equal.

Have u seen Balanc play before? U do realize most the A10 offered him?

Are you guys determine on kids ability or rankings /offers ?

Slim wrote:

Seawrightspostgame wrote:Thompson is good. He seems to have a similar build to EC. I fear he isn't even as good as Jamal Wilson. Never mind EC. I still think I'm in the top 5 of Thompson fans. Idk.

I don't like these posts saying this kid Balanc is good for the A10. For the most part URI is the top of the A10. The programs aren't equal.

Have u seen Balanc play before? U do realize most the A10 offered him?

Are you guys determine on kids ability or rankings /offers ?

Not saying Balanc cant play in the A10. I am really impressed by his highlights and athleticism.

More pointing out that being A10 level and what I perceive as URI level are different levels. I am also not saying he isn't URI level. I have no clue. Just that the class of the A10 has always been a Sweet Sixteen team. So the standard to be excited about is not A10 level but the top of the A10.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:

Slim wrote:

Seawrightspostgame wrote:Thompson is good. He seems to have a similar build to EC. I fear he isn't even as good as Jamal Wilson. Never mind EC. I still think I'm in the top 5 of Thompson fans. Idk.

I don't like these posts saying this kid Balanc is good for the A10. For the most part URI is the top of the A10. The programs aren't equal.

Have u seen Balanc play before? U do realize most the A10 offered him?

Are you guys determine on kids ability or rankings /offers ?

Not saying Balanc cant play in the A10. I am really impressed by his highlights and athleticism.

More pointing out that being A10 level and what I perceive as URI level are different levels. I am also not saying he isn't URI level. I have no clue. Just that the class of the A10 has always been a Sweet Sixteen team. So the standard to be excited about is not A10 level but the top of the A10.

Got it. Let"s say Georgetown, Georgia, UCONN all offered him would that make you see him differently? All schools that reached out and we're trying come up with plan for him due to him being late bloomer.

I can tell you the staff followed him all month and he played very well. Hurley and staff watched Balanc score 25pts(4 3s n 4 loud dunks, add FT and mid range shots)against top 50 recruit 2018 Kahvon Moore from ATL who's big time prospect.

Balanc is young and developing rapidly if he was interested in doing prep year he be High Major and possible top 100 player. IMO Balanc were ever he goes will do well. Strength will come as his body continues to mature.

Good debate. I respect you guys hunger as fans. Passionate fan base is great.

Slim wrote:

Seawrightspostgame wrote:

Slim wrote:

Have u seen Balanc play before? U do realize most the A10 offered him?

Are you guys determine on kids ability or rankings /offers ?

Not saying Balanc cant play in the A10. I am really impressed by his highlights and athleticism.

More pointing out that being A10 level and what I perceive as URI level are different levels. I am also not saying he isn't URI level. I have no clue. Just that the class of the A10 has always been a Sweet Sixteen team. So the standard to be excited about is not A10 level but the top of the A10.

Got it. Let"s say Georgetown, Georgia, UCONN all offered him would that make you see him differently? All schools that reached out and we're trying come up with plan for him due to him being late bloomer.

I can tell you the staff followed him all month and he played very well. Hurley and staff watched Balanc score 25pts(4 3s n 4 loud dunks, add FT and mid range shots)against top 50 recruit 2018 Kahvon Moore from ATL who's big time prospect.

Balanc is young and developing rapidly if he was interested in doing prep year he be High Major and possible top 100 player. IMO Balanc were ever he goes will do well. Strength will come as his body continues to mature.

Good debate. I respect you guys hunger as fans. Passionate fan base is great.

Obviously you know him and have seen him play. Love his upside. I think he'd do great here developing with this staff and with Dan Marshall, the highly respected strength and conditioning coach. Marshall has a great resume training both college and pro athletes. I hope Matt comes here.

Slim wrote:

Seawrightspostgame wrote:

Slim wrote:

Have u seen Balanc play before? U do realize most the A10 offered him?

Are you guys determine on kids ability or rankings /offers ?

Not saying Balanc cant play in the A10. I am really impressed by his highlights and athleticism.

More pointing out that being A10 level and what I perceive as URI level are different levels. I am also not saying he isn't URI level. I have no clue. Just that the class of the A10 has always been a Sweet Sixteen team. So the standard to be excited about is not A10 level but the top of the A10.

Got it. Let"s say Georgetown, Georgia, UCONN all offered him would that make you see him differently? All schools that reached out and we're trying come up with plan for him due to him being late bloomer.

I can tell you the staff followed him all month and he played very well. Hurley and staff watched Balanc score 25pts(4 3s n 4 loud dunks, add FT and mid range shots)against top 50 recruit 2018 Kahvon Moore from ATL who's big time prospect.

Balanc is young and developing rapidly if he was interested in doing prep year he be High Major and possible top 100 player. IMO Balanc were ever he goes will do well. Strength will come as his body continues to mature.

Good debate. I respect you guys hunger as fans. Passionate fan base is great.

Totally get it. I am honestly not talking about him at all. Just talking about the distinction between A10 level in general, which is good basketball. Then what I think URI is, which is the top of the A10.

Just so nobody gets mad when it happens, this recent discussion about the state of our recruiting is going to be moved to the general recruiting discussion thread in the morning. This thread is for Matt Balanc. I understand how we got down this road as it relates to Matt, but at this point we are way off topic.

UPDATE: If you're looking for the discussion that was happening here regarding the level of recruits we are after, that discussion has been moved to the General Recruiting Discussion thread:

http://keaneyblue.com/viewtopic.php?f=8 ... start=2700

Interesting. Another reason that Brendan Adams might have to decide soon.

Yea could force Adams into a decision sooner along with the other kid making his decisions on sat and might pick Gtech. Also struck me that Umass wasn't in his final three but two mid-majors were, wonder if they backed off.

Good stuff

Definitely second or third choice, want to secure Adams.

I wonder if URI is slow playing him. To have your list down to Quinnipiac and URI is strange. It's like what gives. Not peers in the basketball game.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:I wonder if URI is slow playing him. To have your list down to Quinnipiac and URI is strange. It's like what gives. Not peers in the basketball game.

No need to wonder.

Seawrightspostgame wrote:I wonder if URI is slow playing him. To have your list down to Quinnipiac and URI is strange. It's like what gives. Not peers in the basketball game.

It sounds like Adams is the number one target for that last guard spot. However on Balanc, he seems to be more highly recruited than Harris was on average. I could be wrong but that what it feels like to me so I would be excited to land him if Adams doesn't commit.

DC_Rams wrote:

Seawrightspostgame wrote:I wonder if URI is slow playing him. To have your list down to Quinnipiac and URI is strange. It's like what gives. Not peers in the basketball game.

No need to wonder.

Well Quinnipiac, although Tom Moore is now an assistant with us, isn’t what it was. Baker Dunleavey is a national championship assistant coach who has recently been elevated to head coach at Quinnipiac. I can only assume that kids are now excited about that at Quinnipiac and that is one of the main reasons why this kid has Quinnipiac in his final Grouping