ESPN Rankings

[Goose]

I've been noticing this for a week or so now, but 'Nik posted this yesterdy in Marcus Allen's thread and I thought it deserved a bit more of a look:

Allen's 2* rating does not match up with the reviews on him. ESPN seems especially schizophrenic.

Does this read like a "63 Grade" scouting report from the boys in Bristol?

ESPN Analyst
Updated 04/27/2012

Strengths:
Allen is not as quite the physical specimen as his brother (Malcolm), but he is much more polished jump shooter. He gets good lift on his shot and his release is fairly smooth. He excels in the open court where he can slash to the rim or knock down the mid-range jump shot. He is productive at both ends and he has excellent lateral quickness and quick hands to be a lock-down defender.
Weaknesses:
Allen is solid in many areas, but he needs to improve all aspects of his game to elevate his prospect status. He needs to continue to smoothen out his jump shot and play more on balance. He has a tendency to play too fast and needs to implement a jump stop to his game to become more efficient.
Bottom Line:
Like his brother (Malcolm), he is a terrific athlete who plays with maximum effort. Due to his impressive academics and electrifying athleticism, he will be heavily monitored by Division I coaches this spring and summer.

It seems like up until a few weeks ago, every 3-4* recruit on ESPN had a grade in the mid-80s to low-90s. Now you're seeing guys like Jalen James with a grade of 76. So something changed. I pulled up Stoudt's Recruitipedia, and this is what we had for ESPN grades recently:

ESPN (Scouts Inc.) Grade: The following is the basketball grading scale.

97-100: High-major plus prospect

Player demonstrates rare abilities. He should have an immediate impact at a national program with the potential for early entry into the NBA.

94-96: High-major prospect
Player is the centerpiece to a high-major program who starts three to four years.

92-93: High-major minus prospect
Player has the potential to significantly contribute to a high-major program over four years.

89-91: Mid-major plus prospect
Player is a fringe high-major recruit who contributes or a standout mid-level recruit.

83-88: Mid-major prospect
Player is a multi-year starter at the mid-major level.

80-82: Mid-major minus prospect
Player is a role player at the mid-major level.

70-79: Low-major prospect
Player is a low-major Division I prospect.

40: Pending Prospect
Player evaluation is pending film.​

That's changed, the new system is now as follows:

ESPN (Scouts Inc.) Grade: The following is the basketball grading scale.

90-100: High-major plus prospect (5 stars)

Player demonstrates rare abilities. He should have an immediate impact at a national program with the potential for early entry into the NBA.

85-89: High-major prospect (4 stars)
Player is the centerpiece to a high-major program who starts three to four years.

80-84: High-major minus prospect (4 stars)
Player has the potential to significantly contribute to a high-major program over four years.

70-79: Mid-major plus prospect (3 stars)
Player is a fringe high-major recruit who contributes or a standout mid-level recruit.

65-69: Mid-major prospect (2 stars)
Player is a multi-year starter at the mid-major level.

60-64: Mid-major minus prospect (2 stars)
Player is a role player at the mid-major level.

50-59: Low-major prospect (1 star)
Player is a low-major Division I prospect.

NR: Pending Prospect
Player evaluation is pending film.​

So don't be freaked that the numbers are a lot lower now.

But there's no way in hell Allen's a 2*. They got that part wrong.

 

[Buffnik]

Link to the Recruitipedia (thanks for updating, Goose).

http://www.allbuffs.com/showthread.php/37801-Stoudt-s-Recruitipedia-amp-Forum-Guidelines