(Courtesy: Philip Flory via Facebook)
Late Friday night word started filtering that Buzz Williams and Marquette had extended an offer to Philip Flory, a 2017 PG from Wisconsin. It’s common knowledge that players often boast of scholarship offers that aren’t fully there so I didn’t think twice about it.
Then this tweet from the most knowledgeable prep basketball guru in the state took things from mere conjecture to certifiable fact:
Wisconsin Rapids freshman Phillip Florey, 6’3″ WG 2017 and son of former Marquette star Mike Florey, received an offer from MU today.
— Mark Miller (@WisBBYearbook) August 31, 2013
I laughed a bit at the thought of Buzz talking to a kid who hadn’t even started high school yet, but figured we wouldn’t have to worry about it for two or three years, when most recruits begin to really look at schools.
20 hours later, this happened:
Wisconsin Rapids freshman Philip Flory, 6’3″ WG, has committed to Marquette. Top 2017 kid in WI.
— Mark Miller (@WisBBYearbook) August 31, 2013
Color me shocked. It’s rare enough for coaches to offer kids that young without it being a publicity ploy, but to have that same kid commit less than 20 hours after? That’s unheard of.
(Courtesy: NY2LA Sports)
Flory isn’t your average recruit in that his father Mike played at Marquette for two seasons in the 80’s. That means he is well aware of Marquette and its historic basketball tradition, meaning he didn’t need to be sold on the school. Indeed, he told Mike Miller that Marquette was his “dream school.” We’ll get back to this in a moment.
As for what he brings to the tab
le, I don’t know and frankly I wouldn’t trust anyone that told you they did. He obviously impressed the staff enough for them to extend an offer but it will be quite a while before he ever sets foot on campus. As Mark Strotman Tweeted today, barring any unforseen redshirts, none of the current freshman will even be on the roster when he starts school.
In fact, chances are that he may never make it on campus himself. Here is what Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn has found in his research:
“The track record of players who commit to a school three or more years in advance is not pretty. There were 29 such players in the study, and 15 of them went on to de-commit. Of the 19 who went on to play at least two seasons of college, nine transferred.”
If Winn’s research holds true, there’s a 49 percent chance Flory never puts on the blue and gold and if he does, a 47 percent chance he doesn’t finish his career at MU. Combining this with the fact that I have never seen him play, there isn’t much to analyze at this point.
Except one thing.
When we talked to 2014 commit Sandy Cohen earlier this summer he reiterated over and over that Marquette was his dream school and he didn’t care that Michigan State and other top school were starting to take notice of him.
When we talked to 2015 commit Nick Noskowiak earlier this year he noted that it was a huge dream of his since he was young to play at Marquette and he didn’t care how many ties his family had to Wisconsin.
Now Flory comes in and tells Miller that Marquette was his dream school. Makes you go hmmm.
Theses aren’t three inner city Milwaukee kids we are talking about. Cohen is from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Noskowiak is from Sun Prarie, Wisconsin. Flory is from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This used to be prime Badger country where coach Bo Ryan had his pick of the litter for the majority of the last decade.
Sure, Wisconsin wasn’t interested in Cohen, got in “late” on Noskowiak and didn’t even get a chance to meet with Flory, but hearing three separate recruits identify MU as their dream school is more than mere coincidence.
Eight straight Tournament appearances, three straight Sweet 16s and eight NBA contracts in five years has changed the way in-state players look at Marquette. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean every single Wisconsin baller ever will want to call MU home. You will always have the Sam Dekkers of the world who are Badgers or busts, not to mention the Stones and Looneys to come who will have every coach in the country at their doorstep. But no longer will it take a massive recruiting pitch to get most players to stay.
Should all three of Cohen, Noskowiak and Flory make it to Marquette, that will have been 11 in-state recruits for Buzz, five more than any other state. Of those 11, six have come from the class of 2013 on.
The tide is changing. Marquette’s in-state reputation hasn’t been this high in a while. You can bet Buzz Williams is milking all the benefits from his continued success in the Dairy State. Flory is but the latest example.
Paint Touches 
Long way off, but this kid has a chance to be really, really good. Tremendous work ethic for such a young age. Great legacy with his father playing at Marquette. Thanks for props in article. Good stuff!!
Having been a student at MU during his dad’s era I’m hoping he’s a lot better than his dad. Those were some dark days.
As cool as his dad was — porn ‘stache, walkman, hood, aviators while walking to class — calling Mike Florey a ‘star’ is like to calling Roman Mueller a ‘basketball player.’