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Post by motorcitysam on Sept 3, 2014 13:45:42 GMT -5
So Ray hired Z a couple seasons too late? Not quite. Trey Ziegler spent his first two years at Central Michigan while Ernie Z was the head coach there so we weren't in the running for him then. There may have been a chance to get Trey after he left CMU when Coach Z was fired, but he was determined to play in a high major conference and went to Pittsburgh. That didn't work out. When Coach Ray brought Coach Z on board, and I thought we had a good chance of landing Trey for his last year of D1 ball. Apparently, however, he still sees himself as a high major player, and decided on TCU of the Big 12. He'll play his only year there this coming season. One assistant coach/player combination I was interested in last year was former assistant coach Michael Young and his son Joseph Young. Both were at Houston and when assistant coach Young was re-assigned he and Joseph left. Michael has connections to Coach Ray from being on staff when Ray was head coach at Houston, and Michael has Detroit connections from his time with the Detroit Spirits of the CBA back in the 80s. Unfortunately for us, Joseph chose Oregon where he had a fantastic year.
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Post by motorcitysam on Sept 11, 2014 15:20:39 GMT -5
Again, I don't understand modern day recruiting. Dedric Lawson is a top twenty player in the class of 2016. He's verbally committed to Memphis, where his Dad was hired as an assistant coach this summer, and where his brother, a top player in the class of 2015, committed earlier this year. Today, at the start of his junior year in high school, Dedric announces that he is "re-classifying" to the class of 2015 and this will be his senior year in high school. He will join Memphis in 2015-16. How can you do that? I have heard of guys re-classifying to a year later to go to prep school, but I was unaware that a player could move "up" a year like that. scouthoops.scout.com/2/1450033.html?utm_content=bufferce1f6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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Post by motorcitysam on Sept 30, 2014 11:51:17 GMT -5
Missouri is hosting several top recruits on October 10, in what is one of the biggest recruiting days I can remember a team having. They will have three top 50 recruits from the class of 2015 on official visits and several other recruits on unofficial visits. Nice to be able to pull that kind of crowd. The Mizzou assistants are well connected with the AAU and prep school scene. From the article: "Missouri bringing in heavy hitters next month" There were some questions regarding whether new Mizzou coach Kim Anderson would be able to recruit at a high level. By keeping ace recruiter Tim Fuller and hiring former Huntington Prep (W.Va.) coach Rob Fulford, Anderson made key moves in attempting to alleviate some concerns. And if the weekend of Oct. 10 is any indication, the new staff at Missouri is already making waves in the grassroots and high school circuit. Sources have informed CBSSports.com that the Tigers have a monster weekend planned, bringing in 10 visitors. Here's the rundown: • Official visits: Isaiah Briscoe (No. 9 in 2015), Antonio Blakeney (No. 17 in 2015), Thomas Bryant (No. 25 in 2015) • Unofficial visits: Jayson Tatum (No. 1 in 2016), Miles Bridges (No. 23 in 2016), Michael Porter (No. 4 in 2017), Ted Kapita (No. 37 in 2015), Kobi Simmons (No. 15 in 2016), Curtis Jones (No. 56 in 2016), Tyler Cook (No. 57 in 2016) www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24730892/notebook-pgs-set-decision-dates-mizzou-plots-monster-weekend
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Post by motorcitysam on Oct 10, 2014 9:33:28 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Oct 27, 2014 23:01:45 GMT -5
Here's a crazy story. A top five prospect in the class of 2015 is ruled ineligible after he transfers high schools. Doesn't look like he'll be able to play this year, then he announces today that he'll be playing for "Reach Your Dream Prep", which as far as anyone can tell, is a prep school his guardian just started. It's October 27. www.espn929.com/johnmartin/Labissiere-will-play-apparently/20196864
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 5, 2014 16:15:57 GMT -5
Here's a crazy story. A top five prospect in the class of 2015 is ruled ineligible after he transfers high schools. Doesn't look like he'll be able to play this year, then he announces today that he'll be playing for "Reach Your Dream Prep", which as far as anyone can tell, is a prep school his guardian just started. It's October 27. www.espn929.com/johnmartin/Labissiere-will-play-apparently/20196864Update on Skal Labissiere's situation. His "prep school team", Reach Your Dream Prep, had a game scheduled for Thursday against what appears to be another prep school, but the game got postponed because Skal got sick. Unbelievable. Never heard of a game being postponed because one player was sick. www.espn929.com/johnmartin/Labissiere-won-t-play-Thursday/20262928
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Post by motorcitysam on Nov 5, 2014 19:30:02 GMT -5
There is no connection to the Titans here, but it is an example of what we fear, the late call from the high major.
Josh Gershon @joshgershon 14m14 minutes ago 2015 Poway (Calif.) SG and Loyola (Md.) commit Dalton Soffer has reopened his recruitment and will be visiting #SetonHall this weekend.
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Post by Commissioner on Nov 15, 2014 22:19:32 GMT -5
This is a pretty good article. Nothing too stunning, but a bit more meat than usual: athlonsports.com/college-basketball/10-things-you-need-know-about-college-basketball-recruitingExcerpt: "Unlike in football, high school coaches — other than in specific cases — have little or no say in the recruitment of basketball players. AAU coaches reign. The reasoning is simple: AAU coaches are with the players in the formative stages of their recruitment. College coaches rarely evaluate prospects during the high school season, simply because they have their current teams to worry about. The evaluation gets done in the summer on the AAU circuit, which gives AAU coaches a certain level of authority on the kids who play for them. "'A high school coach is going to have relationships with one player,' Missouri associate head coach Tim Fuller says. 'An AAU coach is gonna have relationships with 10 or 15 in the course of that year.' "But Fuller said his approach to recruiting, even with the heavy involvement of AAU coaches in recruiting, is slightly different than others’. He said if he were to chart his time spent with the adults around a prospect, 50 percent of his time would be devoted to the player’s family. Thirty percent would go to the AAU coach. The remaining 20 percent of the time goes to the high school coach.
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Post by motorcitysam on Feb 4, 2015 11:55:58 GMT -5
Sign of the times: Thon Maker is reportedly planning to announce his decision in January. Not the decision on where he will attend college, however. He will be announcing whether or not he will reclassify to the class of 2015. He is currently 2016. The twitterverse is abuzz in anticipation. And people wonder why these kids have such a high opinion of themselves. zagsblog.com/articles/thon-maker-targeting-january-for-reclass-decision/An update on this situation, which symbolizes the insanity of college basketball recruiting. It's February, and this kid is still deciding whether to be in the class of 2015 or the class of 2016. The big push for him to reclassify to 2015 is the urging of handlers who say he can be in the NBA one year sooner. Crazy. zagsblog.com/articles/thon-maker-expected-to-make-reclassification-decision-next-week/
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Post by motorcitysam on Apr 17, 2015 9:48:46 GMT -5
This comment from respected former coach and player John Lucas sums up why I don't like AAU basketball and why I think it does more harm to the overall game than good.
PoP retweeted Coach John Lucas @coachjohnlucas1 Apr 11 I wish parents would understand that AAU is about getting to play in front of as many coaches as you can. Not winning/ playing on best team
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Post by motorcitysam on Apr 28, 2015 12:53:06 GMT -5
Even the high majors can get have a recruit "stolen". NC State got a verbal commitment Monday afternoon from four star shooting guard/small forward Shaun Kirk, a North Carolina native. His uncle said in an interview that NC State had recruited Kirk for years and he had a good relationship with the entire staff. He also said Kirk was excited to play in the ACC. He was to sign his NLI this week.
Monday evening, Kentucky made an offer to Kirk. By Monday night, he said he was considering Kentucky, so he could be gone. You gotta feel for the NC State staff.
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Post by motorcitysam on Apr 30, 2015 8:18:52 GMT -5
Even the high majors can get have a recruit "stolen". NC State got a verbal commitment Monday afternoon from four star shooting guard/small forward Shaun Kirk, a North Carolina native. His uncle said in an interview that NC State had recruited Kirk for years and he had a good relationship with the entire staff. He also said Kirk was excited to play in the ACC. He was to sign his NLI this week. Monday evening, Kentucky made an offer to Kirk. By Monday night, he said he was considering Kentucky, so he could be gone. You gotta feel for the NC State staff. Kirk decides to stay with NC State and signs his NLI with the Wolf Pack.
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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 18, 2015 23:25:54 GMT -5
Sign of the times: Thon Maker is reportedly planning to announce his decision in January. Not the decision on where he will attend college, however. He will be announcing whether or not he will reclassify to the class of 2015. He is currently 2016. The twitterverse is abuzz in anticipation. And people wonder why these kids have such a high opinion of themselves. zagsblog.com/articles/thon-maker-targeting-january-for-reclass-decision/An update on this situation, which symbolizes the insanity of college basketball recruiting. It's February, and this kid is still deciding whether to be in the class of 2015 or the class of 2016. The big push for him to reclassify to 2015 is the urging of handlers who say he can be in the NBA one year sooner. Crazy. zagsblog.com/articles/thon-maker-expected-to-make-reclassification-decision-next-week/Update on young Mr. Maker: He has finally decided that he will be in the class of 2016. A prep school teammate of his is still making up his mind whether he's in the class of 2015 or 2016. I still can't get used to the idea of players deciding in late June 2015 whether they just completed their junior year or senior year of high school. I'm not even sure how that works. zagsblog.com/articles/thon-maker-will-play-one-of-year-of-high-school-basketball/
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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 18, 2015 23:32:27 GMT -5
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 19, 2015 11:26:45 GMT -5
I think the Ivies could soon be major players in college athletics again, including basketball and even football. For years their problems were that they did not award athletic scholarships, and had extremely rigorous admissions standards. And as their athletic prominence dropped, top athletes hoping to play in the pros or contend for national recognition stayed away. In the old days (like until about a decade ago) an athlete had to get into Harvard, and then figure out how to pay its expensive price tag. Now, however, their endowments have grown extremely large, and the Ivy schools are starting to use them to provide tuition relief across the board. I don't know the current numbers, but basically Harvard is free for anyone whose family makes something like $85,000 or less a year. And above that level there may still be aid. So Harvard is going from no athletic scholarships to what we might deem unlimited athletic scholarships. I believe the other top endowed Ivies, Yale and Columbia, are more or less following suit. Second, most schools now rely less on pure GPA and test scores in admissions. It is not only race-based affirmative action, but increased emphasis on economic disadvantages and obtaining a diverse and interesting student body generally. This means more flexible admissions standards that can accommodate people who at one time might have had no chance. Even 25 years ago, I knew many people at Harvard who had been admitted while being denied by less prestigious, less selective schools. I'm sure that is more true now. Meanwhile, Ivy degrees continue to increase in relative value for any player who doesn't end up in the pros, and smart kids know that. If you're Seth Townes and have a solid 4 years at Ohio State, the last two as a starter, senior year 2nd team All Big 10, it's still likely there is no pro career waiting. So that Harvard degree looks like an awfully smart risk-minimizing move for even the best athletes. Furthermore, Harvard, at least, has committed itself to renewed excellence in athletics. It has the endowment and capital to back that up with top facilities. Finally, as athletes like Townes go Ivy, more good athletes will likely follow. So the Ivies have a great many advantages at this point, and a prime disadvantage (admissions standards) is less an issue than it once was. I see the Ivies continuing to rise.
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