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Post by rbj on Nov 22, 2016 0:59:49 GMT -5
In one respect, yes, if you can get it done at Kentucky, it's your best chance to continue on, maybe even NBA. But sitting on the bench doesn't do it for you. He goes to Mississippi State or something, maybe he's a starter averagine 12 points a game. Lot better odds of moving on. These are tough calls for young men to make. But I suspect good advice is always that if someone higher in the pecking order comes in at the last minute, you can figure you're not their first choice, and you should be wary. I've always felt for Mychal Mulder, mostly because I watched his recruitment closely and I knew he was just going to be used as practice fodder when he signed with Kentucky. He finally got some playing time last night, thanks for the Wildcat 33 point win over Duquesne. He scored 13 points in twenty minutes, leading to this inaccurate (Mulder was 3-8 from three, not 5-8) and overly optimistic tweet from Jon Rothstein. Jon Rothstein @jonrothstein 4h4 hours ago Mychal Mulder scored 13 points in 20 mins Sunday against Duquesne. Went 5-8 from 3-pt range. Could be key piece down road for Kentucky. #BBN Sam, I agree with a lot of what you're saying, one of the advantages of playing for Kentucky is that those guys get treated like superstar celebrities in Lexington, during and many years after their eligibility has expired. I am sure it is going to be very easy for Mulder to find employment in the state of Kentucky and particularly in Lexington after he's done playing ball. Not too shabby of a deal.
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Post by Commissioner on May 2, 2017 22:41:54 GMT -5
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Post by Commissioner on Aug 22, 2017 7:17:34 GMT -5
The Wall Street Journal reports on the type of amenities big time schools are providing athletes. Pretty amazing. www.wsj.com/articles/stop-giving-college-athletes-million-dollar-locker-rooms-start-paying-them-1503075169. It notes that in addition to the luxurious atmosphere (Brazilian wood floors, farm-to-table dining, etc.), and practical aids (barber shops) they are now including things in the athletic complex--just for the athletes, of course--such as laser tag centers, beach volleyball courts, a "Lazy River" (at Central Florida, of all places). The perks for top college teams now exceed those for the best pro teams (not surprising to economists--since the college athletes can't be paid directly, they are paid indirectly.) So, you're Bacari Alexander (or any other mid-major coach): how do you compete with that? And how do you keep your stars from transferring up?
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Post by Commissioner on Oct 23, 2017 9:24:12 GMT -5
Lavone Holland gave this interview to Hi Def Hoops: hoopshd.com/2017/10/22/season-preview-hoopshd-interviews-northern-kentucky-g-lavone-holland-ii/Here's the line that caught my eye: Q. You grew up in Louisville: what made you choose Northern Kentucky? A. When I came out of junior college NKU was my only offer I like the honesty. But also, and sadly, that's largely where we are. Holland has become one of the best players in the conference, a consensus All-Conference Second Team player here in the preseason. Why did he choose NKU? It was his only offer. Sadly, that's how divided college hoops has become. Mid-majors have to spot talent no one else sees, which is getting harder and harder to do with national recruiting, or they just have to get lucky. It used to be sometimes what we now call a "mid-major" could win battles for local kids, but as the differences mount, that becomes virtually impossible. The national recruiting makes it almost impossible to find hidden gems in the back yard. The lavish locker rooms, plush dorm lounges, over-the-top study aids and assistance that the P6 shower on their players just can't be matched by mid-majors. They can't even come close. In 1974, there wasn't much difference between, say, Jenison Field House at MSU at Calihan Hall at UD. In fact, the latter was probably nicer. In 1974, a locker room was still pretty much a locker room. Seen one, you'd seen 'em all. Not any more. College basketball attendance is down, but that's almost entirely due to a decline in mid-major attendance. In the 1980s and early 1990s schools such as Bradley and Evansville still averaged 10,000 a game. Today they're struggling to stay above 4000, while a kid can still be assured of crowds of 10,000 or more if he attends Illinois or Indiana. I believe that soon college hoops will be split into the equivalent of the FBS (I-A) and the FCS (I-AA) that exist in football. And I suspect and fear that we've missed our opportunity to be "BBS."
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Post by motorcitysam on Oct 27, 2017 2:31:26 GMT -5
Interesting look at the recruitment of the two top players in the Illinois class of 2018 and how they ended up where they did. It's amazing to me to see how recruiting has changed in the 30 years since I had teammates and friends being recruited by high major programs in high school. The AAU influence is immense, and not in a good way, I'm afraid. This also gives some insight into why Coaches like Tom Izzo don't really recruit Chicago the way they used to. www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2017/10/26/why-illinois-passed-on-simeons-talen-horton-tucker/
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Post by motorcitysam on Aug 17, 2018 18:18:47 GMT -5
I'm used to players making announcements on social media about where they will be going to college. I'm used to players announcing on social media the date they will publicly make their decisions. I'm used to players announcing via social media that they will be cutting their list down at a future date.
But this week was a new one. I saw a high school freshman to be announce on social media the day he would be announcing his high school choice. I guess maybe that is something new I have to get used to.
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Post by motorcitysam on Aug 24, 2018 9:25:52 GMT -5
Virginia Tech got three verbal commits in one day. Just getting three commits in one day is rare, but what makes this even more unusual is that all three players are from the class of...2019. Got the feeling that not all of those commitments are going to stick. All three kids are sophomores. Who's to say they will all three be ACC good by the time 2019 rolls around? And do we think that 15 year old kids won't change their minds in the next two years? www.scout.com/college/virginia-tech/story/1709803-2019-trio-commits-vtRevisiting a post I made a couple of years ago when three rising sophomores, BJ Mack, Kobe Langley and Keyshaun Langley, all committed to Virginia Tech during an unofficial visit. Some questions were raised at the time, wondering if the commitments would stick. Well, they didn't. BJ Mack is taking official visits to App State, Arkansas, East Carolina, South Florida, and DePaul. (Go Blue Demons!) The Langley twins are taking official visits together, visiting UNC-Greensboro last week and High Point (Go Panthers!) this week. Nothing wrong with getting an early verbal commitment, but when it comes two years from signing day, don't put it down in ink. And players should remember that a verbal commitment isn't binding on the part of the school, either.
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Post by motorcitysam on Jul 16, 2019 14:31:23 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Aug 4, 2019 17:54:47 GMT -5
Recruiting 2019: Last week, a high school player announced that he would be making another announcement in five days. He wasn't going to be announcing his college choice, mind you; he was going to announce his Top Ten schools. When the day of his announcement came, he announced his Top Ten schools, but also implied that his recruitment was still open. So, put that "top ten" list down in pencil.
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Post by motorcitysam on Aug 14, 2019 15:02:36 GMT -5
High school players today are making a production (including social media graphics) of announcing that they are transferring from one high school to another. And we wonder why some kids' egos are out of control by the time they get to college, and why some of them are shocked when a coach stops treating them like they are the Second Coming.
(Note: I am guessing that English isn't this youngster's first language, so I will chalk up the grammatical errors in the post to that. I'm not trying to shame the kid.
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Post by motorcitysam on Aug 29, 2019 13:20:36 GMT -5
Interesting read from Rivals about the "empowerment" of high school basketball players. I think opinions are mixed on whether this is an overall good thing. I think players who don't want to go to college shouldn't have to, but it's not up to the NBA to make spots available to them or change their rules to accommodate them. There are foreign leagues, the G League, and the relatively new option of sitting out the year after high school and just "training" to get ready for the NBA draft. basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/three-point-play-prospect-empowerment-early-commits-micah-peavy
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Post by Commissioner on Apr 11, 2020 18:06:35 GMT -5
We sometimes talk about the elaborate signing ceremonies today, and the way 17 year old kids do these big social media build ups and hold press conferences to announce their final 5 and such. Well, here's one--it's football, not basketball--I'd missed until today. A kid faked his signing ceremony: dailycaller.com/2020/02/06/detraveon-brown-ole-miss-fake-letter-of-intent/
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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 16, 2020 12:11:21 GMT -5
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Post by rbj on Jun 16, 2020 12:18:55 GMT -5
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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 16, 2020 12:29:35 GMT -5
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