"Underrecruited"

[Da Coach]

I thought he lived just outside Canton. Did he move?

He no longer owns the Canton property and he lives full-time in Chicago.

[SFP]

He isn't on staff at the University and shouldn't be working with the players.

He can help evaluate players and their shortcomings for the next level as well as anyone out there. He does have ties to BU and because he has a broadcasting contract he probably cannot work with the players out of season, but why should he not though? Kevin Love use to talk to John Wooden all the time! DV is an asset for the program and I bet JL taps into that brain and connections every chance he has. Again, why would we not?

[leebiddlecome]

He can help evaluate players and their shortcomings for the next level as well as anyone out there. He does have ties to BU and because he has a broadcasting contract he probably cannot work with the players out of season, but why should he not though? Kevin Love use to talk to John Wooden all the time! DV is an asset for the program and I bet JL taps into that brain and connections every chance he has. Again, why would we not?

He cant work directly with the players. There are rules on how many assistant coaches a team can have, who can work with players individually, etc.

Im not saying Coach Les shouldn't/can't talk to Versace, but he can't be around the program every day working with players. That is a pretty fine line you don't want to cross. Besides, BU already has a media member working with them all the time

[SFP]

Lee all I was saying is that JL can always tell players that DV can help him evaluate them and let them know where they need to improve to get to the next level and when they think they are ready JL can tap into a huge NBA network and find out where they really stand. JL and DV's NBA network has to be one of the best in college b-ball I would think. There are not to many ex-NBA players coaching at this level as well as ex-Executives/coaches involved at this level. I'm sure JL is using these resources as much as possible on the recruiting trail.

[leebiddlecome]

Lee all I was saying is that JL can always tell players that DV can help him evaluate them and let them know where they need to improve to get to the next level and when they think they are ready JL can tap into a huge NBA network and find out where they really stand. JL and DV's NBA network has to be one of the best in college b-ball I would think. There are not to many ex-NBA players coaching at this level as well as ex-Executives/coaches involved at this level. I'm sure JL is using these resources as much as possible on the recruiting trail.

I hear ya. I thought you meant DV could work with the players. My bad.

I don't think DV and JL's NBA network is one of the best. You look all around and there are NBA connections on coaching staffs. Im not downplaying it at all.

I think you use everything you can. But I can't imagine a 17-18 year old kid has any idea who Dick Versace is/was. Sadly, thats the way the world works.

[SFP]

Maybe you are right about DV but I would suspect their dad/handler does and he can always talk up the Detroit bad boys.

[wily coyote]

One reason, as I posted somewhere else, was that he was injured last summer, and played very litle AAU ball. He played on the Boo Williams AAU program, which is one of the best in the country and is loaded with D1 talent. So even when he played, he likely didn't get much exposure.

Then, a couple other reasons might have been--
Because of his injury, he got off to a slow start during his HS season. He had another, higher-rated player on his team that got most of the attention, and he played in Richmond, which is a hotbed for high-quality basketball talent, so I think it's a little easier to get lost among the other great players in that area.

He was a late bloomer, who bulked up and grew a lot between his junior and senior seasons. I found one site that listed him at 6'2", 170 just a little over a year ago. And he lead his team in rebounding as a junior, so I wonder if he didn't play more of a forward position, and had less chance to handle the ball and shoot.
Here is a preview article from Dec., 2008, that lists Jake as a 6'3" forward--
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:...&ct=clnk&gl=us

We all know it happens, and recruiting is a crapshoot. Josh Young of Drake got very little D1 recruiting interest, as did some other great shooters we have seen in recent years in the MVC like Blake Ahearn, Kyle Korver, Kent Williams, Ben Jacobsen, Marico Stinson, and Jeremy Crouch

DC,recruiting is a crapshoot. Thats a very good list of people who got very little attention. I'd like to add one more and it hurts me to do it but the Moran kid at UNI was not highly recruited and we have to see him 3 more years.

[romar]

Kinda with gtd on this one. I know what you're saying, and initially I thought that might be a nice recruiting tool. However, there is little evidence to suggest that has made any difference in the caliber of player we've landed at BU.

Maybe his NBA experience hasn't landed that huge recruit (yet), but I think it has resulted in finding some recruits - I believe WE was the result of his NBA connections & I'd bet it helped in landing both TB & JE. I don't know for sure it was a factor, but bet it did lend some credibility with Ricky & Kevin when he spoke with them.

Having said that I honestly cannot think of many top college talents who are the kids of former NBA'ers (other than Stephon Curry).