Recruiting- the next scholarship

[Chico]

It would be nice to beat someone else out for a recruit, rather than just go after players other schools don't want.

DV took a lot of players others didn't want and was pretty successful.

[tornado]

not that it can't happen now and then but again - if you're comparing to the 1970's it apples & oranges....
that was the dark ages in regards to recruiting - no AAU ball, no national recruiting services, no way to get around and see who had talent, good kids coul dbe sitting in your back yard and you might not know...
Kids with Roger Phegley, Larry Bird, Hersey Hawkins, Robert Parish, Lewis Lloyd, and Dan Majerle talent were overlooked by the big programs...
and some schools still going mostly for local or racially biased talent -- thus lots of coaches that far back landed good players at small schools......it simply doesn't happen as much now..

[Samd2]

very well stated tornado...not many secrets these days

[BeBrave]

It would be nice to beat someone else out for a recruit, rather than just go after players other schools don't want.

Didn't Stanford offer Fields?
Or did they just show interest?

[tornado]

I do not believe he visited - and chose to accept BU offer instead

[Da Coach]

Correct. He cancelled his visit to Stanford and committed to BU.

[Da Coach]

Kentucky basketball interested in recruiting Croatian guard

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120424/SPORTS03/304240094/Kentucky-basketball-interested-recruiting-Croatian-guard?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Now, UK appears to be getting involved with a Croatian guard who played his senior season of high school in Indiana. Zionsville, Ind., Trader's Point guard Mislav Brzoja will make an unofficial visit to the UK campus on Wednesday.

Unsigned seniors can still play on the AAU scene and Calipari saw the 6-foot-6 Brzoja last Friday night at the Nike Spring Showdown in Merrillville, Ind.

Brzoja will also visit Marquette and Dayton. He had also been hearing fro Ohio U., Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Rhode Island, Utah and Bradley.

[tornado]

one must note that Mislav Brzoja is already >18 y/o and playing in AAU tournaments against current high school freshmen, sophs, and juniors....but extremely few players of his own age,
...he is between 1 and 3 years older than almost every opponent -
He may be very talented, but note that other top performers at that Merrillville AAU tourney like Bates-Diop are a full 2-3 years younger...

This makes me recall names like Beas Hamga, Mario Stula, Thijin Moses, etc..
who were similarly much older than the AAU competition they were facing and, as such, looked very good and got TOP-major offers - but when they got to college, they suddenly did not look so dominant..

BTW - didn't Dave Reynolds say exactly that - he witnessed Brzoja playing against the other members of BU's team and he was NOT impressive - even tentative?
"didn't particularly distinguish himself"

[tornado]

Now that we've landed Fields & Grier - I think we actually got two of the better players we were pursuing....but I have a few questions about the sentiments I have read in the past and why those same sentiments seem oddly not applied to current happenings....

considering who the others were that we were after - it's conceivable we might have landed, say, Tymell Murphy and, say Derrick Barden or Derek Cooke -- and thus we'd have had THREE juco kids coming in at once next fall.....and I even saw some posters who favored that idea because those would be players we could utilize right away!

Does anyone recall when the PJS ripped Jim Les for going after "too many jucos" when he landed three junior college kids at the same time?

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=138192&postcount=1

Another PJ Star writer also criticized the influx of juco players saying that they almost never give you any production right away...
"I am forever amused by people who are shocked at how fundamentally
wretched players are when they come to college.
And then it’s some kind of surprise when they struggle against Division I players
It takes time for players to adjust, and the only two junior college transfers
to hit the ground running, make more or less a seamless transition into being
consistent contributors their first year, have been Tony Bennett in 2004-05,
and Theron Wilson this year.
..too much was expected of them right away, when history clearly shows that’s foolish."


Then back in 2007 & 2008 when JL had only 11 (and at time fewer) scholarship players available (transfers, injuries, and redshirts of Jassey, Fears, AT, Brown, Egolf, Singh, etc..and a couple unexpected departures), and a few of the eligible ones even had injuries -
the press again criticized for lack of preparedness and lack of depth..
but isn't that we have again right now - plenty of newbies and a short roster? If a couple kids are injured, we could be down to 8-9 available....


Lastly - just a few weeks ago we were told by several that we needed to "jettison" some of the dead weight
and get some players "who can contribute right away" - then people cheered when we ushered two rostered players outta here -
but we replaced them with players "who cannot contribute right away"... ?

[wily coyote]

Now that we've landed Fields & Grier - I think we actually got two of the better players we were pursuing....but I have a few questions about the sentiments I have read in the past and why those same sentiments seem oddly not applied to current happenings....

considering who the others were that we were after - it's conceivable we might have landed, say, Tymell Murphy and, say Derrick Barden or Derek Cooke -- and thus we'd have had THREE juco kids coming in at once next fall.....and I even saw some posters who favored that idea because those would be players we could utilize right away!

Does anyone recall that Dave Reynolds ripped Jim Les for going after "too many jucos" when he landed THREE junior college kids at the same time - the exact same thing Geno just nearly did?

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=138192&postcount=1

Another PJ Star writer, Kirk Wessler, also criticized the influx of juco players saying that they almost NEVER give you any production right away...
"I am forever amused by people who are shocked at how fundamentally
wretched players are when they come to college.
And then it??™s some kind of surprise when they struggle against Division I players
It takes time for players to adjust, and the only two junior college transfers
to hit the ground running, make more or less a seamless transition into being
consistent contributors their first year, have been Tony Bennett in 2004-05,
and Theron Wilson this year.
..too much was expected of them right away, when history clearly shows that??™s foolish."


Then back in 2007 & 2008 when JL had only 11 (and at time fewer) scholarship players available (transfers, injuries, and redshirts of Jassey, Fears, AT, Brown, Egolf, Singh, etc..and a couple unexpected departures), and a few of the eligible ones even had injuries -
the press again criticized for lack of preparedness and lack of depth..
but isn't that we have again right now - plenty of newbies and a short roster?? If a couple kids are injured, we could be down to 8-9 available....


Lastly - just a few weeks ago we were told by several that we needed to "jettison" some of the dead weight
and get some players "who can contribute right away" - then people cheered when we ushered two rostered players outta here -
but we replaced them with players "who cannot contribute right away"... ?

With all due respect,may I ask what's your point. We all know next year will be slightly better then this considering what we where left with. I, myself really like this addition of 2 guards. I think with WE, NW,SS and TP we will be much better down low then what we put out there last year. I for one like what we've done. Next year with 4 openings if we can hit a home run on the recruiting trail we'll be SOOOOO much better then we've been. Keep up the good work Geno and staff.

[tornado]

I think my point is clear but will make it clearer -- it has nothing really to do with BU, recruiting, nor Geno - it's clear I am again pointing out the inconsistent coverage we get in similar circumstances - we've seen it before many times, and we will see it again --
If I am even close to being wrong or unfair in anything I say - you'd better bet there'll be someone calling me out on it - so why are the media not fair game when we see hypocrisy and bias?
All I have done is quote word for word what was said in the media - even right down to them calling people "foolish" if they expect much out of a juco kid in his first year or criticism about going after too many "newbies" as if coaches have a lot of options with scholarships to go get NBA caliber, ready-to-play kids??
When other coaches brought in too many new kids at once and some never played because they weren't D-I ready - we heard about it LOUD and CLEAR - but I don't recall or see other coaches being held to the same standard.

[it's boogie time]

So you are guessing what Wessler, Reynolds & the pjstar would say if Bradley added 2 more jucos and then criticizing that guessing? Seriously

[tornado]

nope - just quoting what they have said -

[it's boogie time]

You're quoting what they said at that time. At that time, Bradley had 5 jucos. BU was recently removed from a Sweet 16 apparence. It did seem odd that Bradley had to go the juco route so often.

They may have that same opinion if it happened today, but it's obvious a different situation now. If BU brings in two more 4 year transfers next year, there probably will be a piece written on 4 year transfers, expecially if the two recent ones have already busted.

[lefty]

But we didn't sign any jucos yet...so it's all immaterial at this point.

Why speculate on stuff that doesn't happen?