Gavin Block verbals to Ohio

[tornado]

His coach confirms he verbals to Ohio after a weekend visit there

...now watch him go on to become their all time leading scorer and even beat out that other guy.....what's his name
... FWIW, nobody knows for sure, but I had heard that Bradley was no longer in the picture...

[wily coyote]

Can anyone say Alex Peters? I've said all along I wanted Block and I know for a fact last Spring we were his leader. Sure hope our staff comes up with someone better then him or else I may be wondering........ Not yet though.

[Da Coach]

Last year at this time Coach Ford was assuring Dave Reynolds, and fans, that Bradley would sign 2 recruits in the early (November) signing period. This year we haven't heard any such projections. There were more BU recruits named this year than in any previous season under Geno, but few are left, and I am not sure we are recruiting any of those that remain on our list, though I am sure there are other recruits whose names have not become public. Bradley and SIU are the only MVC teams who don't have 1 or more commits for 2015, and SIU doesn't have any open scholarships.
So it might be possible that Geno is targeting the late signing period to zero in on and sign recruits. But I believe, and many coaches seem to agree, that targeting recruits early and signing them early is more likely to lead to successful recruiting classes. IMO, if Bradley is to start improving and lift themselves out of perennial Thursday games, I agree with Wily, we need better and more consistent recruiting.

[wizard1]

Gavin Block Verbals to Ohio

Coach....you are 100% correct. Our recruiting is substandard. We don't really seem to evaluate players well and we don't seem to be able to close the deal on the ones we want/need with a couple of possible exceptions.
Wiz

[Rhino65]

Coach....you are 100% correct. Our recruiting is substandard. We don't really seem to evaluate players well and we don't seem to be able to close the deal on the ones we want/need with a couple of possible exceptions.
Wiz

Am I wrong or did we just sign a top 100 recruit last spring? When was the last time that happened at Bradley much less the entire MVC? Block may turn out to be a decent player at Ohio but if were being realistic he is clearly below a starting MVC caliber player. Bradley and the entire MVC as well as leagues above seem to agree with that or he'd be playing at a bigger program. We obviously have more raw talent on the team this year than at any point in the last decade and probably further back than that. Now whether that talent meshes well together is another story (which I believe it will) but for you to sit there and say that our recruiting is substandard is flat out wrong.

[Da Coach]

Am I wrong or did we just sign a top 100 recruit last spring? When was the last time that happened at Bradley much less the entire MVC? Block may turn out to be a decent player at Ohio but if were being realistic he is clearly below a starting MVC caliber player. Bradley and the entire MVC as well as leagues above seem to agree with that or he'd be playing at a bigger program. We obviously have more raw talent on the team this year than at any point in the last decade and probably further back than that. Now whether that talent meshes well together is another story (which I believe it will) but for you to sit there and say that our recruiting is substandard is flat out wrong.

This isn't just about Gavin Block, although I think he will be a very good player. We've missed on a lot of recruits. That is not just my opinion, but Dave Reynolds,
Kirk Wessler, and even Geno himself have said the same thing, that the recruiting has been substandard. There is hype about this year's recruiting class, but we have seen that before with over-the-top hype about previous recruiting classes that fizzled and disappeared. Here was Dave Reynolds promoting last year's recruiting class as one of the greatest in Bradley's history, yet 3 of them are already gone early, and the others have contributed little. And similar articles appeared in 2012.
-
Stellar Recruiting Class

http://blogs.pjstar.com/pressrow/2013/05/15/will-history-repeat-itself-with-stellar-bu-recruiting-class/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co

So maybe this recruiting class is different, but with 4 jucos, I do not see enough change in the pattern of recruiting misses, and late cycle fall-back and numerous juco recruits to convince me.
But to proclaim -

We obviously have more raw talent on the team this year than at any point in the last decade and probably further back than that.

Is a bit premature, and IMO, absurd. Although it does qualify you for a Sports Editor position at the PJ Star.
Get back to us if this recruiting class manages a winning record in this watered-down MVC, which has happened many times in the last decade, or wins NCAA games, which we have seen with the far better recruiting classes we have had in the last decade.

[wily coyote]

I am not ready to say our recruiting is suspect just yet but what worries me is if we are having this much trouble getting one person to commit. What is gonna happen next year when we need between 6 to 8 new recruits. Oh well not the time to worry just yet but thought has crossed my mind.

[midstateknowitall]

My personal opinion is that Gavin Block just didn't fit in the MVC. He is a skilled shooter, but does not have the speed & athleticism at this point to guard MVC Wings. OHIO is a great fit for him and being in Saul Phillips system should help him a lot.

Recruiting wise at Bradley is an unknown. I think Geno plays a fun style of basketball that a lot of players would enjoy. Obviously, he has need time to get his type of players into place. However, I have stated this many times before: what wow's recruits about Bradley when they visit? The campus look, the campus life, other sporting events, the surrounding area of the school? Nothing about Bradley besides 1 or 2 buildings to go along with the Markin Center & the Practice Facility. A lot of kids now a days want that wow factor and Bradley especially without football has minimal life in any other sports/campus life and facility can campus look aren't impressive at all.

Success recruits itself to point-when you are struggling with success-facilities, campus life, and rowdy fan base helps a ton.
(Bradley right now struggles in all these categories, IMO)

[tornado]

but midstate if there's nothing about BU to wow....then I have to wonder how it is that Bradley has landed as many or more top recruits over the past few decades than any other Valley schools...
BU has more guys that end up in the NBA, more guys who have really great, long term pro careers, we've had numerous Top 150 guys, more 1500 pt career scorers since 1990 - than other MVC schools...

Our recruiting is down lately - a fact even confirmed by our local media - but how can you blame facilities when the facilities are better than ever and we have historically landed talent even without those facilities that places us above all the other teams in the MVC
Just in the past 6-8 years we've had 13 players get All Conference honors, and had SEVEN different players crack the 1000-point club at Bradley....but now we're probably several years away from seeing that again...

[midstateknowitall]

"but midstate if there's nothing about BU to wow....then I have to wonder how it is that Bradley has landed as many or more top recruits over the past few decades than any other Valley schools..."

Past few Decades? Its not about 5,10,15, 20 years ago. Its about right now.
I never said you couldn't get players to commit. Playing Time, Style, Location to home, relationship with staff can all be a factor for recruits too. "Success recruits itself to point-when you are struggling with success-facilities, campus life, and rowdy fan base helps a ton.
(Bradley right now struggles in all these categories, IMO)"

Most kids now a days don't know who Hersey Hawkins is: They understand that he played in the NBA & was a great college player- most never saw him play ever or don't realize they might have watched him before. The Sweet 16 team to most these recruits now a days is to far back to remember. Most players will take into consideration the now & the wow factors, over the decades of success if they aren't still successful.


Im not saying you cannot get recruits too Bradley (relationships will go along way, and if they start winning it will help as well). Im mostly saying BU doesn't have much to lean on-when it comes to recruiting when they haven't had recent success! That's why its hard to recruit to BU, IMO!

[Da Coach]

2015 SF GAVIN BLOCK TALKS OHIO COMMITMENT

http://ny2lasports.com/article_one.aspx?articleid=2524

Interesting comments by Gavin. Bradley was not even among his finalists.

[tornado]

But my point is that we've always been able to compete in the recruiting area before - so if that's what's taken a dive over the past 3-4 years then just who's responsible??

Block's finalists included SIUE - so do they have stuff there that "wow's"?
...I am not being silly - because I really worry that if the answer is yes, and if we can't out-recruit SIUE, then we have fallen farther than I had thought.
In the last 5 years despite the incredible upgrades in facilities due to the funds raised over the past decade - we still have all but one of our programs losing regularly,
the fan base shrinking dramatically, and as midstate said - they are less rowdy...

[lefty]

Sounds like there was not an offer this fall from BU

[mvcfan]

Being upset about not landing a kid that committed to Ohio U is hilarious. He might go there and have a wonderful career, but being upset about this is a blatant attempt to trash a coaching staff. Take for example the Nelson kid from Lincoln. I remember people being upset there wasn't more effort to get him and now he plays for IWU. Turns out Bradley didn't want Block because they believe he is not at their level. **** the staff for thinking bigger, stronger, faster, and etc...

[tornado]

talk about hilarious...come on - this is a message board...people are welcome to talk about recruits, hits, misses all the time...at least this board doesn't have hundreds of pages of threads attacking other posters..

if posting about not landing a kid is "trashing a coaching staff" then do you remember the record busiest day and some of the longest threads this board has ever seen when Matt Roth chose Indiana in 2007??

even to this date -that date in 2007 is one of the two busiest days in the in the history of the boards
I guess we'll shortly see how good our recruiting is - as we won't have a single holdover player left to either carry us or to blame



BTW - again in 2009 we lost a recruiting battle to Ohio and there were a few critical comments aimed at the coaching staff then also - it happens

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11882&highlight=ricardo+johnson&page=9