Taylor Bruninga

[tornado]

He appears to have legit offers from other schools - why would he walk on and decline a scholarship? All I can say is it doesn't happen very often.

[cpacmel]

He appears to have legit offers from other schools - why would he walk on and decline a scholarship? All I can say is it doesn't happen very often.

Didn't it happen that way for Ron Baker?

Conner Frankamp left a scholarship at Kansas and had others offers, but paid his way his transfer year at Wichita State. Same with Peyton Allen.

[tornado]

yes, we know...but of the 4000-5000 Division I players, all but a handful are either scholarship kids or known walk-ons - there's only a handful who have reason to expect they can be key or impact players who will walk on, and they are generally kids who might pay their way to play on a team that's gonna win championships, have Final Four potential, or if they have NBA-talent...
but you think that's the case here?

[mvcfan]

Seems like a lot of speculation in your post Tornado. Probably should be deleted. This is not the place to speculate why kids would walk on somewhere.

[cpacmel]

yes, we know...but of the 4000-5000 Division I players, all but a handful are either scholarship kids or known walk-ons - there's only a handful who have reason to expect they can be key or impact players who will walk on, and they are generally kids who might pay their way to play on a team that's gonna win championships, have Final Four potential, or if they have NBA-talent...
but you think that's the case here?

He would only be paying his way for 1 year. He would then get 4 years of scholarship at ISU or UNI. Is that better than all years on scholarship at EIU or Loyola or Indiana-Fort Wayne? That's for him to decide.

It was good enough for Ron Baker. Wichita State was hardly an NCAA power when he paid his way Freshman year at Wichita State too. Baker had offers from South Dakota State, EIU and Little Rock.

[tornado]

I know that, I am just saying it is quite unusual...
if it was the way for lots of kids to go then we'd be seeing a bunch do it - yet, as I noted, there's only a few examples in recent memory...
All I am saying is it's very, very scarce & unusual and every case I can think of was a kid like Allen, Frankamp or Baker who kinda knew they had the potential to be playing for championship teams...

I just can't see the equivalent with ISU or UNI...
...and it's because the average kid doesn't want to pay $20,000, $30,000, or $50,000 with the hope of a scholarship down the road.

Out of state tuition at UNI is over $27,000 and if you add all the other costs, room, board, and extras that now get covered by the "stipend" - it hits $40,000.

All I was asking had to do with why?
Maybe I can understand the rare kid who does it at Wichita or Doug McDermott did it at Creighton - was because the had the $$ and wanted to play for a championship caliber team...
But I do not see those same factors here.

If he chooses UNI, then I am saying it is unusual enough that I'd like to hear more. UNI hasn't won the MVC regularly, they don't put kids in the NBA...
It's just interesting that he would give up $40,000 to do so.
I cannot recall another kid who chose to walk on over a full scholarship somewhere - a player with multiple DI offers - least of all any that paid out-of-state tuition just to walk on at UNI.



Lastly...

Wichita State was hardly an NCAA power when he paid his way Freshman year ....

they had just finished seasons of 25-10, 29-8, and 27-6 when Baker went there and that included a 2011 NIT Championship - so little doubt Ron knew he'd have a bit better chance of making it to the NCAA at Wichita than at EIU or Little Rock - and he turned out to be right.

[midstateknowitall]

Not a done deal to UNI, he went and visited and enjoyed it. UNI has been upfront since Day 1 about there situation. He knows exactly where he stands and what is offered if he chooses to go there.

I can guarantee he doesn't play close to 40K for the year to go there if thats the route he goes. There is always an avenue through the academic side which he will get some money off, etc. He is an above average student as well.

UNI might not win the conference very often but have gone to the tourney more than any other team in the Valley besides Wichita State since 2010.

They always are competitive & they always have guys just like Taylor. 6'8-6'9 skilled who can dribble, pass, and shoot. Whats not to like about that situation if your a player like Taylor.

Seth Tuttle, Paul Jesperson, Adam Koch, Bennett Koch, Klint Carlson, just to name a few recently that he could relate too.

He has some good options overall and the Bruninga Family will make a well informed decision thats best for Taylor.

[DUBulldog]

Didn't it happen that way for Ron Baker?

Conner Frankamp left a scholarship at Kansas and had others offers, but paid his way his transfer year at Wichita State. Same with Peyton Allen.

Graham Woodward walked-on at Drake in his first year after transferring from Penn State....with the promise of a scholarship the following years.

[tornado]

how many other full scholarship offers did he decline?

[mvcfan]

I know ISU was on him heavy and offered.

[tornado]

Not doubting you - I now they had interest but no way to know if offered...
but I can't imagine they needed him because Paris Lee was ineffective?

[egib52]

Not a done deal to UNI, he went and visited and enjoyed it. UNI has been upfront since Day 1 about there situation. He knows exactly where he stands and what is offered if he chooses to go there.

I can guarantee he doesn't play close to 40K for the year to go there if thats the route he goes. There is always an avenue through the academic side which he will get some money off, etc. He is an above average student as well.

UNI might not win the conference very often but have gone to the tourney more than any other team in the Valley besides Wichita State since 2010.

They always are competitive & they always have guys just like Taylor. 6'8-6'9 skilled who can dribble, pass, and shoot. Whats not to like about that situation if your a player like Taylor.

Seth Tuttle, Paul Jesperson, Adam Koch, Bennett Koch, Klint Carlson, just to name a few recently that he could relate too.

He has some good options overall and the Bruninga Family will make a well informed decision thats best for Taylor.

Has Bradley made a preferred walk-on offer?

[Da Coach]

Has Bradley made a preferred walk-on offer?

Current Bradley player Pete Hanley was and still is a preferred walkon. Lou Griffith was a preferred walkon last year.
Aaron Zobrist and Danny Adams were preferred walkons when jim Molinari was head coach. Both of them eventually earned scholarships.

[egib52]

Current Bradley player Pete Hanley was and still is a preferred walkon. Lou Griffith was a preferred walkon last year.
Aaron Zobrist and Danny Adams were preferred walkons when jim Molinari was head coach. Both of them eventually earned scholarships.

Sorry, let me clarify, has Bradley made a preferred walk-on offer to Bruninga?

[Da Coach]

That I do not know, but I doubt it. If they had, I think it would be publicized.