Mike Hopkins to the Phoenix Suns

[orangefog]

Hope Steve or Pat see this maybe they will ask. It's a good fair question.

Things that are clear, do not have to be questioned.

 

[CuseRunner]

Sorry, but recruiting the west doesn’t seem like the ticket to bringing the program back at this point.

Plenty of talent within a 5-6 hour drive of campus that we could be a national contender with, if we would recruit better.

Pulling in top Cali recruits would seem to be more of a “cherry on top” situation for an already really good program than a strategy to focus on for building the foundation of the program.

Dior was a west coast recruit didn't work out but we had him. Highest ranked recruit we had in how long.

 

[OrangeDW]

Dior was a west coast recruit didn't work out but we had him. Highest ranked recruit we had in how long.

No, he wasn’t. He was a NY kid who moved out west.

 

[orangefog]

No, he wasn’t. He was a NY kid who moved out west.

Yeah, he is a NY kid, backyard by most people’s definition.

 

[Cuse1055]

The well is not going to spring over night. It's going to take time spring again.

Why spend time, money and resources recruiting across the country when you can invest that time, money and resources with players in your geographic area? We’re not Duke, Kentucky, UNC, Kansas etc. where we can pick and choose nationally. Again it goes back to the fact that times have changed and we’re not a national recruiter like we were in the heyday of the Big East.

 

[Cuse1055]

Hope Steve or Pat see this maybe they will ask. It's a good fair question.

#FacePalm

 

[OrangeDW]

2011-12 team which was arguably the best team in the country all season and probably the deepest team we’ve ever had:

Philly: Scoop, Waiters, Christmas
NY: Triche, Mookie, Southerland
Baltimore: Fair
Montreal/DC: Joseph
Mass.: MCW
Oak Hill - VA: Keita

10 guys were from our “wheelhouse”. A 6-7 hour drive from campus, at most.

Melo was the only guy we went outside that to get. Melo was a “cherry on top” type of home run, IMO. A top national recruit who we could pull in because we were loaded and a consistent contender.

 

[dasher]

Yes of course. Why limit ourselves to the same pipelines of NYC/Philly/DC/Greater Canada for the most parts or prep schools in New England and Florida.

Let's go out West. California (LA), Arizona, Seattle (Greater Washington State)

Maybe because we won't get anyone. That just could be a reason. This isn't the 1980's when the Big East was on top and we could get guys from there. We need to concentrate and dominate where we are strong. Build a wall if you will.

 

[kcsu]

Keep it East Coast. DC and up.

 

[Cuse1055]

Maybe because we won't get anyone. That just could be a reason. This isn't the 1980's when the Big East was on top and we could get guys from there. We need to concentrate and dominate where we are strong. Build a wall if you will.

Yep, we need to have a stronghold on places like Philly, DC/MD/VA, and NY. Those along with the New England area sometimes are our main areas of where we have gotten our best talent.

 

[dasher]

Yep, we need to have a stronghold on places like Philly, DC/MD/VA, and NY. Those along with the New England area sometimes are our main areas of where we have gotten our best talent.

How much does Nova recruit California? They have 3 National titles.

 

[Trueblue25]

AND Baltimore.

Hopefully Woody & Benny open the floodgates for us again in that area.

Two cities that’ve treated us very kindly. Buffalo/Niagara as well.

 

[Trueblue25]

We don’t need Cali or the west coast. We’re smack dab in the middle of a hot bed.

 

[721Comstock]

We don’t need Cali or the west coast. We’re smack dab in the middle of a hot bed.

Exactly.

I mean, if a Stevie Thompson wanted to come to SU, of course you take him!

But - it's silly to invest a lot of time, energy, and resources to recruit the West, when we've got the Northeast RIGHT HERE, and those kids and their families can easily DRIVE to see games.

 

[Trueblue25]

Exactly.

I mean, if a Stevie Thompson wanted to come to SU, of course you take him!

But - it's silly to invest a lot of time, energy, and resources to recruit the West, when we've got the Northeast RIGHT HERE, and those kids and their families can easily DRIVE to see games.

Mike Hopkins has the energy we don’t have in JB anymore. Let Red work magic and Hop will close. Get another rust belt guy in there too. We impose ourselves in PA, Baltimore, Upstate and New England again we’ll be fine. Nyc will always be hit or miss.

 

[maxxyz]

That was a different era. The Big East and the Dome were new and shiny and BADASS. Now, we have no shine. We could pull some kids from the west coast, but it wouldn’t be like the old days.

SU also benefited back then from ESPN pushing SU games hard. The weekday games at 7pm ECT were 4pm WCT. Kids in California got home from school just in time to watch the game. And there was typically only one game on in that era, not the 5-10 you can choose from now.

 

[Caboose]

Just so we’re clear the part of this that’s actually funny is that it took five days to make that reply.

Probably indicates life exists outside of internet message boards idk

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Would the return ever justify the expense? I am sure it has been determined that we have to focus our efforts in a smaller perimeter, with a few exceptions.

Cheaper than ever: zoom, teams, meets. Face to face contact as often as allowed

 

[two3zone]

Hope Steve or Pat see this maybe they will ask. It's a good fair question.

You are Hulk, you’ll never convince me otherwise.

 

[sutomcat]

Washington beat Washington State last night 65-63. Somewhere that weird Husky basketball fan who kept posting here every time UW lost is very sad.

 

[RF2044]

Mike Hopkins has the energy we don’t have in JB anymore. Let Red work magic and Hop will close. Get another rust belt guy in there too. We impose ourselves in PA, Baltimore, Upstate and New England again we’ll be fine. Nyc will always be hit or miss.

But not the coaching acumen.

Great guy, but sorry not sorry. We dodged a bullet here, And I look forward to wildhack conducting a full-blown national search for the next candidate without limiting himself to limited in-house candidates with connections to our program.

 

[Trueblue25]

But not the coaching acumen.

Great guy, but sorry not sorry. We dodged a bullet here, And I look forward to wildhack conducting a full-blown national search for the next candidate without limiting himself to limited in-house candidates with connections to our program.

All my eggs are in the Nate basket. Im just trying to come to terms with the only in house scenario I’d be half ok with

 

[UpstateSM]

All my eggs are in the Nate basket. Im just trying to come to terms with the only in house scenario I’d be half ok with

If Oats is recruiting at the level he is at Bama it’s scary to think what he could do here.

 

[Trueblue25]

If Oats is recruiting at the level he is at Bama it’s scary to think what he could do here.

We are a sleeping giant and I wont be told otherwise.

 

[RF2044]

But not the coaching acumen.

Great guy, but sorry not sorry. We dodged a bullet here, And I look forward to wildhack conducting a full-blown national search for the next candidate without limiting himself to limited in-house candidates with connections to our program.

PS - the other two in-house candidates are even LESS qualified.

I say that in full recognition and deference to their accomplishments and contributions to the programme as players, and as assistant coaches.

We can do a lot better when the time comes. We NEED to do a lot better. And we will, with ADJW at the helm.

Anyone who endorses continuing this decline for the purposes of continuity needs their head examined.