Most Memorable Recruiting Misses

[Cuse1055]

If you became a fan like me around 2000, the only answer is Julius Hodge.

Worked out for us in the end obviously with Hak as the “consolation prize”.

 

[swish7]

Dude..
Jimmy, come on man...

 

[DoctahLexus]

No story gets more distorted than a recruit talking about a school that passed on him.

 

[tbonezone]

You might only know of someone we were recruiting if you had your Street & Smith College Basketball magazine handy.

Big East Briefs was my bible . couldn't wait for it to drop thru the mail slot every week.

 

[RF2044]

Big East Briefs was my bible . couldn't wait for it to drop thru the mail slot every week.

Eastern Basketball was my jam.

Phenomenal.

 

[orange79]

Big East Briefs was my bible . couldn't wait for it to drop thru the mail slot every week.

Eastern Basketball was my jam.

Phenomenal.

Both of these were 'can't wait for the next issue' material for me. The pre-season Big East Yearbook was also required reading.

 

[RF2044]

Both of these were 'can't wait for the next issue' material for me. The pre-season Big East Yearbook was also required reading.

Agree 100%!

 

[cayugacuse]

Bob Gibbons All Star Sports was my first go to as well as some just mentioned.

 

[RyanCuse44]

The way we locked in on Quade and passed on a lot of guards was insane. The fact that he kept coming around the program but wouldn’t commit was enough for us to look elsewhere while we still could. We are not talking Flagg level talent here.

You can thank our former lead recruiter and now HC at Siena for that debacle.

 

[RyanCuse44]

You can blame his family/handlers on why he didn't come here and Cremins/GTech were a bunch of dirty folks too. Marbury was the same situation too.

 

[Bulldog04]

If NIL existed back then, I wonder how much my good buddy Greg Paulus would have been paid to come to cuse to play bball and football. He was always going to go to ND until coach K called, but I think he was a miss on the bball side. And I know for a fact he wasn’t recruited super hard to come to cuse. But in this day and age, wow what could have been.

 

[RyanCuse44]

Monte Morris.

But nothing will top Kenny Anderson for me. We were LOADED in 1990, EXCEPT for the PG position. Dammit.

That's the kid I was trying to think of that ended up at Iowa State. Oh the irony.

 

[RyanCuse44]

Funny how Kenny Anderson and Marbury both said they wanted to come to cuse but didn't because "reasons" not because of a bag.

That's BS. It was about $$$. When you're family/handlers were involved along with scumbag Cremins that happens. Gotta remember to SU was coming off probation so they had to watch their butts.

 

[RyanCuse44]

Turned up or picked?

 

[RyanCuse44]

Winfred hurt even though we won the recruiting battle

Yep and if he didn't come here, I think it was Elton Brand we probably would have gotten.

 

[tbonezone]

didn't we recruit Don MacLean

wel that was a long , long time ago , i can still remember how ...

the reason marbury stung so bad was that for 2 full years he mouthed off about how he was coming to Syracuse. so when he finally last minute changes his mind we are left with nobody. the cupboard is bare and we're scrambling. all the top pg's already signed elsewhere . and god bless laz simms he did what he could but pair marbury and adonal foyle (colgate flip thanks to alum sponsors) with wallace and burgan who knows ?
i'm damn sure kentucky was happy with his decision.

 

[Hopkins16]

If we would hav been able to get both Anderson and Marbury, that would have set us up as NYC Point God school, and a magnet for top point guards recruits around the country.

 

[sufandu]

wel that was a long , long time ago , i can still remember how ...

the reason marbury stung so bad was that for 2 full years he mouthed off about how he was coming to Syracuse. so when he finally last minute changes his mind we are left with nobody. the cupboard is bare and we're scrambling. all the top pg's already signed elsewhere . and god bless laz simms he did what he could but pair marbury and adonal foyle (colgate flip thanks to alum sponsors) with wallace and burgan who knows ?
i'm damn sure kentucky was happy with his decision.

I don't really count Foyle as ever being in the mix. He went where his parents worked, and I thought that wasn't much of a surprise, given he actually did care about academics.

 

[tbonezone]

He went where his parents worked,

his adoptive parents at age 15 yes. and yes JB was actively recruiting him.
BTW i was in attendance when SU utterly destroyed colgate 88-53. otis hill says hi.

 

[orangenauburn]

Marburys older brother who was a defacto handler for him was adamant that he wanted Steph to go to Syracuse and that was the plan. Steph was onboard with that.

But

Cremins got some time with the mom and she made the decision. Now what was discussed or exchanged during that alone time we can only speculate upon, but we all can presume that whatever she was promised, made it crystal clear he was never going to step foot on campus to play for Cuse.

 

[orangenauburn]

What was the story with Tom Sheehey from Rochester in early 80s? Went to Virginia and was drafted in 1987

 

[sufandu]

his adoptive parents at age 15 yes. and yes JB was actively recruiting him.
BTW i was in attendance when SU utterly destroyed colgate 88-53. otis hill says hi.

I know JB actilvely recruited him, but I remember it not at all a surprise he went to Colgate. He always had lofty goals beyond basketball.

 

[tptcuse]

Nate Oats. (wrong thread?)

 

[RyanCuse44]

Marburys older brother who was a defacto handler for him was adamant that he wanted Steph to go to Syracuse and that was the plan. Steph was onboard with that.

But

Cremins got some time with the mom and she made the decision. Now what was discussed or exchanged during that alone time we can only speculate upon, but we all can presume that whatever she was promised, made it crystal clear he was never going to step foot on campus to play for Cuse.

Come on, this was all about the Benjamin. Like I said early Cremins and the GTech boosters were paying to get him to come there. SU couldn't do that cause of the probation issues.

 

[Dave]

Ones I can think of:
Tobias Harris
Nerlens Noel
Brandon Knight
Quade Green
Marbury
Kenny Walker

Who else?

Adonal Foyle