Noel

[Rocco]

I agree. I would love for the staff to go after Daiquan Walker from Philly. He's probably the best PG available and we could use another penetrating guard next year.

To hell with Mitt Romney, I'd like to see you get the GOP nod.

 

[IthacaMatt]

What bothers me more is that the logical extension of this reasoning is that - if a recruit ends up at any school other than Syracuse - his parents or he got bought off. Not evybody that chooses to go to another school should be automatically assumed to be dirty.

I think most people on this board know better than that. There are a handful of programs that are most aggressive about the rules, and usually most people know who those schools are. I don't think it's a knee jerk reaction by all Cuse fans if a kid goes somewhere else - only when it's one of a few certain schools.

 

[Francis03]

Francis, am I insane and remembering wrong, or did you first come to us during the Julius Hodge saga, and were a classmate of his?

If so, I guess the Hodge recruitment netted us two good things: Hak, and Francis.

And if, in the words of Roger Clemens, I'm misremembering, well, I guess just Hak is ok.

Yessir, the player known as "Jules" was a schoolmate of mine. I was 16 when I first posted about him when Rutgers was the only school showing interest.

He actually laughed at me when I told him Hak committed lol. He said if Cuse fans think Hak is going to be better than him then their crazy. Well we saw how that all turned out

 

[Francis03]

Francis, thanks again for the great insight. You always do a great job. A little while back you had a real nice thread where you answered some recruiting questions. Any chance you start another one of those anytime soon?

Most definitely we'll do it again next month. Things should heat up as the coaches start to hit the road and attend the AAU tourneys. It'll give us an idea of who the serious targets are for 2013/14 and getting a head start on 2015.

 

[Moontan]

Most definitely we'll di it again next month. Things should heat up as the coaches start to hit the road and attend the AAU tourneys. It'll give us an idea of who the serious targets are for 2013/14 and getting a head start on 2015.

Admins: this is a prime raison d'être for the elusive Premium Board.

 

[zeekay]

Admins: this is a prime raison d'être for the elusive Premium Board.

Why, because he can't just post it here like he does anyway?

 

[DNABB5]

Admins: this is a prime raison d'être for the elusive Premium Board.

Even my tight ass would finally open up for new shiny premium membership.

 

[Moontan]

Why, because he can't just post it here like he does anyway?

Believe what you want to believe.

 

[pfister1]

Do you mean that regarding the recruiting outlook? or the team outlook?

clearly referring to the outlook for offcourt distractions that season.

 

[AccuRater]

"One of the things that JB does better than just about anyone is getting kids who fit the system."

Hey Mason! I know you are busy. But I miss your insights.

A thought. I wonder if JB's skill at "getting kids who fit the system" may have something to do with why so many appear to underachieve at the next level. Perhaps our system showcases their strengths and masks some of their weaknesses.

 

[OrangeTown]

Pretty sure most of the people here don't give two sh!ts about Francis' recruiting information. It's quite apparent they're just buttering him up because he seems to hand out "likes" more often than BRN misuses words. Pretty sickening, if you ask me.

P.S. - Appreciate the info, Francis.

 

[TinyManInside]

Hey Mase, I'm also very curious about our coaches respect for other people's opinions on certain kids (former players, certain high school and AAU coaches, street agents). I know you have to be very careful on who you listen to and as we know someone like Rob Johnson got us into trouble. I'm sure the coaches get many unsolicited opinions but some of them are going to be very good. In this day and age, it's a lot easier to follow kids, but our coaches still can't be everywhere and a valued opinion would really help when it comes to tracking kids at a big AAU event.

As a side note, I always found it kind of interesting that Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis was supposed to be some big HS basketball guru. Rumor had it was that he knew everyone. Did you ever run into him?

I don't think you can recruit on a high level if you don't gather as much information as possible. Obviously you have to be judicious in who you listen to, and when, and why... a lot of the AAU coaches are shady characters, I'll tell you that. And almost all of them will oversell their kids, so like I said you have to know which guys are blowing smoke and which have actual, real basketball knowledge. A lot of the AAU coaches don't actually 'coach', many of them are more skilled at assembling talent than they are at running a team. So sometimes they don't know what it takes for a kid to play WITHIN a system.

I should also point out that none of the talent evaluation happens unilaterally. There are a lot of relationships amongst assistant coaches, so there is a lot of sharing of information and evaluations. These guys talk a lot throughout the camps. I think the coaches have to rely on more than just their own opinions when it comes to judging players.

 

[TinyManInside]

Eh, not so much. I don't recall anyone thinking we were going to get Davis after the story about the father asking for money came out. That was also around the time that JB was attributed with a statement to an unnamed recruit, "If you mention the NBA one more time, I'm outta here..." I always put those 2 together, and I don't remember us being in on him late.

I always took the NBA quote to mean Tobias Harris and his pappy.

It is my understanding that we recruited ADavis as hard as we possibly could, right down to the wire, but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that he wouldn't be coming here.

 

[TinyManInside]

Most definitely we'll di it again next month. Things should heat up as the coaches start to hit the road and attend the AAU tourneys. It'll give us an idea of who the serious targets are for 2013/14 and getting a head start on 2015.

Francis, are you going to Rumble in the Bronx this year? Maybe we can meet up again. It looks like my work schedule should calm down at the beginning of the summer.

Thinking about heading down to the Tournament of Champions too.

mason

 

[TinyManInside]

I'm sick to death of hearing that cliche - mostly because I'm tired of people convicting Syracuse of being a dirty program because of all the negative media attention this year. My attitude at this point is - show me the f***king fire or shut the hell up.

That's my attitude towards the allegations at Syracuse; I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't extend the same demand for proof before declaring guilt to Kentucky (or any other school). So...show me the f**king fire. Then I'll give a .

I tend to agree. Collectively, we're so quick to jump on any other program that has any problems, but equally quick to explain away our own troubles. I try to be as objective as possible, but of course that's not always easy when you're a fan!

And the Calipari stuff,,, while I personally believe that he stretches a lot of rules, I think the overall perception of him as a completely out of control maverick is somewhat overblown. The guy is incredibly charismatic, and a great leader. He has a GREAT track record in preparing his kids for the pros. His teams consistently play at a high level. These all have to be major factors when a kid is making his decision.

Another thing that I will say is that the business of recruiting is anything but a gentleman's business. There is a lot of sour grapes involved. I've seen firsthand quite a lot of 'pot calling the kettle black' [cheaters accusing other cheaters of cheating?]. The default position that a lot of fans (and even sometimes coaches and assistants) take when they lose a high profile kid is that the team that got him is/was cheating. Like i said, a lot of it is sour grapes... I've seen it at the camps with regards to SU commits as well...

Mason

 

[Mistakebythelake90]

Admins: this is a prime raison d'être for the elusive Premium Board.

God forbid that average 'Cuse fans have access to recruiting info.

 

[EastCoast2]

The default position that a lot of fans (and even sometimes coaches and assistants) take when they lose a high profile kid is that the team that got him is/was cheating. Like i said, a lot of it is sour grapes... I've seen it at the camps with regards to SU commits as welll.../quote]

GTown fans after we stole Rak?

 

[EastCoast2]

God forbid that average 'Cuse fans have access to recruiting info.

lol seriously, people from the premium board would just post it on the free board and say, well my sources say...

 

[TinyManInside]

This kid and his mother are different. They are not going to be bought or into that stuff. So Calapari can move on

Calipari would always be a threat, even if there is no 'enticement' going on...

Have you ever had a chance to hear him speak firsthand?

I have.

The guy just has 'it'. He understands how to connect with people and be inspirational. He is very sharp and intuitive, and he knows how to motivate and sell his program.

The thought that the only reason why he gets kids is because he pays them is VERY shortsighted. [I'm not saying that UK does or doesn't pay kids - I have no idea there - I'm saying that overlooking Calipari's charisma is selling him way short.]

 

[EastCoast2]

Calipari would always be a threat, even if there is no 'enticement' going on...

Have you ever had a chance to hear him speak firsthand?

I have.

The guy just has 'it'. He understands how to connect with people and be inspirational. He is very sharp and intuitive, and he knows how to motivate and sell his program.

The thought that the only reason why he gets kids is because he pays them is VERY shortsighted. [I'm not saying that UK does or doesn't pay kids - I have no idea there - I'm saying that overlooking Calipari's charisma is selling him way short.]

He would make a GREAT politician

 

[RichmondCuse]

Question for Francis or whoever else might have an idea, how soon do we expect Noel to make this decision? Seems like soon he'll have gathered all the info he possibly can, should we expect a decision in a month's time or so?

 

[TinyManInside]

"One of the things that JB does better than just about anyone is getting kids who fit the system."

Hey Mason! I know you are busy. But I miss your insights.

A thought. I wonder if JB's skill at "getting kids who fit the system" may have something to do with why so many appear to underachieve at the next level. Perhaps our system showcases their strengths and masks some of their weaknesses.

That's an interesting thought... maybe something to ponder more.

I know that JB targets length and agility for the wings of the zone. It works great for his system, but sometimes you end up with very good to great college players (Moten, Burgan, Kris Joseph) who fall into the mold of the NBA 'tweener' that is soooo hard to break. Guys who are not quite big enough or strong enough for their position at the next level.

 

[Moontan]

God forbid that average 'Cuse fans have access to recruiting info.

There's recruiting information, and then there's recruiting information.

Some information always stays in one of those categories. Other information moves from one bucket to the other depending on the time of the recruiting calendar as well as activity involving other recruits.

The information for "average fans" is already out there. It always has been.

 

[Mistakebythelake90]

There's recruiting information, and then there's recruiting information.

Some information always stays in one of those categories. Other information moves from one bucket to the other depending on the time of the recruiting calendar as well as activity involving other recruits.

The information for "average fans" is already out there. It always has been.

Oh, so what you really mean is that those who want to feel elitist can spend money to get info that everyone would want for free. I can find out who Syracuse has offered in a few clicks on scout. I can't find out about rationale or who the staff actually likes/is targeting, or how the recruitment is actually going down without coming here.

 

[jr4750]

That's an interesting thought... maybe something to ponder more.

I know that JB targets length and agility for the wings of the zone. It works great for his system, but sometimes you end up with very good to great college players (Moten, Burgan, Kris Joseph) who fall into the mold of the NBA 'tweener' that is soooo hard to break. Guys who are not quite big enough or strong enough for their position at the next level.

I agree with that completely Mason. In addition to that, those tweener's who excel in a guard based offense in college because of their athleticism, also don't possess the ability to create their own shots, nor have to at SU. The exception of course being the Carmelo's of the world.