That doesn't change anything. If JB pays for him or if he does get tuition free, Buddy won't be counting against our ship limit. Down the road, if Buddy is good, we could have one more good player than ships. Take that NCAA
I agree, though the comments in Francis' most recent podcast make me a
little more concerned about the situation.
For those that haven't listened, he mentioned that JB is backing off recruiting 2Gs for 2018, in part, because he already has Hughes and Buddy (s0rry if I'm oversimplifying, but I think this was the gist of it).
I don't necessarily disagree with this, I'm inclined to trust JB on these types of personnel issues. That said, I think it's fair to judge Buddy's recruitment a little differently depending on whether he's:
1) A non-scholarship player that doesn't impact our recruiting, or
2) A guy who is going to influence JB's recruiting strategy for his position.
In the first case, he's a free option with only upside. In the second, his involvment with the team has a cost (though, I acknowledge, probably fairly small). As a fan of the team, I'm psyched about Buddy being part of the team, especially with his overall EYBL performance. That said, I don't think it's unfair to view him a little differently if his recruitment/involvement with the team means we're passing on other potential recruits.