Class of 2018 SG Eric Ayala (DE/IMG) to Maryland

[cuseinseattle]

Thanks, I don't feel alone now. If he shuns us this year, I think he will likely need to be "hard up" to come next year. Like you said, possible, but I highly doubt this is anywhere near his dream scenario.

I would put it around 10% or less for next year. If he doesn't come here he is holding out for an offer from UK/Duke etc. So if they don't come calling which I think is unlikely because he is not their type of guard then it is always possible but a lot of stuff would have to take place. We would have to miss on like 3-4 other people and he would have to get no offers from other top tier programs to want to come back to us.

 

[Consigliere]

Kind of refreshing in this age of get to the league ASAP to see a kid enjoy his youth and take his time becoming an adult but this one has really baffled me. I'm not strictly talking about Cuse but a kid with the skills and academics to play high D1 ball, a chance to practice every day against similarly skilled players and receive coaching from some of the best basketball minds in the world vs. wait a year and see what transpires seems counter to virtually every other story we read lately.

 

[jordville]

Geno is bringing the sauce to Syracuse this week...
Thanks anyway, Eric. Maybe next year... or not.

 

[Sherman20]

I think the days of discussing Ayala are coming to an end. IMO Thorpe will visit Thursday and Friday and sign. I think the staff recognizes that Ayala is not going to commit in enough time, and we can't leave Thorpe hanging.

I have mixed feelings. I preferred Ayala because I like his game/swag. I think it's helpful when the team has an alpha dog. I don't think TT, TB, FH or Thorpe have the swag.

Don't get me wrong, TB is a great player, but I don't see that killer instinct. Kind of like Lydon, a really NICE college player but not a leader. You had to practically beg Lydon to shoot the ball.

Anyhow, I'm straying off topic. I think I would've preferred Ayala, but completely understand that it's time to move on. I hope Thorpe can be the guy what we need. That said, I wish we weren't in the position to have to rely on a 5th year grad transfer.

I like Ayala a lot too. Maybe we can get him to sign for 2018? Disagree that Battle doesn't have the killer instinct. Thorpe seems to have swag too.

 

[jordoo]

I think we will continue to stay in touch with Ayala and monitor his development. Ayala and Cuse could be a mutually beneficial backup plan for the 2018 class. He's a very good all around guard who I expect to have a nice college career somewhere.

 

[GooseMutt]

Make your move Eric. It's yours if you want it but you need to speak up and commit. Bird in the hand Eric. Fantastic opportunity.

 

[JazzNC]

Make your move Eric. It's yours if you want it but you need to speak up and commit. Bird in the hand Eric. Fantastic opportunity.

I'm sure Ayala knows Thorpe is visiting Thursday/Friday. If he had any intention of coming to Syracuse, he'd have spoken up with Thorpe's impending visit. As for 2018, I can't see him delaying college by a year just to sign with SU. Makes little sense.

I think Thorpe visits and signs by the weekend just like Hughes's visit. Can't say I'm thrilled, but he's the only option left. I like his size, and he seems like a good team player. P5 capable PG I'm not sure. I hope he can provide more than Gillon did. And I don't mean to knock Gillon, I think he gave us all he was capable of.

That being said, I'd love Ayala to have a change of heart and sign before Thorpe. I just don't see it happening.

 

[jordoo]

I'm sure Ayala knows Thorpe is visiting Thursday/Friday. If he had any intention of coming to Syracuse, he'd have spoken up with Thorpe's impending visit. As for 2018, I can't see him delaying college by a year just to sign with SU. Makes little sense.

I think Thorpe visits and signs by the weekend just like Hughes's visit. Can't say I'm thrilled, but he's the only option left. I like his size, and he seems like a good team player. P5 capable PG I'm not sure. I hope he can provide more than Gillon did. And I don't mean to knock Gillon, I think he gave us all he was capable of.

That being said, I'd love Ayala to have a change of heart and sign before Thorpe. I just don't see it happening.

Not happening. Don't fret though Thorpe will have a bigger impact this season than Ayala would have. I do think that in the 18 class Ayala and Cuse are likely great fall back positions for both to have. So I expect continued communication.

 

[jdubs30]

I'm sure Ayala knows Thorpe is visiting Thursday/Friday. If he had any intention of coming to Syracuse, he'd have spoken up with Thorpe's impending visit. As for 2018, I can't see him delaying college by a year just to sign with SU. Makes little sense.

I think Thorpe visits and signs by the weekend just like Hughes's visit. Can't say I'm thrilled, but he's the only option left. I like his size, and he seems like a good team player. P5 capable PG I'm not sure. I hope he can provide more than Gillon did. And I don't mean to knock Gillon, I think he gave us all he was capable of.

That being said, I'd love Ayala to have a change of heart and sign before Thorpe. I just don't see it happening.

Thorpe is way better than a "fall back option". He will be better than Gillon, IMO. Anyone who has dreams of getting into the tournament this year would prefer Thorpe to Ayala, and it's nto even close. Thorpe is legit.

 

[CaptainJ]

Thorpe is way better than a "fall back option". He will be better than Gillon, IMO. Anyone who has dreams of getting into the tournament this year would prefer Thorpe to Ayala, and it's nto even close. Thorpe is legit.

I agree about this season, but Boeheim might see that as shortsighted, hence the long wait already. Evidence doesnt seem to imply he is excited, and thinking the same as the posters who have said that. For him, this may be exactly a fallback option, whether we agree or not. Or maybe not, maybe he is sneakier than we comprehend. I'm happy with either guy, but am not going to try to vote for the winner like many folks do with Presidential candidates. I'm not sure I could think of a way to explain how this isnt a fallback option for JB, with the approach he is taking, even if the fallout boy would likely outperform the apparent first choice for one season.

Writing that made me wonder how many potentially great players we may have lost out on in the past if this sort of grifting came into fashion long ago?

 

[JazzNC]

I've read a number of people state they feel Ayala is still a viable option in 2018. I just don't see it.

If he truly wanted to be at SU he could do so in 2017 and be given a lot of playing time and perhaps earn a starting role. He has that THIS year and has not signed. Why?

To me the answer is simple. He wants a bigger offer than Syracuse. He's not sold on SU.

I'd be willing to bet that he doesn't come to SU in 2017 or 2018, and put those odds at about 95%. Too bad because I like him.

Just my opinion...

 

[jordoo]

I've read a number of people state they feel Ayala is still a viable option in 2018. I just don't see it.

If he truly wanted to be at SU he could do so in 2017 and be given a lot of playing time and perhaps earn a starting role. He has that THIS year and has not signed. Why?

To me the answer is simple. He wants a bigger offer than Syracuse. He's not sold on SU.

I'd be willing to bet that he doesn't come to SU in 2017 or 2018, and put those odds at about 95%. Too bad because I like him.

Just my opinion...

I think we are after bigger fish as well in 18 at the guard spot so it goes both ways. If things don't work out for us with other guards and he doesn't get the offers he's looking for I could see things coming full circle again in the fall.

 

[JazzNC]

I'm not sure I could think of a way to explain how this isnt a fallback option for JB, with the approach he is taking, even if the fallout boy would likely outperform the apparent first choice for one season.

Agreed! Thorpe is absolutely a fallback. He might prove to be good, and a capable P5 PG. NO ONE here knows for sure. IMO, Boeheim's willingness to wait this long for Ayala speaks volumes.

 

[GooseMutt]

I've read a number of people state they feel Ayala is still a viable option in 2018. I just don't see it.

If he truly wanted to be at SU he could do so in 2017 and be given a lot of playing time and perhaps earn a starting role. He has that THIS year and has not signed. Why?

To me the answer is simple. He wants a bigger offer than Syracuse. He's not sold on SU.

I'd be willing to bet that he doesn't come to SU in 2017 or 2018, and put those odds at about 95%. Too bad because I like him.

Just my opinion...

This appears to be the case. He has dream schools in mind and is waiting for a bite. If he doesn't get it this summer he waits till 2018. We appear to be option 2 or 3. J B has given him the benefit of time as he did with Quade. They both strung us out. We need to come up with a better method/.approach to recruiting or it will continue. Don't blame the kid for doing what's best for him but we have needs too. Totally tired of talking about Ayala too.

 

[Cuse'91]

This appears to be the case. He has dream schools in mind and is waiting for a bite. If he doesn't get it this summer he waits till 2018. We appear to be option 2 or 3. J B has given him the benefit of time as he did with Quade. They both strung us out. We need to come up with a better method/.approach to recruiting or it will continue. Don't blame the kid for doing what's best for him but we have needs too. Totally tired of talking about Ayala too.

Ayala who?:noidea:

 

[GooseMutt]

I think we are after bigger fish as well in 18 at the guard spot so it goes both ways. If things don't work out for us with other guards and he doesn't get the offers he's looking for I could see things coming full circle again in the fall.

I think we are after bigger fish as well in 18 at the guard spot so it goes both ways. If things don't work out for us with other guards and he doesn't get the offers he's looking for I could see things coming full circle again in the fall.

The bigger fish are hard to catch and continue to slip out of the net. An example is Swider who announced an upcoming visit to his dream school Duke. Bye. There goes another. We have become adept at catching air in our hand. We need to recruit realistically and move on quickly and establish a method of @&$! Or get off the pot.

 

[dasher]

The bigger fish are hard to catch and continue to slip out of the net. An example is Swider who announced an upcoming visit to his dream school Duke. Bye. There goes another. We have become adept at catching air in our hand. We need to recruit realistically and move on quickly and establish a method of @&$! Or get off the pot.

Swider hasn't signed with anyone. We haven't lost him. And who knows where he is on our board. JB doesn't exactly put it out there for us to see.

 

[jordoo]

Swider hasn't signed with anyone. We haven't lost him. And who knows where he is on our board. JB doesn't exactly put it out there for us to see.

Who knows where he is on Duke's board either. He is taking an unofficial, has no offer from them and hadn't had them on his recently cut list. I think once we get to our elite camp we will have a much clearer picture of our possibilities for the 2018 class.

 

[CuseLifer11]

Thorpe is way better than a "fall back option". He will be better than Gillon, IMO. Anyone who has dreams of getting into the tournament this year would prefer Thorpe to Ayala, and it's nto even close. Thorpe is legit.

Seriously. The Ayala hype machine is insane. He's a nice player . For a high school kid. Thorpe is 4 years older and stronger. There are 10 kids as good as Ayala in 18 class that we can get.

Thorpe is someone who can hopefully be our starting pg early.. won't be from day 1 though. That is Frank like it or not..

Ayala would have been depth and nothing more. Those who hate Frank should love thorpe. He will take minutes . Neither Ayala or HW would.

This team w Thorpe is a top 5 ACC team . People are as ridiculously down on this year as they were ridiculously high last year. We have a fantastic 3 man forward rotation... an 18 pt per game center in TT. An all acc player in Battle. Thorpe and Frank will.be fine at PG. We have chukwu and sidibe to eat center minutes when TT gets in foul trouble.

This is a good team. People will see this early on once we start playing.

 

[asj410]

This team w Thorpe is a top 5 ACC team . People are as ridiculously down on this year as they were ridiculously high last year. We have a fantastic 3 man forward rotation... an 18 pt per game center in TT. An all acc player in Battle. Thorpe and Frank will.be fine at PG. We have chukwu and sidibe to eat center minutes when TT gets in foul trouble.

This is a good team. People will see this early on once we start playing.

I hope you prove to be correct on this, but if there is just a single thing I learned from last season, it's to not count your chickens before they're hatched. This upcoming season could certainly turn out better than last season (it wouldn't take much!), but chemistry and lack of experience are big hurdles to overcome in order to realize that.

 

[jordoo]

I hope you prove to be correct on this, but if there is just a single thing I learned from last season, it's to not count your chickens before they're hatched. This upcoming season could certainly turn out better than last season (it wouldn't take much!), but chemistry and lack of experience are big hurdles to overcome in order to realize that.

Yeah but its so much more enjoyable to be excited about the upcoming season. There is certainly the potential in place for this team to surprise a lot of people. As you pointy out though they still have to make it happen.

 

[TinyManInside]

Thorpe is much more likely to be the better player for 2017-18, but he is the fallback option. Boeheim loves Ayala and sees him as a program stabilizing type of player who will be here for more than just one season and provide some much needed continuity from year to year. JB would have moved on Thorpe much sooner otherwise. Look for us to continue recruiting Ayala for 2018 if he doesn't reclassify and commit elsewhere. He won't be the #1A option for 2018 at that position but they will continue to keep tabs on him. As long as there is some mutual interest SU will keep in contact.

 

[dyedorange]

Seriously. The Ayala hype machine is insane. He's a nice player . For a high school kid. Thorpe is 4 years older and stronger. There are 10 kids as good as Ayala in 18 class that we can get.

Thorpe is someone who can hopefully be our starting pg early.. won't be from day 1 though. That is Frank like it or not..

Ayala would have been depth and nothing more. Those who hate Frank should love thorpe. He will take minutes . Neither Ayala or HW would.

This team w Thorpe is a top 5 ACC team . People are as ridiculously down on this year as they were ridiculously high last year. We have a fantastic 3 man forward rotation... an 18 pt per game center in TT. An all acc player in Battle. Thorpe and Frank will.be fine at PG. We have chukwu and sidibe to eat center minutes when TT gets in foul trouble.

This is a good team. People will see this early on once we start playing.

I love all the optimism I'm hearing from everyone re: TT, but I'm not sure he's going to get enough touches to get 18ppg, especially with almost all of his baskets being 2 pointers (vs. 3s), and a pretty low FT%. He'll definitely see more minutes than last year, and would presumably share the offensive focus with Battle and possibly Thorpe, so his numbers will be higher across the board. But I think of someone who's averaging 18 points a game as someone who's the *main* focal point of the offense, and playing north of 34 mpg...not sure either will be the case for TT this year. I don't think it's unattainable for him, but would probably expect him to be more like 14ppg.

Overall though, I share your relatively rosy outlook on this year's team. Going to be a lot of fun to watch!

 

[jordoo]

I love all the optimism I'm hearing from everyone re: TT, but I'm not sure he's going to get enough touches to get 18ppg, especially with almost all of his baskets being 2 pointers (vs. 3s), and a pretty low FT%. He'll definitely see more minutes than last year, and would presumably share the offensive focus with Battle and possibly Thorpe, so his numbers will be higher across the board. But I think of someone who's averaging 18 points a game as someone who's the *main* focal point of the offense, and playing north of 34 mpg...not sure either will be the case for TT this year. I don't think it's unattainable for him, but would probably expect him to be more like 14ppg.

Overall though, I share your relatively rosy outlook on this year's team. Going to be a lot of fun to watch!

Its hard to have more than one guy average 18+ a season in college. I think TT would be capable of it but as you point out there is only 1 ball. IMO Battle will average around 18 and we will have a three or four double figure scorers after that who are also able to go for 18/20 on a given night.

 

[dyedorange]

Its hard to have more than one guy average 18+ a season in college. I think TT would be capable of it but as you point out there is only 1 ball. IMO Battle will average around 18 and we will have a three or four double figure scorers after that who are also able to go for 18/20 on a given night.

Yeah, that's kind of how I see it playing out as well. Battle is going to be the man for us, but a lot of firepower around him too.