🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I am very interested in @justanotherfan 's idea that we are migrating toward an era of high concentrations of OAD/TAD talent at elite programs; that UK is a harbinger of future talent standards that the other elite programs will soon compete to join.

If I understand @justanotherfan his alias assumes/reasons/hypothesizes that Big Shoe is probably NOT the driver behind the recent, so far anomalous concentrations of talent at UK, and forecasts elite programs to joint UK at the level of 10 OAD/TADs, give or take a few depending on the season and circumstances.

Among Nike contracted schools, Duke is already at 9, and UA trails not far, if at all, behind.

If I understand correctly, at this point no adidas contracted schools are at the 10, or 9 level.

If I understand, @justanotherfan, an adidas KU program is way down at 3 OAD/TADs, and is just not applying enough resources wisely enough to attract 10 OAD/TADs give or take a few.

Again, if I understand @justanotherfan, his alias also suggests that elite programs will achieve 10 to 10+ levels of OAD/TADs by applying further resources to attain these levels of OAD/TAD talent.

@justanotherfan did not specify what these resources would be, but I guess that @justanotherfan believes these will be resources fitting with rules, regulations and laws (lets call this FRRLs) relevant to D1 and D1 recruiting. So: let's call them FFRL resources.

I would like for @justanotherfan, and others that support this hypothesis to enumerate these FRRL resources that KU will have to apply to move up ASAP first to the 10-level that UK is at, and next to the 12-level, which is where such competition should reasonably be expected to limit out at given the limit of 12 scholarship athletes. (Note: I suppose it could rise to above 12 to include walk-0n OAD/TADs with the right level of FRRL resources being applied, but let's just lay out the resources and the steps of their application needed to get KU first to the competitive standard of UK (10) and then to next likely limit (12) both UK and KU and other elite programs should be expected to rise to under @justanotherfan's expectations.

And I want to pre-empt any unnecessary discussion of UK not staying at 10 OAD/TADs consistently. It is assumed that UK will fluctuate +- 2 around 10 the way Duke is now at 9 and could be at 10-12 next season, or down to 8, depending on uncertainties (the error factor in recruiting, player failures and injuries, and early jumps). Put another way, FRRL resource applications, injury and unexpected events will trigger an average of 8 to 12 OAD/TADs as elite programs apply the FRRL

So: what are these FRRLs (Fitting with rules, regs, and laws) resources and when does KU apply them?

I mean, even last year with arguably KU's best recruiting hall in ages with Wiggins, Embiid and Selden, KU was far,far short of UK,and has been steadily behind the UK curve.

Under this hypothesis, KU does not need to shift shoe contracts from adidas to Nike to join this party and feast on the OAD/TAD recruits. All it has to do is apply FRRL resources.

If that's all it takes, lay it out and let's go.

@jaybate-1.0

Interesting read?

Nike Rules ↗

This IS interesting. Thx.

@jaybate-1.0

You know the article tries to be No, No, No, shoe companies aren't calling the shots. It even mentions Wiggins a Nike boy signing with an Adidas School. However it fails to mention Wiggins pretty much had a shoe contract with Adidas before he signed his letter of intent with KU. Just saying.

@DoubleDD

It is all puzzling, but I just don't believe anyone is doing anything illegal.

@jaybate-1.0

That depends on your definition of what is wrong is? Are any rules being broken? No I would agree, but nobody can't tell me that a company or companies would spend billions and not try to protect it's investments. Why would a shoe company invest so heavily on young kids and sit back and not try to influence and protect it's investments?

If a HC especially one of Pitino's Stature is willing to go on the record saying it is so. Then I can't be to far off. Thx for opening my eyes.

I will take it a step farther and say Wiggins being traded from Cleveland was Nike flexing it's muscles.

Think about it like this. Why would a high valued High School recruit go to a school that he can't start and will have his playing time limited? Now I know there are always exceptions to the rule, but that's not the norm. Yet UK was able to recruit a star studded class at every position on the floor, even though ever position was already filled?????? Really?

If you were a basketball playing stud? Would you go to a school that you would have to fight for minutes? When you can go somewhere else and be the starter and the stud? No you wouldn't and neither would I. Well unless You have a little love and a whisper in your ear. Just saying.

@DoubleDD didn't some of those guys sign thinking the twins would go? They fell out of first round, about had to stay.

@Crimsonorblue22

Don't really know. You maybe right? However I would have to believe these new recruits at least knew it was possible. Yet they committed asap. The question is why?

I mean I get a kid wanting to play with his dream college. However I have to ask the question? This many star studded kids want to play for UK? If they do why? That's all I'm saying.

Jaybate, I fear you're life is now in danger. You are getting to close to the truth. The Marvin Piggie's of the world can be indicted but no one ever mentioned where his paycheck came from. All of this money, gained from the sweat of Indonesian children.

My theory is not the shoes but the boosters. The whole premise of the basketball movie Blue Chip. $$$ comes from many sources. Every time you walk into Allen Field House, look above you to the new Booth Center and watch the people with a mixed drink in their hands schmoozing with the In Crowd with their recruiting questions.

All of this could be BS and maybe Dribble-Drive is what OAD's want to play. ESPN steers recruits with all of the recruiting sites with pundits talking about where each one will end up and why. Life is so much harder now for the Norman Dale's of the world. Why did we build a $25,000,000 basketball dorm. The Oregon uniforms which attracts athletes that never thought about playing football or basketball in the Northwest where you are never seen on TV. Bring back Converse.

@wrwlumpy

Hey I wore Converse as kid. I rather liked them. :)

@DoubleDD I still do! Love them, no shoe strings, 2 pair.

@jaybate-1.0 I would be satisfied if we would better utilize the available resources that we have on hand. We hired coaches based on their recruiting ability - lets get back to teaching basketball. I miss Danny and Joe, even though Norm and Jerrace are probably better recruiters.

@KUSTEVE said:

...We hired coaches based on their recruiting ability - lets get back to teaching basketball. I miss Danny and Joe, even though Norm and Jerrace are probably better recruiters.

Norm did recruit and coach Embiid, by far my favorite player per minute played and per tweet. Embiid learned the game at lightning speed: it can't all be due to a tape of Akeem.

Joel was the most pleasant and continuous surprise I have ever seen on a basketball court (not counting Wilt, whom I saw as a kid without realizing what I was looking at).

@DoubleDD

Ah...yes, Converse Chuck Taylors

@DoubleDD

This came from your link:

"If Pitino is finding it difficult to recruit at an adidas school while trying to land players from the Nike circuit, Kansas' Bill Self seems to have encountered no such obstacles. In 2013 and '14, Self landed a veritable Nike elite league all-star team with Wiggins and five-star players Alexander, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Wayne Selden."

I wonder how well Self would be recruiting if we were a Nike school? And why aren't we?

College basketball is absurd. The NCAA is a joke. They put up a tall fence around college athletes but have no real control before and after those athletes go to college, yet they still impose restrictions on athletes before coming to college. Anyone else see a conflict in that?

If they really wanted to limit the commercial influences of these kids they would restrict shoe companies from even coming close to AAU ball. Dry up the sponsorship because it seems obvious there are influences, and while you are at it, knock out the college sponsorship, too. The only way I see AAU ball working without heavy influences is for it to be a program actually sponsored and regulated by the NCAA. AAU ball is a form of pro ball, even if the players aren't paid. Actually, they are paid, via promoting their reputations for college recruiting and even NBA, because I'm sure NBA scouts attend AAU ball games. If the NCAA wanted to be consistent, they would only allow players with a pure background of school ball or NCAA-AAU sanctioned-sponsored ball.

You can't have your cake and eat it, too. There are more than gray lines being crossed here. Who are we kidding?

We will wait until an athlete comes out of the closet and tells about how he (or she) was influenced towards the school wearing the right brand. Then what happens? We've been shoveling this snit under the rug for way too long and the end result will probably lead to an overreaction or a quick, forced decision because we wait until something major hits the news. Just look at the NFL and how they dropped the ball on human abuse cases.