🏀 KuBuckets Archive

JayHawkFanToo said:

Considering that every elite program pursues every top prospect, anytime it does not get all the prospects it pursues it would then be considered a failure? The class you mentioned above would not be even a bit of a disappointment and would be a really good class, in my opinion of course.

It wouldn't be a big disappointment but it would fall short of expectations for various reasons imo, of course. There's a lot of talent leaving KU after the season and I would like to see the class balanced between elite/early impact players and 4 year types. The above mentioned class wouldn't be a balance of that unless Zeke Nnaji was further along then expected.

Nice to see Michigan St #10 for the opener. Could start the season with a Top 10 win. This isn't Izzo's most talented squad by any means but usually he makes those his most dangerous

KSU should be ranked where they are. A veteran squad that made the Elite 8 and gets a healthy Wade back. They are better right now then the 4 teams ranked above them.

Not understanding Virginia at #5 or West Virginia at #13 but its pre-season so who cares.

@BShark

At this moment I do not expect Hurt ends up at KU either. We'll see whether that situation changes in the winter/spring when he's actually serious about his recruiting.

BShark said:

Swoosh rumors with JRE.

no surprise

Marco said:

May I opine (and I'll admit, I am a glass 3/4 full kinda guy)? How 'bout a recruiting class that features Zeke, Chandler Lawson, Issac McBride and Christian Braun, along with another top 50 big man? I'll take that, along with Dedric and KJ both returning to play in Allen with their brother for one year..... I don't think that we'll get any probation, the story is TOO BIG, concerns all of college basketball, and even football.

That would be a bit of a disappointing class. Although you didn't specify which Top 50 big man it would be we can all but assume the only target that will be on the board is Hurt after the November signing period.

If the class is Hurt, Zeke, Lawson, McBride & Braun its still a bit disappointing considering the talent they pursued but in time maybe this class would be viewed differently. Hurt is a OAD impact starter. Zeke is a rotation/extremely high upside type.
I'm not a big fan of Chandler but his length (crazy wingspan) and skill set is intriguing to develop. McBride is a future starter imo, Bruan I will wait and see how much he changes his body and how he develops in the system.

I would put Dedric returning at less then 1%. 50/50 with KJ depending on his role and minutes this year.

FarmerJayhawk said:

It’s because you don’t go around and say, “yeah we’re totally cheating lol” on a public forum when there’s no concrete information otherwise.

You nailed it

@jayballer73

Maybe pipedream wasn't the right word. I'll switch to unlikely, that's been my thought for months. We'll find out soon enough

I know I'm not the only one that's been saying JRE to KU was a pipedream. Certainly momentum is going that way

@jayballer73

There's opportunity at Louisville too, they had to get a monster class because the team has 7 scholarship players after this season if no one leaves. Its definitely clear players see things differently then fans. I'm sure players think the worst of it is behind them with a new regime in place

BShark said:

@BeddieKU23 Exhibit A of why I just can't be worried about KU. They threw Louisville under the bus and Pitino was a guy with a really bad history and cheated while on probation so of course he was fired. Now it's just like nothing happened.

Yeah Louisville is too big to fail. We'll be fine and biz will be back to norm as time passes

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

KUSTEVE said:

@BShark BTW, ESPN didn't have one story concerning the Zion Williamson/Townsend phone call. They will fight to their last breath to save the Rat and Dook.

The ACC in general, but especially Duke. ESPN is awful.

247's main page had a full on article about a Duke scrimmage against itself.

I'm fully expecting next we get to hear breakdown's of layup lines and shoot arounds

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

KU/Adidas/Self story still front page news on Nike's network.

Shocking!

I bet its there all weekend

BShark said:

Aidin Igiehon to Louisville as expected. Good lord, they have a MONSTER class.

If you rebuild Louisville, they will come LOL.

BShark said:

@BeddieKU23 I think right now, publicly KU is in a no-win situation. Which is why for now I would keep Adidas. No new deal could be leveraged from a position of strength.

I agree and I assume that's the position they have taken by not signing.

@Bosthawk

I don't think its as easy as saying there's a formula or template used. As you've seen with all the stuff from the trial some players had "bidding" wars that upped the price. Generally though the higher ranked players would get the most.

I will share just a few details of the case I mentioned I'm familiar with, regarding a 2019 recruit. There was a bidding war for his services among multiple programs under the same shoe company affiliation. It was just a matter of which deal was the right deal for this player and family. There were short term and long term benefits offered from all in some fashion.

If a family/guardian/handler is involved, more then likely they are approached first. If you want influence over someone's son, you probably start there. I think it also depends on the player. Did they become recognizable talent early on? Late bloomer? If your child is a HS freshman playing on a high profile AAU team imagine how many events and people cross paths with each other over the course of 3+ years.

To your last point about KU 4 year players. I would put the % at 50% likely, maybe even a low figure. Many 4 year KU players are still Top 100 type recruits.

KU/Adidas/Self story still front page news on Nike's network.

JayHawkFanToo said:

@BeddieKU23

Why should KU dump Adidas?

First, no other shoeco will pay what Adidas pays.

Second, it would be a de facto admission of guilt.

Third, if KU gets NIke or Under Armour we are just trading one crooked firm for another. Would you rather have World Wide Wes instead of Gassnola? They are all the same except, much like the mafia, Nike pays for protection from prosecution and mostly stays above the fray until an Elliot Ness like prosecutor comes along and takes them down.

1. Why dump Adidas?

Because its business. This trial is bad business.

1. There are always deals to be made. Why does KU need 191 million from a shoe company over 10 years? How did College Sports get so convoluted with shoe company money that it would be a deal "too good to walk away from". I understand this deal supports ALL KU athletics but Adidas (and some of its employee's) have created bad business.

2. Something we agree on. Maybe the NCAA will remove shoe companies from the equation, or make one single company the provider for all. That's a pipedream. I'm open to hearing suggestions of what exactly would solve the problem KU is deep in the mud in

Bosthawk said:

If anything I hope that the top one and dones
Go to Nike schools at least for a while .
F ‘em - Nike can pay them and they can burden some other program. I’ve never felt they are worth the troubke and we can win without them

Nike is paying guys that are not one and done's. That's just an FYI in case you think its only the top tier talent that's being influenced.

I can share through chat if you would like the specifics of one such case I'm well aware of

Yahoo blasting Zion's involvement on their front page. Of course crickets at ESPN. Nike's money runs deep.

But Self makes the top story. At the end they throw in Calipari not sure if cheaters will be stopped. HOW CLICHE

As far as the program, nothing. Everyone is complicit in the current environment.

But KU should dump Adidas. In the end this is all about money for both sides. There's a lot of money on the line. I just can't believe they would stick with them after this. It's pitiful, PITIFUL Gassnola was allowed to be around the program. The bad apple in the bag and there is a lot of apples out there doing everything he was doing without begging for someone to blow the whistle on him.

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

Woodrow said:

Man that would be a kick in the gut to miss on him.

imo has been a possibility since the summer

Agree. He has always said his recruitment is open and was annoyed by the fact that people were saying it was not.

That has always stuck with me as well.

JRE has definitely tried his best to deflect any label placed on him. We'll find out in a few weeks whether it was just part of crootin' or real noise

While my comment about Hurt was a bit knee-jerk to seeing the news I still believe the way he's said he's OAD no matter where he ended up and his lack of interest in recruiting to date still has me convinced he'd take the G-League route in the summer. We'll see if that thought holds true

For the Mitchell Robinson's of the world this will work out fine. Brian Bowen, etc. The shady recruitments or the academically challenged cases..

Woodrow said:

Man that would be a kick in the gut to miss on him.

imo has been a possibility since the summer

@Woodrow

from UNC's site in regards to JRE. They got just a quick blurb from his mother

“We are processing everything now,” his mother, Katie Robinson said, “and he will decide in the next few weeks.”

Also from the update.

Over the last few weeks, that information has changed. Now, as you know from previous scoops and recruitments, often times when inside information isn’t readily accessible, sometimes it’s manufactured. However, the people we’ve heard this from are independent of one another and trustworthy.

Villanova, we’ve heard, is a school not to be discounted. Sources said something “clicked” between the defending champs and Robinson-Earl during his official visit. We’re not saying he’s committing to Villanova, but it doesn’t seem to be just Kansas and UNC as we thought for so long. In fact, if you asked 10 people where Robinson-Earl is going, I bet you’d get up to four different schools as answers (Kansas, Villanova, Arizona, and UNC).

As you know, Roy Williams will recruit Robinson-Earl until he’s made a college decision. To that end, he and assistants Brad Frederick and Hubert Davis were in Bradenton, Fla. on Tuesday checking in on 2019 UNC commit Armando Bacot, 2020 target Jaden Springer, and Robinson-Earl.

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

And if this is good for 2019 kids Matthew Hurt will not be stepping foot on a College Campus (in regards to KU recruiting)

Agree and KU should up the ante with Chandler Lawson if this is the case.

Nnaji falls outside the "elite barrier".

JRE is right on the border of "elite" depending on the site

And if this is good for 2019 kids Matthew Hurt will not be stepping foot on a College Campus (in regards to KU recruiting)

So is this valid for the 19 class or 20?

See ya Duke and Kentucky!

125k is a game changer. Everyone might be recruiting the 50-100 ranked kids if that goes through

From my memory of the Cliff Alexander recruitment Self was accused by other schools (fans) etc for how he was able to secure his commitment. The term Dollar Bill has been a popular one over the years

JayHawkFanToo said:

@BeddieKU23

If JRE was/is expecting any type of pay out for selecting a school that is probably not going to happen with KU now, at least not in the current environment where KU need to stay pristine clean. If the jury on the FBI trial comes back quickly with a not guilty verdict things might change.

Gassnola isn't the only Adidas runner out there (I know this for a fact), he's just the one that was caught. Given the info out there regarding him, its extremely sloppy and disappointing KU coaches were in contact with him in any manner.

Regarding JRE.. I assume this one is mostly a clean recruitment given his ties to his two favorites KU/UNC. He doesn't need money to pick KU, a school he's visited a good amount and where his family is within driving distance. Now if this is about $ driving his recruitment Nike certainly would have an advantage right now

Woodrow said:

Yesterday in court it was said the Brian Bowen Sr. took 7 different payments from AAU teams and shoe / schools. He was getting paid for his kid to play on AAU team!! That blew my mind.

Bowen Sr is just one of many in that boat

@BShark

Good stuff.

@Woodrow

Haven't seen one yet.

I believe JRE planned to sit down and go through things over the next few weeks with visits over.

I think we'll see him announce his intentions by the end of the month on a date

Larry Bird Jr finally won something

@mayjay

Well said

It happens at the High School level as well. It's happening as we speak. I was told this week of one case involving a shoe company and a 2019 player committed to a school. There was an actual bidding war among schools under the same shoe affiliation for his signature.

Nothing stopped folks, College Ball is still dirty even as a trial goes on about how dirty it is

I'm disappointed the most in the fact that the "bag man" and Self didn't have layers of separation. Gassnola and Self are not even in the same stratosphere of character but somehow, someway they are connected in this and the optics look bad. That's my two cents here.

kjayhawks said:

@BeddieKU23 I like the the current challenge but I think good match ups in Jan or Feb are better than the champions classic in early Nov.

I don't mind the Champions Classic. You get an extremely early feel of where a team is at and it never hurts beating a Duke/UK/Sparty on national TV and having some bragging rights.

Will be interesting to see if this is replacing the SEC Challenge or becomes another standalone series

@dylans

I edited to fix for Big-East, not Big-10.

Agree

@Kcmatt7

I think its time for a change anyway. The Big-12 & Big-East also have 10 teams which gets everyone involved in this.

@BShark

If you don't subscribe you can't read the article:disappointed:

Starting in 19-20. I wonder if this will replace the SEC Challenge?

Could be playing Nova annually now..

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

approxinfinity said:

I havent kept up to date but I just read this on ESPN. Is everything there stuff we already knew?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24990651/texts-show-kansas-coaches-knew-adidas-role-silvio-de-sousa-recruitment ↗

The texts involving self are new.

But still just confirming previous claims that Gassnola chatted with Self/KT frequently.

I had no issue with that part however the texts do imply a lot more involvement with Self and thats just sad. Oh well onward and upward

approxinfinity said:

I havent kept up to date but I just read this on ESPN. Is everything there stuff we already knew?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24990651/texts-show-kansas-coaches-knew-adidas-role-silvio-de-sousa-recruitment ↗

The texts involving self are new.

BShark said:

@BeddieKU23 Well I mean, are you surprised? I'm not.

I'm not surprised at all. I'm just disappointed, very disappointed to say the least

At minimum Self and his coaches were well aware of the bag man for Adidas. SMH

Not a good look