2020 Recruiting: Cam Thomas Update

[CL82]

Have to wonder if Dan Hurley's back issue and surgery inhibited our efforts a bit. Nothing we could do about that and if that's the case, I have to believe we'll get better news with him back out there.

#thegrind

 

[CardiacAndre7]

We seemed to be in a really good/great position with our main targets and have faded for whatever reasons. Now it seems that the class may ride on getting Cam and our competition is all of a sudden a couple of the dirtiest programs in the country. Our staff hit on their first three targets last year but then missed on all our big man targets. If we somehow miss on all our targets this year after getting news we're back in the Big East, it's troubling.

Missing on a whole class puts you in a really big hole that can't be covered up. Let's all hope this class figures itself out.

At the very least to start off we need to get one of Richmond/Jackson, and since Zionn ‘Next’d’ Richmond, that’s not looking good. Just like you you said, first class coming into the Big East looking like this is troubling.

 

[pj]

One scoring perimeter guy and one big is a good class for us. Cliff or Cardwell or Javonte Brown would all be a great big. Gotta hope for Cam, Richmond, Jackson, or a player to be named later on the guard/wing.

It may be that after a brief dry spell in payouts after the FBI investigation, money is back in college recruiting, and if so that doesn't bode well for the good guys. But if things are on the up and up, I think we'll pull out a good class.

 

[businesslawyer]

Worried we're headed down a path where we get in all these guys top 5's but don't finish. Happened so much under KO. Still a lot of time but I'm not overly confident about landing any one recruit at the moment

The average program at this will get exactly one out of five players for which they are in the top 5. Just saying.

 

[Scrutineer]

Somehow these kids have to be informed of what LSU and Auburn might be facing (I know, fat chance) if the NCAA actually does their job.
The head coach had to know Auburn's assistant was involved in payola and Tremont Waters didn't leave LSU early to get picked in the second round.

 

[pj]

The average program at this will get exactly one out of five players for which they are in the top 5. Just saying.

According to this Internet site, Binomial Probability Calculator , if you are going after 5 players with a 20% chance of getting each, your probability of getting zero is 32.768%.

Your probability of getting 1 is 40.96%. Probability of getting 2 is 20.48%. Probability of getting 3 is 5.1%.

I predict a 32.768% chance of panic on the Boneyard, a 40.96% chance of disappointment and grousing, a 20.48% chance of guarded optimism, and a 5.1% chance of rejoicing.

 

[BackAftaThis]

This might be a bit outlandish of a question but would any assistant get fired bc of a bad class like this?

Still quite not understanding for the amount these guys are out there grinding that every route they have chosen is looking like a bad one.

 

[kansashusky]

This might be a bit outlandish of a question but would any assistant get fired bc of a bad class like this?

Still quite not understanding for the amount these guys are out there grinding that every route they have chosen is looking like a bad one.

I posted this awhile back, but no one on this staff has ever brought top 50 talent to their previous teams except for Tom Moore and that was when he was at UConn the first time. If Hurley can't pull in a single top 100 kid in this class, that would be a red flag.

 

[businesslawyer]

This might be a bit outlandish of a question but would any assistant get fired bc of a bad class like this?

Still quite not understanding for the amount these guys are out there grinding that every route they have chosen is looking like a bad one.

Do you fire an assistant coach not because you don't think he can do the job, but because one year you didn't get the class you think you should have? Man, I hope that was rhetorical or facetious.

 

[BackAftaThis]

Do you fire an assistant coach not because you don't think he can do the job, but because one year you didn't get the class you think you should have? Man, I hope that was rhetorical or facetious.

This is sports. The only thing that proves who can do the job are results. So yes, if they do whiff on one of our most important classes in this coaching tenure, it's a giant red flag. Who cares what someone's perception of another's ability to do the job is if the results aren't there?

 

[ctchamps]

Ok @bendm. Now you can present your fears and concerns. Hope is turning into fear.

 

[husky429]

This might be a bit outlandish of a question but would any assistant get fired bc of a bad class like this?

Still quite not understanding for the amount these guys are out there grinding that every route they have chosen is looking like a bad one.

A bad class like what? If we get 0 of Jackson/Thomas/Richmond Cliff/Cardwell/Ferguson and can't find any transfers or recruits of equivalent skill? Yeah, somebody's getting fired. The chances at that happening pretty small though.

 

[QDOG5]

According to this Internet site, Binomial Probability Calculator , if you are going after 5 players with a 20% chance of getting each, your probability of getting zero is 32.768%.

Your probability of getting 1 is 40.96%. Probability of getting 2 is 20.48%. Probability of getting 3 is 5.1%.

I predict a 32.768% chance of panic on the Boneyard, a 40.96% chance of disappointment and grousing, a 20.48% chance of guarded optimism, and a 5.1% of rejoicing.

Too low on the panic percentage.

 

[ctchamps]

I swear, if LSU isn't banned, the NCAA needs to let loose the floodgates on booster payouts.

If we can find a booster we have a delivery system. @Chief00 has a set up at the urinals. He can hand over the money and he and the recruit can shake on it.

 

[c29328]

Somehow these kids have to be informed of what LSU and Auburn might be facing (I know, fat chance) if the NCAA actually does their job.
The head coach had to know Auburn's assistant was involved in payola and Tremont Waters didn't leave LSU early to get picked in the second round.

There are no consequences in the NCAA payola program. Not now and likely not ever again for the P5. It's a checkers and chess thing when it comes to SEC money and non/low paying institutions. Kids are getting the message through their friends, coaches, and AAU network that "everyone's doing it!" and are jumping on board. And I don't blame them. It sucks but the playing field is now forever tilted.

 

[UConnStats]

We seemed to be in a really good/great position with our main targets and have faded for whatever reasons. Now it seems that the class may ride on getting Cam and our competition is all of a sudden a couple of the dirtiest programs in the country. Our staff hit on their first three targets last year but then missed on all our big man targets. If we somehow miss on all our targets this year after getting news we're back in the Big East, it's troubling.

Missing on a whole class puts you in a really big hole that can't be covered up. Let's all hope this class figures itself out.

We went to visit Josh Gray at PSA last night. If we can't even close on Cardwell, there's no way you can chalk this class up as anything but an L on paper. Hurley's done a lot with a little in terms of talent his whole career, but this class is going to be a downgrade from 2019's, and that wasn't the intent.

 

[dennismenace]

Football school, football school, Mick Cronin (aka the master of the round of 32) and UConn, the mecca of college basketball. I like our chances.

(Still Doooomed)

Mr. Congeniality:

Mick Cronin Was Furious With His Players After Today's Loss To Houston

 

[dennismenace]

We're fine.

You don't need studs in every class.

Gaffney, Bouknight, Cole, Akok are going to need time, and they will man the fort until a new group of studs comes in.

I think you might well be right. How much playing time will they get right away with that class in front of them.

 

[ucp990411]

Right, giving Hurley a full year of lead time PLUS the Big East thing....the expectation was that this class should be better than the 2020 class. We only only 2-3 openings; not a huge class, but we need to hit on at least 1 top 100 guy and then maybe a top 200 with high potential. That should be the low end expectation here.

I don't really know who to feel good about right now. Ideally, we get one of Thomas/Jackson/Richmond and one of Cardwell/Cliff/Brown-Ferguson....and then wait to the spring on the 3rd guy if we need it. But I don't feel good about any of these 6 right now...

Hit on at least one top 100 and then maybe a top 200? My goodness the bar has been lowered.

 

[mdkhusky]

We went to visit Josh Gray at PSA last night. If we can't even close on Cardwell, there's no way you can chalk this class up as anything but an L on paper. Hurley's done a lot with a little in terms of talent his whole career, but this class is going to be a downgrade from 2019's, and that wasn't the intent.

Gray is ranked higher than cardwell

 

[superjohn]

We went to visit Josh Gray at PSA last night. If we can't even close on Cardwell, there's no way you can chalk this class up as anything but an L on paper. Hurley's done a lot with a little in terms of talent his whole career, but this class is going to be a downgrade from 2019's, and that wasn't the intent.

That's what's concerning. We haven't gotten all these officials and some things should shake out in October but we seem to getting involved with reaches, especially at big. This is going to be a small 2-3 player class and with the Big East announcement I thought we would kill it, it seems to be the complete opposite.

If we can't get our first 2 or 3 options to fill a small class with what should be momentum at our backs, we've got big problems.

 

[CL82]

I posted this awhile back, but no one on this staff has ever brought top 50 talent to their previous teams except for Tom Moore and that was when he was at UConn the first time. If Hurley can't pull in a single top 100 kid in this class, that would be a red flag.

I view this differently. We are a program that is coming off of 3 losing seasons. The fact that we're in the conversation for so many top recruits speaks extraordinarily well for the staff. Being in the hunt is half the battle.

Now we just need to close.

 

[superjohn]

I think you might well be right. How much playing time will they get right away with that class in front of them.

We basically have no proven big time players coming off losing seasons and we're talking about a fear of playing time? We should routinely be getting big time classes, we're UConn with a new coach and back in the Big East.

 

[businesslawyer]

This is sports. The only thing that proves who can do the job are results. So yes, if they do whiff on one of our most important classes in this coaching tenure, it's a giant red flag. Who cares what someone's perception of another's ability to do the job is if the results aren't there?

So you weren't just asking. You were pretending you were asking when you want blood.

Yes, of course results matter. But the point is that statistical means and deviations are such that firing someone because they miss on one recruit, or even a few recruits in one year, is stupid because it doesn't tell you (absent combining it with Hurley's observations) about how he will do next year. It takes a few cycles to be able to judge based on numbers.

 

[superjohn]

I view this differently. We are a program that is coming off of 3 losing seasons. The fact that we're in the conversation for so many top recruits speaks extraordinarily well for the staff. Being in the hunt is half the battle.

No it doesn't...being named by top kids means nothing, it's all about closing. We didn't close on Kofi and because of it we got nothing at big. We don't seem to be trending in the right direction currently on this class.

Other schools have shown they can come off of sucking, get a new coach and they kill it in recruiting. Memphis has the #1 class in the country.

 

[kansashusky]

We went to visit Josh Gray at PSA last night. If we can't even close on Cardwell, there's no way you can chalk this class up as anything but an L on paper. Hurley's done a lot with a little in terms of talent his whole career, but this class is going to be a downgrade from 2019's, and that wasn't the intent.

There more for Jaylen than Gray. Also its a short ride from Storrs and a good place to continue a good relationship. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[kansashusky]

No it doesn't...being named by top kids means nothing, it's all about closing. We didn't close on Kofi and because of it we got nothing at big. We don't seem to be trending in the right direction currently on this class.

Other schools have shown they can come off of sucking, get a new coach and they kill it in recruiting. Memphis has the #1 class in the country.

I hate doing it, but completely agree here. KO made a lot of top 7s and 5s. Doesn't do any good. Need to close.

 

[navery12]

There more for Jaylen than Gray. Also its a short ride from Storrs and a good place to continue a good relationship. I wouldn't read too much into it.

Who is Jaylen?

 

[CL82]

No it doesn't...being named by top kids means nothing, it's all about closing. We didn't close on Kofi and because of it we got nothing at big. We don't seem to be trending in the right direction currently on this class.

Other schools have shown they can come off of sucking, get a new coach and they kill it in recruiting. Memphis has the #1 class in the country.

Lol, Hardaway is hardly the norm.

So your point is essentially that if you want win you've got to be the first guy across the finish line, which is indisputably true. My point is before you can do that you have got to be in the race.

 

[navery12]

Lol, Hardaway is hardly the norm.

So your point is essentially that if you want win you've got to be the first guy across the finish line, which is indisputably true. My point is before you can do that you have got to be in the race.

I think the point is we've been in the race, if we just wanted to be in the race we never needed to move on and hire Hurley. In that sense nothing has changed, we need to start closing