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Brandon Austin to PC

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upstater said:
Not many kids want to wait until April to start scrambling for another place to go to school and/or play for a few years. Sure, he'll find a spot, but is Cooley holding a scholarship for an April decommit? I doubt it.
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Beat me by seconds.
 
2Infinity said:
I'm not aware of any recruits ever being denied who've asked to be released from their LOIs, or wanting to transfer from UConn, as in the APR issue. If Austin's ONLY issue was concern about Ollie's tenure here, I couldn't see Manuel holding him to the "Olllie LOI". In fact, it's been mentioned here before that recruits have signed LOIs with certain "release" conditions being agreed to in advance, such as a coaching change. Good luck to him. We'll be just fine!
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Conditional commitments are not allowed. It does usually follow that the school will allow the recruit to back out of a commitment, but it is not a guarantee. In any event, I don't think you can view the likelihood of being released from a LOI as the same thing as security. At best, it gives him a chance to explore whatever possibilities, if any, are still available then. Much different scenario than choosing among several desirable schools that have offered.
 
8893 said:
Conditional commitments are not allowed. It does usually follow that the school will allow the recruit to back out of a commitment, but it is not a guarantee. In any event, I don't think you can view the likelihood of being released from a LOI as the same thing as security. At best, it gives him a chance to explore whatever possibilities, if any, are still available then. Much different scenario than choosing among several desirable schools that have offered.
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Correct, but recruits can sign (I forget what they are called) documents which tie the school to the recruit but not the recruit to the school.

BTW no recruit who went elsewhere is going to say it was because of Ollie's contract situation. Nobody's stupid enough to go on record that the school they chose was second choice because their first choice's coach's contract wasn't solid.
 
caw said:
Very few recruits are going to go to a school because of the school these days. Austin didn't go to PC because it was PC, he went because he liked Cooley a lot. Most aren't like Samuels who just loves UConn.
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And even rarer still are the ones like Jordan Bell, who just loves UConn and chose to show it by committing to Oregon.
 
caw said:
BTW no recruit who went elsewhere is going to say it was because of Ollie's contract situation. Nobody's stupid enough to go on record that the school they chose was second choice because their first choice's coach's contract wasn't solid.
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Agree 100%. And that's exactly why all of Manuel's minions here will continue to argue that we can't say that the head coaching vacancy is scaring off recruits. No recruit is ever going to say that.

But I've already said too much. Huskymaniac is going to be upset with me again for fomenting bad stories about UConn.
 
upstater said:
Not many kids want to wait until April to start scrambling for another place to go to school and/or play for a few years. Sure, he'll find a spot, but is Cooley holding a scholarship for an April decommit? I doubt it.
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Understand your point, just think that if his reason is he's not buying into Ollie now, then he doesn't have the confidence in Ollie to be successful. I'd rather have a bunch of Omar Calhouns, who have the faith, than someone that has so little confidence.

The contract is secondary, it will take care of itself. I think it's more that he liked Cooley et al and how he has a chance to be part of a rejuvenation of the program there. There are going to be other talented kids for us to bring on...no worries here!
 
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8893 said:
And even rarer still are the ones like Jordan Bell, who just loves UConn and chose to show it by committing to Oregon.
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In all the other cases of losing a recruit, I didn't blame Manuel. Bell said he loved UConn and it was his top school, but he's a west coast kid who said a lot of things. Quincy Poindexter once said the same thing. XRM to father's alma mater at FSU. Vonleh to Indiana, the school is ranked #1 right now. Cameron to G'town is a good landing spot, especially for a Jersey Catholic school kid--they never come to UConn. Iverson to Memphis--a question if he was even offered.

With Austin you have a kid that wants to play guard being tutored by Kevin Ollie and Karl Hobbs at a school with a national presence and a record of putting kids in the NBA. The choice was down to UConn and PC. I can understand why he chose PC even if he has a couple good guards ahead of him there as well. PC has been abysmal this year, barely beating the New Jersey Institute of Tecmology (hat tip Da Ali G). Say what you will, but what tipped him over the edge is a simple question: "what do the UConn admin's know that I don't know? why haven't they locked things down?"

The lack of LOI from Facey reinforces the problems.
 
Would I have liked to get him? Sure Do that I care that we swung and miss? Not at all.

I admit I got caught in the hype of this kid being the biggest target for this class left on the board, but not really concerned we lost him. My biggest concern is a BIG. We whiff here and it will not be good.
 
2Infinity said:
Understand your point, just think that if his reason is he's not buying into Ollie now, then he doesn't have the confidence in Ollie to be successful. I'd rather have a bunch of Omar Calhouns, who have the faith, than someone that has so little confidence.

The contract is secondary, it will take care of itself. I think it's more that he liked Cooley et al and how he has a chance to be part of a rejuvenation of the program there. There are going to be other talented kids for us to bring on...no worries here!
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Omar Calhoun was here in Sept. already when Calhoun retired. Omar would have been dinged by the NCAA if he left. He was practically captive. Look at Facey: no LOI.
 
8893 said:
Agree 100%. And that's exactly why all of Manuel's minions here will continue to argue that we can't say that the head coaching vacancy is scaring off recruits. No recruit is ever going to say that.

But I've already said too much. Huskymaniac is going to be upset with me again for fomenting bad stories about UConn.
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All Ollie can do is win this year and develop the kids he can. Hope Facey remains committed/commits, or at least waits until spring (to see if Ollie gets a new contract) before committing elsewhere (if Ollie doesn't). Then assuming he gets a long contract, go after kids in the spring. There may be another Evans out there, or some other transfer who isn't happy at his school, or maybe some other kid like Lawrence.

I believe Ollie will prove to everyone he is the man for the job and he will succeed greatly once his contract is settled. 2014 recruiting could be huge for UConn.
 
He wants/fancies himself to be be a one and done player.

So when he says

https://twitter.com/KevinMcNamara33
"I see myself as the point guard"

you can see why he doesn't want to ride the pine behind the Boatshow. Hard to showcase your skills that way.

This is just a business decision on Austin's part.
 
2Infinity said:
Understand your point, just think that if his reason is he's not buying into Ollie now, then he doesn't have the confidence in Ollie to be successful. I'd rather have a bunch of Omar Calhouns, who have the faith, than someone that has so little confidence.
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So you're saying that he should have more confidence in Ollie than Warde Manuel does?

What does Omar Calhoun have to do with this? What were his options when he learned that JC was retiring?
 
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2Infinity said:
UThere are going to be other talented kids for us to bring on...no worries here!
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I think this class is done, actually. There won't be other talented kids. They are all locked down. Other than Facey's LOI, it really doesn't matter what Manuel does at this point.
 
Rumrunner said:
He wants/fancies himself to be be a one and done player.

So when he says

https://twitter.com/KevinMcNamara33
"I see myself as the point guard"

you can see why he doesn't want to ride the pine behind the Boatshow. Hard to showcase your skills that way.

This is just a business decision on Austin's part.
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So, he's going to start in front of Kris Dunn, top 10 player from last year's class.
 
upstater said:
In all the other cases of losing a recruit, I didn't blame Manuel. Bell said he loved UConn and it was his top school, but he's a west coast kid who said a lot of things. Quincy Poindexter once said the same thing. XRM to father's alma mater at FSU. Vonleh to Indiana, the school is ranked #1 right now. Cameron to G'town is a good landing spot, especially for a Jersey Catholic school kid--they never come to UConn. Iverson to Memphis--a question if he was even offered.

With Austin you have a kid that wants to play guard being tutored by Kevin Ollie and Karl Hobbs at a school with a national presence and a record of putting kids in the NBA. The choice was down to UConn and PC. I can understand why he chose PC even if he has a couple good guards ahead of him there as well. PC has been abysmal this year, barely beating the New Jersey Institute of Tecmology (hat tip Da Ali G). Say what you will, but what tipped him over the edge is a simple question: "what do the UConn admin's know that I don't know? why haven't they locked things down?"

The lack of LOI from Facey reinforces the problems.
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XRM also wasn't allowed to visit due to SAT scores. Bell was the biggest drop though.

I don't think this class is closed. UConn will likely have scholarships for a kid like RJ Evans/Montrez Hazell/etc., when the coaching merry-go-round starts up again.

Facey is a big deal, because he likes UConn and Ollie. If he decommits and goes elsewhere, that is 100% on Manuel.
 
upstater said:
So, he's going to start in front of Kris Dunn, top 10 player from last year's class.
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No, Dunn is a better PG, IMO. He won't be behind two guys at PG though as he might be at UConn. Honestly, I don't think Austin is a PG, he's Jamal Crawfordish (no clue if that good) at best, which isn't a PG.
 
upstater said:
Omar Calhoun was here in Sept. already when Calhoun retired. Omar would have been dinged by the NCAA if he left. He was practically captive. Look at Facey: no LOI.
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Omar Calhoun was not flying blind. There were articles all over the place suggesting last season might have been it for JC. He easily could, and I'm sure did, ask JC/UConn about it. But he still came even with the uncertainty or the knowledge that there would be a change! That's confidence...and commitment!!

Austin sounds like he's really looking to be "the guy". He can capture more credit by bringing PC back from the abyss, than by just keeping UConn near the top of the CBB world.
 
upstater said:
In all the other cases of losing a recruit, I didn't blame Manuel. Bell said he loved UConn and it was his top school, but he's a west coast kid who said a lot of things. Quincy Poindexter once said the same thing. XRM to father's alma mater at FSU. Vonleh to Indiana, the school is ranked #1 right now. Cameron to G'town is a good landing spot, especially for a Jersey Catholic school kid--they never come to UConn. Iverson to Memphis--a question if he was even offered.

With Austin you have a kid that wants to play guard being tutored by Kevin Ollie and Karl Hobbs at a school with a national presence and a record of putting kids in the NBA. The choice was down to UConn and PC. I can understand why he chose PC even if he has a couple good guards ahead of him there as well. PC has been abysmal this year, barely beating the New Jersey Institute of Tecmology (hat tip Da Ali G). Say what you will, but what tipped him over the edge is a simple question: "what do the UConn admin's know that I don't know? why haven't they locked things down?"

The lack of LOI from Facey reinforces the problems.
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I understand the extenuating circumstances with each one. I'm just being snarky, and I do enjoy getting Squidward's dander up.

I also agree that the damage done by the head coaching vacancy is largely already done. I'm not sanguine about the spring signing period. Next season will likely be another write-off, except that we'll be able to mollify ourselves through next December with delusions of NCAA tourney appearances, until our continued lack of a legitimate front court comes home to roost again.
 
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upstater said:
I think this class is done, actually. There won't be other talented kids. They are all locked down. Other than Facey's LOI, it really doesn't matter what Manuel does at this point.
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There usually are guys who develop significantly in their senior seasons. I'm sure this year will be no different...and a few BIGS will be in the mix.
 
Being a freshman pg is a lot different than being a junior point guard (especially a more mature Boatwright), no matter who the freshman pg is. Besides, PC is talking about running the two of them together. UConn's backcourt next year (assuming both napier and bw stay) will be a lot more difficult to get meaningful minutes than PC's.

upstater said:
So, he's going to start in front of Kris Dunn, top 10 player from last year's class.
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Calhoun's Court said:
+10000
Manuel is doing great harm by not doing anything.
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So you're willing to make a bad hire to land 1 or 2 recruits?

I'm not saying I think Ollie would be a bad hire, I just think you don't worry about 1 or 2 recruits when making this big of a hire. Calhoun completely built this program, but he left the program in a difficult spot (sanctions, post season ban, ability to transfer, retiring at a time when UConn couldn't conduct a search for head coach). The awkward spot UConn is in this year is on Calhoun's shoulders. But it's not a big deal, it will get worked out.

The key is to make the right hire. Whether it is Ollie or not, neither Jim Calhoun nor Brandon Austin should dictate the process or the hire.

Out of the 4 open spots, Ollie has been able to land 2 top kids regardless of the coaching situation.
 
huskiesnyc said:
PC makes more sense for BA if he is set on playing point. He will never start over Boatright or Shabazz, and PC is losing Council. Still a big pickup and talent upgrade for the Friars
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What I don't get, is if not UConn why PC? If this kid is good why doesn't he have other top programs on him. I don't get it. As far as Ledo and Dunn, they didn't want Lego due to his bagage and character. They liked Dunn, but didn't go hard after him and played a position that was not one of great need. By the time they realized how good he was, they fell behind and props to Cooley for winning that recruiting battle.

Now we can't blame the sinking BE on this one since he's choosing a program that has no options but to go down with the ship. Maybe it was simply oportunity thing going on here where he wants to play PG and it's less crowded at that position at PC.

With all that said, Manuel not giving KO and multi-year contract certainly isn't helping. We have to face it, until KO gets that extension we're not going to get anyone. Let's hope UConn continues to surprise us, maybe we find we're ACC bound and there's some solid talent still on the board next spring so that the program isn't set back a few years due to poor recruiting. I'd be remiss, if I didn't say I'm still pissed at Manuel for sticking his head up his ass, putting his pride over what's best for UConn. As AD he's supposed to make decisions that are in the best interest of UConn. I can't see how what he's going fits that.

Hopefully we get a nice W tonight to get me out of this pisser of a mood. It's not that I wanted Austin all that badly. It's just missing out on another recruit that's got me all pissed off.
 
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HuskyBballFan said:
He said Providence coach Ed Cooley told him he will start as a freshman and "will be the man the moment he steps on campus."​

So who doesn't start? Dunn? Ledo? Bryce Cotton - who will be a senior and is currently averaging 25 points per game?​
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Ollie is a man of integrity. You have to earn it at UConn. ;)

PC will have chemistry problems and self destruct. Its like running a business.
 
Manu
upstater said:
I think this class is done, actually. There won't be other talented kids. They are all locked down. Other than Facey's LOI, it really doesn't matter what Manuel does at this point.
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Manuel has done enough already..................................................................................... to completely sabotage recruiting for this year and greatly impact the team next year and the year after. We have 1 so so recruit coming in for next year which hurts next year's team because of lack of incoming talent. Also last year's class only included 3 players, one of which can be said will definately be a contributor. Jury is out on the others two players. We have some big problems that are starting here.

Say what you want but the trend is bad, real bad. Schools are hitting us with a deadly combo of lack of HC certainty, unproven HC, academic and recruiting sanctions, wobbly conference. Makes for a deadly cocktail.
FAST
 
DogMania said:
What I don't get, is if not UConn why PC? If this kid is good why doesn't he have other top programs on him. I don't get it. As far as Ledo and Dunn, they didn't want Lego due to his bagage and character. They liked Dunn, but didn't go hard after him and played a position that was not one of great need. By the time they realized how good he was, they fell behind and props to Cooley for winning that recruiting battle.

Now we can't blame the sinking BE on this one since he's choosing a program that has no options but to go down with the ship. Maybe it was simply oportunity thing going on here where he wants to play PG and it's less crowded at that position at PC.

With all that said, Manuel not giving KO and multi-year contract certainly isn't helping. We have to face it, until KO gets that extension we're not going to get anyone. Let's hope UConn continues to surprise us, maybe we find we're ACC bound and there's some solid talent still on the board next spring so that the program isn't set back a few years due to poor recruiting. I'd be remiss, if I didn't say I'm still pissed at Manuel for sticking his head up his ass, putting his pride over what's best for UConn. As AD he's supposed to make decisions that are in the best interest of UConn. I can't see how what he's going fits that.

Hopefully we get a nice W tonight to get me out of this pisser of a mood. It's not that I wanted Austin all that badly. It's just missing out on another recruit that's got me all pissed off.
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There isn't much talent left for the spring signing period for 2013. We are shooting for 2014. That class will be top 15.
 
hungry husky said:
Who's our next target?
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No top 100's we are involved with for 2013. Move on to 2014. Ollie will get us to the Sweet 16 next year without "Black Jesus." "Black Jesus" will be just the poison PC is accustomed to. The kid is a nice player but PC has a crowed back court and Dunn & "Black Jesus" will hate on each other until....
 
8893 said:
Can't blame this one on Manuel. He's obviously been busy not getting us into a viable conference.
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Not true.....According to the Courant, Warde was on a plane to the USVI today.
 
BLUEDOGHOUSE said:
No top 100's we are involved with for 2013. Move on to 2014. Ollie will get us to the Sweet 16 next year without "Black Jesus." "Black Jesus" will be just the poison PC is accustomed to. The kid is a nice player but PC has a crowed back court and Dunn & "Black Jesus" will hate on each other until....
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Kids haven't even started their senior year - kids will emerge. Colleges will make coaching changes - kids that didn't sign will look around. I don't think UConn is done.
 
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