Local prep coaches weigh in on UConn's status in recruiting world

[eireman]

Quinn's team had a sacred heart and a rider commit,that's it... not sure where he is getting his info on high major kids.

Don't forget the george washington commit and the fact that he counsels kids to go where they will do well....all three kids were steals for those programs and will log major minutes....he is well aware of all the kids since most usually have stm as their first choice but he is very selective on who he takes.....he is a cut above smith who admits it and pushed for quinn's inclusion in the hof voting

Quinn's team had a sacred heart and a rider commit,that's it... not sure where he is getting his info on high major kids.

 

[superjohn]

I may be misremembering but hasn't Quinn always had a bit of a weird relationship with UConn? Not that surprised by his comments.

He wasn't a big fan of Calhoun.

 

[eireman]

I may be misremembering but hasn't Quinn always had a bit of a weird relationship with UConn? Not that surprised by his comments.

Let's not go down this path again......it's not true.....while he wasn't thrilled about deng going to uconn he has always supported uconn and has never talked kids out of going there

 

[lange10]

Because it made no sense for him. Did he think about it after seeing almost his whole class leave? Sure. Did he ever SERIOUSLY consider it? Doubt it

It didn't "make sense" for a guy like Enoch to leave either when he was primed to start and finally receive big minutes. Truth be told no one knows 100% what's happening behind those closed doors but I believe the rumors that Vital needed to be talked back from the ledge. Either way, glad he's back and on board with us moving forward.

 

[AntG168]

It didn't "make sense" for a guy like Enoch to leave either when he was primed to start and finally receive big minutes. Truth be told no one knows 100% what's happening behind those closed doors but I believe the rumors that Vital needed to be talked back from the ledge. Either way, glad he's back and on board with us moving forward.

Agreed on the glad he's back part. I dont even care if he was talked back in or not, as long as its rectified

 

[eireman]

He wasn't a big fan of Calhoun.

Other than the deng situaion i think they had a good relationship....uconn has always been an attraction and for soto me of the kids they have blinders on ...some ended up at uconn when they shouldn't have

 

[Waquoit]

That KO, the staff, and UConn are still highly respected. If someone only read this board they'd think the exact opposite

That's just coachspeak. Meaningless.

 

[AntG168]

That's just coachspeak. Meaningless.

Possibly. I honestly have no idea. But i get why someone would be encouraged by what he said

 

[upstater]

Coach Quinn from St. Thomas More saying exactly what I, and many others on this board have been saying. The AAC is a huge problem with these top kids. It just is.

"I think it's taken a hit. Unfortunately, the conference lacks the luster with a lot of these kids. They're in with the top players with every other major program. But the league doesn't bring a lot of national prominence. The rivalries are new; it's a new league trying to find itself. Connecticut is still going after the top-echelon kids in the U.S., and they've got some pretty good players, too."

"It's very difficult for those guys to compete against the Big 10, the Big East, the ACC. If you ask the same question to the people at East Carolina or Tulane - nothing against them, but they're not going after the same kids UConn is going after."

I tend to agree about the conference, BUT a lot of this is just piling on. For instance, UConn never used to compete with the bottom of the Big East either for recruits. So it's easy to name ECU and Tulane. But the fact is, UConn and Cincy do sometimes overlap. Heck, UConn pulled Polley from Temple's lap.

Also, do kids really look to the BE as a conference for exposure? They're not getting much on Fox Sports. But if they want Villanova or Butler, then yeah those schools now have a national profile. No doubt.

Quinn somewhat overstates the case here.

 

[upstater]

Quinn's team had a sacred heart and a rider commit,that's it... not sure where he is getting his info on high major kids.

He has had a couple tug of wars with UConn. The Drummond thing didn't go down well, but I seem to remember we were worried about that relationship long before Drummond. I forgot why it was such a concern, but Quinn had a sour relationship with Calhoun.

 

[upstater]

When Cal was at Memphis, the conference situation was similar to what UConn is in now. Although we don't like him, Cal is the best recruiter of the modern era, and I know he was able to get one and done guys like D Rose and Dejuan Wagner. But was there a big difference between UConn's recruiting in the AAC and Memphis' in Conference USA besides the one and done guys? I don't remember, but were Memphis' role players back then better recruits than Vital, Vance, Diarra, Enoch etc (I know some of those guys transferred but that is a different issue)? I would like to see a comparison.

The recruitment of the Memphis players stunk to high heaven. Remember, their F4 appearance was vacated. The high school transcripts of some of the kids were doctored. It helped Calipari.

 

[Kenny11]

Just took a quick look on 247. From 2003-2008, their typical class was one high level 5* a year and a few (2-3) high 4 stars (rankings in the 35-70 range). So yes it was definitely much better, but not like what he has going on at KY.

But Memphis was also dominating the conference (and getting 1 seeds) not finishing 6th.

Thanks!

 

[upstater]

Just took a quick look on 247. From 2003-2008, their typical class was one high level 5* a year and a few (2-3) high 4 stars (rankings in the 35-70 range). So yes it was definitely much better, but not like what he has going on at KY.

But Memphis was also dominating the conference (and getting 1 seeds) not finishing 6th.

And Memphis was also losing in the Final 4 and getting their appearances vacated, unlike UConn which actually won the national championship fair and square, without having the school sanctioned.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Cal may be the greatest recruiter ever when its all said and done. Average coach but he's a great recruiter and motivator. Whether we like Cal or not his players run thru walls for him

Cal teams vacated two for improper benefits and someone taking a Test for a star play to qualify. His team also performed the biggest choke in my memory to literally give Kansas the NC .
Tell me again how he was successful
Every Cal player recruited carries the stigma of his past tactics.

 

[upstater]

Smith might be a little bias since Chill is one of his closet friends in the business. The results in the first three paragraphs tell the current state.

The detractors are always louder. Ask Nate Blue, "UConn's reign is over!"

 

[upstater]

Come on. His nice words are worth a whole lot.

And what does that count for?

He has zero incentive to say anything bad about the head coach of the leading program in the area. Second, even if we assume they are true (they probably are), they count for absolutely nothing.

His top player (MAL) just left us for Providence. And his other top player chose to play for Chris Mullen and St. John's over us.

Neither of which he may have had any influence over at all for all we know. Which is exactly the point. They are nice words, but don't count for a thing until he starts reliably sending his top kids to play for us. Which again he may or may not control.

Top recruit. Not top player. Big difference.

 

[upstater]

Let's not go down this path again.it's not true.....while he wasn't thrilled about deng going to UConn he has always supported UConn and has never talked kids out of going there

He was definitely sour about Drummond. I mean, come on!

Also, Brewster has been churning out top players compared to STM.

 

[Blaneylover]

I tend to agree about the conference, BUT a lot of this is just piling on. For instance, UConn never used to compete with the bottom of the Big East either for recruits. So it's easy to name ECU and Tulane. But the fact is, UConn and Cincy do sometimes overlap. Heck, UConn pulled Polley from Temple's lap.

Also, do kids really look to the BE as a conference for exposure? They're not getting much on Fox Sports. But if they want Villanova or Butler, then yeah those schools now have a national profile. No doubt.

Quinn somewhat overstates the case here.

The AAC just doesn't have the history that The Big East has. It certainly lacks the cache of the SEC, ACC, or even the Big 12. JC, during his early years, was able to recruit his teams by saying, "Come here to Connecticut and play against the best teams with the best players, in the best league in the country." Those days are gone.

 

[Kenny11]

And Memphis was also losing in the Final 4 and getting their appearances vacated, unlike UConn which actually won the national championship fair and square, without having the school sanctioned.

True. But that wasn't what the question was about. I just wanted to compare recruiting with UConn in the AAC and Memphis in Conf USA.

 

[upstater]

The AAC just doesn't have the history that The Big East has. It certainly lacks the cache of the SEC, ACC, or even the Big 12. JC, during his early years, was able to recruit his teams by saying, "Come here to Connecticut and play against the best teams with the best players, in the best league in the country." Those days are gone.

They don't exist in the BE either though. I doubt Jay Wright is telling that to the excellent players he is recruiting. The exposure is missing as well.

 

[upstater]

True. But that wasn't what the question was about. I just wanted to compare recruiting with UConn in the AAC and Memphis in Conf USA.

I was responding to AllDay on this one. I responded to your question earlier. UConn could simply not use the recruiting tactics that Calipari used at Memphis.

 

[SubbaBub]

It only works if we dominate the AAC and play a high profile national schedule. Finishing mid-pack and losing to programs of lesser stature (which is most of them) hurts recruiting.

 

[willie99]

When Cal was at Memphis, the conference situation was similar to what UConn is in now. Although we don't like him, Cal is the best recruiter of the modern era, and I know he was able to get one and done guys like D Rose and Dejuan Wagner. But was there a big difference between UConn's recruiting in the AAC and Memphis' in Conference USA besides the one and done guys? I don't remember, but were Memphis' role players back then better recruits than Vital, Vance, Diarra, Enoch etc (I know some of those guys transferred but that is a different issue)? I would like to see a comparison.

before Squid went to UK, he adhered to the Jerry Tarkanian school of recruiting

accept the best players that are academically ineligible everywhere else, and D Rose is at the top of that list

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Every Cal player recruited carries the stigma of his past tactics.

Imagine if you were serious and not being sarcastic? Would be one of the most ridiculous posts in years.

 

[eireman]

He has had a couple tug of wars with UConn. The Drummond thing didn't go down well, but I seem to remember we were worried about that relationship long before Drummond. I forgot why it was such a concern, but Quinn had a sour relationship with Calhoun.

He knew drummond was going to go to uconn.....he just wanted him to stay another year because he was so young....he also treated andre like another son and did a lot of nurturing.....like i said deng presented some tension and was not jc's kind of recruit personality wise but quinn didn't stand in the way either......jc and jere had some pleasant conversations while andre was at stm.....hell he and particularly ko seemed to live there