2025 Recruiting: Niko Bundalo

[NJHoops]

Why is this thread a thing lol

Because people like to play psychologist but are kind of bad at it.

 

[HooperScooper]

Why is this thread a thing lol

I'm still confused why this thread was started in the first place.

 

[NJHoops]

Your point about the prep schools and academies is one I hadn't considered. How much trouble can you get into... even if you want to... at Brewster?

Add in the sudden access to all the privileges of the well-resourced rich (even in a tangential way) and things that may have been a problem or that may have escalated can go a very different way. I don’t even hate it- if it’s already happening for some, why not?

I did just finish a book about the Murdaugh family in South Carolina, which may be heavily influencing my opinion at the moment.

 

[knicksin7]

I mean, he’s recruited and signed guys with arrest histories and others who have had incidents once they’ve gotten on campus, if that’s what you’re looking for. He’s signed players who have been kicked off of other college teams.

I think what’s missing in this conversation is how many “troubled kids” do you even hear about anymore? There’s some, sure, but it’s different than it used to be. There are incidents once they get to campus, including at UConn and at Rhode Island with Hurley as coach, but highly rated recruits in a lot of sports are shipped off to these academies and private schools where they are incredibly protected and given breaks way more now than ever before. Also, with the money these guys are being given, everyone is more risk averse in the game now compared to when Calhoun coached.

Hurley is like Calhoun in that he’ll trust his impression of a guy at the time way more than the rumors or the verified earlier mistakes.

Think you're absolutely right that this type of thing is dealt with at private school now. I also think players now - perhaps it's the money, perhaps it's social media - just seem so much more professional. Some of that professionalism is frankly too much in my view, but it's there. (which is why Bouknight is such an annoying situation - the guy had every single thing going his way - prep schools, handlers, etc, etc, and still manages to be a knucklehead). The stories of Ron Artest drinking 40s at the halftime of Bulls games just don't exist anymore. The days of kids just being from the hood and having ball as the only way out - seems also lessened. Lots of players are now sons of former college and NBA pros, and grow up in affluent areas. I guess it must be AAU camps from when they are 8, nonstop cameras on them. So it's difficult to compare periods IMO. But yeah, Calhoun definitely would go anywhere to find talent (90% of the time justified): Doug Wren, Doug Wiggins, Marcus Williams, Nate Miles, Caron, AJ, Jerome Dyson, KEA, , Stanley etc - all had significant off-court issues either previous or at UCONN

 

[superjohn]

Her first charge was attempted, so I'm thinking no


Your point about the prep schools and academies is one I hadn't considered. How much trouble can you get into... even if you want to... at Brewster?

NJHoops is right on. There was a fair amount of CT high school kids who were either caught up in off the court nonsense or couldn't even get it together enough to play college ball back in the day. There really wasn't good structure for kids back then unless they really had a great high school coach who was on their butt. I think it was that way in a lot of places for a long time. If a kid was that good they sort of did whatever the heck they wanted with nobody to check them...

With New England prep basketball what it is today and basketball academy type places around the country kids with serious talent seem to have a way better foundation. If a kid is good enough to have a serious future in basketball it seems way less likely they fall through the cracks now and develop terrible habits off the court. It's hurt the public school game because talent goes elsewhere but the kids who are good enough tend to make it now instead of falling through the cracks and that's a very good thing.

I think it's in all levels of the basketball now. You don't hear nearly as many stories of wasted talent at the high school, college or pro levels as you used to.