OT- Kasongo To Oregon

[3rdbass]

Oregon is a decent program with a solid coach and great facilities - it's not a shock, but it's part of a troubling trend.

Programs like UCF and Memphis might actually have a shine to them as they're actually stepping up into AAC.

Conversely, Uconn was a great program in a great league and the transition into the AAC puts a tarnish on 'em. They're not overcoming that drag - worse, you can see some signs of panic. (Ollie didn't even scout our last verbal.)

The conference is killing us quickly. Either you believe that or you believe Ollie is a crap recruiter.

Exactly our conference is dead weight dragging us down to the bottom. F! Jeff Hathaway for hiring PP and damning us into eternal purgatory

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Maybe kids are turned-off or scared off by the shear volume of kids we are involved with simultaneously? Other top programs seem to target the players they really want. Kids like to be coddled and treated as a priority rather than just one of many possible pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Duke and Carolina wait to pull the trigger on offers because when they offer they jump to the top of the list. After those two, UConn doesn't seem any more profligate with offers than any other school, so I have a hard time thinking kids are "turned off" by the number of offers out there.

I think Ollie is great. I think - and I've heard - that the kids being recruited love him. I think that if UConn was moving to the ACC he'd be murdering. But as much as some people on here are pumping up programs like Houston and East Carolina, if I was a top recruit I'd want to play in a power conference, not some slapped together collection of left-overs. I see that as a big hurdle to overcome.

So we as a group need to figure out a way to kidnap one of these BCS schools and slide into its place ASAP.

 

[UConniki]

Oregon is a decent program with a solid coach and great facilities - it's not a shock, but it's part of a troubling trend.

Programs like UCF and Memphis might actually have a shine to them as they're actually stepping up into AAC.

Conversely, Uconn was a great program in a great league and the transition into the AAC puts a tarnish on 'em. They're not overcoming that drag - worse, you can see some signs of panic. (Ollie didn't even scout our last verbal.)

The conference is killing us quickly. Either you believe that or you believe Ollie is a crap recruiter.

UCF, SMU,CINN, are all getting 4* commits.

 

[uconnforlife]

I don't want any Kentucky fans on UConn anyway

 

[Limbo Land]

Listen if his heart is somewhere else so be it. I hate that CBB is getting negated here because of our conference. We need the whole college experience (real football and conference) if we are to get back on track.

 

[3rdbass]

UCF, SMU,CINN, are all getting 4* commits.

The only recruit worth talking about from that list is the guard SMU got. All the others are right around 100 or lower.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

@DaveBorges: #UConn loses out on Ray Kasongo. Better news could be coming by the end of this week for Huskies.

Cassell...

I hope so. I think that he is the type of player we need the most to balance next year's squad. Devin will be a great addition if he decides to come, but a player who can provide some solid decision-making and play with poise may be a bigger need. Even if Rodney is developing well at the point, we are going to need more ball handlers and "quarterbacks." We have a bunch of high scoring wing options.

 

[Jluc]

Damn this one hurts only because this is the first guy I was almost certain was going to commit to us. Def need some good news by the end of the week please

 

[tzznandrew]

Oregon is a decent program with a solid coach and great facilities - it's not a shock, but it's part of a troubling trend.

Programs like UCF and Memphis might actually have a shine to them as they're actually stepping up into AAC.

Conversely, Uconn was a great program in a great league and the transition into the AAC puts a tarnish on 'em. They're not overcoming that drag - worse, you can see some signs of panic. (Ollie didn't even scout our last verbal.)

The conference is killing us quickly. Either you believe that or you believe Ollie is a crap recruiter.

I think it's just the tarnish, in general. We look like a program in decline. Sure, we won the title in 2011, but that was with a different coach, and we haven't been outside of the NCAA first round since. We've downgraded our opponents while not seeming to upgrade much. And KO wasn't able to get out and really recruit until July.

I'm not overly worried yet. But, I will be if this team doesn't do some damage in the regular and post-season. I mean, they need to at least be in the S16. Once there's success on the court, it takes away some of the negative recruiting we know is going on. If success and the new facility don't turn things around, then I think you're right: it's got to be either the conference or KO.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Lets not be naive. We signed Lubin after the staff felt they lost out on Kasongo. Sugar coat it all you want, the fact is UConn is losing out on recruits to schools it shouldn't be.

You have no idea what is naive or real or fantasy. You make a judgment without real information and act like you know something. This whole thing is about dealing with the fact that our coach is doing the best he can and when every one of these kids want to play right away, they will make decisions that are based on more than which is the better program. The AAU influences have shown to be a big wild card in the whole process as well. Rakim may well turn out to be much better than Kasongo. Maybe both will be very good. Whatever the reasons, this might be a good time to stand by our team, our new players and our coach.

 

[upstater]

Oregon is a decent program with a solid coach and great facilities - it's not a shock, but it's part of a troubling trend.

Programs like UCF and Memphis might actually have a shine to them as they're actually stepping up into AAC.

Conversely, Uconn was a great program in a great league and the transition into the AAC puts a tarnish on 'em. They're not overcoming that drag - worse, you can see some signs of panic. (Ollie didn't even scout our last verbal.)

The conference is killing us quickly. Either you believe that or you believe Ollie is a crap recruiter.

I read in Amore's article that Ollie watched Lubin play last spring before he got hurt.

 

[RMoore1999]

Oregon is a decent program with a solid coach and great facilities - it's not a shock, but it's part of a troubling trend.

Programs like UCF and Memphis might actually have a shine to them as they're actually stepping up into AAC.

Conversely, Uconn was a great program in a great league and the transition into the AAC puts a tarnish on 'em. They're not overcoming that drag - worse, you can see some signs of panic. (Ollie didn't even scout our last verbal.)

The conference is killing us quickly. Either you believe that or you believe Ollie is a crap recruiter.

"you can see some signs of panic" --- talk about irony.

 

[upstater]

We did lose those guys to PC in a sense but you left out some of essentials. Austin seemed to be favoring Uconn but KO was on a 7 month deal so he and camp passed. Chukwu's guardian made it clear from the start that he wanted Paschal to go to a small Catholic school -- UConn never had a chance -- And UConn passed on Dunn to go after a guy we now know affectionally as "RP".

Plus, if Austin is here, does he scare away Purvis and Hamilton?

 

[RMoore1999]

UCF, SMU,CINN, are all getting 4* commits.

Have you ever heard of 5* recruits Daniel Hamilton or Rodney Purvis?

 

[UConn990411]

I think it would be foolish to panic now. But I also think it would be foolish to ignore some of the patterns we're starting to see.

A few years ago, UConn had to settle for a bunch of Plan Bs after losing out to the UNCs and Kentuckys of the world. Losing out to middling programs like Oregon and VCU and NC State is worrisome and makes you question this staff's ability to close. If UConn had been recruiting a guy like Larrier from the beginning, and Kansas or Kentucky swooped in at the last minute, you can bet you a** he would have jumped at those offers. Ollie and co., on the other hand, couldn't convince a kid from the Bronx to follow in Kemba's footsteps. I'm not trying to make a huge deal about one recruit, and I'm definitely not trying to ignore the context (who the duck* wouldn't wanna play for this guy?) ... but, as Fishy mentioned, it's part of a concerning trend.

I still think next year's recruiting class will give us a much better picture of the direction the program is heading in. UConn should be ranked consistently high all season (the fact they won't be preseason top 10 is a freakin' joke, but they'll be there soon enough), Ollie will have more time to prove himself and separate himself from Calhoun's shadow, and the stain of being relegated to the AAC will wear off at least a little.

If, after a nice tournament run, UConn is still losing out to crap programs like NC State and Providence, well, then it's time to panic. But I don't think we should be pretending it's all rainbows and daisies, either.

 

[djct1999]

You must have seen this, you have been all over the forum adding ignorant comments after all...Kasongo stated that Uconn was leading yesterday.

right........we were leading up until 20 minutes ago, then he decided to go to oregon...........ignorance is bliss, you seem to be the happy one. i see the truth for what it is. this recruiting period has been troubling, not promising. keep telling yourself lubin was our top choice and all these other kids weren't.

 

[djct1999]

You have no idea what is naive or real or fantasy. You make a judgment without real information and act like you know something. This whole thing is about dealing with the fact that our coach is doing the best he can and when every one of these kids want to play right away, they will make decisions that are based on more than which is the better program. The AAU influences have shown to be a big wild card in the whole process as well. Rakim may well turn out to be much better than Kasongo. Maybe both will be very good. Whatever the reasons, this might be a good time to stand by our team, our new players and our coach.

yes, and lets give them trophies at the end of the year for trying. get real. this is high major basketball. 3 national championships and 4 final four basketball. you dont get applause for trying. you get applause for landing recruits and winning titles. do schools like kentucky, kansas, duke, or even syracuse get behind their program for missing recruits to lesser programs?

 

[upstater]

right........we were leading up until 20 minutes ago, then he decided to go to oregon...........ignorance is bliss, you seem to be the happy one. i see the truth for what it is. this recruiting period has been troubling, not promising. keep telling yourself lubin was our top choice and all these other kids weren't.

Wait a second. You're here saying Kasongo is better than Lubin? Based on what? Both of these kids did not have top offers. It was UConn for one, and Oregon and UConn for the other. Both are not ranked very high, and both have had scouts say similar things about them.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I think it's just the tarnish, in general. We look like a program in decline. Sure, we won the title in 2011, but that was with a different coach, and we haven't been outside of the NCAA first round since.

Amazing we haven't got out of the first round in the ten opportunities since. Oh wait, we've only been to the tourney once since. Not really a viable sample size to predict our demise.

 

[ctchamps]

I feel like awfully dissapointing would be if we only landed Lubin and that's it. I don't get the logic of not counting hamilton. but I guess this is recruiting , every time we miss on someone there'll be doubt places on Ollie's abilities.

People were saying JC should have retired during the 2010 season!

 

[ConnHuskBask]

In what world is Oregon a "decent" program? Compared to who? Rutgers?

3 NCAAT Tourney Appearances in the past decade.
4 Sweet 16s in program history.
1 Regular season title in over half a century.

Who's their best NBA Alum, Luke Ridnour?

There's probably 50 programs in America where I'd say, oh well, I guess that makes sense.

This is just downright puzzling.

 

[djct1999]

Wait a second. You're here saying Kasongo is better than Lubin? Based on what? Both of these kids did not have top offers. It was UConn for one, and Oregon and UConn for the other. Both are not ranked very high, and both have had scouts say similar things about them.

I am saying we signed Lubin after the staff was less than confident on its chances with Kasongo. If you can't land a kid like that on his official, your chances are slim. The verdict is still out on who is the better player. But what is well documented is in the past 6 weeks, we have lost out on "targets" to NC State, VCU, Oregon, and even Providence. The scouts don't have to say much on that. The truth hurts. To pretend it doesn't is a joke.

 

[upstater]

I think it would be foolish to panic now. But I also think it would be foolish to ignore some of the patterns we're starting to see.

A few years ago, UConn had to settle for a bunch of Plan Bs after losing out to the UNCs and Kentuckys of the world. Losing out to middling programs like Oregon and VCU and NC State is worrisome and makes you question this staff's ability to close. If UConn had been recruiting a guy like Larrier from the beginning, and Kansas or Kentucky swooped in at the last minute, you can bet you a* he would have jumped at those offers. Ollie and co., on the other hand, couldn't convince a kid from the Bronx to follow in Kemba's footsteps. I'm not trying to make a huge deal about one recruit, and I'm definitely not trying to ignore the context (who * wouldn't wanna play for this guy?) ... but, as Fishy mentioned, it's part of a concerning trend.

I still think next year's recruiting class will give us a much better picture of the direction the program is heading in. UConn should be ranked consistently high all season (the fact they won't be preseason top 10 is a freakin' joke, but they'll be there soon enough), Ollie will have more time to prove himself and separate himself from Calhoun's shadow, and the stain of being relegated to the AAC will wear off at least a little.

If, after a nice tournament run, UConn is still losing out to crap programs like NC State and Providence, well, then it's time to panic. But I don't think we should be pretending it's all rainbows and daisies, either.

Uhm, wait a second.

UConn lost recruits in 2010 to Tennessee and Baylor, which is the same thing as losing them to NC State and Oregon. Actually, it's worse, since Oregon is selling Nike/facilities, and NC State is at least a 2 time national champion in the top conference. And, oh yeah, UConn lost a recruit to NC State as well that year. They lost kids to Memphis and Missouri as well.

The kid they did land, Jeremy Lamb, was the #43 ranked shooting guard on ESPN, behind many kids who were ranked below the top 200 on other services.

Lamb, Giffey, Olander all contributed.

We're not going to catch lightning in a bottle again and have that much help in one unheralded class, but it's not like this is greatly different than the 2010-2011 class.

 

[Fishy]

Have you ever heard of 5* recruits Daniel Hamilton or Rodney Purvis?

Hamilton - no question, a pure win.

We had to lose Purvis once before getting him off the bounce - if he's coming out of high school this year, we don't get him.

 

[upstater]

I am saying we signed Lubin after the staff was less than confident on its chances with Kasongo. If you can't land a kid like that on his official, your chances are slim. The verdict is still out on who is the better player. But what is well documented is in the past 6 weeks, we have lost out on "targets" to NC State, VCU, Oregon, and even Providence. The scouts don't have to say much on that. The truth hurts. To pretend it doesn't is a joke.

You're getting way too caught up in what Kasongo's posse is interested in. As of this morning, the kid wanted UConn but mentioned he had conflicts. There is nothing you can do in such a situation.