Report: Cooper Flagg cancels visit to Kansas, meaning decision could come down to UConn and Duke

[HuskyWarrior611]

I honestly think he's got the best team right now. They'd be my #1. Still hard to win one.

Let's see what Cooper thinks of the culture when he gets to Duke and meets the players and staff, most of whom will be gone in a year. Sometimes the thing you dreamed about isn't really what you thought it would be.

He already visited previously so I feel like he should have a good feel for that part.

I’m honestly not sure what’s different about the officials and unofficials though outside of the whole pay your way thing.

Duke did end the year hot too so I agree with them probably being really good this year during the regular season. Unless they have a UNC type implosion.

 

[wingsfan055]

The Celtics have now built a SuperTeam. Playing at UConn, he would be able to attend a lot of C's games and build relationships with the players & management there.

 

[AntG168]

I honestly think he's got the best team right now. They'd be my #1. Still hard to win one.

Let's see what Cooper thinks of the culture when he gets to Duke and meets the players and staff, most of whom will be gone in a year. Sometimes the thing you dreamed about isn't really what you thought it would be.

Ehhh they have zero rim protection. I don’t think that are p4P the best team

 

[AntG168]

Not 50 50. We have a shot but duke leads from what i hear

The momentum is trending in the right direction. Since the spring we’ve been making up ground little by little. Let’s see if it continues

 

[HU5KIES]

Scheyer was 27-9 in his first year, but like Kevin Ollie, he was coaching his predecessor's players. He seems to be a great recruiter, and may prove to be a great coach, but he may also be a bust if he can't deliver championships. Following a legend is no easy task, expectations are high. patience is short, and legendary coattails are only so long.

I agree with the sentiment of your post as a whole. However it is worth noting that 4 of Duke's top 5 scorers (and 5 of top 7) last year were freshman. They were all "Scheyer's players" since coach K's retirement was known well in advance. In that way the situation is pretty different than Ollie inheriting a team of Calhoun coached players, and only having 1 freshman contribute anything meaningful in his first year (Omar Calhoun 11ppg).

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Watching the football team get an over the knee spanking last weekend must have proved to him that we’re truly a basketball school and he’d have a chance to become a legend in a single season. At Duke, he just gets added to a long list of paid hired guns and will be forgotten after the next recruiting class…

(Partial /s)

 

[Tenspro2002]

Not 50 50. We have a shot but duke leads from what i hear

Not attacking you personally, but the wording that some program "leads" in recruiting a player is really inane. It's not a race, there's not some endpoint that can be reached first through superior effort. That's like saying, while rolling a 6-sided die, "well, currently 1 through 5 are in the lead, but 6 still has a chance to catch up."

If we want to say that some program is "favored," that would be more meaningful.

Rant over.

 

[UCTitleTown]

I agree that "leads" is probably the wrong word. It begs the question, "What would be needed to catch up and pass?" I'd say if someone favors a school this late in the process, not much can change things other than a school bringing in other top recruits at the same position that turns him off.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ehhh they have zero rim protection. I don’t think that are p4P the best team

One team that made the final four last year had rim protection (UConn). Kansas had a 6'7' guy playing center. Duke will have Filipowski at the 5, 6'11" perfectly adequate rim protector. Power and Stewart can block shots too. They also have Christian Reeves at 7' and Ryan Young, a 7' transfer from Northwestern. That team is loaded and finally has a little experience.

 

[gtcam]

I agree with the sentiment of your post as a whole. However it is worth noting that 4 of Duke's top 5 scorers (and 5 of top 7) last year were freshman. They were all "Scheyer's players" since coach K's retirement was known well in advance. In that way the situation is pretty different than Ollie inheriting a team of Calhoun coached players, and only having 1 freshman contribute anything meaningful in his first year (Omar Calhoun 11ppg).

And Ollie recruited virtually all of Coach Calhoun's players. So Ollie was coaching his players.
Can we get off this BS?
Scheyer was coaching players he recruited to Duke under K so he was also coaching his players.
The big difference in recruitment - Duke had the Duke name and the ACC while UConn was heading to the AAC and probation.

 

[AntG168]

One team that made the final four last year had rim protection (UConn). Kansas had a 6'7' guy playing center. Duke will have Filipowski at the 5, 6'11" perfectly adequate rim protector. Power and Stewart can block shots too. They also have Christian Reeves at 7' and Ryan Young, a 7' transfer from Northwestern. That team is loaded and finally has a little experience.

Fillipowski is not an adequate rim protector. And I would wager that part of the reason UConn’s defense was so effective was because of the rim protection Clingan provided. They’re really good. I just don’t know if I’m ready to say they’re the best team.

 

[uconngb]

Well it sure would suck and wouldn’t be good for our chances if Scheyer ended up winning a championship in his second year like Ollie.

You think he's going to wait until April to make his decision??

 

[John]

You think he's going to wait until April to make his decision??

there's been news reports that he's waiting until Spring.

 

[McLovin]

He already visited previously so I feel like he should have a good feel for that part.

I’m honestly not sure what’s different about the officials and unofficials though outside of the whole pay your way thing.

Duke did end the year hot too so I agree with them probably being really good this year during the regular season. Unless they have a UNC type implosion.

To be fair, we ended the year hot too. But unlike Duke, we actually won the whole damn thing!

 

[husky99]

there's been news reports that he's waiting until Spring.

Needs time to fit in the Providence visit

 

[TheHorde]

Needs time to fit in the Providence visit

Does he really even need to visit there though? The Friars hat will be at the announcement ceremony regardless.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Needs time to fit in the Providence visit

They have as good a chance as anyone

People forget that

 

[alexd]

Needs time to fit in the Providence visit

I can't believe we don't have any uncool people posting a "beating a dead horse" gif. Followed by some "thank you's".

 

[Tenspro2002]

there's been news reports that he's waiting until Spring.

It wouldn't make sense for him to cancel a Kansas visit now if he's not deciding/announcing for 6 months anyway. Why not just take the visit?

 

[auror]

One team that made the final four last year had rim protection (UConn). Kansas had a 6'7' guy playing center. Duke will have Filipowski at the 5, 6'11" perfectly adequate rim protector. Power and Stewart can block shots too. They also have Christian Reeves at 7' and Ryan Young, a 7' transfer from Northwestern. That team is loaded and finally has a little experience.

Huh?

Mensah was a great rim protector for SDSU, 15th of any player in the country in block rate.
FAU starts a 7'1" guy who protects the rim. They had the 15th best 2pt% D on the season.
Omier is shorter but has really long arms. They didn't have anyone else though and yeah statistically they weren't good at interior D.

I know they are your team so you know this, but Kansas lost in the 2nd round for a reason, and the reason was they were playing a 6'7" non-center at center. Arkansas abused Kansas on drives to the rim, drew a million fouls and caused foul trouble, and killed them on the boards. There's a reason Self went out of his way to get a prominent center.

Not every 6'11 guy can protect the rim well. Flip didn't last year, but he was playing more 4 (and apparently had a messed up hip he fixed with surgery this summer). We'll see as he transition closer to the basket what happens. But backup 4s can't be your rim protection solution. If you don't have rim protection, you need the pesky guards like Miami or Marquette.

 

[TrueBlue22]

Canceled Kansas visit to make the trip up to Storrs for first night the following weekend.

(Based on zero information, but just imagine if he showed up)

It wouldn't make sense for him to cancel a Kansas visit now if he's not deciding/announcing for 6 months anyway. Why not just take the visit?

Maybe he wants to come to our first night, and had to clear up the previous weekend to pack his things.

We can dream, huh?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Huh?

Mensah was a great rim protector for SDSU, 15th of any player in the country in block rate.
FAU starts a 7'1" guy who protects the rim. They had the 15th best 2pt% D on the season.
Omier is shorter but has really long arms. They didn't have anyone else though and yeah statistically they weren't good at interior D.

I know they are your team so you know this, but Kansas lost in the 2nd round for a reason, and the reason was they were playing a 6'7" non-center at center. Arkansas abused Kansas on drives to the rim, drew a million fouls and caused foul trouble, and killed them on the boards. There's a reason Self went out of his way to get a prominent center.

Not every 6'11 guy can protect the rim well. Flip didn't last year, but he was playing more 4 (and apparently had a messed up hip he fixed with surgery this summer). We'll see as he transition closer to the basket what happens. But backup 4s can't be your rim protection solution. If you don't have rim protection, you need the pesky guards like Miami or Marquette.

I think Flip will be fine. He was playing a different role while Lively protected the rim. I expect the two 5* PFs to be the 4s and Flip to be the 5. He's not Lively as a rim protector, but almost nobody is. They have a sophomore and 5th year transfer backup center. We played most of our minutes with Sanogo at the 5, and yes, Andre and ball pressure help. I just don't see it as a glaring weakness to overcome for Duke.

Totally agree on KJ Adams, which is why Self let half his roster walk to get Dickinson. Now that team is thin as hell upfront. No depth at all. Maybe the best starting 5, but not the best 8-9 deep roster.

 

[Waquoit]

Yeah, that's the ticket.

Or check your deleted content. You might have ignored by mistake.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Not attacking you personally, but the wording that some program "leads" in recruiting a player is really inane. It's not a race, there's not some endpoint that can be reached first through superior effort. That's like saying, while rolling a 6-sided die, "well, currently 1 through 5 are in the lead, but 6 still has a chance to catch up."

If we want to say that some program is "favored," that would be more meaningful.

Rant over.

I don't even know how "favored" could be gleaned. For something like that to even make sense or the idea "we've closed some ground" you'd almost need to have Flagg (or any other recruit) back channel an update to be shared amongst the masses along the lines of, well I was 90% sure about Duke, but now it's 80% Duke and 20% UConn.

Maybe that does happen...seems a bit far fetched though.

 

[BGesus4]

Canceled Kansas visit to make the trip up to Storrs for first night the following weekend.

(Based on zero information, but just imagine if he showed up)


Maybe he wants to come to our first night, and had to clear up the previous weekend to pack his things.

We can dream, huh?

I think he can’t make first night because he has a tournament he’s playing in on the west coast. Ie it wasn’t the ku visit that was preventing it.