2023 Recruiting: - Scotty Middleton, "I want coaches who aren't going to tell me what I want to hear" | Page 8 | The Boneyard

2023 Recruiting: Scotty Middleton, "I want coaches who aren't going to tell me what I want to hear"

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Huskyforlife

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Back on topic, but with the new offers to recruits at positions redundant/adjacent to Middleton, I’ve mentally moved on him weeks ago.

Nice of him putting us in his top-5, though.

I’m still very excited at the prospects of the ‘23 class, both in who we have already and who we might add.
Orrrrr or, we’re just doing our due diligence in case it isn’t us. Stewart especially strikes me as the conditional offer type. I think we’ll know once the staff has the chance to watch him.
 
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Back on topic, but with the new offers to recruits at positions redundant/adjacent to Middleton, I’ve mentally moved on him weeks ago.

Nice of him putting us in his top-5, though.

I’m still very excited at the prospects of the ‘23 class, both in who we have already and who we might add.
Agreed. On the one hand staff seems to have zeroed in on Coen and Stewart on the wing, Dilione at G, and then Singare as a big.

On the other hand, given the expected roster turnover I think we need to close on at least 2 of the 4 guys.

Since Dilione is a big G I'd like him and Coen who can play the 3/4
 
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You and @husky99 have been fairly reliable in giving us insight into our recruiting tea leaves. I Very much appreciate both of you for your willingness to share the information you get from your sources.

Thanks!

Scotty update: anything other than OSU being the choice would be a surprise is correct.

Should come to no surprise if he commits to OSU instead of us, especially since Hurley just offered Coen, another Wing in the '23 class. I really haven't heard too much more than "it's looking not so great" and "I think he's locked in on UConn but I'm not sure". One of the more confusing recruits of the cycle if not the most, like JJ Starling '22.

edit: that second quote comes from a very random sort of in there source so don't read into it haha
 

HuskyHawk

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Thanks!

Scotty update: anything other than OSU being the choice would be a surprise is correct.

Should come to no surprise if he commits to OSU instead of us, especially since Hurley just offered Coen, another Wing in the '23 class. I really haven't heard too much more than "it's looking not so great" and "I think he's locked in on UConn but I'm not sure". One of the more confusing recruits of the cycle if not the most, like JJ Starling '22.

edit: that second quote comes from a very random sort of in there source so don't read into it haha
Anyone wonder if the reports that Castle is now 6'7" affects our recruitment of wings for 2023? We've got Ross, and Ball and Castle. Our system should require a lot of guys at wing size, and Ross seems like a developmental guy, but Castle is going to play and perhaps not at PG as we may have expected.
 

HuskyWarrior611

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Anyone wonder if the reports that Castle is now 6'7" affects our recruitment of wings for 2023? We've got Ross, and Ball and Castle. Our system should require a lot of guys at wing size, and Ross seems like a developmental guy, but Castle is going to play and perhaps not at PG as we may have expected.
Eh, Cade Cunningham was 6’8 about. I think their games are kind of similar.
 
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Anyone wonder if the reports that Castle is now 6'7" affects our recruitment of wings for 2023? We've got Ross, and Ball and Castle. Our system should require a lot of guys at wing size, and Ross seems like a developmental guy, but Castle is going to play and perhaps not at PG as we may have expected.
if newton and jackson leave after this season i think castle is locked into the starting PG position. the things i'm reading about Ball make it seem like 1) he isnt going to be starting as a frosh and 2) he doesnt play PG, at least on his aau team he's more of a secondary ball handler.

i'd love having a 6'7 PG but given his size he will def play off ball too, e.g. when diarra is at PG
 
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if newton and jackson leave after this season i think castle is locked into the starting PG position. the things i'm reading about Ball make it seem like 1) he isnt going to be starting as a frosh and 2) he doesnt play PG, at least on his aau team he's more of a secondary ball handler.

i'd love having a 6'7 PG but given his size he will def play off ball too, e.g. when diarra is at PG
We'll probably just use the portal to get another stud ball handler next year to pair with Castle if Jackson goes to the NBA. I'm like 99% sure Newton is just a 1 year rental for us so we probably can't be counting on him to return for 2023
 
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We'll probably just use the portal to get another stud ball handler next year to pair with Castle if Jackson goes to the NBA. I'm like 99% sure Newton is just a 1 year rental for us so we probably can't be counting on him to return for 2023
idk. the collective assumption for not making taison chatman's final list was that we already had castle, diarra, and ball for '23 so we weren't going after any more ballhandlers and were focused on big guards/wings i.e. dilione, carr, stewart. plus i feel like staff is already operating under the assumption newton and aj are gone.
 

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if newton and jackson leave after this season i think castle is locked into the starting PG position. the things i'm reading about Ball make it seem like 1) he isnt going to be starting as a frosh and 2) he doesnt play PG, at least on his aau team he's more of a secondary ball handler.

i'd love having a 6'7 PG but given his size he will def play off ball too, e.g. when diarra is at PG
I certainly thought that when he was 6'5". But the article makes it sound like he's both grown and is a "facilitator", a playmaking guy with size, more like Jackson, less a PG. I have no idea what next year's lineup will look like. If Andre and Newton are gone, perhaps Diarra shows he's good enough to start and Castle slides into the AJax role (but with betting shooting)? In any event, it's fun to be back wondering about these things, instead of whether we have any players.
 
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He broke down what stands out about each of his finalists.

Ohio State: “I like how they are together. They have a saying once a Buckeye always a Buckeye. I think that goes so far with them because guys always come back and show love just because they want to teach the players.”

Seton Hall: “I really love what are going they do as a program. Coach Shaheen Holloway, coach Rasheen Davis they really have a culture of making guys play hard and always have that competitive mindset.”

UConn: “Dan Hurley always has his guys ready to go. Just being on campus and watching them get up and down a little bit all of them are having fun and all of them are just always competing.”
 
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He lists us, Seton Hall, and Ohio St. as his final 3. And yes, I know we’re presumably on the outside looking in.

UConn: “Dan Hurley always has his guys ready to go. Just being on campus and watching them get up and down a little bit all of them are having fun and all of them are just always competing.”
 
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Don't get this usage of "whiffs" re: recruiting.. Sometimes the kids/advisors let the coaching staff know they are no longer in play.. Sometimes the staff has identified a better fit.. The reason why so many "offers" are made in a particular recruiting season is because you are playing the odds. Plan A/B/C.. IMO..There are occasional offers made to players with a similar positional attraction just to get your target to make a decision (chess)..

This staff continues to have a high percentage of closing on their priority targets once they've been identified. With the portal as a viable option now-- Don't see the rush to fill the 4th spot unless the staff and recruit are aligned with their agenda(s).
 
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Yeah I think "whiff" is overused. Things change, especially with 17 year olds. Priorities change, and the staff is constantly bombarded with names to check out, and if a kid checks more boxes, boom, priorities change.

That being said, what is the most recent biggest "whiff"? Actual "whiff" not overreacted? Hamadou Diallo? Ryan Gomes? :)
 
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Yeah I think "whiff" is overused. Things change, especially with 17 year olds. Priorities change, and the staff is constantly bombarded with names to check out, and if a kid checks more boxes, boom, priorities change.

That being said, what is the most recent biggest "whiff"? Actual "whiff" not overreacted? Hamadou Diallo? Ryan Gomes? :)
Biggest whiff on a commit, Hamidou. That's a commitment that should have been closed down.

But I would still say it's Edwards. I don't think it mattered much in that he was going to Kentucky regardless, but with the amount of time we put in to not make his top 7 is a whiff
 
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Biggest whiff on a commit, Hamidou. That's a commitment that should have been closed down.

But I would still say it's Edwards. I don't think it mattered much in that he was going to Kentucky regardless, but with the amount of time we put in to not make his top 7 is a whiff
My goodness.

1. Hamidou was absolutely a whiff. But saying "that should have been closed down" is dumb. How exactly? Grab the kids hand and make him sign his papers, and then gag him so he can't ask you to release him? Staffs -- any staff -- can only do everything right. Whether a kid ends up going there or not is ultimately out of their control.

2. Defining a "whiff" not by whether we get a player we should have gotten or not but by whether we didn't make their top whatever is so beyond stupid I don't know what else to say. Recruiting is binary. You get someone or you don't.
 

Huskyforlife

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My goodness.

1. Hamidou was absolutely a whiff. But saying "that should have been closed down" is dumb. How exactly? Grab the kids hand and make him sign his papers, and then gag him so he can't ask you to release him? Staffs -- any staff -- can only do everything right. Whether a kid ends up going there or not is ultimately out of their control.

2. Defining a "whiff" not by whether we get a player we should have gotten or not but by whether we didn't make their top whatever is so beyond stupid I don't know what else to say. Recruiting is binary. You get someone or you don't.
I do think at some point you tell the kid he can’t keep using your private gym for his personal workouts unless he’s bought in. He had everyone around the program convinced forever that he would eventually sign, it was a bad look.
 
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I do think at some point you tell the kid he can’t keep using your private gym for his personal workouts unless he’s bought in. He had everyone around the program convinced forever that he would eventually sign, it was a bad look.

The kid wanted $$. I get it... but there's not much to do.
 
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My goodness.

1. Hamidou was absolutely a whiff. But saying "that should have been closed down" is dumb. How exactly? Grab the kids hand and make him sign his papers, and then gag him so he can't ask you to release him? Staffs -- any staff -- can only do everything right. Whether a kid ends up going there or not is ultimately out of their control.

2. Defining a "whiff" not by whether we get a player we should have gotten or not but by whether we didn't make their top whatever is so beyond stupid I don't know what else to say. Recruiting is binary. You get someone or you don't.
1. I'm not going to rehash the Diallo stuff, it's been discussed ad nauseam and if I thought you had any interest in a genuine discussion with me I might give you a summary. You're right that a staff can do everything right and still not get a commit, that's not a whiff, that's a good effort. A staff can also completely bungle a recruitment to the point it's a whiff, like in this case

2. Then we have different definitions of a whiff, which is fine. You want to ignore all the nuance in recruiting and pretend it's black and white, I'm taking into account the time devoted to a kid when recruiting resources are finite.

Feel free to weigh in on the actual topic instead of just lobbing attacks anytime
 
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You might be able to say a coach/coaching staff misevaluated a player but you really can't say with any authority that a staff whiffed on a player in terms of the actual recruitment. Like was said above, you can't force a player to sign with you...

Some kids do or don't want to go to schools for such personal reasons. They may want to go far away from home; or stay close by. They might like or hate the weather. They might or might not click with the coaches. A place might or might not feel like "home". A player might feel confident they fit into the roster, or they might not. There are a myriad of reasons why or why not a school is chosen, including God forbid how the academics feel right or not. Hell, some kids chose a school based on the way the campus buildings look (I have one story that is funny to me but I won't bore you).
 
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You might be able to say a coach/coaching staff misevaluated a player but you really can't say with any authority that a staff whiffed on a player in terms of the actual recruitment. Like was said above, you can't force a player to sign with you...

Some kids do or don't want to go to schools for such personal reasons. They may want to go far away from home; or stay close by. They might like or hate the weather. They might or might not click with the coaches. A place might or might not feel like "home". A player might feel confident they fit into the roster, or they might not. There are a myriad of reasons why or why not a school is chosen, including God forbid how the academics feel right or not. Hell, some kids chose a school based on the way the campus buildings look (I have one story that is funny to me but I won't bore you).
Yep. And the same reasons that Solomon Ball loves UConn for...could be the same reasons that completely turn Justin Edwards off and lead him to UK.

My son, throughout his whole life, had talked about going to UConn, becoming a University Scholar, and being first in line for basketball games with a blue/white face. He wanted to be a legacy like his mom and dad.

Then he went to a prep school for high school, and his counselor whom he admired suggested he would be perfect for Fordham.

One visit to Fordham and he was hooked. He had been to UConn 100x in his life and he chose Fordham.

Kids have their own minds, just like adults, it seems.
 
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