SG Hamidou Diallo (UConn Offer) | Page 49 | The Boneyard

SG Hamidou Diallo (UConn Offer)

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Stairmaster said:
Question for you older folks: how did you survive following recruiting in the pre-Internet area, without tweets from kids and insiders on message boards?
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I found out Ray Allen was a recruit and that he committed in the Daily Campus. Never followed recruiting before that. Then started picking up all those preseason magazines that had write-ups on all the top 100 recruits.
 
Tommyboy said:
I found out Ray Allen was a recruit and that he committed in the Daily Campus. Never followed recruiting before that. Then started picking up all those preseason magazines that had write-ups on all the top 100 recruits.
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Yup, it used to be that you'd get an article or blurb saying such and such committed and you'd work backwards. The first recruit "hype" I remember was for Rudy Johnson with a picture of him with his head in the cylinder blocking a shot. When he visited, my brother and many of his friends "stalked" him on campus and sang The Clash's "Rudie Can't Fail" to try and entice him to come to UConn. He was the jewel of that class before Donyell committed.

But even w/ that class (the first one I really followed), I remember seeing a blurb that Donny Marshall and Boo Willingham had committed and that's when we knew that they had visited etc. Now we get an internet list and the social media stalking begins.
 
Stairmaster said:
Question for you older folks: how did you survive following recruiting in the pre-Internet area, without tweets from kids and insiders on message boards?
Expand ...

Life made more sense. It was up to the coaches to obsess about recruiting, not the fans. We just went to or watched the games. I think the hs players also had their heads screwed on a little tighter. It isn't the Internet alone that's changed things. AAU, kids changing high schools just for hoops and TV with guys like Vitale shouting out Diaper Dandies draws attention to the inner workings of a hs kid's mind. So what am I doing populating this thread?
 
Back in the mid 70's I became friends with a guy named Tim Tolokan who worked for the Norwich Bulletin and followed/wrote about UConn basketball including recruiting-remember reading a small blurb about Tony Hanson picking UConn at Pfizer. About that time there was a basketball magazine (my Dad owned a drugstore in NL) called Smith & Street that ranked HS players-CT had some great players in those days. I got to know first the Bulletin staff then later when I got to know the Miller family, became friendly with Dee, Dom, Jim OB, Howie -the whole staff at the time. Of course it's easier to follow recruiting these days with sites like 247sports.com, Espn, Rivals, Scout etc. AND of course all the current experts with insider info on The Boneyard. BTW I've been on many iterations of The Boneyard over many years.
 
boog204 said:
I wouldn't consider myself old, but following recruiting was a lot more interesting. Big East Briefs, Bob Gibbons, Brick whatever his name was, Husky B&W, Blue Ribbon, Recruiter's Handbook, and the Sunday Norwich Bulletin (of all things) were gold. You'd see a blurb that UConn was interested in someone, you'd look them up in the rankings, find a scouting report, and just see what happened. Today you hear about every player in existence who is offered, you immediately see their perfect mix tape, and then argue with a bunch of idiots about their chair game. I personally preferred hearing Jeff Kulas telling the board that we're dark horses in the Khalid El-Amin sweepstakes and waiting and hoping.
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You forgot Eastern Basketball-with Rita Napolitano who I used to talk with about local players! And of course WTIC with Arnold Dean who was usually late on recruits but sometimes would do recruiting shows.
 
UConnLen said:
Back in the mid 70's I became friends with a guy named Tim Tolokan who worked for the Norwich Bulletin and followed/wrote about UConn basketball including recruiting-remember reading a small blurb about Tony Hanson picking UConn at Pfizer. About that time there was a basketball magazine (my Dad owned a drugstore in NL) called Smith & Street that ranked HS players-CT had some great players in those days. I got to know first the Bulletin staff then later when I got to know the Miller family, became friendly with Dee, Dom, Jim OB, Howie -the whole staff at the time. Of course it's easier to follow recruiting these days with sites like , Espn, Rivals, Scout etc. AND of course all the current experts with insider info on The Boneyard. BTW I've been on many iterations of The Boneyard over many years.
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Is this the same Tim Tolokan who worked in the AD for many years? If so, what a small world. Truly one of the good guys.
 
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Stairmaster said:
Is this the same Tim Tolokan who worked in the AD for many years? If so, what a small world. Truly one of the good guys.
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Yes it is-he left the Bulletin shortly after Tim and I met at the Miller house when Glenn signed with UConn. He was friends with Dom and had a real connection with UConn sports at the beginning of the Big East monster. Tim is a great guy.
 
UConnLen said:
You forgot Eastern Basketball-with Rita Napolitano who I used to talk with about local players! And of course WTIC with Arnold Dean who was usually late on recruits but sometimes would do recruiting shows.
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I used to follow the A Dean radio broadcast year round to follow the Yankee-Red Sox chat in the 70's and it was that show that introduced me to Eastern Basketball with Rita Napolitano and really got me going with UConn and the Big East. It was a pretty good show at the time and did a lot to promote sports. Wish some of the talk radio shows today
had the class of the A. Dean show. Had some very knowledgeable fans like this blog and you could learn quite a bit. Began the great era of the Big East.
 
Stairmaster said:
Question for you older folks: how did you survive following recruiting in the pre-Internet area, without tweets from kids and insiders on message boards?
Expand ...
The Big East had its own magazine. It was amazing. With great recruiting player capsules by the leading recruiting expert of the time. Can't remember his name. I remember seeing Jason Kidd. Said he could go pro outta HS.

Or maybe someone else put out the mag and we got the Big East version?
 
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I would prefer if he didn't have headphones on during the game. Maybe he's just doing it so no one talks to him.
 
He's obviously listening to Joe D's radio brodcast. It's not enough to be there watching, he needs the elegance of Joe D describing what he's seeing.
 
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Huskyforlife said:
He's obviously listening to Joe D's radio brodcast. It's not enough to be there watching, he needs the elegance of Joe D describing what he's seeing.
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Good thing he has a scoreboard to see then so he'll know the score.:eek:
 
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UConn 77 said:
UConnLen when did you attend UConn? I was there 1973-77.
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In my Freshman year 64-65, the first UConn game I saw was UConn with Wes, Toby, Spider, Penders, PJ Curran, Hollowaty etc vs a team from AIC featuring a guy named Calhoun who was terrific against a UConn team that went to the final 8 losing to St Joes that year. I became a fan that year. Freshman couldn't play varsity back then-a guy named Bill Corley was also a Fr that year and would go on to have a great career at UConn I might add.
 
Hamidou is a raw, freakish talent. Really want to see him in a UConn jersey one day.
 
I was at that game as well and remember someone asking who that guy from AIC was. On that particular night, he was the best non-husky on the floor. And don't forget Ron Ritter on that list of huskys. Great times in the old field house.
 
Tommyboy said:
I found out Ray Allen was a recruit and that he committed in the Daily Campus. Never followed recruiting before that. Then started picking up all those preseason magazines that had write-ups on all the top 100 recruits.
Expand ...

Arnold Dean show on TIC, the Courant and the Journal Inquirer.
 
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