Terry Larrier to Choose Between UConn and VCU

[upstater]

I agree that he had every opportunity to commit this weekend but chose not to for some reason. He may not have his mind made up and wants to talk to his family about it. The more time that elapses, the more I like our chances. Paging Kemba Walker.

How long is Shaka staying at VCU?

Seriously.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

VCU is also an urban campus, basically in the center of metro Richmond. He may like the campus feel a little better. Their arena is nice, but on paper they are not in our league as a program. They do have a hot coach who I doubt will be around in three years. Some big-boy program is going to make him an offer VCU won't match.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

VCU is also an urban campus, basically in the center of metro Richmond. He may like the campus feel a little better. Their arena is nice, but on paper they are not in our league as a program. They do have a hot coach who I doubt will be around in three years. Some big-boy program is going to make him an offer VCU won't match.

Like UCLA?

 

[aceboon]

How long is Shaka staying at VCU?

Seriously.

At this point what job can you see him leaving for tho? Turned down NC State, MD, Ill, Minn, and UCLA just off the top of my head. UCLA is the only blue blood there but all except Minn are very good to great jobs, and Gottfried, Turgeon, and Groce have all pulled in alot of studs in the short times they've been in those spots so recruiting isn't an issue. Texas looks like it may open up, but I think Buzz Williams would have the inside line there. Other than that, what really looks more appealing than the jobs he's turned down? Also, unlike Stevens I don't see the NBA as an option because NBA teams wouldn't hire him with that playing style.

 

[upstater]

To a New York City kid, Rose Hill is just fine and URI is scads better than the crapple we're forced to serve.

Eh, Larrier might like playing Indiana, Stanford, Maryland, Florida, Washington, Cincy, Memphis, Temple, and appearing 16 times on CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, which is much more than an A10 school can offer.

 

[upstater]

At this point what job can you see him leaving for tho? Turned down NC State, MD, Ill, Minn, and UCLA just off the top of my head. UCLA is the only blue blood there but all except Minn are very good to great jobs, and Gottfried, Turgeon, and Groce have all pulled in alot of studs in the short times they've been in those spots so recruiting isn't an issue. Texas looks like it may open up, but I think Buzz Williams would have the inside line there. Other than that, what really looks more appealing than the jobs he's turned down? Also, unlike Stevens I don't see the NBA as an option because NBA teams wouldn't hire him with that playing style.

Warde promised him the UConn job. It messed up his timetable.

 

[dunlow66]

How does a NYC kid feel about playing in a place with a big monument to slavery in the city center?

Probably feel at ease, Richmond's population is 60 percent African American.

 

[tentoes4rings]

The fact that this kid is considering VCU over UCONN is mind boggling. My question is this, after this season how will the AAC compare in strength to the A10? Will we be fighting over players going to their schools rather than top 20 ?

Fair question, especially since we just lost two Northeast kids including one from our own state to Providence and NC State.

 

[Gurleyman]

VCU is also an urban campus, basically in the center of metro Richmond. He may like the campus feel a little better. Their arena is nice, but on paper they are not in our league as a program. They do have a hot coach who I doubt will be around in three years. Some big-boy program is going to make him an offer VCU won't match.

It is an urban campus, but Richmond is an awful urb.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

VCU is also an urban campus, basically in the center of metro Richmond. He may like the campus feel a little better. Their arena is nice, but on paper they are not in our league as a program. They do have a hot coach who I doubt will be around in three years. Some big-boy program is going to make him an offer VCU won't match.

In all fairness to VCU and this "Big Boy" concept....trust me VCU is trying to get there. Landing Larrier would be a step in the right direction. Lets face it they really need the kid. When UConn was landing their first 4****'s pre championship era many thought UConn wasn't in other programs league. UConn proved the world wrong and that is what VCU is trying to do.

For a player (Larrier) there clearly is more risk of losing the coach.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

20 minutes

ehhh....

 

[ctchamps]

ehhh....

I think it's time to for go tradition. Starting in 2o minutes we should say 22 minutes whenever someone asks the open ended when question.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Like UCLA?

Because he turned down one dumpster fire of an offer, you think he will turn them all down? I seem to remember a coach at a school named Butler who was never going to leave...until Danny Ainge called.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

In all fairness to VCU and this "Big Boy" concept....trust me VCU is trying to get there. Landing Larrier would be a step in the right direction. Lets face it they really need the kid. When UConn was landing their first 4* 's pre championship era many thought UConn wasn't in other programs league. UConn proved the world wrong and that is what VCU is trying to do.

For a player (Larrier) there clearly is more risk of losing the coach.

I am not saying they won't get him. I am offering an opinion as to why they can.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Because he turned down one dumpster fire of an offer, you think he will turn them all down? I seem to remember a coach at a school named Butler who was never going to leave...until Danny Ainge called.

First, I highly doubt Shaka is taking his full-court pressing style to the NBA. Hasn't worked out too well in the past.

Secondly, UCLA has only been a "dumpster fire" lately because Ben Howland made it so. There are only so many college jobs better than UCLA and I'm not sure any of them will be looking for a new coach anytime soon.

 

[djct1999]

At this point what job can you see him leaving for tho? Turned down NC State, MD, Ill, Minn, and UCLA just off the top of my head. UCLA is the only blue blood there but all except Minn are very good to great jobs, and Gottfried, Turgeon, and Groce have all pulled in alot of studs in the short times they've been in those spots so recruiting isn't an issue. Texas looks like it may open up, but I think Buzz Williams would have the inside line there. Other than that, what really looks more appealing than the jobs he's turned down? Also, unlike Stevens I don't see the NBA as an option because NBA teams wouldn't hire him with that playing style.

Exactly. The argument for him leaving was much stronger a few years back.

 

[Dove]

I think it's time to for go tradition. Starting in 2o minutes we should say 22 minutes whenever someone asks the open ended when question.

Have you ever been close to being tossed into a woodchipper?

 

[djct1999]

Eh, Larrier might like playing Indiana, Stanford, Maryland, Florida, Washington, Cincy, Memphis, Temple, and appearing 16 times on CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, which is much more than an A10 school can offer.

LOL. If that matters, he wouldn't have been a VCU lean for this long. I believe you threw that tv exposure argument out as well with Abu, and it didn't matter then either. What UConn needs to preach, and why I still find it shocking any kid would choose VCU over UConn, is our NBA pedigree. UConn is a NBA factory, a NBA lottery factory. Only a select few of schools can say that. Surely, VCU cannot.

 

[upstater]

LOL. If that matters, he wouldn't have been a VCU lean for this long. I believe you threw that tv exposure argument out as well with Abu, and it didn't matter then either. What UConn needs to preach, and why I still find it shocking any kid would choose VCU over UConn, is our NBA pedigree. UConn is a NBA factory, a NBA lottery factory. Only a select few of schools can say that. Surely, VCU cannot.

You really find that funny? It's bizarre to me that you think a kid would be enticed more by the A10 than all this?

Have people gone absolutely mad on this board?

My god.

I've never heard such absurdity. Sorry to come down hard on you, but I have a hard time trying to fathom how people can dismiss the teams on UConn's schedule and all the TV exposure. It's bizarre. To say the least.

 

[djct1999]

You really find that funny? It's bizarre to me that you think a kid would be enticed more by the A10 than all this?

Have people gone absolutely mad on this board?

My god.

I've never heard such absurdity. Sorry to come down hard on you, but I have a hard time trying to fathom how people can dismiss the teams on UConn's schedule and all the TV exposure. It's bizarre. To say the least.

I do find it funny because you threw that same argument out with Abu and clearly it doesn't matter. I am with you 100%, I can't imagine why any kid would choose VCU over UConn. I am not dismissing it, but clearly recruits are. I am laughing out loud because you constantly bring it up. I think its absurd that anyone on this board tries to make sense of a decision by some young adult you don't know and most likely have very little in common with.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

At this point what job can you see him leaving for tho? Turned down NC State, MD, Ill, Minn, and UCLA just off the top of my head. UCLA is the only blue blood there but all except Minn are very good to great jobs, and Gottfried, Turgeon, and Groce have all pulled in alot of studs in the short times they've been in those spots so recruiting isn't an issue. Texas looks like it may open up, but I think Buzz Williams would have the inside line there. Other than that, what really looks more appealing than the jobs he's turned down? Also, unlike Stevens I don't see the NBA as an option because NBA teams wouldn't hire him with that playing style.

I think Shaka Smart would be VERY interested in the head coaching job at Stanford if Johnny Dawkins gets fired after this year. Dawkins MUST make the NCAA Tournament or he is def gone. J.M. Tyree (professor) his half brother who he is very very close to could certainly endorse that move since he has ties to Stanford.

Shaka in my opinion would like the Stanford environment. Stanford of course is no blue blood in hoops but he could create his own legacy there.

So I say Stanford....

 

[djct1999]

I think Shaka Smart would be VERY interested in the head coaching job at Stanford if Johnny Dawkins gets fired after this year. Dawkins MUST make the NCAA Tournament or he is def gone. J.M. Tyree (professor) his half brother who he is very very close to could certainly endorse that move since he has ties to Stanford.

Shaka in my opinion would like the Stanford environment. Stanford of course is no blue blood in hoops but he could create his own legacy there.

So I say Stanford....

If I had to take a guess, I would say Texas. The entire men's athletic department is about to implode in Austin and I doubt they will stomach another bad year from our friend Mr. Barnes.

 

[upstater]

I do find it funny because you threw that same argument out with Abu and clearly it doesn't matter.

I'm not a lawyer or a Latin expert, but I once heard someone say post hoc ergo propter hoc in this context.

If the quality of the teams you play and TV exposure don't matter anymore CLEARLY (as you say), then we've gone through the looking glass.

Excuse me if I continue to think this position is insane.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Some people here seem to think recruiting comes down to a kid just picking the best basketball program on his list and calling it a day.

We were late to the game with Larrier, at least compared to VCU. You didn't hear his name mentioned as someone Uconn was going hard after until the July recruiting period. Maybe it was because Larrier's stock didn't go through the roof until recently or maybe it was because of all the time Ollie put into guys like Hamilton and Oubre. But Shaka had a big head start here in terms of building the relationship and making his case. VCU could easily be in the new Big East at some point during Larrier's career and Shaka's obviously a coach that kids would be excited to play for. Plus, if it's true that Larrier is actually looking for a reason to head south, then we can't even play the "stay close to home" card.

The fact that we made his top 2 despite just recently joining the fray is a testament to Ollie, our history with wing players, and everything else that people are bringing up. But it doesn't automatically bring you to the front of the line.

 

[upstater]

Some people here seem to think recruiting comes down to a kid just picking the best basketball program on his list and calling it a day.

We were late to the game with Larrier, at least compared to VCU. You didn't hear his name mentioned as someone Uconn was going hard after until the July recruiting period. Maybe it was because Larrier's stock didn't go through the roof until recently or maybe it was because of all the time Ollie put into guys like Hamilton and Oubre. But Shaka had a big head start here in terms of building the relationship and making his case. VCU could easily be in the new Big East at some point during Larrier's career and Shaka's obviously a coach that kids would be excited to play for. Plus, if it's true that Larrier is actually looking for a reason to head south, then we can't even play the "stay close to home" card.

The fact that we made his top 2 despite just recently joining the fray is a testament to Ollie, our history with wing players, and everything else that people are bringing up. But it doesn't automatically bring you to the front of the line.

I'm the very person who pointed out in the White thread that UConn was late to recruit Larrier. I well know that. You know what else? Ed Cooley put in a lot more time on Abu than Gottfried did. And the reason why Abu picked NC State is that he perceived it to be a much better school than PC. Kids really do tend to pick the best programs that offer them (if playing time is available--but that's main caveat).

This dynamic plays out again and again and again.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I'm the very person who pointed out in the White thread that UConn was late to recruit Larrier. I well know that. You know what else? Ed Cooley put in a lot more time on Abu than Gottfried did. And the reason why Abu picked NC State is that he perceived it to be a much better school than PC. Kids really do tend to pick the best programs that offer them (if playing time is available--but that's main caveat).

This dynamic plays out again and again and again.

Then why didn't Abu pick Uconn?

Why did Snider pick Illinois when he could have gone to UCLA, Uconn, or Michigan State?

There are a thousand other examples.

 

[jibsey]

You really find that funny? It's bizarre to me that you think a kid would be enticed more by the A10 than all this?

Have people gone absolutely mad on this board?

My god.

I've never heard such absurdity. Sorry to come down hard on you, but I have a hard time trying to fathom how people can dismiss the teams on UConn's schedule and all the TV exposure. It's bizarre. To say the least.

Not dismissing anything, this year we have a great schedule and with Louisville even an OK conference though not ideal, but what about next year and beyond. When we were building Calhoun recruited to the strength of the BE conference. And then we started to get highly ranked recruits like Khalid, Donyell, Rudy because they wanted to play against the best in the BE. Now we have to talk them into coming here not to play against the best but to play against a great OOC schedule? We are all hoping it's not going to make a difference to KO's ability to get players and because regardless of how hard he works, how great we have been in the past, and how many previous titles we have, you can't win without players. Maybe we won't have an answer for a while but many of us out there are concerned.

 

[upstater]

Then why didn't Abu pick Uconn?

Why did Snider pick Illinois when he could have gone to UCLA, Uconn, or Michigan State?

There are a thousand other examples.

Aren't we comparing UConn to VCU here? In my posts, I've been discussing quality of opponents and TV exposure. There is a huge gap between UConn and VCU. In the case of NC St and UConn, there is no advantage in terms of opponents for UConn--in fact, there's a deficit.

 

[upstater]

Not dismissing anything, this year we have a great schedule and with Louisville even an OK conference though not ideal, but what about next year and beyond. When we were building Calhoun recruited to the strength of the BE conference. And then we started to get highly ranked recruits like Khalid, Donyell, Rudy because they wanted to play against the best in the BE. Now we have to talk them into coming here not to play against the best but to play against a great OOC schedule? We are all hoping it's not going to make a difference to KO's ability to get players and because regardless of how hard he works, how great we have been in the past, and how many previous titles we have, you can't win without players. Maybe we won't have an answer for a while but many of us out there are concerned.

I'm going to give up at this point.

We are talking about VCU here.

We are talking about TV exposure too. When Louisville leaves, there will be MORE TV exposure. As per the contract. Not less. OOC opponents are ramping up as well.

Again, I am comparing UConn to VCU.

But I'm going to give up on this now since so many people are countering the idea that UConn has better TV schedules (yes, after Louisville leaves) and opponents. I'm just going to shake my head and leave it at that.

Have at it.

 

[DreamSeason]

I'm going to give up at this point.

We are talking about VCU here.

We are talking about TV exposure too. When Louisville leaves, there will be MORE TV exposure. As per the contract. Not less. OOC opponents are ramping up as well.

Again, I am comparing UConn to VCU.

But I'm going to give up on this now since so many people are countering the idea that UConn has better TV schedules (yes, after Louisville leaves) and opponents. I'm just going to shake my head and leave it at that.

Have at it.

I feel your pain.