Tevin Mack (Committed to Texas)

[mauconnfan]

Feeling Mack - Clarke is a long long shot unless he pulls trigger in next 36 hours.

Thx

 

[ctchamps]

There are so many things involved in recruiting, as others have here pointed out, that it makes little sense to talk about 'poor' recruiting. All the top teams and wanna be will go after the who-is-who, etc. And the usually ranked schools (KU, Duke, etc) will continue to horde the majority. As an elite program Uconn will get one, perhaps its share, but more importantly, it will recruit the type of player that fit an can excell in our system. The recruiting of these 'system type players' might be harder and more rewarding in the long run then bringing in the top 3-5. I'm always pleasantly amuse when we have to play schools like Wisn, Minn, etc., and suddently you are facing a bunch of unknown but excellent basketball players who play team ball. Yes, they do not, usually, win NC, but they are always a few plays away.

Fishy and 99 think UConn lacks an A1 recruiter on the staff. They may be correct. But it is also possible that the current version of the staff and KO need more time to build up relationships with the various programs that get the top recruits in their system. I'm ecstatic with Enoch and Adams. So as far as I'm concerned UConn is playing with house money until either my supposition is proven or until the staff determines Fishy is correct. It's a long ways out but 2017 should be the defining date regarding which hypothesis is correct.

Of course getting Stone and/or Jones would immediately prove that this staff is more than fine at recruiting and just needs to keep being successful.

 

[Zionn]

Fishy and 99 are spot on!

 

[upstater]

I have a suggestion for a sweet talking sweet shooting straight talking straight shootin' guy who might appeal to Tevin Mack: Ray Allen. Dalzell, SC is 40 miles from where Mack lives. They can compare BBQ notes and discuss what Mack needs from Storrs.

 

[Walker11]

Say KO lands Adams, Stone, Enoch and Mack. I don't see why an elite recruiting assistant is necessary. The best things Stone and Briscoe have to say about the program is their relationship with KO. Is it simply because the amount of effort KO is expending is not sustainable? It seems like more of a luxury to me but I am not in tune with the inner workings of recruiting like you guys and we need to see how this class turns out as well.

 

[ctchamps]

Fishy and 99 are spot on!

I can easily observe the ability some people have in being able to communicate effectively and sell things. But what I don't know is how much the inability to close the deal is related to an inability to smooze recruits and their handlers versus how much is related to this staff being relatively new on the recruiting trail.

Maybe they could get quick results by hiring a heavy hitter, but how do I know this staff can't be heavy hitters in the future? Is there feedback from recruits and their handlers that you, Fishy and 99 have heard or is this subjective observation? Can we trust that feedback as not hiding ulterior motives? And if it has merit, how do you know this staff can't improve?

One more thing. Might there be more character in individuals who are not easily persuaded by superficial things versus individuals insisting on substance when they are approached? Maybe UConn's success with championships since JC has resulted in getting those individuals who want to prove themselves as opposed to those individuals who want to be coddled. Would getting a heavy hitting recruit undermine the process that JC had so successfully employed?

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Fishy and 99 are spot on!

Your credibility just dropped dramatically!

 

[Yankees32123]

Tevin Mack is making his decision by the end of October. Visiting UConn this weekend and then the GameCOCKS next weekend. UConn seems like the wildcard in his recruiting. We came in late but made a huge impression on him. He says that we are a top 5 program in the country and I really think we can win his heart with our facilities and KO's personality. I like our chances. Here's the story from Scout.com

http://scouthoops.scout.com/story/1461349

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Say KO lands Adams, Stone, Enoch and Mack. I don't see why an elite recruiting assistant is necessary. The best things Stone and Briscoe have to say about the program is their relationship with KO. Is it simply because the amount of effort KO is expending is not sustainable? It seems like more of a luxury to me but I am not in tune with the inner workings of recruiting like you guys and we need to see how this class turns out as well.

We also need to recognize that we have a certain amount of extra momentum on the recruiting trail at the moment thanks to the national championship. If Brimah doesn't get that rebound against St. Joe's, would we have a shot at the class you mentioned? Maybe, maybe not. But Fishy's original point isn't really debatable - the elite recruiting assistants make the head coach's job a whole lot easier and the best recruiting programs (Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville, etc.) all have these types of guys on staff for a reason.

 

[upstater]

We also need to recognize that we have a certain amount of extra momentum on the recruiting trail at the moment thanks to the national championship. If Brimah doesn't get that rebound against St. Joe's, would we have a shot at the class you mentioned? Maybe, maybe not. But Fishy's original point isn't really debatable - the elite recruiting assistants make the head coach's job a whole lot easier and the best recruiting programs (Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville, etc.) all have these types of guys on staff for a reason.

Even UK, with all they have to sell, they had to pick off Slice from Pitt.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

There are so many things involved in recruiting, as others have here pointed out, that it makes little sense to talk about 'poor' recruiting. All the top teams and wanna be will go after the who-is-who, etc. And the usually ranked schools (KU, Duke, etc) will continue to horde the majority. As an elite program Uconn will get one, perhaps its share, but more importantly, it will recruit the type of player that fit an can excell in our system. The recruiting of these 'system type players' might be harder and more rewarding in the long run then bringing in the top 3-5. I'm always pleasantly amuse when we have to play schools like Wisn, Minn, etc., and suddently you are facing a bunch of unknown but excellent basketball players who play team ball. Yes, they do not, usually, win NC, but they are always a few plays away.

I'm not sure how this addresses my post at all. I don't think it does. I never said anything about "poor" recruiting. I said the notion that Ollie and Co. are lighting up the recruiting trail is overblown, because it is, and I used Enoch as an example. Sure, he blew up late, but we still didn't have to beat anyone of any real significance to sign him. And as strong as Adams and Enoch are, it's still several notches below the types of classes some of the programs we talk about constantly on this board put together.

Incidentally, for the record, Wisconsin and Minnesota are virtually never a few weeks away from a national championship, let alone a few plays. The fact that UW finally made a final four should reflect that.

 

[ctchamps]

I have a suggestion for a sweet talking sweet shooting straight talking straight shootin' guy who might appeal to Tevin Mack: Ray Allen. Dalzell, SC is 40 miles from where Mack lives. They can compare BBQ notes and discuss what Mack needs from Storrs.

After the first few words I thought you were going to recommend Fishy. He could purr as good as anyone and if that weren't effective his sharpness (in two ways) could intimidate recruits to come to UConn.

 

[ctchamps]

Your credibility just dropped dramatically!

I've laughed a lot recently over various posts, but this was the winner!!!!!!!!!

 

[James]

Don't really see an issue with recruiting. Ollie landed brimah who is essentially a 5 star player in retrospect . Hamilton . Beat out ville for Cassell . Ollie's got a pretty good system in place , winning a lot of games

 

[aceboon]

I hope this dude from 247's intel is right, looking at his hit rate he has one of the worst percentages on the site. Seems like the crystal ball run is based off of him.

 

[UconnU]

I hope this dude from 247's intel is right, looking at his hit rate he has one of the worst percentages on the site. Seems like the crystal ball run is based off of him.

Jerry Meyer right? Hes their top guy

 

[aceboon]

Jerry Meyer right? Hes their top guy

nah Josh Stirn, all the other picks have come after his

 

[UconnU]

nah Josh Stirn, all the other picks have come after his

Ahhh ok.

Have you ever twitter searched "Tevin Mack" these VCU fans are ridiculous. I think some may commit suicide if he doesn't commit lol.

 

[Fishy]

We've created a narrative here about UConn taking under-recruited kids and winning titles with them - it makes us feel better about not getting the kids we used to, but it's not actually true. We've won for the better part of 25 years because we've recruited very good players right out of high-school.

We've always had highly-rated recruiting classes - that became something of a struggle when Calhoun started to approach retirement, but even the 2011 title team had a couple of McD's players, Jeremy Lamb, etc

That's a whole lot harder now that we're in the AAC. Even coming off a title, we're still grinding. (Can you imagine what Ollie would reel in if we were in the ACC? I am dead certain our class would be done by now) When you read Clemson pitching the "power of the ACC" to Tevin Mack, that bullet is aimed at us and you can be sure everyone is using it to good effect.

We have perhaps the most personable coach in the history of people walking upright, but he can't be everywhere - right now, job one is the players he has, not the players he'll need next year. He needs a guy like Slice that he can send out, who can fend off the negative recruiting and who knows how to close a deal. If Calipari needs that guy, you know for certain that we do.

We're going to finish second for a lot of these kids we've been targeting for months. We don't need to win them all, but we need to win more than we have over the past two years.

 

[Dynasty]

Ahhh ok.

Have you ever twitter searched "Tevin Mack" these VCU fans are ridiculous. I think some may commit suicide if he doesn't commit lol.

Looking at their forums, their head honcho is telling them to be more stalkerish than usual.

"With Mack taking his official to UConn this weekend, we need our fans who are engaged with the recruiting process on Twitter to show love. UConn brings a lot of basketball power to the table and we'll need to remind him that we've been there from the beginning and have always wanted him the most. One of our biggest advantages right now is how much more love our fans are showing than any other school recruiting him. That needs to continue in earnest, especially this weekend as they are stiff competition. No obligation to help here, but if you want to, would be appreciated. Remember tweet about, not at.

Same goes for Markis McDuffie and Aric Holman. Those guys are heavily engaged with Twitter and notice this stuff. Ernest Aflakpui doesn't mess with Twitter so don't worry about him.

All of these guys are big targets for our staff. Our fans need to flex their muscle a bit in this new age of recruiting, but we have the passion and numbers to certainly do it if we're so inclined. Thanks guys!"

 

[UconnU]

We've created a narrative here about UConn taking under-recruited kids and winning titles with them - it makes us feel better about not getting the kids we used to, but it's not actually true. We've won for the better part of 25 years because we've recruited very good players right out of high-school.

We've always had highly-rated recruiting classes - that became something of a struggle when Calhoun started to approach retirement, but even the 2011 title team had a couple of McD's players, Jeremy Lamb, etc

That's a whole lot harder now that we're in the AAC. Even coming off a title, we're still grinding. (Can you imagine what Ollie would reel in if we were in the ACC? I am dead certain our class would be done by now) When you read Clemson pitching the "power of the ACC" to Tevin Mack, that bullet is aimed at us and you can be sure everyone is using it to good effect.

We have perhaps the most personable coach in the history of people walking upright, but he can't be everywhere - right now, job one is the players he has, not the players he'll need next year. He needs a guy like Slice that he can send out, who can fend off the negative recruiting and who knows how to close a deal. If Calipari needs that guy, you know for certain that we do.

We're going to finish second for a lot of these kids we've been targeting for months. We don't need to win them all, but we need to win more than we have over the past two years.

I haven't kept up with conference realignment as much as most of the folks on here. and I know this is off-topic but has basketball only or non-football only ever been discussed? That would be a win-win for us and the B1G/ACC. No one wants to watch our football team get hammered by 40 points every game anyway.

 

[8893]

We have perhaps the most personable coach in the history of people walking upright

In fairness, pre-hominid basketball was a completely different game.

 

[UconnU]

Looking at their forums, their head honcho is telling them to be more stalkerish than usual.

"With Mack taking his official to UConn this weekend, we need our fans who are engaged with the recruiting process on Twitter to show love. UConn brings a lot of basketball power to the table and we'll need to remind him that we've been there from the beginning and have always wanted him the most. One of our biggest advantages right now is how much more love our fans are showing than any other school recruiting him. That needs to continue in earnest, especially this weekend as they are stiff competition. No obligation to help here, but if you want to, would be appreciated. Remember tweet about, not at.

Same goes for Markis McDuffie and Aric Holman. Those guys are heavily engaged with Twitter and notice this stuff. Ernest Aflakpui doesn't mess with Twitter so don't worry about him.

All of these guys are big targets for our staff. Our fans need to flex their muscle a bit in this new age of recruiting, but we have the passion and numbers to certainly do it if we're so inclined. Thanks guys!"

Oh my god. Insecure much VCU? It's outrageous it's a complete onslaught. A bunch of middle aged men that just keep tweeting him non-stop, it's got to be a turn off for him. It's like the insecure guy who has a decent chance with a girl but becomes overly attached and overbearing and pushes her away. He must be thinking "damn how good can this program be if I'm the end all be all for the entire program".

 

[superjohn]

We've created a narrative here about UConn taking under-recruited kids and winning titles with them - it makes us feel better about not getting the kids we used to, but it's not actually true. We've won for the better part of 25 years because we've recruited very good players right out of high-school.

We've always had highly-rated recruiting classes - that became something of a struggle when Calhoun started to approach retirement, but even the 2011 title team had a couple of McD's players, Jeremy Lamb, etc

That's a whole lot harder now that we're in the AAC. Even coming off a title, we're still grinding. (Can you imagine what Ollie would reel in if we were in the ACC? I am dead certain our class would be done by now) When you read Clemson pitching the "power of the ACC" to Tevin Mack, that bullet is aimed at us and you can be sure everyone is using it to good effect.

We have perhaps the most personable coach in the history of people walking upright, but he can't be everywhere - right now, job one is the players he has, not the players he'll need next year. He needs a guy like Slice that he can send out, who can fend off the negative recruiting and who knows how to close a deal. If Calipari needs that guy, you know for certain that we do.

We're going to finish second for a lot of these kids we've been targeting for months. We don't need to win them all, but we need to win more than we have over the past two years.

I agree we could really use a top flight recruiting assistant but I'm not sure I agree with the rest of the post. We've won for the better part of 25 years because we've always recruited really good players with several underrated kids that blew up in our system. For the most part recruiting has always been a bit of a grind for us with so many of our recruits being late signings in the spring with many guys like Villanueva, Daniels, Boat etc. just falling in our lap. My point is we are definitely not struggling with recruiting any more than we did under Calhoun. Coming off of a title some of us probably expected all the top kids to want to sign on with us right away but it's a process. It's the beginning of fall and some seem to be getting their recruiting panties in a bunch, in the past signing of a 5 star point guard who happened to be our top target and a 4 star blossoming big this early would have been a cause for celebration. This class is off to a very good start and will be great when all is said and done.

 

[uconnell]

Or he could be really, really flattered. I am referring to the full court press being put on Mack by VCU twitters.