Tevin Mack live stream

[tzznandrew]

I don't know, was it "always" the case that Calhoun was losing kids to mid-majors when they were in the Big East? He was losing them to Duke, or Kentucky, but schools like VCU? And was Mack even a plan-A?

There's a (un?)happy medium: not going to lose our minds because of the recruiting loss, but also a little concerned that a 4x National Championship school is losing recruits to a 1x Final Four school.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

There's a (un?)happy medium: not going to lose our minds because of the recruiting loss, but also a little concerned that a 4x National Championship school is losing recruits to a 1x Final Four school.

Fresh off a national championship; young, charismatic coach who is universally adored and has deep, deep, NBA bloodlines; brand new $35 million practice facility . . . and they're coming up short against Virginia Commonwealth University. I'm not going to go crazy over this because it's just basketball and one way or another UConn will be okay, but anyone who isn't a bit concerned is ignoring reality. All the "too much competition here" or "we backed off" or "he wasn't a priority" is just spin and nonsense.

 

[Gurleyman]

There's a (un?)happy medium: not going to lose our minds because of the recruiting loss, but also a little concerned that a 4x National Championship school is losing recruits to a 1x Final Four school.

In a bubble, sure, But he plays Hamilton's position and Hamilton is a) better than he is and b) a freshman. Plus we already have a back up here for his first year (Calhoun). It was an uphill battle to get a wing in this class one year after Hamilton, but KO was wise in trying, just to be prepared for any contingency. Just a tough sell.

As of now, we're doing well getting a top 25 kid in every recruiting cycle (Purvis, Hamilton, Adams) and a quality second-tier kid (Facey, Cassell, Enoch) with them. Brimah and Samuel have been good finds as diamonds in the rough to put in supplemental roles (Lubin remains to be seen if he falls in that category). That's a pretty good formula of bringing in consistent quality, if not getting a "monster" class. Hoping for Stone, but we'll be ok next year either way (and since he's likely a one and done, we'd have the same need for bigs in 2016 anyway).

One year, our recruiting class consisted of Uri Cohen-Mintz, and another year it was Donnell Beverly. When you are pretty deep with young talent at every position, it can be tough to recruit just for depth/insurance.

 

[8893]

but anyone who isn't a bit concerned is ignoring reality.

Or maybe remembering our history.

 

[tzznandrew]

Or maybe remembering our history.

Again, when we've lost recruiting battles, it has generally been to UK (Knight), KU (Selby), UNC (everyone in the 2006 recruiting class) and been okay because we've been able to pick up the kids like Tevin Mack.

I'm not going to worry too much--especially if we get Stone--and if we lost Mack to a high quality P5 school, I wouldn't at all.

But, as much as I genuinely respect what VCU has done, they aren't in our league.

 

[8893]

But, as much as I genuinely respect what VCU has done, they aren't in our league.

Of course they're not, but perhaps Mack isn't either.

 

[tzznandrew]

Of course they're not, but perhaps Mack isn't either.

Fair enough. I wish him well, so I hope he has a good enough career (sans NCs, since I want all of them). And there's a lot of time to make this up.

And, getting Stone would change everything. Adams and Enoch is a very good class as it is, but it's those other players that would take it from very good to great. Stone, Adams, and Enoch is a killer class.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Fair enough. I wish him well, so I hope he has a good enough career (sans NCs, since I want all of them). And there's a lot of time to make this up.

And, getting Stone would change everything. Adams and Enoch is a very good class as it is, but it's those other players that would take it from very good to great. Stone, Adams, and Enoch is a killer class.

Agreed. Landing Stone puts all of this talk to bed.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Or maybe remembering our history.

So I suppose I can lump you in the spin crowd. Our history of losing kids to mid-majors?

 

[FASTEDDY]

Sorry but this kid doesn't seem to bright.
Such a big decision and he embarasses himself with not even knowing the correct name of the commuter school he chose.
Kid could have gone to a Top 20 National Public University and he chose UVCU? Kid is a dull blade afraid of the big stage and bright lights.

On the bright side, Gramamma knows how to make an entrance. She's not afraid of the spotlight and attention. Too bad it didn't rub off on the kid.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Sorry but this kid doesn't seem to bright.
Such a big decision and he embarasses himself with not even knowing the correct name of the commuter school he chose.
Kid could have gone to a Top 20 National Public University and he chose UVCU? Kid is a dull blade afraid of the big stage and bright lights.

On the bright side, Gramamma knows how to make an entrance. She's not afraid of the spotlight and attention. Too bad it didn't rub off on the kid.

My take, he wore South Carolina colors to make people think he was choosing USC, he said "I will be attending the University of..........." so we would think he was going to select UCONN and then he surprised folks by saying VCU. Seemed pretty cleverly planned out and relatively entertaining to me.

 

[selles]

So I suppose I can lump you in the spin crowd. Our history of losing kids to mid-majors?

You can't look at the current college basketball landscape and label teams like UNLV and VCU "mid-majors" as the term used to be understood a decade ago. We've lost out on plenty of kids to programs that were below the current level of those two.

 

[Gurleyman]

Fresh off a national championship; young, charismatic coach who is universally adored and has deep, deep, NBA bloodlines; brand new $35 million practice facility . . . and they're coming up short against Virginia Commonwealth University. I'm not going to go crazy over this because it's just basketball and one way or another UConn will be okay, but anyone who isn't a bit concerned is ignoring reality. All the "too much competition here" or "we backed off" or "he wasn't a priority" is just spin and nonsense.

Daniel Hamilton already here playing his position isn't spin. It's reality. I would have been surprised if we landed any of these wing targets a year after getting a top 25 wing. Can't blame KO for trying and being prepared for any contingency - he could have said we're set at the wing for two years with Hamilton/Calhoun and not even tried for a wing in this class and none of us would have batted an eye for a second. But he obviously wanted a little more depth/insurance in case we lose someone early, so he recruited a few wings from a position of weakness (even with a new practice facility). When you recruit for depth/insurance, you can't get bent out of shape when you lose out. It's a want, more than a need.

 

[8893]

So I suppose I can lump you in the spin crowd. Our history of losing kids to mid-majors?

Lump me anywhere you want. It's your world. I follow the rule they teach in the preschool my kids attended: You get what you get and you don't get upset.

Admittedly I stopped following recruiting for the most part years ago because I got sick of this nonsense, but the history I was referring to is our history of doing pretty well irrespective of who we get. I guess I'm in the camp that simply trusts our coach and roots for the kids we have, instead of worrying about who we don't. I have no idea who our priorities were and where we invested most of our time. Until I hear from a source who knows, I'm inclined to believe that Mack was not a top priority for us. I know that he was for UVCU, and I'm pretty sure he knew that, too.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You can't look at the current college basketball landscape and label teams like UNLV and VCU "mid-majors" as the term used to be understood a decade ago. We've lost out on plenty of kids to programs that were below the current level of those two.

UNLV's been to one sweet sixteen since Larry Johnson was there and they play in the Mountain West. Not sure what level you think they're on but I'm pretty content with calling them a mid-major. If they're not a mid-major then there's no such thing.

Look, you're perfectly entitled to tell yourself that coming up short against VCU is the same as coming up short against Kentucky and Duke based on the "current college basketball landscape." And it's my prerogative to think that just sounds insane.

 

[tzznandrew]

You can't look at the current college basketball landscape and label teams like UNLV and VCU "mid-majors" as the term used to be understood a decade ago. We've lost out on plenty of kids to programs that were below the current level of those two.

Honest question, since I may not really remember: who? Who below VCU or UNLV have we lost a recruit to recently?

I mean, I can go back to Camby to UMass, but that was pre-1999. After our first title, who have we lost someone to below the level of UNLV or VCU?

 

[Wonkster]

.
Do we know if Ollie plans to offer Granma?

 

[aceboon]

UNLV's been to one sweet sixteen since Larry Johnson was there and they play in the Mountain West. Not sure what level you think they're on but I'm pretty content with calling them a mid-major. If they're not a mid-major then there's no such thing.

Look, you're perfectly entitled to tell yourself that coming up short against VCU is the same as coming up short against Kentucky and Duke based on the "current college basketball landscape." And it's my prerogative to think that just sounds insane.

All the things you said about UNLV are correct, but that hasn't had any impact on their recruiting. Khem Birch, Roscoe Smith, Chase Stanback, Mike Moser, all highly regarded kids that have transferred in. Rashad Vaughn, Anthony Bennett, Kaitin Rhinehardt(since transferred out), AO's cousin Goodluck, soon to be Derrick Jones, Josh Jackson in 2016. UNLV has had very little issues bringing in elite talent despite their lack of success, limited TV exposure, and playing in the MWC, which is still a good conference and quality of basketball wise I would rather watch than the SEC for example. This isn't college football, I don't know what Dave Rice and staff are doing because their product on the court is garbage and on the surface dude doesn't come off as dynamic, but its been shown time and time again in CBB that you get the right coach you can set up shop and attract talent anywhere outside of the power conference structure.

 

[ctchamps]

Honest question, since I may not really remember: who? Who below VCU or UNLV have we lost a recruit to recently?

I mean, I can go back to Camby to UMass, but that was pre-1999. After our first title, who have we lost someone to below the level of UNLV or VCU?

Abu to North Carolina State. State is below current VCU but above UNLV. Vegas is above Raleigh although Raleigh is nice.

 

[8893]

All the "too much competition here" ... is just spin and nonsense.

How do you reconcile this with Mack's own statement that his decision was primarily based on his research of each team's roster, incoming recruits and offers, and his desire to be the focus of the offense from day one? To me, that suggests that he thought there was too much competition here, at least as compared to UVCU, and that he was essentially promised a starting position by Smart.

I mean, maybe you're right and KO really sucks at recruiting, but I don't see how you conclude that from this decision. We were the last school to pursue him and lost out to the first school to pursue him, and one at which he has said he believes he will have the best chance to be the focus of the offense from the time he steps on the campus.

 

[selles]

UNLV's been to one sweet sixteen since Larry Johnson was there and they play in the Mountain West. Not sure what level you think they're on but I'm pretty content with calling them a mid-major. If they're not a mid-major then there's no such thing.

That's right, I don't think the term is useful to describe college basketball teams in any meaningful way anymore. Not with the success of Butler, VCU, Wichita State of late. That point can be argued, but what can't be argued is the term mid-major is of zero use as a recruiting standard if you're going to apply it to UNLV, which has been pulling outstanding classes lately.

Look, you're perfectly entitled to tell yourself that coming up short against VCU is the same as coming up short against Kentucky and Duke based on the "current college basketball landscape." And it's my prerogative to think that just sounds insane.

I didn't say that coming up short against VCU is the same as coming up short against Kentucky and Duke. I said it is the same as (or in some cases better than) coming up short against plenty of other non blue blood programs we've lost recruits to over the years. How many recruits have we lost over the years to Florida State alone? How many Sweet Sixteens do they have in the past 20 years? There seems to be this implication that back in the day after the bluebloods got theirs we had our pick of the remaining kids. That's not how I remember it.

As far as insanity goes, what I find insane is the never-ending freakout about recruiting losses on this board. Even though our results on the court consistently prove it wasn't worth all the fuss and we should have had more faith.

 

[tzznandrew]

Abu to North Carolina State. State is below current VCU but above UNLV. Vegas is above Raleigh although Raleigh is nice.

I guess we'll disagree if you think a P5 school with some actual history is below VCU.

 

[champs99and04]

Honest question, since I may not really remember: who? Who below VCU or UNLV have we lost a recruit to recently?

I mean, I can go back to Camby to UMass, but that was pre-1999. After our first title, who have we lost someone to below the level of UNLV or VCU?

Didn't we lose Terrell to URI?

 

[Walker11]

Didn't we lose Terrell to URI?

I don't think we recruited him.

 

[BarkingDog]

Sorry but this kid doesn't seem to bright.
Such a big decision and he embarasses himself with not even knowing the correct name of the commuter school he chose.
Kid could have gone to a Top 20 National Public University and he chose UVCU? Kid is a dull blade afraid of the big stage and bright lights.

On the bright side, Gramamma knows how to make an entrance. She's not afraid of the spotlight and attention. Too bad it didn't rub off on the kid.

Taliek Brown, in a similar moment, committed to "the University of UConn."
I wouldn't start calling people names because they made an error in speech. It reflects poorly on you.

 

[selles]

Honest question, since I may not really remember: who? Who below VCU or UNLV have we lost a recruit to recently?

I mean, I can go back to Camby to UMass, but that was pre-1999. After our first title, who have we lost someone to below the level of UNLV or VCU?

Ike Diogu to Arizona State, Isaiah Swann and Alexander Johnson to FSU, Durand Scott to Miami, Jamal Sampson to Cal, Eric Hicks to Cincy, a couple decommits like Melvin to Depaul and Harkless to SJU. I'm sure there are more.

I think VCU is a stronger program right now than any of the above when they beat us for recruits, with the possible exception of Cincy and Hicks.

 

[champs99and04]

I don't think we recruited him.

I seem to recall being in his final four, but maybe it was a scenario where we offered him but were not actively recruiting him. Or I could be thinking of a completely different player. Was he the kid that was a rumored package with Abu? Maybe his offer was contingent on Abu signing.

 

[aceboon]

I seem to recall being in his final four, but maybe it was a scenario where we offered him but were not actively recruiting him. Or I could be thinking of a completely different player. Was he the kid that was a rumored package with Abu? Maybe his offer was contingent on Abu signing.

Borges said UConn wasn't actively recruiting him, remember they had already pulled in Purvis and Hamilton in the spring and Abu/Terrell didn't decide until I believe the late summer in Sept. The staff was only at his AAU games because him and Abu played on the same team.

 

[champs99and04]

Borges said UConn wasn't actively recruiting him, remember they had already pulled in Purvis and Hamilton in the spring and Abu/Terrell didn't decide until I believe the late summer in Sept. The staff was only at his AAU games because him and Abu played on the same team.

That makes sense, but Terrell seemed to be interested until the end. Perhaps he just listed UConn to generate hype for the announcement.

 

[superjohn]

Exactly, he kept us in his final 4 for name recognition. We stopped recruiting him early on.