Uconn watching Isaiah Cousins

[MarieM]

Mount Vernon gave Uconn Ben Gordon, Tomorrow they are going to watch SG Isaiah Cousins from Mount Vernon.

Jabarie Hinds didn't choose us maybe he will

he has offers from VaTech, RI, Dayton, fordham, St Peters, Iona, Manhatten, hofstra with interest from Villanova Colorado, Georgia Tech

 

[UCweCONN]

Based on these offers how highly is this kid ranked? Not exactly a who's who of powerhouse programs. We can't afford more 'project' type players but need some ballers who can come in prepared to make immediate contributions. Also, what class is he in? It would be hard to believe that if those are the only offers he has he wouldn't jump for the UCONN offer.

 

[MarieM]

he also has interest from Pitt. he's a 2012 .

Ranked?

i don't think the coaching staff really cares if someone is ranked or not.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Based on these offers how highly is this kid ranked? Not exactly a who's who of powerhouse programs. We can't afford more 'project' type players but need some ballers who can come in prepared to make immediate contributions..

If we based our recruiting strategy on how kids were rated and who else was recruiting them early on....we would not have ended up with Emeka Okafor, Jeremy Lamb, Josh Boone, Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Moore, Jake Voskuhl,etc (I can keep going on if you would like). Who needs more players like that?!

 

[UCweCONN]

If we based our recruiting strategy on how kids were rated and who else was recruiting them early on....we would not have ended up with Emeka Okafor, Jeremy Lamb, Josh Boone, Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Moore, Jake Voskuhl,etc (I can keep going on if you would like). Who needs more players like that?!

Here are my thoughts on recruiting ratings. First, as others on the Boneyard have commented, some may say ratings are BS but I say that given the time spent evaluating players, I tend to think there is something to the process. Sure there are exceptions and diamonds in the rough but I think they are few and far between compared to highly rated recruits who end up being top players. Second, don't get me wrong, but UCONN teams tend to be National Championship or bust. Look at how many of JC's teams have lost double digit games in a season over the years compared to the other top teams like UNC, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State and others that sign nothing but 4 and 5 star players year after year. They may not win quite as many national championships as UCONN, but they consistently produce great records, protect their home courts, and rarely miss the NCAA tourney and go deep into it. I consider the '90's to have been the best of JC's tenure just due to the consistent winning. My point being, the teams that bring in all 4-5 star recruits don't post a lot of 20-13 and 18-14 seasons. Don't get me wrong, our three national championships are tremendous, but as high as I felt those seasons, I've felt equally low in NIT and no postseason years. 4-5 star recruits give your team a dog in the fight (no pun intended) every year.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Here are my thoughts on recruiting ratings. First, as others on the Boneyard have commented, some may say ratings are BS but I say that given the time spent evaluating players, I tend to think there is something to the process. Sure there are exceptions and diamonds in the rough but I think they are few and far between compared to highly rated recruits who end up being top players. Second, don't get me wrong, but UCONN teams tend to be National Championship or bust. Look at how many of JC's teams have lost double digit games in a season over the years compared to the other top teams like UNC, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State and others that sign nothing but 4 and 5 star players year after year. They may not win quite as many national championships as UCONN, but they consistently produce great records, protect their home courts, and rarely miss the NCAA tourney and go deep into it. I consider the '90's to have been the best of JC's tenure just due to the consistent winning. My point being, the teams that bring in all 4-5 star recruits don't post a lot of 20-13 and 18-14 seasons. Don't get me wrong, our three national championships are tremendous, but as high as I felt those seasons, I've felt equally low in NIT and no postseason years. 4-5 star recruits give your team a dog in the fight (no pun intended) every year.

So what you are saying is that if we brought in 3-4 of the best 25 players every year, we would be better more consistently?! Well duh! Unfortunately, UNC and Duke (and more recently Kentucky) are the only ones who can do that. If that is your expectation, then you are going to be highly dissapointed.

If Calhoun thinks he is good enough to contribute, that is all I need to know. I will value Calhoun's evaluation and assessment much more than a recruiting website or any other source. Calhoun has a history of being able to combine a couple of star players with a bunch of 'under the radar guys' to form a championship team. Would it be easier if we could just recruit 15 elite players...yes...but that just isn't going to happen.

 

[Burnsbros23]

If we based our recruiting strategy on how kids were rated and who else was recruiting them early on....we would not have ended up with Emeka Okafor, Jeremy Lamb, Josh Boone, Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Moore, Jake Voskuhl,etc (I can keep going on if you would like). Who needs more players like that?!

Yah ur off on a lot of these names. Jeff Adrien was ranked 41st, Josh Boone 54th, Hasheem Thabeet 37th, and Jeremy was top 75 on most sites. Now should they have been ranked higher probably but those are all pretty highly thought of guys. There is this giant thought that we have a bunch of sucess with no name players I dont really understand it.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Yah ur off on a lot of these names. Jeff Adrien was ranked 41st, Josh Boone 54th, Hasheem Thabeet 37th, and Jeremy was top 75 on most sites. Now should they have been ranked higher probably but those are all pretty highly thought of guys. There is this giant thought that we have a bunch of sucess with no name players I dont really understand it.

First...being rated in the 50-100 range isn't being a top player.

Second...they weren't rated that high to begin with...they may have ended up ranked that high after committing to UConn and getting more exposure...but when UConn was first recruiting them they were not highly rated and ranked.

 

[Fishy]

Those players were all relatively highly regarded when UConn began recruiting them.

Cousins...not so much. A lil skeptical about this one.

 

[UCweCONN]

Given our current ineligibility for the 2013 NCAA tourney, Calhoun's health/medical leave and lack of a clear succession plan, the lingering impact of the Nate Mile sanctions, uncertainty as to which players will leave for the NBA after this season, and the team's current struggles, we may have no choice but to sign lesser talent just to have bodies in uniform next season. As a life-long Husky fan, this is is a sobering reality. It seems like we've had more crap this year than in the entire Calhoun era combined.

Top recruits are certainly aware of all of these factors and I'm sure our recruiting opponents are taking every opportunity to remind them. I just want all of this crap to clear up so we can get back to taking care of business.

 

[Fishy]

Not saying you're wrong, but if we sign players that can't play here, they're not going to stay. We see it all the time - Trice, Smith, Haralson, etc.

These players leaving have had an impact in putting us in the position we're in. I'd rather we just hang onto these spots and not risk killing ourselves again.

 

[DogMania]

Not saying you're wrong, but if we sign players that can't play here, they're not going to stay. We see it all the time - Trice, Smith, Haralson, etc.

These players leaving have had an impact in putting us in the position we're in. I'd rather we just hang onto these spots and not risk killing ourselves again.

Well we might not have to worry about that if we're banned from the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Now I was surprised that JC and his staff was able to land the big 2010 class with the Miles' investigation and pending penalties hanging over the program's head, so wouldn't I be shocked if he lands some talented players even if the 2013 tournament is off the table or in doubt.

 

[Burnsbros23]

To me anybody in the top 100 is pretty highly thought of. We started recruiting Jeremy after he broke out at the Peach Jam as did all the schools who recruited him. We started recruiting Thabeet after he broke out during his Senior year.

We have had some success with three star kids Gavin Edwards, Craig Austrie, and Hilton Armstrong. But we have had a lot of misses as well as fishy pointed out.

 

[MarieM]

ESPN is the Ranking site that really matters and Jeremy Lamb wasn't even on their top 100 and look he's a top 10 pick in the NBA

 

[Burnsbros23]

espn is the worse ranking site