Waters Signed With LSU

[Robertelamin]

Do we still have any crystal balls on this one?

 

[the Q]

IMO, Who Cares? I never expected him to come. I went to High School in CT, with a lot of kids who absolutely refused to consider going to UConn. Tremont strikes me as one of those kids. More power to him. We shouldn't overreact to this.

I was one of those kids. Mostly cause like 20% of my graduating class went there and I never wanted to see them again, sooooo not a good place to start.

 

[pj]

I was one of those kids. Mostly cause like 20% of my graduating class went there and I never wanted to see them again, sooooo not a good place to start.

Good plan. Misanthropes should always find new people to hate, instead of hating the same people repeatedly.

 

[the Q]

Good plan. Misanthropes should always find new people to hate, instead of hating the same people repeatedly.

Finally, someone who gets me.

Do we hug now?

 

[boog204]

You're kidding yourself if you don't think we would have been better off from a purely basketball standpoint without him, although we've known for a couple weeks now (definitively) he was not coming to UConn. The "3rd PG" thing is dumb....at worst he would've been the 4th guard in an offense that probably would've started 3 guards - he would have seen PLENTY of time running the point

I don't think anyone is dumb enough to think we are "better off" without him. It's more the rationalization that we didn't "need" him and it also gives an understanding as to why we were the consolation school on the list. From his perspective, it would have made no sense to come here. Even if he is the third/fourth guard in that rotation, he's not going to be THE guard in that rotation. He's would have been, at best, second fiddle to Jalen, and based simply on high school rankings/rep/physical ability behind Alterique as well. So sure, he would've seen some time at the point. But he would not have been the general and that is obviously what he and his camp want.

It is essential that we grab a Carey or Dort or... in 2018 to continue the line of backcourt guys.

 

[Husky1972]

I was one of those kids. Mostly cause like 20% of my graduating class went there and I never wanted to see them again, sooooo not a good place to start.

Both my kids went to E. O. Smith which is basically on campus. My son swam in the UConn pool for 12 years, typically coached by the UConn assistant swim coach; my daughter lives and dies UConn basketball and went to every game with me until leaving E.O. At 35 she watches every minute of every game. But, neither ever gave a thought to going there. I guess familiarity does breeds comtempt. The sad part is that we ended up paying eight years of out-of-state tuition to two state schools for both of them (Maryland & Massachusetts). Go figure.

 

[the Q]

Both my kids went to E. O. Smith which is basically on campus. My son swam in the UConn pool for 12 years, typically coached by the UConn assistant swim coach; my daughter lives and dies UConn basketball and went to every game with me until leaving E.O. At 35 she watches every minute of every game. But, neither ever gave a thought to going there. I guess familiarity does breeds comtempt. The sad part is that we ended up paying eight years of out-of-state tuition to two state schools for both of them (Maryland & Massachusetts). Go figure.

Yeah, knowing what I know now, I probably would've been better off there than where I ended up (that's a long as story on its own, not really important for this thread lol).

I had no issue with the campus itself, but I was just so looking forward to a new place, a fresh start, that I didn't want to go where I'd really know people. To me that was one of the most exciting parts about going to college.

 

[HooperScooper]

Your information is the best on this board but we all know (or should) that recruiting is fluid and anything can happen until that signed LOI arrives. Come to think of it even after it arrives these days. Keep the recruiting news coming!

And take everything you hear and read with a grain of salt.

 

[champs99and04]

No, it's a problem if the locals are not considering us. The idea that players want to stay at home to play college ball is so 1999. These kids want to find the quickest path to the league; where they can get exposure and get paid. Waters coming here to be the backup to Jalen and Alterique was not exactly in his best interest. Furthermore, as badly as I wanted Waters, he's not as good as Jalen or Alterique. Nab a nice guard in 2018 (Carey? Dort?) and you have that stud guard pipeline built.

Geography is pretty damn important in recruiting, and while there are certainly plenty of kids who would prefer to get away from home, there remains a significant correlation between the two and the fact that so many local recruits are seemingly apathetic about playing here - despite all of the success - is concerning.

It's not something you can blame on KO, but it's not like this everywhere. Without any proof to back it up, I'd wager that say, Arizona, is not losing top 40 recruits from Arizona to LSU.

 

[gtcam]

Is the car CONFIRMED?

No - 50% tongue in cheek and 50% thinking it is for real - based on the history of the LSU program - but they aren't they only one

 

[gtcam]

Why not develop a guy and get the freshman jitters out of the way now.

The kid is not looking for a development plan - I think that has been emphasized by his Dad, his coaches and even he said he was looking for a situation where he could step in right away and lead a team from the PG position. Does that look like UConn in 2017-18? I am pretty damn sure that it doesn't. If he doesn't play what he and his Daddy think are "deserved" minutes and AG has a really good year - what are the chances he stays at UConn? Very little - and guess what? - the KO bashers come out again - why can't he keep kids, especially state kids?
There's a better than even chance that KO picks up a 2018 PG that is as good/better than Waters

 

[Towney007]

I mean this kid was just a tornado during the whole process, so i'm not losing an ounce of sleep over this one on any level. It's just really clear to me he just had no idea what he wanted to do - and I'm pretty confident that he still doesn't. I don't know if it's possible to have a weirder list than Georgetown, UConn, Creighton, Western Kentucky and LSU. That's just all over the map - from the programs themselves, to how they play to the schools academically, to geography.... even down to playing time, honestly. And when nothing makes sense, you can almost certainly bet that the decision won't make any sense, which of course it didn't.

So I mean... whatever. Who cares. Would have been fun to have him for sure, we'd be a better team with him; but he's not a guy who I felt like anyone needed to hang anything on. Impossible to blame the staff, the program or whatever... just a kid being a kid.

 

[Chief00]

It's a problem that local kids aren't picking UConn. New England is flush with talent and instead of having a pipeline we are missing like crazy on local kids. I see it as a major problem that needs to be fixed.

Absolutely right.

 

[UC56CAFF]

really? Position of need? He was almost definitely scared off by our backcourt. We've got an undersized PG sitting here who barely played a game for us, so he'd be at least battling for playing time with him for 3 years...

To me, if we needed point guards and also didn't already have one under 6' he would have been far more likely to come here

Good post! Right on the $$$ another guy for us to root against good riddance bwahahaha!

 

[UC56CAFF]

Waters to LSU? Just in time, too. I was out of popcorn.

C O N F I R M E D C O M M I T M E N T ?

The telling statement is that Daddy made the announcement. #moveoversonigotthis! Bwahahaha!

 

[UC56CAFF]

It's like you don't know us at all.

TRUE DAT! We are slightly passionate, emotional haters! It takes many years of comprehensive studies to get US! One thing we are not #apologists#uconn4lyfe#rare#uconnluv. The UA UCONN ANONYMOUS big book is good reading.#readit&comeseeus Bwahahaha!

 

[djct1999]

Absolutely right.

While I agree to some extent, we also need to be honest with ourselves. Personally, I find the decommitment of MAL and the miss of Wilson far more troubling than Diallo, Heron, or Waters. The last three weren't misses, their personal agendas never aligned with ours.

 

[UC56CAFF]

While I agree to some extent, we also need to be honest with ourselves. Personally, I find the decommitment of MAL and the miss of Wilson far more troubling than Diallo, Heron, or Waters. The last three weren't misses, their personal agendas never aligned with ours.

It is disappointing as a whole. Sure I think our guards are the . I'm not going to give this guy any props when he hasn't done anything yet. The biggest let down is the overall swan dive the program is taking. They hire the guru and nobody comes...nobody! I still hold out hope that we will right the ship. I have faith in KO, but I gave more faith in the resolve of our players. You can argue that we have the best trio of guards in the country with Alterique, Christian and Jalen and a kickass 4 in Larrier. Cobb Carlton Polley Wailey Mamadou have to give us a shot to be really good. The future is 2018 and right now I see a bare cupboard. Chilleous says he's a Coach that wants to Coach. While that is admirable it's not my understanding that we need him to coach. I've heard his Fultz success story but it doesn't do sh-- for me, for us. Get me a FAB5 for 2018 I'll be content to know that we are not UNASS or heaven forbid, BC! Tell me that Moretti signed and a surprise 2 beefy bodies from overseas, by way of transfer, juco, playground don't care. Waters was never coming ever. The kid goes to the bayou? To a football school? What the??? Maybe he wants to play right away. CV, JA, AG are intimidating. With all of this kids accolades starting out #4 on the depth chart not so good. I'd like to think that I know nothing about what the staff is doing. The one thing I know is that they are not communicating with their fan base and the rabid fan base has lost confidence. This I do know, just read here. Better days ahead? I hope so! give me something BONEYARD!!

 

[Jaybo]

@Jaybo , do your thing.

I HATE HIM.I HATE HIS DADDY.

 

[8893]

I HATE HIM.I HATE HIS DADDY.

Thank you.

Now, we are done.

 

[QDOG5]

This has the feel of a 10+ pager.

 

[boog204]

Geography is pretty damn important in recruiting, and while there are certainly plenty of kids who would prefer to get away from home, there remains a significant correlation between the two and the fact that so many local recruits are seemingly apathetic about playing here - despite all of the success - is concerning.

It's not something you can blame on KO, but it's not like this everywhere. Without any proof to back it up, I'd wager that say, Arizona, is not losing top 40 recruits from Arizona to LSU.

Never said geography was not important. If we were not getting any consideration from local kids then we would be screwed. But that is not the case. We did not get Waters because we have two better point guards on the roster already and he wants to be the guy. It's pretty simple. We did not get Diallo b/c the most prestigious basketball school in the country wanted him. We're not, at least in our current situation, winning that one. We did not get Heron because there was (supposedly) some super shady stuff going on and he had no interest in us. We do not have the greatest track record of dominating New England preps. I feel like we have lost far more than we've won in that regard. Guys like Ed Cota, Randall Jackson, Wenyen Gabriel, Abu, Omari Spellman, Chukwu, etc. come to mind.

In fact, in my boredom I looked up the Gatorade CT player of the year list. Since 1990, there have been 19 High D1 POYs from CT --> (Anthony Harris (Cuse), Marcus Camby (UMass), Kendrick Moore (Mizzou), Rash Jones, Earl Johnson (Rutgers), Edmund, Brooks Sales (Nova), Marcus Cox, Jeff McMillan (USC), Mark Konecny (Cuse), David McClure (Duke), Craig Austrie, Doug Wiggins, Mathew Bryan Amaning (Wash), Allan Chaney (Florida), Andre Drummond, Kris Dunn (PC), Steven Enoch, Tremont) We are 7 for 19. From memory: Harris had little interest in us; we definitely recruited/were beat for Camby, Dunn, Chaney, Wiggins (initially), Konecny, Amaning; we wanted McMillan but something shady happened on his visit; and I'm pretty sure we did not recruit Sales, Johnson, McClure (he committed very early), or Moore.

So we're 7 for 19 including Waters. Not all of those guys were top, top guys but from memory Dunn, Chaney, Harris, and Camby were definitely top 50ish. This doesn't Heron or others who I have forgotten about who were highly ranked.

Hate to break this to you, but we are not Arizona so that comparison is useless. But we have lost in-state talent to Florida, UMass, Cuse, and PC.

But to play the fun game... Using various sources that popped up from the google...

Of the top 30 recruits from:
2013, 8 stayed "home."
2014, 4 stayed "home."
2015, 7 stayed "home."
2016, 7 stayed "home."
2017, 4 stayed "home."

What was the whole point of this? I'm not exactly sure. But I'm not in panic mode over losing Waters. If you go here --> http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/rankings/new-england-class-of-2007 and then change the year you can see how few "top" New England guys we have actually gotten.

 

[UC56CAFF]

I HATE HIM.I HATE HIS DADDY.

Now that is not POLITICALLY CORRECT bwahahaha or as they say PC! Come on man!! PC????? That still means Providence College. I despise them both, thank you for opening up the real World brotato chip!

 

[Fan4ever]

It's not only a matter of losing Waters (which is a dissappointment), its the fact that we have become irrelevant Nationally. Does any recruit mention UCONN on the recruting trail any longer with the vigor of 4 NC's in the last 18 years? With that kind of track record, it should be self-promoting at a minimum with a coaching and recruiting staff to augment/excelerate. Nationally we hear...crickets. I guess we need better traction Internationally.

 

[CL82]

It's not only a matter of losing Waters (which is a dissappointment), its the fact that we have become irrelevant Nationally. Does any recruit mention UConn on the recruting trail any longer with the vigor of 4 NC's in the last 18 years? With that kind of track record, it should be self-promoting at a minimum with a coaching and recruiting staff to augment/excelerate. Nationally we hear...crickets. I guess we need better traction Internationally.

Do you think that might be due to the fact we are scrambling at the 11th hour to fill gaps created by the loss of 4 players? That's an uphill climb.

I love that somebody will mention a guy that we aren't recruiting and then when he goes somewhere else all of sudden the sky is falling. How does that make any sense?

In this case, Waters had no interest in playing for UConn, that was readily apparent. Probably because he'd be behind to many other guys here. Not a big deal really.

FWIW IMO, MAL was the big error by the staff (and really by KO.) As for the rest of our departure, I suspect that one player poisoned the well for our bigs by suggesting that their lack of success was due to our being a guard oriented team, rather than there lack of performance. I could be wrong, of course, but that's how I see it.