Why is Memphis able to overcome the AAC stigma with recruits?

[CL82]

MSG is the nicest arena in the NBA? I haven’t been in years, but I really doubt that the oldest arena is the nicest.

They may have renovated it since it was built...

 

[zls44]

FedEx is nice, but its careening down the arena rankings just because of the other arenas coming up to date. The arena in Atlanta is insane now. Nobody goes, but its incredible. Chase in San Fran is gonna re-set the floor for the entire venue game. For better and worse.

 

[Devland]

They may have renovated it since it was built...

This is the fourth Madison Square Garden. Ironically only versions one and two were located in Madison Square (on Madison Ave). Maybe it should be named Penn Station Garden now. This is like Woodstock not being in Woodstock.

 

[mauconnfan]

One word "Penny"

He is the reason plain and simple

Let’s not underestimate Mike Miller and his family AAU connections as well.

 

[superjohn]

MSG is the nicest arena in the NBA? I haven’t been in years, but I really doubt that the oldest arena is the nicest.

Yes.

 

[gtcam]

Ok, might not be a stigma, but let's call it like it is. The AAC is primarily composed of teams that cannot recruit.

Between 2013 and 2019, the AAC had 33 top 100 recruits according to 247, 34 according to Rivals, and 32 according ESPN. Outside of UConn, Memphis, and Cincinnati, the rest of the AAC had just 5 on 247, 4 on Rivals, and 5 on ESPN.

AAC teams with a top-100 recruit in either 247, Rivals or ESPN from 2013-2019: 6/12 (UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, USF, SMU, Temple)

For the Big East comparison, from 2013-2019, it was 53 top 100 recruits according to 247, 63 according to Rivals, and 62 according to ESPN.

Big East teams with a top-100 recruit in either 247, Rivals or ESPN from 2013-2019: 10/10

Houston, WSU, CFU all had extremely respectable teams without all the hoopla of top 100 recruiting
K Sampson, as much as I have little respect for the guy, showed how it can get done without the heralded recruits.
Yeah the NBE has better recruiting stats but many of the AAC teams last year would play with every NBE team except perhaps Nova but maybe even them
It boils down to the fact that the NBE is a better fit geographically and interest wise for UConn
The AAC has some darn good teams

 

[Waquoit]

The AAC has some darn good teams

...that UConn season ticket holders couldn't care less about. Casual fan interest is even lower than that even though it's not possible.

 

[scoscox]

Houston, WSU, CFU all had extremely respectable teams without all the hoopla of top 100 recruiting
K Sampson, as much as I have little respect for the guy, showed how it can get done without the heralded recruits.
Yeah the NBE has better recruiting stats but many of the AAC teams last year would play with every NBE team except perhaps Nova but maybe even them
It boils down to the fact that the NBE is a better fit geographically and interest wise for UConn
The AAC has some darn good teams

there's a reason those teams only have 1 sweet sixteen and 4 tournament wins between them since joining the american. it mostly has to do with not having high end talent

 

[Scrutineer]

Except for the facts you are right Hans. I get it. Hurley is looking to build a regional power, not necessarily a national one and the UConn brass is good wi5h that. It is easier it is cheaper and they will probably sell a few more tickets for a few years. But Calhoun built his recruiting the west coast, the southeast, the Midwest, basically wherever good players were found. Hurley has made it pretty clear when he talks recruiting he intends to focus on the northeast. The Big East fits that profile. Plus MSG Baby!

Calhoun, just like most coaches taking over a bad program, got his players from wherever he could in the first few years. Other than Chris Smith, there were no consensus great recruits until after the "Dream Season". Donyell Marshall was the first McD AA in 1991-92

Before that he found diamonds in the rough like Lyman (MI) and Rod (SC), and maybe got lucky (?) when he signed the "other Robinson from Buffalo" (Cliff) who turned out to be the better of the two. Then there was Nadav.

Maybe Hurley can bring back the glory days with only Northeast and DMV recruits, but unless he can get the best ones every year that's going to be tough. Can't see him turning down a kid from GA (Moore, Lamb) or CA (Ollie, Daniels) if he can get a great player.

 

[HooperScooper]

Before that he found diamonds in the rough like Lyman (MI) and Rod (SC), and maybe got lucky (?) when he signed the "other Robinson from Buffalo" (Cliff) who turned out to be the better of the two.

Cliff Robinson was already at UConn when Calhoun came aboard. Cliff was a sophomore in Calhoun's first year at UConn.

 

[Psolo12]

Houston, WSU, CFU all had extremely respectable teams without all the hoopla of top 100 recruiting
K Sampson, as much as I have little respect for the guy, showed how it can get done without the heralded recruits.
Yeah the NBE has better recruiting stats but many of the AAC teams last year would play with every NBE team except perhaps Nova but maybe even them
It boils down to the fact that the NBE is a better fit geographically and interest wise for UConn
The AAC has some darn good teams

The main difference is that bottom half of the American vs the bottom half of the BE is night and day. And I literally couldn't care any less about playing ECU or Tulane.

 

[HuskyHawk]

USF just landed a 4 star in the AAC

 

[bendm]

USF just landed a 4 star in the AAC

i'm gonna file this under the "even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and then" category

 

[scoscox]

He’s aau teammates with dwon Odom. One of Xavier’s recruits in 2020. Word is that he is struggling to qualify

 

[3rdbass]

Cliff Robinson was already at UConn when Calhoun came aboard. Cliff was a sophomore in Calhoun's first year at UConn.

Yeah, I was like that is is a revisionist history there. Cliff and Phil were Perno recruits.

 

[freescooter]

Xavier is recruiting well. Prov has talent. Prov is going to surprise UConn fans I think. This has the makings for a better rivalry this time around.

Xavier would be #3 or 4 in the AAC in recruiting.

 

[freescooter]

MSG is the nicest arena in the NBA? I haven’t been in years, but I really doubt that the oldest arena is the nicest.

UConn fans generally have an MSG fetish. I have never seen anything like it. Even Michigan and Ohio State football fans don’t fetishize the big house or the horseshoe to the same degree and most of them would marry those venues if it were allied in their states. UConn fans would marry stay cats that live on the MSG loading dock just to be near the place. It is weird.

 

[freescooter]

Calhoun, just like most coaches taking over a bad program, got his players from wherever he could in the first few years. Other than Chris Smith, there were no consensus great recruits until after the "Dream Season". Donyell Marshall was the first McD AA in 1991-92

Before that he found diamonds in the rough like Lyman (MI) and Rod (SC), and maybe got lucky (?) when he signed the "other Robinson from Buffalo" (Cliff) who turned out to be the better of the two. Then there was Nadav.

Maybe Hurley can bring back the glory days with only Northeast and DMV recruits, but unless he can get the best ones every year that's going to be tough. Can't see him turning down a kid from GA (Moore, Lamb) or CA (Ollie, Daniels) if he can get a great player.

Aside from the fact that Cliff was already there you raise some good points. To me Hurley’s focus on the northeast just reflects the overall pull back from being a national program. The UConn administration will be perfectly happy to be a “strong regional” program. Get NCAA bids on a pretty regular basis but a Sweet 16 run will be their new National Championship. But hey, MSG baby!

 

[scoscox]

Xavier would be #3 or 4 in the AAC in recruiting.

third in 2019 behind UConn (a future big east team) and first in 2020

 

[Waquoit]

UConn fans generally have an MSG fetish. I have never seen anything like it. Even Michigan and Ohio State football fans don’t fetishize the big house or the horseshoe to the same degree

This is utter nonsense.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Aside from the fact that Cliff was already there you raise some good points. To me Hurley’s focus on the northeast just reflects the overall pull back from being a national program. The UConn administration will be perfectly happy to be a “strong regional” program. Get NCAA bids on a pretty regular basis but a Sweet 16 run will be their new National Championship. But hey, MSG baby!

National programs are winning programs, this take makes no sense to Me

 

[olehead]

Calhoun, just like most coaches taking over a bad program, got his players from wherever he could in the first few years. Other than Chris Smith, there were no consensus great recruits until after the "Dream Season". Donyell Marshall was the first McD AA in 1991-92

Before that he found diamonds in the rough like Lyman (MI) and Rod (SC), and maybe got lucky (?) when he signed the "other Robinson from Buffalo" (Cliff) who turned out to be the better of the two. Then there was Nadav.

Maybe Hurley can bring back the glory days with only Northeast and DMV recruits, but unless he can get the best ones every year that's going to be tough. Can't see him turning down a kid from GA (Moore, Lamb) or CA (Ollie, Daniels) if he can get a great player.

Was the other Robinson, Keith Robinson by chance?

 

[amsterdamjade]

It just takes one or two recruits to open the flood gates at a program.

 

[traitor71]

UConn fans generally have an MSG fetish. I have never seen anything like it. Even Michigan and Ohio State football fans don’t fetishize the big house or the horseshoe to the same degree and most of them would marry those venues if it were allied in their states. UConn fans would marry stay cats that live on the MSG loading dock just to be near the place. It is weird.

I don't know about a fetish, but when a place holds some of the fans greatest memories, and has felt like a second home, well it's pretty easy to love it.

 

[upstater]

To answer the opening question, it's about $$$. But why complain about it. This is the sport. Everyone knows it, it's unspoken. Complaining about the basics of college basketball is nonsensical. Some schools are very aggressive when it comes to handing over paper bags.

 

[freescooter]

National programs are winning programs, this take makes no sense to Me

Uh, no. It doesn’t matter how many times Central Connecticut wins the NEC. They will never be a National program. It is about being competitive for the NCAA title. Or having tradition. Limiting recruiting to the northeast as Hurley wants to do and playing in a regional league with no tv coverage to speak of is not the mark of a national program. It is the sign of a strong regional one. And the administration and the fan base is good with that until they see what it really means.

Calhoun built a program recruiting nationwide. Even arguably worldwide. Now the program wants to limit recruiting to New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a cost saving move as is the Big East move. We can win more games without having to travel or play tough opponents. And go out in the round of 32. But MSG baby

 

[upstater]

Calhoun built a program recruiting nationwide. Even arguably worldwide. Now the program wants to limit recruiting to New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a cost saving move as is the Big East move.

Having a hard time believing that you believe this.

The costs of recruiting nationally as opposed to regionally are miniscule. Especially in a sport where you need 3 new players a year on average.

Until Ray Allen showed up, UConn recruited regionally. Burrell, Donyell Marshall, Chris Smith, Tate George, all their top recruits were regional. It was only after UConn became a force with Allen that they started looking nationally, but even then, our top recruits were all Northeast/MidAtlantic. Rip Hamilton, Kemba Walker, Charlie Villanueva, Rudy Gay, AJ Price, Ben Gordon, Shabazz Napier, Josh Boone. You look at all these names and you realize that Emeka Okafor is the outlier.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Uh, no. It doesn’t matter how many times Central Connecticut wins the NEC. They will never be a National program. It is about being competitive for the NCAA title. Or having tradition. Limiting recruiting to the northeast as Hurley wants to do and playing in a regional league with no tv coverage to speak of is not the mark of a national program. It is the sign of a strong regional one. And the administration and the fan base is good with that until they see what it really means.

Calhoun built a program recruiting nationwide. Even arguably worldwide. Now the program wants to limit recruiting to New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a cost saving move as is the Big East move. We can win more games without having to travel or play tough opponents. And go out in the round of 32. But MSG baby

Comparing winning the nec to winning the big east is just silly. If you get good recruits that fit ur system I don’t think it matters where they come from. If you get two 4 star players from New Jersey or two from California is there a difference? This argument doesn’t even seem serious

 

[scoscox]

Uh, no. It doesn’t matter how many times Central Connecticut wins the NEC. They will never be a National program. It is about being competitive for the NCAA title. Or having tradition. Limiting recruiting to the northeast as Hurley wants to do and playing in a regional league with no tv coverage to speak of is not the mark of a national program. It is the sign of a strong regional one. And the administration and the fan base is good with that until they see what it really means.

Calhoun built a program recruiting nationwide. Even arguably worldwide. Now the program wants to limit recruiting to New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a cost saving move as is the Big East move. We can win more games without having to travel or play tough opponents. And go out in the round of 32. But MSG baby

“No television coverage to speak of” meanwhile it is literally the most televised conference in the country

 

[Excalibur]

Uh, no. It doesn’t matter how many times Central Connecticut wins the NEC. They will never be a National program. It is about being competitive for the NCAA title. Or having tradition. Limiting recruiting to the northeast as Hurley wants to do and playing in a regional league with no tv coverage to speak of is not the mark of a national program. It is the sign of a strong regional one. And the administration and the fan base is good with that until they see what it really means.

Calhoun built a program recruiting nationwide. Even arguably worldwide. Now the program wants to limit recruiting to New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a cost saving move as is the Big East move. We can win more games without having to travel or play tough opponents. And go out in the round of 32. But MSG baby

Here's what you are not getting -- Calhoun was recruiting to the best conference in all of college basketball for most of his tenure. When you are doing that you can consistently recruit effectively nationwide. In almost every other circumstance, recruiting is a regional game, whether it be as an AAC team or a Big East team, and it is far easier to recruit the northeast as a member of Big East than as a member of a southern/midwestern conference.

Penny will play out just as many former NBA alumni have played out -- early recruiting success, until it becomes clear that he can't coach them. Penny may do a bit better because of the resources behind the Memphis program, but we've seen this movie before . . .