BB Recruiting 2020 Four-star forward cuts list, RU in the mix
- Thread starter Russ Wood
- Start date
Not when Michael Jordan is the next man up. It's sort of like Football 1981 when New Orleans drafted George Rogers (Heisman - Nice player) #1 and left Lawrence Taylor (G.O.A.T.) for the Giants #2. ***Of course GOAT is always arguable. LeBron came after Jordan, Brady came after Montana....Nobody came after LT.
This is major hindsight. Durant was so skinny back then no one knew how exactly his game would translate. He played PF/C in college and SG his first year in the NBA because coaches didn’t understand how to use him. Meanwhile, if Oden stayed healthy he’d be a lock 20-10-3 guy.
Michael Jordan wasn't "Michael Jordan" yet. Plus Portland already had Clyde Drexler but needed a Center. Of course this was back when having a big man was seen as the critical position to fill in the NBA
It looks bad for Portland in hindsight but watch this for more perspective
I’m aware it’s hindsight...I’m in 2018. I said he wasn’t the guy you wanted to draft. That is based on present knowledge. I did not say “at the time I favored Jordan.”
There are 2 different hindsights here. One is of Jordan and I think it was clear that he was something special....he didn't come flying (literally) out of thin air like Dr. J did in ABA days. But he did help to change the game and that brings up the second hindsight. The 90's and "Showtime" was the beginning of the end for the need to have a dominant 7 footer in the league to be successful. (Unless he could shoot like Dirk N) Kareem, Artis Gilmore, Wilt and others were getting on. Moses Malone maybe. Hakeem Olajuwon didn't play the same back-to-the basket game that big centers had always played. Ewing never won a title. That pretty much leaves Shaquille O'Neal and he really was special. So the game had changed again as it had in 1971 with Dr J. Now players are long and lean. Kevin Durant is a good an example of the prototype. I didn't see any of that evolution coming in 1984.
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Have you all been watching Basketball: A Love Story? It's fantastic.
I’m very disappointed to hear that we are out on this kid because I thought we had a real good shot? It’s going to always come down to winning but I always thought this was the last transition year and recruits would start to see the forest through the trees. It makes games like Seton Hall even bigger. These kids follow programs very closely. The Miami game was a start and MSU and Wisky shouldn’t have had much damage because we played very well but games like Fordham leave a mark. Need to bounce back this Saturday and get back to winning.
The kid is from Maryland and Boise State made the cut. His list really cover all corners of the country. Fordham definitely stings. Seton Hall game is an opportunity to fix that
Why did you think that? Was it based on reporting or something you hoped was true?
Two months ago I was asked, in this thread, who I thought had the edge and who were maybe top three for Che. My answer was "Florida. With Texas Tech and UCLA close behind." That's 50 percent of his top-6 right there.
Yes, the RU staff worked hard in Evans' recruitment. Yes, they had him on campus a couple of times for unofficials and went down to Maryland to see him in September (I think it was in Sept). It took all of that to get into his top ten, which was impressive.
RU just has to get guys to the league, show player development at the particular recruit's position, and it helps if there is a long term relationship or a former teammate at the school (just look at the kid's comments about the schools that made his top-6)
I think you’re right and it’s what I hoped would be true? I agree about getting guys to the league but I also think that before that happens, we will have to win enough games to get to post season.
I’m not close to the recruitment of these guys like you are and I’m sure every school has their own angle. How can you beat out UCLA and Florida? I think it starts with getting just a few very highly ranked kids who can star at Rutgers and they are surrounded by other good kids. We now have the foundation imo. I remember when the Martin twins looked at Rutgers. I believe they would have kicked ass here just like they are doing at Nevada and against a really good big ten schedule. It has to start somewhere. I still believe 2019 with a full year of these guys playing together is going to be the breakthrough year but we need to land another big player to fill the final spot for 2019 and then take recruiting to the next level for 2020.
I don’t know Russ? Just a little frustrated I guess in missing on a few guys liked massoud, Hyatt and now Evans. Eventually, the tide will turn in our favor. It just starts with the win/loss record and coming out on top. Big game on Saturday.
I would not consider Evans or Hyatt a miss. It is not like it was down to Rutgers and one other school and the kid was a Rutgers lean then suddenly picked the other school. I can see feeling that Massoud was a miss. I'm still not sure what happened there.
Heck, Georgetown didn't make the cut to Evans' top-6 and they're maybe 50 minutes from the kid's HS.
Nah, he released a top-10. Had a graphic made for it. The next day Pitt sent an assistant to see him. A pic was taken and Tweeted but they weren't added to the list.
Unfortunately a couple of reporters on Twitter claimed Pitt was added and there was a top-11.
It is still a Florida, Texas Tech, UCLA race (according to a source) with the other three schools trying to improve their position.
