An Honest Look at Recruiting

[Russ Wood]

But after his commitment, his offer sheet on the recruiting sites was no longer updated.

Because he didn't get any more offers.

This isn't football recruiting where schools keep offering kids who have verbally committed & kids verbally commit to a school but take visits to other schools.

A basketball player's recruitment basically comes to an end when he verbally commits to a school.

 

[Russ Wood]

Ha. You are right about PIke and Maryland.

I still don't think Gard and Hoiberg would win at RU. It took someone who was relentless with positivity like Pike to dig out of the hole we were in. Gard just doesn't have the charisma and Hoiberg would bail after a couple years, or never take the job. LOL.

You're probably right about Hoiberg not taking the RU job.

 

[RUChoppin]

Because he didn't get any more offers.

This isn't football recruiting where schools keep offering kids who have verbally committed & kids verbally commit to a school but take visits to other schools.

A basketball player's recruitment basically comes to an end when he verbally commits to a school.

Yeah, which is what I was saying in the prior paragraph about early commits. Thanks for confirmation. Harper was just an example of how offers are only part of the picture, and may not be a great indication for players that commit early on in the process.

 

[RUChoppin]

Because he didn't get any more offers.

This isn't football recruiting where schools keep offering kids who have verbally committed & kids verbally commit to a school but take visits to other schools.

A basketball player's recruitment basically comes to an end when he verbally commits to a school.

Out of curiousity, though, if a player were to firmly commit to a school and subsequently receive an offer - how likely is it that a rating site (like Rivals, 247, etc) would even be made aware of it? Aren't offers reported by the players themselves, rather than the schools? Would they even report these sorts of offers after they made a decision?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Ironically, I heard the "lazy recruiter" comment from someone in Ohio.

What would Eddie Jordan’s recruiting be called?

 

[Russ Wood]

Out of curiousity, though, if a player were to firmly commit to a school and subsequently receive an offer - how likely is it that a rating site (like Rivals, 247, etc) would even be made aware of it? Aren't offers reported by the players themselves, rather than the schools? Would they even report these sorts of offers after they made a decision?

I can only speak for my own experience but probably three out of ever four offers I'm tipped off about come from HS or AAU Coaches.

If I was told about an offer after a kid verbally committed I would first attempt to confirm that the prospect reopened his recruitment. Once I confirmed that I'd update his Rivals page, if it hasn't already been updated, then Tweet the offer.

 

[Russ Wood]

What would Eddie Jordan’s recruiting be called?

I'll leave that for RU fans to decide. I'm sure any adverb or adjective I chose to use would be inadequate to the fan base 😉

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I'll leave that for RU fans to decide. I'm sure any adverb or adjective I chose to use would be inadequate to the fan base 😉

Was looking to see the depth of your adjective tool box.

How many coaches fall asleep at AAU games?

 

[Mr Magoo]

What would Eddie Jordan’s recruiting be called?

Abysmal. His classes were ranked 12th, 9th and 9th in the B1G but it’s not even the rankings. It’s the fact that most of his players did not progress, and may have been overrated to begin with. Lots of flops in his classes. He hung his hat on his one 4 star recruit (Sanders) and milked it for all it was worth.

 

[snowboarder]

You are citing an exception to the rule. Credit to pike for finding diamonds in the rough. Let’s not forget Mensah, thiam, bullock, kiss, etc. were also 200+ ranked. Do you want to be a bubble team or can we begin to expect top 25 teams? You know who consistently recruits top 100 players? Villanova, Kansas, duke, Michigan, Ohio state, etc.

Mensah was a bad miss, a head scratcher
Thiam was hold over recruit from Jordan I believe
Either way he was a 6’9” kid with good feet and a good perimeter game but some kids don’t work out
Kiss was a good reach but just didn’t have a feel for the game
Bullock was a local kid from an important program, I actually believe he could have been a good player if he had gotten in shape
If you want to bring up those guys then you have to consider Geo, Caleb , Myles, Eugene and RHJ
All guys that the big programs missed on
This years class includes a wing with many big offers, a very athletic big body with good hands and feet and a lead guard that looks a lot like Geo
I like the class and love what Pyke is doing

 

[urbanecane]

What do you call Cliff and Jaden?

Cliff was a great win for pikiell. Big deal for the program and the type of recruit you can only expect once every 3-5 years. I believe Jones ended up in the 100-125 range for his class (before moving up a year). That is a recruit we should expect to land every year.

 

[willisneverrana43]

. . . I know his recruiting would put Maryland fans in therapy. . . .

This is a great line that needs a call out. Funny stuff.

 

[RUChoppin]

Mensah was a bad miss, a head scratcher
Thiam was hold over recruit from Jordan I believe
Either way he was a 6’9” kid with good feet and a good perimeter game but some kids don’t work out
Kiss was a good reach but just didn’t have a feel for the game
Bullock was a local kid from an important program, I actually believe he could have been a good player if he had gotten in shape
If you want to bring up those guys then you have to consider Geo, Caleb , Myles, Eugene and RHJ
All guys that the big programs missed on
This years class includes a wing with many big offers, a very athletic big body with good hands and feet and a lead guard that looks a lot like Geo
I like the class and love what Pyke is doing

Thiam was a Jordan commit, who then re-committed to Pike.

Kiss was a stopgap pickup, provided good minutest at a lower level and it was before we'd signed Mathis, McConnell, or Young. It was quickly apparent he'd been recruited over and that the B1G was above his level.

Bullock, if I remember, was from the same HS as Naz Reid - and thought at the time was that it was a relationship-building move, but Reid went to LSU and Bullock arrived out of shape.

Mensah... that made no sense to me at the time it was announced, and it didn't make any more sense at any point after that.

 

[Russ Wood]

Was looking to see the depth of your adjective tool box.

How many coaches fall asleep at AAU games?

Not many but I did observe a Big East assistant fall asleep at a July AAU game in 2018.

In 2014 I took a 90 minute nap in a media hospitality room during the third day of a four day Under Armour Association event.

Those are long days my man. Get to the gym a little before 9 a.m. and leave the gym after 9 p.m.

All it takes is one bad basketball game after lunch or the player(s) you are there to see play poorly or get into early foul trouble and you start yawning.

I can't describe how mentally exhausting it is if you get two bad games in a row. Especially after lunch. #Brutal

 

[rubaseball78]

I'll leave that for RU fans to decide. I'm sure any adverb or adjective I chose to use would be inadequate to the fan base 😉

As a college coach he was a great point guard.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Even just considering last year (which was his best), he was 5th in minutes, with multiple players playing at least 6 minutes per game more than him. He was 5th in points, with multiple players scoring 6 points more per game than him. He had a weak post-up game for a center. He was 4th in steals. He was 6th in assists. He was 11th in free throw percentage, shooting 44%. He led in rebounding and blocks, which is good but also expected from a center.

He was a very good defender, good rebounder and limited offensive player. No way he was ever our best. But you are entitled to your opinion.

Fair points. Though the team appeared to have the biggest drop off when Myles exited the game. Might just be a lack of bigs, rather than Myles, but hard to imagine a bigger drop off when one player left the game.

 

[phlop87]

Why on Earth would any kid, player or not, go to Seton Hall or Saint Johns over Rutgers ?

If you are close to your High School coach and they are offered a job there (SHCC) you might be swayed to attend.

 

[willisneverrana43]

Much better basketball history over the last 10, 20, 30, 40 years?

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Is recruiting a concern?? It is always a concern because things can change quickly.

I have my own concerns regarding the 2022 recruiting, because we have 3 kids who could all be starters if they develop, but all 3 likely need a year or two before they get there.

The saving grace is covid and the downfall of recruiting is covid.

The saving grace is we technically could buy a full season for everyone on the roster. So Jaden Jones who technically is a 2021 recruit who reclassified to 2020, got here and added strength and size since January. But the development of Mag and Jones, could reset their "clocks" to show them as freshman this year.

It is very rare to essentially get a redshirt season where kids are sticking around. I think Mag and Jones probably jumped 40 to 50 spots in terms of production, if you count them as 2021 kids, who have been here and lifting, running and working.

On the other hand, the covid aspect hurt RU recruiting.....we got a great season in 2019-20 and then had no NCAA, no visits to offer in 2020 and didn't reopen our campus in theory until June 2021.....now, so did almost every other program, but we haven't had a chance to actually fill the RAC in almost 18 months. There hasn't been that "buzz", we would have had with visits during games sold out last year.

Not that it is an excuse for Pike, but I am certain we landed Cliff and Jaden Jones, based on visits during games at the RAC, when the building was jumping and electric.

I think if the season goes as planned 2023 recruiting will be better than 2022.

The last variable of recruiting is the transfer portal and while Aundre Hyatt isn't getting the publicity he should, he is a big time land by Pike. He is a game ready piece that will payoff immediately and become a player you can build around after this season. If you get the steps forward out of Mag that I think we will and you get him for 3 more seasons after this year, things will be OK.

 

[jerzeyguy]

Is recruiting a concern?? It is always a concern because things can change quickly.

I have my own concerns regarding the 2022 recruiting, because we have 3 kids who could all be starters if they develop, but all 3 likely need a year or two before they get there.

The saving grace is covid and the downfall of recruiting is covid.

The saving grace is we technically could buy a full season for everyone on the roster. So Jaden Jones who technically is a 2021 recruit who reclassified to 2020, got here and added strength and size since January. But the development of Mag and Jones, could reset their "clocks" to show them as freshman this year.

It is very rare to essentially get a redshirt season where kids are sticking around. I think Mag and Jones probably jumped 40 to 50 spots in terms of production, if you count them as 2021 kids, who have been here and lifting, running and working.

On the other hand, the covid aspect hurt RU recruiting.....we got a great season in 2019-20 and then had no NCAA, no visits to offer in 2020 and didn't reopen our campus in theory until June 2021.....now, so did almost every other program, but we haven't had a chance to actually fill the RAC in almost 18 months. There hasn't been that "buzz", we would have had with visits during games sold out last year.

Not that it is an excuse for Pike, but I am certain we landed Cliff and Jaden Jones, based on visits during games at the RAC, when the building was jumping and electric.

I think if the season goes as planned 2023 recruiting will be better than 2022.

The last variable of recruiting is the transfer portal and while Aundre Hyatt isn't getting the publicity he should, he is a big time land by Pike. He is a game ready piece that will payoff immediately and become a player you can build around after this season. If you get the steps forward out of Mag that I think we will and you get him for 3 more seasons after this year, things will be OK.

We only have 1 scholarship for 2023