There are old and new arguments on recruiting.....
A) RU winds up shooting "too high" on the recruiting ranking list, going up against programs that when desperate for a recruit, have better things to offer vs RU....nicer facilties, better off the court benefits etc....when RU is chasing that player and doesn't get him and bypasses 15 other kids that can ultimately help in a couple of years, then RU has to fall back and take kids that really are not players that can immediately help or play at this level......fans argued that RU was shooting too high and we let kids get away to a St. Joes, Temple, etc.
B) When RU actually follows the plan of getting a kid like a Laurent, Dailey, Mike Williams, Jahlil Tripp type of player that is not an immediate starter or double digit scorer like Corey Sanders or Deshawn Freeman, then the complaints are that RU doesn't have immediate "difference makers"......to do that, RU would have to sign 3-4 top 75 kids in order to "satisfy the masses", who are really more interested in whether a kid "has other offers"....as if we need Maryland, Michigan and others to get involved, to then justify that kids talent.
C) We actually are doing both.....both A and B and it's with mixed results.....we landed Sanders and Freeman and landed Parker ahead of when other schools either decided his injury wasn't worth the risk.....then another school like Tennessee scoops him up after he decommits from RU and it becomes that problem of falling victim to larger paying schools, with nicer facilities or better established coaches like Rick Barnes.
We can't have fans arguing both sides of the fence and saying "see, RU is now taking another project"......Tripp and Dailey are not projects.....just because fans want to say or see an offer from Michigan, Wisconsin and Maryland for Dailey as some sort of justification for the offer, doesn't mean he cannot contribute down the road here.
Other programs are not looking at these kids as immediate starters...they would take them as developmental players. RU has the option of becoming BOTH a place where you can play and develop.
It was ironic that when we played Wisconsin earlier this month, they landed a RU target named Charlie Thomas that we hoped to land here BUT went to high school in Wisconsin. Solid looking player, but he probably played about 8 or so minutes against RU and looked OK for a freshman, nothing at all memorable or to write home about....... he is not a contributor for Wisconsin at this time, but was not recruited for a starters role either.
He will put in the work and see what happens. BUT he probably plays 25 minutes a game if he went to RU, because of injuries we have, but his ability to be a difference maker now is not going to happen as a freshman. He is like Laurent here, someone that has shown flashes but clearly not expected to be an all-B1G player, landed off the radar or outside the proverbial Top 150.
At Wisconsin, Thomas perhaps he develops into a starter in two years and keeps the train rolling there......at RU, he would be crucified for not being a difference maker instantly in the program. It's really all about perception and unrealistic expectations too early in the career for kids.
I don't have any argument with any of the recruits signed, BUT I always understand that 33% of all recruits at ALL schools, don't pan out, regardless of their recruiting level. I know Kentucky and others may have different levels of talent, but it's the reality. So if you sign 3 kids per class, one is certainly going to get the most out of their ability, one will do OK and one just won't pan out or may develop elsewhere if they transfer down to a level where they can earn more minutes etc.
I'd rather have both Tripp and Dailey, with Laurent as those SG/SF types that can eventually develop. Perhaps one turns into a starter that can help as a junior and the other does the same thing. Maybe one falls off and isn't going to cut it.
I don't have an issue with the talent being brought in.....I have concerns about whether Jordan can get them to defend. I see Dailey as a kid like Seton Hall's Veer Singh.....a shooter that needs playmakers around him to get him shots.....Singh isn't a starter for this year or next year, but perhaps is that player down the road. RU is taking the right approach and it's tough to watch what we are seeing....but it's not a lack of talent.
Congrats to Dailey and Tripp, my NYC contact absolutely loves Tripp's toughness and willingness to defend. We don't need a big man in this class at all, we have two already on the roster. RU needs players that can get down the court and create offense and show the ability to potentially guard someone.
