I thought it was interesting the kid's guardian Ed Smith said Coach Cal told him When you're ready to be recruited call me.We might have interest in him after all.
Cal's comment to Thon Maker
- Thread starter bookerfan66
- Start date
That's the way Cal is, he tells every recruit that he is not going to bug them everyday but he will give his number to them if they want to talk.
Besides some recruiting periods a coach can't talk to recruits but recruits can call the coaches.
Besides some recruiting periods a coach can't talk to recruits but recruits can call the coaches.
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I think Cal has been recruiting him all along. I think its making fun of all these "experts" saying we are not in contact with him. I've followed him since 2013, I hope we land him, he's 1.5 and done!
I feel like Cal backed off because Maker's recruitment has been so wishy washy. I bet its real hard to recruit a kid that doesn't really know what he wants. It better to let Crean scare Maker into choosing us by telling him he can be Peter Jurkin 2.0.
I gotta admit I don't follow recruiting very close at all in my favorite sport which is football. Basketball is just a step behind to me so I follow it even less but its easier to pick up on due to the low # of players. So I really have no clue on this kid. I have picked up that he wont play until the second semester his first year. Also have picked up on chatter here that the people around him might not be the best folks So all that taken into consideration why is it thought that he is a 1.5 and done. What keeps him from being a .5 and done? Will he be eligible? I don't just mean if he comes here, Im asking if the kid is gonna have a problem with the clearing house. Do we know if there's any relevancy to him having issues? From what little I've seen here and there he is an intriguing kid but in my admitted limited following I had come to the conclusion that he might be a lost cause even if signed.
It doesn't matter what any Kentucky Fans say about T. Maker it's all up to CoachCal .
Well thanks for clearing that up for us. LOL
I like swaggy Cal. The best one is when he got off the plane and met Kanter's coach. Cal supposedly greets him by saying where's this player you got and that he doesn't fly all the way around the country for nothing. After watching Kanter workout for a few minutes, Cal turns and looks at the coach and says "I'll take him." Talking about cocky.i love it.
Even if Maker wanted to come, his handlers would have to give up a lot of control. I just don't see that happening. If reports are true, the only teams on his list desperate enough to cave to their demands would be ASU, and maybe IU. I don't see KU or UK being interested, if reports are true.
It seems most top programs backed off of him. Only Arizona State and Indiana seem to be going after him actively.
If you piece together everything out there, seems like theyre wanting a lot of control over everything.
Maker may be better suited to not go to College and just go play international for a year and get drafted in the NBA first round on his hype. Maker has alot of potential, but may not be as great as we all once thought. His handler has been beside him for years, and will not fade away without proper financial compensation for his trouble.
I took that differently. I took it as Cal being put off by the circus surrounding Maker and letting him know that. That's a "let me know when you take this seriously" type of statement. It's not something you do when you are trying to sway a recruit.
Maker is an incredible talent but there are some issues with him. One is that he is surrounding himself with people that are not doing good things for him. Second is that he is being misused as a center. He looks more like a 7' wing than a power player. In games where he was trying to post up he was beaten thoroughly and looked really bad. The last game that he was in (I believe it was Ballislife) he played more like a small forward and looked incredible. He needs to be developed as a SF and not a center. I don't see him ever being effective as a center.
Good point. Maker is not an incredible talent.....yet. But has TONS of potential.
It's interesting, but not surprising. Kentucky has been recruiting Maker all along. The interest has always been there, which isn't really a secret. From Calipari's point of view, he is a very busy guy, and just wants a sign from Maker's side that Kentucky is on his short list. From Maker's point of view, there are a lot of variables. He got started late on reclassification, and still doesn't know for sure if he can be ready to enroll by August, January, or whenever. He doesn't know if he will play 1 season, 1 1/2 seasons, or 2 seasons of college ball. He wants to get into the NBA draft ASAP, but he doesn't know yet how much more physical development will be necessary to give him his best NBA shot. In practices at the Nike Hoops Summit, he was soundly outplayed by Labissiere. So as he looks at Kentucky, he doesn't know how much playing time he could get in Lexington with Labissiere already there. The Arizona State angle is a reflection of all these uncertainties, as Maker might be drawn to a program whose staff presents him with more familiarity. I think Maker's recruiting process is far from over.
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The herd doesn't like Maker now, because he failed to impress in 1 ASG for which he was not ready. But he is a very good player, with skills and great length. It might not be long before some of the same people will be bashing Calipari for not recruiting Maker harder.
Skal's situation should act as exhibit A on why we shouldn't assume anything regarding the fabled "evil" handler.
What?
He is a fine player but Durant is a horrible comparsion that was my point. [eyeroll]
Youtube doesn't = reality. He'll need Coach Cal hard coaching for more than a year. He's got a long way to go to compare him any all-star, much less KD who is one of the best scoring wing in a long time.
The bad thing for Kentucky....if you were to land Maker....is that you get Tom Crean with him. Crean's head is so far up Maker's behind that it's going to take surgery to remove it.
There is no comparison at all between Durant and Maker. I never said there was. Durant is 1 of the best basketball players in the world. But a lot of people here have been talking Maker down just because of the Nike Hoops Summit, and they couldn't be more wrong.
People are talking him down because he's a kid looking to get to the pros ASAP who apparently won't even get here until December. When has a freshman ever made an impact in that situation? I can only think of one- Jarnell Stokes.
There is now way in hell he's worth the trouble if he's coming in green and will only going to be on the team for 15-20 games.
Maker will be a stud where ever he goes. When he gets into a line ip that actually runs sets and with stability people will see how good he is. You can't judge him on all star games. I can see him playing a 3 or stretch 4 with his skill set from day 1 on any college team.