BB Recruiting ***Transfer Jacob Young has committed to Rutgers***
- Thread starter seels2662
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Yes....he is significantly better....he does more and can score...Strickland is not a scorer and numbers support that...one is ranked around 178 and another is in the 300's....not the final detemining factor but the tape of both players says he's better and has more upside.
Then we should stop “trusting Pike” since it was obvious that the staff wanted Strickland more than McConnell? Can’t have it both ways.
McConnell was recruited for a longer period of time....just adding information to the equation...you're basing your information on what is out here on the message boards, which isn't 100% gospel or accurate.....
You are aware we had contacted Young immediately after he announced his intent to leave Texas, yet nothing leaked or gave any indications of his name anywhere...he surfaced on a Tuesday and committed 5 days later.....use logic, do you think we called a player all the way in Texas on a Tuesday and he commits 5 days later, with no background or prior communication??......
We got involved late with Strickland, McConnell was recruited by Knight and Pike before we offered Strickland.
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It was obvious that strickland's recruitment ended first.. that's about it
I didn’t make any comment about Young’s recruitment. My question was about Strickland vs. McConnell. We may have recruited McConnell longer but Strickland was the one on campus on an official visit first and the one that Geo and company were tweeting about. If Strickland had been willing to commit then wouldn’t we have taken him? Strickland seems more like a PG than McConnell and to me that is a more pressing need for this team. The guy spurns Rutgers for a power like Wisconsin and we get someone else and all of a sudden it’s McConnell that we wanted all along. I have ZERO inside information but, sorry, not buying the spin on this board. Sounds like sour grapes and/or revisionist history to me, that’s all.
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You would be wrong...I can't correct you any more times than I have, your information isn't supported by anything other than who took the visit first, which has to do with the players timeline, not the recruiting process itself or what player is the better player.....I mention Young because it appears that we took Young "because he didn't have any other offers", which is 100% inaccurate and his name surfaced and he committed within 5 days....again, if you read the articles on his recruitment, he was contacted by multiple schools the day after he announced his intent to transfer....it never was tweeted here or anywhere else on RU being involved, but they clearly were.....in your mind, he was not a priority, because you didn't hear about him longer than Strickland or someone else, but that is not the case.
There are articles that clearly identify what player was visited first, contacted first etc....Your basing "who was wanted", based on when the timeline of the player wanting to commit. We have a need for a point guard, but McConnell is the better player. Not sour grapes, just not my opinion, there are 4 to 5 services that rank recruits and no one had Strickland higher rated or ranked....why is that difficult to comprehend??
I really like what I see of McConnell on video (game film and highlights). Now will his game translate favorably to the B1G, its always wait and see with any recruit. But he filled a need as a lead guard with what appears to be very good court awareness and vision.
Do you KNOW we preferred McConnell over Strickland? What is your information that the staff preferred McConnell supported by? Player ranking? Something else that you would care to share? Even if overall class rank were the end all be all one could always argue that the skill set of a particular player met a team’s needs better. God knows every time we get a player in any sport without many stars people on these boards are saying to trust the staff’s evaluation over these services. Certainly Wisconsin valued Strickland’s ability as a PG.
I would, keep trusting Pike because while he pursued Strickland very hard Pike did a great job keeping McConnell "warm" and when Strickland didn't pick RU, Pike was able to swoop in and still get a commitment from McConnell.
Just my .02 cents.
I would think schools like Rutgers has basket of players they would take and aren't in a position to take 6 kids in that basket and rank them and then go after them in order. I'd think if a player in that basket can be had you get them. We are in no position to sit around and hope and wait.
In other words having McConnell feel Pike
wanted him ,while Pike was making his pitch to Strickland.
My opinion:
Soothing kids egos probably is a major part of recruiting multiple talent for one position and it seems like Pike did that in his recruitment of McConnell.
Comedy my friend......you cannot spin facts....tell me what i said was wrong...i wont speak for Russ, but he hasnt disputed anything in my thread or comments...
You're the one spinning...trying to somehow make a leap that Strickland was a preferred target, when your information is based on what exactly??....the fact that Wisconsin was recruiting him for many weeks or months before RU started looking at him??
Fans are consumed with what players think of their school vs actual facts...RU did very well getting caught up on Strickland enough to get a visit, despite a head start by Wisconsin....but again, McConnell was recruited longer by RU and in my opinion (not spin), has more upside and is a better player....your argument is what again, exactly??
If you read Russ’s post and somehow interpreted that as McConnell being preferred over Strickland all along by this staff well, not sure what to say. You know best.
It is something all coaching staffs attempt to do, some are better at it than others.
From my point of view -- no emotional attachment to Rutgers -- it was impressive to watch and see the staff pull this off. Trust me RU is VERY happy to have McConnell in the fold. He is 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, can play and defend multiple positions. When you watch him you can tell that he really knows how to play the game. Once he gets on campus and gets with the nutritionist and S&C guy, he'll add some strength this summer and will play early.
Very good job by the staff getting McConnell.
As for soothing kid's egos, yes that is part of recruiting. I know of a situation where a kid thought the in-state school he liked was no longer interested in him because he wasn't hearing from them as much. Last weekend the head coach of the in-state school was at all but one of the kid's games. The head coach made sure to make eye contact with the kid at some point in the game and wink at him.
I spoke to the kid's mentor and he told me "Russ, that meant the world to him and now that he knows the in-state school is really interested in him he's excited about the in-state school again."
Could be, but he's a lot less under the radar than Baker, really
Do you know that Pike preferred Strickland over McConnell? If so, how do you know that?
Also, what if Pike would have taken both McConnell and Strickland, and thought that McConnell was more talented or the higher priority?
What's with this Strickland vs McConell thing. Strickland signed with Wiscy, McConell committed to us, end of story. Coaches offer kids that the staff believes are good enough players, both talent and character and the proper fit for their system. Clearly Pike felt that way about both kids.
The ONLY person I trust, is my wife. And, that's because I have to, it's in the decree. I like Pike, think he will take us into the dance, often. But, I don't wake up with him, next to me. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
As far as, McConnell he is the better basketball player. This fan base will confirm that in a couple of years.
Isn’t Strickland a PG? While McConnell is a shooting guard? Even if RU gets Strickland don’t believe it had much to do with McConnell’s recruitment. Next year RU brings in a former 4* PG with B12 experience. Trust Pike and Staff. They know what they’re doing.
GO RU
GO RU
That's what there listed as, but watch clips and McConnell looks more like a facilitator than Young...
Obviously a mixtape, but McConnell shows some great vision in here for a guard his size:
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