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big recruiting miss that isn't talked about much..........

B

bnewt

Heisman
May 29, 2001
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Richie Saunders is really good and is having a big year for BYU.
I have watched them a few times this year and this guy is very good.
He can shoot, plays hard and rebounds.
Had a good year last year but better this year
UK sure could use a guy like him
 
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Johnnie Africa

Johnnie Africa

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Feb 27, 2003
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Smeegs said:
We thought we had one. At least I recall being told that Colin Chandler would be a more athletic version of Saunders.

instead, it turns out that he’s more like a poor man’s version of him.
Click to expand...

All I remember was people saying it was going to take a while to get him up to speed since he missed 2 years of playing on that mission trip?
 
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W

Weston36

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Smeegs said:
We thought we had one. At least I recall being told that Colin Chandler would be a more athletic version of Saunders.

instead, it turns out that he’s more like a poor man’s version of him.
Click to expand...

Saunders didn’t really catch on and catch fire until he was a junior. They’re really still on a similar trajectory. A lot of season left as well.
 
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Padsfs07

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Jan 19, 2013
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The biggest miss, imo, both at the time and now in hindsight, is Obi Abgim.
 
B

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,066
62,678
113
I feel like Pope hopes or hoped Chandler would develop into a similar player. Saunders may have a better handle and may be a step quicker.
 
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Padsfs07

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SkyPrince said:
He hasn't been good at all this year.
Not even close to being as good as the guy he replaced(Wright).
Click to expand...

He's essentially equal to what Wright gave Baylor as a freshman. Obviously, Wright has stepped it up since.

Agbim has a 4.4:1 AST:TO ratio, 10.4 PPG, 38% on 3s, 90% on FTs. He's not a superstar, but would be a good step up from Lowe and a better fit for the non-shooters on the team.
 
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NociHTTP

Heisman
Mar 8, 2023
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bnewt said:
Richie Saunders is really good and is having a big year for BYU.
I have watched them a few times this year and this guy is very good.
He can shoot, plays hard and rebounds.
Had a good year last year but better this year
UK sure could use a guy like him
Click to expand...
You excited for the game tomorrow?

Edit: I guess not, just wanted to complain despite the fact that the team is starting to come together.
 
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KyKevin

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Where's the big mouth that said I was talking s.hit,when I said Chandler was not the great athlete and player that he was billed to be? Where you at now, that half the season is gone by?
Posters can give an opinion without talking s.hit. I will be surprised if he gets much better then he is now. And he is not even close to being as good as Saunders. I wish he were, as much as anyone on here, I've been in Utah for 45 years and had hope for the Utah kid, with all the expectation for him.

Only time will tell for him, but I don't think he will be here four years, to find out.
 
TFCat11

TFCat11

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preston-lemasterpiece said:
he was Pope's greatest prospect at BYU and he decided to stay as far away from Mark Pope as possible.

interesting.
Click to expand...
I’ll also add, we now can see the reason BYU didn’t give Pope the financial backing his successor got…

They knew that they would be wasting it, to no avail!

Disclaimer: Please save us the, “Kevin Young is friends with the Jazz owner, blah blah blah…”

Heck, BYU basically took UK’s buyout money, and went and got AJ D. with it! Talk about a pie to the face🤣😂🤣
 
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MegaBlue05

MegaBlue05

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Mar 8, 2014
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Smeegs said:
We thought we had one. At least I recall being told that Colin Chandler would be a more athletic version of Saunders.

instead, it turns out that he’s more like a poor man’s version of him.
Click to expand...

Go look at Saunders stats as a sophomore. They’re very similar to Chandler’s this year. It’s unfair to compare a senior with a sophomore coming off a two year layoff prior to last season.

Saunders 2023-24: 9.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 36 percent from 3.

Chandler 2025-26: 8.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 38 percent from 3.

Saunders scored a little more and rebounded better. Chandler had better assist numbers and a slightly higher 3-point percentage.

Seems about even when comparing apples to apples to me.
 
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Anon1751335390

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Saunders is a fantastic player and I've brought up the magnitude of his choice consistently.

He was very good last year and would be an All SEC level player this year.

Being of Mormon persuasion and married, I'm sure he had a different set of variables he had to optimize wrt his basketball destination. He probably had a bit more inertia keeping him at BYU. But nevertheless, we are looking at a different team last year and this one with him on the roster if he chose to come here.
 
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Padsfs07

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preston-lemasterpiece said:
literally never heard his name connected to UK before this thread
Click to expand...

https://www.aseaofblue.com/2025/3/1...ie-allen-recruiting-wyoming-transfer-kentucky

There were many articles about UK reaching out and trying to get him, including the one above, although most were linking UK indirectly. I think a lot of people here counted it as a loss after the fact. Same with Dedan Thomas, who we play tomorrow.

Richie Saunders visited us last year after Pope left BYU, not before the 25/26 season anyway.
 
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preston-lemasterpiece

preston-lemasterpiece

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Padsfs07 said:
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2025/3/1...ie-allen-recruiting-wyoming-transfer-kentucky

There were many articles about UK reaching out and trying to get him, including the one above, although most were linking UK indirectly. I think a lot of people here counted it as a loss after the fact. Same with Dedan Thomas, who we play tomorrow.

Richie Saunders visited us last year after Pope left BYU, not before the 25/26 season anyway.
Click to expand...
yeah i remember hearing Dedan, but not this guy.

thanks for sharing. hard to keep up with all these fellas
 
theBlues

theBlues

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I’m The Village Idiot said:
Just speaking for me — would feel disingenuous to consider Saunders a “recruiting miss.” Kid who wanted to stay home with his wife who didn’t want to leave their lifestyle that accommodated their faith perfectly where they were at. 🤷‍♂️
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My feelings exactly; Mormons like BYU. Why should all Mormons play for Mormon coaches? Should black players only play for black coaches? Should players only play for coaches that go to the same church as their parents? What's the difference?
 
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I’m The Village Idiot

I’m The Village Idiot

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theBlues said:
My feelings exactly; Mormons like BYU. Why should all Mormons play for Mormon coaches? Should black players only play for black coaches? Should players only play for coaches that go to the same church as their parents? What's the difference?
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It’s a lot easier to be Mormon out west, especially Utah, EVEN MORE SO AT BYU — our fans, when things going bad, will make everything a “whiff” regardless of circumstance. We gotta push back on our tendencies to let the darkness taint every truth just the same way we should be sure not to paint everything in rainbows when they are going well.
 
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preston-lemasterpiece

preston-lemasterpiece

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TFCat11 said:
I’ll also add, we now can see the reason BYU didn’t give Pope the financial backing his successor got…

They knew that they would be wasting it, to no avail!

Disclaimer: Please save us the, “Kevin Young is friends with the Jazz owner, blah blah blah…”

Heck, BYU basically took UK’s buyout money, and went and got AJ D. with it! Talk about a pie to the face🤣😂🤣
Click to expand...
Pope wasn't even particularly good by BYU standards, let alone UK standards
 
B

bnewt

Heisman
May 29, 2001
8,850
11,017
113
Padsfs07 said:
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2025/3/1...ie-allen-recruiting-wyoming-transfer-kentucky

There were many articles about UK reaching out and trying to get him, including the one above, although most were linking UK indirectly. I think a lot of people here counted it as a loss after the fact. Same with Dedan Thomas, who we play tomorrow.

Richie Saunders visited us last year after Pope left BYU, not before the 25/26 season anyway.
Click to expand...
what happened with Dedan Thomas?
UK was the supposed leader & then he signed with LSU.......never did hear what happened
 
T

TreyzAllDay

Junior
Nov 12, 2019
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Smeegs said:
We thought we had one. At least I recall being told that Colin Chandler would be a more athletic version of Saunders.

instead, it turns out that he’s more like a poor man’s version of him.
Click to expand...
Collin can’t even be considered to be a poor man’s Richie Saunders. Richie does it all and Collin doesn’t do any one thing particularly well unless we are talking about a dunking competition. I’d give my left nut to have Richie Saunders on this team for many reasons. Saunders is the Ultimate Competitor and would constantly be in our other guys face about giving that same energy!
 
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