I've heard this story. In those days any basketball player could get a steak at Zip Mackaronis' Town House Restaurant
Possible Recruits exchanging some comments?👀
- Thread starter malaka27
- Start date
You are correct. Bailey was told during the recruiting process that he would have to wait until Mike Palko and Bruce Scherer (sp?) moved on. he just exploded once he got here.
The GOAT of Rutgers basketball.
Jeff Allen was considered the big prize among post players in that recruiting class. Chris Neiberlein and Hinson were hardly talked about. Hinson was the last in the class to commit. Some of the Knightline crew was quite upset at giving Roy a scholarship because the class was already very big, and they thought the scholarship should be saved for the next year. Rudy Manne also became eligible that year I think — he got attention because he had been Robert Parish’s back up at centenary.
Roy’s improvement throughout High School may have been one of the best of all time.
I was at a basketball camp at Trenton St summer of ‘77, he was there. He wasn’t very good, but got the most improved player award at the camp.. we played against him in County Holiday tournament in ‘78, & he was like a different player..
He progressed exponentially from there.
I was at a basketball camp at Trenton St summer of ‘77, he was there. He wasn’t very good, but got the most improved player award at the camp.. we played against him in County Holiday tournament in ‘78, & he was like a different player..
He progressed exponentially from there.
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Stick to your current profession and don’t try to be
A individual that rates recruits. Dabney was first team All State as was Hollis. Both players had exceptional speed and Hollis made it to the NBA and stuck for a while. His problem was his lack of a consistent outside shot. Both were four star recruits. Phil was a true five star power forward at 6’ 5”. He believed he could score on anybody and that every rebound belonged to him. Eddie and James were probably 3 star kids in high school but both improved exponentially. Abdel was a great shooter from the corner and was a plus rebounder and defender he was a low 4 star. Nice guy as I actually ran into him at a diner during a snow storm . He was running out and I was running in and I went down. he put out his hand to help me up and we stood there in the middle of a snow storm outside and spoke for awhile. I knew Tom and Joe well thru various venues and Abdel had seen me with them though we had never spoken.
I think I remember his offers were Penn State, Furman, Wagner, Rutgers. Recruiting wasn’t as national of a thing then. But he was getting recognized by senior year, deservingly so. Believe it or not, he wasn’t top scorer but was the best defender of course. Lots of lobs
Okay - so I have some possible intel that should definitely be taken with a grain of salt but I decided I’ll pass it along anyway.
Context - A bunch of assistants at Don Bosco are coaches and trainers on the AAU circuit where my boys play year round. We did a few training sessions with one of their previous coaches a while ago and got to talking about Dylan and Rutgers. Now our trainer is not directly connected to Bosco but he’s good friends with many coaches who are -current and incoming Bosco kids train at the center where my kids play all the time. Back then (last summer maybe) he told me to forget it. He said - just my opinion but I highly doubt Dylan would end up at Rutgers from what I’m hearing. I didn’t mention it on here because again - take it with a grain of salt and it wasn’t good news…
Well anyway - today we ran into the guy at a scrimmage league and he was talking to my boys about the tournament and my son said how disappointed he was that RU didn’t make it. The coach said - oh by the way remember what I said a while ago - I take it back. I think Rutgers is going to get Dylan Harper. That’s what I’m hearing from buddies that are close with his family. And he’ll probably commit in August.
Again - as I said - I have no idea whatsoever how reliable this information is one way or the other. But since it’s positive, I’m just sharing what I heard and hoping it’s true! I don’t typically follow recruiting and generally have no intel whatsoever. I’ve taken an interest in the recruitment of Harper only because of our proximity to it.
Context - A bunch of assistants at Don Bosco are coaches and trainers on the AAU circuit where my boys play year round. We did a few training sessions with one of their previous coaches a while ago and got to talking about Dylan and Rutgers. Now our trainer is not directly connected to Bosco but he’s good friends with many coaches who are -current and incoming Bosco kids train at the center where my kids play all the time. Back then (last summer maybe) he told me to forget it. He said - just my opinion but I highly doubt Dylan would end up at Rutgers from what I’m hearing. I didn’t mention it on here because again - take it with a grain of salt and it wasn’t good news…
Well anyway - today we ran into the guy at a scrimmage league and he was talking to my boys about the tournament and my son said how disappointed he was that RU didn’t make it. The coach said - oh by the way remember what I said a while ago - I take it back. I think Rutgers is going to get Dylan Harper. That’s what I’m hearing from buddies that are close with his family. And he’ll probably commit in August.
Again - as I said - I have no idea whatsoever how reliable this information is one way or the other. But since it’s positive, I’m just sharing what I heard and hoping it’s true! I don’t typically follow recruiting and generally have no intel whatsoever. I’ve taken an interest in the recruitment of Harper only because of our proximity to it.
That sounds great. If it proves to be true and the other commits for 2023 and 2024 actually get here it's hard not to think we're moving on up.
How could that be ?
Didn't he have a great coach in high school mentoring him ?
Some guy named Vitale.
I am pretty familiar with the situation
Vitale tried to ride Leslie's coattails into the college market and the two of them gave college A try in a couple of spots
Vitals could not make him a good student
Les was at RU during Sellers' sophomore and junior years. Sad story, and so much talent wasted for anyone who doesn't know the Les Cason story. Elite blue chip high school player, got involved with a bad crowd and drugs, never placed importance on academics and apparently rarely attended class, attended Long Beach State out of high school but couldn't stay eligible academically even with head coach Jerry Tarkanian's help,... Played a year at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas, and then Dick Vitale, who had been Cason's high school coach, got him into Rutgers, where he didn't make much of an impact before flunking out of school during his second season at RU. He died of HIV complications (acquired from sharing needles) in hospice at the age of 43 in NYC in 1997, after years surviving on the streets, dealing drugs, and often being homeless.
I thought Les failed out of RU in less than a year, going by memory. The rest of this seems accurate, so maybe he made it to the second year
After Les failed out of RU, Vitale probably gave up on him and moved on with his career from there, starting as the assistant coach at RU., thus no longer discussing Les at length
Much the same, Vitale did not talk about RU much when he was an announcer afterwards, probably bitter about not getting the coaching job here
but I can tell you, that before that, he tried to use Les to better his own personal career....Vitale was an obsessive basketball coach, and a driven man, to the point that coaching caused him physical problems
I don't know how much of a hero anyone thought Vitale was.... he was a celebrity in East Rutherford, for what he did as a coach there...beyond that not so much
The hero stuff I referred to was the espn bs and the fans who seemed to adore him. I do hope his current health problems are resolved. I never understood how a NJ guy gave up his roots and the NY Yankees so easily. He was an ambitious user for sure.
This is exactly what I wrote a few months back , except Eddie was a big more of a sleeper …not sure he would have got a three start rating becaaue he was so far under the radar . Remember , he was going to American with Tom before Tom got the RU job
back in the day , before the formation of the Atlantic 8, and the big east, the star ledger would post a first and second team all state, honorable mentions, etc
the goal I had personally was to hope that RU would land two or so of the first team..... we did this
sometimes, as would the Hall, again before the league formations.
after the big east was formed, it was way harder for RU to keep pace with the Hall..... starting around the time that Danny Callendrillo (sic)... was a senior.... you could see the influence of the big east taking over.
Dick Vitale was already an assistant coach at Rutgers before Les Cason got here. Vitale started at RU in 1971 and was an assistant coach here for 2 seasons until late March 1973 when he left to take the University of Detroit head coaching job. Les got here in the fall of 1972 after playing a season at San Jacinto Junior College, was apparently admitted to Livingston and had to sit a year to become academically eligible, then played parts of the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 seasons (according to Sports-Reference.com) before flunking out in 1975.
For anyone interested, a few archived articles about Les Cason. Les had 45 points and 30 rebounds for East Rutherford in the 1970 state championship game as a junior. Then things began to slowly unravel.
https://www.apbr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3714
https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1996/rt9604/960401/04020010.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/18/archives/cason-starts-over.html
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The true end of the line was when Tom was recruiting Charles smith from Bridgeport …who was going to be the next RU center after Hinson (who was after Bailey )…when he want to Pitt , Tom literally threw his towel in …..
thanks for the background. Totally get what your friend-coach said both times. That is, as Rutgers fans, we have seen the hype train before. And when the powers that be in recruiting.. plus all the hangers-ons.. chirp in their heads all off-season about why X Y Z are better choice for them.. it adds up.. and, usually, a fab-whatever to Rutgers does not pan out.
but this is the first time that a linchpin type recruit.. like Dylan Harper.. who can attract other players.. has both historical ties to Rutgers and support of friends and family show do not need whatever it is that the power-programs promise them (and deliver really only to a few each season).
history says good things can happen but great things? what was it.. once in our old guy lifetimes on any scale?
If everyone comes who said they want to come... GREAT THINGS can happen for them AND Rutgers (and us fans).
That is in line with my belief that Tom felt we could not recruit or compete against the big east, starting with seton hall and a team like Pitt
Not sure if Pitt was big east yet
They were…this was their first year in the big east …
Hmmm I hereby suggest an episode of GenZ where they go back in time and have to communicate to the slang equivalents in other generations.. like the 1930s, 1950s, etc. Perhaps Bill and Ted could be their guides/interpreters