Recruiting through the years

[pisgah101]

The talk of Deng made me start to think about this.. I was pretty young in that time period but I had the ACC magazine and I remember 3 or 4 years in particular.. Deng alone, Nelson and McClure, Livingston not coming and the year Paulus and McRoberts came.. That season the magazine said it was one of the greatest hauls ever in the game. Was that seen everywhere that way? And why did really only two of them produce? Were the other guys always seen as "projects" I guess. Also the other years were those the only guys we went after or were they big miss years?

 

[skysdad]

I've been a Duke fan since around 1961 and back in those days one just didn't hear a lot about recruiting until the guy was actually playing for Duke. I've heard stories back then of how Vic Bubas stirred Art Heyman to Duke after it was a pretty done deal that Heyman was headed for unc. so I guess we had it coming when harrison barnes aka the black falcon pulled a fast one on us. Still gripes my posterior but things did work themselves out didn't they? Sometimes when you miss out on a recruit then it opens the door for even better recruits for your program a year or two later. Happens all the time. Probably the most excited I've ever been was when Bill Foster landed Gene banks. He was by some the top recruit in the country then. I met Gene and Vince Taylor at a Duke football game once and both of them were very warm and that day were just a couple of Duke football fans. I followed recruiting for a long time. The ACC handbook and Street and Smith's were my main source until Al Gore invented the internet and sources like rivals, ESPN, Scout, Maxpreps and Gary-7 became the main way to follow recruits and their journey. Just to let you know some of my favorites that I really wanted to come to Duke came. Among them Danny Ferry, Bobby Hurley , Grant Hill early on and as of late too many to name. Some sleepers who really became outstanding players include Jim Spanarkel, Tate Armstrong, Robert Brickey, Wojo and Bob Fliesher (you might want to check his career stats out.) OFC

 

[pisgah101]

I've been a Duke fan since around 1961 and back in those days one just didn't hear a lot about recruiting until the guy was actually playing for Duke. I've heard stories back then of how Vic Bubas stirred Art Heyman to Duke after it was a pretty done deal that Heyman was headed for unc. so I guess we had it coming when harrison barnes aka the black falcon pulled a fast one on us. Still gripes my posterior but things did work themselves out didn't they? Sometimes when you miss out on a recruit then it opens the door for even better recruits for your program a year or two later. Happens all the time. Probably the most excited I've ever been was when Bill Foster landed Gene banks. He was by some the top recruit in the country then. I met Gene and Vince Taylor at a Duke football game once and both of them were very warm and that day were just a couple of Duke football fans. I followed recruiting for a long time. The ACC handbook and Street and Smith's were my main source until Al Gore invented the internet and sources like rivals, ESPN, Scout, Maxpreps and Gary-7 became the main way to follow recruits and their journey. Just to let you know some of my favorites that I really wanted to come to Duke came. Among them Danny Ferry, Bobby Hurley , Grant Hill early on and as of late too many to name. Some sleepers who really became outstanding players include Jim Spanarkel, Tate Armstrong, Robert Brickey, Wojo and Bob Fliesher (you might want to check his career stats out.) OFC

Al Gore and that's cool stuff. You'd prob like "The Legends Club" that they were talking about earlier. I picked it up and made it over halfway already and it's really interesting

 

[df64]

God, I loved Robert Brickey!

 

[skysdad]

And oh how I miss the Hurley determination, the Kyle Singler blood, the Laettner confidence, the G. Hill classy talent, the Wojo fight and I could go on and on. Coach K has a way of finding players who have no fear and just don't give a crap about losing or what rival fans think about them Yea tar heel fans Greyson Allen is upset about the way you feel about him and he is going to let up next year. . OFC

 

[dukiejay]

The talk of Deng made me start to think about this.. I was pretty young in that time period but I had the ACC magazine and I remember 3 or 4 years in particular.. Deng alone, Nelson and McClure, Livingston not coming and the year Paulus and McRoberts came.. That season the magazine said it was one of the greatest hauls ever in the game. Was that seen everywhere that way? And why did really only two of them produce? Were the other guys always seen as "projects" I guess. Also the other years were those the only guys we went after or were they big miss years?

The 2002 class was pretty incredible. Redick, S. Williams, Randolph and Dockery. Also Michael Thompson (who transferred to Northwestern) and Lee Melchioni. That was back when the 5-and-8 rule was still in effect. What it meant was that you couldn't sign more than five kids in one year or more than eight in two years. For that reason Lee was forced to walk-on his first season at Duke.

On paper that 2005 class was pretty special. A lot of comparisons were being made to Laettner and Hurley when McRoberts and Paulus were discussed. A bit foolish at the time, and in retrospect, very foolish considering how their Duke careers finished. For the record, both were very solid....they just didn't come close to those expectations.

Others in the class included Boateng, Boykin, and Pocious. Boateng was overrated. He transferred to Arizona State after the 2006 season and had a couple very pedestrian seasons there. Boykin was homesick after two weeks at Duke. IIRC, he also had a sick grandfather back home in California where he transferred to play for the Bears. He was a very workmanlike kind of player and was solid for them. He actually played on the Cal team we beat in the second round of the 2010 NCAAT. As for Pocious, he was considered a steal and a late fast-riser in the rankings. Very athletic, decent shooter with ability to get into the lane. He couldn't play defense, didn't like defense and had a very loose handle. However, he was incredibly talented and has actually made a name for himself playing overseas in the EuroLeague.. He could have been a fifth-year senior on the 2010 team.

The big miss in that 2005 class was Jon Brockman. He was a 6'7" or 6'8" bruiser we almost stole from the west coast. He wound up at Washington and had a good career. Just the kind of player Duke needed in that 2006-09 timeframe. We really didn't have a guy like him any of those years except Shelden in 2006. I believe @Dattier is the only other poster who was posting here at the time. He can attest that was a big miss. And most 'experts' seemed to think we were the team to beat. Oh well.

 

[Dattier]

I couldn't have told you when that was w/o looking it up, but yeah, Brockman was one we really wanted. He was rosh's beloved bruiser.

 

[df64]

Brockman was a huge miss. Would have been a great fit. Love for one year would have been nice too. We really could have used him that year. Didn't K shy away because of potential issues with his dad?

 

[Dattier]

Brockman was a huge miss. Would have been a great fit. Love for one year would have been nice too. We really could have used him that year. Didn't K shy away because of potential issues with his dad?

That sounds familiar.

 

[df64]

I can't help thinking not getting Kevin Love was a shame. Especially with how well he seems to fit in with K for USA basketball.

 

[topps coach]

I've been a Duke fan since around 1961 and back in those days one just didn't hear a lot about recruiting until the guy was actually playing for Duke. I've heard stories back then of how Vic Bubas stirred Art Heyman to Duke after it was a pretty done deal that Heyman was headed for unc. so I guess we had it coming when harrison barnes aka the black falcon pulled a fast one on us. Still gripes my posterior but things did work themselves out didn't they? Sometimes when you miss out on a recruit then it opens the door for even better recruits for your program a year or two later. Happens all the time. Probably the most excited I've ever been was when Bill Foster landed Gene banks. He was by some the top recruit in the country then. I met Gene and Vince Taylor at a Duke football game once and both of them were very warm and that day were just a couple of Duke football fans. I followed recruiting for a long time. The ACC handbook and Street and Smith's were my main source until Al Gore invented the internet and sources like rivals, ESPN, Scout, Maxpreps and Gary-7 became the main way to follow recruits and their journey. Just to let you know some of my favorites that I really wanted to come to Duke came. Among them Danny Ferry, Bobby Hurley , Grant Hill early on and as of late too many to name. Some sleepers who really became outstanding players include Jim Spanarkel, Tate Armstrong, Robert Brickey, Wojo and Bob Fliesher (you might want to check his career stats out.) OFC

Always loved Barry Jacobs fan guide to the ACC

 

[dukiejay]

I can't help thinking not getting Kevin Love was a shame. Especially with how well he seems to fit in with K for USA basketball.

I'm not sure what happened there, but something did. Love was a big Duke guy, on top of that. Many felt that Duke was where he'd wind up if it wasn't UCLA. I remember that recruitment well, and it actually came down to UCLA and UNC. Many felt UNC made his list as a finalist to shun Duke....whether true or not I don't know. I'm just happy he didn't choose the ugly blue. He would have fit absolutely perfect with them. Ultimately the pull of being home in L.A. was too much for the Heels to overcome....thankfully. Pairing him with Hansbrough on that 2008 team might have given UNC another title.

 

[nets on nets on nets]

http://duke.247sports.com/Sport/Basketball/AllTimeRecruits

This is a great list to check out. Dates back to 2003 with Luol Deng.

Crazy to think that McRoberts had the highest recruiting composite score of any Duke recruit since 2003.

Oh...and Giles being #2 ever makes me excited.

 

[denniden]

I'm not sure what happened there, but something did. Love was a big Duke guy, on top of that. Many felt that Duke was where he'd wind up if it wasn't UCLA. I remember that recruitment well, and it actually came down to UCLA and UNC. Many felt UNC made his list as a finalist to shun Duke....whether true or not I don't know. I'm just happy he didn't choose the ugly blue. He would have fit absolutely perfect with them. Ultimately the pull of being home in L.A. was too much for the Heels to overcome....thankfully. Pairing him with Hansbrough on that 2008 team might have given UNC another title.

I am pretty sure it had more to do with Stan Love (father of Kevin), than anything else.

 

[BOOGIEMAN1914]

mcroberts was one of my faves....his fresh year he did well alongside jj and sheldon....his sophomore year was a stat stuffers dream....if he averaged 3-4 more ppg and the team got a few more wins he may be regarded a bit better...13ppg 8rebs 4ast 3blk 1stl....he was the only kid that season that had that comparable stat line....duke lost a lot of close games that season and fell to vcu in another close game to end the season....mcnasty was a-OK in my book

 

[nets on nets on nets]

mcroberts was one of my faves....his fresh year he did well alongside jj and sheldon....his sophomore year was a stat stuffers dream....if he averaged 3-4 more ppg and the team got a few more wins he may be regarded a bit better...13ppg 8rebs 4ast 3blk 1stl....he was the only kid that season that had that comparable stat line....duke lost a lot of close games that season and fell to vcu in another close game to end the season....mcnasty was a-OK in my book

While he was good his Frosh year and great his Sophomore year, he never came close to being one of my favorites.
Coming in as the #1 ranked player, I actually expected him to be a little better than he was. This was a time when the #1 ranked player was repeatedly going to the NBA and contributing immediately (save Kwame Brown.) Plus his sophomore season was maybe the worst Duke team I have witnessed in the last 20 years, and he was suppose to be one of our leaders.

I'm happy for him though that he has been able to carve out a long NBA career and has been able to keep getting contracts even though he has had some bad injury luck.

As far as Duke players go, he is a few tiers below the Justise, Ingram, Jabari, JJ, Battier top tier.

 

[skysdad]

While he was good his Frosh year and great his Sophomore year, he never came close to being one of my favorites.
Coming in as the #1 ranked player, I actually expected him to be a little better than he was. This was a time when the #1 ranked player was repeatedly going to the NBA and contributing immediately (save Kwame Brown.) Plus his sophomore season was maybe the worst Duke team I have witnessed in the last 20 years, and he was suppose to be one of our leaders.

I'm happy for him though that he has been able to carve out a long NBA career and has been able to keep getting contracts even though he has had some bad injury luck.

As far as Duke players go, he is a few tiers below the Justise, Ingram, Jabari, JJ, Battier top tier.

I liked his versatility. He had some talent. Could do a lot of things on the court. I feel he felt he position was the #3 and circumstances at the time would not allow that. Coach as we all know is going to use a player where he thinks best for the team. Maybe that's part of why Josh left early. I really don't know the whole story. Wish he would have gave it at least one more year. Still glad he came to Duke and hope he feels a part of the Duke family. OFC

 

[Mark Gastineau]

The 2002 class was pretty incredible. Redick, S. Williams, Randolph and Dockery. Also Michael Thompson (who transferred to Northwestern) and Lee Melchioni.

Love the class of '06, though I'm definitely biased. To this day, I remember watching Shav drop around 30 points on Army in our home opener. Cameron was going absolutely nuts. It's a shame he never lived up to the hype he created that day.

 

[topps coach]

Love the class of '06, though I'm definitely biased. To this day, I remember watching Shav drop around 30 points on Army in our home opener. Cameron was going absolutely nuts. It's a shame he never lived up to the hype he created that day.

This was more due to injuries rather than talent.He only left early because of family obligations

 

[nets on nets on nets]

I liked his versatility. He had some talent. Could do a lot of things on the court. I feel he felt he position was the #3 and circumstances at the time would not allow that. Coach as we all know is going to use a player where he thinks best for the team. Maybe that's part of why Josh left early. I really don't know the whole story. Wish he would have gave it at least one more year. Still glad he came to Duke and hope he feels a part of the Duke family.

Ironic that in today's NBA, McRoberts is strictly a 4. I would guess he has not played a minute at the 3 all season. With Bosh out, I have even seen McBob playing the 5 for spurts when Whiteside sits.

 

[Mark Gastineau]

This was more due to injuries rather than talent.He only left early because of family obligations

Yeah, he had a series of nagging injuries. Was just unfortunate watching him that day and thinking I was watching the second coming of Christian Laettner. I didn't realize he declared early because his family needed the money. I definitely remember everyone on campus being confused when he announced he was leaving.

 

[df64]

I always believed that Shav leaving cost us a title in 06.

 

[dukiejay]

I am pretty sure it had more to do with Stan Love (father of Kevin), than anything else.

It was definitely his dad....but I'm not sure what triggered us just shutting him off the list.

On McRoberts....great player but just an ok teammate. He wasn't well liked. That said, he was pegged as sort of a bust, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He was pretty damn good.

Going back to Shav....what's the most intense recruitment you can think of recently? Ok, now multiply that by 10 and that describes Shav's recruitment. I can't imagine if Twitter and some of the social media services existed back then. Shav's grandfather starred at State and his dad played baseball for the Heels. All three schools in the Triangle were all-in on this kid. Below is an article written right after he committed to Duke.

http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/doyel_gregg/1258878.html

 

[pisgah101]

It was definitely his dad....but I'm not sure what triggered us just shutting him off the list.

On McRoberts....great player but just an ok teammate. He wasn't well liked. That said, he was pegged as sort of a bust, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He was pretty damn good.

Going back to Shav....what's the most intense recruitment you can think of recently? Ok, now multiply that by 10 and that describes Shav's recruitment. I can't imagine if Twitter and some of the social media services existed back then. Shav's grandfather starred at State and his dad played baseball for the Heels. All three schools in the Triangle were all-in on this kid. Below is an article written right after he committed to Duke.

http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/doyel_gregg/1258878.html

What might of been