They swung and missed on a kid already and have no reported open offers at this point that they have a realistic chance to land. Start watching that transfer portal!
We still have 3 scholarships to fill next year...
- Thread starter freewillie07
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They swung and missed on a kid already and have no reported open offers at this point that they have a realistic chance to land. Start watching that transfer portal!
The downside to the Vassar situation was that Collins lost out on Kipper Nichols.
The Fighting Undie fans will tell you the downside to the Vassar situation is the Illini ended up with Kipper Nichols.
i believe the only year there wasn't an open scholarship was when they took a chance on vasser
if you are talking about a JUCO northwestern does not accept them
Gaines is more between 1 and 2 than 3. Turner is between a 2 and 3 And you forgot Taylor who is between a 2 and 3. Whereas Falzon and Nance are more between 3 and 4 and classified more as stretch 4s. And we have 3 at the 5 on the roster as well as 2 for the PG (even though Ash could not play)
In short, because the "wing" designation consists of 2. 3 and 4 positions, the number we should represent about 60% of the roster
Lathon and Ash would have been a LG and backup. Gaines and Turner fit that 2 guard role
Thanks, yea I was sensing the same without having double checked the outstanding offer list. I recall some buzz about a PG transfer from Santa Clara but apart from that was hoping to hear any news about someone out there that might fill some of our glaring holes for next year. Who knows, maybe Boo is the second cominh of Talor Battle and Ryan Young starts and is BIG ready but it seems like a long shot. Hope springs eternal I suppose...
If we can't get decent HS students in here, what are the chances of getting a Juco guy? Slim to none.
I don't see how anybody can predict next year with any certainty without seeing what we do on the grad transfer market.
And Slim just left. Admissions likely would not allow it..... I mean it a grad transfer has to have had the grades in HS to get into NU, I have to feel that they would be even more stringent with a JUCO
With Lathon and Ash, about 6+-1 more wins in the BIG. When the Lathon offer was rescinded about 3 more. But without Ash and the injury to Law plus the Taylor ineffectiveness, you have what we got.
Even with what we already know, we will be better from PG, better from the wings as the Frosh turn Sophs and Turner gets more comfortable. From the 2 at least as good with Gaines and maybe Turner. The only area I see us as weaker is at Center and with Jones as well as Benson and Young, we likely have a descent position there. We would likely be able to play 2 qat a time and have more of a true PF situation. I see about 7-8 BIG wins without transfers but with them could improve that by another 2-3
Forgot to mention Jones, promising recruit. We’d be salivating over a guy like that (name the number of years ago).
Also, I’ll retract for a moment my too harsh judgement if Kopp. He’s shown a bit of fight the last few games. Robbie Hummel said he’s a better shooter than his stats say. I remember him specifically saying that and I’ll take his judgement over mine. Hope so (and by the way I think Robbie seems to be a very fair play caller esp with his pardon love which I share).
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We lose the only two guys capable of putting the ball in the basket. That tends to cause problems. Next year is going to be rough.
From Chicago, could offer him a very likely starting role in the Big Ten... as always would he pass admissions?
Much as I love Pardon, he is a little undersized to play center in the BIG. Law had some really good games but he slumped in mid-season. They are both replaceable, BUT, will we have guys who can replace their production?
Without 13 filled schollies - your practice sessions suffer. You may say 11 is enough to practice 5 on 5. That assumes no injuries. That assumes evenly distributed schollies by position. But wait, can't walk-ons serve as practice players? Sure - that will really help the guys prepare for real competition.
With 11 schollies, better not miss on a recruit. Can't afford a Vassar, Brown, Ash. Otherwise, combined with injuries, you are burning shirts on guys like Young and playing heavy walk-on minutes.
Does everyone use 13? No. But good programs do. They use them to build depth. Allow red shirting. Have legit Plan A, B & Cs. Recruit get suspended, dropped, decide to transfer - no problem. Starter get injured - no problem. We got thirteen legit players (maybe a reach or project in the group, but not many - and with twelve quality players, we can afford a project...) - so, next man up and our season is not necessary devastated. That is a good program. We are not a good program.
But heck, this program likes to put all the eggs in the hands of true frosh often and expect that everything will work out. And when it doesn't, there are enough fans that will support them and offer coverage by excuse. It was the recruit that screwed us, the refs screwed us, the injury bug screwed us, the admission office screwed us, etc. Those poor coaches - they can't get break.
But hey, we have a heck of a guy running the team that graduates players, runs a clean program and is a darn good recruiter (mm-hmm) - so relax. We aren't supposed to ever be good because the world is out to get us.
The 2018-19 data from verbalcommits.com:
Illinois 12
Indiana 13
Iowa 12
MD 12
Michigan 12
MSU 12
Minny 13
Nebraska 13
OSU 12
PSU 13
Purdue 12
Rutgers 13
Wisconsin 12
The top 4 teams in the B1G carry just 12 scholarship players this season. Penn State, Nebraska and Rutgers, who will be playing day 1 of the tournament, have 13.
Sort of blows your theory that "the best teams have 13 scholarship players".
Guess you are on to something. Way to go CCC. Keep that extra schollie in your pocket - didn't need it this year anyway. In fact, next year, really show off, keep three extra schollies in your pocket. That should put us over the top. National Championship - here we come!
You have the makings of a good scientist, Bob. Science works by having a testable hypothesis, gathering data to test the hypothesis, and then revising the theory based on available data. We have shown for 1 year in the B1G that # of scholarships doesn't directly correlate with success on the court. Perhaps it is the quality of the players, not the number, that correlates with performance? Maybe MSU and Michigan and Purdue have 12 better guys than the 12 NU can put on the floor, or the 13 that PSU and Rutger can trot out?
The whole empty scholarship theory has been shown to be bunk, like the flat earth. NU needs better Jimmies and Joes. That's my theory and I think it fits the data.
Great. We have two Jimmies signed and one 'committed' with 3 more empty spots. I suppose running with 10 schollie players will really test that theory. It really removes the value of punishing programs by reducing schollies....
I'll take your theory up a notch. I think that good teams recruit long term with contingency plans. I suspect many of those open schollies reflect transfers or left team in the recent past. And the good programs had legit two deep plans with a couple extra guys to patch in.
When haywood keeps toting Ash as part of any legitimate plan A, I stop reading. Each time we anoint the incoming true frosh as the next savior, I shake my head. Not a good plan. And then when this very weak plan A falls apart because the true frosh doesn't get to campus and the non-B!G 'backup' gets hurt...again - I am not surprised.
When Plan B is to run a bunch guys outside their strength, just like recruiting a scoring guard to become a point guard (Vassar), I wonder when they will learn from their mistakes.
And when the apologists chime in with excuses about the challenges of recruiting - I ask, isn't CCC a great recruiter? Crickets...
The only consistency on this Board year in and out has been finger pointing at everything but the logical explanation. It is not the refs, not the recruits, not the admissions office, not some weird gods - but the highly, highly compensated men charged with the task of bringing in quality talent, developing them and putting them in a position to win with good game planning.
I am not seeing the value of the millions of dollars spent on this coaching group in the results and the planning - be it roster or game - appears pathetic. If NU is such a challenge that it is eternally doomed that even the greatest of recruiters and coaches cannot help it, then save money, hire a cheap coach and redirect money saved to football assistant coaching budget. Let's simply commit to football and let basketball fall along the lines of a non-revenue sport.
The best contingency plan is a roster filled with good players. NU has never had such a roster. Never. Ever.
Collins made the NCAA Tournament within a few years of coming on board, after decades of futility. He has proven that It Can Be Done Here.
Collins got the people who matter on board with a revamp of WRA and facilities that at least put NU on par with the rest of the Big Ten.
Now, I'm as disappointed as anyone with this season. But the next 2-3 seasons and recruiting classes will determine whether Collins is the answer or not. The pieces are now in place. No more excuses -- time to earn the reputation as a great recruiter and get some immediate difference makers in 2020 and 2021. (Still not sure what we're doing next year).
Haha well done. I think 12 is pretty normal. Now 10 would be an issue. But I think 12 is not a problem.
