2021 3* F James Graham (Maryland)

[GwillMac6 20,671]

[ellitor 33,091]

2 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

This is code for he committed to Maryland as originally planned.

[Beaker 2,457]

it is NOT friday yet; no, no , no

[gravejd 3,270]

Something seems a bit off with our bball recruiting recently. While we are signing great classes and players we are certainly missing on a lot of prospects we obviously want. It would be really interesting to hear an honest answer from some of these guys on what is keeping AU from getting over the hump with these recruiting battles

[ellitor 33,091]

55 minutes ago, gravejd said:

Something seems a bit off with our bball recruiting recently. While we are signing great classes and players we are certainly missing on a lot of prospects we obviously want. It would be really interesting to hear an honest answer from some of these guys on what is keeping AU from getting over the hump with these recruiting battles

I think this take is a bit off. Nobody was going to beat the G League for Green & Kuminga. Texas was always the home team, favorite, & had a good bit longer relationship on Brown. Transfer from St. John's LJ Fig was never a take for AU. Mac McClung wanted to play PG instead of CG because that's where he & his agent sees his NBA future so that's why Texas Tech won that one. On James Graham, Maryland had been recruiting him much longer than AU did. It was always an uphill battle & AU did damn good just to make it tight. Anyone else you are curious about @gravejd?

[gravejd 3,270]

27 minutes ago, ellitor said:

I think this take is a bit off. Nobody was going to beat the G League for Green & Kuminga. Texas was always the home team, favorite, & had a good bit longer relationship on Brown. Transfer from St. John's LJ Fig was never a take for AU. Mac McClung wanted to play PG instead of CG because that's where he & his agent sees his NBA future so that's why Texas Tech won that one. On James Graham, Maryland had been recruiting him much longer than AU did. It was always an uphill battle & AU did damn good just to make it tight. Anyone else you are curious about @gravejd?

I think you can always look at individual decisions and explain away why that person choose the path they did. And we signed some great players in the last cycle so i don't want to take away from that. But with that said.....we missed on signing that big time #2 to go with Coop. So we have a big hole on our roster as to where our scoring will come from next season. We also missed on our need for an immediate difference maker down low. I think Caldwell can be a great player and he seems like a hard worker. But i don't think he was the exact type of center we were going for i.e someone who can run the floor and be a threat beyond the 3pt line. 

So while i understand how each decision became what it was....I still feel we have something a little off in our recruiting where we are not hitting our needs like we want to.

[steeleagle 2,945]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

I think this take is a bit off. Nobody was going to beat the G League for Green & Kuminga. Texas was always the home team, favorite, & had a good bit longer relationship on Brown. Transfer from St. John's LJ Fig was never a take for AU. Mac McClung wanted to play PG instead of CG because that's where he & his agent sees his NBA future so that's why Texas Tech won that one. On James Graham, Maryland had been recruiting him much longer than AU did. It was always an uphill battle & AU did damn good just to make it tight. Anyone else you are curious about @gravejd?

Another trend I noticed with these players we were in on, was that except for those G-League guys, players seemed to pick colleges closer to home. Not sure if Covid19 had anything to do with this, but it is possible.

Not saying it was the only possibility but one of them. We've gotten the guys closer to our campus (Thor, Cooper, etc..). 

[ellitor 33,091]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

I think you can always look at individual decisions and explain away why that person choose the path they did. And we signed some great players in the last cycle so i don't want to take away from that. But with that said.....we missed on signing that big time #2 to go with Coop. So we have a big hole on our roster as to where our scoring will come from next season. We also missed on our need for an immediate difference maker down low. I think Caldwell can be a great player and he seems like a hard worker. But i don't think he was the exact type of center we were going for i.e someone who can run the floor and be a threat beyond the 3pt line. 

So while i understand how each decision became what it was....I still feel we have something a little off in our recruiting where we are not hitting our needs like we want to.

We just signed our best recruiting class in basketball history. It’s pretty hard to logically think there’s something off with our recruiting especially when we’ve come from nowhere to being a top 10, top 15 program. Honestly I think you’re just stretching here.

[gravejd 3,270]

20 minutes ago, ellitor said:

We just signed our best recruiting class in basketball history. It’s pretty hard to logically think there’s something off with our recruiting especially when we’ve come from nowhere to being a top 10, top 15 program. Honestly I think you’re just stretching here.

So you disagree we my post above and you think we got the center and scorer we wanted in last years class? 

EDIT: Your response totally missed the point i am making. We had a great class and i said as much in my post. My point is we are missing needs and that is a problem. 

[ellitor 33,091]

48 minutes ago, gravejd said:

So you disagree we my post above and you think we got the center and scorer we wanted in last years class?

No. Wanted yes but not necessarily needed.

53 minutes ago, gravejd said:

EDIT: Your response totally missed the point i am making. We had a great class and i said as much in my post. My point is we are missing needs and that is a problem. 

And you missed my point about the staff not seeing them as needs as much as guys like Green & Kessler would have been major upgrades. Specifically at the 2 If the staff felt they needed a major scoring upgrade for the 2 spot than what we have on roster then more than Green & McClung would have been takes at the guard spot. The fact nobody else was a take shows the staff is at least reasonably confident at what the combo of Turbo, Cambridge, & Powell will do at the 2 spot. Most teams miss some of their top targets every year. That doesn't mean there is a recruiting problem. It means it's part of the game.

[Beaker 2,457]

If I may - 

 

we are now recruiting players that would have never visited or spent more than 5  minutes talking to a coach from Auburn.   The prospects are not just listening, but we are making their final cut list.  The kids are elite.   We will miss on most of them!  But not all!    We aren't trying to sign 25.  We are signing like 4 or 5.   BB kids  consider lots of programs outside their region (much more than FB ).   Got to bait a lot of hooks to catch 4 or 5 top notch kids.    Think about how fast we arrived on the national scene of recruiting.  

 

Now the kids we are getting are not the #1 player at their position or maybe our #1 target, but all we need is talented kids.  (Coop was #1 on our board I am pretty sure).  Just like in FB, we don't get the #1 player on our board for every position,  but we have enough talent to compete for championships.  If you don't believe me, ask Saban.   Regarding BB, ask Calipari or Barnes if we are getting enough talent to compete.  

 

 

[gravejd 3,270]

39 minutes ago, ellitor said:

No. Wanted yes but not necessarily needed.

And you missed my point about the staff not seeing them as needs as much as guys like Green & Kessler would have been major upgrades. Specifically at the 2 If the staff felt they needed a major scoring upgrade for the 2 spot than what we have on roster then more than Green & McClung would have been takes at the guard spot. The fact nobody else was a take shows the staff is at least reasonably confident at what the combo of Turbo, Cambridge, & Powell will do at the 2 spot. Most teams miss some of their top targets every year. That doesn't mean there is a recruiting problem. It means it's part of the game.

Where did you ever even try and make a point about the coaches not seeing them as a need but a want. Looked to me you just went through a list of excuses on why we did not land players we wanted to land. 

So here is where i am coming from and what my expectations were and are for AU. We got Bruce and immediately start pulling in better talent. My expectation is that as we pull in better talent, we start winning more games, making post seasons, and then getting even better talent. Looks to me like we are winning more games and making post seasons but i don't see the recruiting rising the way i expected. Maybe that helps paint a better picture of why i say something seems just a bit off recruiting wise. 

[Tiger 8,822]

3 hours ago, gravejd said:

But with that said.....we missed on signing that big time #2 to go with Coop.

Don't you disrespect JT Thor like that

[gravejd 3,270]

Just now, Tiger said:

Don't you disrespect JT Thor like that

Thor could be one heck of a get i agree. But i don't see him playing the 2 spot for us  

[Tiger 8,822]

2 minutes ago, gravejd said:

Thor could be one heck of a get i agree. But i don't see him playing the 2 spot for us  

Oh you meant shooting guard not as in 2nd option. My baddd

But also I pretty much disagree with everything else you're saying lol. We pulled in the highest rated class in AU history. Bruce out-doing himself to accomplish that. If he keeps breaking his own record for best class that means that we are in fact getting better and better talent which is the result of winning the games/post-season that you alluded to. 

[WarEagle2423 357]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

Oh you meant shooting guard not as in 2nd option. My baddd

But also I pretty much disagree with everything else you're saying lol. We pulled in the highest rated class in AU history. Bruce out-doing himself to accomplish that. If he keeps breaking his own record for best class that means that we are in fact getting better and better talent which is the result of winning the games/post-season that you alluded to. 

I really think people are sleeping on Justin Powell. He’s going to make an impact at AU. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

It's baby steps

 

you dont just go from having to depend on 3 stars as starters to beating out $500K 3 seasons later. COVID19 probably had a very large influence on JG and I dont think we've missed out on any of our top prospects yet in this cycle

[ellitor 33,091]

15 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

It's baby steps

 

you dont just go from having to depend on 3 stars as starters to beating out $500K 3 seasons later. COVID19 probably had a very large influence on JG and I dont think we've missed out on any of our top prospects yet in this cycle

At the same time, if Coach Pearl wants a composite 3* like Powell & Graham we should trust his evals. He earned that with Bryce Brown. Also I think Covid hurt us on in getting another quality 2 guard because we missed this eval period & Coach Pearl is very strong in his evals where he discovered a talent.

[fredst 9,064]

Kessler is the one guy we missed on that I felt we really were in strong position on. These other guys were all reaches and we were right there. As has been stated, the fact that we were even competitive for most of these guys(including Kessler) is remarkable with our basketball “history”.  JG was the guy that would have really put us over the top and that hurt the most because I had convinced myself that we had a chance(lol). Our recruiting is most assuredly NOT disappointing right now. 

[augolf1716 21,109]

12 hours ago, fredst said:

Kessler is the one guy we missed on that I felt we really were in strong position on. These other guys were all reaches and we were right there. As has been stated, the fact that we were even competitive for most of these guys(including Kessler) is remarkable with our basketball “history”.  JG was the guy that would have really put us over the top and that hurt the most because I had convinced myself that we had a chance(lol). Our recruiting is most assuredly NOT disappointing right now. 

Very true 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

On 8/20/2020 at 5:25 PM, ellitor said:

At the same time, if Coach Pearl wants a composite 3* like Powell & Graham we should trust his evals. He earned that with Bryce Brown. Also I think Covid hurt us on in getting another quality 2 guard because we missed this eval period & Coach Pearl is very strong in his evals where he discovered a talent.

I get that, I'm just saying that on the 3 star level, more often than not, Pearl is going to be going against very overmatched coaches. its not the talent of the recruit im protesting, but rather the competition. recruiting against whatever small guys in Kentucky let Powell walk away is a little bit different than Calipari for BJ Boston, for example. 

and I was saying all that to say, you don't just start winning and it's an automatic transition to getting all of the top targets you want, or even need. Memphis NEEDED Jalen Green as much as we did, and needed Greg Brown. Where are those two? 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

On 8/20/2020 at 12:00 PM, gravejd said:

So you disagree we my post above and you think we got the center and scorer we wanted in last years class? 

EDIT: Your response totally missed the point i am making. We had a great class and i said as much in my post. My point is we are missing needs and that is a problem. 

Over the last two years we have had great runs. Two years ago we were led by a PG Harper who was to small and SG Brown who wasn't  that good out of HS and a SF who was very good out of HS but exceeded expectations and went to the NBA. Last year a transfer SG, a Transfer PG a one and done SF who was not considered a one and done when he signed and a Center who was highly recruited but until last year because of different things like being suspended and injured did not show out.

The guys in this class are really good read their Profiles they all have some things in common, they work hard, they are willing to do the dirty work (rebounding, defense, taking the charge, going for the loose ball) as long as it helps the team to win. Powell will surprise some people with his shooting , ball handling and high basketball IQ, Chris Moore will be tough working the boards, playing D and will surprise people with some scoring punch, Cooper will make other players better and like Harper can score when we need it,  Cardwell is very athletic and hustles he will be a rim defender and will get hustle points, Thor is the complete package at PF.  We also have some really good players returning so we will have depth and talent. We are at least 2 deep at every position.  This is a top ten class who fit the pearl type player.  A little under estimated Cooper to small, Moore not tall enough to be a typical PF, Powell only a 3* probably because he was injured earlier, Cardwell not polished enough.  Every one of them are coach-able players that Pearl will adjust to so that he will have mis-matches that we can take advantage of.  Mis-matches are the bread and Butter of the Pearl system and these players will create them.    

With Pearl he adjusts his Offense to get scoring where he can, this year I expect more balanced scoring. I expect Cooper to facilitate and make Thor a scoring machine while getting people like Powell open 3's.  Finally look how much Harper and Brown improved from year one to year two. I expect a lot of that from players like Flanigan, Cambridge, Stretch, Jones and Franklin who had to sit out as a transfer but practiced with team all last year.  If Johnson has regained his stroke we will be 11 deep if not 10 deep. 

These are the type of players and teams Pearl wins with.  

[ellitor 33,091]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:33 PM, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I get that, I'm just saying that on the 3 star level, more often than not, Pearl is going to be going against very overmatched coaches. its not the talent of the recruit im protesting, but rather the competition. recruiting against whatever small guys in Kentucky let Powell walk away is a little bit different than Calipari for BJ Boston, for example. 

and I was saying all that to say, you don't just start winning and it's an automatic transition to getting all of the top targets you want, or even need. Memphis NEEDED Jalen Green as much as we did, and needed Greg Brown. Where are those two? 

@Dual-Threat Rigby I wasn't talking specifically to or at you. My post was a statement to the board as a whole.

[Beaker 2,457]

On 8/21/2020 at 8:51 PM, AuburnNTexas said:

Over the last two years we have had great runs. Two years ago we were led by a PG Harper who was to small and SG Brown who wasn't  that good out of HS and a SF who was very good out of HS but exceeded expectations and went to the NBA. Last year a transfer SG, a Transfer PG a one and done SF who was not considered a one and done when he signed and a Center who was highly recruited but until last year because of different things like being suspended and injured did not show out.

The guys in this class are really good read their Profiles they all have some things in common, they work hard, they are willing to do the dirty work (rebounding, defense, taking the charge, going for the loose ball) as long as it helps the team to win. Powell will surprise some people with his shooting , ball handling and high basketball IQ, Chris Moore will be tough working the boards, playing D and will surprise people with some scoring punch, Cooper will make other players better and like Harper can score when we need it,  Cardwell is very athletic and hustles he will be a rim defender and will get hustle points, Thor is the complete package at PF.  We also have some really good players returning so we will have depth and talent. We are at least 2 deep at every position.  This is a top ten class who fit the pearl type player.  A little under estimated Cooper to small, Moore not tall enough to be a typical PF, Powell only a 3* probably because he was injured earlier, Cardwell not polished enough.  Every one of them are coach-able players that Pearl will adjust to so that he will have mis-matches that we can take advantage of.  Mis-matches are the bread and Butter of the Pearl system and these players will create them.    

With Pearl he adjusts his Offense to get scoring where he can, this year I expect more balanced scoring. I expect Cooper to facilitate and make Thor a scoring machine while getting people like Powell open 3's.  Finally look how much Harper and Brown improved from year one to year two. I expect a lot of that from players like Flanigan, Cambridge, Stretch, Jones and Franklin who had to sit out as a transfer but practiced with team all last year.  If Johnson has regained his stroke we will be 11 deep if not 10 deep. 

These are the type of players and teams Pearl wins with.  

You sold me.  Where is the SEC Tourny?  Heck. Where is the final four?   Time to buy tickets.

 

seriously, I think that is a great summation of how BP develops players and I hope your prognostication is on the money.  Fun to read.  Thanks.

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

4 hours ago, Beaker said:

You sold me.  Where is the SEC Tourny?  Heck. Where is the final four?   Time to buy tickets.

 

seriously, I think that is a great summation of how BP develops players and I hope your prognostication is on the money.  Fun to read.  Thanks.

I hope I am right also but only time will tell.