MikeHamiltonFan
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I have been extremely impressed with Bruce Pearl's recruiting.
Looking at how others are recruiting it is remarkable to think about how much Pearl has been able to do without the aggressive cheating others are doing.
Much has been written about Worldwide Wes and Calipari, but if Wes died of a heart attack, Cal would stay one of the top recruiters in the game. He is at Kentucky, one of the unquestioned top programs in college basketball with tons of resources and huge fan support but most of all he has gotten lots of players now lots of $$$ by sending them to the NBA.
How did a guy like Scott Drew go from having a program with NCAA sanctions and the recent memory of a Baylor basketball player murdering another one (guess we came close with Ramar) to bringing in stud after stud to Waco Texas? It is not the tradition, and it is not the city. Many people suspected $ and that is partly still true I suspect, but there are other factors as well. Two of his 5 top 100 players he has coming in 2011, Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello, both played for Dwon Clifton. Dwon ran D One Sports travel team and was hired as an assistant by Drew in part to try to get John Wall, but another Nike school took him instead with Worldwide We$. John Wall played for Dwon as well, and Dwon left Baylor to manage him now).
Knowing how much others cheat and what a disadvantage Adidas shoes are (and anyone who tries to say it is not a disadvantage because Kansas can still recruit with Adidas is a freaking idiot, Saban could still recruit at Bama if they wore Converse but it would not mean that Converse is on an equal playing field) it is amazing what Pearl is doing.
Today Dana Altman, he of the Oregon Ducks team playing in the putrid Pac 10 who has played 2 good teams hand has 3 losses, has a 5 star recruit on campus.
The man needed overtime to beat North Dakota State, and his previous success was building steady winners at Creighton, but he has a 5 star on campus.
They are 5-3 and they only play Virginia as they move towards the Pac 10 schedule which they could dominate and still get a 6 seed from (they will not dominate Washington, I am just reiterating the league SUCKS) and yet they have a 5 star on campus.
They already have the #22 rivals ranked player nationally on board in Jabari Brown from Oakland, CA but now DeAndre Daniels is on campus. This 6'8 PF is at IMG currently in Florida, and Tennessee would LOVE to have him. He is from Southern California and was committed at one point to Texas, rumored to be coming to UK, and has recently visited lots of Pac 10 schools and Kansas but he is at Oregon today? Can we get a visit?
I truly believe that our facilities are top 10. I think the NCAA cloud is not a major factor (Adonis Thomas was going to be a Tiger regardless and the other talk he did was BS) but I think that Pearl not having guys in the lottery of the NBA is hampering us.
2 years from now with Bruce Pearl still at TN, a Final Four appearance in the rear view and one or two good NBA picks behind us, Pearl should be able to recruit and win against cheaters despite being handcuffed by the NCAA. People think probation would be the worst blow, but the worst blow has already happened. Actually having to follow the rules regarding calls, texting etc puts you are a huge disadvantage to all the other schools because none of them do it.
For all my mockery for defending the Florida Gators basketball coaching and team, I really hope they do not get Daniels (rumored to also be in deep with Kansas and UCLA and recommitting to Texas) and I wish we could get Daniels on campus. Daniels originally committed to Texas because he wanted to be the next Durant, I wish he would come to TN and be the first Daniels. He could be a point forward like Tobias Harris, and playing with him for one year could be enough talent for us to cut down the nets in 2011...
We will almost certainly miss on Daniels, and that means we are likely to get someone from this list in 2011:
C Kevin Johnson Woodland Hills, CaliforniaTaft 6'8" 235 N/A 3 stars
C John Cannon Burnsville, North CarolinaMountain Heritage 6'11" 230 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
F Levon Harper Farmville, VirginiaFuqua School 6'8" 226 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
F Henry Brooks Lithonia, GeorgiaMiller Grove 6'8" 215 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
Or my personal favorite to hear Bert try to say:
F Nemanja Bezbradica Gimnazija Bezigrad 6'9" 225
Unlikely we get a stud big man in 2011, but the good news is we are in it for great talent in 2012 like:
F Jarnell Stokes Memphis, TennesseeCentral 6'7" 230 N/A 5 stars N/A 3
list
Would be HUGE and could join another Memphis player in Knoxville.
G Archie Goodwin Little Rock, ArkansasSylvan Hills 6'4" 181 N/A 5 stars N/A 3
list
Hope Pelphrey chokes with the awesome talent coming in and gets fired so we have a better shot here...
G Nino Jackson Ardmore, OklahomaArdmore 6'2" 175 N/A 4 stars N/A 6
list
F Tymond Howard Pearl, MississippiPearl 6'5" 200 N/A 4 stars N/A 6
list
F Robert Carter Thomasville, GeorgiaThomasville 6'8" 245 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
G Braxton Ogbueze Charlotte, North CarolinaUnited Faith Christian Academy 6'0" 185 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
F Jeremy Hollowell Indianapolis, IndianaLawrence Central 6'6" 190 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
G Jordan Adams Mouth of Wilson, VirginiaOak Hill Academy 6'5" 220 N/A 4 stars N/A 10
list
F J.P. Tokoto Menomonee Falls, WisconsinMenomonee Falls 6'5" 190 N/A 4 stars N/A 10
list
F Alex Poythress Clarksville, TennesseeNortheast 6'7" 205 N/A 4 stars N/A 11
As close to a hometown hero as TN is likely to have for a while
G Jaylen Beckham Newark, New JerseySt. Benedict's Prep 6'0" 150 N/A 4 stars N/A 11
C Tony Parker Lithonia, GeorgiaMiller Grove 6'9" 250 N/A 4 stars N/A 12
list
Keep the ATL area connections going...
F Damien Wilson Mouth of Wilson, VirginiaOak Hill Academy 6'6" 198 N/A 4 stars N/A 12
list
G Omar Calhoun Brooklyn, New YorkChrist The King 6'3" N/A N/A 4 stars N/A 13
list
Could not have hurt beating Villanova in MSG for this kid...
C Phillip Nolan Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington 6'10" N/A N/A 4 stars N/A 16
list
Looking at how others are recruiting it is remarkable to think about how much Pearl has been able to do without the aggressive cheating others are doing.
Much has been written about Worldwide Wes and Calipari, but if Wes died of a heart attack, Cal would stay one of the top recruiters in the game. He is at Kentucky, one of the unquestioned top programs in college basketball with tons of resources and huge fan support but most of all he has gotten lots of players now lots of $$$ by sending them to the NBA.
How did a guy like Scott Drew go from having a program with NCAA sanctions and the recent memory of a Baylor basketball player murdering another one (guess we came close with Ramar) to bringing in stud after stud to Waco Texas? It is not the tradition, and it is not the city. Many people suspected $ and that is partly still true I suspect, but there are other factors as well. Two of his 5 top 100 players he has coming in 2011, Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello, both played for Dwon Clifton. Dwon ran D One Sports travel team and was hired as an assistant by Drew in part to try to get John Wall, but another Nike school took him instead with Worldwide We$. John Wall played for Dwon as well, and Dwon left Baylor to manage him now).
Knowing how much others cheat and what a disadvantage Adidas shoes are (and anyone who tries to say it is not a disadvantage because Kansas can still recruit with Adidas is a freaking idiot, Saban could still recruit at Bama if they wore Converse but it would not mean that Converse is on an equal playing field) it is amazing what Pearl is doing.
Today Dana Altman, he of the Oregon Ducks team playing in the putrid Pac 10 who has played 2 good teams hand has 3 losses, has a 5 star recruit on campus.
The man needed overtime to beat North Dakota State, and his previous success was building steady winners at Creighton, but he has a 5 star on campus.
They are 5-3 and they only play Virginia as they move towards the Pac 10 schedule which they could dominate and still get a 6 seed from (they will not dominate Washington, I am just reiterating the league SUCKS) and yet they have a 5 star on campus.
They already have the #22 rivals ranked player nationally on board in Jabari Brown from Oakland, CA but now DeAndre Daniels is on campus. This 6'8 PF is at IMG currently in Florida, and Tennessee would LOVE to have him. He is from Southern California and was committed at one point to Texas, rumored to be coming to UK, and has recently visited lots of Pac 10 schools and Kansas but he is at Oregon today? Can we get a visit?
I truly believe that our facilities are top 10. I think the NCAA cloud is not a major factor (Adonis Thomas was going to be a Tiger regardless and the other talk he did was BS) but I think that Pearl not having guys in the lottery of the NBA is hampering us.
2 years from now with Bruce Pearl still at TN, a Final Four appearance in the rear view and one or two good NBA picks behind us, Pearl should be able to recruit and win against cheaters despite being handcuffed by the NCAA. People think probation would be the worst blow, but the worst blow has already happened. Actually having to follow the rules regarding calls, texting etc puts you are a huge disadvantage to all the other schools because none of them do it.
For all my mockery for defending the Florida Gators basketball coaching and team, I really hope they do not get Daniels (rumored to also be in deep with Kansas and UCLA and recommitting to Texas) and I wish we could get Daniels on campus. Daniels originally committed to Texas because he wanted to be the next Durant, I wish he would come to TN and be the first Daniels. He could be a point forward like Tobias Harris, and playing with him for one year could be enough talent for us to cut down the nets in 2011...
We will almost certainly miss on Daniels, and that means we are likely to get someone from this list in 2011:
C Kevin Johnson Woodland Hills, CaliforniaTaft 6'8" 235 N/A 3 stars
C John Cannon Burnsville, North CarolinaMountain Heritage 6'11" 230 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
F Levon Harper Farmville, VirginiaFuqua School 6'8" 226 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
F Henry Brooks Lithonia, GeorgiaMiller Grove 6'8" 215 N/A 3 stars N/A N/A
list
Or my personal favorite to hear Bert try to say:
F Nemanja Bezbradica Gimnazija Bezigrad 6'9" 225
Unlikely we get a stud big man in 2011, but the good news is we are in it for great talent in 2012 like:
F Jarnell Stokes Memphis, TennesseeCentral 6'7" 230 N/A 5 stars N/A 3
list
Would be HUGE and could join another Memphis player in Knoxville.
G Archie Goodwin Little Rock, ArkansasSylvan Hills 6'4" 181 N/A 5 stars N/A 3
list
Hope Pelphrey chokes with the awesome talent coming in and gets fired so we have a better shot here...
G Nino Jackson Ardmore, OklahomaArdmore 6'2" 175 N/A 4 stars N/A 6
list
F Tymond Howard Pearl, MississippiPearl 6'5" 200 N/A 4 stars N/A 6
list
F Robert Carter Thomasville, GeorgiaThomasville 6'8" 245 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
G Braxton Ogbueze Charlotte, North CarolinaUnited Faith Christian Academy 6'0" 185 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
F Jeremy Hollowell Indianapolis, IndianaLawrence Central 6'6" 190 N/A 4 stars N/A 9
list
G Jordan Adams Mouth of Wilson, VirginiaOak Hill Academy 6'5" 220 N/A 4 stars N/A 10
list
F J.P. Tokoto Menomonee Falls, WisconsinMenomonee Falls 6'5" 190 N/A 4 stars N/A 10
list
F Alex Poythress Clarksville, TennesseeNortheast 6'7" 205 N/A 4 stars N/A 11
As close to a hometown hero as TN is likely to have for a while
G Jaylen Beckham Newark, New JerseySt. Benedict's Prep 6'0" 150 N/A 4 stars N/A 11
C Tony Parker Lithonia, GeorgiaMiller Grove 6'9" 250 N/A 4 stars N/A 12
list
Keep the ATL area connections going...
F Damien Wilson Mouth of Wilson, VirginiaOak Hill Academy 6'6" 198 N/A 4 stars N/A 12
list
G Omar Calhoun Brooklyn, New YorkChrist The King 6'3" N/A N/A 4 stars N/A 13
list
Could not have hurt beating Villanova in MSG for this kid...
C Phillip Nolan Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington 6'10" N/A N/A 4 stars N/A 16
list
