2021 5-Star Makur Maker Commits to Howard

[TheMookieMonster]

I gotta say this is pretty surprising. I know some players have been toying with the idea since all the protests started but I never thought someone would do it.

It will be interesting to see how this affects his development and draft stock. I can’t imagine the Howard coaching staff is the right place to hone your skills but who knows!

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I gotta say this is pretty surprising. I know some players have been toying with the idea since all the protests started but I never thought someone would do it.

It will be interesting to see how this affects his development and draft stock. I can’t imagine the Howard coaching staff is the right place to hone your skills but who knows!

It's not like Penny has done a good job developing draft stock. Wiseman's stock went down. Achiuwa's slightly went down (although he played well). None of the other multitude of 4* and 5* Penny signed is anywhere near the NBA...

 

[TheMookieMonster]

It’s less about Penny specifically and more about the surprising nature of his announcement. A lot of people over the next few weeks are going to promote this as the start of a huge shift in college basketball power, but I just honestly cannot fathom HBCU’s becoming the new UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.

Will be interesting to see if this was a genuine commitment or a calculated PR move as some reporters have mentioned he is still considering the 2020 NBA draft.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

It’s less about Penny specifically and more about the surprising nature of his announcement. A lot of people over the next few weeks are going to promote this as the start of a huge shift in college basketball power, but I just honestly cannot fathom HBCU’s becoming the new UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.

Will be interesting to see if this was a genuine commitment or a calculated PR move as some reporters have mentioned he is still considering the 2020 NBA draft.

I agree; however 2 of the 3 finalists (Penny and Cronin) havent done a great job in developing NBA players. Maybe the risk in going to Howard isnt as great as it might seem...

 

[Lankykong]

I think if you’re a top player, it might actually be a good idea if you didn’t want Duke/UNC/UK/UT, etc. especially this year.

 

[Special Ed]

I don't believe he was on the Vol radar anyway.

 

[butchna]

There may be some copycats, but the majority of the best (who have played in front of bigger crowds in AAU tournaments) want the pomp and flash of big programs and fanbases.

 

[JohnWardForever]

Well, the first Stimulus Bill contained Millions for Howard ; so there you go.

 

[GlockVol]

If he has NBA aspirations I would assume there will be questions about the level of competition he will face at Howard. He may get developed but I'm sure he will miss the glamour of bigtime travel and media adulation he would receive at a big time school. A former UT bball player told me that when they traveled they stayed at places like Vanderbilt Plaza, but the players complained because when they went to Auburn they stayed at the Opelika Holiday Inn. With today’s snowflakes who knows.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

I actually have been calling this for a few months. If Maker actually produces high and gets a lottery grade, then I think the floodgates will open. Not sure it is the right place or thing to do, but it is the next thing to be pushed by the sports media narrative and Lebron James' cronies. In fact, if a few more people commit and it ends up working, I think top black recruits may even be shamed if they go to a blue blood.

 

[peaygolf]

If African-American recruits really want to take a stand, they should go play at HBCU schools. Just don't go to TSU. Don't need that in the OVC

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I actually have been calling this for a few months. If Maker actually produces high and gets a lottery grade, then I think the floodgates will open. Not sure it is the right place or thing to do, but it is the next thing to be pushed by the sports media narrative and Lebron James' cronies. In fact, if a few more people commit and it ends up working, I think top black recruits may even be shamed if they go to a blue blood.

I mean the jury is still out, and it will be interesting to see what happens, but IMO I just can’t see “the floodgates opening” and HBCU’s becoming a thing. It would take years if not decades to build up the facilities, fanbases, exposure, etc. that you get at traditional powerhouses. I just think the allure of the pageantry of college basketball and the “money” that comes with it is too much to overcome.

I just can’t see the majority 5-star prospects being okay with playing in gyms the size of their high school or joining teams like Howard that went 4-29 in the previous year and risk their one year in the NCAA without any hype or potentially missing the Big Dance.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

I mean the jury is still out, and it will be interesting to see what happens, but IMO I just can’t see “the floodgates opening” and HBCU’s becoming a thing. It would take years if not decades to build up the facilities, fanbases, exposure, etc. that you get at traditional powerhouses. I just think the allure of the pageantry of college basketball and the “money” that comes with it is too much to overcome.

I just can’t see the majority 5-star prospects being okay with playing in gyms the size of their high school or joining teams like Howard that went 4-29 in the previous year and risk their one year in the NCAA without any hype or potentially missing the Big Dance.

We will see. The term "floodgates" may have gone too far. If he goes, and receives zero publicity and his draft stock drops, then I think the trend stops. I am mostly basing this on the fact that I feel like, in my opinion, current NBA stars are going to push heavy for this and the media will begin to more and more paint top programs as being white supremacists.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

Also, I am not saying it is the right or wrong thing. Making a decision based off one person is uneducated and probably the wrong thing to do. I just think the social media brigade will make a heavy impact on 16-17 year olds looking for fame and publicity.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Also, I am not saying it is the right or wrong thing. Making a decision based off one person is uneducated and probably the wrong thing to do. I just think the social media brigade will make a heavy impact on 16-17 year olds looking for fame and publicity.

It’s a fair point. A lot of younger athletes are all about the clout chasing now so the allure of being profusely praised by some of your idols for “taking a stand” will be tough to ignore. But I have doubts that schools like Howard who don’t have the traditional “recruiting tools” as some might say that major programs have will be able to consistently compete for top talent.

 

[cncchris33]

I actually have been calling this for a few months. If Maker actually produces high and gets a lottery grade, then I think the floodgates will open. Not sure it is the right place or thing to do, but it is the next thing to be pushed by the sports media narrative and Lebron James' cronies. In fact, if a few more people commit and it ends up working, I think top black recruits may even be shamed if they go to a blue blood.

I doubt it. It's a short-lived fad.

 

[Roustabout]

I gotta say this is pretty surprising. I know some players have been toying with the idea since all the protests started but I never thought someone would do it.

It will be interesting to see how this affects his development and draft stock. I can’t imagine the Howard coaching staff is the right place to hone your skills but who knows!

Good for him.

When Croom was hired at Miss State I thought, "this guy is going to kill it. Black kids will be lining up to play for the first black head football coach." Nope. In fact, i was associated with a family whose kid UT and Auburn were recruiting. He ended up going to Auburn. WR, very talented. Croom had just been hired and I asked them if he was visiting. They looked puzzled. I blatantly said, how can you not be interested? This black family could not have cared two shats about this. The rest is history with Croom. The black recruits still wanted to play for the white coaches. The climate is a little different today so we'll see.

 

[TrumpedUpVol]

There’s no built-in fanbase for HBCUs, so this is an anomaly as opposed to a paradigm shift. Even if you started seeing more ‘21 5 stars commit to HBCUs, there’s just no way to sustain fan interest on a long term basis considering the lack of scheduling opportunities and location of the schools.

 

[golfballs]

If African-American recruits really want to take a stand, they should go play at HBCU schools. Just don't go to TSU. Don't need that in the OVC

Take a stand against what?

 

[zaqhhh]

I've always questioned why at least a few top notch players didn't commit to schools that are off the radar.

I mean there are probably around 200 teams that if a 5 star committed, they'd be a hero overnight.

Big fish in a big pond vs Big fish in a small pond argument.

This may be more about HBCUs but I wouldn't mind seeing more kids go this route to try to be legends at smaller schools.

 

[rdk4121]

It would take dozens of top players to go to HBCUs to make a difference. The level of competition is potentially going to hurt Maker's stock, and if his stock falls a lot, then you can be assured that most other big time players aren't going to follow suit.

 

[cobbwebb0710]

If he has NBA aspirations I would assume there will be questions about the level of competition he will face at Howard. He may get developed but I'm sure he will miss the glamour of bigtime travel and media adulation he would receive at a big time school. A former UT bball player told me that when they traveled they stayed at places like Vanderbilt Plaza, but the players complained because when they went to Auburn they stayed at the Opelika Holiday Inn. With today’s snowflakes who knows.

Level of competition being an issue, yes. Media attention will be insane for this kid if he actually suits up for Howard. Correct me if I’m wrong but can’t players start getting paid for their likeness next year? If this kid goes through with this commitment to play at Howard, sponsors will be beating the doors down to get this kids face on any type of advertising they can! This kid will be a millionaire before he even takes his first step onto an NBA court. This could be a landmark move in college basketball and athletics in general, imo.
GBO!!

 

[cobbwebb0710]

I agree about the level of competition but then I thought about high school kids being drafted. The competition level at Howard would have to be better than at the high school level, right? This kid just knocked down the door and every blue blood in the country just crapped their pants.
GBO!!

 

[sport3500]

Nice pickup for Howard.

 

[rdk4121]

I agree about the level of competition but then I thought about high school kids being drafted. The competition level at Howard would have to be better than at the high school level, right? This kid just knocked down the door and every blue blood in the country just crapped their pants.
GBO!!

Well it will be better than high school competition, but if gets to that level in college and doesn't dominate it will be a massive red flag. High school still provides some kind of mystique to it, because it is hard to tell at times how a kid will be able to translate for a lot of different reasons. In college, you don't have that same kind of excuse built it.

Small colleges can certainly work out for some people (Ja Morant most recently), but if going the small school route was the easier and more guaranteed route, then it would have been done by more people by now. Going to a major school, even if you don't do that well, still has its advantages. Like look at Nassir Little from UNC 2 years ago, he didn't even start, only averaged 9.8 points, couldn't really shoot, yet he was still a late first round pick. You do that at Howard (even if he was starting), you'll never be heard from again most likely.