Looking back on his NU recruitment, and without any inside info, I have to wonder.
1.Did the NU staff rate Lathon as high or higher? I'm guessing the answer is Yes. Otherwise, you tell Ayo in advance of Lathon's visit that NU can't wait for a commitment and thus risk losing both of them. But that call doesn't appear to have occurred. If it had, Ayo would have known that it was over when Lathon committed. Let's be frank. If Ayo was a super prospect, and you have the chance to land him, you don't play your hand the way NU did.
2. Is there a sound basis to rate Lathon higher than Ayo? I believe so. He is stronger, more athletic and more explosive, and he has better fundamentals shooting the ball. I see a player in Lathon that would have continued to receive high major offers but for the wrist injury that curtailed his summer exposure. I also have said from the beginning that Ayo is a solid to better high major prospect, but does not have the game you normally associate with top 30 prospects. Kansas is the outlier among his offers, and we don't know whether that is a committable offer. If he doesn't end up at Illinois, I'm thinking Xavier.
3. Was scheduling Ayo's 6-27 unofficial coincidental? I doubt it. With Lathon's 6-20 official visit, that gives him time, but not too much time, to commit in advance of Ayo's visit. The pressure of committing now or risk losing the spot? You bet. And if Lathon doesn't commit, you have your no. 2 lead guard recruit on campus with another "name" recruit in Nance. The sequence and timing of the visits all point to targeting Lathon and having a very good Plan B in Ayo.
GOUNUII
1.Did the NU staff rate Lathon as high or higher? I'm guessing the answer is Yes. Otherwise, you tell Ayo in advance of Lathon's visit that NU can't wait for a commitment and thus risk losing both of them. But that call doesn't appear to have occurred. If it had, Ayo would have known that it was over when Lathon committed. Let's be frank. If Ayo was a super prospect, and you have the chance to land him, you don't play your hand the way NU did.
2. Is there a sound basis to rate Lathon higher than Ayo? I believe so. He is stronger, more athletic and more explosive, and he has better fundamentals shooting the ball. I see a player in Lathon that would have continued to receive high major offers but for the wrist injury that curtailed his summer exposure. I also have said from the beginning that Ayo is a solid to better high major prospect, but does not have the game you normally associate with top 30 prospects. Kansas is the outlier among his offers, and we don't know whether that is a committable offer. If he doesn't end up at Illinois, I'm thinking Xavier.
3. Was scheduling Ayo's 6-27 unofficial coincidental? I doubt it. With Lathon's 6-20 official visit, that gives him time, but not too much time, to commit in advance of Ayo's visit. The pressure of committing now or risk losing the spot? You bet. And if Lathon doesn't commit, you have your no. 2 lead guard recruit on campus with another "name" recruit in Nance. The sequence and timing of the visits all point to targeting Lathon and having a very good Plan B in Ayo.
GOUNUII
