Rapolas Ivanauskas commits!

[hdhntr1]

Re: Raining on your parade, yet again.

It is huge for a lot of reasons. He represents a continuation of the solid recruiting. He represents the ability of this staff to find targets and get the job done as far as recruiting in the Chicago area. His offers are from two BIG programs both ahead of us. Have to remember, the entire roster when CCC took over had only two other BIG offers total (Demps, MN and Abrahamson IA) . And this one recruit has two and would likely have gotten more going forward. It also represents an potential end to the idea that with our facilities, recruiting is impossible.

This post was edited on 4/20 1:05 PM by hdhntr1

 

[Sec.112]

An end to the stigma of recruiting with these facilities?

Originally posted by hdhntr1:
It also represents an potential end to the idea that with our facilities, recruiting is impossible.

Ooo. I'm sorry but I do not like that idea. For me, it starts to go in the direction of excusing the administration for this increasingly troublesome handicap that the program needs to constantly work around.

This is probably a discussion for another thread, but I think recruiting well with these facilities is VERY much the exception, and would not be the rule for a large majority of coaches. It says more about Collins and the staff than anything else.

I don't think the end of the facilities as a handicap is anywhere in sight.

 

[Styre]

Re: An end to the stigma of recruiting with these facilities?

It might end the idea that recruiting is impossible -- I certainly didn't think we'd be able to recruit this well with our current limitations -- but yeah, imagine the kind of player Collins might be able to reel in with state-of-the-art facilities.

 

[hdhntr1]

Re: An end to the stigma of recruiting with these facilities?

I am not saying that better facilities would not help. Just that many claimed in no uncertain terms that it was absolutely impossible to recruit high level players with the current facilities. It may take more work and be much more difficult and for many we might never be able to overcome the handicap but it is not impossible. Would I prefer to see the handicap gone? Sure.

While you might think it excuses the administration, I would say that it shows that others were too lenient in excusing coaching staffs using that as the be all end all excuse in the past. There were many reasons why we did not make a dent in recruiting in the past and the facilities were just one of the reasons. I am glad we are moving past that and I would guess that the recent success in recruiting is likely to help in getting those facility improvements.

 

[hdhntr1]

Re: An end to the stigma of recruiting with these facilities?

We are at least now getting to see some upgrades. More success may lead to more upgrades and when the FB practice facilities are put in, it would free up the space for new practice facilities. But replacing our present arena is much longer term project and not sure how important it is. Practice facilities are likely more important for the players.

 

[Sec.112]

Appreciate the good response

I agree the pitiful facilities were part of the mix that allowed fans to give coaches an easy pass.

However, I think your statement undervalues the talent and strategy it takes to recruit at this level despite the facilities. It requires more than just "more work." As I said, I don't think just any D1, major conference coach (outside the established studs) can come in here and do what's been done so far.

Originally posted by hdhntr1:
But replacing our
present arena is much longer term project and not sure how important it
is. Practice facilities are likely more important for the players.

This is part of a bigger issue for which I've been biting my tongue as I type. Let's talk about it sometime this summer. It needs to be discussed.

 

[NUcats11]

Re: Raining on your parade, yet again.

Big Ten Offers (using only rivals as source)

Roster when CC took over:
Demps - MN
Abrahamson - IA
Sina (why not include him) - PSU, Rutgers, and IU jumped on board eventually I think

CC recruits:
Rap - PU, IA
Law - Illinois
Lindsey - IA
Mac - IA, PU
Ash - IA, PU
Falzon - PSU, Rutgers

So, Felis, although the individual level of the top recruits by each is not remarkably higher, the depth is much much higher. Gone are the days of 0 to 1 players per class who had interest from other programs. We now have multiple ppl in each class with other big ten interests.

As a side note, so many victories over Purdue and Iowa.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1]

Re: Raining on your parade, yet again.

"Have to remember, the entire roster when CCC took over had only two other BIG offers total (Demps, MN and Abrahamson IA)."

This is true (not including Sina), but a little misleading only mentioning BIG schools. Cobb was a borderline top 100 prospect (was a 4* for most of the recruiting cycle) with some high major offers. Crawford also was a local prospect with some options (including Cincinnati).

No doubt Collins has taken recruiting to another level, but the previous staff didn't leave the cupboard completely bare, at least historically speaking.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1]

Re: Appreciate the good response

"However, I think your statement undervalues the talent and strategy it
takes to recruit at this level despite the facilities. It requires more
than just "more work." As I said, I don't think just any D1, major
conference coach (outside the established studs) can come in here and do
what's been done so far."

Nailed it, Sec.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

Re: Raining on your parade, yet again.

Originally posted by ColumbusCatFan1:
"Have to remember, the entire roster when CCC took over had only two other BIG offers total (Demps, MN and Abrahamson IA)."
This is true (not including Sina), but a little misleading only mentioning BIG schools. Cobb was a borderline top 100 prospect (was a 4* for most of the recruiting cycle) with some high major offers. Crawford also was a local prospect with some options (including Cincinnati).

I was going to point that out. A player may not have a B1G offer, yet have plenty of offers of similar or even higher value....obviously the ACC is huge in basketball...and the Big East isn't far below....Some SEC (say KY) and even PAC12 schools are stronger than most B1G programs....and let us not forget the Big12 (Kansas, etc). One should probably speak of major conference offers, and may even need to be more specific (MSU vs Rutgers, Kansas vs TCU, etc).
BC was doing reasonably well in his final years....but again my point was that considering NU RECENT recruiting performance RI is a normal get...possibly even (slightly) below average considering other CC's signees.

 

[NJCat83588]

Re: Raining on your parade, yet again.

Originally posted by FeliSilvestris:
but again my point was that considering NU RECENT recruiting performance RI is a normal get...possibly even (slightly) below average considering other CC's signees.

Premature to conclude that. The young man hasn't even played his senior year. One service has him the #1 player in Illinois, or at least top 4. That would be much better than "(slightly) below average"..............

As you yourself caution, time will tell. Let's see his senior year and then decide where he fits with other incoming freshmen.

 

[NTCAT]

Felis If you think he is just an average get do something beyond looking at the amount of stars next to his name. First, it was a huge get because he was clearly our main target. Beyond that, he had offers from 2 Big Ten programs, a lot of interest from other programs already, and has already started what looks like it is going to be a very solid AAU circuit. I have some inside info on this one and I know he was very close to getting some huge offers (as in the national champions) but he wanted to come to NU. Finally, he is a prospect that has plenty of room to grow, and you see that in the recruiting analysis by most of the guys that do this for their job. And despite this, he is a consensus top 4 player in the state, and in a lot of cases #1 in the state.

 

[hdhntr1]

Appreciate the good response

I agree the pitiful facilities were part of the mix that allowed fans to give coaches an easy pass.

However, I think your statement undervalues the talent and strategy it takes to recruit at this level despite the facilities. It requires more than just "more work." As I said, I don't think just any D1, major conference coach (outside the established studs) can come in here and do what's been done so far.
This is part of a bigger issue for which I've been biting my tongue as I type. Let's talk about it sometime this summer. It needs to be discussed.

Not saying that it did not also take talent and an effective strategy and I am definitely not trying to undervalue that. Just saying it was not just the facilities. Yes it took a good recruiter with talent and a plan. But recruiting is part of every HCs job and some are better at it than others. That said, a lot of being a good recruiter is the effort you are willing to put in.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

Felis If you think he is just an average get do something beyond looking at the amount of stars next to his name. First, it was a huge get because he was clearly our main target. Beyond that, he had offers from 2 Big Ten programs, a lot of interest from other programs already, and has already started what looks like it is going to be a very solid AAU circuit. I have some inside info on this one and I know he was very close to getting some huge offers (as in the national champions) but he wanted to come to NU.

Why was he "CLEARLY our main target"?
Have you actually looked at other players in this class with offers from NU?
How many Rivals "top 150" got offers from NU? To get you started I'll throw in a name: Barret Benson (a rivals top-100 offered by ill, indy, PU and many others)....he seems to be still undecided...others NU targets with similar credentials may also be undecided, or may have by now committed somewhere (which doesn't mean they weren't NU targets). You will have a tough time convincing anyone that RI was a higher priority than several of those....and this is not meant as a criticism of RI, just a statement of the fact that there were other targets out there whose credentials AT THIS STAGE are even more impressive than RI's (not that his are terrible).

If others want to offer RI they may still do so...even PF has confessed that under certain conditions he may offer players committed elsewhere...it's part of the game...for the time being RI has two offers other than NU's...others have many more of similar or greater value....of course he may end up outperforming all others....or he may not...we could say the same thing about any and all....how are we to know??

 

[ColumbusCatFan1]

Why was he "CLEARLY our main target"?
Have you actually looked at other players in this class with offers from NU?
How many Rivals "top 150" got offers from NU? To get you started I'll throw in a name: Barret Benson (a rivals top-100 offered by ill, indy, PU and many others)....he seems to be still undecided...others NU targets with similar credentials may also be undecided, or may have by now committed somewhere (which doesn't mean they weren't NU targets). You will have a tough time convincing anyone that RI was a higher priority than several of those....and this is not meant as a criticism of RI, just a statement of the fact that there were other targets out there whose credentials AT THIS STAGE are even more impressive than RI's (not that his are terrible).

You are only using rivals metrics. As NJ pointed out with the 247 service, you need to look at other rankings to get a complete picture, at least at this point in the cycle.

Ivanauskas

Rivals - 3* Unrated
247 - 4* National: 114 IL: 4
Scout - 4* National: 54 IL PF: #1 Midwest PF: #2 National PF: #10
Illinois Prep Bullseye - #1

Benson

Rivals - 4* National: 87 National C: #14
247 - National 98: IL: 3
Scout - 4* National: 97 IL C: #2 Midwest C: #8 National C: #24
Illinois Prep Bullseye: - ? (Top 3?)

Not as wide a gap as you are claiming, at least outside of the rivals ranking. It's not that crazy to think RI could be the top priority, especially if Collins thinks he's a great fit and could get him to commit quickly (which he did). While I won't link an article from a competing site, check out the first few hits on a google search for "Ivanauskas Top Priority"


Yes, offers are very important (I wouldn't be surprised if several more come Ivanauskas' way), but taking into consideration Rapolas' high ceiling as well as the metrics above, there is no doubt he is a HUGE get for the program. Benson would be a huge get too, especially with the vacancy opening up after Olah graduates. Signing both these front court recruits would go a long way in making the 2016 class perhaps the best in (modern) program history. Exciting times.

 

[lunker35]

Why was he "CLEARLY our main target"?
Have you actually looked at other players in this class with offers from NU?
How many Rivals "top 150" got offers from NU? To get you started I'll throw in a name: Barret Benson (a rivals top-100 offered by ill, indy, PU and many others)....he seems to be still undecided...others NU targets with similar credentials may also be undecided, or may have by now committed somewhere (which doesn't mean they weren't NU targets). You will have a tough time convincing anyone that RI was a higher priority than several of those....and this is not meant as a criticism of RI, just a statement of the fact that there were other targets out there whose credentials AT THIS STAGE are even more impressive than RI's (not that his are terrible).

If others want to offer RI they may still do so...even PF has confessed that under certain conditions he may offer players committed elsewhere...it's part of the game...for the time being RI has two offers other than NU's...others have many more of similar or greater value....of course he may end up outperforming all others....or he may not...we could say the same thing about any and all....how are we to know??

You're a fool.

 

[NTCAT]

Again, just because a guy is higher than him in the rivals top 150 does not mean we are recruiting the other guy harder. Collins and Staff (esp. Gates) have been recruiting Ivanauskas crazy hard, constantly attending AAU and HS games, and were doing so much before other targets. Benson may be the only other guy on the same level of how much attention we've given him, but I can't seem to find nearly as many reports saying we went to his AAU game or whatever. Still think he's a huge priority and hope he's next to join RI in class of 2016

 

[hdhntr1]

Why was he "CLEARLY our main target"?
Have you actually looked at other players in this class with offers from NU?
How many Rivals "top 150" got offers from NU? To get you started I'll throw in a name: Barret Benson (a rivals top-100 offered by ill, indy, PU and many others)....he seems to be still undecided...others NU targets with similar credentials may also be undecided, or may have by now committed somewhere (which doesn't mean they weren't NU targets). You will have a tough time convincing anyone that RI was a higher priority than several of those....and this is not meant as a criticism of RI, just a statement of the fact that there were other targets out there whose credentials AT THIS STAGE are even more impressive than RI's (not that his are terrible).

If others want to offer RI they may still do so...even PF has confessed that under certain conditions he may offer players committed elsewhere...it's part of the game...for the time being RI has two offers other than NU's...others have many more of similar or greater value....of course he may end up outperforming all others....or he may not...we could say the same thing about any and all....how are we to know??

Because he is clearly a talent that fits a need, has a strong interest in the program and is gettable. He becomes a prime focus for a period of time till he is either in the fold or out. Doesn't, for example make sense to have your top target someone like Jabari Parker that we had no chance to get. And now that he is in the fold, while the coaching staff still has to maintain the recruitment, someone else will be a top target going forward.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Well, wherever you want to rate him, Felis, I'm glad to have him aboard.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Again, just because a guy is higher than him in the rivals top 150 does not mean we are recruiting the other guy harder. Collins and Staff (esp. Gates) have been recruiting Ivanauskas crazy hard, constantly attending AAU and HS games, and were doing so much before other targets. Benson may be the only other guy on the same level of how much attention we've given him, but I can't seem to find nearly as many reports saying we went to his AAU game or whatever. Still think he's a huge priority and hope he's next to join RI in class of 2016

Does anybody have any inkling of where we stand with Benson?

 

[Katatonic]

Here's Henricksen's write up on High School Cube News from January of this year:

Where he's at nationally: As stated, Ivanauskas is the most underrated player of the four on a national level. He can't be found in any national rankings, yet he will ultimately open eyes when he receives more exposure and his body and game continue to develop.

I'd take this over star ratings, national rankings or offer lists.

Henricksen has a pretty good track record when it comes to picking out the under-appreciated/under-the-radar IL players.

If CC and crew can land Benson, then apart from another PG and wing, would seem to be set for medium term.

 

[Katatonic]

Re: Being an NU fan

Excited to land RI. I know, it's early to say, but if Law, Lindsey, Falzon and Skelly work out, then RI on the bench year one sounds like the way. The guy needs muscle, needs Masse, seems the perfect candidate to RS in the right conditions. For me, Mac, Lindesy/Ash/Law, with Falzon and Pardon and Skelly and Tap rounding out the top 8 would be a strong lineup in the first year of RI.

Wouldn't hold my breath on a RS for RI.

RI supposedly has a pretty polished offensive game already and more than another year to keep improving and gain some weight.

And yes, while RI looks skinny, he does have some decent muscle tone (some guys just fill out later) and he's not as light as you'd might think comparatively.

RI is listed as 6-8/208.

Tap at time of commitment was listed as 6-7/175.
KA at 6-7/190.
Luka at 6-10/205.
Shurna at 6-8/195.
Coble at 6-8/190.

Physically, RI is seemingly more ready than those players were at the same stage.

And let's not forget that Swop played the 4 pretty effectively for the 'Cats at only 6-8/210.

If RI can get up to around 215 lbs by the time he hits campus, he should be fine.

And there are those who classify RI as a 3 or even a (tall) wing, so may be not out of question to see CC go to a tall lineup w/ RI, Pardon and Falzon up front and Law at the 2.

 

[Katatonic]

His offers are from two BIG programs both ahead of us. Have to remember, the entire roster when CCC took over had only two other BIG offers total (Demps, MN and Abrahamson IA) . And this one recruit has two and would likely have gotten more going forward. It also represents an potential end to the idea that with our facilities, recruiting is impossible.

A bit selective limiting to just B1G offers and decommit Sina also had other B1G offers (as well as one of the more impressive offer lists).

And KA, Tap and Demps had some pretty good offers (as did Cobb).

But does that matter so much (aside from generating some outside interest) when Crawford will probably remain the best of the bunch and Olah is better than Mirkovic and Rowley (both getting some very good offers - Louisville, Marquette, Pitt, Wisconsin, Baylor)?

I don't think anyone would dispute that CC and crew are the better recruiters, but at the same time, it's not like CC started off in a vacuum.

Unlike BC, he did not start off w/ everyday BB facilities too embarrassing to show recruits (no coincidence that recruiting under BC started to turn around when the locker-rooms, etc. were upgraded and CC had a history of (4) consecutive post season appearances (and a regular season tourney championship) to show recruits that it is possible to win at NU on a regular basis, and now upgrades to W-R (interesting how those upgrades were made after a losing season and not during the 4-consecutive post-season streak).

Also recruiting under BC was on the upswing (thanks to the post-season appearances) and that's w/ an arm tied behind his back due to whispers every off-season as to whether it would be the last for BC at NU; a bit unfair since we do not know what players BC and crew might have landed otherwise if he had stayed (Reid Travis?, Jordan Ash?).

 

[Medill90]

Previous coaches could always get quality wings and you're right that Kale, Tre and Tap had good offers...I think the first two held Stanford offers. The problem at NU was pulling in the quality talent that is 6' 7" and up. Guys that play above the rim. Guys that can bang with anyone. Law, Skelly, Falzon, Rap and Pardon is the best group in that category in decades. Which is important since NU runs a pretty conventional offense and wants to play man defense.

I do think facilities affected previous coaches. But I don't think the upgrades explain the recent recruiting success.

I think Collins has the "it" factor. He relates, keeps it all positive, has good values and charms the entire family. And there's the NBA connection. I probably shouldn't try to parse what it is. He just has it. And very, very few coaches have it in the same way.

Rap may turn out to be another good recruit or he may turn out to be an off the charts player. Right now it's nosing more towards the latter...not just another good recruit.

And I don't think anyone gets an offer from NU unless they have exceptional potential. Star ratings be damned. If I'm a Midwest coach I probably offer whoever NU offers just on principle.

 

[clarificationcat]

A bit selective limiting to just B1G offers and decommit Sina also had other B1G offers (as well as one of the more impressive offer lists).

And KA, Tap and Demps had some pretty good offers (as did Cobb).

But does that matter so much (aside from generating some outside interest) when Crawford will probably remain the best of the bunch and Olah is better than Mirkovic and Rowley (both getting some very good offers - Louisville, Marquette, Pitt, Wisconsin, Baylor)?

I don't think anyone would dispute that CC and crew are the better recruiters, but at the same time, it's not like CC started off in a vacuum.

Unlike BC, he did not start off w/ everyday BB facilities too embarrassing to show recruits (no coincidence that recruiting under BC started to turn around when the locker-rooms, etc. were upgraded and CC had a history of (4) consecutive post season appearances (and a regular season tourney championship) to show recruits that it is possible to win at NU on a regular basis, and now upgrades to W-R (interesting how those upgrades were made after a losing season and not during the 4-consecutive post-season streak).

Also recruiting under BC was on the upswing (thanks to the post-season appearances) and that's w/ an arm tied behind his back due to whispers every off-season as to whether it would be the last for BC at NU; a bit unfair since we do not know what players BC and crew might have landed otherwise if he had stayed (Reid Travis?, Jordan Ash?).

 

[clarificationcat]

Collins recruited his first class without any of them seeing the video boards or, I believe, the additional minor improvements to the stadium. I highly doubt that "we are going to be getting video boards" was a huge selling point.

And I thought that everyone agreed that recruiting improved under Carmody because he hired assistant coaches that were better recruiters. I am sure the improvements to the locker rooms helped significantly but O'Neil was able to recruit some highly rated players with bad facilities. Hardy and Hill were good recruiters and that, more than anything, improved recruiting under Carmody. They brought in some very good players. I doubt that anyone in any of Collins' current classes will be as good offensively as Shurna. They really did struggle to bring in bigs, though, and there was a big drop off from the top few players and the rest of the team. It's hard to say what Carmody could have done with another five year contract and the video boards, but given his less than enthusiastic approach to recruiting, I highly doubt he would be as successful as Collins.

 

[hdhntr1]

A bit selective limiting to just B1G offers and decommit Sina also had other B1G offers (as well as one of the more impressive offer lists).

And KA, Tap and Demps had some pretty good offers (as did Cobb).

But does that matter so much (aside from generating some outside interest) when Crawford will probably remain the best of the bunch and Olah is better than Mirkovic and Rowley (both getting some very good offers - Louisville, Marquette, Pitt, Wisconsin, Baylor)?

I don't think anyone would dispute that CC and crew are the better recruiters, but at the same time, it's not like CC started off in a vacuum.

Unlike BC, he did not start off w/ everyday BB facilities too embarrassing to show recruits (no coincidence that recruiting under BC started to turn around when the locker-rooms, etc. were upgraded and CC had a history of (4) consecutive post season appearances (and a regular season tourney championship) to show recruits that it is possible to win at NU on a regular basis, and now upgrades to W-R (interesting how those upgrades were made after a losing season and not during the 4-consecutive post-season streak).

Also recruiting under BC was on the upswing (thanks to the post-season appearances) and that's w/ an arm tied behind his back due to whispers every off-season as to whether it would be the last for BC at NU; a bit unfair since we do not know what players BC and crew might have landed otherwise if he had stayed (Reid Travis?, Jordan Ash?).

We are playing in the BIG and many of our players come from BIG territory. That in spite of that there were only two other BIG offers on the roster is sort of a quick test. Does not mean that other offers do not have validity. Just that they are harder for us to evaluate. Besides, two of the top players on the roster would not even have been there other than injuries and school issues as they would have already have been done.

 

[Max_Power]

... can we just acknowledge that Collins has done a really good job recruiting so far. The overall talent and more importantly the overall athleticism has improved. Additionally, he has done a great job recruiting the players held over from Carmody. Not only to they all seem to have embraced him, they have gotten better on the court. I am looking forward to the July evaluation period and the rest of recruiting and more importantly to next season!

 

[EvanstonCat]

A bit selective limiting to just B1G offers and decommit Sina also had other B1G offers (as well as one of the more impressive offer lists).

And KA, Tap and Demps had some pretty good offers (as did Cobb).

But does that matter so much (aside from generating some outside interest) when Crawford will probably remain the best of the bunch and Olah is better than Mirkovic and Rowley (both getting some very good offers - Louisville, Marquette, Pitt, Wisconsin, Baylor)?

I don't think anyone would dispute that CC and crew are the better recruiters, but at the same time, it's not like CC started off in a vacuum.

Unlike BC, he did not start off w/ everyday BB facilities too embarrassing to show recruits (no coincidence that recruiting under BC started to turn around when the locker-rooms, etc. were upgraded and CC had a history of (4) consecutive post season appearances (and a regular season tourney championship) to show recruits that it is possible to win at NU on a regular basis, and now upgrades to W-R (interesting how those upgrades were made after a losing season and not during the 4-consecutive post-season streak).

Also recruiting under BC was on the upswing (thanks to the post-season appearances) and that's w/ an arm tied behind his back due to whispers every off-season as to whether it would be the last for BC at NU; a bit unfair since we do not know what players BC and crew might have landed otherwise if he had stayed (Reid Travis?, Jordan Ash?).

C'mon Brad. I know you miss BC, but surely, you can't with honesty be suggesting that recruiting under Carmody was anything close to what we are doing with Collins, can you? I know Felis thinks so, but he's insane. Carmody was fired from his job in a large part because recruiting, the lifeblood of college basketball programs, was inept and not his forte.

 

[thewildcat2011]

... can we just acknowledge that Collins has done a really good job recruiting so far. The overall talent and more importantly the overall athleticism has improved. Additionally, he has done a great job recruiting the players held over from Carmody. Not only to they all seem to have embraced him, they have gotten better on the court. I am looking forward to the July evaluation period and the rest of recruiting and more importantly to next season!

Don't know why we are even entertaining Felis on this topic...it's been multiple days since the redesign and he still has 0 likes!!!!

Can't listen to a person like that.

 

[NJCat83588]

... can we just acknowledge that Collins has done a really good job recruiting so far. The overall talent and more importantly the overall athleticism has improved. Additionally, he has done a great job recruiting the players held over from Carmody. Not only to they all seem to have embraced him, they have gotten better on the court. I am looking forward to the July evaluation period and the rest of recruiting and more importantly to next season!

Completely agree. Can't be any happier with the direction the program is moving.

One minor point: not ALL of BC's players embraced the new regime....see Abrahamson, Ajou, Lieberman.......

 

[willycat]

Completely agree. Can't be any happier with the direction the program is moving.

One minor point: not ALL of BC's players embraced the new regime....see Abrahamson, Ajou, Lieberman.......

You missed Turner but in all honesty only Abrahamson could be considered a Div. 1 type player.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

Completely agree. Can't be any happier with the direction the program is moving.

One minor point: not ALL of BC's players embraced the new regime....see Abrahamson, Ajou, Lieberman.......

Abrahamson never had really had issue with Collins so much as he had issue with the fact he wasn't talented enough to get playing time long term. He moved on to somewhere where he thought he would playing more.

As for Turner, Ajou, Liberman, well...none of those guys were ever going to find a way on the floor, so it was probably in everyone's best interest that they moved on. If Ajou is really interested in playing time, however, he maybe shouldn't have transferred to another d1 school. That said, maybe pt is less important than the scholie to get through school...

 

[Walker Fan]

Chris Collins and his coaching staff has done a great job of evaluating players and looks for players on the rise. He also looks for players on winning teams and leaders of winning teams. He and his staff are tireless recruiters which differentiate them from other Big 10 teams and former coaching regimes. In Rapolas and Falzon he has recruited two four star players who, hopefully, can hit winning shots with the game on the line with three minutes or less when the game is on the line. Too many times this season the ball was thrown into Demps' hands and he had to hit a bail out shot. Some called it hero ball but the reality was he was one of the few shot makers on the team. Next year hopefully, with the development of freshmen - Macintosh, Law and Lindsey become consistent shot makers. You add Falzon as a shot maker and Olah and NU could have more options on the floor than I can remember.

 

[Katatonic]

C'mon Brad. I know you miss BC, but surely, you can't with honesty be suggesting that recruiting under Carmody was anything close to what we are doing with Collins, can you? I know Felis thinks so, but he's insane. Carmody was fired from his job in a large part because recruiting, the lifeblood of college basketball programs, was inept and not his forte.

You must have missed (or simply overlooked) the posts where I stated:

(1) actually prefer CC's style of play; and
(2) that CC and crew are the better recruiters (everything being even).

But at the same time, it would be remiss to not acknowledge that recruiting was improving under BC.

1st - after the everyday BB facilities were renovated (probably wouldn't have gotten players like Shurna, Crawford and Cobb otherwise).

2nd - after the 'Cats started to regularly make the post-season (along with win early-season tournaments).

The latter not put to the greatest use due to the annual post-season will Phillips fire or retain BC wait.

BC was starting to get players w/ a good list of offers like KA, Tap and Sina.

And like I had stated before, we don't know if BC and crew wouldn't have continued the improvement by landing recruits like Travis Reid (27th ranked by ESPN), Ash, etc.

Swop was no dummy - he wouldn't have come to NU if he didn't think the 'Cats had a shot at making the Tourney (unfortunately for him, plans went awry w/ Cobb's suspension and then all the injuries).

But again, everything being even, CC and crew are the better recruiters (which is a necessity based on the style of game CC runs).

(Who is Brad?)

 

[Walker Fan]

Guys,
Google what Vic Law's dad said about BC. Look at what happened with the recruitment of Kaminsky, the 2014-2015 National Player of the Year. Look at the failure to even call or recruit Fred Van Vleet who had a 3.7 GPA from Rockford and his dad wanted him to go to an Illinois school. The body of evidence is out there that BC would never have gotten over the hump. He coached for 13 years and made at least $10 million in total. He had his chances and it was time to move on. No other school from a power conference would have been that patient with a coach, in my opinion, and that belief has been supported from every other person I have talked about it from another Big 10 school.

When Collins took over in April, 2013, he recruited a class of five players in four-five months. He recruited Vic Law (ranked anywhere between no. 66-75) and his dad said he never would have committed to NU if BC was there. He recruited McIntosh who won two Indiana state championships and, I think, is a better and more talented player than Sina. He also recruited a real PF in Gavin Skelly who is 6'8", 230 lbs. plus which was always an issue with BC in his failure to recruit PFs and Cs. Yes, Vasser did not work out, but I did not expect CC to hit on every player and Vasser had a history of transferring. Then in his second recruiting season, he recruits another top 100 PF in Falzon and a C/PF in Pardon from the Ohio State Champion team and a top player from the Illinois state championship team in Jordan Ash who appears to be a great leader and a very talented player. Lastly, NU recruits its first player from 2016 who is one of the top 3-4 players in Illinois in 4-star player, Rapolas at least a year before he has to make his decision which I don't recall has happened at NU before. Now Collins is recruiting centers and point guards hard for 2016 and appears to be on his way. So it is time to close the chapter on BC who is at Holy Cross and does not want to have anything to do with NU.

 

[willycat]

Guys,
Google what Vic Law's dad said about BC. Look at what happened with the recruitment of Kaminsky, the 2014-2015 National Player of the Year. Look at the failure to even call or recruit Fred Van Vleet who had a 3.7 GPA from Rockford and his dad wanted him to go to an Illinois school. The body of evidence is out there that BC would never have gotten over the hump. He coached for 13 years and made at least $10 million in total. He had his chances and it was time to move on. No other school from a power conference would have been that patient with a coach, in my opinion, and that belief has been supported from every other person I have talked about it from another Big 10 school.

When Collins took over in April, 2013, he recruited a class of five players in four-five months. He recruited Vic Law (ranked anywhere between no. 66-75) and his dad said he never would have committed to NU if BC was there. He recruited McIntosh who won two Indiana state championships and, I think, is a better and more talented player than Sina. He also recruited a real PF in Gavin Skelly who is 6'8", 230 lbs. plus which was always an issue with BC in his failure to recruit PFs and Cs. Yes, Vasser did not work out, but I did not expect CC to hit on every player and Vasser had a history of transferring. Then in his second recruiting season, he recruits another top 100 PF in Falzon and a C/PF in Pardon from the Ohio State Champion team and a top player from the Illinois state championship team in Jordan Ash who appears to be a great leader and a very talented player. Lastly, NU recruits its first player from 2016 who is one of the top 3-4 players in Illinois in 4-star player, Rapolas at least a year before he has to make his decision which I don't recall has happened at NU before. Now Collins is recruiting centers and point guards hard for 2016 and appears to be on his way. So it is time to close the chapter on BC who is at Holy Cross and does not want to have anything to do with NU.[/QU

Surprise, I agree with all you have posted. One thing that has bothered me since Carmody left, is that he never took the time, to at the very least issue a statement thanking the university for 13 years of employment, the fans, the AD and most importantly the players for their support and effort.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Surprise, I agree with all you have posted. One thing that has bothered me since Carmody left, is that he never took the time, to at the very least issue a statement thanking the university for 13 years of employment, the fans, the AD and most importantly the players for their support and effort.

As you may recall, Willy, I was a Carmody guy myself and I, too, was a bit disappointed at the abrupt nature of his exit.

 

[NJCat83588]

As you may recall, Willy, I was a Carmody guy myself and I, too, was a bit disappointed at the abrupt nature of his exit.

Well, as a BC guy as well, while disappointed I guess I understood. I have never been fired, so I don't know what I'd do. But if things between he and Phillips were as bad as some reported, then perhaps silence was the best route. He accomplished a lot during his tenure and its a shame that it ended the way it did. But that's life in the big leagues I guess.

 

[Medill90]

As you may recall, Willy, I was a Carmody guy myself and I, too, was a bit disappointed at the abrupt nature of his exit.

I was ok with him blowing town and not saying anything. But two years has passed and he should have found a way in that time to make a public statement. He got paid a lot of moolah at NU and should feel good about his tenure and say good things about the university.

But the fact that he hasn't signals how bad the blood is between him and his former boss. There's a story there. The Sean Morris departure is more smoke.

Let's hope with more media exposure as Holy Cross coach he gets this done. He is a class guy and doesn't want to be remembered for bitter grapes.