CrowdControl
08-31-2005, 01:37 PM
There have been scattered and various reports of visits and offers and this recruit is this and this recruit is that.
After the past week, I have sat back and looked at the offers, and the evaluations, and the "plan" as it seems to be right now.
Folks, Tubby is pulling off one ingenius plan. I was questioning a few weeks ago. Now I am seeing the WHOLE thing.
Some of us (including myself) thought that THIS year was the key to keeping UK going on into the latter part of this decade.
It is, but that isnt it... only.
It also is being used in conjunction with last year and the year before. and for 2007.
At first, it didnt make sense. Now it is.
Here is the plan with its scenarios as I see it right now.
First. As we came out of team turmoil era Tubby had to ... re-establish a team first mentality. Get rid of the riff raff and trouble and build a team... that was done.
Second, re-focus the efforts of recruiting with Tubby deciding who the best players were for his plan. Reggie and he went to find the ones who were... 1) good people 2) good players, and 3) good students.
Tubby refocused after 2003 (Perry and Thomas, Alleyne and Obrzut = team players) with getting stars who are also team players (ok, Morris had a blip in his career... notwithstanding). Rondo, Bradley and Crawford are. Crawford was last year to a fault... he will be fine.. but that isnt the gist of this post...back on track here.
Last year. Not as strong a class. so fill holes . Needs>? Long term center with some talent who can be taught to be a star (Carter). team player with some athleticism who can keep the team grad rate going and not hurt the team with his play (Williams). And no we cant have 13 burger boys - you have to have the Williams, Stocktons for that. We also saw last year that Chuck was the only one who really rebounded with vigor. We had to have that coming back this year. Got SIms. Sims can help in other areas also.
Now for this year.
What is UK losing. Sparks and Stockton. Guards. Bradley, Rondo, Crawford will be left. So what do we go after. well, most TOP PG will demand PT (rondo wont allow them to get that, so what is next,.. get a decent 50-70 combo guard to match Bradley. one PG, two combo and 1 shooting guard Crawford. Add to that, Porter. Who will be like Williams and help us in the classroom. He is also a very good athlete much like Epps was in 1995. He is also a coach's son. They are invaluable. There is also talk that Porter if the ankle isnt 100% by fall, would POSSIBLY go to an IMG also (IT IS JUST TALK and RUMOR, NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL)... I am just reporting... I havent substantiated it.
onto who we are with.
Well, as many of us who were clammering for an early commitment and wanted Semrau... there were daily posts... OFFER... OFFER ... OFFER get this recruit early. HE WANTS to come to UK. Well, we didnt, he dropped below 100 recently... so good job Tubby.
What did Tubby do. He went to the shoe camps and the AAU games and saw kid who blossomed. Deon Thompson. Got in good with him and now his mom. HIS MOM HAS BEEN INVITED TO COME ON VISIT ALSO. Talk about doing it the RIGHT WAY!!! It will be just a matter of time before Deon commits.
He also last year got in REAL GOOD with one of the top 5. Now sometimes I say forget those... UNLESS> They are a team player,.. good student and know what it is to be at UK. Hello Brandan Wright... Tubby followed him last year and Brandan loves Tubby. AGain just a matter of time imho.
Finally. For that second combo guard we need. Enter Derrick Jasper. a guard who has quietly gone from 130 to 110 to 90 to 60 in the past 12 months. He will continue to go up because of his shooting ability and defense.
So, the plan is for these 4.
Porter
Jasper
Thompson
B. Wright.
It appears those are the Plan A (option 1).
I wont even mention option 2 or plan B for Thompson I am so sure about that, that I wont even go there.
IF FOR SOME REASON< Brandan balks too long, Tubby will offer to Perry Stevenson who is coming for a visit also. While he isnt the talent that Brandan is. Perry is the same kind of player but will be around longer. No harm no foul if Perry is the plan B (option 2).
IF Jasper doesnt commit (and I think he will also but it is not a certainty either), then we, lucky or whatever term you want to put with it, UK STILL has a chance with Willie Kemp. YES> We still do.
SO there is nothing wrong with that. Why>
Look to 2007.
What do we lose NEXT season.
Perry, Thomas, Alleyne, Obrzut, and SIms. Probably if not the year before, Rondo.. Maybe Morris. Crawford? Hello that is 8.
so the KEY class will be 2007 Where has Tubby been focusing just as hard. 2007.
OJ Mayo. Believe it or not all doubters. The fact that Tubby ISNT driving for a TOP PG this year... and getting a player like Jasper instead... has us in the slight (ever so slight) right now lead for OJ. Now, that doesnt mean much as it is like we have 25% and 6 others are like 16 -20% it is slight and we are just one of 6. But OJ visited... he has talked with Tubby. and his AAU and HS teammates are saying he is really interested.
Corey Fisher. He loves UK. He is not in any hurry to commit either and will wait to see what happens with OJ. He likes other schools also. I am not sold that Corey is a good fit at UK but that is a long way off, his upcoming junior season and next years camps...
All the more reason not to offer early. who cares that others could be making big mistakes by offering too early...
Jerryd Bayless. He is interested. We are not a legit favorite but he is listening... bears watching.
Gani Lawal The PF from Metro Atlanta. Tubby is in great there.
Gary Johnson. We have offered. He is worth the early offer.
4 2G in the class. Kevin Branch, Senario Hillman, Austin Freeman, Dante Jackson.. .etc.
Keenan Ellis PF/C who is OJ teammate at North College Hill.
The doors at UK will be flooded with HS talent for 2007.
Tubby's plan will prove to be a genius plan again...Not getting TOP PG and knowing that RR will be gone by the time he is available... genius to sit back and allow things to happen while showing interest then when the time was right step in. Perfect. Offering to Porter who will help in many ways but wont affect OJ immediately. genius. You all scoffed. but it will be genius.
Getting sims to help at center with the others while the others graduate and lets us get in NOW with the right players. Tubby has seen who he wants and is not backing off on that class.
Those who want early commits... just wait... they may come this fall for 3 2007 recruits.just wait...
Tubby IS in charge. Tubby has a plan. It isnt a haphazard run in the spring. It is a well-thought out attack knowing what will be needed immediately and for the future.
What about early departures. Who do we get that will.
Brandan and OJ are maybe one and doners.
The rest at least 3 years. except for Carter, WIlliams, Porter. he will find others to keep us from getting in trouble with the graduation rates...
those 3 alone will help...
Good times are coming in the next few weeks for 2006 and then a couple of months later for 2007...
I know it is hard... but be patient. All this will be seen soon.
Thanks for reading I know it was long. But I think you will see it once you read it...
After the past week, I have sat back and looked at the offers, and the evaluations, and the "plan" as it seems to be right now.
Folks, Tubby is pulling off one ingenius plan. I was questioning a few weeks ago. Now I am seeing the WHOLE thing.
Some of us (including myself) thought that THIS year was the key to keeping UK going on into the latter part of this decade.
It is, but that isnt it... only.
It also is being used in conjunction with last year and the year before. and for 2007.
At first, it didnt make sense. Now it is.
Here is the plan with its scenarios as I see it right now.
First. As we came out of team turmoil era Tubby had to ... re-establish a team first mentality. Get rid of the riff raff and trouble and build a team... that was done.
Second, re-focus the efforts of recruiting with Tubby deciding who the best players were for his plan. Reggie and he went to find the ones who were... 1) good people 2) good players, and 3) good students.
Tubby refocused after 2003 (Perry and Thomas, Alleyne and Obrzut = team players) with getting stars who are also team players (ok, Morris had a blip in his career... notwithstanding). Rondo, Bradley and Crawford are. Crawford was last year to a fault... he will be fine.. but that isnt the gist of this post...back on track here.
Last year. Not as strong a class. so fill holes . Needs>? Long term center with some talent who can be taught to be a star (Carter). team player with some athleticism who can keep the team grad rate going and not hurt the team with his play (Williams). And no we cant have 13 burger boys - you have to have the Williams, Stocktons for that. We also saw last year that Chuck was the only one who really rebounded with vigor. We had to have that coming back this year. Got SIms. Sims can help in other areas also.
Now for this year.
What is UK losing. Sparks and Stockton. Guards. Bradley, Rondo, Crawford will be left. So what do we go after. well, most TOP PG will demand PT (rondo wont allow them to get that, so what is next,.. get a decent 50-70 combo guard to match Bradley. one PG, two combo and 1 shooting guard Crawford. Add to that, Porter. Who will be like Williams and help us in the classroom. He is also a very good athlete much like Epps was in 1995. He is also a coach's son. They are invaluable. There is also talk that Porter if the ankle isnt 100% by fall, would POSSIBLY go to an IMG also (IT IS JUST TALK and RUMOR, NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL)... I am just reporting... I havent substantiated it.
onto who we are with.
Well, as many of us who were clammering for an early commitment and wanted Semrau... there were daily posts... OFFER... OFFER ... OFFER get this recruit early. HE WANTS to come to UK. Well, we didnt, he dropped below 100 recently... so good job Tubby.
What did Tubby do. He went to the shoe camps and the AAU games and saw kid who blossomed. Deon Thompson. Got in good with him and now his mom. HIS MOM HAS BEEN INVITED TO COME ON VISIT ALSO. Talk about doing it the RIGHT WAY!!! It will be just a matter of time before Deon commits.
He also last year got in REAL GOOD with one of the top 5. Now sometimes I say forget those... UNLESS> They are a team player,.. good student and know what it is to be at UK. Hello Brandan Wright... Tubby followed him last year and Brandan loves Tubby. AGain just a matter of time imho.
Finally. For that second combo guard we need. Enter Derrick Jasper. a guard who has quietly gone from 130 to 110 to 90 to 60 in the past 12 months. He will continue to go up because of his shooting ability and defense.
So, the plan is for these 4.
Porter
Jasper
Thompson
B. Wright.
It appears those are the Plan A (option 1).
I wont even mention option 2 or plan B for Thompson I am so sure about that, that I wont even go there.
IF FOR SOME REASON< Brandan balks too long, Tubby will offer to Perry Stevenson who is coming for a visit also. While he isnt the talent that Brandan is. Perry is the same kind of player but will be around longer. No harm no foul if Perry is the plan B (option 2).
IF Jasper doesnt commit (and I think he will also but it is not a certainty either), then we, lucky or whatever term you want to put with it, UK STILL has a chance with Willie Kemp. YES> We still do.
SO there is nothing wrong with that. Why>
Look to 2007.
What do we lose NEXT season.
Perry, Thomas, Alleyne, Obrzut, and SIms. Probably if not the year before, Rondo.. Maybe Morris. Crawford? Hello that is 8.
so the KEY class will be 2007 Where has Tubby been focusing just as hard. 2007.
OJ Mayo. Believe it or not all doubters. The fact that Tubby ISNT driving for a TOP PG this year... and getting a player like Jasper instead... has us in the slight (ever so slight) right now lead for OJ. Now, that doesnt mean much as it is like we have 25% and 6 others are like 16 -20% it is slight and we are just one of 6. But OJ visited... he has talked with Tubby. and his AAU and HS teammates are saying he is really interested.
Corey Fisher. He loves UK. He is not in any hurry to commit either and will wait to see what happens with OJ. He likes other schools also. I am not sold that Corey is a good fit at UK but that is a long way off, his upcoming junior season and next years camps...
All the more reason not to offer early. who cares that others could be making big mistakes by offering too early...
Jerryd Bayless. He is interested. We are not a legit favorite but he is listening... bears watching.
Gani Lawal The PF from Metro Atlanta. Tubby is in great there.
Gary Johnson. We have offered. He is worth the early offer.
4 2G in the class. Kevin Branch, Senario Hillman, Austin Freeman, Dante Jackson.. .etc.
Keenan Ellis PF/C who is OJ teammate at North College Hill.
The doors at UK will be flooded with HS talent for 2007.
Tubby's plan will prove to be a genius plan again...Not getting TOP PG and knowing that RR will be gone by the time he is available... genius to sit back and allow things to happen while showing interest then when the time was right step in. Perfect. Offering to Porter who will help in many ways but wont affect OJ immediately. genius. You all scoffed. but it will be genius.
Getting sims to help at center with the others while the others graduate and lets us get in NOW with the right players. Tubby has seen who he wants and is not backing off on that class.
Those who want early commits... just wait... they may come this fall for 3 2007 recruits.just wait...
Tubby IS in charge. Tubby has a plan. It isnt a haphazard run in the spring. It is a well-thought out attack knowing what will be needed immediately and for the future.
What about early departures. Who do we get that will.
Brandan and OJ are maybe one and doners.
The rest at least 3 years. except for Carter, WIlliams, Porter. he will find others to keep us from getting in trouble with the graduation rates...
those 3 alone will help...
Good times are coming in the next few weeks for 2006 and then a couple of months later for 2007...
I know it is hard... but be patient. All this will be seen soon.
Thanks for reading I know it was long. But I think you will see it once you read it...
