Shelvin Mack?

[boomdaddy]

This kid, who plays for Bryan Station, plays the point, is 6'3", and leads the top team in the state in scoring. How does he match up to other point guards? Should UK be looking at him?


http://www.kentucky.com/275/story/291083.html

[billybluegrass]

mack is going to butler. Shame he lookes like a player.

[boomdaddy]

He's going to Butler, because no other big time school has offered. But, Butler is ranked higher than UK, at the present time. Sure UK needs big man help, but they also need another point guard and another scorer. Mack could "assist" with both of those issues.

[boomdaddy]

Is UK going to offer the local kid, who very well may be Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky, a scholly?

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/SPORTS06/801300433/-1/LOCAL17

[dougwhit]

sounds like we should give this kid a chance to be a wildcat.

[billybluegrass]

If billy goes after mack now does it make him any better than sampson at iu.? Alot of us have a problem with tenn. going after our def. end after he gave us a verbal so is billy going to be like the dirt bag at tenn. I know a verbal is not binding but it shoul be good enough to keep the rats away!!agree?

[jdwade]

I've been hearing a lot about this kid lately. I also post on rupps rafters on rvals.com, and if you go on there, you'll find out alot about this kid. From a source on there, they say his uncle also posts on there and has been saying Mack wants UK to offer him a scholly. He can score, but right now they only have him at a 3 star recruit I believe. Even still, he's most likely to be somewhere for four years, which we could use.

[WildcatRick]

If billy goes after mack now does it make him any better than sampson at iu.? Alot of us have a problem with tenn. going after our def. end after he gave us a verbal so is billy going to be like the dirt bag at tenn. I know a verbal is not binding but it shoul be good enough to keep the rats away!!agree?

No, I dont agree. Its up to the kid to decide if his recruitment is opened back up. If he wants to be a Wildcat he should(and does)have that right, until he signs he can do whatever he wants.

[BlueBloodCatFan]

Amen, preach it brother, I agreeNo, I dont agree. Its up to the kid to decide if his recruitment is opened back up. If he wants to be a Wildcat he should(and does)have that right, until he signs he can do whatever he wants.

[Matt Dillon]

No, I dont agree. Its up to the kid to decide if his recruitment is opened back up. If he wants to be a Wildcat he should(and does)have that right, until he signs he can do whatever he wants.

I say leave any recruit alone that has verbaled to another school. A person's word should mean something in my opinion.

[cnice11]

This kid, who plays for Bryan Station, plays the point, is 6'3", and leads the top team in the state in scoring. How does he match up to other point guards? Should UK be looking at him?


http://www.kentucky.com/275/story/291083.html

I watched this guy play in person. He is very worthy of a scholarship if he is still interested in UK. Especially considering we are losing 2 guards, he is from KY, and he is very good.

[crazzedcats22]

I say leave any recruit alone that has verbaled to another school. A person's word should mean something in my opinion.

That's a nice thought, but this is the real world...any coach that does that won't be a coach for long

[RCS]

I say leave any recruit alone that has verbaled to another school. A person's word should mean something in my opinion.
I don't think you make a full court press on a guy who is committed elsewhere but if he wants to go to UK why shouldn't UK let him if there is mutual interest? Yes he committed but the circumstances have changed. He did not have a UK offer nor much of a chance to get one, now he does. I have no problem with this. BTW, I don't hold it against the Tenn kids either though it does suck for UK.

[needmore44]

I forget where i read it, but i remember hearing that he is interested in UK, just UK never gave him much interest. I wish I still knew where that article was, but it said recently UK has been in contact, and is waiting word on Appleton before turning up the heat and offering.

[Matt Dillon]

That's a nice thought, but this is the real world...any coach that does that won't be a coach for long

I beg to disagree with you. I'd say that not all coaches that have been coaching for any length of time are guilty of trying to change a recruit's mind. As for the real world thing, in my opinion that's part of the problem with the world today, too many people find it easy to make a commitment and then blow it off. That's the main reason we have a divorce rate in this country that exceeds 50%.

[blue35]

I say leave any recruit alone that has verbaled to another school. A person's word should mean something in my opinion.

So if you were shopping for a new car and you told the salesman at lot#1 you would buy his car, then you saw the same car at lot#2 but it was $1000.00 less you wouldn't take your best offer?

[Matt Dillon]

[QUOTE=blue35;390933]So if you were shopping for a new car and you told the salesman at lot#1 you would buy his car, then you saw the same car at lot#2 but it was $1000.00 less you wouldn't take your best offer?[/QUOTE

If I told the salesman at lot #1 I would buy his car, I'd close the deal then & there. I wouldn't be shopping around if I had already entered into an arrangement with a dealer.

[BigBlue84]

There was once a guy from my hometown who was the star PG. He was not a phenom of a player, but had a good shot, and was a complete floor general. Was a master of bball IQ and could pass and read the floor like no other. He did not score 40 points a game, but he could score when needed. Needless to say, his bball IQ won the kentucky state championship in 93, he made his team of good players great. I personally think if this kid can contribute, give him a shot. We're going to get our other good post player regardless I'm confident of that. By the way, I'm sure most of you all should remember Anthony Epps, that's who I'm referring to in the beginning of this post. I remember many who thought he wasn't UK quality, i think that situation turned out pretty well. Remember that we now have a coach that has shown so far that he can develop his players much better than.........

[WildcatRick]

I say leave any recruit alone that has verbaled to another school. A person's word should mean something in my opinion.

If the kid wants to stay committed he should be left alone. Until he signs something he can listen to better offers, if he chooses. There is a reason a verbal is not binding, if it was there would be no need for a signing day. No coach is doing anything wrong if the kid chooses to open his recruitment back up.

[Matt Dillon]

If the kid wants to stay committed he should be left alone. Until he signs something he can listen to better offers, if he chooses. There is a reason a verbal is not binding, if it was there would be no need for a signing day. No coach is doing anything wrong if the kid chooses to open his recruitment back up.

I agree with the fact that if a player reopens his recruitment, the coaching staff is doing nothing wrong. I just feel that once a player commits, he should keep his word unless there are extenuating circumstances.

[boomdaddy]

If billy goes after mack now does it make him any better than sampson at iu.? Alot of us have a problem with tenn. going after our def. end after he gave us a verbal so is billy going to be like the dirt bag at tenn. I know a verbal is not binding but it shoul be good enough to keep the rats away!!agree?

If a kid hasn't signed yet, I say it is open season. But, I do have an exception. Imho, the only real ethical issue is when a coach switches jobs at the end of a season and he grabs a recruit that has committed to his old school. I see it as unethical, because the former coach used that schools resources to recruit the kid in question. By the way, when BCG left Texas A&M, he refused to go after the big man that he recruited for them, even though UK really needed that type of player. Kudos to BCG. In my book, that makes him a very loyal and ethical person.

[Matt Dillon]

Per the H-L, he told UK no.

[jkeller]

I agree with the fact that if a player reopens his recruitment, the coaching staff is doing nothing wrong. I just feel that once a player commits, he should keep his word unless there are extenuating circumstances.

I think the extenuating circumstances are that his hometown team wasn't recruiting him and now they are....

I think you have to look at it like if UK and Butler had offered him at the same time, which one would he have picked? He picked Butler because it was the best offer at the time. Maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty to commit if he was waiting on the hope of an offer from us. I think if you are a kid from Kentucky who's dream is to play for Kentucky and you get an opportunity, then I don't blame the kid if he wants to back out of his commitment. The same with the football player we lost to UT, I don't blame him for wanting to play for his home team when he got an opportunity to.

[boomdaddy]

Guard play will be key, next season. Mack could help fill a big need for UK. Plus, I would love to see a local kid, who happens to have D1 talent, play for Kentucky. I hope UK gets him

[WildcatRick]

SHELVIN MACK: Any thought left in people’s minds that Kentucky could still get in with Bryan Station’s Shelvin Mack may have just ended. Mack said this week that he was sticking with Butler because Kentucky had done nothing in recruiting him for years. “Where were they for four years,” said Mack. While it is understandable, and even admirable, that Mack will stick with his initial commitment, his anger with UK is missplaced. First, while Shelvin is a very good player and will contribute in college, the notion that he was a sure-fire college talent has really only shown itself this year. Before his development this year, he was considered a reach even for Butler. But maybe more importantly, for the three earlier years in Mack’s career, Gillispie wasnt even the coach. How can he be blamed for recruiting decisions by the previous staff? Mack should just say that he prefers to stay with Butler and go on….but the “disrespect” card is a little much for this situation.

[Matt Dillon]

Great article, in my opinion, by Matt Jones.

[Wildcat97]

"...Mack said this week that he was sticking with Butler because Kentucky had done nothing in recruiting him for years. “Where were they for four years,” said Mack..."

Glad we are not getting him if this is his attitude. MJ spoke well when saying his anger is misplaced and provided perfect reasons to support his arguement.

Never hearing about him for 3 years (personally, I mean) and his apparent improvement over the last year...where is this kind of attitude coming from? Confidence in yourself is an asset...arrogance regarding yourself is a detriment, especially in a team game.

[blewis18]

"...Mack said this week that he was sticking with Butler because Kentucky had done nothing in recruiting him for years. “Where were they for four years,” said Mack..."

Glad we are not getting him if this is his attitude. MJ spoke well when saying his anger is misplaced and provided perfect reasons to support his arguement.

Never hearing about him for 3 years (personally, I mean) and his apparent improvement over the last year...where is this kind of attitude coming from? Confidence in yourself is an asset...arrogance regarding yourself is a detriment, especially in a team game.

No offense, but I think you are a little biased... If I was the one being recruited or it was my son or daughter I would feel the same way. I understand what you are saying, but this is recruiting, this is the game. If we just show up one day and say sorry we didn't recognize how great you were before, but come to our school cus you are finally good enough to play at UK then who is the arrogant one then. I'm just saying thats the way recruiting works if you don't get on the kid early you don't get the kid. Thats what i think was really hard for Tubby. However BG is very good at this as we have seen. I totally agree with his decision, but I sure would have loved to have him.

[boomdaddy]

I don't care what anyone else thinks. I would take Mack in a heart beat. The kid is a Lex high product and has skills. I would love to see him play for UK.


By the way, if he does sign with Butler, I wish him the best and hope he has a great collegiate carreer. But, I am still hoping that he will change his mind.

[sardiscat]

"If I was the one being recruited or it was my son or daughter I would feel the same way."

That's an emotional response, the sort of response that usually is regretted at some point. The more adult approach would be for the kid and his parents to ask themselves, is playing basketball going to be a more rewarding experience at Butler or UK?

[blewis18]

^^^^^
Agreed... But thinking about it from his point of view then I think you should be loyal to the program that went out on the limb in the first place. Thats all I'm trying to say that why should I choose Kentucky when I could still play D-1 ball at a decent team that saw my talent early? Understand if I had a son and this same incident were occurring then I would MAKE my kid go to UK...lol. I'm not saying this is bad about UK or condemning them I'm just saying I can see where the kid is coming from.

[The Black Watch]

Personally, I'm not losing any sleep over this kid. I have seen him a few times, and yes, he is a nice little player. But nothing special. I say let him go wherever he wants to. I would much prefer someone like Appleton. Wish Mack the best. Hope he has a nice career at Butler, and enjoys playing for his coach. Whoever he might be. The guy they have now won't be there long, IMO.