Around the Big East 19/20

[quote="QueensBall" post=386619]I don't have a very high opinion of Hurley as an in-game coach (I think he's extremely average) but it is undeniable that he is one of the best recruiters in the nation right now. I have zero doubt that Anderson is the better coach on the sidelines but Hurley is accumulating major talent at a concerning rate. Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Bouknight are all bigger recruits than we've seen in years. After the traditional blue bloods, UConn might be recruiting better than anyone in the nation.[/quote]

And it didn’t take winning to get those recruits which means we can too. UCONN hasn’t finished in the top 5 in the AAC since realignment.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=386613][quote="MCNPA" post=386609]Sanogo is a big piece for them. They were worried about the 5 spot which was a weakness. Sanogo helps that quite a bit. Big, talented kid. UConn’s weakness is gonna be their defense. Their guards nor wings are really good defenders. Gaffney was not a big defender and RJ Cole is not well regarded there either. That said, they are talented and Hurley is landing some very nice talent. I don’t like the fact that they’re getting better but I’m gonna enjoy hating them again in our league and they draw real interest from fans. Their fans don’t view us as a huge rival but they will again and they’re gonna hate playing against Mike Anderson’s style.[/quote]

No love for UConn either, but respect Hurley/Kimani recruiting ability. Hopefully Anderson and staff keep pedal to metal and land solid 21 & 22 kids. CMA is Imo better sideline coach than many in BE, including DH. Landing very good BE level recruits over next two cycles will only underscore that.[/quote]
I have no doubt CMA will continue to land very good BE level recruits over the next two recruiting cycles and beyond as you so aptly describe what is needed to be successful. The other thing that no one talks about with Hurley is that talented players transfer out at a high rate. We have witnessed how that can hurt a program from season to season. Given CMAs style of playing 10 players a game and no nonsense approach I don’t believe we will see that going forward which is a huge plus for any time. When you sign up to play for CMA you know what you are getting, no bullshit. A boy will be turned into the best athlete scholar that he can be.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=386613][quote="MCNPA" post=386609]Sanogo is a big piece for them. They were worried about the 5 spot which was a weakness. Sanogo helps that quite a bit. Big, talented kid. UConn’s weakness is gonna be their defense. Their guards nor wings are really good defenders. Gaffney was not a big defender and RJ Cole is not well regarded there either. That said, they are talented and Hurley is landing some very nice talent. I don’t like the fact that they’re getting better but I’m gonna enjoy hating them again in our league and they draw real interest from fans. Their fans don’t view us as a huge rival but they will again and they’re gonna hate playing against Mike Anderson’s style.[/quote]



No love for UConn either, but respect Hurley/Kimani recruiting ability. Hopefully Anderson and staff keep pedal to metal and land solid 21 & 22 kids. CMA is Imo better sideline coach than many in BE, including DH. Landing very good BE level recruits over next two cycles will only underscore that.[/quote]

Letting them into the conference made their recruiting that much easier.
 
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[quote="newsman13" post=386622]Remind me again why UCONN was re-admitted to the Big East..[/quote]

Huh? You'd rather he go to the AAC, the league running ridiculous "Power 6" commercials?

Let's not forget that in 2014 the AAC did better than the Big East, with UConn winning the National Championship and 5 ranked teams by season's end. Back then the stability of our conference was very much in doubt. In 2018-19 the conferences weren't that far apart (we both sent 4 teams to the Dance, though we were much deeper with 5 NIT teams). A lot of us take the recent separation between the 2 leagues for granted, but we shouldn't. Good on the Big East for taking the AAC's biggest basketball brand and leaving no doubt as to which is the better conference. This recent pickup only amplifies that.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=386625][quote="QueensBall" post=386619]I don't have a very high opinion of Hurley as an in-game coach (I think he's extremely average) but it is undeniable that he is one of the best recruiters in the nation right now. I have zero doubt that Anderson is the better coach on the sidelines but Hurley is accumulating major talent at a concerning rate. Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Bouknight are all bigger recruits than we've seen in years. After the traditional blue bloods, UConn might be recruiting better than anyone in the nation.[/quote]

And it didn’t take winning to get those recruits which means we can too. UCONN hasn’t finished in the top 5 in the AAC since realignment.[/quote]

In my opinion, it should be very easy to recruit at UConn, and letting them into the Big East only made it easier. They have recent history of success, their college teams are treated like pro sports in the state, the players are treated like rock stars on campus, and they have pro level facilities on campus.

That being said, I can see why many wouldn't want to play for Hurley. The guy appears to be a complete lunatic at times, especially during games. I also remember him being vocal in throwing players like Sid Wilson under the bus for under performance.

I'd take Mike Anderson all day.
 
[quote="Adam" post=386631][quote="newsman13" post=386622]Remind me again why UCONN was re-admitted to the Big East..[/quote]

Huh? You'd rather he go to the AAC, the league running ridiculous "Power 6" commercials?

Let's not forget that in 2014 the AAC did better than the Big East, with UConn winning the National Championship and 5 ranked teams by season's end. Back then the stability of our conference was very much in doubt. In 2018-19 the conferences weren't that far apart (we both sent 4 teams to the Dance, though we were much deeper with 5 NIT teams). A lot of us take the recent separation between the 2 leagues for granted, but we shouldn't. Good on the Big East for taking the AAC's biggest basketball brand and leaving no doubt as to which is the better conference. This recent pickup only amplifies that.[/quote]

The separation between the BE and AAC is far greater than you are stating here. It’s actually not even close and never was throughout the life of the conferences since realignment.
 
Just saw this on Facebook. Rod Serling saying: "Imagine a world where Cinco de Mayo falls on Taco Tuesday only to be undermined by a virus ironically named after a Mexican Beer."
Gotta laugh.
 
And it comes down to recruiting ,good staff and maybe name recognition of a coach and the ability for a coach to bring in top recruits Without top recruits you never become a top program even a great coach can not get their team to the top without the horses
 
As a coach I agree I’d take Anderson any day. One shark recruiter wouldn’t have hurt, but that’s not Anderson’s style and I’m really happy with what we have. I thin CMA is probably severely underrated as a coach from what I saw this season. We were such a headache for other teams even without much high level talent. When we were dialed in we could beat anybody. Wait til we get the bigger guns and we will. Coaching still trumps all, so if Anderson can land his type of guys and talented kids we can be great. We already beat fantastic teams like WVU, Arizona, Creighton etc this past season. We will be getting bigger, faster and better over coming years.
 
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[quote="Room112" post=386634][quote="MCNPA" post=386625][quote="QueensBall" post=386619]I don't have a very high opinion of Hurley as an in-game coach (I think he's extremely average) but it is undeniable that he is one of the best recruiters in the nation right now. I have zero doubt that Anderson is the better coach on the sidelines but Hurley is accumulating major talent at a concerning rate. Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Bouknight are all bigger recruits than we've seen in years. After the traditional blue bloods, UConn might be recruiting better than anyone in the nation.[/quote]

And it didn’t take winning to get those recruits which means we can too. UCONN hasn’t finished in the top 5 in the AAC since realignment.[/quote]

In my opinion, it should be very easy to recruit at UConn, and letting them into the Big East only made it easier. They have recent history of success, their college teams are treated like pro sports in the state, the players are treated like rock stars on campus, and they have pro level facilities on campus.

That being said, I can see why many wouldn't want to play for Hurley. The guy appears to be a complete lunatic at times, especially during games. I also remember him being vocal in throwing players like Sid Wilson under the bus for under performance.

I'd take Mike Anderson all day.[/quote] In fairness to Hurley. I think Wilson was a pain in the arse and caused problems. That said, players seem to like CMA.It was nice to see none of our key players transferring this year.
 
[quote="MCNPA" post=386650]As a coach I agree I’d take Anderson any day. One shark recruiter wouldn’t have hurt, but that’s not Anderson’s style and I’m really happy with what we have. I thin CMA is probably severely underrated as a coach from what I saw this season. We were such a headache for other teams even without much high level talent. When we were dialed in we could beat anybody. Wait til we get the bigger guns and we will. Coaching still trumps all, so if Anderson can land his type of guys and talented kids we can be great. We already beat fantastic teams like WVU, Arizona, Creighton etc this past season. We will be getting bigger, faster and better over coming years.[/quote]

The one thing I will say about Coach Anderson, and I have no issue with this, his style might prevent certain kids from wanting to come here. Since he uses such a deep rotation and requires such strenuous workouts, and requires such attention to detail on the defensive end, 4/5 star kids who want to be babied and showcased and already have an eye on the next level will likely avoid this type of a system. Not that we were getting those types anyway, but just an observation.
 
Big News: In a @CBBONFOX interview with @TheAndyKatz today, Patrick Ewing says Mac McClung plans to return to Georgetown for his junior season.

Jamorko Pickett also returning.
 
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[quote="Paultzman" post=386654]Big News: In a @CBBONFOX interview with @TheAndyKatz today, Patrick Ewing says Mac McClung plans to return to Georgetown for his junior season.

Jamorko Pickett also returning.[/quote]

So McClung hired a certified agent allowing him to gather feedback, maintain eligibility and now he returns.

Hmmmmm
 
[quote="Room112" post=386652][quote="MCNPA" post=386650]As a coach I agree I’d take Anderson any day. One shark recruiter wouldn’t have hurt, but that’s not Anderson’s style and I’m really happy with what we have. I thin CMA is probably severely underrated as a coach from what I saw this season. We were such a headache for other teams even without much high level talent. When we were dialed in we could beat anybody. Wait til we get the bigger guns and we will. Coaching still trumps all, so if Anderson can land his type of guys and talented kids we can be great. We already beat fantastic teams like WVU, Arizona, Creighton etc this past season. We will be getting bigger, faster and better over coming years.[/quote]

The one thing I will say about Coach Anderson, and I have no issue with this, his style might prevent certain kids from wanting to come here. Since he uses such a deep rotation and requires such strenuous workouts, and requires such attention to detail on the defensive end, 4/5 star kids who want to be babied and showcased and already have an eye on the next level will likely avoid this type of a system. Not that we were getting those types anyway, but just an observation.[/quote]

Room112 i hear you and yes certain kids will not want to play for CMA for a multitude of reasons all of which I can certainly live with. Many kids don’t want the two a day practices and starting at 5am. They don’t like the effort they are required to exert on défense. They don’t like going 10 deep. They don’t like the commitment to school work and being required to attend all classes. But if you were a kid who wasn’t destined for the NBA in high school, just a good 4 star recruit, or a parent of one of those kids , how does what CMA is selling appeal to you ? It would certainly appeal to me. So while some high level kids may not be enamoured with what he is selling remember in his first full class which he had next to no time to recruit he got Posh a 4 star recruit and 2 juco AA which are easily the equivalent of a high school 4 star recruit. He will get the players he needs and that buy in to his plan. And agree with me or not but a 2-3 star kid like Earlington or Champagne will be better as a junior or senior than the vast majority of top 50-100 kids as a freshman. Every year, except this past season, we see a team go deep in the tournament that is comprised of 2 and 3 star players who have stuck around for 4 years. CMA is already doing better than 2 and 3 star players.
 
Also, the ability to exert individual defensive pressure as a player can sometimes be what keeps you in the league.
 
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