Chris McCullough, PF (Syracuse Commit)

 It never made much sense to me to go to Cuse. It's ridiculously far upstate. When I visited Marist I thought Poughkeepsie was way up there only to hear locals yelling at me that it was "downstate". If downstate is 2 hours north of the city, I don't want to know how far upstate is! I visited my friend in a suburb only about 60 miles from Cuse, and it's just such a strange area. You don't even get the sense you are in NY. More like PA. The entire upstate area is depressed, broken down, and there is nothing of real significance except the baseball HOF and Niagara Falls. His family would have to travel to practically the Canadian border to watch him. As I've said before, I realize Cuse has an amazing hoops tradition, but I think we are really starting to close the gap getting our own good recruits consistently. If both teams are loaded with talent, isn't location the next important thing? Stay home and represent your city. You can't represent NYC in Canada.
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One of the best arenas in the country.
Rabid fan base.
32,000 plus fans at a game.
Hall of fame coach.
25 plus years that they are a top 25 program.
10 plus years that they are a top 15 program.
Nothing else to do but support Syracuse basketball.

And we wonder why would a recruit wish to go to Syracuse?
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All true, but I can turn it right back around.

THE best arena in the country aka MSG aka the biggest stage in basketball in the US
The #1 market in the US and more exposure and networking
Great experienced staff
One of the most winningest programs ever
One of the longest traditions
Top 5 (I think) most NCAA tourney berths
A totally revamped team of 6 ESPN 100 studs
Billboards, radio, SNY, MSG, NY Post, Newsday, NY Times, etc. way more popular than Cuse media
Potential for endless endorsements if he makes the NBA
Gets to stay home and his family can watch

It all depends on what he wants. Win win for him IMO.
 
 I said I understand they are very successful, but at the same time his hometown team is finally getting studs like never before. We are now in the thick of things where we can actually hang with or even beat Cuse any given game. My point is we are now a lot closer in talent level...the gap is closing rapidly between talent Cuse gets and talent we get. It's in the same ballpark. He can choose to be a main part of bringing back his home team and make it easy on his family, or he can go to Cuse which obviously is another great option.

I never said anything was wrong with PA...just not my cup of tea. Philly is very violent and ghetto, and everything else is basically farmland. Yawn. I guess Pitt is nice, but that's about it.
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Philly is very violent and ghetto? Yet, NYC isn't???? Where all in PA have you been too?
 
 I said I understand they are very successful, but at the same time his hometown team is finally getting studs like never before. We are now in the thick of things where we can actually hang with or even beat Cuse any given game. My point is we are now a lot closer in talent level...the gap is closing rapidly between talent Cuse gets and talent we get. It's in the same ballpark. He can choose to be a main part of bringing back his home team and make it easy on his family, or he can go to Cuse which obviously is another great option.

I never said anything was wrong with PA...just not my cup of tea. Philly is very violent and ghetto, and everything else is basically farmland. Yawn. I guess Pitt is nice, but that's about it.
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Philly is very violent and ghetto? Yet, NYC isn't???? Where all in PA have you been too?
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I have to agree that North Philly is worse than what most of NYC has to offer. Tough part of town.
 
 I said I understand they are very successful, but at the same time his hometown team is finally getting studs like never before. We are now in the thick of things where we can actually hang with or even beat Cuse any given game. My point is we are now a lot closer in talent level...the gap is closing rapidly between talent Cuse gets and talent we get. It's in the same ballpark. He can choose to be a main part of bringing back his home team and make it easy on his family, or he can go to Cuse which obviously is another great option.

I never said anything was wrong with PA...just not my cup of tea. Philly is very violent and ghetto, and everything else is basically farmland. Yawn. I guess Pitt is nice, but that's about it.
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Philly is very violent and ghetto? Yet, NYC isn't???? Where all in PA have you been too?
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NYC is the safest big city in America. Philly is Philly. NYC has 327 murders this yr so far vs. 271 for Philly...pretty damn high for Philly considering NYC has over 8 million people and Philly has 1.5 million. When you use ratios, it's way higher than NYC. The flash mobs in Philly have been well documented, and no one wants to go there these days. Maybe to see the Liberty Bell, that's about it. If you don't think Philly is ghetto and violent, then you must have some powerful rose colored glasses. Then you have Pitt which is a very solid city...much cleaner and safer than Philly, but other than those 2 main cities, PA is like 80% farmland and nothingness. I would know I drive to see family there all the time.
 
All true, but I can turn it right back around.

THE best arena in the country aka MSG aka the biggest stage in basketball in the US
The #1 market in the US and more exposure and networking
Great experienced staff
One of the most winningest programs ever
One of the longest traditions
Top 5 (I think) most NCAA tourney berths
A totally revamped team of 6 ESPN 100 studs
Billboards, radio, SNY, MSG, NY Post, Newsday, NY Times, etc. way more popular than Cuse media
Potential for endless endorsements if he makes the NBA
Gets to stay home and his family can watch

It all depends on what he wants. Win win for him IMO.
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Do players today really think MSG is best arena in the country? I know PSAL kids think so, and kids whose parents told them it was, but take a kid to a game at Duke or Kansas, and they will not be impressed with MSG.

A top player does not care about networking and exposure. He is not thinking about having to look for a job after college.

I like our staff better, but Syracuse's must be doing something right.

Syracuse is also one the winningest programs ever, and as far as a 17-year-old goes, a winning tradition is what they've seen in their basketball viewing lifetime. No high schooler gives a crap about the Wonder 5. Same goes for tournament berths: How many have we had vs. Syracuse in McCullough's lifetime?

Syracuse gets studs also.

If he has a great career, everyone will know about him. He'll be all over ESPN, etc.

Regarding endorsements, I'm guessing if he does well, he'll get them regardless of where he goes. Carmello seems to do OK.

Everyone has an agenda, even family. Watching him might not be their top priority.

I would love for him to come here, but we need to be objective: Syracuse's lowest win total in the past 30 years has been 19. They won more than 30 five times in that span. 
 
 If you really think that's what kids care about then explain to me why guys like Sampson spurn KANSAS for us. We also must be doing something right. Tell me how we lured Obekpa from Cincy...right after a sweet 16 for them and a 13 win season for us. Sometimes it's not all about what the team just did in the past few years...it's about where the program is headed in the immediate future and they want to get on board. I would think Cuse has more questions than us since their HOF coach is about to retire and they just lost Waiters and Melo, 2 of the best players in the country. But who knows what's really important to Chris. Last year he called SJ his "dream school", now he is leaning towards Cuse. Who knows?
 
 If you really think that's what kids care about then explain to me why guys like Sampson spurn KANSAS for us. We also must be doing something right. Tell me how we lured Obekpa from Cincy...right after a sweet 16 for them and a 13 win season for us. Sometimes it's not all about what the team just did in the past few years...it's about where the program is headed in the immediate future and they want to get on board. I would think Cuse has more questions than us since their HOF coach is about to retire and they just lost Waiters and Melo, 2 of the best players in the country. But who knows what's really important to Chris. Last year he called SJ his "dream school", now he is leaning towards Cuse. Who knows?
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There are a lot of factors involved. While those factors tilted Sampson and Obekpa toward us, we don't know what McCullough's factors are, and whether we offer more of them than Syracuse.
 
 So tell me then...what made Sampson pick us over Kansas? I haven't heard that. And other than Obekpa wanting to stay home I haven't heard why he picked us over a sweet 16 team like Cincy or other better schools.
 
 So tell me then...what made Sampson pick us over Kansas? I haven't heard that. And other than Obekpa wanting to stay home I haven't heard why he picked us over a sweet 16 team like Cincy or other better schools.
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Sampson and his family loved Lavin. I'm guessing that was a big factor.

Home for Obekpa is Africa. I don't know why he picked us over Cincy. The city sucks, maybe? Maybe he felt a stronger connection to Lavin? maybe he saw better opportunity to start here? Maybe he likes Felix a lot?

I'm not sure of your point. Those guys obviously saw something in St. John's that McCullough may not give a shit about.
 
 So tell me then...what made Sampson pick us over Kansas? I haven't heard that. And other than Obekpa wanting to stay home I haven't heard why he picked us over a sweet 16 team like Cincy or other better schools.
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Sampson and his family loved Lavin. I'm guessing that was a big factor.

Home for Obekpa is Africa. I don't know why he picked us over Cincy. The city sucks, maybe? Maybe he felt a stronger connection to Lavin? maybe he saw better opportunity to start here? Maybe he likes Felix a lot?

I'm not sure of your point. Those guys obviously saw something in St. John's that McCullough may not give a shit about.
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Obekpa loved Dunlap and Lavin. That played a huge role.

There could be one reason or a facet of reasons why a kid chooses a school. Hopefully, McCullough has just enough reasons to choose St. John's.
 
 What made the 50 guys ranked higher than them spurn STJ? So tell me that. Your question is stupid because every kid is different, STJ will get their share, and maybe more than their fair share thanks to Lavin, but it will be a smaller share than elite schools like Duke, UNC, KU, UK, etc....
 
 So tell me then...what made Sampson pick us over Kansas? I haven't heard that. And other than Obekpa wanting to stay home I haven't heard why he picked us over a sweet 16 team like Cincy or other better schools.
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Sampson and his family loved Lavin. I'm guessing that was a big factor.

Home for Obekpa is Africa. I don't know why he picked us over Cincy. The city sucks, maybe? Maybe he felt a stronger connection to Lavin? maybe he saw better opportunity to start here? Maybe he likes Felix a lot?

I'm not sure of your point. Those guys obviously saw something in St. John's that McCullough may not give a shit about.
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Obekpa loved Dunlap and Lavin. That played a huge role.

There could be one reason or a facet of reasons why a kid chooses a school. Hopefully, McCullough has just enough reasons to choose St. John's.
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Like you've all said there are a lot of factors but lets face it, if you want to know the single most important factor in recruiting nowadays its the coach and his track record, how he communicates/clicks with the recruit, etc... That's why Lavin is doing things no one else at STJ has been able to do in a long time, he's a star.
 
 What made the 50 guys ranked higher than them spurn STJ? So tell me that. Your question is stupid because every kid is different, STJ will get their share, and maybe more than their fair share thanks to Lavin, but it will be a smaller share than elite schools like Duke, UNC, KU, UK, etc....
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The "elite" schools are basketball factories that churn out the same high quality product year after year. You will note that they suck royally in college football.


I would add Syracuse, Florida and UCLA to that mix but there are lesser programs that have been able to get recruits ranked from 50-100 that now are ranked perrenially in the top 25 like Gonzaga, Baylor, Pitt, and Memphis, etc.

I think Lavin has worked a recruiting miracle on Union Turnpike in 3 years to bring us in head-to-head competition with most of those schools except the 4 you mentioned. Once we start getting ranked again, St. John's will own NYC. MSG knows that, the Big East knows that and the media knows that. The key is keeping Lav!
 
 Obekpa posted on twitter a picture of him in SJ gear saying something like "Keeping my talents in the mecca" aka NYC. He said he wanted to stay in the NYC area...he played ball in Centereach. Some family have to live around there...he isn't just living by himself. So family being able to see him was a factor.

I have also noticed a weird pattern in this forum...I say the program is not nationally respected and I get posts talking about how amazing SJ hoops is, then I say the program is seen as better than expected to recruits, and I get posts telling me how bad SJ hoops is. Damned if I do, damned if I don't sort of thing. Is SJ good or not? Once and for all please.
 
 Obekpa posted on twitter a picture of him in SJ gear saying something like "Keeping my talents in the mecca" aka NYC. He said he wanted to stay in the NYC area...he played ball in Centereach. Some family have to live around there...he isn't just living by himself. So family being able to see him was a factor.

I have also noticed a weird pattern in this forum...I say the program is not nationally respected and I get posts talking about how amazing SJ hoops is, then I say the program is seen as better than expected to recruits, and I get posts telling me how bad SJ hoops is. Damned if I do, damned if I don't sort of thing. Is SJ good or not? Once and for all please.
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Our rep is not what it was in the 80's but we're rocketing forward under Lavin. Lavin is recruiting the talent to be a perennial top 20 team. Once these SJU teams start proving that we're back on the court, Lavin won't be able to be stopped on the recruiting trail. Right now we are landing elite talent. Harkless proved that. We'll land more and higher level guys over next few years. Moving up in a big way though.
 
Some family have to live around there...he isn't just living by himself. So family being able to see him was a factor.
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Host family, which probably means an assistant coach.
 
 And that's exactly why I think Sampson spurned Kansas for us as well as other recruits choosing us over better programs. They see our immediate future is very bright. Hopefully that's enough to get Mc here.
 
 And that's exactly why I think Sampson spurned Kansas for us as well as other recruits choosing us over better programs. They see our immediate future is very bright. Hopefully that's enough to get Mc here.
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You have no idea why Sampson chose STJ so stop claiming you do. But what it really gets down to is that you hope McCullough is more like the 4% of top 100 recruits who choose STJ over other programs rather than the 100% of top 25 recruits who choose other programs over STJ. I hope so too.
 
 Relax with the tude there guy...this is a sports forum. I never claim to know the reason Sampson did... I offer suggestions. Obekpa on the other hand flat out said why he came. I guess you are more negative than me about this team and I thought I was negative.
 
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