Mick's RECRUITING

[mplebanon]

I think Mick has done a good job. Not a great job, but a good job.

He has his good games coaching and some where he gets outcoached.

Based on his reputation, I expected a little more from recruiting. I'm not completely disappointed, but thought he might nab a true difference-maker here or there.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

I think Mick has done a good job. Not a great job, but a good job.

He has his good games coaching and some where he gets outcoached.

Based on his reputation, I expected a little more from recruiting. I'm not completely disappointed, but thought he might nab a true difference-maker here or there.

Considering the circumstaces Mick has done a great job. Also all Coaches have good games and bad. Did Pitino get outcoached Saturday by JB??? Is Huggins getting outcoached this year??? Is he a bad recruiter??? As far as expecting more from him, no you didn't. You thought he would fail miserablely and the thing that pisses you off is he hasn't. Your the king of the backhandled compliment. He's doing a good job but.... Peddle that trash somewhere else. With What Mick was handed he has outperformed everyones expectations. Those who have knowledge of the game and what it takes to be successful at this level understand this. Its mentioned on every telecast.

 

[ralph1950]

Considering the circumstaces Mick has done a great job. Also all Coaches have good games and bad. Did Pitino get outcoached Saturday by JB??? Is Huggins getting outcoached this year??? Is he a bad recruiter??? As far as expecting more from him, no you didn't. You thought he would fail miserablely and the thing that pisses you off is he hasn't. Your the king of the backhandled compliment. He's doing a good job but.... Peddle that trash somewhere else. With What Mick was handed he has outperformed everyones expectations. Those who have knowledge of the game and what it takes to be successful at this level understand this. Its mentioned on every telecast.

Huggins is now a bad recruiter, his recruiting fell off big time after Mick left for Louisville. He choose Jihad Mohammed over Chris Lofton for the last scholarship of 2004. He did well with John Belein's recruits at WVU, Belein is a great recruiter. All of Belein's recruits are gone so now WVU struggles. Michigan is a top 5 team.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Huggins is now a bad recruiter, his recruiting fell off big time after Mick left for Louisville. He choose Jihad Mohammed over Chris Lofton for the last scholarship of 2004. He did well with John Belein's recruits at WVU, Belein is a great recruiter. All of Belein's recruits are gone so now WVU struggles. Michigan is a top 5 team.

Probably why Bob was so annoyed when Mick left for Louisville.

 

[Gotcha23]

What are you smoking? We've beaten St Johns the past two years. If St Johns is so talented, how come they beat us by a point? .... Yes, we laid a deuce against them, we did last year at home as well. Then we went to their place and beat them. That's the way it has been. The past 3 years, what has St. Johns won exactly? 0 tourny games. In fact, you'd have to go back pretty far to find a relevant St Johns team.
Have you seen Villanova play this year? They stink. Last year they stunk also. UConn may have talent but it's the kind of talent that gets you an NCAA suspension, so who cares? How well did Drummond work out for them last year? Memphis? Have they won anything the past 2 years?
As for Marquette, Marquette doesn't get nothing but top 150 players and their best player last year Jae Crowder was a Juco, which kind of craps on your argument...

We don't have an instant impact player, if that's what you mean. Save for St. Johns and Obekpa, none of the people you mentioned do either...

Angry man. Somebody get this guy a chick ASAP. St. Johns has a horrible coach but great recruiter in Lavin. You put those kids on our team and we'd be going to final fours/elite eights. That's all im saying. Mick is a heck of a coach but recruiter?? I don't think so.

 

[Gotcha23]

Huggins is now a bad recruiter, his recruiting fell off big time after Mick left for Louisville. He choose Jihad Mohammed over Chris Lofton for the last scholarship of 2004. He did well with John Belein's recruits at WVU, Belein is a great recruiter. All of Belein's recruits are gone so now WVU struggles. Michigan is a top 5 team.

His efforts are concentrated more on the Keg at this point. Great coach but I'm not sure he really cares anymore.

 

[UCalum08]

His efforts are concentrated more on the Keg at this point. Great coach but I'm not sure he really cares anymore.

hahaha solid point. Isn't that the motto of every WVU fan.

 

[mplebanon]

Considering the circumstaces Mick has done a great job. Also all Coaches have good games and bad. Did Pitino get outcoached Saturday by JB??? Is Huggins getting outcoached this year??? Is he a bad recruiter??? As far as expecting more from him, no you didn't. You thought he would fail miserablely and the thing that pisses you off is he hasn't. Your the king of the backhandled compliment. He's doing a good job but.... Peddle that trash somewhere else. With What Mick was handed he has outperformed everyones expectations. Those who have knowledge of the game and what it takes to be successful at this level understand this. Its mentioned on every telecast.

LMAO.

I was far and away the biggest fan of the hiring of Mick when it happened. I thought it was a great hire. Many people questioned it.

I guess when Mick has been here 15 years and IF the team is still looking for an Elite Eight or Final Four, people like you will be still talking about the situation he took over, blah, blah, blah. At what point does that excuse end and better results matter?

I think he's done a good job. I, more than most of you, understood the task at hand, and thought Mick was the right guy for the job.

I just think he has yet to live up to his recruiting reputation. Even great coaches need top recruits.

And I've said many times that I'm looking forward to Caupain, KJ, Morman, Strickland in 2 to 3 years, probably more than any Mick team to date. I'd love for Lawrence to join them.

What's a "backhandled" compliment? LMAO.

I do think that this team has not lived up to the hype. I would have never dreamed that the offense would be so hard to come by. But that stupid high post offense that UC has been running all the way back to the Huggins days is part of the reason why.

Geez. Go take a sedative.

 

[mplebanon]

His efforts are concentrated more on the Keg at this point. Great coach but I'm not sure he really cares anymore.

Probably the best I've heard it explained.

Huggins decline is a sad, sad story. And I don't miss him and his drinking and womanizing.

If something bad happens to him, I won't be surprised. He lives life too far out on the edge.

 

[Bearcat04]

Everyone wants more talented players, but you have to be careful what type of players you bring in. UK fans were excited when 5-star recruit, Archie Goodwin, committed. Now they are subjected to watching him continually hog the ball while trying to dribble through the entire defense and then put up some of the most ridiculous shot attempts you'll ever see.

It's getting ugly in Lexington because one guy thinks he's the man...

In all your years of watching Kentucky basketball, can you think of a more frustrating player to watch than Archie Goodwin? I’m going to try to play nice because he’s giving it his all but… damn… pass the ball, Archie. The aforementioned 15-minute stretch when Kentucky couldn’t buy a basket falls heavily on Archie’s shoulders. For whatever reason, whether it be selfishness or severe tunnel vision, Archie insists on keeping the ball for himself when he has open teammates. His strategy of driving to the lane, blindly throwing it at the backboard, and hoping for a whistle is incredibly difficult to watch, especially on possessions when Kentucky needs to score. Again, I hate to pile it on him because he is playing hard and his intentions are good, but he has to start playing team basketball. This is not the University of Archie Goodwin, and, as good as he is, the University of Archie Goodwin wouldn’t win many basketball games. It was his worst outing of the season. -KSR

 

[UCBearcats]

Everyone wants more talented players, but you have to be careful what type of players you bring in. UK fans were excited when 5-star recruit, Archie Goodwin, committed. Now they are subjected to watching him continually hog the ball while trying to dribble through the entire defense and then put up some of the most ridiculous shot attempts you'll ever see.

It's getting ugly in Lexington because one guy thinks he's the man...

I wouldn't really like having a team full of one and done guys but are you serious with this post? UK won a national championship last year, it's getting ugly in Lexington? UK wins a national championship last year and has a season this year where they will most likely be on the bubble and that's considered "getting ugly" but if a UC fan expresses frustration that we aren't as good as we should be or we aren't getting good enough recruits we're asking for too much?

 

[Scheids21]

I wouldn't really like having a team full of one and done guys but are you serious with this post? UK won a national championship last year, it's getting ugly in Lexington? UK wins a national championship last year and has a season this year where they will most likely be on the bubble and that's considered "getting ugly" but if a UC fan expresses frustration that we aren't as good as we should be or we aren't getting good enough recruits we're asking for too much?

I think he was just saying their team is looking ugly this year, not the program.

 

[Bearcat04]

I wouldn't really like having a team full of one and done guys but are you serious with this post? UK won a national championship last year, it's getting ugly in Lexington? UK wins a national championship last year and has a season this year where they will most likely be on the bubble and that's considered "getting ugly" but if a UC fan expresses frustration that we aren't as good as we should be or we aren't getting good enough recruits we're asking for too much?

Notice how I said it's getting ugly and then posted a piece from a UK blog that called out Goodwin for being a selfish player that is hurting the team. That is tame compared to what a lot of their fans are calling him. The fan reaction towards Goodwin is getting ugly, not the program! How did you possibly misconstrue that?

Simply pointing out that there is more to it than just upgrading the talent. You still have to find guys who are coach-able and fit with the rest of your team. You can't recruit just to impress. You still have to build a team.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Found this on Lance MaCalister's blog. It is from a Mike Decourcey Q&A session in the sporting news.

Bob Huggins (AP)
DeCourcy: You mean this year? I think he’s as capable a coach as there is in college basketball, but I don’t think this 8-9 team can be repaired. He can make it better. I don’t think there is enough commitment among some players, and enough talent among others, for the Mountaineers to become a quality team in what’s left of the 2012-13 season.

Too many chances were taken on transfers who’d been problematic at previous stops and not enough talented recruits have arrived as freshmen. When Huggins was at his absolute best at Cincinnati, he had ace recruiters such as Steve Moeller and Mick Cronin to “set the table” for him. His 2010 Final Four team at West Virginia took the leftover players from John Beilein’s regime and added in a few others, such as Devin Ebanks.

Huggins and his staff have not recruited in recent years at the level necessary to excel, although they do have two four-star prospects committed in what is, to date, a four-man 2013 class. It’s a start.

 

[TheLongHaul]

I had no idea Devin Williams committed to WVU.

Macon is very good assuming he ever makes it into college.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

I had no idea Devin Williams committed to WVU.

Macon is very good assuming he ever makes it into college.

Bob certainly has the reputation to bring in top notch talent. I have to wonder at his age and with his past health issues if he isn't growing tired of the battle. One of the things Mick brings to the talble is his youth and energy that is needed to keep beating the bushes. Having Sarvino doesn't hurt either. As UC's success continues to grow under Mick. His path to landing better players will get easier.Right now he is still growing and so is the program under him.

I think what people miss is that short of hiring a Calipari or Pitino type, who both have the reputation of moving around from job to job and attracting one and doners. This was the path the University had to take. Financially we couldn't afford them if they wanted to come. We have a small budget,led by a local up and coming coach who knows what he is doing. As his reputation grows and the program keeps trending up it will be easier and easier to sell recruits on the Cats.We are gaining ground and in my opinion will be rewarded with a great coach who wants to be here longterm. Anyone who hasn't seen the improvement from year to year in our Program is not looking very hard. Attendance is trending up, Scheduling is improving and the product on the floor is getting better. Academiclly we are also doing very well. If UC basketball was a stock it is the time to buy.

 

[TheLongHaul]

Huggins recruiting has been horrible lately for the reasons you mentioned and is the reason they are struggling. Plus, even when Huggins was at the top of his game it typically took a certain type of kid to want to play for someone like him.

I don't want to veer this too far off topic because the thread was about Mick's recruiting. I think the vast majority agree that Mick was definitely the right hire for the program.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Huggins recruiting has been horrible lately for the reasons you mentioned and is the reason they are struggling. Plus, even when Huggins was at the top of his game it typically took a certain type of kid to want to play for someone like him.

I don't want to veer this too far off topic because the thread was about Mick's recruiting. I think the vast majority agree that Mick was definitely the right hire for the program.

No problem I just posted that because it lends a little insight to how Micks recruiting is seem in the industry. He still has the capability to spot talent and recruit it. The issue now is he isn't selling Bob or Pitino he is selling his own coaching capabilities. As stated, as he continues to progress nationally his level of prospects landed will increase.

 

[Scheids21]

Mick just tweeted that he is recruiting in the birthplace of Whit Babcock (Harrisonburg,VA). Any guesses?

 

[bearcat jeff]

Probably Isaac Copeland. Crozet is only about 50 minutes from there.