Recruiting Bigs

[Scheids21]

In comparing Huggins and Cronin (in terms of recruiting) it may get a little hairy since Cronin was under Huggins for a time and Cronin was handed a hot mess to start. But to say we endured the same type of recruiting under Huggins I would probably disagree. Of those you won't see on the above link which dates back to 98 for top recruits and at least 1984 for MCD's AA's you won't find these guys. I don't know where they were ranked but I am guessing there are some 4 star guys here...and I am also leaving a few out I am sure.

Martin
Van Exel
Blount
Buford
Williams
Burton
Patterson
Durden
Levett
Bobbit
Kirkland
Little
Long
Logan
Mickeal
Brannen
Gregor
Jones
etc...

I understand many were jucos (and a couple were transfers) and it was a different time back then for jucos but the point is Huggins was able to land them. This list is not to denegrate Cronin because I am very happy we have him...I just think we should be better at getting some higher ranked recruits (specifically higher ranked 4 star guys) and the excuses for what Cronin was handed are getting old now. If we look at 2012 and 2013 I can tell you I DO like Rubles, Nyarcuk, Johnson, and Caupain...but I don't think any are inside the concensus top 100 which would denote a 4 star type of guy. I would rather see more top 75 guys because they are the sure fire type 4 stars and 5 star kids.

I would guess Huggins may have landed 3 times as many 4-5 star guys. Cronin's 3 best recruits (in terms of rankings inside the top 75) were Gates, Stephenson, and McClain and the last was in '09. So we haven't seen one top 75 guy in 2010, 2011, 2012, and so far 2013. I understand the issues of his early tenure...but when you look at it...he had success back then. My problem is recruting isn't getting noticeably better now that our program is standing on firm ground.

He may be getting "system guys" and "4 year guys"...but that's not because he isn't going after the higher ranked kids. We just aren't getting them.

Good write up, very well done. I would like there to be more highly regarded recruits as well. One thing I would say is we are in on much better recruits and much more recruits than we were a couple years ago. It's going to take some time before kids want to come here simply because its Cincinnati. Face it: The guys were recruiting were about 9 years old when huggins was here. They don't think of us as a former powerhouse that is coming back. We are simply the new team on the block that's had a couple successful seasons. Hard to convince a top talent to come here running on that.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I think some people fail to realize a lot of recruiting has to do with success in the tourney and exposure your program gets. Coach Calipari is a great recruiter, but he has kids waiting to commit elsewhere just in case UK might come calling. There's only so much hype a coach can do, players want to play at the best schools. We are all biased towards UC, teenagers from Idaho and Georgia and Delaware are not. The best way to get a kid to come to your school over better schools is if he is local. That worked with Yancy, almost worked with Behanon. Huggins got recruits cause he went to the final four. If Cronin takes us to the final four there's no doubt in my mind Cronin will be able to steal away other's recruits. It's really that simple. Some of the posters on here sit and bash our program and our players yet somehow miraculously think Mick can recruit five-star players to come play here for a team that in their own minds is inferior. Doesn't make sense to me.

Sorry that is my rant for the day.

 

[ralph1950]

I think some people fail to realize a lot of recruiting has to do with success in the tourney and exposure your program gets. Coach Calipari is a great recruiter, but he has kids waiting to commit elsewhere just in case UK might come calling. There's only so much hype a coach can do, players want to play at the best schools. We are all biased towards UC, teenagers from Idaho and Georgia and Delaware are not. The best way to get a kid to come to your school over better schools is if he is local. That worked with Yancy, almost worked with Behanon. Huggins got recruits cause he went to the final four. If Cronin takes us to the final four there's no doubt in my mind Cronin will be able to steal away other's recruits. It's really that simple. Some of the posters on here sit and bash our program and our players yet somehow miraculously think Mick can recruit five-star players to come play here for a team that in their own minds is inferior. Doesn't make sense to me.

Sorry that is my rant for the day.

It is not that simple. George Mason went to the Final 4, they have not been heard from since, if your theory was correct they would be getting 5 star recruits every year. Butler went to consecutive Final 4's, they are back to where they were, no 5 star recruits are committing to Butler.

 

[Scheids21]

It is not that simple. George Mason went to the Final 4, they have not been heard from since, if your theory was correct they would be getting 5 star recruits every year. Butler went to consecutive Final 4's, they are back to where they were, no 5 star recruits are committing to Butler.

Mid-majors. Apples to oranges.

 

[#BearcatNation]

I wouldn't say it's as simple as this, but I think this is as close as I can get: If our program succeeds, we will land more recruits, and continue to succeed. Our program has enough history, good enough facilities, a big enough name, and a good enough conference to where really the sky is the limit for the program. Will be ever get the recruits that Duke, UK, or UNC get? Probably not. Can we get good enough recruits that can take us to the Final 4? Absolutely. Maybe not right now, but continue to improve and the good players will come to a school like ours.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I wouldn't say it's as simple as this, but I think this is as close as I can get: If our program succeeds, we will land more recruits, and continue to succeed. Our program has enough history, good enough facilities, a big enough name, and a good enough conference to where really the sky is the limit for the program. Will be ever get the recruits that Duke, UK, or UNC get? Probably not. Can we get good enough recruits that can take us to the Final 4? Absolutely. Maybe not right now, but continue to improve and the good players will come to a school like ours.

Exactly. And my point on the final four was more on why Huggins got higher rated recruits to come here than Mick has. But if Cronin gets to a final four and keeps this team at a high level playing in the Big East, we will be in the mix for the big names with the Dukes and North Carolinas. We already are getting recruits from the northeast because we play in the Big East. Recruiting really isn't a complicated thing in the grand scheme of things. There's a reason the same schools always get the best recruits. Football and basketball. I don't care who you are, you're not going to recruit outside of how your program falls in the pecking order, save a player here or there that wants to stay home. To recruit big time consistently you have to win big time consistently. And the two go hand in hand. Huggins went to a final four and 2 more elite eights within a five year stretch. Our best teams, arguably, were in 2000 and 2002. Those classes were recruited as a result of that success. Cronin wasn't going to recuit five-star players to come to a school that hadn't been to the tourney in six or seven years. If we can make the sweet sixteen consistently and pepper in an elite eight or better yet a final four, this school will be a destination for the big time recruits. Until then, not. Now a good coach can find the diamonds in the rough and get teams with lesser talent to win, but that's a seperate issue.

 

[CPAW29]

money and endorsements will bring high recruiting. when huggs was coach uc was a jordan brand and pepsi school and that was being in c-usa.