'was thinking back to other head-to-head Duke & UNC-ch recruiting battles to compare this to and am thinking it is way up there, though that may at least partly be due to the rise of the internet and the subsequent big following of recruiting. (I remember writing to some prominent recruiting/Sports writers back 20 years ago asking for some updates and actually getting responses from most of them -- as there really was very little really current literature constantly coming out with updates like today...)
This battle to me matches up well with (going backwards in time) Wright, Battier, Hill, Laettner and Ferry. Sidebar: the reason I really remeber UNC recruiting the last two - Laettner and Ferry - was a famous (and very classless) remark from Dean Smith a few years later comparing the SAT scores of two of his players to the combined total of those two (which he knew b/c he'd recruited them too). There have been more where we both recruited the same players, but very rarely has it been for the #1 overall player, and come down to these two programs as the perceived top two finalists. This will be one that'll be remembered for a long time, especially if HB has as much impact in college as a lot of "experts" seem to expect. Hmmmmm.
-BDBD
"15 hours to go..."
P.S. I really don't think anyone knows, other than HB and his mom.
what time is it going to be on the west coast?
But I just read that Bill Self had this to say about National Signing Day during the HB announcement:
"If I felt like we were getting good news, I’d watch it."
Self can't actually comment about HB and use his name bc of some sort of violation but there was a link but due to excess amounts of users on it the link crashed. You can type it in the google and search for the most recent results and it will still pull up a link but its no good. But so officially or atleast "officially from Self" KU is out.
Heres the KU board I saw it on.
http://messageboard.theshiver.com/sh...9041#post39041
The IC board puts him at Duke. Doesn't mean a whole lot, but is certainly a swing from 10 days ago, when many/most were having him dressed in the yuckier shade of blue.
s.i.
It would be much easier if I lived on the west coast, so I would only have to wait until 1 to find out.
Alright, time to purge this from my mind until 4 if that is even possible.
Hmmmm... my brother lives in CA, I think I will get him to call me when HB annouces so I want have to wait as long!
Hey, just take a three hour nap today at lunch and it will feel like you didn't have to wait!
It is all good folks, with HB or not, life is good and Duke Basketball is Great! Enjoy your day!!
i see the glass half full....
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/ho...ts/posts/86021
Here is a guess from Seth Davis and it is only a guess.
The Terrapin Assassin
I am fairly sure I qualify as a member of the "DBR old guard" so I feel qualified to let you all know that NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING!
The IC folks who are convinced it will be Duke, the pundits who say it is down to Duke and UNC, I suspect even Kyrie Irving has no idea what HB is going to decide.
The only thing I even remotely trust as a piece of real evidence in all this was the comment from Bill Self. I read that as a good indication that he thinks HB is not coming to Kansas.
Of course, he could be wrong too.
We'll know at 4:10pm ET (1:10pm PT, 6:10am in Tokyo)
--Jason "DBR servers got real slow yesterday afternoon-- I predict more slowness today" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Great article from Seth that sums things up nicely.
I think Duke fans forget that while we have Kyrie, UNC has Kendall Marshall. I like that Seth correctly states (IMO) that neither of those relationships will really matter in the end.
UCLA's confidence is interesting. At least they think it is down to them and us rather than them and UNC
--Jason "8 hours, 4 minutes to go" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Just read that article on SI and I thought the same exact two things.
I know people through around the use of "brothers" between KI and HB a lot since they mentioned it. But let's take a step back for a second. I know they have played together and/or attended many camps together but in no rational way do I think that would make them like "brothers" or "best friends". To me a "brother" or "best friend" in relationship to a friend is someone you had grown up with, possibly spent a great amount of time over the past numbers of years together (i.e. high school or college years". My friend Joe who I've know for over 20 years is my best friend who is like a brother to me since we shared so many good and bad times together such as championships in some recreatoinal football league, Yankee championships, getting married to our wives and the births of our daughters. Those to me are examples being "brothers" and "best friends". To me it's a insult to those that have those true relationships and even to HB and KI. In HB's case, I'm sure the idea of playing with KI and even Andre gives him a certain comfort but I'm sure it's not the main reason when he chooses Duke (yes...glass half full). HB is too smart of a kid from what I see to base a choice soley on a friend, and that what KI is at the moment to him and even Marshall at UNC can be thrown into this, being at a respective school. I know leave my soapbox...LOL
As for UCLA, I definitely found their confidence suprising. Do they have much to offer, of course they do and on par with UNC, Duke and Kansas. But odd considering the limited amount of national attention they've received in this process. Maybe all the California babes had something to do with...just saying
That said, Harrison to Duke and let the party begin later today!!!!
How is everyone?
Getting gesticulative yet?
I've never understood why that is the appropriate thing to do. In my experience when kids let the coaches know before the signing, a leak is pretty much guaranteed. These are kids not professionals. There is nothing wrong with holding a public announcement and letting everyone know. Now the whole hat thing is a little much, especially when a recruit toys with one school over another.
Doing good and you?
Just gonna work on some reports this morning keeping a eye on the board until about 1-2pm and then pay closer attention to any possible leaks coming out. I'm thinking the #$#@ may hit the fan if HB starts letting coaches know that he will not be attending their said school but rather Duke (no inside knowledge but keeping the glass half full) prior to the conference. I just can't see him leaving all the coaches in limbo right up to his announcement.
Not sure if anyone as any inside info but while checking the ISU and UNC boards to check their pulses I did happen to see a mention of HB possibly letting the coaches involved of his decision as early as last night. Would anyone be privy to know of such information? Just curious as I truly believe we probably won't hear any possible word until the earliest 3pm regarding possible leaks. Given how word spreads so quickly in this internet age, it's not only Duke vs UNC vs the field but HB vs the internet/recruiting gurus.