Drew Gordon to UCLA

[dkbaseball]

according to Bruinreportonline.com

[Bob Green]

according to Bruinreportonline.com

Here is the link: http://ucla.scout.com/

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[Clipsfan]

Go UCLA!! If Duke is going to miss on someone, UCLA is the school I hope gets them!

[freedevil]

Eh, if Duke misses on or doesn't offer a big time recruit, I just hope they choose a school Duke doesn't play on a daily basis.

[JasonEvans]

He can try to replace the one-and-done Kevin Love. UCLA needed him!

-Jason "I am correct that Duke never offered, right?" Evans

[dukemsu]

Phew. The Bruins are really stockpiling talent.

That said, I'd be surprised if they all stay particularly long. Howland is a pretty tough guy to play for (at least he was at Pitt). As has been noted on this board before, Love in particular may be a test for just how tough Howland's going to be.

Glad we won't have to see Gordon suiting up for someone Duke plays twice a year, though.

dukemsu

[duketaylor]

You are correct, tho very close I think. Focused more on Monroe and PP.

[Patrick Yates]

OK, at the risk of harshing on anyone's good day, or emotional state, PP needs to make a decision. If he is not willing to commit, Duke needs to seriously move on.

Duke is being hung out to dry by this kid, especially if he does not choose Duke. I am all for a kid taking his time to suss out the best situation for himself. But what is PP waiting on? Donovan at UF?

Newsflash: Billy D is going to listen to the pros. If the Celts get a top 2 pick, Billy is gone, same regarding Memphis. If the Heat come in at the right price, he might go. If you committ to UF at this point, and are later surprised when he jumps ship to the pros in mid june, you are a retard. If that is what you are waiting for, some definitive answer on the Billy to the League question, that might not be firm until July. If/When he goes, the next coach will be the VCU coach who handed us our butts last year. He was the guy who recruited the 04's, and his name was conspicuously absent from the marry-go-round this year. He is a white-hot up and comer, and he gets no mention for a high profile job? Why you ask? Cause he is going to FL to take over for Billy D when the pros come calling, this or next year.

If PP is going to UK, announce already. Again, all for him taking his time, but this is starting to vear into the egomaniacal territory. Maybe he is enjoying the attention and fawning that he recieves from us, UK, and FL. Who wouldn't like to be the center of attention in a fight between three of the top programs in all college basketball?

But, Duke is getting boned, hard. There are more immediate minutes and shots availible at UK and UF, due to talent depletion at both schools.

Duke needs to be building for the future.

I am really upset about Gordon. This was a kid who I felt had a greater upside than PP due to DG being bigger. I know that we never offered for him, but we would have if PP had committed to another school, and I feel that we had a good shot at a kid who projects to be a 2-3 year player, who would be great his last year. The reason K never offered was because K had offererd Monroe and PP already, and K is too classy to throw a bunch of offers out and say first come, first serve. K knew that DG was too good to go where the post was crowded (too smart for that), and that if we got PP then GM was the focus. He was not going to lie to DG or lead him on. But the PP thing has drawn out for far too long.

DG is an inch taller than PP (or more, since PP looks to be on the shady side of 6-8), and roughly the same size despite being a year younger. DG will be a 6-9, 245, Carlos Boozer clone when he gets to UCLA (similiar as Frosh, not the Stud booz is now).

Also, Monroe does not sound like a done deal to me. Gillespie will be a heady draw at UK, and there will be an ungodly amount of Pressure on GM to stay home and save LSU, which is soon to be in the pooper. But, there is enough talent in place that GM would make them competitive on a national scale again. Let's not forget UNC. We were locks to get Wright once-upon-a-time, and that ended less well than anticipated for Duke.

I would love to get PP. But if we are not going to get him, Duke needs to be trolling the rising Sr's for help in the post, just in case we do not get Monroe. In my mind, Gordon was that just in case, and a darn good player, who would be at Duke long enough to really impact the progam positively, if we do not get Monroe.

We are all talking about how good Duke can be in 2 years. What if we do not get PP or Monroe? I am worried about the post, and our recruits there. We really need some sort of closure on PP so that K, who again has national team committments this summer, can focus on recruiting and evaluating talent.

I am starting to get a little mad. PP must have a good idea of his intentions, and it seems like he is jerking around three major college programs to stroke his ego. Duke, and UK, and UF, need to be able to move on. It is not as if we are talking about a sure-fire success. There is a good chance that PP will be key contributor next year, but PP is not going to be a savior at any high-major program. He is good, but he is not fantastic. A solid to good player (as a frosh) is essentially holding Duke recruiting hostage.

Patrick Yates

[JasonEvans]

I am starting to get a little mad. PP must have a good idea of his intentions, and it seems like he is jerking around three major college programs to stroke his ego. Duke, and UK, and UF, need to be able to move on.

Any school that "needs to move on" can pull out of the PP race. Duke could have pulled out and gone harder after Gordon and perhaps gotten Drew. We chose not to. Don't blame that on Patterson.

Chill, PY. Patterson is taking his time and there is nothing wrong with that. Kids are under no obligation to do things on OUR timetable. They make a choice when they are comfortable making that choice. We are talking about 18/19-year-old kids here. I think waiting and being sure is the smart thing to do if you are not comfortable in your decision yet.

We have no idea what factors and emotions PP is weighing in this. You are assuming a great deal about his decision-making process that may or may not be true. Let him make his choice in his own good time.

-Jason "I don't think this is about Patrick's ego-- a few fans on internet message boards mean little to Patrick's self-esteem" Evans

[dkbaseball]

I get the sense that Gordon is a west coast guy and maybe not the world's best student. There are some extra-basketball factors in which Duke simply can't compete with UCLA. If we'd been seriously in it, surely he would have waited to see what PP does.

As for the pressure Monroe will be under to stay in-state -- not so much really, I think. LSU fans are as rabid as it gets for football, but pretty indifferent toward the basketball team. It's been fairly easy to get players out of there, e.g. Duhon and D.J. Augustin to Texas. All the easier now, in the post-Katrina environment.

[ACCBBallFan]

I get the sense that Gordon is a west coast guy and maybe not the world's best student. There are some extra-basketball factors in which Duke simply can't compete with UCLA. If we'd been seriously in it, surely he would have waited to see what PP does..

I think you are right about Drew wanting to remain a west coast guy, but wrong about the academics. My understanding is that his HS is very competitive academically in San Jose area, which of couse has Stanford nearby.

[dkbaseball]

Gordon says that he had a 2.5 gpa his freshman year in HS, then picked it up a bit under parental pressure. Again according to Bruinreportonline.com -- sorry, I'm a technophobe who doesn't know how to link. Not to say he isn't a diligent scholar now, and I don't doubt that his Catholic HS is more demanding than most public schools.

[Clipsfan]

He can try to replace the one-and-done Kevin Love. UCLA needed him!

-Jason "I am correct that Duke never offered, right?" Evans

Yes, I think that is the idea. UCLA will definitely need to replace Love after one year.