Originally Posted by
greybeard
Dawkins is my bet. Stanford has a tradition of recruiting California twins, the Collinses and Lopezs. The Wears can play. Carolina lost a ton last year and, especially after Davis went down, the team collapsed. I think that they will go somewhere together.
The interesting thing is that, at least through the middle of the season, I was thinking some of the same things about another set of brothers at another ACC school. I do not think that the third Plumlee brother will be at Duke absent a complete turnaround in how his older brothers are used--how much the offensive game is actually geared to giving them good chances with the ball.
I do not think that either Miles or Mason was anywhere near happy with how they were being utilized and only came to a place of acceptance with it late in the season and largely because of one man, and that wasn't K, it was Brian Zoubek. But for Zoubek's incredible emergence, and his big-brother reach-back, particularly to Miles to bring him along (was I the only one who saw Brian head for Miles during almost every time out) I think that the season might have turned out very differently and that maybe a conversation like this one was being had much closer to home.
The rigors of big time schedules and the BIG BUCKS that they bring puts so much pressure on programs, especially on draws like Carolina and Duke, to perform against steller programs a couple of times a week for the entire season. There is no chance to air out young kids, let them literally play the game without the worry of mistakes that will cost, with getting yanked, with disappointing teammates and fans.
I think that this is a terrible price to pay for the riches that ESPN brings in, and that it is beyond unacceptible that the ones who are being made to pay the price are young recruits who simply should not be subjected to the pressures that the out-of-conference schedules these days bring.
This, however, is the reality of big time ball, and there is little that anyone can do about it. The closest I've seen anyone come was K during the week leading up to the Georgetown game--he continually spoke about wanting his guys to approach the game as one in which to have fun, to be loose and just play. They really didn't do that. On the other hand, they were all as fresh as could be for K's real target that week, which was to make a point against GT after the literal beat down they threw at Duke earlier that season.
Transfers in light of these pressures will be all the more prevalent, even while in my mind they are terribly regrettable. How can it be that players who are not quite ready for the fires of big, big time competition just yet because they are too young and are just adjusting to college get thrown into the crucible and then here it from fans, the press, and the intrateam pressures that losing can bring? For money?
You guys, present company excluded here Sage, I know that this is not you and many others here, can take glee in the fact that the Weirs packed their bags. Me, the whole damn thing just makes me angry, if it wasn't so damn sorrowful.