Karl Towns, remember the name. He will be in a Kentucky Uniform soon enough...
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75...=1&nid=5823400
Youngest player on the team by 6 years! The ONLY reason he was put on the squad was cause Calipari could. He made the team over Charlie Villanueva (didn't you ever wonder why that dismissal was so public? So that no one could question the decision ).
Here's the proof:
Article 1
Summary: Cal says CV fat, cut from team after private workout in NYC.
Article 2
Summary: CV says there was never a workout in NYC, and he was in the best shape of his life. He'd lost 30 pounds while recovery from an injury and was now only 10 pounds of his playing weight.
Slime...
Last edited by Skitzle; 07-16-2012 at 11:56 AM.
"I don't like them when they are eating my azaleas or rhododendrons or pansies." - Coach K
Here's a nice little write-up on Julius Randle in today's N&O:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/...dle-draws.html
The more I hear and read about him the more I hope he chooses Duke. The skill he has for his size is flat out impressive and leads me to believe he would see plenty of court time right away. Mason and Ryan graduating will present opportunities for new starters and when that time comes I hope he's in the running. His comments about being high on Duke after Matt Jones' commitment were very positive. Anyone have a read on who his choices might come down to?
Part of me wonders if landing Hood puts Parker on the backburner. Randle seems like the guy who fits the biggest need. Obviously Parker would be a fantastic get. But we'll have 2-3 very strong options at SF even if we don't get Parker. We'd get bigger bang for the buck with Randle in the post.
That said, I agree with you: if we both Parker and Randle want to come here, I'm sure Coach K will make sure that happens.
It's funny talking about how we'll be loaded at the wing/3/prototypical midsize position, considering that we had exactly 0 players filling that role last year! I definitely agree that Randle fits the bigger need and appears to be getting better and better.
However, Hood is listed most places (I think) as a guard, which leads me to believe that Hood and Parker/Murphy could play together without any problem. I'm guessing the staff would be thrilled with 2 of Hood, Parker and Murphy on the floor at all times (kind of like our Mason/Miles/Kelly rotation last year).
Another piece of it (and this may be a bit controversial, but I'll say it) - you always worry about logjams leading to talented guys potentially being unhappy about their playing time and then transferring (case in point - Gbinije). With Murphy and Hood, there will be virtually zero chance of that happening given that they will have already sat out a year, so the long-term repercussions are minimal. Those guys will be here before and after Jabari's 5-6 months in a Duke uni.
And I have to think that when Coach K explicitly compares a kid to Kobe, he views him as a fierce competitor and winner. In short, even though Randle may fit the need, I think Coach K likes Parker. A lot. There will be room for both of them if they decide Duke is the place for them.
"I don't like them when they are eating my azaleas or rhododendrons or pansies." - Coach K
Updated ESPN Rankings: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/ba...s/_/order/true
1. Parker
3. Randle
10. Nichols (big jump)
25. Wainright
27. Lee
33. M. Jones
35. Hubbs
37. Ojeleye
Carolina commits:
15. Hicks
49. Britt
"I don't like them when they are eating my azaleas or rhododendrons or pansies." - Coach K
I think Roy is collecting PFs like Sean May collected "class credits":
Right now, Roy has 5 players listed as PFs who are either freshman or sophomores (James, Johnson, Hubert, Simmons, and McAdoo), another committed for next year (Hicks), and offers to two others (Nichols and Randle).
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
To be fair, Simmons isn't going to play (he's a 6'7" walk-on) and James (6'10", 260+) is a C not a PF. Hubert will likely be a de facto C as well. And McAdoo will theoretically be in the pros by the time Hicks arrives (unless he flops this year). So he may have only one guy playing PF after this year.
True, but the potential overlap is insane. In the hypothetical that McAdoo stays another year (could happen, but probably not) and Hubert doesn't gain any weight (he's only 205 right now), they will have 3 legit PFs. And Jackson is one of the most high profile walk-ons (Melchionni style) and, while he may not play, he will certainly push the other players.
Just sounds like an overload on the PF side.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
First, Hubert isn't a legit PF. Further, Hubert is by no means an upper-tier prospect. He's ideally a #3 PF. He might be tolerable as a backup C in the absence of any other options. But he's a project and shouldn't be expected to play a ton unless the team is really lacking in frontcourt play. I doubt he plays many minutes at PF for UNC. And Simmons is most certainly NOT a high-profile walk-on in the Melchionni mold. Melchionni was a 4-star, borderline top-100 recruit. Simmons was a 2-star recruit that didn't come close to making anybody's top-100 list. He is merely roster filler and practice player. He should absolutely never see the court in meaningful minutes, and is no threat to anyone's playing time.
So basically they have 1-2 players (Johnson and maybe McAdoo) at PF and 2 players (James and Hubert) at C for 2013-2014. That's hardly a logjam situation. And they don't want to be stuck in a position where McAdoo leaves and they have to play Hubert and Simmons as their two guys off the bench. That would be an absolute disaster for UNC. As such, it makes total sense that Williams is recruiting for an additional PF (or two) in that class in hopes of bumping Hubert to the #4 or #5 big man spot. If McAdoo stays, then they have the luxury of having 4-5 ACC-quality big men AND having Hubert as the extra-emergency big.
Thought I'd use this thread to think about several recruiting-related issues.
1. Nate Britt - I'm curious as to why Britt (2013) seems to have taken something of a nose-dive, guru-ranking-wise, in the latest ESPN and Scout rankings. He's now #49 in recent ESPN update and # 67 in Scout's latest. Is this mostly due to an injury and thus no play this summer?
2. Duke and UNC PG's now and near-future - K's decision not to recruit Barber means he's confident that Cook, Thornton, and Sulaimon will be more than satisfactory at PG for 2012-'13 and '13-'14. K hopes to land Tyus Jones from the class of 2014, as do many others, including Roy. But for the Heels in '13-'14, it's Paige and Britt, who may be a wonderful tandem, though the gurus don't seem to think so right now.
3. Heel PG "issues" in 2012-'13 - Fair enough if anyone wants to say Duke also has "issues" at PG for this upcoming season; but unless my bias is just showing too much, I'm thinking UNC has bigger ?-marks.
Every time Wheat has posted positively re Strickland's PG skills, I have disagreed, or at least expressed doubts. True, Wheat knows his guys much better than I, but Strickland has never even played PG for significant minutes, has he? Although he's fast in open court, has he actually demonstrated anything resembling a pass-first mentality? Is he an excellent ball-handler? Does he see the court well? Is he merely adequate on O, but excellent on D?
3a. In what ways is Strickland better - on O - than incoming Fr Marcus Paige? Surely no one thinks Paige a top-10 guy in the class of 2012, so I guess Strickland's experience gives him a substantial edge to begin the season. Will a healthy Strickland hold off a good-but-probably-not-great Paige by ACC-time?
4. For all the vigorous debate on the Jabari Parker thread re Parker and Randle, another '13 big-target, Austin Nichols, is way, way up to #10 in ESPN's latest. Yet the scouts at Scout still have him at # 47. Anybody seen him play?
5. And to a larger recruiting-guru issue - When I first became aware of how incredibly good Aaron Craft is on D - maybe 2/3 through the 2010-'11 season - I was struck by the fact that the gurus gave him no love; he did not make the RSCI composite top 100 for the class of 2010. Now of course the gurus sometimes miss, like, totally, on a guy. But I'm wondering whether the gurus pretty much pay attention only to O-skills - shooting, handle, passing, quickness - and, for the bigs, rebounding.
How could they miss on Craft, his amazing footwork, quick hands, court sense on both O and D?
I thought Strickland was running the point very well last season before his injury as KM's back-up at PG.
He has gained a lot more composure with the ball since his freshman year, and it showed.
I have not seen Paige play. Or Tokoto, Johnson, and James, for that matter.
Britt has had some injury issues this summer, so I read.
CBS Sports surveyed other coaches regarding whether or not K's contributions to USA basketball affect our recruiting. LINK
"He's proved himself as the best coach in the world. He's coached LeBron, Kobe and Durant and got them all to buy in for a common purpose. Come on. Huge advantage. And it's deserved."
"It's a massive advantage. You don't think he's constantly talking to kids and name-dropping LeBron, Kobe and KD? There are kids out there thinking, 'If he's good enough to be their coach, he's good enough to be my coach.' That's tough to counter."
First of all, I hope it's a MASSIVE advantage. And primarily so that UNC loses every recruit it wants to us, unless his last name is barnes.
Secondly, I think many of us know Coach K well enough to understand his personality and approach when it comes to recruiting. How many times have we heard a former player (Laettner, Hill) or current player (Miles, Nolan, Hood) say that Coach is brutally honest about what he sees in them and the potential for their game. I firmly believe that Coach K does not slyly and purposefully name drop in order to IMPRESS a 17 or 18 year old kid. K's record and persona speaks loudly enough.
And while I'm sure the face time and publicity gained by so much positive interaction with the biggest names in basketball is an advantage, Coach K is not out selling the idea "Hey kid, if you come to Duke I'll make you in to the next NBA superstar. I've already done it and you can be the next." That is something John Calipari would do, and I'm sure consistently does.
I disagree, I think he would drop a name or twelve to deliver his message. "If Lebron could facilitate instead of shoot, if KD could defend the post, if Kobe could focus on defense, if Carmelo could come off the bench, if Love could play the role of offensive rebounder ..."