Julius Randle Recruiting Thread

[-bdbd]

I have a question about your last comment, would that be allowed? It almost seems that it would be illegal given the tight reins the NCAA holds on recruiting. Now I could understand that the NCAA would have no interest if Kobe or King James came to Duke to teach an independant studies program that basically consisted of a pick up game and grade...

I was thinking that maybe a Lebron or a Kobe just happening to be visiting K at Duke, or in townusing Duke's great facillities, during the weekend the kid visits. I can't imagine that Cut didn't introduce a few recruits to his protege QB from the NFL who was rehabbing for a while at Duke a few months ago... Also, I suspect there'd be nothing illegal with asking Lebron, or Kobe, or Durant to make a phone call on K's behalf to the kid. (Can you just imagine being a 16-year-old HS b-ball player, answering your cell in the car with mom on your way home from school: "Hello?" "Yes, Julius? This is Lebron James calling from South Beach... just got back from London..." !!!!!

Numerous recruits have mentioned Coach K being upfront and honest with them. He doesn't promise them playing time or a starting spot, they'll have to work for it, no matter how highly ranked they are. That approach works for some recruits and not for others, but that's the way it is (Patrick Patterson chose to play for Kentucky instead after Billy Gillespie promised him 30 shots a game, if I remember correctly).

I also think Coach K carries an aura that no other coach can match. Not even Doc Rivers could intimidate him. Coach K doesn't care if your father is an NBA Coach, if you're not performing you're going to get benched. Again, certain players respond well to that style while others won't.

As for the Mom angle, education is of course a huge selling point. Duke is like the straight-A student you want your daughter to date. Unfortunately, she doesn't always choose him

UC, I really agree with your description 100%, based on the snippets we've heard from the kids about these visits over the years. One other thing that I've seen said (and would expect no less) is that Duke comes into a visit extremely well prepared. K will sit the kid down and show tape of his game, and provide analysis; and then show tape of a similar Duke player - think of showing Randle some tape of Battier or Boozer in action - and draw comparisons (and give the kid and parents a taste of the level of development/coaching he'll receive at Duke).

As the father of two girls I like your "daughters dating the staright-A kid" analogy. You just hope she doesn't choose to invest her time with just the most popular or flashiest boy...

[UrinalCake]

By contrast, here's what Roy Williams says at an in-home visit:

"Hey Mike, hold that door!"

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night.

[dukedoc]

As the father of two girls I like your "daughters dating the staright-A kid" analogy. You just hope she doesn't choose to invest her time with just the most popular or flashiest boy...

I too appreciate the dating analogy. On the flip side, it's definitely in the interest of the straight A boy to not get strung along by the pretty girl next door, if that girl is really not the right one. We've all probably experienced at some point in our lives the sense of infatuation with someone who in hindsight we recognize would have been a terrible fit for us long term. Recruits may look fantastic at first blush but that doesn't mean they will turn out to be good fits for our team and program. That's why I think K's honesty approach is ideal. Rather than trying to convince the girl next door to choose you by not being yourself, better to just be your self and find the right one. When you're heading to the altar quickly, no time for games and chicanery.

[jimsumner]

"This is what we do, why we do it and how we do it."

"This is how we see you fitting in."

"No guarantees. But if you do the work and trust the process, you can become part of something special, part of something bigger than yourself. And you'll learn and grow as part of that process."

Or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

[Indoor66]

"This is what we do, why we do it and how we do it."

"This is how we see you fitting in."

"No guarantees. But if you do the work and trust the process, you can become part of something special, part of something bigger than yourself. And you'll learn and grow as part of that process."

Or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Maybe add in that each one runs his own race...

[oldnavy]

I was thinking that maybe a Lebron or a Kobe just happening to be visiting K at Duke, or in townusing Duke's great facillities, during the weekend the kid visits. I can't imagine that Cut didn't introduce a few recruits to his protege QB from the NFL who was rehabbing for a while at Duke a few months ago... Also, I suspect there'd be nothing illegal with asking Lebron, or Kobe, or Durant to make a phone call on K's behalf to the kid. (Can you just imagine being a 16-year-old HS b-ball player, answering your cell in the car with mom on your way home from school: "Hello?" "Yes, Julius? This is Lebron James calling from South Beach... just got back from London..." !!!!!



UC, I really agree with your description 100%, based on the snippets we've heard from the kids about these visits over the years. One other thing that I've seen said (and would expect no less) is that Duke comes into a visit extremely well prepared. K will sit the kid down and show tape of his game, and provide analysis; and then show tape of a similar Duke player - think of showing Randle some tape of Battier or Boozer in action - and draw comparisons (and give the kid and parents a taste of the level of development/coaching he'll receive at Duke).

As the father of two girls I like your "daughters dating the staright-A kid" analogy. You just hope she doesn't choose to invest her time with just the most popular or flashiest boy...

Yea, but how does that square with the fact that as fans of the team we cannot have contact with the kids and try to sell them on Duke? I just don't understand how the recruiting rules work I guess.

[JasonEvans]

I was thinking that maybe a Lebron or a Kobe just happening to be visiting K at Duke, or in town using Duke's great facillities, during the weekend the kid visits. I can't imagine that Cut didn't introduce a few recruits to his protege QB from the NFL who was rehabbing for a while at Duke a few months ago... Also, I suspect there'd be nothing illegal with asking Lebron, or Kobe, or Durant to make a phone call on K's behalf to the kid. (Can you just imagine being a 16-year-old HS b-ball player, answering your cell in the car with mom on your way home from school: "Hello?" "Yes, Julius? This is Lebron James calling from South Beach... just got back from London..." !!!!!

I don't think the NCAA would find your scenario 100% kosher.

First of all, if K arranges for one of these stars to speak with a recruit, that is clearly an instance of K using these stars as "Duke boosters." The NCAA has some very specific rules about how boosters can and cannot interact with recruits. It could be problematic and I doubt K would want to risk the stain on his record, the image of Duke, and the potential recruiting sanctions (which most often involve a school not being allowed to recruit the player) if he were to even approach "the line" when it comes to conduct of "Duke boosters."

That said, I have a news flash for all of you -- Mike Krzyzewski is a very smart man. What's more, his staff are also very smart men. I dare say, I doubt there is anything about recruiting that we can think up here that he and his team have not already thought of and weighted the positives and negatives. If K thinks a phone call from LeBron or Durant or whoever will make a difference and it is within the rules for him to make that happen, I am certain he would make it happen.

It is fun for all of us to speculate about all this stuff -- heck, I am most certainly one of the culprits in this regard -- but the reality is that we are largely just guessing and it is almost impossible to fathom that we would have an idea that has not already been considered and vetted by K, Wojo, Collins, Badass, and others.

That said...

"Julius? Hey, Carlos Boozer here. I just got off the phone with Elton Brand. We were comparing the $100 mil I've made so far in my career with the $143 mill he has earned. He said his fortune was bigger than mine. But I told him that's just because he is older and I still have $47 million more coming to me over the next 3 years. So, we decided to call you and ask you which Duke power forward has had a bigger NBA career."

-Jason "see, isn't this a fun game!?!?" Evans

[Newton_14]

"Son, do you want to have an impact on college basketball? Do you want to be one of the players that everyone in the nation knows about and who plays for the highest honors the college game has to offer? Well, here is a list of players at Duke who played in a Final Four, a list of guys who were All-ACC, a list of those who were All-American, a list of players who were first round draft picks, a list of players who won some kind of national award, a list of guys who played more than 20 games on national TV."



-Jason "oh, and by the way, each of these lists are longer than any other coach out there can show you" Evans

I have always loved the line Barry Switzer used to use for Oklahoma Football recruits... "Son, with you on our team, we will be ranked in the Top 5 all year and have a great chance to win a National Title. On the otherhand, without you on our team, we will be ranked in the Top 5 all year and have a great chance to win a National Title. Now do you want in on that or not?"

But as you noted in a later post, all of us here are just speculating on what actually happens during these visits. All we do know for sure is that K and crew roll up in a Limo, with all dressed in suits. That appeals to some, but not to others, but that is how K rolls.

[dukedoc]

A little Julius from Ball is Life VIDEO

[G man]

That video is crazy. Granted it is a highlight video, but the guy is athletic. His best attribute is his desire to go to the rim. He goes hard and finishes at the rim. I love that style of play. He is as tough as they come.

[kelly]

Please move this post if this is not the appropriate thread.

For whatever this is worth, just a little story at PCA from yesterday. We took our 4-year-old to visit as it is one of the schools we considered for her. During our conversation with the Admission Office, it somehow got to Julius Randle. My husband asked whether the most recent class graduated has anyone attending Duke. I joked, "Well, there's one being recruited in the current class." The lady then said without much hesitation, "And I think he WILL go there." I didn't know if this conversation is in any kind of NCAA violation, so I didn't continue. But she followed up by saying "Julius loves his mom. For the longest time, we all thought he was going to stay close to home and go to Baylor. But I think, no, his mom is going to where he will be!" Today, I'm glad to hear that his mom is a lifelong Duke fan.

[rhcpflea99]

Please move this post if this is not the appropriate thread.

For whatever this is worth, just a little story at PCA from yesterday. We took our 4-year-old to visit as it is one of the schools we considered for her. During our conversation with the Admission Office, it somehow got to Julius Randle. My husband asked whether the most recent class graduated has anyone attending Duke. I joked, "Well, there's one being recruited in the current class." The lady then said without much hesitation, "And I think he WILL go there." I didn't know if this conversation is in any kind of NCAA violation, so I didn't continue. But she followed up by saying "Julius loves his mom. For the longest time, we all thought he was going to stay close to home and go to Baylor. But I think, no, his mom is going to where he will be!" Today, I'm glad to hear that his mom is a lifelong Duke fan.

Hopefully his momma will make her way to Durham.

[dukedoc]

Please move this post if this is not the appropriate thread.

For whatever this is worth, just a little story at PCA from yesterday. We took our 4-year-old to visit as it is one of the schools we considered for her. During our conversation with the Admission Office, it somehow got to Julius Randle. My husband asked whether the most recent class graduated has anyone attending Duke. I joked, "Well, there's one being recruited in the current class." The lady then said without much hesitation, "And I think he WILL go there." I didn't know if this conversation is in any kind of NCAA violation, so I didn't continue. But she followed up by saying "Julius loves his mom. For the longest time, we all thought he was going to stay close to home and go to Baylor. But I think, no, his mom is going to where he will be!" Today, I'm glad to hear that his mom is a lifelong Duke fan.

Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I don't know anything about NCAA rules, but it seems to me that you were simply the passive recipient of the admission office lady's sharing and therefore an innocent bystander. Now, if you had accosted Julius in the halls and screamed "go Duke!" in his face, that would be a different story.

[Cameron]

Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I don't know anything about NCAA rules, but it seems to me that you were simply the passive recipient of the admission office lady's sharing and therefore an innocent bystander. Now, if you had accosted Julius in the halls and screamed "go Duke!" in his face, that would be a different story.

Serious question -- because, like some others here, I am not that clear on NCAA rules, as they are many and most unreasonably absurd. Say I were at the Texas state final four, and while walking around in the hallway before one of the games Julius Randle walks by and starts signing autographs for fans. If while he signs my Duke hat I casually say, "You're the next Luol Deng. Go Duke!" is that a violation with punishable consequences? If so, that is pure lunacy.

[-jk]

Lunacy or not, the NCAA has very specific rules. The FAQ sticky has more info.

-jk

[UrinalCake]

So what's to stop me from yelling "You're the next Jordan, go to UNC!" at him and therefore getting UNC in trouble? "Lunacy" does seem like an appropriate description.

[dukedoc]

So what's to stop me from yelling "You're the next Jordan, go to UNC!" at him and therefore getting UNC in trouble? "Lunacy" does seem like an appropriate description.

It's impossible to enforce most of these rules. They do serve to deter a large chunk of fans who might otherwise think it a good idea to contact recruits, however.

[detule]

So what's to stop me from yelling "You're the next Jordan, go to UNC!" at him and therefore getting UNC in trouble?

The fear that he might take you at your word.

[UrinalCake]

The fear that he might take you at your word.

Good point. Maybe instead I'll yell "You might be the next Harrison Barnes!"

[oldnavy]

Good point. Maybe instead I'll yell "You might be the next Harrison Barnes!"

Yea, but then you would be breaking the law for defamation of character and verbal assault.