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FerryFor50
10-31-2013, 02:43 PM
Starting side thread if only to unclutter the other threads. There are many other recruits to discuss ad nauseum and miss badly on predictions.

Can a mod move those posts to this thread?

OZZIE4DUKE
10-31-2013, 02:59 PM
If a high school kid commits to Duke, GREAT! If he doesn't, I'm not going to stress over who isn't here. When they show up in August (or July for summer school), I'll believe they have really matriculated.

Good luck to those who go elsewhere. To quote the kid in "A League of Their Own", "You're gonna loo-oose! You're gonna loo-oose!" :cool:

lotusland
10-31-2013, 03:24 PM
Starting side thread if only to unclutter the other threads. There are many other recruits to discuss ad nauseum and miss badly on predictions.

Can a mod move those posts to this thread?

Who is Kevon Looney?

Dr. Rosenrosen
10-31-2013, 03:25 PM
Who is Kevin Looney?
Kevon's brother?

FerryFor50
10-31-2013, 03:36 PM
Who is Kevon Looney?

This guy:

http://dukereport.com/duke-recruiting/kevon-looney-chooses-ucla/dukeofhoops/

And yes, I spelled his name correctly.

BD80
10-31-2013, 03:48 PM
Well, Kevon must want to play basketball at a slow, deliberate pace ;)

You really can't blame any kid for wanting to play ball for UCLA, lots of perks.

Good luck to Kevon. Goodluck to UNLV.

GGLC
10-31-2013, 04:01 PM
According to the front page of DBR, Looney's decision has been postponed. So that's good news.

sagegrouse
10-31-2013, 04:04 PM
From the Front page:


Due to a ruling by Milwaukee Public Schools, Kevon Looney has postponed his scheduled press conference, where he was going to announce which school he'll attend next year.


Milwaukee Public Schools has postponed Kevon Looney's announcement, saying that some system rules would be violated. It's a drag that they waited until this morning to tell the kid he had to cancel.

Presumably there is another source that says the decision is UCLA?

sagegrouse
'I tell ya,' I get on a plane to San Francisco, and when I land, the world has turned upside down'

freshmanjs
10-31-2013, 04:06 PM
From the Front page:



Presumably there is another source that says the decision is UCLA?

sagegrouse
'I tell ya,' I get on a plane to San Francisco, and when I land, the world has turned upside down'

it was postponed by about 2 hours. he chose UCLA

Bob Green
10-31-2013, 04:06 PM
According to the front page of DBR, Looney's decision has been postponed. So that's good news.

That's old news. Looney announced for UCLA at 2 pm. He was suppose to announce at noon but the announcement was delayed a couple of hours.

ricks68
10-31-2013, 04:10 PM
I found this:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/milwaukee-hamilton-basketball-star-kevon-looney-chooses-ucla-b99132349z1-230080281.html

ricks

GGLC
10-31-2013, 04:17 PM
Someone should probably update the front page, then.

miramar
10-31-2013, 04:21 PM
Accoding to ESPN, the so-called experts were predicting Duke or Florida, but I guess that UCLA wasn't supposed to get Tony Parker either.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/31/top-15-recruit-kevon-looney-commits-to-ucla/

NSDukeFan
10-31-2013, 04:36 PM
Accoding to ESPN, the so-called experts were predicting Duke or Florida, but I guess that UCLA wasn't supposed to get Tony Parker either.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/31/top-15-recruit-kevon-looney-commits-to-ucla/

Did the Tony Parker press conference end yet?

Duvall
10-31-2013, 04:37 PM
Did the Tony Parker press conference end yet?

Looney actually Skyped into the Parker press conference to make his announcement.

nmduke2001
10-31-2013, 04:44 PM
Rob Hernandez is reporting that Looney went with UCLA over......Tennessee. Apparently, Duke was not in the final two.

Ichabod Drain
10-31-2013, 04:45 PM
Rob Hernandez is reporting that Looney went with UCLA over......Tennessee. Apparently, Duke was not in the final two.

If you're not first you're last...

nmduke2001
10-31-2013, 04:48 PM
If you're not first you're last...

True, but I find it interesting that Duke was the perceived leader for months until last night when Florida picked up steam and neither was even in the final two. Further proof that 18 year old kids will do what they want and it's impossible to make sense of it.

Ichabod Drain
10-31-2013, 04:56 PM
True, but I find it interesting that Duke was the perceived leader for months until last night when Florida picked up steam and neither was even in the final two. Further proof that 18 year old kids will do what they want and it's impossible to make sense of it.

I think it's more so that most these "guru's" have no idea where a kid is going and just pick the most recognizable program. I mean what does a UK insider know about a kid from Wisconsin that's not even considering his school?

OldPhiKap
10-31-2013, 04:56 PM
If you're not first you're last...

Shake and bake, baby!


Good luck to the young man, I hope he has a fine career.

Go Duke!

pbohan
10-31-2013, 05:14 PM
This is up there in disappointment with Parker, McGary, and Patterson. Wow im surprised.

Faustus
10-31-2013, 05:23 PM
Think how crushed Florida fans must be - he was a Sure Bet to go there... for about 12 hours. And it turns out they evidently weren't in his top two either. That Billy D sure is a failure as a recruiter... at least not when up against that hallowed lock-down closer... Steve Alford.

Hope he enjoys his choice tp play there.

ncexnyc
10-31-2013, 07:47 PM
So we got the Trick instead of the Treat.:p

BD80
10-31-2013, 07:49 PM
So we got the Trick instead of the Treat.:p

A witch's bru-in.

Saratoga2
10-31-2013, 08:28 PM
Accoding to ESPN, the so-called experts were predicting Duke or Florida, but I guess that UCLA wasn't supposed to get Tony Parker either.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/31/top-15-recruit-kevon-looney-commits-to-ucla/

So much hot air. Should be a lesson for those who wish to speculate of the degree of certainty a prospect will go to one place of another. The idea that if 10 people speculate that a prospect will go to a particular school while two speculate he will go to a different school can result in a mathematical approach leading to a degree of certainty. Garbage in, garbage out.

Dukehky
10-31-2013, 10:05 PM
This is up there in disappointment with Parker, McGary, and Patterson. Wow im surprised.

Really? My buzz was dampened by this but it surely wasn't killed. McGary and Patterson totally squashed my spirit. I always thought Parker was an overrated fat kid who played in the middle of nowhere Georgia so he didn't bother me. Harrison Barnes was brutal. I remember standing in line for a Duke game and somebody had it on their computer, not fun.

We have a lot of 3/4 guys, young-ish ones. More talent is always a good thing but our needs are true bigs and point guards this year. Looney would have been cool but there are others at that position we are currently recruiting.

Newton_14
10-31-2013, 10:44 PM
True, but I find it interesting that Duke was the perceived leader for months until last night when Florida picked up steam and neither was even in the final two. Further proof that 18 year old kids will do what they want and it's impossible to make sense of it.

Except no one knows who really finished second and never will. This was one of the stranger recruitments ever, with a school supposedly not even getting a sniff landing the prize over the 3 perceived "leaders"... Follow the shoes...


Either way, I hate we missed. I love his game and think he could have been a great player for Duke. I wish him well in his career and if he is dying to be a one and done as has been indicated, hopefully he plays his way into the draft and achieves his dream.

mo.st.dukie
10-31-2013, 11:42 PM
Really? My buzz was dampened by this but it surely wasn't killed. McGary and Patterson totally squashed my spirit. I always thought Parker was an overrated fat kid who played in the middle of nowhere Georgia so he didn't bother me. Harrison Barnes was brutal. I remember standing in line for a Duke game and somebody had it on their computer, not fun.

We have a lot of 3/4 guys, young-ish ones. More talent is always a good thing but our needs are true bigs and point guards this year. Looney would have been cool but there are others at that position we are currently recruiting.

This is how I feel. He would've been nice to have for depth and for the long-term but I don't think he would've started over Jefferson next year and I think K would go with a 3 guard lineup before putting Looney at the 3. Duke is pretty set at the 3 and 4 for the next two years, he would've been great as a junior and senior after Amile and Murphy graduate.

DevilFalcon
11-01-2013, 12:56 AM
Maybe he simply wanted to go somewhere that no one thought he would go. Perhaps the crystal ball influences decisions after all.

BlueDevilBrowns
11-01-2013, 06:53 AM
Maybe he simply wanted to go somewhere that no one thought he would go. Perhaps the crystal ball influences decisions after all.

At this point, the Magic 8 Ball is more accurate than 24/7's Crystal Ball.

MCFinARL
11-01-2013, 08:49 AM
Maybe he simply wanted to go somewhere that no one thought he would go. Perhaps the crystal ball influences decisions after all.

This could, at least in theory, be right, of course. but for his sake, I hope not--it's a pretty important choice to make for such a whimsical reason.

UrinalCake
11-01-2013, 09:32 AM
I remember when Barnes broke our hearts, and someone on this board posted that the positive to come from it was that Kyle would be able to remain the star, and that attention wouldn't be taken away from him and Nolan who had been there for us and earned the right to be our leaders. So now, the same could be said for Amile - he committed to us very unexpectedly and has done everything we could ask. So I'll be happy if he gets to start and play 35 minutes a game at the 4 for us next year, rather than drooling over some freshman who wants to be a one and done.

ChillinDuke
11-01-2013, 09:39 AM
I remember when Barnes broke our hearts, and someone on this board posted that the positive to come from it was that Kyle would be able to remain the star, and that attention wouldn't be taken away from him and Nolan who had been there for us and earned the right to be our leaders. So now, the same could be said for Amile - he committed to us very unexpectedly and has done everything we could ask. So I'll be happy if he gets to start and play 35 minutes a game at the 4 for us next year, rather than drooling over some freshman who wants to be a one and done.

Good perspective.

Meanwhile, Amile was RSCI #21 two years ago. Kevon is #13 as of now. Not a very big difference. So it's entirely possible we would've been drooling over a less-ready player (freshman Kevon vs. freshman Amile) and an almost certainly less-talented player (freshman Kevon vs. junior Amile).

- Chillin

CharlestonDevil
11-01-2013, 09:57 AM
Really? My buzz was dampened by this but it surely wasn't killed. McGary and Patterson totally squashed my spirit. I always thought Parker was an overrated fat kid who played in the middle of nowhere Georgia so he didn't bother me. Harrison Barnes was brutal. I remember standing in line for a Duke game and somebody had it on their computer, not fun.

We have a lot of 3/4 guys, young-ish ones. More talent is always a good thing but our needs are true bigs and point guards this year. Looney would have been cool but there are others at that position we are currently recruiting.

Paging Myles Turner. Myles Turner to Durham, North Carolina please.

devildeac
11-01-2013, 11:22 AM
I've got a slighlty used (and inaccurate) oiuja board I'd like to sell now. Any interested persons?

CrazyNotCrazie
11-01-2013, 11:42 AM
This is further justification as to why I ignore all of these "gurus," all of the endless threads on DBR speculating where these guys are going, and all of the other gossip. Leave the kids alone, let Coach K do his job (which he does very well), and let the chips fall where they may. The only person less interesting to me than all the recruiting gurus is Joe Lunardi and his ridiculous bracketology that becomes completely irrelevant at 6:01 pm the second Sunday in March.

flyingdutchdevil
11-01-2013, 12:11 PM
What I love about CB is how it somewhat mimics the stock market.

Sources
-Analysts in CB are closer to the data. They talk to a variety of sources (coaches, AAU programs, the talent themselves, etc) to get as much info as possible. Do they know the outcomes? Of course not, as I assume they would have to pay players for that data. Hence, they know more than the common fan.
-Equity analysts are closer to the data. They talk to a variety of sources (management, competitors, suppliers, customers, etc) to get as much info as possible. Do they know the outcomes? Of course not, unless it's insider trading. But they do know more than the common side trader.

Accuracy
-Analysts in CB use the sources to make a prediction. They, for the most part, are more accurate than randomly guessing (ie, if every recruit had 5 schools to choose from, statistics stats that randomness would be right 20% of the time).
-Analysts in equity trading use the sources to make a prediction. If there are 5 stocks to choose from, they will invest in the stock that they think has the highest probability of increasing (both in the shortest period of time and with the highest return). Again, historicals have shown that they are more accurate than randomness.

Adverse Events
-Analysts in CB often get it really wrong (see Looney, Kevon)
-Analysts in the stock market often get it really wrong, and sometimes it has dire effects (see World Economic Crisis, 2008)

Reputation
-Fans will put analysts with the best ability to predict schools on a higher pedistal, which can lead to better jobs for the analysts
-Investors will look to analysts who have the best returns and invest more money into them, which will lead to higher returns for the analysts


I'm not saying that these jobs have similar impact; on the contrary, analysts getting the information wrong can lead to terrible, terrible repercussions. But I do love that there are many similarities, especially because I love dappling in the stock market myself.

blUDAYvil
11-01-2013, 01:33 PM
Accuracy
-Analysts in CB use the sources to make a prediction. They, for the most part, are more accurate than randomly guessing (ie, if every recruit had 5 schools to choose from, statistics stats that randomness would be right 20% of the time).
-Analysts in equity trading use the sources to make a prediction. If there are 5 stocks to choose from, they will invest in the stock that they think has the highest probability of increasing (both in the shortest period of time and with the highest return). Again, historicals have shown that they are more accurate than randomness.


While I like the analogy of CB and consensus ratings for stocks (as discussed on the 247 thread) I think the key difference is that equity analysts don't pay that much attention to the number of sell-side buys/sells/holds to make a decision. They (should) consider the company's fundamentals. I think the lesson for me is that CB doesn't provide more value than our own fundamental analysis of what motivates these teenagers' decisions (which is incredibly difficult to do).

JPtheGame
11-01-2013, 05:30 PM
Except no one knows who really finished second and never will. This was one of the stranger recruitments ever, with a school supposedly not even getting a sniff landing the prize over the 3 perceived "leaders"... Follow the shoes...

We know now: http://zagsblog.com/articles/kevon-looney-to-ucla/

tommy
11-01-2013, 07:01 PM
So what happened with Looney? None of us knows. I think even the few guys on these boards who consider themselves “insiders” or are considered as such by others would (and some already have) admit that they didn’t have very much real information about this at all, that the staff didn’t have much of a feel for what the kid was going to do, neither the kid nor anyone close to him nor the staff were talking, and that in all honesty, everybody was just guessing. And if the guys who normally do have some access to the staff and the program were in the dark, then of course all the non-Duke folks on places like the 24/7 Crystal Ball were even more in the dark. I mean, if Nate James or Jeff Capel aren’t talking to Watzone or Adam Rowe about what’s going on with Looney, why would they talk to Paul Biancardi or Jeff Borzello? And they certainly would have no reason to talk to some guy who covers Syracuse, Kentucky, Indiana, or some other school that had no connection to the Looney recruitment.

So, recognizing that we’re in speculation mode, what could have motivated Kevon to make the decision he did? I have to admit, I rarely understand, from a rational, 49 year old Duke grad’s perspective, why an elite recruit wouldn’t want to play basketball and go to school at Duke University given all the incredible benefits there are to doing so. Sure, there are geographic and family considerations that are often a factor in being or not being interested in a school, and sometimes the “fit” or the “feel” of a place or a coaching staff isn’t right. But once a school and a kid are serious about each other, and they’re on his final list, you’ve gotten past all of that, or they would have been eliminated long ago. So what could’ve been going on here?

I agree with those who have opined that the desire to surprise, to go against the grain, is a big deal to young people today. Nobody wants to be predictable. What do athletes say all the time (see other thread where this is discussed) when they pull an upset: “We shocked the world!!” Entertainers today, to whom many young people look up, are constantly striving to shock. People, in particular young people, like to prove people wrong, especially when the people they’re proving wrong think they know something about the young person or how he or she is thinking. “These people don’t know me. They haven’t talked to me. They don’t know anything about me. I’ll show them, and show everyone else I make my own decisions.” That kind of thing. Could’ve been a factor here with Looney.

Next, the rosters and Kevon’s perception of his ability to shine and stand out. Some have speculated that Looney would like to be a one-and-done player. Maybe it’s true, I don’t know. If it’s true, he’d be likely to think he’d have to have a starring role on his college team for the one year he plans on being there. At Duke, there would have been serious competition for playing time, including junior Amile Jefferson, junior Alex Murphy, and others. While I think Looney is overall a more talented player than those two, and will ultimately be a better player, that doesn’t mean he’d necessarily be ahead of them at Duke next year. Maybe, but far from a guarantee.

Florida? They have a kid named Chris Walker in their program, class of 2013, 6’10” and 225, ranked #6 or so in his class. Higher than Looney. I think he has some eligibility issues right now, but he is a super talented player who plays Looney’s position. If Walker is going to be there next year, would that impact Kevon’s PT? Maybe so. Not to say they couldn’t have co-existed, but nevertheless, could’ve been a factor in saying no to the Gators. Tennessee? Plenty of playing time available, as to my knowledge there’s nobody in their program as talented or highly-rated as Looney at his position. Problem there: no “wow” factor. It’s a football school in a football conference. Tennessee is not an upper tier basketball program, it’s not a destination often favored by elite recruits, they’re rarely on primetime national TV. Looney might have figured he wouldn’t have the visibility there that he would like to have. UCLA? Well, maybe he figures he actually can check a lot of boxes there. It is a historic program, with high visibility despite being on the west coast. Despite the Bruins’ struggles in recent years, it’s still viewed by many as a glamour program. In terms of the roster, there’s going to be plenty of PT available for Looney. The Wear twins graduate this year, and there’s really nobody else that plays the 4 spot. Tony Parker is there, but he’s a 5-man, and they have Kyle Anderson who plays some point forward, but Looney would plug right in and start right away at the 4, and be the focal point of the team’s offense, along with Anderson if he comes back for his junior year. So maybe in Looney’s mind he gets the positives of a historic, highly visible program, coupled with all the PT he could want to establish himself as the star of the team, all on a beautiful campus with great weather, in a gigantic media market. That’s not so bad, right?

I have to say, I’m still surprised that UCLA would be able to lure a top recruit like this, especially from halfway across the country – although I did read somewhere that Looney either has some family or even may have lived on the west coast as a youngster – but especially in light of the negative experiences of Tony Parker and Shabazz Muhammad last year, and a host of transfers from UCLA during the Ben Howland era. I’m sure if Parker had it to do over again, he’d make a different choice. He was quite unhappy last year, and I’m surprised he didn’t transfer. Muhammad didn’t seem to enjoy himself either in his one year in Westwood, though to be fair that’s partially his own fault, as if there was ever a kid who never unpacked his proverbial bags, it was Shabazz.

Last thing that I can’t help but think could’ve been a factor here is Adidas. Looney’s AAU team was not on the Nike EYBL circuit; they played in the Adidas-sponsored tournaments and the program is supported by Adidas. (Muhammad’s DreamVision AAU program is Adidas as well). Most of the big name college programs, though not all, are Nike programs. One of Adidas’ highest profile programs is UCLA. There was certainly a lot of speculation that Adidas money had a lot to do with Shabazz ending up in Westwood, as they paid his tennis-playing sister a lot of money considering her relatively modest ranking. I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but it does make me wonder. Duke and Florida are Nike schools. Tennessee is Adidas, but for reasons I cited above, may not have been perceived as a great option by Looney. They apparently did come in second in the Looney sweepstakes, however. Hmm.

UCLA is a program that once again appears to be in trouble. Whenever they are teetering on the edge of irrelevance, they manage to pull a rabbit out of the hat and get back in the game. Ben Howland knew his job hung in the balance – he had to get a big recruiting class last year, and they had to perform, in order to save his job, as his recruiting the last several years had been mediocre at best, and the team’s results reflected it. And they were a bore, to boot -- that’s death in LA. So what do you know? He pulls off a class of Muhammad, Kyle Anderson out of New Jersey (huh? UCLA?), Tony Parker from Georgia (clearly through his AAU coach who Howland hired as an assistant) and California kid Jordan Adams, who was a solid pickup.

Now, it turns out the team was just OK and Howland got fired anyway, but this is a team which, after the Wears graduate and Anderson (and Adams?) possibly goes pro, has a bare cupboard. Alford has struck out so far on the recruiting trail. He somehow got a commitment out of Indiana shooter Trevon Blueitt a few weeks ago, but Blueitt backed out after a couple of days. Other than that, crickets pretty much. So now a bolt from the blue with Kevon Looney. I’m sure Adidas is happy, and who knows? Maybe they did play a role. That whole world is so murky it’s impossible to know.

Listen, this is of course all speculation and conjecture. Just trying to make sense of something that probably can’t be made sense of by outsiders, which we all are. Maybe it’s something as simple as Looney got laid by six different beautiful coeds on a three-day visit to Westwood, and he wouldn’t mind a full year or two of that. He’s 17 years old, after all. Hopefully there are good reasons for his decision. He’s a likable kid who seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders and a supportive family. If Adidas had sway over this, I can’t say I’d be happy about losing a key recruit because of the sneaker company affiliations of his AAU team. But so long as there was nothing violative of NCAA rules going on, and I certainly have no evidence there was and haven’t heard there was, all we can do is wish the kid the best and move on.

nyesq83
11-01-2013, 07:05 PM
My opinion: Meh, next player.

Ima Facultiwyfe
11-01-2013, 07:21 PM
"I seen their team. I seen how they bought into the system." Maybe he knew he wasn't prepared for freshman comp at Duke. Give him credit. Duke is not an easy place. You've got to have what it takes. You've got to want it. Anybody who isn't sure should go someplace else. I respect that. Everybody is better off and I LOVE the guys we've got! Go Devils.
Love, Ima

MarkD83
11-01-2013, 07:23 PM
A lot of times I think we over analyze why players commit to certain programs vs Duke. I wish every top player went to Duke, but if you are from WI and it is almost winter....Southern California might look pretty good.

Best of luck to Kevon and time for us to move on.

sagegrouse
11-01-2013, 07:51 PM
My opinion: Meh, next player.

I agree. Let's throw this one in the looney bin and move on.

sage

cato
11-01-2013, 08:53 PM
"I seen their team. I seen how they bought into the system." Maybe he knew he wasn't prepared for freshman comp at Duke. Give him credit. Duke is not an easy place. You've got to have what it takes. You've got to want it. Anybody who isn't sure should go someplace else. I respect that. Everybody is better off and I LOVE the guys we've got! Go Devils.
Love, Ima

Let's not be harsh. That was spoken, informal language, not an essay. Duke recruited this young man. I'm sure that he could have hacked UWC -- as much as anyone can these days.

bbosbbos
11-01-2013, 09:06 PM
Thought about this last night. You probably found the answer to the strangest recruitment. Furthermore, I have to be honest, I hate this miss.



So what happened with Looney? None of us knows. .......... But so long as there was nothing violative of NCAA rules going on, and I certainly have no evidence there was and haven’t heard there was, all we can do is wish the kid the best and move on.

Clay Feet POF
11-01-2013, 10:34 PM
Thanks Tommy always look forward to your posts. They alway seem to be insightful and with more informaion.

Newton_14
11-01-2013, 10:44 PM
Great post Tommy and I think you nailed it on every angle to be honest. Winner: UCLA (Adidas) 2nd Place: Tennessee (Adidas). We should have known better, really.

Dukehky
11-02-2013, 01:02 PM
Evidently on the final in home visit, a bunch of the other schools sent their head coaches and Duke sent Nate James. I'm sure this was a calculated decision by the coaching staff that didn't end up panning out. Same thing as everyone else has been saying, try and learn from it, if there's anything to learn from, and move on to trying to get the rest of our recruits. Regardless, let's just go undefeated and win a national title this year, then I won't really be worried about recruiting.

Newton_14
11-02-2013, 10:44 PM
Evidently on the final in home visit, a bunch of the other schools sent their head coaches and Duke sent Nate James. I'm sure this was a calculated decision by the coaching staff that didn't end up panning out. Same thing as everyone else has been saying, try and learn from it, if there's anything to learn from, and move on to trying to get the rest of our recruits. Regardless, let's just go undefeated and win a national title this year, then I won't really be worried about recruiting.

I heard it differently actually. The Nate James visit was the night prior to the announcement, and was not an in home visit. The famiy had refused any more in home visits after a certain date. Nate went to the school not Looney's home.

As far as I know, on the official in-home visit, it was the normal Duke deal of K, and at least two of his three assistants. That is normal protocol of all of the official in-home visits.

Dukehky
11-02-2013, 10:52 PM
I heard it differently actually. The Nate James visit was the night prior to the announcement, and was not an in home visit. The famiy had refused any more in home visits after a certain date. Nate went to the school not Looney's home.

As far as I know, on the official in-home visit, it was the normal Duke deal of K, and at least two of his three assistants. That is normal protocol of all of the official in-home visits.

You're right, I did mean the last visit prior to the announcement, sorry and thank you for correcting me. Nate went instead of K, and other schools sent the HC. I don't know if that made any difference, but my original point holds.

Newton_14
11-02-2013, 10:58 PM
You're right, I did mean the last visit prior to the announcement, sorry and thank you for correcting me. Nate went instead of K, and other schools sent the HC. I don't know if that made any difference, but my original point holds.

Understood. Your original point is correct then. All the recent chatter seems to suggest he was going to UCLA anyway, but it is a valid concern to bring up.

tommy
11-02-2013, 11:21 PM
Evidently on the final in home visit, a bunch of the other schools sent their head coaches and Duke sent Nate James. I'm sure this was a calculated decision by the coaching staff that didn't end up panning out. Same thing as everyone else has been saying, try and learn from it, if there's anything to learn from, and move on to trying to get the rest of our recruits. Regardless, let's just go undefeated and win a national title this year, then I won't really be worried about recruiting.

May not really be anything to learn from it, because each recruit, his family, and his thought process are different. Maybe Looney would've like K to make that last quick pre-announcement visit to demonstrate how important he is/was to Duke. But maybe the next recruit would prefer to be reassured at the last minute by a visit from the younger, African-American assistant coach (and former Duke player) who he may relate to more on a personal level. Or maybe he'd view a last minute visit from the head coach as an indication of desperation, which could be a turn-off. Who knows? What "works" in one recruitment might not work at all in another recruitment. Human beings.

throatybeard
11-03-2013, 12:26 AM
I'm confused. Am I supposed to write a whole line for this cat in the Handy Pocket Reference, like John Wall, or not?

I just need to know whether Wojo and I have license to crack each other's skulls open and feast on the goo inside.