2021 Men's Basketball Recruiting Thread

[MarkD83]

That's a great question, but I don't know the answer. The underlying data I was using didn't identify whether particular transfers were grad transfers or not. Sorry.

Thanks. Even if this includes grad transfers, the few number of transfers and the fact that most of these players probably stated they were "looking for more playing time" makes me think transfers are not an issue at Duke or unc. The players leaving early for the pros is a bigger issue, but only those that are "unexpected departures" since the coaching staff does not have time to adjust their recruiting to fill the vacancy.

[bluedev_92]

Just a quick side branch to the news of Banchero's selection for the Italian National team.

Duke basketball players with an Italian heritage?
Maybe Dick DeVenzio? Not coming up with others so far.

Let’s not forget coach’s legacy Michael Giovanni Savarino!

[jimsumner]

This lineup would be crazy long and athletic. Add in a quick Roach or Steward and this should be the best zone defense in Duke history.

Given the Bagley, Carter experiment - mostly successful - would Coach K go to zone exclusively with these 3 super frosh in the starting lineup? Maybe. M2M could become our change of pace D.

Some Vic Bubas-coached teams and some Bill Foster-coached teams had pretty darn good zones.

K has demonstrated that he will go zone if he has to. But that qualifier is the key. K goes to zone because he's forced to not because he really wants to. M2M is always going to be his default, I suspect

[SkyBrickey]

Some Vic Bubas-coached teams and some Bill Foster-coached teams had pretty darn good zones.

K has demonstrated that he will go zone if he has to. But that qualifier is the key. K goes to zone because he's forced to not because he really wants to. M2M is always going to be his default, I suspect

Thanks Jim. I should have said “in Coach K history.”

[TKG]

Let’s not forget coach’s legacy Michael Giovanni Savarino!

Don’t laugh. Would not be surprised if he finds his way onto the Duke staff or onto the staff of a Duke alum .

[bluedev_92]

Don’t laugh. Would not be surprised if he finds his way onto the Duke staff or onto the staff of a Duke alum .

For sure - no laughing here.

[mkirsh]

Yeah, that 2016 class (especially if you include Diakite) was absolutely amazing for you guys. It's such a weird anomaly that you have had so (relatively) few top-100 recruits, but such a huge chunk of them (Guy, Jerome, Hunter, Huff, and eventually Key and Hauser) came from one recruiting class. Aside from that, I think Justin Anderson and Brogdon (like Hauser barely a top-100) is the only other top-100 recruit that has done anything at UVa under Bennett. Arguably Mike Tobey, I guess. But really the program was built on guys outside the top-100 like Akil Mitchell, Joe Harris, Darion Atkins, Isiah Wilkins, London Perrantes, Devon Hall... It's amazing how well Bennett did building the program with those guys almost all overachieving. And then right as that wave was declining, you got the monster class with Guy, Jerome, Huff, plus the redshirt Diakite, and Hunter, and another transfer in Key at just the right time.

I wonder what has "gone wrong" for UVa the last few years on the recruiting trail. Kihei Clark is fine, but fairly limited. And beyond him the pipeline of under-the-radar guys seems to have dried up. Is it just a matter of "you can't expect to keep having lower-tier guys overachieve", or is it that they've started recruiting in a range that has higher expectations than is optimal for Bennett's system?

Sounds a lot like Maryland. Gary Williams was at his best with under recruited guys (mostly because he hated wading into the AAU morass), but once they won their NC and started getting higher rated recruits they couldn’t match the success. Obviously a different era and different system (and stage of Gary’s career); I would bet with Bennett to figure it out.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

My teenager just told me that Trevor Keels is live on Instagram with Banchero and discussing colleges and messing around. That’s as close to social media as I get, but my son seemed to think it was positive and said Banchero was pushing the idea that Keels was coming to Duke. Teenagers. Who knows?!?

[cato]

Sounds a lot like Maryland. Gary Williams was at his best with under recruited guys (mostly because he hated wading into the AAU morass), but once they won their NC and started getting higher rated recruits they couldn’t match the success. Obviously a different era and different system (and stage of Gary’s career); I would bet with Bennett to figure it out.

Interesting comparison. Many here seem to assume that Bennet will keep UVA at the apex of the ACC and the NCAA for a long time. I am not so sure. He is obviously an excellent coach and he has built a very strong program, but they have faded from their recent peak and, like Maryland in the Aughts, there is no guaranty that they will climb back to the same heights.

It is hard to stay on top in basketball. With the increasing turnover in college rosters, it will only get harder to put together teams built over the long term.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

It is hard to stay on top in basketball. With the increasing turnover in college rosters, it will only get harder to put together teams built over the long term.

Long term? For us that means 1 season. Maybe.

[revmel53]

Some Vic Bubas-coached teams and some Bill Foster-coached teams had pretty darn good zones.

K has demonstrated that he will go zone if he has to. But that qualifier is the key. K goes to zone because he's forced to not because he really wants to. M2M is always going to be his default, I suspect

Coach Bill Foster played almost all zone, and with a wing player like Spanarkel, passes to the wing were very difficult to make... I agree that the back line would be formidable, but I still can't see K playing zone unless as a last resort.

[SlapTheFloor]

... but they have faded from their recent peak ...

Come again?

[budwom]

Coach Bill Foster played almost all zone, and with a wing player like Spanarkel, passes to the wing were very difficult to make... I agree that the back line would be formidable, but I still can't see K playing zone unless as a last resort.

Jack Givens should have sent Bill Foster a box of chocolates every year for trying to defend him with that inept zone in that particular day. Let's just hope he misses the next one!

[DavidBenAkiva]

For those of you that want to watch Trevor Keels in action, he will be appearing in the American Family Insurance 3-Point Championship this Sunday. The event will air on CBS at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Sunday, April 4th is also decision day for Trevor.

https://newsroom.amfam.com/roster-se...championships/

[cato]

Come again?

Thought it was pretty clear. UVA is not as good as when they received two 1 seeds in a row. They don’t look like they will return to those stratospheric heights next year. I’m simply saying that it will be hard to get back into the mix as the best team in the country.

[cato]

Long term? For us that means 1 season. Maybe.

Indeed. Duke is trying to pull off one of the hardest high wire acts of all. Results have been good but not great. That run of ACC championships and annual 1 seeds is in the rearview mirror at the moment.

[Edouble]

For those of you that want to watch Trevor Keels in action, he will be appearing in the American Family Insurance 3-Point Championship this Sunday. The event will air on CBS at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Sunday, April 4th is also decision day for Trevor.

https://newsroom.amfam.com/roster-se...championships/

Is he expected to announce at the 3-Point Championship? Would we be surprised if he did, or does he have a presser set up at some other point in the day?

[SlapTheFloor]

Thought it was pretty clear. UVA is not as good as when they received two 1 seeds in a row. They don’t look like they will return to those stratospheric heights next year. I’m simply saying that it will be hard to get back into the mix as the best team in the country.

They won a National Championship the last time the game was played. They tied with us for second in conference play last year. They finished first in the ACC regular season this year. They had a bad NCAA tournament, but it was after pulling out of the ACC tournament for COVID. I think you're writing their obituary a *tad* early.

[CDu]

They won a National Championship the last time the game was played. They tied with us for second in conference play last year. They finished first in the ACC regular season this year. They had a bad NCAA tournament, but it was after pulling out of the ACC tournament for COVID. I think you're writing their obituary a *tad* early.

Nobody is writing their obituary. It has been 2 years since they won that title game. And in those two years they were notable worse than they were at their peak.

It is certainly possible that they return to their peak. But it is also true that they have been worse the past 2 years. Still good, but the wording of “faded a bit” is appropriate.

[sagegrouse]

Jack Givens should have sent Bill Foster a box of chocolates every year for trying to defend him with that inept zone in that particular day. Let's just hope he misses the next one!

My solution at the time and 43 years later was to bring in the beefy Scott Goetsch for Gminski and then have him "actively discourage" Givens from coming across the middle. His time on the court may have been somewhat limited because of official actions.