re: 2015 Auburn Basketball Recruiting Thread

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Anybody catch that comment on Tiger Talk last night. (Coach Pearl saying we are behind in recruiting)
But he went to pledge that Auburn will make up lost ground with a warning to the SEC.
Interesting comments.
What does that mean in terms of future players?

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Translation: "The current shoe deal is almost up and I've been given some assurances of certain things. That, along with getting the Komara noose from around our neck, spells trouble for the other SEC teams in the 2016 and 2017 classes. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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Let me preface this by saying that this is not pro-Adidas or anti-Under Armour. I think you can potentially win with either. I'm going to say what I've said a hundred times here.
I want what our basketball staff wants. It's not any more complicated than that.

Anyway, here is what I was referring to (the info I told a few privately). Last April (shortly after BP was hired), a longtime Adidas AAU/Grassroots person told me that one of the head Adidas guys told him that they were going to make a hard run at the AU apparel contract (that ends in 2016) with every intention of getting it.

They thought that BP's background with them and his cache' with AU gave them an opportunity that might not exist otherwise. The AU contract would be a huge feather in their cap, especially after losing Tennessee to Nike. An AU deal would give them an extremely coveted and highly visible SEC program (football and basketball) just as the ESPN/SEC Network contract kicked in.

There was a lot of other stuff said regarding BP's contract and how it was negotiated (particularly the buyout clause) but for this conversation I don't think it's extremely important.

Like I said, I can tell you what Adidas says they plan to do. What I can't tell you is what AU's plans are. I'm assuming at some point they will send out RFPs. Maybe as early as a year in advance (this summer). Someone who knows the inner workings of our Administration would be much more qualified to answer that than myself.

Lastly, I'm not saying that Adidas is a make or break deal with BP. There was a lot of talk that last spring BP put UA on notice. Put up or shut up! I'd say they put up pretty well. All of our HS commitments/signees had UA connections and all but one played on UA AAU teams. I guess that leaves one question: Was it enough? Particularly with what lies on the 2016 and 2017 horizons.......


That brings me to Komara-

I'm assuming that the 'ban' is over, especially if you consider who we are recruiting in 2017. I don't expect AU to ever make an official announcement regarding it. It's not a good look. AAU basketball is perceived for the most part as 'dirty' particularly by people who've never been involved in it. AAU basketball is mostly good, but it's like anything else. It's only as good as it's weakest link. Enough about that. Let's just say it's over. Even our enemies would say that we've paid a big enough price. The NCAA set the ban at two years. A Birmingham law firm has convinced our administration for over 10 years that the ban should stay. eek1 Again, let's assume it's over.

It has to be over because the following recruits all play AAU for Southeast Elite and would all certainly fall under the Komara 'ban':

2017

- Austin Wiley
- Jamal Johnson
- DJ Harvey
- John Petty
- Wendell Carter
- Alex Reese
- DJ Heath
- Bradley Belt
- Garrison Brooks

For those of you who don't follow recruiting closely, please go look up these kids rankings. The talent is off the charts. Several of them will be at the top of our wish list (obviously).

So, how does this connect with the shoe issue? First, let me give you a sampling of 2016. If you looked at the very top of our 2016 wish list, three names would appear-

2016

- Josh Langford
- Kobi Simmons
- Braxton Blackwell

What do they have in common? Well, they are generally considered 3 of the Top 25 players in America for 2016. They also all play for the Adidas sponsored Atlanta Celtics AAU program. Why is that important? It's important because that was BP and TJ's 'honey hole' while they were at UT.

But, recruiting is about relationships. So that should still be intact, right? Well, yes and no. They still love TJ. He just wears a different brand of shoe now.


So, what does that have to do with Komara? Southeast Elite is the proud owner of a big, new shiny Adidas sponsorship just in time for the summer circuit.

How does this all affect Auburn basketball and the circumstances regarding our upcoming apparel deal? I honestly don't know. And quite frankly, it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks. It only matters what BP and his staff think. He may not feel the shoe issue affects him like it does others. I guess we'll see.

Bottom Line: If we give BP what he feels he needs, then I'm confident where we're headed (whether BP thinks that is with Under Armour or he thinks it's with Adidas).

Again, I want what our basketball staff wants.

That sounds simple, right?

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