re: Basketball Recruiting Thread

Actually no. He said that was certainly a part of it, like I said, but he also said they were still high on Mizzou after KA was first hired, they heard from him a lot and then he just sort of disappeared like the others.

Woods is visiting k-state on Tuesday from what I saw on Twitter. Sounds like our big man might not be as solid as we thought. If we don't get Woods we will be scraping the bottom of a very empty barrel. I can't imagine next year if we add no big guys.

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Or, that could be just justification for leaving. They still have to live here and blaming Mizzou is a lot easier than just coming out and saying we liked the other schools better. Wouldn't be the first time.

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You don't need a justification to pick Duke or Kentucky over Mizzou. You just take their scholarship offer and leave. No one would be surprised, especially given our current program state. I don't see a need for them to blow smoke. They may feel like they needed to. But it doesn't seem like it to me.

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They may feel like they needed to.

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The only school they'd blow smoke for is SLU. And I don't think they'd criticize the coaches' efforts in doing so like they did the effort given by KA.

As I see it, Tatum is gone. But there are lessons to be learned from it. Either one continues to ignore the problems and some of the things that reduce Mizzou's chances or they acknowledge them and address them so as to increase your chances, even if you still don't get them all.

If Beckner picked somewhere else and we heard that GP and staff had been outworked and stopped recruiting him for all intents and purposes, we would have flipped a lid. But no, even with Elliott, Hentges and Ofodile, they may have lost out but not because they got out worked within their own state.

True enough. TB mentality if you ask me. The old "Meh, we didn't want him anyways. We moved on." Truth is we did and it becomes "Meh, we don't want no elite talent."

I really don't think he does want elite talent. Too much work. Which is another difference between levels of basketball.

Bring it, Sunshine pumpers.

yeah. The issue isn't with the philosophy of picking your recruiting battles. You have to do that. But when you get out worked in state, it's going to get ugly.

It does explain why we signed Puryear and VanLeer so early. They wanted to be here.

But every kid in state who had significant offers elsewhere went elsewhere. I expect to see that scenario repeated next year. Which is ok if he can fashion a winner out of the B sides of recruits. Not if he can't.

Coach K and KA probably have really similar value systems and cultural traits.

Coach K has an excellent brand name, and he's at Duke.

Kim's trying to overcome a brand defined by a career at D2, while rebuilding an upper middle class program.

There's too many differences to try to make a valid connection.

I'll say I have similar thoughts about KA connecting to millennial recruits. But -- I think there are enough good kids out there, like the one we just signed, like the Kim Englishe's of the world who would like to be a part of a well run and principled basketball program.

Basically I see us trying to make a brand that's the anti Kentucky, and I love it.

Yep, no reason to get out worked ever when in state. Doesn't mean you land them all, but you can't get outworked.

I really don't mind guys like Puryear or VanLeer. But they can't be the highlight of your class. They can be very valuable role players but that's what they are.

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If he can be successful at it, it will be perfect for Mizzou.

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#MizzouMade