In response to some posts on the hoops board, I decided to offer the following run down of the last couple of months at THI, and it was suggested I post it here as well. So, here it is:
A few things:
*We reported with a wink (can't always come right out and say it for obvious reasons), that Tyson was going to commit.
*We were the first to report UNC had moved away from Thierro and had details about that.
*We were the first outlet to introduce Lubin into the blooadstream and then the only outlet to not sign off on UNC moving on from him. We did report he was suddenly not a priority, but the Facebook world (and others) said he was no longer on UNC's radar.
*We had details of Lubin's visit.
*We had full details of Onyenso's visit.
*We were the only outlet saying for some time that UNC was going to take just one of the three bigs between Lubin, Hawkins, and Onyenso. Even when pushed by many on this board suggesting otherwise because they heard/read elsewhere UNC was still looking to add, we continued to report the same thing, that UNC was not going to add.
*I might also add when elsewhere it was reported UNC was interested in Ballo, as an example, we reported there was no interest, and we were right.
*We also had details about Danny Wolf that was clear inside information.
Anyone unhappy with our coverage of the portal are people that would be unhappy with anything no matter what.
As for recruiting info:
*In May alone, David went to events in Memphis, Birmingham and Indianapolis and watched first-hand and interviewed UNC's primary targets for 2025. We ran interviews with more than a dozen targets.
On the football front:
*We don't do video breakdowns because we don't have the resources to pay someone to do them. But we do breakdowns through stats and observation, and we do them quite well. We have consistently been out front in projections for UNC and in reasoning why things went the way they did, win or lose.
*The intel thread on the football board has been loaded with inside information few others in the media would ever have, and we present it in a manner to not burn sources, but also give you guys necessary info.
*In football recruiting, losing Deana was a big blow. You just don't run out and replace someone like her. But what we've done is this: I have taken on more of a role with recruiting, adding that to my 7-day-a-week role (I have worked every day since late June of last year); I elevated Lee Wardlaw and have been working with him to morph some into what was Deana's role; and Bryant Baucom has been moved into football recruiting starting this month.
Deana was outstanding with her ability to read recruitments, it was truly her greatest attribute. And it's very difficult to replace that. She also had contacts everywhere. We are working to rebuild that using three people on football recruiting now. We're essentially trying to replace a legend, and I think we're doing pretty well.
Our interviews with notworthy UNC targets has improved greatly. The depth of the interviews is better than ever, and we are getting most of the top targets at a higher rate than ever before.
*The tidbits and explanation of things within the program is unsurpassed. We are as plugged in with both programs as anyone in the media can be. We are highly trusted, reliable (no retractions), and we are highly respected by the programs because of how we handle sensitive information. We give you guys true journalism, not fan-induced hope "journalism." We aren't an emotional outlet, as we do not root. For that, you get honest, objective, and thoughtful coverage that's hard to find these days.
Would I love to have more people on the staff? Yes. Would I like to pay my current staff more so I can ask them to do more? Absolutely. That's why we are constantly pitching people to sign up for premium as well as looking for advertisers. It costs money to do this the right way, people just aren't going to work for free.
There are more things I could have posted here, but won't because this is already too long. But I am proud of what we have done in my ten years and more recently, knowing we are getting better for the most part. I wish we could do more, and I certainly give it everything I have, as I've worked all but 28 days in my nearly ten years in this job.
And, we will continue to tweak and improve. We have never been satisfied for one day, and never will be.
I appreciate the comments, regardless of it being criticial or praise. I find it healthy you guys speak out about what you don't like, disagree with, or want more of. Our mission is to serve passionate UNC fans, and each of you are passionate fans, or you wouldn't be premium members.
Thank you for being a part of our community, and we hope all of you remain members.
AJ
A few things:
*We reported with a wink (can't always come right out and say it for obvious reasons), that Tyson was going to commit.
*We were the first to report UNC had moved away from Thierro and had details about that.
*We were the first outlet to introduce Lubin into the blooadstream and then the only outlet to not sign off on UNC moving on from him. We did report he was suddenly not a priority, but the Facebook world (and others) said he was no longer on UNC's radar.
*We had details of Lubin's visit.
*We had full details of Onyenso's visit.
*We were the only outlet saying for some time that UNC was going to take just one of the three bigs between Lubin, Hawkins, and Onyenso. Even when pushed by many on this board suggesting otherwise because they heard/read elsewhere UNC was still looking to add, we continued to report the same thing, that UNC was not going to add.
*I might also add when elsewhere it was reported UNC was interested in Ballo, as an example, we reported there was no interest, and we were right.
*We also had details about Danny Wolf that was clear inside information.
Anyone unhappy with our coverage of the portal are people that would be unhappy with anything no matter what.
As for recruiting info:
*In May alone, David went to events in Memphis, Birmingham and Indianapolis and watched first-hand and interviewed UNC's primary targets for 2025. We ran interviews with more than a dozen targets.
On the football front:
*We don't do video breakdowns because we don't have the resources to pay someone to do them. But we do breakdowns through stats and observation, and we do them quite well. We have consistently been out front in projections for UNC and in reasoning why things went the way they did, win or lose.
*The intel thread on the football board has been loaded with inside information few others in the media would ever have, and we present it in a manner to not burn sources, but also give you guys necessary info.
*In football recruiting, losing Deana was a big blow. You just don't run out and replace someone like her. But what we've done is this: I have taken on more of a role with recruiting, adding that to my 7-day-a-week role (I have worked every day since late June of last year); I elevated Lee Wardlaw and have been working with him to morph some into what was Deana's role; and Bryant Baucom has been moved into football recruiting starting this month.
Deana was outstanding with her ability to read recruitments, it was truly her greatest attribute. And it's very difficult to replace that. She also had contacts everywhere. We are working to rebuild that using three people on football recruiting now. We're essentially trying to replace a legend, and I think we're doing pretty well.
Our interviews with notworthy UNC targets has improved greatly. The depth of the interviews is better than ever, and we are getting most of the top targets at a higher rate than ever before.
*The tidbits and explanation of things within the program is unsurpassed. We are as plugged in with both programs as anyone in the media can be. We are highly trusted, reliable (no retractions), and we are highly respected by the programs because of how we handle sensitive information. We give you guys true journalism, not fan-induced hope "journalism." We aren't an emotional outlet, as we do not root. For that, you get honest, objective, and thoughtful coverage that's hard to find these days.
Would I love to have more people on the staff? Yes. Would I like to pay my current staff more so I can ask them to do more? Absolutely. That's why we are constantly pitching people to sign up for premium as well as looking for advertisers. It costs money to do this the right way, people just aren't going to work for free.
There are more things I could have posted here, but won't because this is already too long. But I am proud of what we have done in my ten years and more recently, knowing we are getting better for the most part. I wish we could do more, and I certainly give it everything I have, as I've worked all but 28 days in my nearly ten years in this job.
And, we will continue to tweak and improve. We have never been satisfied for one day, and never will be.
I appreciate the comments, regardless of it being criticial or praise. I find it healthy you guys speak out about what you don't like, disagree with, or want more of. Our mission is to serve passionate UNC fans, and each of you are passionate fans, or you wouldn't be premium members.
Thank you for being a part of our community, and we hope all of you remain members.
AJ
