Should We Offer Any Other Top 50 Bigs?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Glancing at the 247 list I see 6 PFs and Cs in the top 50 who don't have an offer from us. Are there any of these guys you think we should be offering? Are here any behind-the-scenes rumblings that any of these guys will get an offer?

01 DeAndre Ayton
07 Brandon McCoy
09 Billy Preston
30 Cody Riley
34 Ikechukwu Obiagu
50 Rayshaun Hammonds

 

[RoseHeel]

Far too late IMO. By this point, Recruits have formed their ties with coaches and know in their minds where they possibly want to go and have begun their "Top 8s" and "Top 5s".

Itd take more than just us selling PT to break in to an elite recruits list. And that "More" is usually what some bash other coaches for.

Any top 50 big(s) we get will be the ones we've already offered...If we get any at all.

EDIT: I overlooked McCoy. Speculation is that we were recruiting him, but anyone expecting an offer will probably be disappointed

 

[gunslingerdick]

Yes. And Roy should maybe consider offering a scholarship to any guy 6'9" or taller walking around campus.

 

[HeelFan58]

Yes. And Roy should maybe consider offering a scholarship to any guy 6'9" or taller walking around campus.

If they are already on campus maybe we can get them to walk on

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

At a glance, there are still 7 PF/Cs available in the 2nd 50.

I wonder how many of them are waiting to see where the top guys go - hoping they'll get an offer from a top school if that school doesn't land their 1st or 2nd choice.

So, for example, look at #92 Xavier Tillman, 6'8 240. He has offers from some good schools including UK, Purdue and Notre Dame. But among those schools he's only shown as "warm" toward Purdue.

So why hasn't he jumped on one of those offers? Probably he isn't interested in being a bench warmer for Cal who ends up having to transfer to get any PT. And maybe there's some reason why he doesn't like ND.

The answer may be that he's also reportedly warm toward MSU, Florida and Marquette - but he doesn't have an offer from any of those schools.

So it might be reasonable to guess that he'd really rather play for Izzo (or one of the others) and he's holding off on committing to Purdue in the hope of getting an offer. But that's a risky game.

 

[HeelFan58]

New name to watch out for on the 2017 circuit Sandro Mamukelashvili 6'9" center was born in NY but parents are from Georgia (not the state).

Mamukelashvili has good size and mobility. During camp, he played with good effort, consistently ran the floor and showed an ability to step out on the perimeter and make jump shots.

“Everybody calls me a big guy, but I don’t like playing like a big guy,” he said. “I like passing the ball. I like grabbing rebounds and pushing in transition and finding guys. I like shooting threes and getting to the rim. My favorite thing is to get an assist.”

Sounds like a UNC kind of guy.

 

[Archer2]

At a glance, there are still 7 PF/Cs available in the 2nd 50.

I wonder how many of them are waiting to see where the top guys go - hoping they'll get an offer from a top school if that school doesn't land their 1st or 2nd choice.

So, for example, look at #92 Xavier Tillman, 6'8 240. He has offers from some good schools including UK, Purdue and Notre Dame. But among those schools he's only shown as "warm" toward Purdue.

So why hasn't he jumped on one of those offers? Probably he isn't interested in being a bench warmer for Cal who ends up having to transfer to get any PT. And maybe there's some reason why he doesn't like ND.

The answer may be that he's also reportedly warm toward MSU, Florida and Marquette - but he doesn't have an offer from any of those schools.

So it might be reasonable to guess that he'd really rather play for Izzo (or one of the others) and he's holding off on committing to Purdue in the hope of getting an offer. But that's a risky game.

I think it's more likely that we sign a couple of these guys.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I think it's more likely that we sign a couple of these guys.

We need to offer them. Which ones would you like to see offers to?

 

[Archer2]

We need to offer them. Which ones would you like to see offers to?

We need at least two bigs from this class and three would be optimal. My gut says we don't sign anybody in the top 20. I would offer several guys, these in particular from the Rivals Top 150:

Nick Richards 6-11/235 ranked 21st
Ikey Obiagu 6-11/220 ranked 43rd
Rayshaun Hammonds 6-8/215 ranked 67th
Alex Reese 6-9/225 ranked 68th
Deng Gak 6-9/210 ranked 78th
Xavier Tillman 6-8/260 ranked 81st
Aamir Simms 6-8/230 93rd

IOW, anybody that plays PF/C who's ranked in the top 100. I'd love to sign Isaiah Stokes as well.

 

[DSouthr]

Well, not gonna try to tell you I get it guys, I don't understand why we don't have at least 4 more big men offers out at this point. I don't care who would be upset by our offering big men, if the 5 stars do not like it then go ahead and commit but we are on the verge of being locked out again from any solid big men in a class that we just can not afford to whiff on.

Look, right now the ONLY 2 big men that in any way feels like we have a solid shot at is a former offensive line man that decided to play basketball and give up football and Sims who is athletic but on the slim, side? There is some really good talent in those 4 stars folks, guys that can really help us but we are not involved with them. It is getting on the late side for us to snag one of those 4 star kids if we are not involved with them now. But the offers continue to go out to wings and guards?

 

[heels05champs]

Well, not gonna try to tell you I get it guys, I don't understand why we don't have at least 4 more big men offers out at this point. I don't care who would be upset by our offering big men, if the 5 stars do not like it then go ahead and commit but we are on the verge of being locked out again from any solid big men in a class that we just can not afford to whiff on.

Look, right now the ONLY 2 big men that in any way feels like we have a solid shot at is a former offensive line man that decided to play basketball and give up football and Sims who is athletic but on the slim, side? There is some really good talent in those 4 stars folks, guys that can really help us but we are not involved with them. It is getting on the late side for us to snag one of those 4 star kids if we are not involved with them now. But the offers continue to go out to wings and guards?

Well said Dave. I can't for the life of me understand the strategy. We are desperate for bigs yet keep dragging our feet on offers. Sometimes, Roy is so stubborn that he continues to prioritize kids that we have very little chance at. Randle is an example that comes to mind. I think he's doing the same thing with bamba, carter, Knox, etc.

 

[DSouthr]

Well said Dave. I can't for the life of me understand the strategy. We are desperate for bigs yet keep dragging our feet on offers. Sometimes, Roy is so stubborn that he continues to prioritize kids that we have very little chance at. Randle is an example that comes to mind. I think he's doing the same thing with bamba, carter, Knox, etc.

I am not going to try to pretend to know how good our shots are at the guys Roy seems to be waiting on but Randle comes to my mind as well. These kids seem really good at telling a coach only what they want that coach to hear, they do the same with the media most times as well.

Now I realize, a guy like gary gets heat for what he says at times but I listen to what gary brings because he has ties in the AAU circles and there are times you get more accurate information there than you are going to get anywhere else and at times you can get a look that Roy doesn't even get. Those AAU coaches work college coaches but they talk among themselves in ways they do not talk publicly. So I find it VERY informative to consider what the AAU and high school coaches are saying and it is more now days about the AAU and EYBL than high school.

Randle is a great example of just this, I heard from multiple summer league folks that told me that Randle was all about Ky and Kansas and we were nothing but window dressing, I got that within days after the peach Jam that year, well before Roy visited with his box of rings, he stayed on Randle so long that others went elsewhere. It took Randle telling Roy, sorry but No before Roy pulled off. Now I love the tenacity but in recruiting wasting time on a guy you are not going to get costs you. It is a risk, considering just how serious our front court needs are, that I struggle to understand at this point.

Now we can fuss about Roy or we can praise him, we do both to extremes to often. But there is no doubt that Roy is one hard headed joker and that does not serve him well all the time.

 

[HeelFan58]

I am not going to try to pretend to know how good our shots are at the guys Roy seems to be waiting on but Randle comes to my mind as well. These kids seem really good at telling a coach only what they want that coach to hear, they do the same with the media most times as well.

Now I realize, a guy like gary gets heat for what he says at times but I listen to what gary brings because he has ties in the AAU circles and there are times you get more accurate information there than you are going to get anywhere else and at times you can get a look that Roy doesn't even get. Those AAU coaches work college coaches but they talk among themselves in ways they do not talk publicly. So I find it VERY informative to consider what the AAU and high school coaches are saying and it is more now days about the AAU and EYBL than high school.

Randle is a great example of just this, I heard from multiple summer league folks that told me that Randle was all about Ky and Kansas and we were nothing but window dressing, I got that within days after the peach Jam that year, well before Roy visited with his box of rings, he stayed on Randle so long that others went elsewhere. It took Randle telling Roy, sorry but No before Roy pulled off. Now I love the tenacity but in recruiting wasting time on a guy you are not going to get costs you. It is a risk, considering just how serious our front court needs are, that I struggle to understand at this point.

Now we can fuss about Roy or we can praise him, we do both to extremes to often. But there is no doubt that Roy is one hard headed joker and that does not serve him well all the time.

Roy's box of rings is the closest Randle will ever get to a championship ring. Randle even eliminated us before moo.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I see that the offer to Vanderbilt is now being reported by 247, but not yet by Scout.

All the recent predictions for him have him going to TCU. It will be interesting to see if that changes now that he has an offer from Roy.

He looks good in the clip I saw, but he's a 3/4 (or maybe a 4/3 at best) and is coming off an injury. With a true big, he'd be a big help. As our only big, I'd still be worried.

 

[Tom79]

'58 posted a bit on a kid I saw mentioned elsewhere. Could be a steal.

David is correct about Mike and "information"...it may not be spot on but it would be dang close as he mentioned, they are in contact with coaches/staff more often than we...

I've got a feeling Roy will get two bigs in this class as he has known for some time we have two spots that open, some of us may well be surprised at who those kids are but they will want to be at UNC and coached by our staff.

And some of the kids in this post/thread are class of '18 kids. As David and I have discussed with each other previously, better get your bigs now, cause '18 is slim on quality bigs.

Everyone is back on campus and we have a really good team to watch. Unfortunately we may have to wait until spring to get a solid idea who is going where.

 

[Calabrias Inferno]

If we get 2 bigs, I'd be okay if one of them is a work in progress, like Jericho Sims or Isaiah Stokes. The other one needs to be someone who can contribute right away... Bamba, Washington, or worse case scenario, a very capable graduate transfer.

 

[DSouthr]

I am as guilty as anyone but the truth is we look to recruiting to much because it isn't about who wins the recruiting title in august or sept, it is about who does what in march and the first week of april that really matters.

Roy finds a way to cobble together good teams, now at times those good potential teams have been hurt by injury, off court nonsense by hard headed players, and media created frenzy of negative headlines we did not deserve. Since our last natty we have had a perfect storm of all the above problems. Last season that finally seemed to break and look, we played in the national title game.

There was a thread, I think it was here but it could have been elsewhere but it quoted a fact that since the one & done system was put in place there have been only 2 teams that have won the natty with one & done players, 1 or more. Marvin Williams class was the last class a kid could go from high school to the NBA so the very next year the one & done was the rule. That means since 2005 only 2 teams have won the natty with a single one & done player? 11yrs ago, 2 out of 11, so how important are one & done players? Seems to be more fools gold that actual gold and not a single one & done played in the title game last season? And even without a single one & doner, UNC has not flamed out in the opening round or 2nd round of the NCAAT, duke can't say that.

All the bluster we hear from dukies and Ky fans, since the one & done went in to place we have won as many nattys as the balleyhood duke and Ky even while they are getting all that super talent. There recruiting titles in the summer have not exactly paid off in April.

And yet we get all worked up because we miss on this or that 5star player in the summer?

 

[Calabrias Inferno]

Probably need to start the clock with the 2006-2007 season, as KD's class was the first obligatory OAD class. But I agree with the overall sentiment that picking up multiple OADs has never been a strong indicator of a team that will win the whole thing. Give me Brice, Marcus, Joel, Isaiah, Justin, and Kennedy all day over your prototypical OAD that averages 13 ppg and 3 turnovers - while shooting 41%. No thanks. There's a much stronger correlation with upperclassmen leading a team to a NC than OAD players.

07 Florida- led by juniors
08 Kansas- led by juniors
09 UNC- led by juniors/seniors
10 Dook- led by juniors/seniors
11 UConn- led by Kemba lol
12 UK- OAD
13 Louisivlle- led by junors
14 UConn- led by juniors and seniors
15 Dook - OAD
16 Nova- led by juniors and seniors

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Roy puttin in the work folks, keep the faith.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Probably need to start the clock with the 2006-2007 season, as KD's class was the first obligatory OAD class. But I agree with the overall sentiment that picking up multiple OADs has never been a strong indicator of a team that will win the whole thing. Give me Brice, Marcus, Joel, Isaiah, Justin, and Kennedy all day over your prototypical OAD that averages 13 ppg and 3 turnovers - while shooting 41%. No thanks. There's a much stronger correlation with upperclassmen leading a team to a NC than OAD players.

07 Florida- led by juniors
08 Kansas- led by juniors
09 UNC- led by juniors/seniors
10 Dook- led by juniors/seniors
11 UConn- led by Kemba lol
12 UK- OAD
13 Louisivlle- led by junors
14 UConn- led by juniors and seniors
15 Dook - OAD
16 Nova- led by juniors and seniors

Our best team should be 2 seniors and 3 juniors with another senior the 1st or 2nd guy off the bench.

Gotta like that experience.

Plus we have 2 sophs, 4 frosh and even 1 more senior who will get a chance to make the case that they deserve starts and PT.

 

[alabamaheel]

I am as guilty as anyone but the truth is we look to recruiting to much because it isn't about who wins the recruiting title in august or sept, it is about who does what in march and the first week of april that really matters.

Roy finds a way to cobble together good teams, now at times those good potential teams have been hurt by injury, off court nonsense by hard headed players, and media created frenzy of negative headlines we did not deserve. Since our last natty we have had a perfect storm of all the above problems. Last season that finally seemed to break and look, we played in the national title game.

There was a thread, I think it was here but it could have been elsewhere but it quoted a fact that since the one & done system was put in place there have been only 2 teams that have won the natty with one & done players, 1 or more. Marvin Williams class was the last class a kid could go from high school to the NBA so the very next year the one & done was the rule. That means since 2005 only 2 teams have won the natty with a single one & done player? 11yrs ago, 2 out of 11, so how important are one & done players? Seems to be more fools gold that actual gold and not a single one & done played in the title game last season? And even without a single one & doner, UNC has not flamed out in the opening round or 2nd round of the NCAAT, duke can't say that.

All the bluster we hear from dukies and Ky fans, since the one & done went in to place we have won as many nattys as the balleyhood duke and Ky even while they are getting all that super talent. There recruiting titles in the summer have not exactly paid off in April.

And yet we get all worked up because we miss on this or that 5star player in the summer?

And might I add that kys chip was because of a broken wrist. My opinion, we beat them with kendall on a neutral court. Not even close.

 

[UNC Blue Hup]

I love our team next year--I'd go as far to say that if we played last years team while they were in the early season as this team is now, this years team would win...Meeks, JB, TP, JJ, Hicks, should be MUCH better, that's a good experienced starting 5...And I loved Marcus and Brice!

 

[Tom79]

Roy puttin in the work folks, keep the faith.

I am mike...