saw a tweet a little while ago that Noah Togiai has not signed and has doubts that he will ever sign. Anybody know what is going on?
well, just saw an answer
http://www.sltrib.com/home/1856889-1...still-unsigned
Last edited by concerned; 11-21-2014 at 04:07 PM.
I really hope we get him, so don't get me wrong. But am I the only one who thinks, "Well, it will be too bad if Noah goes elsewhere but we can get other players like him now."
Now, don't rip me for saying that (looking at you, SCP) because I know we have to get the top local kids. But to me, the days of feeling deeply depressed because we lost out on one local blue-chipper seem to be past.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Im hoping we can land him, regardless of sport. He could be an all conference defender on the hardwood, or terrific in a few spots on the grid iron.
I know there has been a heated debate about the importance of local kids vs. out of state kids on various forums covering many years, but if I've been staking ground on one side of this argument, it's that our most talented players have almost always been out of state kids. If anything, I'm with you on this one.
Tough to compete against Stanford in preparing a kid for the NBA? If I wanted to play in the NBA, I wouldn't seriously consider Stanford. Anyone that has watched Stanford in recent years under Johnny Dawkins coached knows that.
Now, if the kid doesn't think he will reach the NBA and wants a Stanford degree, then I could understand keeping them in the mix. I can guarantee Coach K and Utah's staff would better prepare Jackson and just about any player for development and a shot at the NBA then Dawkins and Stanford.
Big news I just saw on twitter.... 4 star 2016 big man Zach Collins from Bishop Gorman has scheduled an official visit to SLC Feb 14-16. Other visits he has lined up are Cal, Gonzaga, and New Mexico. I watched a few short clips on him, he looks very skilled offensively... soft shot, good passer, great footwork. Doesn't exactly look like a "rim-protector", but apparently he's still growing.
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/zach-collins
So that makes 3 four-star big men (that I know of) that we're currently recruiting for 2016... would be huge if we could land one of them.
The others are...
Sydney 7 footer Isaac Humphries
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/isaac-humphries
and Jayce Johnson
http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/jayce-johnson
Last edited by LA Ute; 01-13-2015 at 05:44 PM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Do we really have a shot at Frank J? I heard it was either Stanford, Duke or the Y. Are we really in the running?
I have yet to see anything definitive on him. Last I read, he had released a top 5-6 list and the Y was not on it. But who knows,
-ESPN says he doesn't have an offer from Utah.
-Rivals says he has "high" interest in BYU, Medium interest in Arizona St, and no interest in Utah
-247sports says that he has official offers from Arizona, Arizona St, and Utah and has also heard from UCLA, Stanford and "a little" from Duke.
My experience tells me that when it comes to basketball recruiting, Rivals and scout are half-hearted in their coverage, ESPN is pretty good and 247 is generally on top of things. So, I hope that Duke's interest stays passive and I hope that we can land him. The article below says that Larry K was there to watch him at this particular tournament.
http://247sports.com/Bolt/Top-30-Jac...uting-33978741
http://247sports.com/Player/Frank-Jackson-42989
With so much drama with football and the basketball team's success, I really haven't taken a look at hoops recruiting in a while. This thread got me going again.
Next years roster:
Sr:
Jordan Loveridge
Jeremy Olsen
Brandon Taylor
Dakari Tucker
Jr:
Kenneth Ogbe
Chris Reyes
Soph:
Isaiah Wright
Kyle Kuzma
Brekkott Chapman
Gabe Bealer
Freshman:
Brandon Miller
Makol Mawien
This is making the assumptions that Jakob makes the jump (fairly high probability), Brandon Miller returns (no idea), and Noah Togiai picks football and/or chooses to play elsewhere (not a clue in the world). Unless I am mistaken, this gives us one more spot to fill. We desperately need a center. otherwise, we have good depth.
With Parker Van Dyke scheduled to return for 2016, we will need at least 3 more spots filled in 2016. This will be fun to follow.
The other thing to keep in mind is that Larry and Co has had success with the late signees. Looking over this thread, we had not heard anything about Poeltl or Reyes until late february of last year. And that is our starting frontcourt. And not even Tony Jones had reported on those guys until then. No doubt Larry has some irons in the fire that will only be revealed in time.
I'm not so sure Jakob is going.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
Krysko noted on the coach's show Monday night that Poeltl still doesn't play well with his back to the basket. Will he learn that skill more quickly in the NBA, or would another year of Larry tutelage and some weight-lifting serve him better? That's part of the decision he'll have to make.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I think one thing is for sure. I think he will absolutely declare after this year, if for nothing else than to get evaluated (sidenote: remember when that bozo from Brazil, Jonathan Tavernari or something put his name in the ring to get an evaluation? LOL!) . As of right now, he is moving up draft boards, and that is undeniable. I think a lack of a post up game would put him in the same boat as 95% of prospects.
I think it will be fun to see how this plays out. Is the additional year of seasoning worth the risk of injury (especially when nba scouts/front office folks would just as soon let you develop in the Dleague in their system against higher level competition)? But then, I really think Larry could do wonders for this kid with another year, but then on the other hand, there won't be a Delon Wright to feed him the ball next year. Understanding all of the counter arguments, my money says he jumps after this year.
I actually dont think that we can lose long term here. If he stays, awesome. I am much, much more comfortable with out big rotation with him. If he leaves, what a recruiting leg up we would have.....(you know, we just had two of our guys drafted in the first round byu/usu/pac-12 school not named UCLA or Arizona hasn't had a ton of success getting guys there....).
Finally, kudos to anyone who saw this coming. I certainly did not. I expected him to play the Kova role this year if anything. What a nice surprise.
And of course the big reason he might declare: to get out of his rookie contract and to a big money contract a year earlier.
P.S. Does anybody other than Tim Duncan play with his back to the basket anymore? Poeltl doesnt seem much worse than Kanter at No. 3, but there are a lot of bigs ahead of him in the draft this year.
Not enough people realize this. The real money in the NBA is on the second and third contract. And for the reason you listed above is the main reason I think Poeltl will leave after this year. It is far better to find the right situation then it is to be a top choice. Assuming that finding the right situation is equally likely in any draft year (crapshoot), if I were in his shoes, it would be awfully tough to pass up the NBA if I am a top 20 pick to see if I can slide up a few measely slots the next year, risking injury while im not being paid the whole time.
As for back to the basket players, there are a handful still. But not sure it is as big a factor as in past days.