All Things Class of 2020 Recruiting Thread

Abrams argument makes about as much sense as the Gophers win the B1G this year but fire Pitino because he gets none of the Minnesota recruits.
 


You will see soon enough.

So he's not picking the Gophers only because he has NBA aspirations? He may not be coming here, but as others have said, that reason alone is ridiculous. Both Oturu and Coffey had/have NBA aspirations.
 

Arizona just got a commitment from a 4 star guard yesterday and are a finalist for another 5 star guard, plus they have a ton of wings on their roster yet. Hard to see their offer to Walton as commitable.
 

Arizona just got a commitment from a 4 star guard yesterday and are a finalist for another 5 star guard, plus they have a ton of wings on their roster yet. Hard to see their offer to Walton as commitable.
Simply a fall back if they don't get those other guys. This is implied when the offer is given.

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2020 was/is? supposed to be a great recruiting opportunity for us. It’s still early, but it’s not looking great right now.

We don't have any commits for 2030 either. "It's early, but it's not looking great right now."
 

We don't have any commits for 2030 either. "It's early, but it's not looking great right now."

But we are actively recruiting 2020 players right now. That’s why it matters more than 2030.

We have a top flight group of in-state kids. For the 2020 class. 6 of them. And right now we might have a chance with 1 or 2.
 

But we are actively recruiting 2020 players right now. That’s why it matters more than 2030.

We have a top flight group of in-state kids. For the 2020 class. 6 of them. And right now we might have a chance with 1 or 2.

Garcia, Walton, Madsen, Crowl? I think that is 4 of 6
 




But we are actively recruiting 2020 players right now. That’s why it matters more than 2030.

We have a top flight group of in-state kids. For the 2020 class. 6 of them. And right now we might have a chance with 1 or 2.

My point is that it's not even August, so judging the current recruiting class makes no sense. You aren't familiar with basketball recruiting if you don't understand that. It makes just as much sense to panic about the 2030 class right now.

By the way, the quality of a recruiting class is not determined by the number of local recruits you get.
 

My point is that it's not even August, so judging the current recruiting class makes no sense. You aren't familiar with basketball recruiting if you don't understand that. It makes just as much sense to panic about the 2030 class right now.

By the way, the quality of a recruiting class is not determined by the number of local recruits you get.

Some fans just can not let go of the local kid thing. Research of the top 25 programs reveal that the vast majority get their players from all over the place and seldom get the best players in their own state.
 

Some fans just can not let go of the local kid thing. Research of the top 25 programs reveal that the vast majority get their players from all over the place and seldom get the best players in their own state.

Correct, not the world it used to be in recruiting. Get kids that fit the culture and system. Who cares where they are from if they are good
 



My point is that it's not even August, so judging the current recruiting class makes no sense. You aren't familiar with basketball recruiting if you don't understand that. It makes just as much sense to panic about the 2030 class right now.

By the way, the quality of a recruiting class is not determined by the number of local recruits you get.

The panic is early in some lol. I like commits in the fall as much as the next guy, but I could care less if they are good. In October if we have no commits some can choose to pani, but it's still not really important as far as how good a class will be
 

But we are actively recruiting 2020 players right now. That’s why it matters more than 2030.

We have a top flight group of in-state kids. For the 2020 class. 6 of them. And right now we might have a chance with 1 or 2.

What, specifically, should rp do to get more of the class?
 


I haven't seen abrams clarify what is shaping his opinion on the 2020 class, so I can't comment on whether his pessimism is justified or not. What I can say is that it's not too early to have some concern about where the Gophers stand with this class. Builtbadgers or others can talk about not needing in state kids and top schools having kids from all over on the roster, but the Gophers are not in on the equivalent of the in state kids they could be missing on this year. There isn't anyone with the pedigree of Suggs, Garcia, or Dainja that even has the Gophers on their radar right now. If Pitino can land top 50 kids from out of state great. If he misses on top 50 kids in state and brings in lower ranked kids to replace those misses that is a problem. Hopefully that won't be the case again this year.

I was very concerned about 2019 recruiting and people claimed "too early" last Summer as well. If you look at what happened the Gophers ended up signing one kid in the Fall who had no high major offers in Tre Williams. Now his ranking shot up after the Fall signing period (a rarity), so maybe he will be a solid addition. In the Spring the Gophers added two kids in Bryan Greenlee and Samuel Freeman that appeared to have one other commitable high major offer between them after Buzz left Va Tech (would have been 2 both for Sam). Today, Ryan James just reviewed all of Isaiah Inhen's minutes from the FIBA u-20 and concluded that he looked like more of a 250-300 kid to him than a top 100 kid.
 


Today, Ryan James just reviewed all of Isaiah Inhen's minutes from the FIBA u-20 and concluded that he looked like more of a 250-300 kid to him than a top 100 kid.

Yea...I'd be very careful putting any stock in RJ's scouting assessments. He has some decent sources but is far from a qualified talent evaluator.
 

I haven't seen abrams clarify what is shaping his opinion on the 2020 class, so I can't comment on whether his pessimism is justified or not. What I can say is that it's not too early to have some concern about where the Gophers stand with this class. Builtbadgers or others can talk about not needing in state kids and top schools having kids from all over on the roster, but the Gophers are not in on the equivalent of the in state kids they could be missing on this year. There isn't anyone with the pedigree of Suggs, Garcia, or Dainja that even has the Gophers on their radar right now. If Pitino can land top 50 kids from out of state great. If he misses on top 50 kids in state and brings in lower ranked kids to replace those misses that is a problem. Hopefully that won't be the case again this year.

I was very concerned about 2019 recruiting and people claimed "too early" last Summer as well. If you look at what happened the Gophers ended up signing one kid in the Fall who had no high major offers in Tre Williams. Now his ranking shot up after the Fall signing period (a rarity), so maybe he will be a solid addition. In the Spring the Gophers added two kids in Bryan Greenlee and Samuel Freeman that appeared to have one other commitable high major offer between them after Buzz left Va Tech (would have been 2 both for Sam). Today, Ryan James just reviewed all of Isaiah Inhen's minutes from the FIBA u-20 and concluded that he looked like more of a 250-300 kid to him than a top 100 kid.

I’m not saying RJ doesn’t know basketball or how to review tape, spot talent, and all of that, but what makes you think that he’s done more due diligence on Inhen than Pitino and his staff? Or Rick Barnes and his staff? It’s no secret that the scouting report says Inhen is raw. We’ve already covered that he played poorly in the fiba u20, but I’m not going to let one bad set of games from a raw prospect playing with a team that’s assembled for all but a few weeks spoil my hope that he’s an effective player by the time he’s an upper classman.

Within these recruiting threads, we all need to stop hoping that every recruit is going to walk on campus and be an all big ten from day one. We need to be better at acknowledging players develop at different rates and that the most critical part of RPs job is perhaps to develop his recruits into dependable and solid big ten players by the time the enter their junior year. What we should hope is that a couple of these players every two years will elevate to all big ten level as upperclassmen, and a couple catch on earlier than that. That’s the formula that sustains success if your mascot isn’t the Blue Devil. See Va, Wisco, TN.






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I haven't seen abrams clarify what is shaping his opinion on the 2020 class, so I can't comment on whether his pessimism is justified or not. What I can say is that it's not too early to have some concern about where the Gophers stand with this class. Builtbadgers or others can talk about not needing in state kids and top schools having kids from all over on the roster, but the Gophers are not in on the equivalent of the in state kids they could be missing on this year. There isn't anyone with the pedigree of Suggs, Garcia, or Dainja that even has the Gophers on their radar right now. If Pitino can land top 50 kids from out of state great. If he misses on top 50 kids in state and brings in lower ranked kids to replace those misses that is a problem. Hopefully that won't be the case again this year.

I was very concerned about 2019 recruiting and people claimed "too early" last Summer as well. If you look at what happened the Gophers ended up signing one kid in the Fall who had no high major offers in Tre Williams. Now his ranking shot up after the Fall signing period (a rarity), so maybe he will be a solid addition. In the Spring the Gophers added two kids in Bryan Greenlee and Samuel Freeman that appeared to have one other commitable high major offer between them after Buzz left Va Tech (would have been 2 both for Sam). Today, Ryan James just reviewed all of Isaiah Inhen's minutes from the FIBA u-20 and concluded that he looked like more of a 250-300 kid to him than a top 100 kid.

It's ok to have concern, but claiming the class is shot is ridiculous at this point. Also Richard has shown some strength in spring recruiting. The 2019 class is something we can judge until it plays out. The IW and Jamir Harris class looked solid at the time, but sometimes thing. RJ also said Gabe wouldn't contribute until his JR year, so he's not always right either.

Our staffs focus on recruiting has also changed. With Jeter and Lindsted on board, we put more of a premium on high character kids and trust our player development. We will not be able to rely on getting top 100 kids all the time. Prove we can continue to develop guys like Gabe, Oturo, and Inhens and we will be fine.
 
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RJ's assessment of Ihnen playing against older Euro competition is going to be a little skewed. His biggest hurdle playing against older players is based on development of his strength and body. By having no real off-season as of yet, he has not had any time to spend in a strength and conditioning program where he can develop the tools he needs to play in the B1G. Like Oturu last year due to his shoulder procedure, he hasn't had time to get in on the weights and pack up his caloric intake. If he had come directly here instead of playing in the FIBA event he may have already put on 10 lbs of muscle and been better prepared to play against older players. I am sure the development of Oturu with no injuries to rehab in this off-season could be transformative in making him a Fernando type stud physically. Likewise, we won't have a true picture of Ihnen's potential till the staff works with him to put some muscle on his bones. And no, you can't hit the weights near as hard during the season as you can during the off-season as anyone who has shot baskets before and after lifting weights would tell you.
 

I haven't seen abrams clarify what is shaping his opinion on the 2020 class, so I can't comment on whether his pessimism is justified or not. What I can say is that it's not too early to have some concern about where the Gophers stand with this class. Builtbadgers or others can talk about not needing in state kids and top schools having kids from all over on the roster, but the Gophers are not in on the equivalent of the in state kids they could be missing on this year. There isn't anyone with the pedigree of Suggs, Garcia, or Dainja that even has the Gophers on their radar right now. If Pitino can land top 50 kids from out of state great. If he misses on top 50 kids in state and brings in lower ranked kids to replace those misses that is a problem. Hopefully that won't be the case again this year.

I was very concerned about 2019 recruiting and people claimed "too early" last Summer as well. If you look at what happened the Gophers ended up signing one kid in the Fall who had no high major offers in Tre Williams. Now his ranking shot up after the Fall signing period (a rarity), so maybe he will be a solid addition. In the Spring the Gophers added two kids in Bryan Greenlee and Samuel Freeman that appeared to have one other commitable high major offer between them after Buzz left Va Tech (would have been 2 both for Sam). Today, Ryan James just reviewed all of Isaiah Inhen's minutes from the FIBA u-20 and concluded that he looked like more of a 250-300 kid to him than a top 100 kid.

Mostly talking about your first paragraph. I won't fault Pitino too much about the effort he has putt into Suggs or Garcia. Suggs has always been a little bit different in terms of his recruitment and he's going to Gonzaga. For Garcia, Pitino was in on him early and they have put in a lot of time into his recruitment. If he wants to play for Kansas or another blue blood, I wouldn't blame him as it's hard to beat out those schools. I still believe Minnesota has a chance with Garcia, but no one is a favorite at this point. It might help that he didn't blame the final games on the Adidas circuit, but we'll see.

For Dainja, he will have to work hard to get into any school so I don't fault Pitino for not taking that chance.

I wish Pitino was a little more aggressive in his pursuit of some of the local players. It doesn't seem like he has great relationships with the local AAU programs especially D1 Minnesota, but that's just me speculating.
 

Yea...I'd be very careful putting any stock in RJ's scouting assessments. He has some decent sources but is far from a qualified talent evaluator.
Especially if you read the article, he expects him to contribute off the bench, not start, have a season of growth. That sounds more like a guy in the 150-180 range, which is where I'd put him. Athleticism is there, great in transition, has some nice moves by the basket and I think will be okay behind the arc. Gives good effort on D, but clearly has alot to learn. Guys in the 250-300 range are end of bench high major) mid major rotation players. Offers would say otherwise with Inhen, but I will say the four grade is based on potential more than what he can do now. Tre Williams is further along IMO

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Garcia, Walton, Madsen, Crowl? I think that is 4 of 6

Crowl will likely be committing to Iowa or Wisky soon. Madsen isn’t coming here unless his brother gets offered. We have a shot with Garcia but he’s planning to take visits.
 

My point is that it's not even August, so judging the current recruiting class makes no sense. You aren't familiar with basketball recruiting if you don't understand that. It makes just as much sense to panic about the 2030 class right now.

By the way, the quality of a recruiting class is not determined by the number of local recruits you get.

I don’t care where recruits come from - but the fact is our staff has the best chance to get high end recruits from MN. We aren’t in a good position with anyone from out of state other than Mashburn.
 


Win more and recruit better.

He probably won't be able to win any more games before the early signing date. As to recruit better, how do you know at this point?
 




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