Payne in portal (UPDATED: Payne commits to Texas A&M)

Payne announces his temporary commitment* to Texas A&M like so many others this year.
* - subject to change based on $$. Screw college basketball...at least the NBA has rules in place that are enforced and not the financial free for all that currently exists in College BB.
 

I read an article recently debunking the whole "Wooden would have gone to MN but a blizzard knocked out phone service." the writer went through weather records, reports on phone outages, the whole 9 yards. and he (the author) determined that the reality just doesn't match up with the legend. he went through all the dates when Wooden met with MN officials, and later met with UCLA officials. there were no reports of corresponding blizzards or periods of phone outages.

as the author tells it, one major sticking point was that MN wanted Wooden to keep the assistant coaches from the previous Head Coach's staff, and Wooden wanted to name his own staff. that dispute in part caused Wooden to meet with UCLA and eventually take the UCLA job.

here's the article in question:

I think the snowstorm narrative was largely in Sid’s head.
 

I read an article recently debunking the whole "Wooden would have gone to MN but a blizzard knocked out phone service." the writer went through weather records, reports on phone outages, the whole 9 yards. and he (the author) determined that the reality just doesn't match up with the legend. he went through all the dates when Wooden met with MN officials, and later met with UCLA officials. there were no reports of corresponding blizzards or periods of phone outages.

as the author tells it, one major sticking point was that MN wanted Wooden to keep the assistant coaches from the previous Head Coach's staff, and Wooden wanted to name his own staff. that dispute in part caused Wooden to meet with UCLA and eventually take the UCLA job.

here's the article in question:

My recollection was the reverse....the snowstorm was where Wooden was. UCLA somehow got in touch and Minnesota didn't so Wooden went to UCLA.
No facts, just the version I heard.
 





This is an upgrade in programs for Payne, but not that significant of one. Especially when you should be weighing in the pride of playing for your hometown school. It’s all Incredibly frustrating and sad it’s come to this. Thankfully these guys are landing outside of the B1G so far.
 

This is an upgrade in programs for Payne, but not that significant of one. Especially when you should be weighing in the pride of playing for your hometown school. It’s all Incredibly frustrating and sad it’s come to this. Thankfully these guys are landing outside of the B1G so far.
I doubt that A&M was on his bucket list.
 





A&M is loaded with booster money. I’m guessing they made one of the better NIL offers he saw. Program prestige and potential postseason success weren’t likely real high on his list of priorities.
Considering how long it took him to commit, maybe the only NIL offer. Just sayin'
 


This is an upgrade in programs for Payne, but not that significant of one. Especially when you should be weighing in the pride of playing for your hometown school. It’s all Incredibly frustrating and sad it’s come to this. Thankfully these guys are landing outside of the B1G so far.
I love the U, but I think people are forgetting just how awful our program really has been.

In the last 20 years, they are over .500 in the SEC, they've been to the tournament 10 times with 3 Sweet 16 appearances and they've won 11 NCAA tournament games.

In the last 20 years, we have a .364 winning percentage in the Big 10, we've been to the tournament 6 times, we have never made a Sweet 16 and we've won a total of 2 tournament games.
 



I love the U, but I think people are forgetting just how awful our program really has been.

In the last 20 years, they are over .500 in the SEC, they've been to the tournament 10 times with 3 Sweet 16 appearances and they've won 11 NCAA tournament games.

In the last 20 years, we have a .364 winning percentage in the Big 10, we've been to the tournament 6 times, we have never made a Sweet 16 and we've won a total of 2 tournament games.
Mostly CBJ’s fault, I assume.
 




White was bullying Anthony Davis in the NCAA. And running point. The announcer called him the most dynamic player in college basketball.

Mbakwe was another Jordan Murphy. He was that good.

Hoffarber had the green light for 3's whenever there was a sliver of an opening. With White & Mbakwe...he'd be absolutely deadly. Plus he was automatic at the line. Closed games out.

Westbrook was a big game player.

Nolan was steady at point.

Damian Johnson was a good player...and would be 6th man.

Reserves would be Joseph, Cobbs, Paul Carter, Sampson, Iverson, Bostick, and Rodney Williams.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts every day would be Christmas.

Yes team had potential to be very good. But this was never a team anyway, just a potential one.
 


This is an upgrade in programs for Payne, but not that significant of one. Especially when you should be weighing in the pride of playing for your hometown school. It’s all Incredibly frustrating and sad it’s come to this. Thankfully these guys are landing outside of the B1G so far.
It's a significant upgrade, if we can't say that something is very wrong.
 


I read an article recently debunking the whole "Wooden would have gone to MN but a blizzard knocked out phone service." the writer went through weather records, reports on phone outages, the whole 9 yards. and he (the author) determined that the reality just doesn't match up with the legend. he went through all the dates when Wooden met with MN officials, and later met with UCLA officials. there were no reports of corresponding blizzards or periods of phone outages.

as the author tells it, one major sticking point was that MN wanted Wooden to keep the assistant coaches from the previous Head Coach's staff, and Wooden wanted to name his own staff. that dispute in part caused Wooden to meet with UCLA and eventually take the UCLA job.

here's the article in question:

So Sid made up the snow story to cover up that he himself likely blew it for the U. Great.
 

Within 4% of our average is good for a new first-time head coach.

Wouldn't you say?
198ae273678874cfd6b85488e93cff84_w200.gif
 

FWIW - tweet from Pat Reusse:

Hearing $500K signing bonus for Pharrel Payne to further his education at Texas A&M.

one of the responses was:

"He's got a good job!" - Mel Jass

(for benefit of younger readers - Mel Jass was a Twin Cities TV personality. "he's got a good job" was one of his catch-phrases.)
 

A&M is loaded with booster money. I’m guessing they made one of the better NIL offers he saw. Program prestige and potential postseason success weren’t likely real high on his list of priorities.
Yep. All the major Texas schools have sports-mad oil wealthy boosters. Tough to compete.
 



Within 4% of our average is good for a new first-time head coach.

Wouldn't you say?
He isn't within 4% of the average.

In only three years, his .254 winning percentage dragged down an already-awful 20 year average by 4 percentage points.

This is like if a baseball player is hitting .200 and then goes 0-12 over a three game stretch to drop the average to .188. He did not hit within 12 percentage points of what was his average.

Despite this exchange, I still think you know more about math than you do basketball.
 


FWIW - tweet from Pat Reusse:

Hearing $500K signing bonus for Pharrel Payne to further his education at Texas A&M.

one of the responses was:

"He's got a good job!" - Mel Jass

(for benefit of younger readers - Mel Jass was a Twin Cities TV personality. "he's got a good job" was one of his catch-phrases.)
from what I've read A&M connected the university's 12th man university run sports fund raising with their NIL collective - one of the first unis to coordinate the efforts. U's can't give money directly to NILs, but by coordinating, they can work with the NIL and Boosters and coordinate what moneys go where
 




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