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Hates Monikers said:
I know that's a joke, and you wouldn't take him now. But he was a gamble from the start and is the perfect kind of kid for the 13th scholarship as a high school recruit.

Could you say to Alonzo Dodd or Ahnjay Lee, "You can see from your offers that coaches think you need to have more/better _______ or are too _______ to play high major right now. But we like your potential a lot. Let's make a deal to try it here for a year. After the season we can talk and see where you're at and if we both like your future here."

Some of these guys develop; some don't. Some are willing to take a chance at a higher level and some would prefer to play right away at St. Thomas. I know scholarships are technically for four years, but players leave due to these types of discussions every year. And you're not lying to anybody.
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I agree with this. If you have decided you are only using 11 spots then take a flyer on a local kid at either a position of need or a kid who has maybe 1 elite talent (maybe hes a 5'9 kid that can shoot the lights out or a 6'11 280lb kid whatever it may be). If they develop GREAT, if they dont well its no different than using it on a walk on kid who will never see the floor anyway. If they leave after a year so be it.

That would not be my theory, I am more iron sharpens iron. If you can't hack it and think you are the man, cool leave. It is my job as the coach to either make you feel apart of the team and bring in kids who know they might get pushed. Only taking 11 guys because you dont think you can manage the egos of 2 more kids I feel is the wrong way to do it.

I understand we aren't OSU/Bama (in football) but I promise you Day/Saban don't stop bringing in talent if they think it will help them. OSU had Jameson Williams, hey sorry Smith-Njibga and Harrison Jr are out there, if you dont want to compete then best of luck at your next stop.

And i get it, kids today aren't the same, 100% agree, but giving in to that all of the time only perpetuates that. Ben might not be promising time, but by leaving 2-3 open spots a year he is doing that by proxy. He might not tell henley/carrington they are the starting SG, but if he doesnt recruit anyone else to play there they know they have to play.
 

leib0039 said:
I agree with this. If you have decided you are only using 11 spots then take a flyer on a local kid at either a position of need or a kid who has maybe 1 elite talent (maybe hes a 5'9 kid that can shoot the lights out or a 6'11 280lb kid whatever it may be). If they develop GREAT, if they dont well its no different than using it on a walk on kid who will never see the floor anyway. If they leave after a year so be it.

That would not be my theory, I am more iron sharpens iron. If you can't hack it and think you are the man, cool leave. It is my job as the coach to either make you feel apart of the team and bring in kids who know they might get pushed. Only taking 11 guys because you dont think you can manage the egos of 2 more kids I feel is the wrong way to do it.

I understand we aren't OSU/Bama (in football) but I promise you Day/Saban don't stop bringing in talent if they think it will help them. OSU had Jameson Williams, hey sorry Smith-Njibga and Harrison Jr are out there, if you dont want to compete then best of luck at your next stop.

And i get it, kids today aren't the same, 100% agree, but giving in to that all of the time only perpetuates that. Ben might not be promising time, but by leaving 2-3 open spots a year he is doing that by proxy. He might not tell henley/carrington they are the starting SG, but if he doesnt recruit anyone else to play there they know they have to play.
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Football recruiting and basketball are completely different monsters. I agree with iron sharpening iron, but there also is a reason why there were 2000 kids in the portal. I also know that kids go to places where they see opportunities to play. We saw guys like Jackson Loge go to DII because he didn’t have commitable offers with places to play. It’ll be interesting to see what happens after next season. That will have allowed him to have two recruiting classes in a row with four kids. Plus a couple upperclassman. Will he still hit the portal for a couple and get us to 12? This staff isn’t lying to kids and that will benefit us locally and most believe (not me necessarily) that we need locals to be successful here. Pitino and Tubby didn’t give in and we saw where that got them.
 

leib0039 said:
I agree with this. If you have decided you are only using 11 spots then take a flyer on a local kid at either a position of need or a kid who has maybe 1 elite talent (maybe hes a 5'9 kid that can shoot the lights out or a 6'11 280lb kid whatever it may be). If they develop GREAT, if they dont well its no different than using it on a walk on kid who will never see the floor anyway. If they leave after a year so be it.

That would not be my theory, I am more iron sharpens iron. If you can't hack it and think you are the man, cool leave. It is my job as the coach to either make you feel apart of the team and bring in kids who know they might get pushed. Only taking 11 guys because you dont think you can manage the egos of 2 more kids I feel is the wrong way to do it.

I understand we aren't OSU/Bama (in football) but I promise you Day/Saban don't stop bringing in talent if they think it will help them. OSU had Jameson Williams, hey sorry Smith-Njibga and Harrison Jr are out there, if you dont want to compete then best of luck at your next stop.

And i get it, kids today aren't the same, 100% agree, but giving in to that all of the time only perpetuates that. Ben might not be promising time, but by leaving 2-3 open spots a year he is doing that by proxy. He might not tell henley/carrington they are the starting SG, but if he doesnt recruit anyone else to play there they know they have to play.
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Will Ramberg saw significant minutes last year until his injury. I think that Johnson is doing what you are suggesting he do by taking a flyer on a local kid but he is rewarding walk ons with scholarships after they demonstrate success and commitment rather than putting himself in a position of offering a 4 year schollie only to face the prospect of forcing someone out.
 


ecoperson said:
Will Ramberg saw significant minutes last year until his injury. I think that Johnson is doing what you are suggesting he do by taking a flyer on a local kid but he is rewarding walk ons with scholarships after they demonstrate success and commitment rather than putting himself in a position of offering a 4 year schollie only to face the prospect of forcing someone out.
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good point. If you are going to have walk-ons, they need to have something to contribute - so that, if necessary, they can give you 5 minutes here or there on a given night.

a walk-on with some ability can be just as valuable as a scholarship player - IF you are going to hand out scholarships just to fill out a roster.
 

ecoperson said:
Will Ramberg saw significant minutes last year until his injury. I think that Johnson is doing what you are suggesting he do by taking a flyer on a local kid but he is rewarding walk ons with scholarships after they demonstrate success and commitment rather than putting himself in a position of offering a 4 year schollie only to face the prospect of forcing someone out.
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Phew, that is REALLY stretching that definition. He had 2 games over 5 min all year ha. So yah I guess success and commitment, he wasnt good and has been here 1 year. Set that bar low so you can never fail, LTSI!
 

Concerning scholarship #11 and #12. Just away to save $100,000.
 




leib0039 said:
Phew, that is REALLY stretching that definition. He had 2 games over 5 min all year ha. So yah I guess success and commitment, he wasnt good and has been here 1 year. Set that bar low so you can never fail, LTSI!
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You can try to be condescending but the truth is that he played minutes that were not garbage time minutes... basically better than what you might expect from one of the last scholarship players.
 



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