General Visits/transfer recruiting

[Dino611]

There’s been no hype train because the new players aren’t expected to be All League type kids.

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

Surprised you weren’t like that for green or did I miss it,

[luke]

Euro recruiting worked pretty well for Bob Mckillip for a very long time and I never remember any hype about any of his Euro recruits , and in fact the
American recruit to Davidson that had any hype about him was Kellan Grady . I don''t even remeber any talk of Jack Gibbs before he played at Davidson .
McKillip was a master of Stealth recruiting and hitting the mark with unheralded signings . Hope Archie is able to surprise us as well.

[rhodylaw]

I don’t want hype in the summer - I want hype in the winter!!

We have been the bottom of a weak league for multiple years. Get competitive again and we can splash additions. Right now, build it back to competitive core (which I think they may have done) and a few of these guys will emerge.

[Rhody15]

There’s been no hype train because the new players aren’t expected to be All League type kids.

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

Leggett was great for us last year and wasn’t All League.

Just because a player isn’t all league doesn’t mean they can’t make a big impact for us.

[CamsRams]

Why aren’t we going after B Gardner?

[Jersey77]

Why aren’t we going after B Gardner?

How do you know they haven't tried?
He is probably out of our reach.

[Ramfan22]

Why aren’t we going after B Gardner?

How do you know they haven't tried?
He is probably out of our reach.

He took an official visit to Bryant this week

[Rhody15]

Why aren’t we going after B Gardner?

How do you know they haven't tried?
He is probably out of our reach.

He took an official visit to Bryant this week

Yup, zero excuse why we shouldn't be in contact and trying to set up a visit.

An official visit to Bryant just shows Gardner seems interested in a lower level school where he could have immediate playing time.

[Rhodymob05]

St. John’s to Bryant is quite the drop.

[jcru]

maybe he wants to go to the NCAAT, and figures better chance of that happening at Bryant, than URI beating out 14 teams to get the one A-10 bid.

Give it about 3 more years, people will start to cotton on, that being in a conference that has 15 teams and one bid, with this much competition, is ridiculous.

[rhodyram22]

maybe he wants to go to the NCAAT, and figures better chance of that happening at Bryant, than URI beating out 14 teams to get the one A-10 bid.

Give it about 3 more years, people will start to cotton on, that being in a conference that has 15 teams and one bid, with this much competition, is ridiculous.

Being on Bryant absolutely does not guarantee him a spot in the NCAAT if you consider last season lol

[Billyboy78]

[jcru]

Being on Bryant absolutely does not guarantee him a spot in the NCAAT if you consider last season lol

no one mentioned the word "guarantee"

[jcru]

You would think this would be the sort of player who is exactly what we need. We can't beat out Bryant now?

[Billyboy78]

You would think this would be the sort of player who is exactly what we need. We can't beat out Bryant now?

It's sad that Bryant can get a visit and we can't. He'd probably be our best player right away. You would think that Duane could at least get him to agree to visit. He played at Christ The King in NYC. Not good.

[jcru]

It’s Charles Pride all over again

[jcru]

Is this a NIL problem? Bryant can out bid us?

[Bos8]

You would think this would be the sort of player who is exactly what we need. We can't beat out Bryant now?

It's sad that Bryant can get a visit and we can't. He'd probably be our best player right away. You would think that Duane could at least get him to agree to visit. He played at Christ The King in NYC. Not good.

Was Lamar the last guy we've gotten from Christ the King? I know that Baron was real close with the staff there, but I don't recall anyone coming to URI. Don't believe Hurley brought anyone in either.

[rhodyram22]

Being on Bryant absolutely does not guarantee him a spot in the NCAAT if you consider last season lol

no one mentioned the word "guarantee"

I know that, but it's pretty embarrassing if we didn't attempt to get him here for a visit. Our facilities are still superior to Bryant's.

[jcru]

Someone came on here within the last month, around the same time the Pride visit was being cancelled, right after the Kortright visit, and that poster said “the team has decided it’s not going to use its resources to pay players”. When questioned if he spoke for the coaching staff or the school he back pedaled a little bit and then disappeared.

So, spend $8 million to resurface the west gym but not a few thousand for a top notch recruit? Penny wise and dollar foolish. Those words will come back to bite them in the ass.

[Rhody15]

It’s Charles Pride all over again

No it's not.

Pride was a proven transfer with a very good D1 track record.

Murray is a high school senior, D1 production currently unknown.

[jcru]

Charles Pride was also a former NY State Mr Basketball who went to Bryant University instead of URI. So, it’s Charles Pride all over again.

[steveystuds06]

There’s been no hype train because the new players aren’t expected to be All League type kids.

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

No one said Kortright was a star and an all-A10 player. Most of us disagreed with you acting like he was this horrible player that wouldn't make an impact and giving him the same grade as players he's clearly better than. I don't think we will have any All-A10 players. I hope I'm wrong.

[jcru]

There’s been no hype train because the new players aren’t expected to be All League type kids.

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

No one said Kortright was a star and an all-A10 player. Most of us disagreed with you acting like he was this horrible player that wouldn't make an impact and giving him the same grade as players he's clearly better than. I don't think we will have any All-A10 players. I hope I'm wrong.

I just said that Kortright is the 4th or 5th best player recruited out of the players we recruited. The top 3, in no particular order, being Brown, House, Montgomery. Do you disagree with that?

[jcru]

Oh, and if you follow statistics in general, you'll probably be wrong... about us not having any All-A-10 players. Someone on this roster, at least one person, maybe two, will rise up and do what Ish did. And if we aren't stuck at the bottom of the league again, they'll probably get recognized for it.

Unlike poor Ish, who got stuck being the best player, on a last place team. In a Conference with 15 teams.

[steveystuds06]

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

No one said Kortright was a star and an all-A10 player. Most of us disagreed with you acting like he was this horrible player that wouldn't make an impact and giving him the same grade as players he's clearly better than. I don't think we will have any All-A10 players. I hope I'm wrong.

I just said that Kortright is the 4th or 5th best player recruited out of the players we recruited. The top 3, in no particular order, being Brown, House, Montgomery. Do you disagree with that?

If I remember correctly, you gave him and David Green a C grade right? I think you gave Always a high grade as well so you had Kortright basically at the bottom of our recruits. And you had a lot of negative things to say about him before he committed.

[Rhody15]

First you scold me for not giving Kortright his fair due, the 4th or 5th best player recruited, and then you say no one is expected to be All League type kids.

No one said Kortright was a star and an all-A10 player. Most of us disagreed with you acting like he was this horrible player that wouldn't make an impact and giving him the same grade as players he's clearly better than. I don't think we will have any All-A10 players. I hope I'm wrong.

I just said that Kortright is the 4th or 5th best player recruited out of the players we recruited. The top 3, in no particular order, being Brown, House, Montgomery. Do you disagree with that?

Kortright over Brown for me.

I like impactful D1 players over juco players.

I may be in the minority, but that’s just my preference on I’d rank the incoming players without watching a second of them play.

[jcru]

Not to pile on, but simply to explain...

It's simple math: unless this team is only going to avg 45 points a game this season, and no URI team has done that in my memory, SOMEONE is going to score the points out there. We'll likely have at least have two people who avg in mid double digits, like Ish and Bray did, before Bray got the boot. If things go real well, that could be three, maybe two guards and a forward.

So, if this team finishes 8-8 in the Conference, or even 7-9, the A-10 will basically have no choice, but to recognize SOMEONE on this team. The higher the team places, the more likely it will even be more than one person. But, there are 15 freakin teams in this Conference, so if they finish in last place, those players will get the Ish treatment again. Because 13 teams worth of players, is a lot of players to account for before you get to team #14, when you are only recognizing 20 players tops, if you include the all-Defense team, and sometimes they overlap, so there are less than 20 spots to go around.

[jcru]

Kortright over Brown for me.

I like impactful D1 players over juco players.

I may be in the minority, but that’s just my preference on I’d rank the incoming players without watching a second of them play.

That's fair. I'd argue with you, but I don't want Brown to become J.Harris part deux before he even get's a chance to step on the court for us. So, I'll just hope for the best.

[jcru]

If I remember correctly, you gave him and David Green a C grade right? I think you gave Always a high grade as well so you had Kortright basically at the bottom of our recruits. And you had a lot of negative things to say about him before he committed.

Yeah, but to you everything is negative. So, it's all relative. You think if someone doesn't get at least a B that is a personal slight against them. What precisely is wrong with a C, Steve? I chose Always over him because of his offense. The kid can shoot the lights out. Somehow, this makes you very upset.

[steveystuds06]

If I remember correctly, you gave him and David Green a C grade right? I think you gave Always a high grade as well so you had Kortright basically at the bottom of our recruits. And you had a lot of negative things to say about him before he committed.

Yeah, but to you everything is negative. So, it's all relative. You think if someone doesn't get at least a B that is a personal slight against them. What precisely is wrong with a C, Steve? I chose Always over him because of his offense. The kid can shoot the lights out. Somehow, this makes you very upset.

Cmon.. Are you forgetting all the negative things you said about him? First, you said we needed to land players that can help us win games when we're discussing signing him. You said it was a major red flag recruiting him. You argued that he was a bench player when we all could see he played starter minutes. You said his ability to dunk doesn't interest you. Then you give him the same grade as a dude at the bottom of the rotation in Green. It was one negative thing after another.

I'm not upset and I'll move on, but we simply disagree about what type of impact Kortright will make. I think we should be happy that Archie is bringing on a proven D1 guard. He will help this team win games and can teach our young guards the ropes as they develop.

[jcru]

There is something else as well, between Always Wright and Luis Kortright.

They both had the same Official Visit experience given to them here at URI. One, kind of walked around in the videos with his head down, didn't say two words, shrugged his shoulders, moped a little bit, and when they asked him the mock questions in the mock post game conference, wasn't into it and barely said two words. Now, that guy might be the strong silent type, maybe he leads by example and not words. Who knows. He definitely had a big game against us last season.

But the other guy was upbeat, positive, extroverted, knew exactly what to say and when to say it, clearly impressed the coaches with his demeanor, and sounded like a polished leader who could give a decent locker room speech and get a few people to walk through walls. Has been well received on every team he's been on at every level he's been on. And you could sense the confidence radiating off of him.

That might not mean much to many people out there, but all other things being equal, you can see which one is the outspoken leader. I imagine Always has never come off the bench on any team he has ever been on, in any sport. There might be a reason for that. That was definitely a contributing factor in the choice I made there. Unless he goes out there and completely flops on his face, or just doesn't show up ala Ant Harris, I can't image that guy falling behind anyone, from day one.

[jcru]

Steve, agree to disagree. Not everyone can be an A and a B. If you just say, yeah, I grade them: A,A,B,A,B,B... we're going to be awesome! Well done, coaches!

What's the sense of that? No one is going to take that seriously and rightfully so.

[Rhody15]

Kortright over Brown for me.

I like impactful D1 players over juco players.

I may be in the minority, but that’s just my preference on I’d rank the incoming players without watching a second of them play.

That's fair. I'd argue with you, but I don't want Brown to become J.Harris part deux before he even get's a chance to step on the court for us. So, I'll just hope for the best.

Brown doesn't have the chance to become another Jermaine Harris.

Harris was a Top 80, 4* with offers from Miami, Kansas, WV, Xavier.

He was expected to be an immediate impact kid and an All A10 player for multiple years.

Brown isn't 10% of the recruit Brown is, thus the expectations for Brown are much, much lower than they were for Harris.

[jcru]

Well, apparently when those players actually go to Miami, they do nothing there, as well. Did you see this year's mass exodus of tall 4* trees that departed Miami the past couple of months? There were what? 3? 4?

In any case, I'm glad you feel that way. Low expectations means, this guy has nowhere to go but up.

[Jdrums#3]

Not to pile on, but simply to explain...

It's simple math: unless this team is only going to avg 45 points a game this season, and no URI team has done that in my memory, SOMEONE is going to score the points out there. We'll likely have at least have two people who avg in mid double digits, like Ish and Bray did, before Bray got the boot. If things go real well, that could be three, maybe two guards and a forward.

So, if this team finishes 8-8 in the Conference, or even 7-9, the A-10 will basically have no choice, but to recognize SOMEONE on this team. The higher the team places, the more likely it will even be more than one person. But, there are 15 freakin teams in this Conference, so if they finish in last place, those players will get the Ish treatment again. Because 13 teams worth of players, is a lot of players to account for before you get to team #14, when you are only recognizing 20 players tops, if you include the all-Defense team, and sometimes they overlap, so there are less than 20 spots to go around.

When you really step back and think about a 15 team conf like the A10, does it make sense financially to be a member for any of the institutions ?

There is no significant TV revenue deal, no significant and consistent NCAAT revenue coming in (and that money has to be shared among 15 programs, too boot!), travel expenses and other expenses, etc.

15-16 team conferences can work for the P5 because they have huge TV deals, steady NCAAT revenue, bowl revenue, etc.

When you think about it, the 15 member non-P5/P6 business model doesn’t appear to fit in with where major college sports are heading, it seems to me. I think the model needs to be scrapped but could just collapse on its own under its weight eventually.

The model just does not appear to make sense at all anymore. Or, am I missing something ?

ETA: mods, I posted this here based on the thought that Joey posted above, however, it may make more sense to be in A10 Outlook thread. Please feel free to move it if you see fit as it isn’t aligned with the thread topic.

[Dino611]

Maybe it’s like a Buru situation with Gardner, he wants to go to a school where he really doesn’t have to compete for a the starting spot and will just get 30 mins / game off the bat and no one will really threaten him

[jcru]

When you really step back and think about a 15 team conf like the A10, does it make sense financially to be a member for any of the institutions ?

There is no significant TV revenue deal, no significant and consistent NCAAT revenue coming in (and that money has to be shared among 15 programs, too boot!), travel expenses and other expenses, etc.

15-16 team conferences can work for the P5 because they have huge TV deals, steady NCAAT revenue, bowl revenue, etc.

When you think about it, the 15 member non-P5/P6 business model doesn’t appear to fit in with where major college sports are heading, it seems to me. I think the model needs to be scrapped but could just collapse on its own under its weight eventually.

The model just does not appear to make sense at all anymore. Or, am I missing something ?

ETA: mods, I posted this here based on the thought that Joey posted above, however, it may make more sense to be in A10 Outlook thread. Please feel free to move it if you see fit as it isn’t aligned with the thread topic.

No, you have it exactly right. Let's pack up and join the CAA Conference and win the conference tourney every single damn year and rack up the NCAAT appearances and never look back. With our facilities, we can't lose. And then we'll be what Temple used to be for about two decades until it's time to bump football to a FBS Conference.

I'm not going to miss the A-10. I'll miss the original Yankee Conference members, who are now scattered all over the place.

[jcru]

Maybe it’s like a Buru situation with Gardner, he wants to go to a school where he really doesn’t have to compete for a the starting spot and will just get 30 mins / game off the bat and no one will really threaten him

Yes, but are we even going to get an official visit? Are even seeking one out?

[Billyboy78]

Maybe it’s like a Buru situation with Gardner, he wants to go to a school where he really doesn’t have to compete for a the starting spot and will just get 30 mins / game off the bat and no one will really threaten him

Maybe. But do you really think a 4*, top 75, Mr. NY Basketball is worried about getting playing time at URI? He was going to St. John's before the coaching change.

[jcru]

Grasso is getting over. Just like he did with Pride. URI is left watching the parade go by, wave as it goes by. Bryant was a Div 2 school not very long ago, we supposedly have a "rich history" what is that getting us here?

I'm sure RV can't wait to report on Gardner to Bryant.

[Dino611]

Maybe it’s like a Buru situation with Gardner, he wants to go to a school where he really doesn’t have to compete for a the starting spot and will just get 30 mins / game off the bat and no one will really threaten him

Yes, but are we even going to get an official visit? Are even seeking one out?

We did reach out to him but I don’t know what transpired after that, Iggy even said it last month that we had reached out immediately after he requested a release, there is more than meets the public eye

[Billyboy78]

Maybe it’s like a Buru situation with Gardner, he wants to go to a school where he really doesn’t have to compete for a the starting spot and will just get 30 mins / game off the bat and no one will really threaten him

Yes, but are we even going to get an official visit? Are even seeking one out?

We did reach out to him but I don’t know what transpired after that, Iggy even said it last month that we had reached out immediately after he requested a release, there is more than meets the public eye

Seems like the interest wasn't mutual. But why? That's what I want to know. I'd understand if he was taking visits to UConn or even PC (just citing New England schools) at this point. But Bryant?

[Jdrums#3]

When you really step back and think about a 15 team conf like the A10, does it make sense financially to be a member for any of the institutions ?

There is no significant TV revenue deal, no significant and consistent NCAAT revenue coming in (and that money has to be shared among 15 programs, too boot!), travel expenses and other expenses, etc.

15-16 team conferences can work for the P5 because they have huge TV deals, steady NCAAT revenue, bowl revenue, etc.

When you think about it, the 15 member non-P5/P6 business model doesn’t appear to fit in with where major college sports are heading, it seems to me. I think the model needs to be scrapped but could just collapse on its own under its weight eventually.

The model just does not appear to make sense at all anymore. Or, am I missing something ?

ETA: mods, I posted this here based on the thought that Joey posted above, however, it may make more sense to be in A10 Outlook thread. Please feel free to move it if you see fit as it isn’t aligned with the thread topic.

No, you have it exactly right. Let's pack up and join the CAA Conference and win the conference tourney every single damn year and rack up the NCAAT appearances and never look back. With our facilities, we can't lose. And then we'll be what Temple used to be for about two decades until it's time to bump football to a FBS Conference.

I'm not going to miss the A-10. I'll miss the original Yankee Conference members, who are now scattered all over the place.

I wouldn’t go that far (joining a perceived lower basketball conf).

I would rather see the basketball committed A10 schools leave to form a new basketball centric conf or look to join an existing conf as a package to make that existing conf a stronger basketball conf - even if it was a western or southern conf where you would have an East/West or north/south division setup but play the out of division teams once. However, it would have to be the right mix of committed basketball programs (even if it is a “football” conf).

New conference models should be considered.

[Billyboy78]

This is the player we're talking about. I think he'd get plenty of playing time here.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/b ... 77?view=pv

[steveystuds06]

Grasso can recruit. He can't coach, but he'll continue to land good talent. I don't know why this board gets so obsessed with certain players. Gardner isn't coming here. Move on.

[Jdrums#3]

Yes, but are we even going to get an official visit? Are even seeking one out?

We did reach out to him but I don’t know what transpired after that, Iggy even said it last month that we had reached out immediately after he requested a release, there is more than meets the public eye

Seems like the interest wasn't mutual. But why? That's what I want to know. I'd understand if he was taking visits to UConn or even PC (just citing New England schools) at this point. But Bryant?

78, I would like to know why too because the negative speculation is brutal to read over and over again with each lost favored recruit.

I get the negativity. Some people are glass half empty and some are glass half full. Both sides have their valid points. But, I sure hope someone in the media, like Bill Koch, comes along and asks the staff the right questions to shed some light. I don’t even need the whole story - just give us something to mitigate the negativity or confirm the negativity so we can understand the issue(s) and speculate on possible solutions.

[Billyboy78]

Grasso can recruit. He can't coach, but he'll continue to land good talent. I don't know why this board gets so obsessed with certain players. Gardner isn't coming here. Move on.

Kenny and Duane are supposedly top flight recruiters. They can't beat out Grasso for a recruit who would make a huge impact here? If wanting to get very good players like Gardner is being obsessed, I guess I am. We have to win at least a couple of these battles if we're ever going to start our path back to the top of the A10. Otherwise, it's not happening. If you're happy that we're getting some ok to maybe slightly above average players, that's you're right. And it's my right to want to get players like we were just a few short years ago. That's why this staff was brought here, to get back to the top of the league. It's not going to happen with the recruits we're bringing in.

[SGreenwell]

Grasso can recruit. He can't coach, but he'll continue to land good talent. I don't know why this board gets so obsessed with certain players. Gardner isn't coming here. Move on.

Yeah - Grasso is a user car salesman of a coach, and at least so far, he does have a good scouting eye. He can recruit players and sell them on his vision for Bryant. But as last year shows, and the fact that they seem to get stomped by any opponent with a pulse, I think the jury is still out on Grasso's ability as a game coach and getting the best out of that talent.

I would also add that we've offered so many players, it's pretty hard to tell who's someone we've REALLY wanted, and who's someone that our coaches called once to gauge interest. It's pretty clear we were after Buru hard, and he wanted to go to Oakland instead, for whatever reason. There seemed to be some interest in Pride, since he at least took an unofficial here, and I think Rivera took an official visit.

[steveystuds06]

Grasso can recruit. He can't coach, but he'll continue to land good talent. I don't know why this board gets so obsessed with certain players. Gardner isn't coming here. Move on.

Kenny and Duane are supposedly top flight recruiters. They can't beat out Grasso for a recruit who would make a huge impact here? If wanting to get very good players like Gardner is being obsessed, I guess I am. We have to win at least a couple of these battles if we're ever going to start our path back to the top of the A10. Otherwise, it's not happening. If you're happy that we're getting some ok to maybe slightly above average players, that's you're right. And it's my right to want to get players like we were just a few short years ago. That's why this staff was brought here, to get back to the top of the league. It's not going to happen with the recruits we're bringing in.

I will wait to watch this team play a few basketball games before assuming every player on the roster won't help get us back to the top of the league like you.