To me, it seems as though much of this discussion is circling the issue of roster management. Particularly, roster management in the post-covid age of immediate eligibility in the transfer portal. I get the feeling that lots of programs are trying to find out what works for them, and I don’t get the sense that too many of them are finding it easy. Assuming that continuity is a good thing, and something to be valued, how is it best preserved? The first questions that comes to my mind are: what is the ideal roster size? Are we ever going to see a full complement of thirteen scholarship players again? At the moment, Virginia has nine grants in use. Ten if Beekman returns (unlikely it seems), or if Shedrick reverses course (really, really unlikely). Presumably, the staff is still pursuing Blue Cain, and I’m given to understand that they want Jarin Stevenson to re-classify to the 2023 class (perhaps a bit iffy, but who knows). While the notion is speculative, if Stevenson doesn’t switch classes, will Coach Bennett look to the portal to add some depth to the front line?
Now, to add to all of that is the fact that Virginia will be a very young team next year. Only one player will exhaust his eligibility (Minor) even if Beekman or Shedrick return. Of the rest of next year’s roster, only Murray has fewer than three years of eligibility remaining. So, what are the recruiting needs, and where can prospects be added without the risk of exiting transfers? And, are exiting transfers to be feared/avoided? How much value should be placed on continuity? In my opinion, Coach Bennett’s best teams have featured multi-year starters. Can his schemes flourish constantly relying on the transfer portal for quick fixes? FWIW, I’ve got few, if any, answers. I see a need for front court depth, but I am unsure how attractive a bench role is to someone in the portal. And/or, if someone there finds a bench role appealing, would they be any help? (See corollary to Groucho Marx’s club membership criteria.) Increasingly, I am reminded of the old square dancer’s remarks, At some point, “ya gotta dance with the one whut ya brung!” I really wonder if the roster will include more than ten or eleven players going forward. As I said, everything here seems to dance around the issue of roster management. It’s a brave new world.
Literally everyone ha. Dude blew up as they say
ESPN rankings are not great. They don’t spend the same effort as the others. Pure marketing that they even keep doing it.
247 > ON3 > Rivals > ESPN > (Does Scout still exist?)
Scout is under the 247 umbrella now.
A (perhaps) valuable public service. Current state of AAU streaming and associated costs:
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Nike EYBL – the best! All still seems to be free
https://nikeeyb.com/livestream -
Under Armour Next – $20 per day, per court. So so annoying. Basically, you have to pay $20 to watch any game, unless you get lucky and 2 kids you want to see are on the same court on the same day.
https://underarmournext.com/basketball/live-stream-boys-april-21st/ -
Adidas 3SSB – the worst! (same as UA plus 5 dollars). $25 per day, per court.
3SSB Boys – Streaming - Remember The Why
We should only be recruiting EYBL kids, obviously.
Whats the one in AZ this weekend?
Under Armour.
EYBL is in ATL area. Adidas is in Iowa.
In case anyone was wondering why the market capitalization of Nike is 7.5x that of Adidas…
Disney conducted staff cuts which have really reduced ESPN’s ability to do much of anything with regard to recruiting. At least, that is my understanding.
Who’s in what circuit? That we are interested in at least?
I think at least Kon and Jarin. Will have to wait for HGN’s report for all the other guys.
I’m not going to read all of this. Kon and Jarin are in the EYBL correct?
Yes they are
I guess it’s fair to say Malcolm is rare.
Definitely
Like hens teeth
Malcolm’s masters program also wasn’t near the rigor of a first year MBA
I just looked that dude up on the UVA website - utter insanity. By all accounts he’s a high-level tennis player who also earned a finance degree from Wake with a 3.9 GPA.
Jeff White did an article on him last year. He served in the Israeli military before even going to college. Obviously a very disciplined person.