Your evaluation, even if it’s accurate, is immaterial. They THINK they’re 1/2-and-dones. They aspire to be 1/2-and-dones. Their AAU coaches pump them up to believe they’re 1/2-and-dones. And rival coaches will talk big about how they can be the next 1/2-and-dones to come out of their program.
And frankly, a couple years ago we all said the same thing about Keels, and he turned into a OAD. Who cares if he’s struggling to gain traction in the pros. He got drafted fast. And to a 17 year old with big dreams and a ton of confidence in themselves, they’re going to let themselves get sucked into it too.
Think y’all are viewing this through the wrong lens. Really the comparison should be ‘other recruitments where an older brother was on staff’ rather than prior UVA recruitments. The Wilkins-Wilkins connection is more informative than Tony’s 15 years at UVA on this one.
So, what examples do we have of top 30 recruits choosing other schools over their brother? Those are the ones you should spook yourselves with. Kon, Power, Keels, etc are irrelevant here
And then you have to narrow it down to the ones where the father of the brother being recruited is an NBA legend and wasn’t really involved in the other brother’s recruitment, but presumably will be in this one.
I don’t really know what Nique thinks of UVa, but that will pretty relevant. More relevant than Zay’s job.
I mean, having Zay as an assistant is very helpful, and probably keeps us in the mix, but I don’t think this is gonna be a Buddy Boeheim going to play for Cuse situaiton.
Depends what Jacob thinks of his father. Different for every child of divorce.
But I think people in this thread are trying to downplay the significance of having a brother on staff. Like you said, it’s a big deal. Not like having him as head coach. But it matters
I think the image people have of Wilkins may be a bit off the mark, at least for now. He’s a lot more potential than production. He had a good week at top 100 camp, which is why he’s ranked so high. But that type of event favors athletic high motor guys, the games are messy. He’ll need to improve a lot by next summer to maintain being ranked so high, and to be considered a potential one and done type prospect or anything like that.
These are his summer stats from the EYBL 16U division. 8.6P 5.2R 1.1B 36.6 FG% 19.7 3FG% 70.5 FT%.
Don’t get me wrong…we should absolutely want the guy! haha And he definitely has the potential to improve rapidly and end up being that type of early stud, but there’s a lot of rough edges to polish right now.
Does that make him more gettable, or is that offset by the good genes thing? (Because the way you describe him makes him sound like he’s even more in our wheelhouse)
I view Wilkins as the potential Ryan Dunn replacement. Super raw player who is insanely athletic, and thus has a very high ceiling that can raise the potential of our team if he gets the proper amount of development.
Part of me kinda wants him to have his struggles now while he’s in HS so he doesn’t get that massive blow up and a host of blueblood offers. Let him go a little more under the radar and then he can turn into a lottery pick under TB and staff’s tutelage.
What you’re saying is right. But many who aren’t producers still have the mentality that they are something else and others will absolutely be whispering in their ears, feeding that image
Can’t really think of any recruitments where a brother was on staff besides Cade Cunningham and the brother was hired specifically for Cade. Can’t say that about Zay.
Much more common for the dad to be on staff or hired to get the son.
Jacob Wilkins, No. 21 in the update, is the player who immediately comes to mind. He is a 6-foot-8, fluid and explosive wing. He has a natural explosion that really shows when he gets out in transition. Then you have the genetics; he is the son of Basketball Hall of Fame member Dominique Wilkins.
The upside with Wilkins is clear, but it is still early in his developmental curve, meaning there is a way to go before he gets to his overall ceiling. However, he is also someone that we have seen continue to improve while possessing immense natural tools and basketball bloodlines.
