Grading Tubby: Recruiting

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At this very moment, how would you grade Tubby's recruiting this season? No, there is no star power, however, he did do a great job IMO of filling some needs and projecting toward the future. If he doesn't land Cory, there is little chance any incoming freshman will make a meaningful impact in 2010-11. But if bigger is better, Minnesota did the best (three players 6-9 or taller counting Oto).
Without Cory, I would give him a B.
 

That's pretty generous. With Cory Joseph B+/A-, without him C.
 

I'm kind of disappointed with tubby's recruiting job this year because he put together 2 back to back great recruiting classes, 08 with sampson, iverson, and joseph, and 09 with cobbs mbakwe and RW jr. ofcourse last year we got screwed with white and mbakwe's troubles but if they had played we were a legit contender for a B10 title. Having the reputation he has, you would think he could land at least one top 100 player, but no. Maybe i'm getting greedy because w/o tubby the gophers win 15 games a year at best and recruit no one of merit, but i thought he would bring consistant recruiting every year. This being said, if he lands joseph his reputation as a good recruiter is safe, but otherwise this was a pretty weak class. I do like the mo walker signing and i think its safe to say Hollins would be similar to a blake hoffarber, but elliason is not big ten talent and i dont think osenieks is either, at least for 2 or 3 years who knows what he could turn into.
 

Let me help you....

Go Gophs eh? said:
This being said, if he lands joseph his reputation as a good recruiter is safe with me, but otherwise this was a pretty weak class IMO. I do like the mo walker signing and i think its safe for me to say Hollins would be similar to a blake hoffarber, but I'm feeling off my meds and so I'll blurt out elliason is not big ten talent and i dont think osenieks is either though I'm disagreeing with Billy Donovan and Tubby Smith, two coaches with National Titles, at least for 2 or 3 years which is true for most college players who knows what he could turn into. I certainly don't.
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Go Gophs eh? said:
I'm kind of disappointed with tubby's recruiting job this year because he put together 2 back to back great recruiting classes, 08 with sampson, iverson, and joseph, and 09 with cobbs mbakwe and RW jr. ofcourse last year we got screwed with white and mbakwe's troubles but if they had played we were a legit contender for a B10 title. Having the reputation he has, you would think he could land at least one top 100 player, but no. Maybe i'm getting greedy because w/o tubby the gophers win 15 games a year at best and recruit no one of merit, but i thought he would bring consistant recruiting every year. This being said, if he lands joseph his reputation as a good recruiter is safe, but otherwise this was a pretty weak class. I do like the mo walker signing and i think its safe to say Hollins would be similar to a blake hoffarber, but elliason is not big ten talent and i dont think osenieks is either, at least for 2 or 3 years who knows what he could turn into.
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Yeah, I agree somewhat. Tubby, though, was never know as a top-tier recruiter. He is up there, like all great coaches, but among the best, he's on the lower end. Tubby was known more for recruiting 3/4 star talent at Kentucky and "coaching them up." I don't see this changing at Minnesota. Can someone name the biggest splash he's made in recruiting? I'm seriously asking, not being confrontational.
 

Hard to grade the class just yet.

I like them so far. We're still a few players away though.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
I'm kind of disappointed with tubby's recruiting job this year because he put together 2 back to back great recruiting classes, 08 with sampson, iverson, and joseph, and 09 with cobbs mbakwe and RW jr. ofcourse last year we got screwed with white and mbakwe's troubles but if they had played we were a legit contender for a B10 title. Having the reputation he has, you would think he could land at least one top 100 player, but no. Maybe i'm getting greedy because w/o tubby the gophers win 15 games a year at best and recruit no one of merit, but i thought he would bring consistant recruiting every year. This being said, if he lands joseph his reputation as a good recruiter is safe, but otherwise this was a pretty weak class. I do like the mo walker signing and i think its safe to say Hollins would be similar to a blake hoffarber, but elliason is not big ten talent and i dont think osenieks is either, at least for 2 or 3 years who knows what he could turn into.
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I take it you've seen both players play in person several times to come to that conclusion?
 

At face value Tubby has done pretty good. Let's face it, he is a great coach and certainly capable to get to the dance without many blue chip recruits.

On the other hand, you have to compare him to the other Big 10 teams and quite honestly, without Joseph I'm not sure we stack up--or have enough skill upgrade to be a top 20 team. Call me fickle but for me the jury is still out...
 



Not only are we grading Tubby on his recruiting for '10 before any of these freshman ever play a game for the Gophers, but we're also grading him before the recruiting season is officially over-congrats on your premature posturing!

I have a difficult time tracking the logic of those who state, 'Tubby had two solid (or good or great, depending on the commentator) recruiting classes, where are all the Top 100 guys for this class?' Perhaps they're looking at the competition for the upperclassmen and realize that playing time may be scarce over the next couple years at the positions of shooting guard, center, power forward (possibly)? Do you realize that many of the elite prospects are getting locked in earlier and earlier in the recruiting game, so when you have '10 grads committing the summer before their senior year they were looking at a Gophers roster that everyone assumed would have Royce White, Trevor Mbawke, Paul Carter, and Al Nolen for their freshman seasons? Are you cognizant that there were no Top 150 talents in the state of MN or Dakota's this season, save perhaps Jacob Thomas whose academics question marks were (are?) prominent?

I'm certainly not saying that Tubby Smith's recruiting efforts cannot be questioned, but at the very least can we hold off until the end of the recruiting season and I don't know, maybe it would be worth our while at seeing how these new recruits perform once they're playing for the Gophers? Cripes.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Not only are we grading Tubby on his recruiting for '10 before any of these freshman ever play a game for the Gophers, but we're also grading him before the recruiting season is officially over-congrats on your premature posturing!

I have a difficult time tracking the logic of those who state, 'Tubby had two solid (or good or great, depending on the commentator) recruiting classes, where are all the Top 100 guys for this class?' Perhaps they're looking at the competition for the upperclassmen and realize that playing time may be scarce over the next couple years at the positions of shooting guard, center, power forward (possibly)? Do you realize that many of the elite prospects are getting locked in earlier and earlier in the recruiting game, so when you have '10 grads committing the summer before their senior year they were looking at a Gophers roster that everyone assumed would have Royce White, Trevor Mbawke, Paul Carter, and Al Nolen for their freshman seasons? Are you cognizant that there were no Top 150 talents in the state of MN or Dakota's this season, save perhaps Jacob Thomas whose academics question marks were (are?) prominent?

I'm certainly not saying that Tubby Smith's recruiting efforts cannot be questioned, but at the very least can we hold off until the end of the recruiting season and I don't know, maybe it would be worth our while at seeing how these new recruits perform once they're playing for the Gophers? Cripes.
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+1
 

I For Incomplete

I think Eliason is a good 5-year player. Hollins will be a solid player before too long.

Maurice Walker will contribute as a freshman.

The other 2 spots are not filled (yet).
 

Is saying he's a good recruiter really an overstatement? With the number of top 25 classes he's locked up, I think it's safe to say he's a good recruiter. Is he a great recruiter? Probably not. I guess those are pretty subjective words, but I don't see how you could possibly say he's not a good recruiter.

On another note, this thread would make a lot more sense a few weeks from now. No offense. Even after this class is done, I think it's a difficult one to judge considering the situations with Trevor, Royce, Nolen, Carter, and maybe Cobbs.

Plinnius said:
He has that reputation?
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coolhandgopher said:
Not only are we grading Tubby on his recruiting for '10 before any of these freshman ever play a game for the Gophers, but we're also grading him before the recruiting season is officially over-congrats on your premature posturing!

I have a difficult time tracking the logic of those who state, 'Tubby had two solid (or good or great, depending on the commentator) recruiting classes, where are all the Top 100 guys for this class?' Perhaps they're looking at the competition for the upperclassmen and realize that playing time may be scarce over the next couple years at the positions of shooting guard, center, power forward (possibly)? Do you realize that many of the elite prospects are getting locked in earlier and earlier in the recruiting game, so when you have '10 grads committing the summer before their senior year they were looking at a Gophers roster that everyone assumed would have Royce White, Trevor Mbawke, Paul Carter, and Al Nolen for their freshman seasons? Are you cognizant that there were no Top 150 talents in the state of MN or Dakota's this season, save perhaps Jacob Thomas whose academics question marks were (are?) prominent?

I'm certainly not saying that Tubby Smith's recruiting efforts cannot be questioned, but at the very least can we hold off until the end of the recruiting season and I don't know, maybe it would be worth our while at seeing how these new recruits perform once they're playing for the Gophers? Cripes.
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If Cory Joseph becomes a Gopher, this would be Tubby's 3rd straight better than solid class. Mo Walker had a lot of good offers and is rated like 108 on rivals and Austin Hollins reportedly had offers from Memphis and Arkansas, so he's not exactly Kerry Woolridge. Without Joseph, I think it's fair to be disappointed in the class this year. That said, it's tough to have a great class when there is not an in state kid worthy of a scholarship or any kids with strong natural ties to the University or Coach Smith (ex son/cousin of a former player).

I see it as a good thing that peoples expectations are rising as I believe low expectations lead to poor results, but I don't like the trend of declaring failure/defeat before all the information is acquired.
 

I don't like grading coaches solely on recruitment. It is what coaches do with players that is more important with the ultimate grade based upon wins and losses. Take Big Mo, for instance, while he projected as a "3" in recruiting circles, this young man has the potential to make major strides fast. Recruitment sources don't give grades for work ethic and character.
 

Without Joseph or a different impact player, face value I would grade this year as a C-. Nothing to get too excited about. If we are getting excited about one recruit ranked in the top 150 then we are sure not holding the program to a very high standard. But I am not going to pass judgement yet - I was hyped as heck for last years class, and we got nothing out of them...
 

It's not fair to judge a recruiting class until you've been able to see what it's accomplished. It's also not fair to judge a class before it's been completed. This really should be a thread for a few weeks from now. But I think, based on potential, this year's class is probably a B- at this point. Hollins and Eliason both seem like the anti-Royce White's of the world. They are solid three-star talents, who have also done well in the classroom, and will more-than-likely handle themselves with class and integrity off the court. And Walker is a three-star or four-star (depending on the service) big man, who seems like a bit of a project to me. If he's around 300 pounds before gaining the freedom you have in college, they are going to need to keep an eye on his weight. If the strength and conditioning staff can work with him to shed about 30-40 pounds to get his playing weight down to the 260 to 270 range, then I think he can be great. But, if he comes in during his freshman year and put on 20 pounds or more, it could become an issue.

If Cory Joseph signs with the Gophers, the grade I'd give would increase an entire letter grade to probably an A-, by virtue of his signing alone. And there is also the possibility of Oto joining the class, which would be great. The Wild Card in all this "recruiting" would be if Royce somehow earned his way back to having a chance. Then, this class could be amazing!
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Without Joseph or a different impact player, face value I would grade this year as a C-. Nothing to get too excited about. If we are getting excited about one recruit ranked in the top 150 then we are sure not holding the program to a very high standard. But I am not going to pass judgement yet - I was hyped as heck for last years class, and we got nothing out of them...
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I wouldn't say that we got absolutely nothing, but even if none of those players stepped foot on the court that doesn't mean the class was a failure. They have 4 years to make an impact, not one. I'm very excited to see how Rodney turns out and if Mbakwe gets cleared he could make a big impact. If Cobbs stays he could be a solid player too.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Without Joseph or a different impact player, face value I would grade this year as a C-. Nothing to get too excited about. If we are getting excited about one recruit ranked in the top 150 then we are sure not holding the program to a very high standard. But I am not going to pass judgement yet - I was hyped as heck for last years class, and we got nothing out of them...
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What grade do you give the badgers?
 

With his past two recruiting classes I thought that everyone was in agreement that this class was just supposed to be more depth and maybe a star with CJ, and then Trevor had to sit out the year and Royce decided his music career had more potential for him then basketball which screwed the team over. As of right now, I would give Tubby a B. He got depth down low (EE and Walker), SG (Hollins), and hopefully a future star in Joseph to run the point. If Cory signs with the Gophs this years class is a A and better then last years class.
 




I don't follow the recruiting closely, but based on what we know I'd say B-, improving to an A if we get Joseph. Of the kids we've signed, Hollins intrigues me the most. Like good bloodlines.

As Coolhand pointed out, impossible to know what we have until we see these kids for a couple years.
 

His recruiting this season would've been fine, filling role player type needs, IF White, Mbakwe and Nolen had played as expected last season and were returning this season.

The problem is that the coaching staff all of a sudden was hit with all of these question marks during the season, and by that point it's pretty hard to get in on a new "star" in this year's class. Not to mention, there's no help to be had from this year's weak in-state class.
 


underground629 said:
Is saying he's a good recruiter really an overstatement? With the number of top 25 classes he's locked up, I think it's safe to say he's a good recruiter. Is he a great recruiter? Probably not. I guess those are pretty subjective words, but I don't see how you could possibly say he's not a good recruiter.
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Man, I wish we could benefit more.
 

If we can get Cory or Ben Brust, we have another top class. With a wide open Big Ten, I smell a title.
 

goldygo4 said:
With his past two recruiting classes I thought that everyone was in agreement that this class was just supposed to be more depth and maybe a star with CJ, and then Trevor had to sit out the year and Royce decided his music career had more potential for him then basketball which screwed the team over. As of right now, I would give Tubby a B. He got depth down low (EE and Walker), SG (Hollins), and hopefully a future star in Joseph to run the point. If Cory signs with the Gophs this years class is a A and better then last years class.
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Tubby must not have been in agreement, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered recruiting Harrison Barnes, Casey Prather, and Jelan Kenrick.
 


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