J.P. Macura Evaluating Talent

[BigGopherFan]

That's possible, but Pitino was after the big three in addition to Isaiah Whitehead, Tum Tum Narin, Sandy Cohen, James Blackmon etc. Meanwhile Chris Mack and Xavier wanted him more. News flash, Xavier is a better basketball school than the Gophers. They've been to the Sweet 16 three of the past six years.

Whitehead, Narin, Cohen, Blackmon...ouch. 0-for-4. If he's a baseball player...go get 'em tomorrow kid.

 

[Cayman]

Whitehead, Narin, Cohen, Blackmon...ouch. 0-for-4. If he's a baseball player...go get 'em tomorrow kid.

Well 2 of those guys were 5-stars, and just when you consider how many offers a coach puts out compared to how many open scholarships there are, it makes sense that most the guys a coach offers aren't going to commit to him. I'd guess you could even look at Roy Williams or Bill Self or Rick Pitino and find at least 3 or 4 guys each year that they offered and didn't get.

Also I don't remember us going very hard after Blackmon. The other three mentioned I remember hearing about repeatedly, Blackmon not so much. As I recall, the other 3 seemed to have some legit interest in us, but Cohen kept his commitment to Marquette after Buzz Williams left, Nairn pounced on a late Michigan State offer, and Seton Hall gave Whitehead's high school or AAU coach an assistant job in return for his commitment.