Finally good news for UA fans Greg Smith

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Top 50 recruit Solomon Hill committed to the 'Cats today.

I'm eating big crow right now on the Reggie Geary hiring and on my opinions this spring on Arizona's ability to recruit. With Gaddy possibly coming back into the fold (he is heavily rumored to be an Arizona lean at the moment) then the Cats will likely have a top 5 class nationally and right there with UCLA as best in the conference.

 

[Lefty]

Top 50 recruit Solomon Hill committed to the 'Cats today.

I'm eating big crow right now on the Reggie Geary hiring and on my opinions this spring on Arizona's ability to recruit. With Gaddy possibly coming back into the fold (he is heavily rumored to be an Arizona lean at the moment) then the Cats will likely have a top 5 class nationally and right there with UCLA as best in the conference.

So much for the demise of the UofA. This new coaching staff is doing a great job. With Hill and this great recruiting class, I really believe Gaddy has to be leaning towards coming to the UofA. I don't think Bradley will now come. I heard Texas is possibly the leader for him.

 

[Lefty]

Article on Hill and Lute. It also says Lute is in Greece so I wonder if Dunlap is with him due to his overseas recruiting ties?
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/250281

 

[Mr. Boldin]

Adios Greg Smith

 

[Lefty]

Adios Greg Smith

I just saw that. it looks like the mom is getting involved. It's too bad. It will be interesting to see what big guy is next on the radar for the Cats.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Greg Smith is actually kind of a sad story, kind of reminds me of a book called The Blind Side by Michael Lewis I read earlier this year that I recommend for anyone who follows collegiate sports. Good luck to him wherever he ends up because he's going to need it.

As far as Arizona goes, they simply cannot take the risk of getting in bed again after the Jennings fiasco with another kid who is getting advice from the society's bottom-feeders. They need to move on no matter how talented this kid is, because if he truly is going back to his old high school there's no way he gets into Arizona or any university for matter.

 

[overseascardfan]

I just saw that. it looks like the mom is getting involved. It's too bad. It will be interesting to see what big guy is next on the radar for the Cats.

I bet U of A gets either Stover or Gallon now. That is why Lute was recruiting other bigs, he probably knew Smith would leave. That's okay, there are other bigs out there.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

Smith was by far the best big man we would have landed in the 09 class. Make no mistake, he is very good. Without Smith, UA really needs to land Stover even though he is a center. I think in the end we get Gaddy back (probably within the next month), then we have a pretty good 1-3 and all we need are some big men. I could see Lute taking 3 more after Gaddy (or Dixon) to fill out 6 scholarships.

If I had to guess right now how UA's class ends up it would look like this...

Abdul Gaddy
Solomon Hill
Mike Moser
Anthony Stover
Another big man or should the Wears get pushed out of UNC by Roy (which is likely to happen)

David Wear
Travis Wear

That is a very good class for Arizona, especially considering what went on last year. I dont think the Wears are anywhere as good as they were projected to be for the past 3 years, but UA needs size and the Wears had UA in their top 3. UNC doesnt want them anymore, UCLA doesnt have any rides left (and I doubt they would take them anyway), and UA is the last team in the top 3. It just so happens UA needs a C and PF as well, so if the Wears buy into not playing as much on the perimeter I think they land in Tucson. This class is really weak and losing Greg Smith hurts a lot considering we really need help in the post.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

WHat happens with the Wears should be interesting. I would think Arizona would be the heavy favorite should Roy over-recruit them forcing them to decommit but we shall see. They haven't looked good this summer from and they were pretty overrated to begin with. They're very soft and that has been one of my biggest compaints with Arizona teams recently. Of course at this point Arizona unlike UNC is in no position to decline the commitments of two top 100 frontcourt players.

 

[overseascardfan]

Smith was by far the best big man we would have landed in the 09 class. Make no mistake, he is very good. Without Smith, UA really needs to land Stover even though he is a center. I think in the end we get Gaddy back (probably within the next month), then we have a pretty good 1-3 and all we need are some big men. I could see Lute taking 3 more after Gaddy (or Dixon) to fill out 6 scholarships.

If I had to guess right now how UA's class ends up it would look like this...

Abdul Gaddy
Solomon Hill
Mike Moser
Anthony Stover
Another big man or should the Wears get pushed out of UNC by Roy (which is likely to happen)

David Wear
Travis Wear

That is a very good class for Arizona, especially considering what went on last year. I dont think the Wears are anywhere as good as they were projected to be for the past 3 years, but UA needs size and the Wears had UA in their top 3. UNC doesnt want them anymore, UCLA doesnt have any rides left (and I doubt they would take them anyway), and UA is the last team in the top 3. It just so happens UA needs a C and PF as well, so if the Wears buy into not playing as much on the perimeter I think they land in Tucson. This class is really weak and losing Greg Smith hurts a lot considering we really need help in the post.

Whoa. That is the first I've heard of this. Is this opinion or is this mentioned somewhere? Is NC after someone else or are they just wanting to get rid of them. In my opinion these kids remind me of Alex Jacobson, overrated HS prospect who won't make it on the college level. As for Smith, he probably won't have the grades according to rumors going around, Gallon and Stover would fill the void especially if J. Smith decides to come here in '10.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

Rumors are swirling that Roy is encouraging the Wears to decommit and find a new school and that UNC is expected to land Ryan Kelly should the Wears leave.

Jacobson should not have been offered a scholarship at all. he was not highly ranked or recruited. The only reason Lute looked at him is because he was a 7'0 on Mater Dei and he had connections to their program through Miles and Bagga and also hoped he those three would help land the Wear twins who play at Mater Dei.

Gallon has been out of the picture for months and I seriously doubt UA picks up his recruitment again. Really the best case scenario is that UA lands the Wear twins, or goes with Roger Franklin and can land Stover in hopes that Moser can develop into a face up 4.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The Wears only de-commit if Roy lands another frontcourt player which hasn't happened yet so we should not count our chickens. And comparing Jacobsen to the Wears is ridiculous no matter how overrated you think they are, the twins started in front of a senior Alex Jacobsen as underclassmen.

 

[Russ Smith]

You guys probably discussed this last week while I was on vacation but Memphis is in hot water now with their recruitment of Gaddy. His mother got a phone call from a high ranking official at Fed Ex, she works for Fed Ex but quickly realized the call had nothing to do with work the caller is a booster for Memphis basketball as well and was calling to encourage her to encourage her son to attend Memphis. She reported it as did Memphis as soon as they found out that she was reporting it.

Foxsports Jeff Goodman has a story on it the NCAA is already involved in what appears to be improper contact. Just increases the odds of Gaddy ending up at UA.

On Smith I haven't seen the background but I'm assuming his mom steered him to Fresno State from the posts here? Too bad talented kid but I do agree with Mao if there's someone meddling in the recruitment it's best to move on usually, kids that do that sort of thin usually end up being a problem again later because they have too many outside influences.

 

[Russ Smith]

I bet U of A gets either Stover or Gallon now. That is why Lute was recruiting other bigs, he probably knew Smith would leave. That's okay, there are other bigs out there.

Stover is an intersting guy I think he went from being underrated to being really overrated incredibly fast. He's a very intriguing kid he's a great student, he's very long, has nice timing blocking shots he's the ideal 4 year guy in a program. The problem is I think he's starting to get the idea that he's better than he is and is talking about wanting immediate playing time in college and I suspect he's going to be in for a surprise when he gets to college and isn't starting.

he'd be a nice get for UA, Stanford, ASU, essentially any Pac 10 team but if he really wants immediate PT he needs to be selective. Oregon State just signed Joe Burton, so they're probably out of it for Stover. He needs to realize that he's not going to play a whole lot right away he's a project.

UCLA is actively recruiting him but as soon as I read his quotes that he wants to play right away I said ok he's not going to UCLA.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

And the minute momentum is regained, Arizona goes after and gains commitments from a couple players who most likely will not help them get back to a championship level and jeopardizes getting players who can. I'm not sure how Lute's going to survive some of these recruiting blunders, no matter what happens this football season he's going to have an AD next April that won't be impressed with what he has done over the past 24 months.

 

[Russ Smith]

And the minute momentum is regained, Arizona goes after and gains commitments from a couple players who most likely will not help them get back to a championship level and jeopardizes getting players who can. I'm not sure how Lute's going to survive some of these recruiting blunders, no matter what happens this football season he's going to have an AD next April that won't be impressed with what he has done over the past 24 months.

I was wondering when this would come up 2 fairly lowly rated prospects to UA in the last 2 days, one an 09 today an 08.

it almost seems like when Floyd took over at USC and was so far behind he was taking anybody that would sign knowing he could just run them off later. Except Lute doesn't run guys off so you have to wonder do these guys project to be front line pac 10 players in the future or are they just assuming they'll get recruited over later but thrilled UA offered them?

I've never seen either kid, supposedly the kid they signed today averaged near a triple double in points, rebounds and blocks but he's only 6'8" 190 so must not have been the best competition. Played for the Compton Magic in AAU ball and wasn't highly regarded. Sounds a bit like Anthony Cook who was an excellent player but nobody seems to think he's that good.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Lute doesn't cut guys a la Romar/Floyd, he just calls them into his office and tells them flat out that they're not good enough and won't get any real minutes. Sometimes they leave, other times they ride it out. But there's definitely at least one player on the roster that needs to go and unfortunately it's here we are the most thin.

I don't care about the kid we landed today as he's basically a walk-on, but offering the PG will hurt our chances with Gaddy who was widely considered a near-lock to AZ and you need guys like Gaddy to win championships. I can tell you Lute didn't win very many friends with these latest moves.

 

[Russ Smith]

Lute doesn't cut guys a la Romar/Floyd, he just calls them into his office and tells them flat out that they're not good enough and won't get any real minutes. Sometimes they leave, other times they ride it out. But there's definitely at least one player on the roster that needs to go and unfortunately it's here we are the most thin.

I don't care about the kid we landed today as he's basically a walk-on, but offering the PG will hurt our chances with Gaddy who was widely considered a near-lock to AZ and you need guys like Gaddy to win championships. I can tell you Lute didn't win very many friends with these latest moves.

I assume you mean Jacobson as not belonging?

Agree Lute won't run you off or just pull the ride liek Floyd does or Romar did this year to Smith a 5th year senior(sheesh).

I would doubt it really bugs Gaddy because lets be honest if he wants to play for UA he's going to start over any PG on the roster now regardless of year, he's better than all of them.

Teh cool thing about Gaddy is his age, he's too young to meet the 1 year out of HS AND 19 rule so he can't be one and done he has to play 2 years after HS. UCLA is really trying to get in on him now probably too late. Bradley has a UCLA offer but his grades aren't good enough the offer is conditional on upping his grades. Sounds like he's going to Texas with Jordan Hamilton so much for the Gaddy and Bradley package.

I think UA gets Gaddy, he won't go to Memphis after that phone call to his mom. Memphis will get Wall who won't go to Baylor after the negative stuff about hiring his AAU coach. That's my theory at least. UCLA might still wind up with Snaer although that appears unlikely they may just settle for a kid like Vogrich because none of the elites want to share minutes with Lee, Anderson and possibly(slim chance) Jrue.

 

[overseascardfan]

I assume you mean Jacobson as not belonging?

Agree Lute won't run you off or just pull the ride liek Floyd does or Romar did this year to Smith a 5th year senior(sheesh).

I would doubt it really bugs Gaddy because lets be honest if he wants to play for UA he's going to start over any PG on the roster now regardless of year, he's better than all of them.

Teh cool thing about Gaddy is his age, he's too young to meet the 1 year out of HS AND 19 rule so he can't be one and done he has to play 2 years after HS. UCLA is really trying to get in on him now probably too late. Bradley has a UCLA offer but his grades aren't good enough the offer is conditional on upping his grades. Sounds like he's going to Texas with Jordan Hamilton so much for the Gaddy and Bradley package.

I think UA gets Gaddy, he won't go to Memphis after that phone call to his mom. Memphis will get Wall who won't go to Baylor after the negative stuff about hiring his AAU coach. That's my theory at least. UCLA might still wind up with Snaer although that appears unlikely they may just settle for a kid like Vogrich because none of the elites want to share minutes with Lee, Anderson and possibly(slim chance) Jrue.

I agree about Gaddy, Dowell becomes the 3rd string PG if we land Gaddy who probably isn't concerned about PT as he will start Day 1. Lute is trying to send a message to elite recruits, that he will go after guys who want to be here, how effective that message will be remains to be seen. I believe Shumpert will be solid but not spectacular, the level of competition he faces isn't really helping him.

Right now I think U of A is just targeting Stover and Gaddy to complete the class. Lamb, Alexander, Brown are targets for next year. I honestly do not think we'll get Josh Smith or Jeremy Tyler as USC and UCLA will probably end up signing them. We are going to have to get by with Withey, Hill, Jacobson, Shumpert, and hopefully Stover for next few years. That front line ain't bad, atleast there is depth maybe not quality but quantity wise.

 

[Russ Smith]

I agree about Gaddy, Dowell becomes the 3rd string PG if we land Gaddy who probably isn't concerned about PT as he will start Day 1. Lute is trying to send a message to elite recruits, that he will go after guys who want to be here, how effective that message will be remains to be seen. I believe Shumpert will be solid but not spectacular, the level of competition he faces isn't really helping him.

Right now I think U of A is just targeting Stover and Gaddy to complete the class. Lamb, Alexander, Brown are targets for next year. I honestly do not think we'll get Josh Smith or Jeremy Tyler as USC and UCLA will probably end up signing them. We are going to have to get by with Withey, Hill, Jacobson, Shumpert, and hopefully Stover for next few years. That front line ain't bad, atleast there is depth maybe not quality but quantity wise.

There's a guy who posts on Bruin Report Online all the time,he works for Scout.com and writes for the UW site. Josh Smith is local to him and he's been saying for months now he believes Josh will end up at UCLA, although he says Duke is really pushing hard to get in on Smith now. His opinion is Josh is the best C in the class and will be a Bruin. Tyler has really fallen off he was the top rated player in the class overall for quite awhile, some now have him as 3rd or 4th best C, let alone player. He's got a lot of issues can't control his temper, is a bit lazy, has a huge entourage around him. Most think if he goes to college it'll be USC but he seems like another kid who might consider Europe for a year.

I think Stover is going to UA. UCLA is after Lamb for Brown do you mean Andy Brown from MAter Dei who I think will pick UA, or Anthony Brown the guard? I know both have UA on their list but I think Andy is a virtual lock for UA.

Don't forget also UA has Withey who could be a pretty good college player but doesn't figure to be so good that he'll be jumping to the NBA until at the earliest after his junior year.

 

[Lefty]

I agree with Russ, I still think Gaddy will come to the UofA. If he comes he will not be sitting.

As for Shumpert, I don't mind Lute bringing him in. From what his coach says, he has a lot of upside. The kid will hit the weights while here and get bigger, plus he might still be growing. Here is an article about him.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/254897

 

[overseascardfan]

There's a guy who posts on Bruin Report Online all the time,he works for Scout.com and writes for the UW site. Josh Smith is local to him and he's been saying for months now he believes Josh will end up at UCLA, although he says Duke is really pushing hard to get in on Smith now. His opinion is Josh is the best C in the class and will be a Bruin. Tyler has really fallen off he was the top rated player in the class overall for quite awhile, some now have him as 3rd or 4th best C, let alone player. He's got a lot of issues can't control his temper, is a bit lazy, has a huge entourage around him. Most think if he goes to college it'll be USC but he seems like another kid who might consider Europe for a year.

I think Stover is going to UA. UCLA is after Lamb for Brown do you mean Andy Brown from MAter Dei who I think will pick UA, or Anthony Brown the guard? I know both have UA on their list but I think Andy is a virtual lock for UA.

Don't forget also UA has Withey who could be a pretty good college player but doesn't figure to be so good that he'll be jumping to the NBA until at the earliest after his junior year.

I meant both Browns. Anthony and Lamb both came away with offers after attending the elite camp. U of A is suppose to really be after Brown, guess Lute has accepted the fact that Bradley and Snaer won't be committing to him. If they showed the amount of interest they gave Bradley to Snaer and Michael Dixon both would probably be Wildcats right now. As for '09 Andy Brown and Stover will commit to U of A IMO, which will lessen the sting of losing Greg Smith. I sure hope we land Gaddy as the class is revolving around him, anyone know when he is last recruiting visit is as there aren't any listed on his profile, as he has said his decision will come after the visits?

 

[Russ Smith]

I meant both Browns. Anthony and Lamb both came away with offers after attending the elite camp. U of A is suppose to really be after Brown, guess Lute has accepted the fact that Bradley and Snaer won't be committing to him. If they showed the amount of interest they gave Bradley to Snaer and Michael Dixon both would probably be Wildcats right now. As for '09 Andy Brown and Stover will commit to U of A IMO, which will lessen the sting of losing Greg Smith. I sure hope we land Gaddy as the class is revolving around him, anyone know when he is last recruiting visit is as there aren't any listed on his profile, as he has said his decision will come after the visits?

The last update I read suggested Gaddy is going to likely visit UCLA and UA and that's believed to be it. the suggestion is that's his final 2 and UCLA is doing much better now but UA is still thought to be leading. Didn't say who had the last visit.

I agree UA will likely get Stover. On Snaer there appears to be other stuff his AAU coach is trying to steer him to Missouri because he's good friends with an assistant there. Another rumor I'd rather not post that basically would eliminate UCLA and UA, but would explain why Missouri and Stanford are so high on his list.

 

[overseascardfan]

So much for Lamb he just committed to UCLA. Now options have dwindled down to Anthony Brown unless there is someone else on the radar. Hopefully we can get back into the Bradley or Snaer sweepstakes.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

We have no chance with Bradley or Snaer.