Let's Talk '22

[Spaceman Spiff]

Spiff is just being nice. He’s actually not posting in the offseason so I can build up my self esteem by being #1 in Rep, but then when sports start back up he’ll blow me away and my ego will shrink like I just got out of a cold pool.

The only reason I'm close is 2-3 weeks of continuous hate posting about Robbins and Heeke after the Miller firing. Lloyd's got at least 3 years in him, so the only way I'm a threat to you is if Robbins and Heeke get canned and I unleash 2-3 weeks of jubilation.

Dammit, you got me excited just thinking about that.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Hey Spiff, how do you feel that the last four hires by Heeke have been people with no head coaching experience?

He appears to have a type. And by he, I mean Robbins.

[EastCoastCat]

Good for you Spiff. Have fun this summer and hope to hear back from you when the season gets closer.

I need to take time away from this board but too addicted. Should concentrate more on how to incorporate 8 tight ends to our offense and how the League and Refs can ensure another ‘ship for the Lakers…

[Postmaster]

Probably cuzma for zion

[dmjcat]

Shaedon Sharpe was on campus today for an unofficial visit per 247 and Matt Moreno

https://247sports.com/player/shaedon-sharpe-46097657/

Heavy Kentucky lean

[zonagrad]

Somebody on here knew why Nancy left but would never spill the beans.

I know what Nancy did and I promised I would not say anything. What she did was out of character and it was to a former UofA player. That is all I can say.

It's fairly common knowledge by now -- and it was several years ago.

[dmjcat]

Dylan Anderson talks about the UA coaching staff while at the Section 7 tournament

http://allsportstucson.com/2021/06/20/a ... ournament/

[YoDeFoe]

Dylan Anderson talks about the UA coaching staff while at the Section 7 tournament

http://allsportstucson.com/2021/06/20/a ... ournament/

Smart kid

[Postmaster]

Somebody on here knew why Nancy left but would never spill the beans.

I know what Nancy did and I promised I would not say anything. What she did was out of character and it was to a former UofA player. That is all I can say.

It's fairly common knowledge by now -- and it was several years ago.

Then send me a PM with info, please.

[84Cat]

Shaedon Sharpe was on campus today for an unofficial visit per 247 and Matt Moreno

https://247sports.com/player/shaedon-sharpe-46097657/

Heavy Kentucky lean

[A1RZONA]

could be zeke's brother haha

[IndianaZonaFan]

Want him to be at Arizona next year. Already had 2 visits here. Tommy needs to lock it up. Kid is a FUCKING BUCKET.

[Beachcat97]

https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college ... 13248.html

Scheyer is on the board. Hope Lloyd can land one or two more of his own before the season begins.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Man, remember when we used to talk about getting some of these guys?

Then the UofA president got involved.

[IndianaZonaFan]

https://www.espn.com/recruiting/basketb ... homa-state

Looks like we still have a shot. Article states he will take an official visit.

Hasn’t he already had 2 unofficial visits here? If he takes a 3rd visit here….I like our chances. Tommy boy might pull a rabbit out of a hat and shock the recruiting doubters by getting 2 5 star guys in one class.

I’m holding out hope for Sharpe. I think he is legit. Bear Down!

[EastCoastCat]

I hope our fellow Canadian Mathurin can help convince him to come to Tucson.

[Chicat]

ASU didn’t make the cut.

[YoDeFoe]

I know we have limited recruiting wins so far under Lloyd but we’ve made the top five of Washington for 21 and now Sharpe for 22. Haven’t lost our seat at the table for top recruits, at least.

[ChooChooCat]

I know we have limited recruiting wins so far under Lloyd but we’ve made the top five of Washington for 21 and now Sharpe for 22. Haven’t lost our seat at the table for top recruits, at least.

I mean it also helps that they are play two hours up the road.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I know we have limited recruiting wins so far under Lloyd but we’ve made the top five of Washington for 21 and now Sharpe for 22. Haven’t lost our seat at the table for top recruits, at least.

I'm not usually an advocate of "if you ain't first, you're last," but in recruiting, it's true.

As I've said before, Lloyd is getting a minimum of 3 years here. His effectiveness over that period is going to be not just being in the running for these guys, but getting commits.

[Beachcat97]

Here's hoping Sharpe is the first "big fish" recruiting win for Tommy. Has to happen at some point, right?

[Chicat]

Has to happen at some point, right?

I don’t think that’s how it works.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Here's hoping Sharpe is the first "big fish" recruiting win for Tommy. Has to happen at some point, right?

This is a results business. Lloyd will get them or he won't. We'll see. So far, the results aren't stunning, but like I said, there's a 3 year clock.

[gronk4heisman]

Im not holding out hope on this recruitment.

[ChooChooCat]

Here's hoping Sharpe is the first "big fish" recruiting win for Tommy. Has to happen at some point, right?

This is a results business. Lloyd will get them or he won't. We'll see. So far, the results aren't stunning, but like I said, there's a 3 year clock.

He's getting at least 4.

[Irish27]

I read Sharpe is all but a lock for Kentucky, is that correct?

[Spaceman Spiff]

Here's hoping Sharpe is the first "big fish" recruiting win for Tommy. Has to happen at some point, right?

This is a results business. Lloyd will get them or he won't. We'll see. So far, the results aren't stunning, but like I said, there's a 3 year clock.

He's getting at least 4.

For a second I was like, damn, which 4 guys is he getting?

Then I realize I think you mean years. I said 3 based off the belief that he'd get that as a minimum even if he fails abjectly over and over again. Year 1 will be excused by Miller/sanctions if it goes bad. That same IARP excuse will filter into year 2 enough that he could go sub .500 two years in a row and still be retained.

I tend to think if he was sub .500 his first 3 years, he wouldn't see year 4, but reasonable minds can disagree. FWIW, I do not expect he will have a single sub-.500 record, let alone 3 in a row.

[azcat49]

Anytime I see Kentucky on a guys list I figure that’s where the kid will go. Of course we need a PG and maybe TyTy stays an extra year and the roster situation is not as good there?

I became concerned when he openly said recruiting has been more difficult than he expected. Never an issue for Miller. He followed that up with him being unproven to those recruits as a lead man. Gulp

[Postmaster]

I would say that might be dependent upon who the President is after year 3.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anytime I see Kentucky on a guys list I figure that’s where the kid will go. Of course we need a PG and maybe TyTy stays an extra year and the roster situation is not as good there?

I became concerned when he openly said recruiting has been more difficult than he expected. Never an issue for Miller. He followed that up with him being unproven to those recruits as a lead man. Gulp

There was a lot of "Arizona recruits itself" on this board, but I never fully believed. You can see how a lot of similarly situated schools have not always recruited themselves.

Bottom line for me, Lloyd needs to recruit in a way that produces national contender level talent. That's the goal here ultimately, national contender status.

[gronk4heisman]

Anytime I see Kentucky on a guys list I figure that’s where the kid will go. Of course we need a PG and maybe TyTy stays an extra year and the roster situation is not as good there?

I became concerned when he openly said recruiting has been more difficult than he expected. Never an issue for Miller. He followed that up with him being unproven to those recruits as a lead man. Gulp

There was a lot of "Arizona recruits itself" on this board, but I never fully believed. You can see how a lot of similarly situated schools have not always recruited themselves.

Bottom line for me, Lloyd needs to recruit in a way that produces national contender level talent. That's the goal here ultimately, national contender status.

I think Tommy believed Arizona recruits itself, still waiting for those guys to show up at his door saying they want to play for Arizona. I have spoke my mind that this years roster completion was an utter disappointment to what could have been a special team if the right pieces were added. 2022 is still up in the air but I am far from confident in Tommy's ability to relate to players and we currently have only two assistants, one with a similar profile to Tommy in Jack Murphy (good fella, long time assistant, Euro wheelhouse) and another who appears to have one foot out the door in Terry. His recruiting strategy seems to set him up for failure (recruiting only Tyty during crunch time as all other options committed elsewhere only to lose him) I truly hope he proves me wrong.

[RawleArenas]

This basically confirms what I have always thought about Tommy Boy. To him, Gonzaga is the center of the universe (at least for now) while not comprehending that Arizona is in another galaxy compared to Gonzaga. He really lucked into a plum job without proving anything worthwhile. If he had a record like Cronin's and was putting together tourney teams from underrated guys and dudes he plucked out the YMCA gym that's a different story. But this guy has been Tattoo to Mr. Roarke and now thinks he's ready for prime time. I sussed this out just by watching him in interviews and by the way he has talked about his challenges since taking the job.

I'm sorry, but you can't hide at Arizona. We obsess about basketball 24/7 here and if you can't cut it, we will quickly and abruptly root for your dismissal. He needs to shape up really quickly. I mentioned this before but look at Hopkins. He came from a celebrated program and got good results at U-dub for a little while, but is having trouble putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again. Zag fans were ridiculing the fact that they had Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels and were at the bottom of the Pac-12. In high major basketball, you always put a premium on coaches who are consistently good and can recruit at high level while accepting the fact that even the best coaches have bumps in the road (like CSM).

Every problem that fans had with Miller was always a Shaq problem. They always complained the offense (which was solidly in the upper tier according to KenPom), the packline and that we never had a Final Four. Very few coaches can recruit over their problems like Miller did. It's like Shaq dunking on two guys in the paint. Remember the 2018-19 season when we stunk up the court and were barely above .500? The very next year he puts together a top 10 class at all the right positions and gets rid of every bit of dead weight that was on the roster. The next year after he loses the big three he completely changes his approach and recruits Kriisa, Tubelis and Mathurin and gets three phenomenal transfers (Akinjo, JB and TB). Doing all of these things with sanctions looming. In his first year of recruiting international students he recruited just as well or better than Gonzaga which has a pipeline to Europe and has used these type of players as their bread and butter for years. Most high major programs (with very few exceptions) only dream of recruiting at the level that Miller did. Also, as an aside, last years recruiting class was top 15/fringe top 10. Mathurin and Tubelis were severely underrated (like Zeke, who was better than Jeremiah Robinson Earl, Bacot and Matthew Hurt) most likely because of the dark cloud surrounding the program. You don't criticize Shaq because he can't shoot free throws or doesn't have a jump shot. You realize what he brings to the table is so far ahead of most franchises that you wait until the right pieces come together.

Miller lead and recruited in a very specific way that was underappreciated by a large swath of fans. He brought in guys that were not only unique or borderline unicorn, but guys that came from good families, bought into the program and were easy to root for. He did this consistently. Remember when we lost TJ Leaf and everyone was freaking out and he brought in Markkanen? I do. Even if the administration brought in Donovan or Stevens I'm not sure if they would do markedly better than Miller did. Also, I don't think they would understand the tradition or embrace the community the way that Miller did. There's a reason why our players love him and were devoted to him. CTL needs to wake up quickly and realize that if he doesn't start grinding and put on his work boots, his job will be over before it starts.

[Beachcat97]

CTL needs to wake up quickly and realize that if he doesn't start grinding and put on his work boots, his job will be over before it starts.

Excellent post, RA. This last sentence more or less captures Lloyd's situation at Arizona.

[Postmaster]

Does tcl have the resources and connections that CSM had?

[Chicat]

Does tcl have the resources and connections that CSM had?

He better develop that shit real quick if he doesn’t. Nike will gladly steer all kinds of kids to Oregon, UCLA, and Gonzaga instead.

[Beachcat97]

Does tcl have the resources and connections that CSM had?

He better develop that shit real quick if he doesn’t. Nike will gladly steer all kinds of kids to Oregon, UCLA, and Gonzaga instead.

Can tell you: fans of these other programs in the west are fairly giddy over our situation. The instability with our program over the past 3-4 years has coincided with the reemergence of UCLA, the further ascension of Gonzaga, and the continued strong performance of Oregon. Seems to always work this way. If a traditional power falters, even for a short period, others reap immediate benefits.

No one is afraid of Lloyd. For me, this is the "shit" he needs to develop quickly. Can't afford to be a Pac doormat, losing our top recruiting targets to our main regional rivals.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Does tcl have the resources and connections that CSM had?

He better develop that shit real quick if he doesn’t. Nike will gladly steer all kinds of kids to Oregon, UCLA, and Gonzaga instead.

Yup. Miller wasn't known as a West Coast recruiter before he came here, but he became one.

Lloyd needs to land signifcant recruits or hit on underrated stars all the time. At Arizona, that's going to be what's expected. You need recruits or returners that enable us to compete at a high level.

[BBQ wildcat]

Anytime I see Kentucky on a guys list I figure that’s where the kid will go. Of course we need a PG and maybe TyTy stays an extra year and the roster situation is not as good there?

I became concerned when he openly said recruiting has been more difficult than he expected. Never an issue for Miller. He followed that up with him being unproven to those recruits as a lead man. Gulp

His comments REALLY were disturbing. Hasn't even fielded a team and is making excuses for his poor recruiting, talking about him being unproven and possible sanctions looming, yada, yada, yada. CSM never made excuses like that, he just put his head down and worked his ass off even harder. If Lloyd is just going to resort to excuses whenever something doesn't go his way, it will be a very, very long 3-4 years.

[Postmaster]

We had one guy that said AZ was his dream school and apparently CTL didn’t want him.
That’s kind of the definition of a school recruiting itself.

[Postmaster]

I’m was listening to something on the radio recently and whoever it was related that Shaq was a really good jump shooter. But it was not part of his game because of how basketball was played at the time.

Not trying to blow up your analogy, It just reminded me of that story.

[EastCoastCat]

[TheCat]

Recruits will come if you put an exciting brand of basketball on the floor and win. What has me most concerned is Oregon. They signed yet another 5 star big man. This is potentially what we are going to see with image/likeness era with Nike and Oregon. Hell can offer them lots of exposure and that is their business.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I’m was listening to something on the radio recently and whoever it was related that Shaq was a really good jump shooter. But it was not part of his game because of how basketball was played at the time.

Not trying to blow up your analogy, It just reminded me of that story.

In fairness, I think people underrate the fact NBA players actually excel at basically everything. Being an NBA player means you're better than a normal player in every way.

[UAEebs86]

I’m was listening to something on the radio recently and whoever it was related that Shaq was a really good jump shooter. But it was not part of his game because of how basketball was played at the time.

Not trying to blow up your analogy, It just reminded me of that story.

In fairness, I think people underrate the fact NBA players actually excel at basically everything. Being an NBA player means you're better than a normal player in every way.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I’m was listening to something on the radio recently and whoever it was related that Shaq was a really good jump shooter. But it was not part of his game because of how basketball was played at the time.

Not trying to blow up your analogy, It just reminded me of that story.

In fairness, I think people underrate the fact NBA players actually excel at basically everything. Being an NBA player means you're better than a normal player in every way.

Yup. The funny part is Scalabrine's clearly going half speed too. That's a pretty good look at how a lower level NBA player in his 40's can murder a high school player without really trying.

[Merkin]

Probably the one and only time I will see "NBA Legend" and "Brian Scalabrine" in the same sentence. Although he was a really good player for USC.

In any event, he could have taken that kid 100-5 just by muscling him around.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Probably the one and only time I will see "NBA Legend" and "Brian Scalabrine" in the same sentence. Although he was a really good player for USC.

In any event, he could have taken that kid 100-5 just by muscling him around.

I'm not sure you understand what Brian Scalabrine means to people.

[azgreg]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/pl ... abr01.html

Career

G: 520
PTS: 3.1
TRB: 2.0
AST: 0.8
FG%: 39.0
FG3%: 34.4
FT%: 78.3
eFG%: 45.0
PER: 7.7
WS: 7.6

[Spaceman Spiff]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/pl ... abr01.html

Career

G: 520
PTS: 3.1
TRB: 2.0
AST: 0.8
FG%: 39.0
FG3%: 34.4
FT%: 78.3
eFG%: 45.0
PER: 7.7
WS: 7.6

[azgreg]

Doesn't make him a legend.