lets talk '16

[gumby]

He's contractually obligated to play center, apparently. Those other schools are going to need new assistants, too.

[Harvey Specter]

He's contractually obligated to play center, apparently. Those other schools are going to need new assistants, too.

Sean Elliot was a HS center, too ; I watched him play the position his junior and senior year of high school. I am pretty sure Jefferson played C in HS, too.

I have not seen Lighfoot play, so I have no idea what his game is. But it could very well be he plays C Because he is the tallest guy on the team.

As for PF... There have been plenty of very good ones in the P12 at 6'7". Michael Wright, John Brockman, and Leon Powe come to mind. I am sure there have been many others.

Mike Sanders started at center at 6'6" for a team that was the national runner-up, going a few years further back.

[Longhorned]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

[rgdeuce]

Yea, both scouts and coaches get things wrong. But one thing scouts do not know, how the wheels are spinning inside a head coaches head. One man's trash is another man's treasure. A scout says, he can't do this, this and this, and this is a concern, and a head coach goes, man, that dude would be the perfect piece for ________, or he slides in perfectly when we need _____, or are trying to do this ____. I cannot think of a better example of this than Gregg Popovich.

[TucsonClip]

My main theory on scouting is before you write someone off, or before you even begin to focus on the negatives, remind yourself of what the positives are. What can the player do, what is he good at, how does he fit in a certain role?

You arent recruiting, drafting or developing a player based on what he cant do. Focus on what the player can do and work from the top down.

[midnightx]

The concern moving forward past this year has to be the front line. With Victor leaving the team last year and with Leaf decomitting, the front-line could be quite vulnerable for next season.

This year, AZ is stacked with a deep roster. There isn't the bona-fide, one-and-done hyped player coming into the line-up like Gordon and Johnson the past couple of years, and that is largely why there is less excitement, but there is a potentially great AZ team ready to go.

Most major programs have recruiting years where there are some misses. Even next year, there is a lot of talent likely returning. Again, the short-term concern has to be the front-line. The "sky is falling" rhetoric is a bit unnecessary; logically it makes little sense to assert that a coach who has done a very admirable job recruiting and coaching for the past several years at an elite national program suddenly won't be able to bring any relevant players in.

[gumby]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

Jamelle Horne, 5 star. As what, I do not know.

[Merkin]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

Jamelle Horne, 5 star. As what, I do not know.

Fendi Onobun was 5 star too wasn't he?

Jamelle was a crack-up, sadly.

Wish I still had that GIF of KO when he was at USC yelling: "IT'S JAMELLE ****ING HORNE!!!". Glad to see Jamelle with a little payback to KO after he was left on the bench because KO while taking over for Lute forgot he was there.

[Harvey Specter]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.

Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).

As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.

As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.

Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.

[catgrad97]

I remember Chol telling GOAZCATS that he "wanted" to play the 3. Not that any scout necessarily thought he COULD play the 3.

It was Michael Wright all over again, and he would've been miserable finding that out here.

Lute's mistake was recruiting Dennis Latimore as a basketball player when he actually wanted to be a poet and coast on his talent. Shades of Brian Williams and one of the early signs that Lute's deadeye for talent on the recruiting trail was fading.

I want Lightfoot just because he's a four-year rebounder for us. He will come in and bang the glass right away. He's a power player with no illusions of being anything else, unlike those other pseudo-4s. We need that.

[Olsondogg]

Yea, both scouts and coaches get things wrong. But one thing scouts do not know, how the wheels are spinning inside a head coaches head. One man's trash is another man's treasure. A scout says, he can't do this, this and this, and this is a concern, and a head coach goes, man, that dude would be the perfect piece for ________, or he slides in perfectly when we need _____, or are trying to do this ____. I cannot think of a better example of this than Gregg Popovich.

Scouts seemingly know what is up, except when they don't. Which is often.

[Longhorned]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.

Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).

As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.

As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.

Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.

For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.

[Harvey Specter]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.

Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).

As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.

As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.

Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.

For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.

Okay then... Maybe it was a well kept secret, and someone else on the staff recruited Chol to UA as a 3.

[mofo]

Apologies if this was already discussed in this thread but is Lightfoot similar to Ricky Anderson? I've heard mention of 4 man who can rebound but not terribly athletic. I'd take another Ricky Anderson any day, especially as an upperclassman.

[Longhorned]

The knock on Lightfoot is that his physical attributes limit him to guarding big men in the block, whom he doesn't match up with size-wise. If you take him out of the low post, he supposedly doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter or defend skilled bigs off the dribble. Accordingly, the fact that he's a center in high school has nothing to with these concerns, and the comparison to earlier Cats with NBA upside who played center in high school is irrelevant.

Sean Miller doesn't agree with this evaluation, and sees Lightfoot as a 4 in college.

Before you say, "Well, I think I trust Sean Miller on this one," remember that he's disagreeing with scouts, whose sole job is to evaluate potential. Arizona recruited Angelo Chol as a 3.

And before you say, "Okay, then I trust scouts more than coaches, who recruit and develop rather than evaluate talent," remember that scouts ranked Kaleb Tarciewski and Brandon Ashley as 5-star talents. One of these is going into his senior season, and the other should be as well. Are the people who missed Tarc's below-average length and hands, and Ashley's below-average lateral quickness and motor (and similar misses on other recruits), the trusted authority on what Lightfoot can and can't do?

There's arguably only one solution: Let this play out over time.

I would suspect that Lightfoot has nowhere close to the upside that Elliott or Jefferson did coming out of college... The point was that assuming he is a center because that is what he played on his HS team is ridiculous. It stands.

Can he be a good college 4? I have no idea... But apparently Miller, Self, and Krystowiak do. A guarantee? No, but a pretty good indicator he might be worth a scholarship. And that he is not Korcheck v2 (with no disrespect intended to Korcheck - I love that kid).

As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.

As for Chol, I would love to a see a link to anywhere discussing our recruitment of him as a 3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely any more - but I used to religiously, and never remember anything remotely like that.

Unless you are getting confused with us supposedly recruiting Latimore as a 3, which was true and almost (but not quite) as laughable. But that one was on Lute, and well before Miller was a head coach anywhere - let alone here.

For the recruitment of Chol as a 3, there's no link that I know of that isn't behind a pay wall. I can't write any more than I wrote, but I didn't write that Miller specifically recruited Chol as a 3, and nobody has any way of knowing what Miller or anyone else believes about that or anything else, including Lightfoot.

Okay then... Maybe it was a well kept secret, and someone else on the staff recruited Chol to UA as a 3.

Either way, I personally agree with you on the point of the comparison.

[dmjcat]

Lightfoot sets decision date:

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank

[Beachcat97]

Lightfoot sets decision date:

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank

Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.

[rgdeuce]

97 hasn't come around with any comforting messages but I'm not reading into it too much. The vibe I get is, we are still in it, but Michigan State has gained a lot of momentum.

[luteformayor2]

Lightfoot sets decision date:

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank

Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.

We have been consistently trending down on him for the last 1-2 months. There hasn't been a single piece of good news for surrounding his recruitment in months. Everything could be fine but I think he is MSU's to lose at this point and Miller has really dropped the ball.

[Beachcat97]

Well, if true, it's disappointing that we're seeing our recruiting momentum slow considerably. The JJ sweepstakes aren't over yet, so hopefully Miller and his staff have some ideas for getting back in the running.

[Chicat]

Lightfoot sets decision date:

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/recruiting ... tment-date" target="_blank

Is it a forgone conclusion that we're not getting JJ? That seems to be the vibe around here.

We have been consistently trending down on him for the last 1-2 months. There hasn't been a single piece of good news for surrounding his recruitment in months. Everything could be fine but I think he is MSU's to lose at this point and Miller has really dropped the ball.

There is so much time left in his recruitment. I wouldn't make him a lock for any team at this point.

[Longhorned]

As far as Jackson goes, there's no trending. It's always been Arizona and Kansas, and Michigan State joined the top ranks later in the game. There's no way of monitoring trending. Having leaders is common in recruiting.

Jones isn't trending. He just is what he is: a Texas recruit whom Arizona hoped to get an early commitment from in order to avoid the near impossibility of contending with Texas schools and Louisville.

Lauri isn't trending. His commitment is just impossible to read.

Lightfoot simply has nothing to do with anything.

Trending is usually a fiction. Not even Rabb trended. If you were a Cal fan last year and got nervous that Rabb was going to Arizona, that would have been a waste of worry. By the time he was a senior, he was never going to Arizona.

[gumby]

We don't know what's happening in his head, but we do know that Michigan St. has momentum and Miller has dropped the ball.

Or not.

Recruiting speculation. Always makes for strange reading.

Unless this has changed from a spring decision, why would there be news by now?

[Longhorned]

We don't know what's happening in his head, but we do know that Michigan has momentum and Miller has dropped the ball.

Or not.

Recruiting speculation. Always makes for strange reading.

Unless this has changed from a spring decision, why would there be news by now?

Sounds like you didn't buy that recruiting trend-o-meter I had my eye on for you.

[midnightx]

How has SM dropped the ball? There are no guarantees in recruiting. AZ has been a leader or a "finalist" for JJ for quite some time. If Michigan State has gained momentum, how is that AZ's fault? As others pointed out, Rabb was allegedly leaning AZ for quite some time, but circumstances changed that likely had little to do with SM or AZ. JJ clearly likes AZ and SM, but there are other factors to consider that have nothing to do with dropping the ball.

[Longhorned]

How has SM dropped the ball? There are no guarantees in recruiting. AZ has been a leader or a "finalist" for JJ for quite some time. If Michigan State has gained momentum, how is that AZ's fault? As others pointed out, Rabb was allegedly leaning AZ for quite some time, but circumstances changed that likely had little to do with SM or AZ. JJ clearly likes AZ and SM, but there are other factors to consider that have nothing to do with dropping the ball.

See the "Or not" part.

[Main Event]

[ChooChooCat]

I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.

The fact that he's a 6'7 guy who can dunk and shoot open 3s does not make him a 4. He may get some PT there against the Cal State Northridges and NAUs of the world, but who cares about playing against them. You care who he can play against and defend in the PAC 12 and the NCAA tournament.

He's a great kid, who hustles, and plays his ass off just like Matt Korcheck. Those traits are unfortunately rare nowadays so they have value, but none of that makes him a college 4.

[Longhorned]

I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.

Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?

[ChooChooCat]

I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.

Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?

I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.

[Longhorned]

I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.

Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?

I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.

That's fair, but why don't you think he can defend the 4?

[ChooChooCat]

I don't understand why calling Lightfoot another Korcheck is a bad thing exactly? You need those kind of guys on your team. Also who said he's being pegged as a 5 because that's what he plays in HS. You are what you can defend. He can not defend a college 4. Brandon Ashley barely could and maybe saying barely is being generous. 4s in college tend to be much more athletic.

Some really good scouts agree with you. I don't think Miller agrees with you or those scouts. Why do you think Lightfoot can't defend the 4?

I edited my post a bit and that should explain it a bit better. Play the kid at the 4 against NAU and what not, but not against teams with actual talent, because he's not capable of defending any of them athletically.

That's fair, but why don't you think he can defend the 4?

He can't defend the 4 at the major level for the same reason Brandon Ashley wasn't very good at defending major 4s and that's a lack of lateral quickness. Ashley was able to get away with defending many college 4s though due to a 7'2 wingspan that when utilized closed off driving lanes that made up for his lack of lateral speed. Lightfoot does not have physical attributes like Ashley did to make up for his deficiencies. Like I said a 4 man against lower level programs sure. A 4 man against any respectful team? No.

[Longhorned]

I hear you on that, but since not all coaches and scouts necessarily agree that Lightfoot lacks the lateral quickness to defend the 4, what you base that opinion on? Your own evaluation? Or, as in my case, do you not watch high school basketball games and just hear about recruits from those who do the evaluating?

[ChooChooCat]

I'm in the same boat as you. Evaluators could always be wrong, but when they are it typically has to do with guards/wings a la Steph Curry, TJMC, Dame Lillard, etc. They very rarely to never miss a negative evaluation on a big man's athletic ability and ceiling barring a growth spurt of course, which I hope is in Lightfoot's future.

[ChooChooCat]

As for not being able to guard on the perimeter - so what. Neither could Wright, Brockman, or Powe. Now I assume that Lightfoot has nowhere near their strength... But being a shorter-than-ideal PF who lacks the skills to be a perimeter defender is not a death knell.

You named 3 players with superior offensive basketball skills who were drafted by the NBA. Way to go to only one very slanted side of the spectrum. If Lightfoot had those players' skills then the position issue wouldn't be half the problem it is, but unfortunately no one remotely believes he does. I can name numerous NBA players that don't relate whatsoever to Lightfoot's skill set too, but that wouldn't exactly be productive.

I'm all for taking an undersized 4 man with advanced offensive skills like those players and in the process taking the hit defensively. With that said none of that remotely applies to Lightfoot. Also Michael Wright played in a completely different era of college basketball. He wouldn't be able to defend most college 4s today either.

[Olsondogg]

I'm in the same boat as you. Evaluators could always be wrong, but when they are it typically has to do with guards/wings a la Steph Curry, TJMC, Dame Lillard, etc. They very rarely to never miss a negative evaluation on a big man's athletic ability and ceiling barring a growth spurt of course, which I hope is in Lightfoot's future.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... sky-111960" target="_blank

[Olsondogg]

Or this:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... -alexander" target="_blank

[gumby]

We don't know what's happening in his head, but we do know that Michigan has momentum and Miller has dropped the ball.

Or not.

Recruiting speculation. Always makes for strange reading.

Unless this has changed from a spring decision, why would there be news by now?

Sounds like you didn't buy that recruiting trend-o-meter I had my eye on for you.

I'll tell you in the spring, but if you send me 10 bucks, I'll tell you which way I'm leaning.

[Longhorned]

I hope not $10 per month. That would be outrageous! Is there a discount for an annual subscription?

[gumby]

Lightfoot as Korcheck was necessarily a bad thing, because of the context you placed it in. A downer post on recruiting.

[gumby]

I hope not $10 per month. That would be outrageous! Is there a discount for an annual subscription?

Per lean. This is important. Plus, I'm setting up a special Friday Night Fights board, where members can drop insider non-definitive tidbits.

[Longhorned]

I'll have to get a lien on your lean. I have the alarm set for 11:58 PM next Friday.

[Ih8assu]

Markkanen has committed to AZ per Evan Daniels.

Great pick up in a position of need!

[Beachcat97]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... ce-jackson" target="_blank

Don't remember hearing much about this guy, but supposedly, we offered him. Going to UConn. Hope the news about Markkanen is true.

[UAEebs86]

Markkanen has committed to AZ per Evan Daniels.

Great pick up in a position of need!

Sweet!

Bunch of five stars at the game today, way to get the ball rolling.

[ASUHATER!]

Well since we lose Anderson and tarc he will help a lot. Him and Comanche and ristic next year.

[ChooChooCat]

All euro starting frontcourt next year outside of the 3 spot of course. Great pick up!

[Longhorned]

Okay, then.

[Longhorned]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... ce-jackson

Don't remember hearing much about this guy, but supposedly, we offered him. Going to UConn. Hope the news about Markkanen is true.

This is a huge get. It's reported by Evan Daniels. So yes, it's true.

[ChooChooCat]

Or this:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... -alexander" target="_blank

Renardo Sidney would've been a great one for you to post. Sometimes a guy's head gets in the way of their actual talent level. It happens often.

As far as Frank goes, he became an elite offensive player out of nowhere. Great job by him and Bo Ryan to turn him into that.