Bear Down Wildcats

Fishclamps wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2024 8:01 am I thought he was a goner and that's why the picked up Aristode?

Fishclamps wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2024 8:01 am I thought he was a goner and that's why the picked up Aristode?

luteformayor2 wrote: Sun Oct 20, 2024 1:14 pm Choo - whats the deal with Muurinen in 2026? Any shot with another Finnish guy?

dmjcat wrote: Mon May 13, 2024 8:32 am

Merkin wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2024 4:40 pm Don't know a lot about recruiting, but that does not seem a good sign.

Yessoufou was a lock too, until Baylor coughed up more dough than the UA could afford. UA even signed his teammate Kuykendall to no avail.

TheCat wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2024 3:21 pm This is the kind of Bullshit we will have to face next year and beyond.

The Players Era Festival, anchored by Houston, Alabama and Rutgers, plans to give $1 million in NIL payouts to every participating team.

KaibabKat wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2024 10:11 pm Can he play the point?

AZCatGirl wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:54 am

Irish27 wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:29 pm Maybe LeBron will pay his tuition so they can use that scholarship on another player.

dmjcat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:31 pm

Irish27 wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:29 pm Maybe LeBron will pay his tuition so they can use that scholarship on another player.

Lebron should be paying CTL some NIL funds to take this kid.

Chicat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:49 pm Anyone thinking having Lebron’s kid on the squad is a bad thing isn’t thinking clearly.

Chicat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:49 pm Anyone thinking having Lebron’s kid on the squad is a bad thing isn’t thinking clearly.

Chicat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 1:50 pm We have the scholarship to spare and can now offer kids the opportunity to be in LJ’s orbit. In this day & age of top recruits having agents and business/marketing managers, that’s a very nice bonus to be able to offer.

This isn’t a Bronny situation because there’s no expectation he will play significant minutes. I trust that Tommy wouldn’t have taken him if he thought this would be like USC last year.

dovecanyoncat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:18 pm

Chicat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 1:50 pm We have the scholarship to spare and can now offer kids the opportunity to be in LJ’s orbit. In this day & age of top recruits having agents and business/marketing managers, that’s a very nice bonus to be able to offer.

This isn’t a Bronny situation because there’s no expectation he will play significant minutes. I trust that Tommy wouldn’t have taken him if he thought this would be like USC last year.

I trust your judgement in this matter waay more than mine, but I gotta admit I my initial thought was Tommy better see something of substance here, because if not, it's a bad litmus test result for our optionality as a basketball school.

84Cat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:32 pm I'm assuming this is the main reason we recruited him

James becomes the second commitment in the 2025 class behind Dwayne Aristode and is close friends with multiple Arizona targets, including elite 2025 point guard Brayden Burries.

Merkin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 1:57 pm With the new rules, there will now be 16 scholarships with no walk-ons.

Very few teams go more than 8 deep, no harm having him sit end of the bench and be a practice player.

TucsonClip wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:08 pm Yeah, who would ever want a link to Klutch Sports (rep Koa and Burries), benefitting from the marketing reach of Brons businesses, and someone on the team who is very influential with a few elite '25 and '26 recruits?

TucsonClip wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:08 pm Yeah, who would ever want a link to Klutch Sports (rep Koa and Burries), benefitting from the marketing reach of Brons businesses, and someone on the team who is very influential with a few elite '25 and '26 recruits?

dmjcat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 6:59 pm

TucsonClip wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:08 pm Yeah, who would ever want a link to Klutch Sports (rep Koa and Burries), benefitting from the marketing reach of Brons businesses, and someone on the team who is very influential with a few elite '25 and '26 recruits?

Klutch Sports is going to advise any elite recruits (UA or otherwise) to sign with whomever has the biggest NIL bag. Thats how agents make there money....the more money their client gets the more money they do.

So having links to Klutch Sports is pretty much worthless.............Having a big pile of NIL is not.

dmjcat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 6:59 pm

TucsonClip wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:08 pm Yeah, who would ever want a link to Klutch Sports (rep Koa and Burries), benefitting from the marketing reach of Brons businesses, and someone on the team who is very influential with a few elite '25 and '26 recruits?

Klutch Sports is going to advise any elite recruits (UA or otherwise) to sign with whomever has the biggest NIL bag. Thats how agents make there money....the more money their client gets the more money they do.

So having links to Klutch Sports is pretty much worthless.............Having a big pile of NIL is not.

dmjcat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 6:59 pm So having links to Klutch Sports is pretty much worthless...

Chicat wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 6:17 am

dmjcat wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 6:59 pm So having links to Klutch Sports is pretty much worthless...

I get it that you’re entrenched in this mindset that for every top recruit it’s only a numbers game as far as taking the biggest bag even if it’s just a few dollars more than another offer, but that’s not how it works for a lot of these kids.

Having links to Lebron and Klutch could be very lucrative for the player AND their representation. And Arizona is a marquee program that attracts national attention that will get even more from the Lebron connection. Your statement above is absurd and reeks of being defensive of your stance that every halfway decent recruit is looking for a one-time cash haul no matter the other circumstances surrounding things like visibility, playing time, program success, team fit, academics, future opportunities and so on. Not all of these players are as shortsighted as you are. Most are looking at all of the things a program can offer them, and a connection to Lebron James is absolutely not “pretty much worthless”. Like I said, just an absurd statement.

gronk4heisman wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 8:58 am A few points. First I find it comical that the one guy constantly crying about how we can't compete in this day and age with NIL is now crying about us doing something that actually moves the needle in that game. Second, calling it a wasted scholarship when we went into this season not even using two of our scholarships is also hilarious. This is so clearly a smart move that anyone without tunnel vision can see and easily the smartest thing Tommy has done in recruiting since he has been here. Outside of the NIL opportunities Brayden Burries is good friends with Bryce. Alijiah Arenas works out with Bryce and everyone knows Gil is shallow enough to want to be were eyes will be. Koa Peat is a Klutch client already and you can say Klutch will push clients to the highest bidder but when the head guy at Klutch has a vested interest in Arizona's success you better believe all things equal there will be a slightly bigger push one direction.

And finally, regardless of what many haters here say there was no drama at USC caused by Lebron. There sure were a lot extra eyes and unearned ESPN attention. There was a tragic health incident outside everyone's control. But there was not Lebron forcing the coach's hands or causing drama within the locker room. He has not shown he is a Lavar Ball type dad and has shown he is nothing but a supportive parent who is an A list celebrity and brings eyes with him wherever he goes. The James, family from everything I have seen, seem like great people and there are definitely a lot of people trying to bring them down at every turn and to this point the biggest negative dirt is "the decision" which was stupid but also raised something like $5M for the YMCA and other charities at the cost of making him a villain.

Bottom line, if you can not see the good in this signing and think it is us reaching for a lowly rated player. You are need to think a little deeper.

Chicat wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 9:36 am Convincing yourself this is a bad thing takes a level of cognitive dissonance I’m honestly in awe of. Like watching a sunset at Gates Pass and loudly exclaiming to everyone that the same sun will eventually expand and swallow the earth so what are they so happy about?

dmjcat wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 9:47 am

Chicat wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 9:36 am Convincing yourself this is a bad thing takes a level of cognitive dissonance I’m honestly in awe of. Like watching a sunset at Gates Pass and loudly exclaiming to everyone that the same sun will eventually expand and swallow the earth so what are they so happy about?

Convincing yourself that throwing away a scholarship (and inviting a 3 ring circus to your basketball team) is a good thing is a level of stupidity that I am NOT in awe of.