Texas Basketball Recruiting Notes: Shaka Edition

[Get ln My Van 927]

May have been already discussed but shouldn’t we be recruiting that Harris kid out of AZ if we’re also wanting him at DE?

[Machinator 32,097]

 

[Katfid54 8,591]

5 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

Let's hope we get the original and not the retarded clone.

[Machinator 32,097]

https://247sports.com/Player/Tristan-Enaruna-46048833/

[texasstrong12 4,668]

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

KJ hit the game winning bucket (tip-in off a missed shot) tonight in Westlake's 56-55 playoff victory over SA O'Connor. I believe they are now two games away from state. And remember, I keep emphasizing that he's still a sophomore who is still growing. And as my dad noted, he's a basketball player who happens to be a great athlete. Theres there's no question about the physical tools:


 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Edited February 23, 2019 by Goo Punch

[Baboontyme 2,807]

Derka, what do you know about '20 PG Jamal Shead? 247 says he is from Manor but Rivals says Pflugerville. 

[Longhorn Al 440]

Westlake goes down with Baker sitting out.  Steele beats them in OT.

Bowie upsets LT with a dominant 2nd half.  They outscored the Cavs 31-6 after trailing 23-15 at halftime.  Coleton Benson went off for 20 in the 2nd half.

[Machinator 32,097]

12 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Derka, what do you know about '20 PG Jamal Shead? 247 says he is from Manor but Rivals says Pflugerville. 

@Goo Punch

[Goo Punch 4,275]

Westlake got knocked out of the playoffs by Cibolo Steele in overtime. It was a helluva game. Both teams played with a ton of heart and exchanged big shots frequently down the stretch. Tough break for Westlake with no Will Baker. KJ did everything he could and was dominant again. This is one of the better highlight reels you'll see if this length. 

 

 

[texifornia 56,479]

Lord knows if this thread will even be relevant after the postseason:

https://247sports.com/Player/Harrison-Ingram-46056681/

[Burt Macklin 18,989]

19 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Lord knows if this thread will even be relevant after the postseason:

https://247sports.com/Player/Harrison-Ingram-46056681/

Him getting a Texas Tech or Virginia Tech offer may be more relevant to his chances of landing at Texas at this point.

[Machinator 32,097]

If Shaka does end up coaching another season here, I have no idea how he's going to recruit. Forget the disappointing seasons (he's shown he can recruit despite those), nobody who's paying attention is going to believe that he will be employed past spring 2020.

[utfan87 406]

21 minutes ago, Machinator said:

If Shaka does end up coaching another season here, I have no idea how he's going to recruit. Forget the disappointing seasons (he's shown he can recruit despite those), nobody who's paying attention is going to believe that he will be employed past spring 2020.

Without a trip to the dance I don't think he lasts the off-season. Bring on chris beard

[Machinator 32,097]

5 minutes ago, utfan87 said:

Without a trip to the dance I don't think he lasts the off-season. Bring on chris beard

You should visit the Fire Shaka thread on the basketball board.

[Goo Punch 4,275]

the current star system really bothers me. i used to follow recruiting rabidly when i was in HS 15 years ago, and only the top 5-6 players in the country got 5 stars. Now a seeming four year project like Will Baker is a 5 star at ~30th nationally. That's stupid.

5 stars should be reserved for guys who are a clear cut above- could be three guys, could be 8 guys- but it ain't 30+ guys. /the title of Santiago's biography. But seriously, too handful of guys get 5 stars, players 5-50 get 4 stars, 51-150 gets 3 stars, and everybody after that gets 2 or fewer.

[Burt Macklin 18,989]

40 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

the current star system really bothers me. i used to follow recruiting rabidly when i was in HS 15 years ago, and only the top 5-6 players in the country got 5 stars. Now a seeming four year project like Will Baker is a 5 star at ~30th nationally. That's stupid.

5 stars should be reserved for guys who are a clear cut above- could be three guys, could be 8 guys- but it ain't 30+ guys. /the title of Santiago's biography. But seriously, too handful of guys get 5 stars, players 5-50 get 4 stars, 51-150 gets 3 stars, and everybody after that gets 2 or fewer.

That’s a good point. I’m guessing 247 does that many because they do roughly that many for football (32 because 32 1st round picks). since the NFL draft has 7 rounds, you should divide the 60 players taken in the NBA draft by 7 to get the equivalent, which comes out to 8.5. Id say having 8-9 5 stars for basketball would be about right most years.

[texifornia 56,479]

Not Texas related, but still funny

 

[texifornia 56,479]

Even better, he was in the stands of the conference tournament when the texts came in:

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

for anyone watching the NIT game vs SDSU, Daum is exactly who we hope Will Baker becomes at Texas. Real deal game. Soft touch, good feet, good around the basket, and can hit the three. 

[jeevsie 3,720]

That guy had freaking game.

[VirginiaLonghorn 4,750]

Watching tournament teams and note most, if not all, have big ass upperclass grown men in their front court. Beasts between the blocks.

Meanwhile, Shaka recruits scrawny one-and-done types who are long gone before reaching the physical maturity to compete in all aspects of the inside game.  Maybe he would not be a dead man walking if he had long range vision to build from inside out. 

[Machinator 32,097]

31 minutes ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Meanwhile, Shaka recruits scrawny one-and-done types who are long gone before reaching the physical maturity to compete in all aspects of the inside game.  Maybe he would not be a dead man walking if he had long range vision to build from inside out. 

I mean, are you going to tell Shaka not to recruit Jarrett Allen from his backyard, or Mo Bamba, the number 2 overall prospect in the country?

Hayes wasn't a one-and-done coming out of high school.

[VirginiaLonghorn 4,750]

15 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I mean, are you going to tell Shaka not to recruit Jarrett Allen from his backyard, or Mo Bamba, the number 2 overall prospect in the country?

Hayes wasn't a one-and-done coming out of high school.

I’m telling you I don’t think he recruited anyone capable of playing inside against upper class big men. Neither Sims nor Osetkowski proved capable of mitigating the weaknesses, strength and bulk, of Shaka’s recruiting “jewels.” 

He got about what could be expected from the young and inexperienced high-vis targets. But, he cut his own throat by not getting them adequate help. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by VirginiaLonghorn

[Goo Punch 4,275]

ATLANTA – One of the top forward prospects in the 2021 class,  KJ Adams has continued to improve and top local powers have noticed. Following his time at the Underclassmen All-American Camp, Adams discussed his first year at Westlake High School, his newest offer, and the two in-state programs that have caught his eye.

Adams, a hard-playing and competitive small forward, understands what he does best. 

“No one can take away how hard that I play,” he said. “I think, I play the hardest and am good whenever I am aggressive and go to the rim first, which opens up my 3-point shot, definitely, but I feel like I am more of a slasher type of player.”

Earlier this month, Tennessee jumped in with an offer, as SMU, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M have already done as such, he told Rivals.com.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

 

Tennessee: “My relationship with coach Rob Lanier. I knew him whenever he was at Texas. Not from a recruiting standpoint but we had a great relationship and just knowing that he has my back and that Rick Barneshas a tremendous background, that stuff really stands out, along with how well they did this year.”

 

Texas: “I go to a lot of Texas games. I have a good relationship with coach Shaka Smart. I have gone down there a few times to watch some good basketball. Shaka really pounds on, not just the basketball side but, before he even gave me an offer, he talked to me about just myself out of basketball, school wise and my relationship with my teammates.

 

“I wouldn’t say that they are my childhood dream since my mom is an Aggie but it is definitely something that kids look for, that is playing for the hometown school and it is a good idea but I have a long way to go, too.”

 

Texas A&M: “The history and my mom went there, she tells me all about it. The traditions that they have stand out all of the time and that is what they are all about. I like that about them. Being a Texas kid, I am going to keep looking for them.”

RIVALS' REACTION

Adams will be found on the Nike circuit this spring and summer with the Team Griffin program. In the meantime, expect for his recruitment to expand. He is competitive and improving, and can play a variety of positions. 

I don’t have any visits lined up currently but I have a lot of interest from Kentucky and North Carolina, so I am just looking to see what my parents and my mentor is telling me and it will grow from there,” he said

[VinyVango 677]

How's the motor and aggressiveness/attitude of Will Baker?  I realize he's a kid and will need some strength and conditioning, but am wondering if he's got the fire and hustle to be a force on the boards and hold his own in the paint.  

What's his most likely area of value in year 1?  I hope he shows more than Hepa did on defense and rebounding.  I like Hepa.  He obviously has some talent, but someone really needs to get him playing like a forward instead of a slow 2 guard.

After Baker, will we have anyone else who can man the paint on defense behind Simms and Hamm? 

[Scholz 11,933]

4 minutes ago, VinyVango said:

How's the motor and aggressiveness/attitude of Will Baker?  I realize he's a kid and will need some strength and conditioning, but am wondering if he's got the fire and hustle to be a force on the boards and hold his own in the paint.  

What's his most likely area of value in year 1?  I hope he shows more than Hepa did on defense and rebounding.  I like Hepa.  He obviously has some talent, but someone really needs to get him playing like a forward instead of a slow 2 guard.

After Baker, will we have anyone else who can man the paint on defense behind Simms and Hamm? 

My buddy who's coached against him all through youth sports says he only wants to jack up 3s.

[Katfid54 8,591]

1 hour ago, Scholz said:

My buddy who's coached against him all through youth sports says he only wants to jack up 3s.

Sounds like he's a great culture fit.

[Scholz 11,933]

Sir Chuckalot

[texifornia 56,479]

aggy basketball joining their football team in hiring a coach who always kind of looks hungover:

 

[Katfid54 8,591]

Their coaches are paragons of Aggy fashion:

Jimbo with his almost fully unbuttoned dress shirts.

And Buzz with his absolutely ludicrous insistence on wearing suit vests with no suit jacket.

[Goo Punch 4,275]

5 hours ago, VinyVango said:

How's the motor and aggressiveness/attitude of Will Baker?  I realize he's a kid and will need some strength and conditioning, but am wondering if he's got the fire and hustle to be a force on the boards and hold his own in the paint.  

What's his most likely area of value in year 1?  I hope he shows more than Hepa did on defense and rebounding.  I like Hepa.  He obviously has some talent, but someone really needs to get him playing like a forward instead of a slow 2 guard.

After Baker, will we have anyone else who can man the paint on defense behind Simms and Hamm? 

I see Baker as a four year project who needs to continue to see exponential growth for at least two years before he's someone we can really look to as an every-game contributor. His physical body is flat out unimpressive and there have been questions about his work ethic and desire. He's tall, he has good footwork and a pretty soft touch, but I don't see him being an impact player for a while, and in all honesty o question Shaka's staff's ability to coach him up, both as a player, as well as S&C wise. 

[texifornia 56,479]

This lame duck year is going to be no fun

 

[texasstrong12 4,668]

8 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This lame duck year is going to be no fun

 

Jai Lucas didn't do much of anything for Texas. He was hired for his Houston connections and the only two recruits from Houston I think we've landed were Hamm and Febres. Not terrible but nothing spectacular. 

I'm not sure Lucas would have even been promoted if not for the fact Jamie Dixon came sniffing around. 

The basketball board will like this. There's been a lot of people very critical of Lucas and his lack of experience when he was hired. 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by texasstrong12

[texasstrong12 4,668]

Derka will love this news. 

" I won't begin to diminish what it meant to sign him, but he alone isn't enough to justify giving Jai Lucas a top assistant position."

LonghornMatt will be happy too. 

"Who is the best player the Lucas family has delivered to us?  Maybe I’m forgetting someone obvious, but in the now decade that we’ve been associated with them the biggest name I think of is Sheldon McClellan, who was a top 40ish recruit and ended up benefiting Miami more than us.

It seems like that Lucas connection has primarily produced a bunch of JAGs that we could have gotten anyway.  Guys like Justice Winslow and Julius Randle are who they should be delivering.

It reminds me of when Lute Olson got in bed with the Pastners and Houston Hoops, and then proceeded to get a bunch of JAGs from Houston as their program tanked."

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by texasstrong12

[theaveragejon 974]

11 hours ago, Katfid54 said:

Their coaches are paragons of Aggy fashion:

Jimbo with his almost fully unbuttoned dress shirts.

And Buzz with his absolutely ludicrous insistence on wearing suit vests with no suit jacket.

Yeah but. I’d still rather have Buzz than Jimbo. Which is enough to trigger me. 

[Revolution512 1,480]

But how will Buzz coach with Jai Lucas on his staff?

[Goodman 3,273]

Fuck, I used to like Buzz.

IMO Jai will have success recruiting to aggie, the unwritten sec rules allow him to make offers  he's not been able to make while here.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

Need to win the NIT so UCLA hires Shaka Smart. A boy can dream, right?

Then throw the Brinks truck at Chris Beard. Now I'm just being delusional.

[Goodman 3,273]

2 hours ago, UDontKnow said:

Need to win the NIT so UCLA hires Shaka Smart. A boy can dream, right?

Then throw the Brinks truck at Chris Beard. Now I'm just being delusional.

You are not delusional on the Beard front. If CDC believes Beard is the next Izzo, you sign him up. Aggie is fixing to have a lot of flash on the trail with Buzz and the staff he is rumored to have committed. I like the counter if we believe Beard is that good, he seems to be.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Goodman

[RabidM 2,664]

Is Beard's buyout not the $26 million it was rumored to be earlier? 

[Machinator 32,097]

3 minutes ago, RabidM said:

Is Beard's buyout not the $26 million it was rumored to be earlier? 

I don't think it matters what it was, because it's going to be restructured.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

7 minutes ago, RabidM said:

Is Beard's buyout not the $26 million it was rumored to be earlier? 

$13 million as reported by this article: https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2019/02/08/texas-tech-coach-chris-beard-could-attractive-name-dont-expect-longhorns-make-run-year

[Katfid54 8,591]

12 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

$13 million as reported by this article: https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2019/02/08/texas-tech-coach-chris-beard-could-attractive-name-dont-expect-longhorns-make-run-year

Username checks out.  That's Shaka's buyout.

I have been unable to find what Beard's buyout would be to take a different job.

[Machinator 32,097]

Just now, Katfid54 said:

Username checks out.  That's Shaka's buyout.

I have been unable to find what Beard's buyout would be to take a different job.

I've posted it several times on the Fire Shaka thread:

If Beard leaves for a Big 12 school before April 2021, the buyout is 40 percent of the remaining base salary and rights fees on the contract.

If he leaves for another (non-Big 12) school or the NBA before April 2021, the buyout is 20 percent of the remaining base salary and rights fees left on the contract.

If he leaves after April 2021, the those buyout numbers drop to 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

Beard's contract (base salary and rights fees) is thus:

2018-19 - $2.8 million 
2019-20 - $2.9 million 
2020-21 - $3 mil 
2021-22 - $3.1 mil 
2022-23 - $3.2 mil 
2023-24 - $3.3 mil

So Beard's buyout if he came to Texas after April of this year would be $6.2 million.

[Michael Knight 12,878]

6.2 million is chump change

[cochamps 1,875]

Buzz seems like a really good coach.  I know this is a minority opinion, but I never really liked him. Seems like a clown show, Bruce Pearl 2.0 if you will.

Having said that, to keep up in recruiting & otherwise we need to upgrade & spend what it takes to do so.

 

[Goodman 3,273]

8 minutes ago, cochamps said:

Buzz seems like a really good coach.  I know this is a minority opinion, but I never really liked him. Seems like a clown show, Bruce Pearl 2.0 if you will.

Having said that, to keep up in recruiting & otherwise we need to upgrade & spend what it takes to do so.

 

This is why I want Beard, no longer would my expectations rely on aau handlers. He's proven to be great with and without the best talent. He knows exactly what he is looking for and how it'll work in his system.

[Katfid54 8,591]

45 minutes ago, Machinator said:

I've posted it several times on the Fire Shaka thread:

Know your place, you goddman robot.

[Machinator 32,097]

3 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Know your place, you goddman robot.

Bots' rights matter, you shitlord.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Machinator