Kruger and recruiting

[bocabull]

The 2002 team had 2 top 50 recruits in Hollis and Ere and a top 25 recruit in McGhee.

The 2008 team had 4 top 80 recruits including 2 top 25 guys.

The sweet 16 team in 2000 had Humphrey who was a McDonalds AA 5 star.

OU has never been a legit team with players rated this low. Anything can happen but it's against the odds. This is just reality. Last year was the rule, not the exception, when we got swept in the post season and that was even with a top 35 talent in Clark.

As for Kruger, he's the 18th highest paid coach in the nation. OU is supposedly a top 25 program. Saying it's unreasonable to expect just ONE top 75 recruit each year is nonsense.

 

[SilliSooner]

The 2002 team had 2 top 50 recruits in Hollis and Ere and a top 25 recruit in McGhee.

The 2008 team had 4 top 80 recruits including 2 top 25 guys.

The sweet 16 team in 2000 had Humphrey who was a McDonalds AA 5 star.

OU has never been a legit team with players rated this low. Anything can happen but it's against the odds. This is just reality. Last year was the rule, not the exception, when we got swept in the post season and that was even with a top 35 talent in Clark.

As for Kruger, he's the 18th highest paid coach in the nation. OU is supposedly a top 25 program. Saying it's unreasonable to expect just ONE top 75 recruit each year is nonsense.

OU almost always made up for our deficiency in top 25 HS recruits with Junior College adds. Our 1988 Finals team was almost an all JC team with only Stacey King and Dave Sieger contributing much as highschool recruits.
Ricky Grace, Mookie Blaylock, Harvey Grant, Mike Bell, Andre Wiley, Tyrone Jones might have been as good a collection of JC players ever assembled in a two year period.

 

[DenverSooner]

Actually recruiting rankings have been extremely accurate predictors of our success. The Capel elite 8 team had, Warren (10), Griffin (23), Johnson (53) Crocker (80) starting. 4 guys ranked higher than anybody on our roster and anybody coming in.

What we have learned is that the burger boys we have landed outside of the local studs Tisdale, Humphrey, Griffin all had serious warts. We probably only got them because the top programs stayed away.

I think you are wrong about several of these guys rankings. Crocker was not a top 80 guy according to this:http://247sports.com/Player/Tony-Crocker-66308?Institution=21440

 

[152219]

I think you are wrong about several of these guys rankings. Crocker was not a top 80 guy according to this:http://247sports.com/Player/Tony-Crocker-66308?Institution=21440

He is using the Rivals rankings
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Tony-Crocker-42722

 

[usedtobe1]

I think you are wrong about several of these guys rankings. Crocker was not a top 80 guy according to this:http://247sports.com/Player/Tony-Crocker-66308?Institution=21440

According to this article, Crocker was rated #73 by Rivals. He was among a really good class of 5 recruits in the last group Kelvin signed. Unfortunately, 3 of them opted out after Kelvin left.

"Rated by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 4 class and by Scout.com as the country’s No. 5 class, joining the Sooners as freshmen next year will be forward Keith Clark (Oklahoma City/Putnam City HS), guard Tony Crocker (San Antonio, Texas/The Patterson [N.C.] School), forward Damion James (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS), forward/center Jeremy Mayfield (Irving, Texas/Gulf Shores Academy) and guard Scottie Reynolds (Herndon, Va./Herndon HS).

Rivals.com rates all five players in its national top 75. James ranks No. 16 nationally, Clark No. 44, Mayfield No. 52, Reynolds No. 66 and Crocker No. 73."

OU recuiting class of 2005

 

[skyvue]

That they were all ranked in the top 75 hurts boca's argument. None of them went on to greatness. Reynolds had a very solid collegiate career, but has had only a sniff of the NBA and is playing overseas (like so many former Sooner players who were not ranked as highly as he was).

Crocker was a solid performer for us, but no better than several of our currently, lower-ranked players. Clark flamed out at OU and hasn't risen above D-League. Mayfield had a very underwhelming career. Like Reynolds, James had a solid collegiate career, but he has played just a handful of games in the NBA (he's been a regular in the summer league, but gets waived year after year).

All this despite their high rankings.

 

[tycat947]

That they were all ranked in the top 75 hurts boca's argument. None of them went on to greatness. Reynolds had a very solid collegiate career, but has had only a sniff of the NBA and is playing overseas (like so many former Sooner players who were not ranked as highly as he was).

Crocker was a solid performer for us, but no better than several of our currently, lower-ranked players. Clark flamed out at OU and hasn't risen above D-League. Mayfield had a very underwhelming career. Like Reynolds, James had a solid collegiate career, but he has played just a handful of games in the NBA (he's been a regular in the summer league, but gets waived year after year).

All this despite their high rankings.

 

[Sooner04]

That they were all ranked in the top 75 hurts boca's argument. None of them went on to greatness. Reynolds had a very solid collegiate career, but has had only a sniff of the NBA and is playing overseas (like so many former Sooner players who were not ranked as highly as he was).

Crocker was a solid performer for us, but no better than several of our currently, lower-ranked players. Clark flamed out at OU and hasn't risen above D-League. Mayfield had a very underwhelming career. Like Reynolds, James had a solid collegiate career, but he has played just a handful of games in the NBA (he's been a regular in the summer league, but gets waived year after year).

All this despite their high rankings.

You sell the college career of Reynolds a little short. He was a fantastic college player.

Other than that, well done. Terrific post!

 

[WTSooner]

Not that I support everything Boca says, but.....

A much higher percentage of top 75 kids turn out to be good college players, than do the kids ranked outside the top 75. Can you find the hidden gem on occasion? Sure. But we can't live outside the top 100 year after year, and expect Lon's coaching to simply carry us to the levels we'd all like to see OU basketball get to. It's just not going to happen. His recruiting has been fine, but he does need to mix in that top 75 kid every couple of years or so. That, or keeping having ridiculous success with transfers (Osby, M'Baye, Thomas).

 

[CoachTalk]

To get the "elite" the connection is going to have to be close... Trae young is that type of player... OSU is co frontrunner... OU connections though.
LK isnt going to pull 5 star kids every year... but we have several 75-150 4 star/3 star kids...
Crutchfield and Hill are good recruiters. They'll land one soon.

 

[campbest]

You sell the college career of Reynolds a little short. He was a fantastic college player.

haha, just a little bit.

 

[bocabull]

That they were all ranked in the top 75 hurts boca's argument. None of them went on to greatness. Reynolds had a very solid collegiate career, but has had only a sniff of the NBA and is playing overseas (like so many former Sooner players who were not ranked as highly as he was).

Crocker was a solid performer for us, but no better than several of our currently, lower-ranked players. Clark flamed out at OU and hasn't risen above D-League. Mayfield had a very underwhelming career. Like Reynolds, James had a solid collegiate career, but he has played just a handful of games in the NBA (he's been a regular in the summer league, but gets waived year after year).

All this despite their high rankings.

Let's see Tony Crocker started on an Elite 8 team. Scottie Reynolds started on a Final 4 team. Damion James was on the Spurs last year and has an NBA Championship ring ... and according to Skyvue this is proof, PROOF I TELL YOU, that my assessment that having top 75 rated recruits on your roster massively improves your chance of being legit and making the sweet 16 is wrong. lol

I get such a kick out of people twisting themselves into a pretzel simply to disagree with me. lol

 

[WTSooner]

To get the "elite" the connection is going to have to be close... Trae young is that type of player... OSU is co frontrunner... OU connections though.
LK isnt going to pull 5 star kids every year... but we have several 75-150 4 star/3 star kids...
Crutchfield and Hill are good recruiters. They'll land one soon.

Elite and Very Good players are two different things.

I agree that it will always be tough on OU to land elite talent, unless there is a connection of some kind. I'd consider these top 10 or 25 type players. A guy like Trier. Or

But OU has also been missing on very good talent as well. IMO, those are guys like Grandstaff and Milton from the 2015 class. Need a couple of them to take that next step, IMO. And maybe Odomes turns into such a player this year. He seems to possibly have that potential.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Boca; no need to twist anything to disagree with you. Easiest thing in the world.

 

[Max Power]

I'm still waiting on what he has to say about Butler reaching back to back championship games and WSU making it to the final four 2 years ago. Did either team have a single top 75 recruit?

 

[sdcloud9]

I think Hill and Crutchfield are excellent recruiters and evalautors of talent.

They just don't have as much to sell as the blue bloods.

I'm hoping this group can gel in March and make a good run.

That would help recruiting more than anything at this point.

 

[bocabull]

I'm still waiting on what he has to say about Butler reaching back to back championship games and WSU making it to the final four 2 years ago. Did either team have a single top 75 recruit?

Why would I resond to such foolish nonsense? Did I say no team has ever made the sweet 16 without a top 75 recruit? Of course not. There are always exceptions to the rule. But it's still the rule and an overwhelmingly accurate indicator. OU has never made the sweet 16 without a top 75 recruit. Fact.

 

[SoonerinNC]

There is no question that the bluebloods have an advantage. Evidence is that as soon as Kelvin landed at Indiana he snatched an elite prospect from Illinois and had a good recruiting class.

That may have worked against him in the long run because Illinois played a big role in getting him kicked out.

Indiana would be better off today had Kelvin been able to stay there. He is a better coach than Crean.

 

[KBaden145]

He is a better coach than Crean.

Truer words have never been spoken!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Old Booger]

No problem. Piece of cake. Buddy Hield is our highest rated guy on the roster. According to the official OU roster he was ranked #86 out of high school.

Go back 40 years and tell me how many times OU reached the sweet 16 with our best player rated that low. Answer = zero.

Now look what happened when OU had Blake Griffin & Willie Warren on the roster. When they had Hollis Price & Ace McGhee on the roster. Boom. Final 4 and elite 8.

Anybody with an ounce of knowledge knows this.

1987

Should have made it to the elite 8.