Mass exodus at Texas Tech. Entire new starting 5.

[thebigabd]

Should be a weird year for Billy G in Lubbock again. He goes from having an 8 win team, depletes the roster, starts over again. Will probably have an entire new starting 5. They will go from being a really small team to a really big team. Will be interesting to see if a bunch of juco guys can come in and produce.

Javarez Willis - transferred
Cameron Forte - transferred
Jaron Nash - transferred
Deshon Minnis - transferred
Terren Pettaway - transferred
Robert Lewandowski - graduated

They brought in another huge recruiting class. I am guessing they will look like this to start the year:

PG: Daylen Robinson (6'1'' 180 - junior)
-Juco transfer. Robinson led the Greyhounds in scoring and assists last season averaging 16.5 ppg and 5 assists per contest. Daylen was a first team All-Region XVI performer during his freshman year. In 2010, he won the Direnna Award, which is given annually to the top high school basketball player in the Kansas City area. Daylen averaged 32 ppg and was a 1st team All City and 1st team All State selection.

SG: Trency Jackson (6'2'' 190-soph)
-Juco transfer that averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists as a freshman for a 32-2 juco team that sent 6 players to D-1 schools this year. Had offers from Tech, Pitt, Purdue, Kansas State, Cincy, Colorado, Marquette, Oregon, and Virginia Tech. 40% 3pt shooter in juco. Should start right away.

SF: Jaye Crockett (6'7'' 200-RSsoph)
-Averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds for Tech last year as a redshirt freshman.

PF: Rodrigo Silva (6'11'' 230-junior)
-Juco transfer. Power forward from Brazil who averaged 13.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game as a junior college freshman.

C: Dejan Kravic (6'11'' 230-junior)
-6-11, 230-pound transfer from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a sophomore at York ... ranked first in the conference in blocks and second in rebounding ... nationally in Canada, ranked second in blocks and fifth in rebounding.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

College basketball amazes me these days, I know that it is a "business" I guess from both ends. But to can an entire roster of kids that you recruited to come to your school is just ridiculous. Here is a thought, coach them up to be better players or find a system that works. I'm sure there is more to the story, but I'm very thankful that BCG did not get the OU job.

 

[Sawyer]

Another eight win season for Texas Tech.

 

[tycat947]

College basketball amazes me these days, I know that it is a "business" I guess from both ends. But to can an entire roster of kids that you recruited to come to your school is just ridiculous. Here is a thought, coach them up to be better players or find a system that works. I'm sure there is more to the story, but I'm very thankful that BCG did not get the OU job.

It sure makes it difficult to generate some fan loyalty there, for sure! Being in Lubbock adds to this problem!

 

[campbest]

College basketball amazes me these days, I know that it is a "business" I guess from both ends. But to can an entire roster of kids that you recruited to come to your school is just ridiculous. Here is a thought, coach them up to be better players or find a system that works. I'm sure there is more to the story, but I'm very thankful that BCG did not get the OU job.

There is no substitute for talent.

 

[Maverick008]

Should be a weird year for Billy G in Lubbock again. He goes from having an 8 win team, depletes the roster, starts over again. Will probably have an entire new starting 5. They will go from being a really small team to a really big team. Will be interesting to see if a bunch of juco guys can come in and produce.

Javarez Willis - transferred
Cameron Forte - transferred
Jaron Nash - transferred
Deshon Minnis - transferred
Terren Pettaway - transferred
Robert Lewandowski - graduated

They brought in another huge recruiting class. I am guessing they will look like this to start the year:

PG: Daylen Robinson (6'1'' 180 - junior)
-Juco transfer. Robinson led the Greyhounds in scoring and assists last season averaging 16.5 ppg and 5 assists per contest. Daylen was a first team All-Region XVI performer during his freshman year. In 2010, he won the Direnna Award, which is given annually to the top high school basketball player in the Kansas City area. Daylen averaged 32 ppg and was a 1st team All City and 1st team All State selection.

SG: Trency Jackson (6'2'' 190-soph)
-Juco transfer that averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists as a freshman for a 32-2 juco team that sent 6 players to D-1 schools this year. Had offers from Tech, Pitt, Purdue, Kansas State, Cincy, Colorado, Marquette, Oregon, and Virginia Tech. 40% 3pt shooter in juco. Should start right away.

SF: Jaye Crockett (6'7'' 200-RSsoph)
-Averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds for Tech last year as a redshirt freshman.

PF: Rodrigo Silva (6'11'' 230-junior)
-Juco transfer. Power forward from Brazil who averaged 13.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game as a junior college freshman.

C: Dejan Kravic (6'11'' 230-junior)
-6-11, 230-pound transfer from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a sophomore at York ... ranked first in the conference in blocks and second in rebounding ... nationally in Canada, ranked second in blocks and fifth in rebounding.

Not Saying it won't happen but I find it hard to believe if he's back, that Jordan Tolber won't be in the starting lineup to start the year. He was by far the best thing they had on the court last season.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

There is no substitute for talent.

I agree, but its "talent" that he went out and recruited presumably with the thought of it being good enough to win games. In that regard, either the players he selected were not as talented as he thought, or he was unable to coach that talent in a manner that allowed them to win games. As an OU fan I'm not shedding any tears for Tech, and this move probably means they are terrible again this season.

 

[campbest]

I agree, but its "talent" that he went out and recruited presumably with the thought of it being good enough to win games. In that regard, either the players he selected were not as talented as he thought, or he was unable to coach that talent in a manner that allowed them to win games. As an OU fan I'm not shedding any tears for Tech, and this move probably means they are terrible again this season.

He threw a roster together to field a team, wouldn't be suprised if this was his plan all along. Also helps to break down the guys transferring...two were HS seniors recruited by BG at the last minute, one was there prior to BG and a fourth was a sophomore who only spent a year at JUCO. All of these kids were a reach for Big 12 basketball and signed out of desperation. If they will never see floor time at TT because BG is in on something better, why would they stay?

 

[Mr.B!!!]

I see your point completely and our only "argument" would be semantics as to "right" and "wrong" which I don't want to get into because I'm not even sure of the answer: BCG's job is to do whatever he can to win games at TT to the best of his ability vs. recruiting kids to TT for what amounted to a one-year tryout [which I doubt he was telling them when he was asking them to come play for him].

 

[thebigabd]

Not Saying it won't happen but I find it hard to believe if he's back, that Jordan Tolber won't be in the starting lineup to start the year. He was by far the best thing they had on the court last season.

Ha, I somehow missed Jordan Tolbert. I imagine you are right, he will probably start somewhere at the 3-4.

 

[Seymore Cox]

All those guys suck. Aren't they suppose to get Wanna Bail?

 

[Tony]

There is no way Wanna Bail is a real person's name.

 

[playmakr]

There is no way Wanna Bail is a real person's name.

I'm also standing by for the punch line.

 

[Sawyer]

He threw a roster together to field a team, wouldn't be suprised if this was his plan all along. Also helps to break down the guys transferring...two were HS seniors recruited by BG at the last minute, one was there prior to BG and a fourth was a sophomore who only spent a year at JUCO. All of these kids were a reach for Big 12 basketball and signed out of desperation. If they will never see floor time at TT because BG is in on something better, why would they stay?

Billy Gillispie with his full roster of last-minute add-ons won 8 games.

Texas Tech was going to suck either way. Needing the bodies to field a team isn't an excuse for what he did. Hoiberg dealt with a season without any depth while he waited on last year's transfers to get eligible. They sucked for a year, but it ultimately paid off. Haith won 30 games last year with 7 scholarship players. TT wouldn't have been the first team to push through a difficult season without much depth, and it's not like they would have been hurt by it.

 

[Smash Williams]

If they will never see floor time at TT because BG is in on something better, why would they stay?

Because Lubbock is notoriously loaded with the other type of talent?

 

[campbest]

Because Lubbock is notoriously loaded with the other type of talent?

True...gotta avoid the clap though.

 

[campbest]

Billy Gillispie with his full roster of last-minute add-ons won 8 games.

Texas Tech was going to suck either way. Needing the bodies to field a team isn't an excuse for what he did. Hoiberg dealt with a season without any depth while he waited on last year's transfers to get eligible. They sucked for a year, but it ultimately paid off. Haith won 30 games last year with 7 scholarship players. TT wouldn't have been the first team to push through a difficult season without much depth, and it's not like they would have been hurt by it.

Lol at using Mizzou's roster as a comparable to Tech, you're better than that.

 

[Sawyer]

Lol at using Mizzou's roster as a comparable to Tech, you're better than that.

Comparing in depth only.

Gillispie didn't need to sign a bunch of guys he had no intention of keeping just to field a team. They had enough guys to play games. It might actually require him to get creative every now and then, but it's definitely doable.

Again, they only won eight games. The worst-case scenario wasn't much worse. If he didn't plan on using those guys past the first year, he never should have signed them.

That said, I've never been a fan of Gillispie's. He's never had to build a program himself, and his early signings at TT suggest he may not really know how.

 

[61sooner]

Want happened at Taco Tech sounds like what Capel did recruiting wise at the end of his tenure.

 

[DenverSooner]

In my opinion Tech is doing a horrible job of carrying out its primary mission of buidling future leaders. Universities should be teaching kids how to think, ethics, values, etc. At Tech they are sending the wrong message to kids. They get upset with Leach and fire him. Then they worm out the contract based on governmental immunity. Really! The University wants to send a message that it can and will sign contracts but only honor those that it likes. That is a horrible example for the students.

Then they fire Pat Knight and hire Billy G. They sign a bunch of kids only to run them off. Tech and all schools should honor scholarships for kids that work hard and follow the rules even if it turns out they are not as good as the coaches thought. Leading by example is more important than wins and losses. I truly hope OU never becomes a school that runs off kids simply because the University made a recruiting mistake. I have zero problem with kids being dismissed from the team for violating rules but I never want to see a kid like Retzov dismissed simply because he might not be the best basketball player. (I use Retzov as an example because he never played meaningful minutes but by all accounts worked hard, was a good student and did what was asked of him. In a case like that OU and all universities should honor scholarships.)