Does Kevin Kruger actually recruit? Unlv is mentioned with very few recruits. It is very hard to get anyone excited if all you are going to do is recruit the transfer portal. He does not even recruit the elite in the portal. Menzies even brought some excitement with recruiting.
Recruiting
- Thread starter JReb
- Start date
The coaching staff scouts. Every year from now on is a new team. Duke have 5 players who are rated 5* in every recruiting websites. Will they win the National Championship next year?
We are in on several other major talents out of high school. The staff isn’t solely relying on the transfer portal.
That being said, we are going up against schools with unlimited funds for many of these players. Lindsay was assumed to go to Florida after Hartman left but ended up at Georgia. Money talks and wins many recruiting battles.
That being said, we are going up against schools with unlimited funds for many of these players. Lindsay was assumed to go to Florida after Hartman left but ended up at Georgia. Money talks and wins many recruiting battles.
Menzies recruited better so far (and worse, tbh, what the hell was Silvercannon and Dembele) … but there wasn’t the portal, not like now.
I think recruiting of high level players is near a waste, unless you have a strong in at the start. You aren’t going to get a competitive NIL package vs top half of conference P-5 schools.
I hate what it has come to, because it’s pin the tail on the donkey … but I think it’s smarter to spend more time in the portal and it’ll be way more hit and miss than actual recruiting. We can get those same higher level kids the following season when they aren’t happy being a tiny fish in a big pond, the problem is there will be 300 other fisherman joining you.
It's a completely new wrinkle and like all things new it will take some time to shake out. Some coaches will take to portal recruiting really well and others - not so much. Can the coach change his recruiting style? Can the coach appeal to players searching for a second chance? Has the coach had success ( I.e. get players in the NBA) with portal players?
I'm totally convinced there will be coaches that will have entire programs based on portal players and coaches who rarely touch them. Success will breed more success.
All we can do is hope KK has it figured out.
I'm totally convinced there will be coaches that will have entire programs based on portal players and coaches who rarely touch them. Success will breed more success.
All we can do is hope KK has it figured out.
I saw the ESPN special where they said that Kevin Kruger was the first player to use the graduate transfer rule and his father was the first coach. I think they can figure it out...
They seem to be in on more top juniors, DJ Thomas, Aiden Sherrell and Pharoah Compton. Then for senior I have seen Karston Templin, Brooklyn Hicks and Gabe Sisk. The juniors are a higher level than the seniors and probably at this point with the staff turnover I don’t think we would of had the relationships with seniors to be on the top guys at this point. Also, there has been some talk of a junior possibly reclassifying to 2023.
I’ve said this before & I’ll say it again.. CKK is all in on the class of 2024.. He has his targets for 23’ as well, but nothing like 24’.. Expect DT JR & him to recruit friends/top recruits to join him.. That is CKK’s goal & he’ll keep scholarships available to make that happen, I expect that to be the class that really puts the Rebs back into a successful position nationally..
I heard Thomas might reclassify to 23 but I also heard we don’t necessarily lead for him. Arizona is strong in his recruitment.
I was unaware of him potentially reclassifying, that’s news to me.. Whether he stays in 24’ or ends up in 23’, expect CKK to go big in that class & build it around DTJ..
Although this site isn't perfect, it does show how recruiting ramps up in '24.
verbalcommits.com
Verbal Commits
I think this is CKK thinking but tough to build your approach around one player. If it works than it could be program changing if you miss out for some reason you need a good plan B.
It’s not the ideal approach.. But it has worked for us in the past, during the Rice era & works for major teams all the time.. You land 1 high level recruit & it can really sway other friends/top recruits to join.. DTJ would fall into that category.. I thought the Rebs were the favorites for over a year now, but the gap has definitely shrunken..
I will add.. DT Sr. has said that he would love for his son to play at UNLV & that it would be special for him to see his son play at his alma mater.. At the same time, as any father should think, he wants him to explore all options and pick the best fit for him.. I respect everything about that.. I just hope DTJ wants to expand the legacy at UNLV.. We’ll see.. Would love to see a local PG finally work out for us.. We’ve had some tough luck over the years..
So hard to do that in this era. When was the last time a program was built around a single player over multiple years? Players leave so often for so many reasons now. If CKK feels he has to just reload every year to give us a chance I'll trust his judgment.
Unless you are firmly established … I think most will opt for portal recruiting as a primary source and that will lead to a lot of feast or famine - or at least less stability year to year. It’s cool having back to back solid classes and then they thrive when they are juniors and seniors having grown together. That philosophy is long gone, sadly … that’s how you really identify with a team. Now it feels like hired guns, some may have AKs, others might have peashooters but regardless, they probably won’t be around all that long.
