2021 Recruiting

[dr. gunnie]

I won’t be long and I’ll let you guys get back to it - but why are we so upset about not landing a guard when we just got a verbal from another guard who plays a similar position?

I totally understand if you feel like Folkes > Gray. We will be able to see in a few years if the staff made the right decision... but I don’t want two guys with similar skills taking up two spots when we have other, bigger needs.

I liked Folkes too... a lot... but once we got Gray I didn’t think it made much sense to have both.

Is this more you guys liked Folkes better or do you really feel like we needed another guard?

Or is this just a good opportunity to bash the staff? Idk.

Let’s go get some strong forwards! No forwards with legs that look like arms - big, strong, physical forwards!!!!

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Not really bummed too much over the loss of any of these guards. Wish we still would have landed one of our misses, for me preferably Darius, but there is really minimal difference between these guys and the "next guard down" in backcourt ratings.

Plus, I really like Polite and Kolek, and XJ will be here a good while. I'm also pretty optimistic with Gray.

I'm far more concerned with recruiting in the front court. Like, far more.

 

[sleeperpick]

I won’t be long and I’ll let you guys get back to it - but why are we so upset about not landing a guard when we just got a verbal from another guard who plays a similar position?

I totally understand if you feel like Folkes > Gray. We will be able to see in a few years if the staff made the right decision... but I don’t want two guys with similar skills taking up two spots when we have other, bigger needs.

I liked Folkes too... a lot... but once we got Gray I didn’t think it made much sense to have both.

Is this more you guys liked Folkes better or do you really feel like we needed another guard?

Or is this just a good opportunity to bash the staff? Idk.

Let’s go get some strong forwards! No forwards with legs that look like arms - big, strong, physical forwards!!!!

Darius>Reynolds>Folkes>Gray and we ended up with Gray that's why I am pissed... but also we don't have a reasonable chance with at least two of the 3 forwards we are still recruiting so I would rather get Gray AND Folkes then Gray and Peterson and some random dude with 0 offers or keep another scholarship and then complain about injuries and lack of depth again like we have every season. If he goes out and get Williamson and Ilver I will shut my mouth and comment hearts on every Paulsen tweet like some on here do... but he isn't getting Ilver so...

 

[gmujim92]

I won’t be long and I’ll let you guys get back to it - but why are we so upset about not landing a guard when we just got a verbal from another guard who plays a similar position?

I totally understand if you feel like Folkes > Gray. We will be able to see in a few years if the staff made the right decision... but I don’t want two guys with similar skills taking up two spots when we have other, bigger needs.

I liked Folkes too... a lot... but once we got Gray I didn’t think it made much sense to have both.

Is this more you guys liked Folkes better or do you really feel like we needed another guard?

Or is this just a good opportunity to bash the staff? Idk.

Let’s go get some strong forwards! No forwards with legs that look like arms - big, strong, physical forwards!!!!

I’m frustrated because Folkes is an elite athlete with huge upside and I would’ve liked to see what he could become with a staff that’s accomplished at player development.

We obviously didn’t NEED another guard. If we sign a couple competent bigs with the last two spots that would be a good outcome, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.

 

[FreeGunston12]

It blows my mind that we’ve lost these this year after being on these guys from the start. Our staff can spot talent, they just can’t close. It’s one thing to lose guys to your conference, it’s a whole other thing to lose them to schools and conferences that I firmly believe are below us. Can anyone tell me what f*cking charlottes facilities look like? Does Charlotte have some sweet tv deal I’m not tracking? We’ve given Dave more than any other coach in mason history to work with and what’s it gotten us?

Being in on guys early is the most overrated thing I've ever heard of.

 

[sleeperpick]

Being in on guys early is the most overrated thing I've ever heard of.

the whole argument most Paulsen fans on this page are that "well they only have really bad offers because we got in really early and they signed with us before they got popular" said about Polite, Oduro and Gadsden. "They will blow up, Paulsen is just so good he got them early before the offers were bound to come in".

 

[tblack33]

I won’t be long and I’ll let you guys get back to it - but why are we so upset about not landing a guard when we just got a verbal from another guard who plays a similar position?

I totally understand if you feel like Folkes > Gray. We will be able to see in a few years if the staff made the right decision... but I don’t want two guys with similar skills taking up two spots when we have other, bigger needs.

I liked Folkes too... a lot... but once we got Gray I didn’t think it made much sense to have both.

Is this more you guys liked Folkes better or do you really feel like we needed another guard?

Or is this just a good opportunity to bash the staff? Idk.

Let’s go get some strong forwards! No forwards with legs that look like arms - big, strong, physical forwards!!!!

Personally I’m frustrated because I think we got the lesser guard. I think it was a few pages back that I said personally I don’t think that Gray is going to develop into a great A10 guard. That’s just my personal opinion, but I think Folkes had the physical skills to turn into something special in the A10. Gray is going to be fighting an uphill battle from day 1.

I’m more pissed that we lost out on yet another recruit that we are all assuming was high on the staffs board to a team who arguably we shouldn’t even be competing for recruits with. And it’s not the first time it’s happened. And it’s probably not going to be the last. In a year for recruiting that looked like it had a lot of promise to set the team up for future success, so far we are falling flat. Can anyone even name a legit big man we are in on right now for 21? The BBW porn guy?

 

[GMUgemini]

I won’t be long and I’ll let you guys get back to it - but why are we so upset about not landing a guard when we just got a verbal from another guard who plays a similar position?

I totally understand if you feel like Folkes > Gray. We will be able to see in a few years if the staff made the right decision... but I don’t want two guys with similar skills taking up two spots when we have other, bigger needs.

I liked Folkes too... a lot... but once we got Gray I didn’t think it made much sense to have both.

Is this more you guys liked Folkes better or do you really feel like we needed another guard?

Or is this just a good opportunity to bash the staff? Idk.

Let’s go get some strong forwards! No forwards with legs that look like arms - big, strong, physical forwards!!!!

If this is the route they're going to go, they better start extending some offers!

 

[dr. gunnie]

Thanks for the replies. Not saying any of you are wrong - just would like to point out a few things:

Reynolds to St Joe’s hurts. St Joe’s is a recruiting battle we need to win - similar to us and I won’t begrudge anyone for being upset with that one. When you start going after better players which we have, you also have to expect to lose more of those battles, but it still hurts to lose to St Joe’s.

Darius I can’t get upset with just because when all was said and done, he went to go play for his Dad. He had major offers too that he turned down. I can’t hold the staff liable here.

The Gray vs Folkes argument is going to be fun to track over the next few years (unless Folkes is the big winner - that won’t be fun, that will suck). Not sure why everyone is so quick to give Folkes the nod here - to me they are very similar, basically a push. Everyone including me holds other offers in high regard, well Folkes’s offer sheet isn’t all that different to me than Gray. You might even give Gray the nod if you look at those older offers that probably weren’t valid anymore. If you wanted both, then ok, be upset.

We’ve actually done a decent job over the last few years recruiting guards. We haven’t gotten any elite guards, but we’ve had some 2nd and 3rd all-A10 type guards that we can win with. I actually like our young guards right now...

Which brings me too my #1 issue with the staff - recruiting big men. I feel like a broken record at this point, but we need big men who are physical and skilled enough to play in the A10. Dave said two years ago we need more physical guys - well, where are they? Dave is pretty close to the vest recruiting wise and I’m sure there are a handful of forwards we are in contact with that we don’t know about. When all is said and done with 2021 we better have some guys over 6’6” that weigh more than 220lbs that can walk and chew gum at the same time.

I’m all in on Gray. Both Folkes and Gray had the opportunity to play here - Gray decided this was the place he wanted to be so he’s my guy.

 

[Patriot8]

I bet #Skinn4HC could get any guard he wants probably. He’d walk in their house, cross them like Harden, and say “You’re mine now”.

 

[JPgmuswim]

I bet #Skinn4HC could get any guard he wants probably. He’d walk in their house, cross them like Harden, and say “You’re mine now”.

He’d walk in their living room, tell them to look up “Tony Skinn James Harden” on YouTube and say that’s what you call breaking ankles.

Hard to say what an 18 year old is looking for or if the outcome on these recruits would be any different but I’d be willing to bet Coach Skinn is more relatable to the recruits than DP is. Is Skinn a closer, when it comes to recruits? Dave certainly is not, I think it’s nice that we’ve made kids “top 10” lists, but at the end of the day they go elsewhere.

 

[sleeperpick]

He’d walk in their living room, tell them to look up “Tony Skinn James Harden” on YouTube and say that’s what you call breaking ankles.

Hard to say what an 18 year old is looking for or if the outcome on these recruits would be any different but I’d be willing to bet Coach Skinn is more relatable to the recruits than DP is. Is Skinn a closer, when it comes to recruits? Dave certainly is not, I think it’s nice that we’ve made kids “top 10” lists, but at the end of the day they go elsewhere.

No clue really but he’s lead recruiter on a team with 1 5 star, 3 4 stars, and 1 3 star. And they have some prominent big men which is what we need so badly

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I dont begrudge anyone for being upset on any of our misses this class...we simply haven't won enough recruiting battles, 2021 or really most of the Paulsen era in general.

He has yet to recruit a star on a par with even the best of what we landed in the Nestor/Westhead years, let alone the Larranaga years.

But yet he has a better playing conference and better facilities to work with than any coach we've ever had.

Doesn't mean I'm not optimistic. I like most if not all of the guys we've gotten, 2021 and last couple years. Just need to recruit that one guy, really...

Grey area content sucks for message boards I know...

 

[sleeperpick]

I dont begrudge anyone for being upset on any of our misses this class...we simply haven't won enough recruiting battles, 2021 or really most of the Paulsen era in general.

He has yet to recruit a star on a par with even the best of what we landed in the Nestor/Westhead years, let alone the Larranaga years.

But yet he has a better playing conference and better facilities to work with than any coach we've ever had.

Doesn't mean I'm not optimistic. I like most if not all of the guys we've gotten, 2021 and last couple years. Just need to recruit that one guy, really...

Grey area content sucks for message boards I know...

What do you and Paulsen know about Gadsden that the average basketball fan does not that makes him A10 quality ? Serious question

 

[gmujim92]

What do you and Paulsen know about Gadsden that the average basketball fan does not that makes him A10 quality ? Serious question

Probably the same thing Dave knew about Kier: His best basketball is still ahead of him.

Dave is adept at identifying kids who have upside and good character/work ethic, which is critical to reaching their potential. But that hasn’t been enough so far.

Hopefully we’ve brought in guys in the last couple classes that will start out further along on the development curve.

 

[sleeperpick]

Probably the same thing Dave knew about Kier: His best basketball is still ahead of him.

Dave is adept at identifying kids who have upside and good character/work ethic, which is critical to reaching their potential. But that hasn’t been enough so far.

Hopefully we’ve brought in guys in the last couple classes that will start out further along on the development curve.

Kier didn’t have a better offer than mt st Mary’s?!?

 

[Mason2005]

Kier didn’t have a better offer than mt st Mary’s?!?

His final 3 was Mason, Radford, UNCG.

 

[sleeperpick]

Probably the same thing Dave knew about Kier: His best basketball is still ahead of him.

Dave is adept at identifying kids who have upside and good character/work ethic, which is critical to reaching their potential. But that hasn’t been enough so far.

Hopefully we’ve brought in guys in the last couple classes that will start out further along on the development curve.

If your recruiting strategy in the A-10 is to find the next Otis and Kier you probably are going to have the rough time we are experiencing. That is necessary in CAA and below... but not when conference foes routinely churn in 2-3 3 stars and above each recruiting class

 

[sleeperpick]

should always have 1-2 diamonds in the rough that are under recruited in every class.. but not the entirety of every class in the A-10... especially not the entirety being PGs and SFs that are diamonds in the rough

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

What do you and Paulsen know about Gadsden that the average basketball fan does not that makes him A10 quality ? Serious question

3 and D and rebounding potential with a semi-big body and experience versus top notch talent isn't a bad get for us.

He's another high floor local guy who'll be able to play spot minutes for us right away.

I won't speak specifically online about my issues with Gadsden or any recruit...just that not enough high ceiling guys. Not that some aren't "A-10 recruits," really.

I dont disagree with some of your frustration/comments, though.