Placing 2 in NBA Is Good For Recruiting

[ra2ford]

Everyone needs to calm down.  The game has changed, it's all about how fast a program can develop athletes to be desired by NBA.  Every true fan wants great players to stay, but 10 years ago they didn't come to school to graduate - they came to audition.  Unless the NBA adopts NFL age limits, this isn't going to change.

In the mean time Kids want to play for programs that speed their development.   Arkansas placing 2 in the league will help with recruiting and in a viscous cycle of early departure departure perpetual recruiting is the only ticket to winning.

[GaryHog]

Qualls probably won't be drafted

[hobhog]

Need to win while you are at it. Next year is an important year for MA.....a NCAA birth is big.

[ra2ford]

Neither will 2 of the Kentucky players.  Being drafted isn't the prize, cashing a big check is the prize. Qualls will make high 6 figures for his family while he refines is craft.   AKA - Patrick Beverly.

[40MINSOFHELL]

Need to win while you are at it. Next year is an important year for MA.....a NCAA birth is big.

If we don't make the tourney, that's 1 in 5 years.

[HogCzar1]

Everyone needs to calm down.  The game has changed, it's all about how fast a program can develop athletes to be desired by NBA.  Every true fan wants great players to stay, but 10 years ago they didn't come to school to graduate - they came to audition.  Unless the NBA adopts NFL age limits, this isn't going to change.

In the mean time Kids want to play for programs that speed their development.   Arkansas placing 2 in the league will help with recruiting and in a viscous cycle of early departure departure perpetual recruiting is the only ticket to winning.

I generally agree with the author about this. However, this November may well be the most important signing period in Mike's tenure. And not just because Malik Monk will be deciding.

As it stands now it is difficult to see where we can replace the points and other stats lost between the seniors, Portis, and Qualls. We struggled offensively at times last season with scoring droughts common.

It is certainly an opportunity to attract a higher level talent with the guys leaving for the NBA, but now comes the hard part. Actually signing that talent.

We are in on some top level talent. However, with most people now expecting a rather large rebuilding task next year, we cant afford to whiff in recruiting this fall.

[code red]

Spin it.....kid from NLR signed with the Gators today....preach Brotha.

[latrops]

Everyone needs to calm down.  The game has changed, it's all about how fast a program can develop athletes to be desired by NBA.  Every true fan wants great players to stay, but 10 years ago they didn't come to school to graduate - they came to audition.  Unless the NBA adopts NFL age limits, this isn't going to change.

In the mean time Kids want to play for programs that speed their development.   Arkansas placing 2 in the league will help with recruiting and in a viscous cycle of early departure departure perpetual recruiting is the only ticket to winning.

While this may all be true...at this point only Portis has developed into a relevant NBA draft pick.  Qualls could outperform expectations in predraft workouts and sneak into the back end of the first round, though that probably isn't terribly likely.

It would be great to be the type of program that sends players to the NBA every year while winning 25+ games....but that is neither the Arkansas program's or CMA's history.  CMA hasn't really recruited consistently at that level, and he does have a sizable track record.

People trying to spin Qualls' departure as a good thing may be projecting attributes to our coach and program that aren't really there.  I'm not saying it is impossible for our program or coach to become that....though I don't know that CMA even intends to build that way.  I imagine that he is disappointed that Qualls is choosing to leave at this point.  He may accept early departures when the talent and draft projections necessitate it....but I expect that he prefers that most that aren't first round/lottery locks to stick around.

[latrops]

Neither will 2 of the Kentucky players.  Being drafted isn't the prize, cashing a big check is the prize. Qualls will make high 6 figures for his family while he refines is craft.   AKA - Patrick Beverly.

Beverly, Fortson, Young, and now Qualls are arguably more the reason we have struggled to achieve and sustain success than they are examples of what we need more of. 

[code red]

Beverly, Fortson, Young, and now Qualls are arguably more the reason we have struggled to achieve and sustain success than they are examples of what we need more of. 

This should be the title of a thread.....and really all that needs to be said.  We need talent.

[Danny J]

Beverly, Fortson, Young, and now Qualls are arguably more the reason we have struggled to achieve and sustain success than they are examples of what we need more of.

Yep....I think much of it has to do with the talent around them. If we had more of it then they might have stayed. I don't think it is a coincidence that Qualls announced shortly after Portis. I think that was the final nail in the coffin. Players looking to play at the next level want to play with other good players to help push them and feed off them and put them in a better position.

The problem we seem to have is CMA doesn't really have a contingency plan. I just don't feel good at all about next year which I think makes it harder to sign a guy like Monk who can also help us sign other highly regarded players.

[code red]

Yep....I think much of it has to do with the talent around them. If we had more of it then they might have stayed. I don't think it is a coincidence that Qualls announced shortly after Portis. I think that was the final nail in the coffin. Players looking to play at the next level want to play with other good players to help push them and feed off them and put them in a better position.

The problem we seem to have is CMA doesn't really have a contingency plan. I just don't feel good at all about next year which I think makes it harder to sign a guy like Monk who can also help us sign other highly regarded players.

The problem is....there really is no plan.....it starts from the top and I don't mean Mike.  Basketball recruiting is tough if your not good.....its almost impossible to recruit.  It is quite frankly BS.  It club level basketball or and extension of AAU until they get to the league...it doesn't even matter if you have a good coach......just so you have a big turnover and can tell recruits..."we had 5 one and dones last year."   That is what it is.  Ready for football season.

[Kevin]

What is/was the game plan to replace them?  Seems to be scrambling at this point

[Hogimus Prime]

What is/was the game plan to replace them?  Seems to be scrambling at this point

It probably looks like the Hogs fullcourt press

[RazorPiggie]

Neither will 2 of the Kentucky players.  Being drafted isn't the prize, cashing a big check is the prize. Qualls will make high 6 figures for his family while he refines is craft.   AKA - Patrick Beverly.

Which 2?

[Hogimus Prime]

Which 2?

I'm going to guess the Harrison twins

[WarPig88]

Everyone needs to calm down.  The game has changed, it's all about how fast a program can develop athletes to be desired by NBA.  Every true fan wants great players to stay, but 10 years ago they didn't come to school to graduate - they came to audition.  Unless the NBA adopts NFL age limits, this isn't going to change.

In the mean time Kids want to play for programs that speed their development.   Arkansas placing 2 in the league will help with recruiting and in a viscous cycle of early departure departure perpetual recruiting is the only ticket to winning.

No it makes you irrelevant according to the haters. LOL!

[TNhawgfan]

Spin it.....kid from NLR signed with the Gators today....preach Brotha.

I don't know why MA didn't go after this kid harder. Something doesn't add up for me

[RazorPiggie]

I don't know why MA didn't go after this kid harder. Something doesn't add up for me

His "handlers" want to much from Mike apparently???

[WarPig88]

I don't know why MA didn't go after this kid harder. Something doesn't add up for me

We are on better players in next season's class.

He isn't the kind of player that would come in and replace Qualls so him being here or not, really doesn't matter.

[RazorPiggie]

We are on better players in next season's class.

He isn't the kind of player that would come in and replace Qualls so him being here or not, really doesn't matter.

We're "on" better players but what happens if we only win 16 games next year with no kind of post season? Those players still going to want to come here? IMO I don't think they will unless Monk commits early.

[WorfHog]

Beverly, Fortson, Young, and now Qualls are arguably more the reason we have struggled to achieve and sustain success than they are examples of what we need more of.

Are you saying we need less talented players? That's a surefire way to sustain success.   


I'll take the other side and say we need more talented players, we just need them every year.  There no reason Mike and staff can't go out today and sign the next Qualls.  Replacing Portis will be hard, but I think the staff at least considered that there was a high chance Portis would leave and have a plan in place to soften the loss.

[WarPig88]

We're "on" better players but what happens if we only win 16 games next year with no kind of post season? Those players still going to want to come here? IMO I don't think they will unless Monk commits early.

Most of them will sign early in the season. So that won't matter.

Monk ain't signing til the spring so the folks acting like we have to sign him in the fall are ill informed.

As far as Monk goes, he will do whatever he wants. It's like Portis said, he has proven that if your goal is to make the league, it can be done from U of A, with MA and his system.

The rest is up to the staff to close the deal now.

[latrops]

Are you saying we need less talented players? That's a surefire way to sustain success.   


I'll take the other side and say we need more talented players, we just need them every year.  There no reason Mike and staff can't go out today and sign the next Qualls.  Replacing Portis will be hard, but I think the staff at least considered that there was a high chance Portis would leave and have a plan in place to soften the loss.

Not at all.  I'm saying we either need more players talented enough to get drafted in the first round, or even the lottery....OR we need to do a better job of keeping good players that aren't quite NBA locks. 

CMA hasn't recruited exceptionally well (5 star, one and done, NBA lottery type players).  That's probably not really how he wants to build a team.  He has a reputation for being somewhat slow to trust freshmen and a little too forgiving of veterans.  He favors a player development approach.  That is fine....that's what most programs must do.  Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, and North Carolina can reload with top recruits every year, but most everyone else has to develop freshmen into quality upperclassmen in order to compete at the top.  It is that much more difficult to do when any player with pro potential, even if it isn't likely in the NBA, leaves early.

[Pork Twain]

Undrafted role players do not really do much for any school.