The Official Beat the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City in the NIT Quarterfinals Thread

Arninrva said:
Like I said he was oversold in the Jayem/Loaded machine. Of course people saw him play but it's about his potential of a 7fter that can move his feet, than some knock down player. Fallacy of recruiting, recruit to measurements and "potential" than their IQ and actually skills. Also why some random mid major kid becomes a star (Knecht) if they do or don't develop the measurements later. Also don't think Jayem/Team Loaded wasn't to some extent involved in the Adidas scandal. Scratch our back scratch your back. Ugly business and nobody has it easy.
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You keep using this term "oversold," what does that even mean? You can sell me on a crap car all you want. If I see it smoking on the highway and rattling when I test drive it, no matter how much you try to sell me on it, I'm moving on. These are P6 schools we're talking about. They have other options so the "oversold" thing doesn't make much sense to me.

Maybe the fans were oversold, but who cares? They don't sign recruits.
 
You’re not seeing P6 schools recruiting many players with low star levels and P6 continues to dominate the college bball world. There’s definitely merit to star rankings on high school kids. Wheeler not only was offered by Louisville but also several major P6 schools. Something was there at one time or the scouts would have passed. Judging from his exchange with Odom last game, his attitude may be an issue.
 
Ramlove81 said:
The team was 5-26, with lots of open looks. Was it elevation, tired legs, travel, just a bad shooting night? I don't know but we missed a lot of good shots. Out defense wasn't really the problem, the game was fast with lots of possessions and we held a team that scored 91 on Iowa to 74. Held them to 43% shooting, but a lot of the makes were 3's. We shot 32% over all and 19% from 3. Poof, that's the game. We make some shots and they don't get runouts and some easy shots at the other end, this is s different game. Well, that's what ifs. Point I'm making is this game wasn't as bad as the score looks, we just couldn't hit shots we usually do.
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I had every expectation we'd miss a lot of 3's. No way to get adjusted to the elevation in so short a time. It makes a huge difference when you're trying to put a ball through an 18 inch hole from 20 feet. All it takes is to be a couple of inches off. Having said that even if we hit a better than average number of 3's the Utes were on fire and we weren't going to keep up. Onto the next year. Signing off for real for the off-season now. It's been fun.
 
SteveMM said:
I didn't see the exchange with Odom but I will say I've actually been pleased while watching Wheeler on the bench. He's engaged and cheers for his teammates ... excitedly at times.
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For sure but it was pretty ugly when Odom was trying to talk to him and he just shook his head ignoring him walking to the bench. Odom looked pretty frustrated with him.
 
RamStrut said:
For sure but it was pretty ugly when Odom was trying to talk to him and he just shook his head ignoring him walking to the bench. Odom looked pretty frustrated with him.
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Yep it looked a bit dismissive as he walked by, but that coud have also been he was really pissed at himself, and not meaning to diss the coach. I don't wanna speculate on that kind of thing.
 
Ramdog said:
Seems like a good teammate and looks good in a suit

But we need a bit more than that
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Was a Second Team Airport All-American selection this year.

As for the overhype, I blame it on Bighorn for the constant praise for just about any kid associated with the JM program.
 
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Arninrva said:
Team Loaded is an engine that creates exposure and yes the program will oversell their players and their ability because both their track record (Oscar, Mando, Hunter, and etc.) and Adidas connections (stars). Coaches will see a kid like Roosevelt, 6 11 and athletic and recruit to his potential but sometimes like in the NBA draft kids will be a major flop. I also know this is a business and sometimes there are favors done or tactical moves to recruit other players (my feeling of why Odom recruited Wheeler). So yes Loads reputation sometimes is the pitfall or savior of certain players. If you're lucky enough to get in it can be a goldmine and their break (Mac). Then sometimes it's your downfall and you get exposed ala Wheeler.
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All coaches over sell their players. If they dont they aren’t doing their jobs. HC’s, Scouts, and other recruiters have seen oversell. This isn’t the 80’s. There is tape on everyone.

Just like Mike Tomlin stated, if a kid has talent you have to coach him. I am not going along with the bad attitude rap. Until I hear it from the HC or some reliable insider.

Let’s see how things shake out this summer.
 
Did Chris Mack recruit Wheeler when he was at Louisville?

Rose may head south.

Just throwing it out there.
 
VCU85 said:
Yep it looked a bit dismissive as he walked by, but that COULD have also been he was really pissed at himself, and not meaning to diss the coach. I don't wanna speculate on that kind of thing.
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Wow! A voice of measured reason. A rarity on here😁.
 
Arninrva said:
But let me clarify. Wheeler is a nice kid. Extremely so. I hope it works out for him. His raw measurements and potential just hasn't aligned with his ability to play on the floor. I truly don't think VCU is the place for him. Either needs to go JUCO to get better or D2 where there will be more patience for him to develop. Feel bad to sound like a hater, not my attention. Just more to draw attention to sometimes stars are overinflated, especially for big men, where again it's more about potential than actual skill and sometimes what AAU/School you went to.
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Everything you said in this post is reasonable. What didn't make sense was this narrative that somehow P6 were duped on Wheeler based on John Marshall or his AAU team "overselling" his talent or potential, as if the school didn't perform their own evaluation and due diligence. The schools made that determination on their own. The reality is sometimes (many times) humans are just plain wrong. This isn't an exact science. Misevaluations happens all the time, not just in recruiting but in college admissions. Otherwise you wouldn't have so many kids drop out of college every year.
 
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