Seen on twitter: Utes showing interest in 2023 PF Matt Reed out of Lewisville, TX.
6ā8ā. 240 lbsāDusan is 6ā10āā 227āHoly Walter Watts Batmanāthat is big body.
For those of you who follow bball recruiting more closely than I do (read: everyone), are you worried that we have exactly zero impact recruits coming into a team that is very short on talent? I like Craig Smith, but that is not a winning formula (talentless team + no recruits)
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Thatās exactly what Iām worried about applejack. Maybe something changes in the next year but the new staff have missed every single target and that is bad. I donāt get the blind optimism by some people on the board.
Oh crap.
You just summoned SeattleUte!
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Didnāt we just land a commitment a few days ago?
I believe so. 1 out of 10 or 15 isnāt the greatest percentage.
Calm down. Iāll tell you when you should be concerned. Itās way too early.
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Is this your field?
No. Yours?
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You sure about that? There is no way Coach K loses 8 in a row this year. So far the only data we have shows bad coaching and terrible recruiting. Maybe it will get turned around but itās not looking good.
Edit: I want to clarify that I hope it gets turned around. I want Smith to succeed.
Look, if all we wanted was winning seasons, Krystkowiak would still be here. If we have to suffer some pain for a while to rise above reliable mediocrity, Iām happy to endure that. Smith inherited a nearly bare cupboard, had little time to recruit, and now has had his best player out for most the Pac 12 as well as other injuries and problems.
It takes more than 2-3 good players to win championships and go deep into the tournament. You need a system, buy in, chemistry, defensive ethos, especially at Utah.
The coach needs more than 2 months to get it done. Also there are many examples of basketball coaches who were very successful after 3 years of struggling. For that matter, there have also been a lot of bad talented basketball teams.
You may just have to trust me that it takes time, and a lot of blood sweat and tears and patience to build something great. Iām sorry thereās no instant gratification. If thatās what you want go drink a whiskey.
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However, I note that Krystkisk finished 8th or lower in 5 of his 10 seasons, including his last 2. His last team was not good and almost the whole team transferred, which wasnāt unusual even when he didnāt get fired.
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OK, do let me know when the time is right.
I am not aching for Kryskometh; firing him was a no-brainer that happened 4 years too late. Living on the NIT bubble is not what you want from a coach.
And yes, Smith had a bare cupboard to work with. No doubt about that. This year was going to be a waste.
But I, as you know, am a futurist. And nothing about the future of Utah bball excites me. Colin Chandler, a die-hard Ute fan growing up, was a lock; he was a four star recruit who might change the trajectory of a struggling team. Then he visited the Virginal Vallehallah for one weekend and BAM, he signed with them. We have players from last yearās squad playing major roles for Texas and Arizona (who, btw, have better conference records than we do). And the recruits are not there.
Maybe C. Smith has a plan, and I pray that he does, but Iām worried.
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Those two players are playing, I wouldnāt say Pelle is playing a major role.
Timmy is doing what he did here, but to a lesser extent. His stats are down other than FG% (And turnovers. His assists are down, turnovers are the same)
All that being said, too many people act like these 19, 20, 21 year old kids made their decisions in a vacuum. Where the coach was the reason they chose to transfer, and that if Smith were great they would have stayed.
Thatās a really big leap, and one thatās likely inaccurate. Spend enough time around college athletics and you learn transfers are just not simple. Itās possible Smith had a role in their electing to transfer, or itās possible he really never had a chance to keep them. To pretend their leaving reflects on him is silly to me.
Now 2-3 years from now, thereās more reason to believe he has some influence, although we all know some guys leave because they think theyāll have something amazing somewhere else.
As for recruiting missesā¦blaming Smith for Chandler is short sighted. Until the last two months, there seemed to be a juggernaut down there. Suddenly thatās no longer the case, kids chase glory, and Krysko killed all Utah glory. Itās going to take a couple years to get the back, if not more.
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Itās really stupid to worry about things you canāt control, especially things that donāt affect your health or welfare.
We agree Krystkowiak had retired in place and it was time for him to go. Harlan hired the guy who everyone agreed was the leading target.
What else do you want?
Pope is probably the most formidable rival coach Utah has had in my lifetime. I said that when they hired him. That doomed Krystkowiak and will make Smithās life harder whatever else he does.
The fact that Chandler is destined for a two-year mission and wonāt play until 2024 was a buzz kill anyway.
Utah has a long road ahead to respectability. Get used to it.
The ones we should be mad at are Krystkowiak and Hill. Not Smith.
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The transfers are on Krystkowiak. No glue between the players. No pride of school. He had to retool every season whether or not he was fired.
I donāt blame Allen for transferring to Texas. Itās a great school in every respect. Were I his parent, Iād have said Go to Texas! I doubt he had that opportunity as a HS senior. Letās be honest.
But if Carlson hadnāt missed essentially every game that mattered and we had Allen this would be a completely different season, I submit.
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Totally agree with this last sentence. Plus the other injuries we had where crazy. This team is a good 4 and a scorer off the bench away from being significantly better which at this point is all I hope to see.
Also not being involved at all in NIL is killing us. AD needs to pull his head out.
The NBA needs to remove the age cap on their draft and expand the G League. Let the kids who want to play in college, play in college. I get NIL and the Portal are totally wrenching things up, but āOne and Doneā aināt helping either. I donāt know where one finds stability in the chaos.