Why Does UT Not Recruit Locally?

[Solomon]

This was mentioned earlier, but most evaluations of D1 players take plave during AAU ball. THe high school season now, while very important, isn't as good of an indicator of how good a player actually is because of the perceived talent level on the court. What team you play with, what tournaments you play in, etc. And I don't know of one AAU team in Knoxville, granted part of it is due to lack of interest during AAU time. That is why during the season these inner-state games between powers is such a big deal.

 

Plus, basketball in East TN........well, it's not quite up to the level of the brethern in the west. Unless this kid is flat out dominating, then he's not going to get a look.

 

Granted, there's a guy that will suit up for UT against Texas (tu) today that no one in Kentucky thought was good enough to play SEC ball, so sometimes the coaches miss in their evaluations. This kid might be a good case of that.

[AFF]

UT will recruit in state (ie: Middle and West TN) - but if you mean locally by East TN - the answer is, they want to win.

 

Getting Chism out of Bolivar was good, and he darn near had Willie Kemp (I wonder if Coach Cal's signing of a new PG has Willie wondering where he should've signed?)

 

Wiggins looks like a low-to-mid ACC type team or CUSA team kid. He has offers from Miami (FL) and UNC-Charlotte. He has "medium" interest from UF, UT and Vandy -- all per Unapproved Website...

 

 

 

Willie Kemp's mother's health had a lot to do with his signing with Memphis.It'll be interesting to see how Calipari uses him next year when Derrick Rose comes in.Rose has made it clear that's he's heading for the NBA after his freshman year.

[barb]

From what i have heard of this kid he seems to be a division 11 type of player

Most of the schools looking at Wiggins right now are Div I AA.

[nrgrizzlies]

Most of the schools looking at Wiggins right now are Div I AA.

 

There is no Div. 1-aa in NCAA hoops. That would apply in football, but not hoops.

In basketball in the NCAA, a team is either d-1, d-2, or d-3.

 

I don't know what division eleven is as mentioned by another sports fan, thus have no comment on division eleven.

 

I did see Wiggins play last year in the state tourney vs. the national #1 ranked Memphis Hamilton team and he is a really good, but very skinny ballplayer.

[whodeywhodat]

In another thread the discussion came up about Wiggins and who is recruiting him?

I doubt UT has even seen him play let alone any of the other locals? I have heard of at least 4 local D1 signees going elsewhere this year alone. One wonders if UT even looked at any of them, let alone any of the others still out there like Wiggins etc. Tubby get's alot of flack for letting Lofton get away to UT and rightly so. As time goes on, UT will get some of the same I am afraid?

 

i agree with this guy. tennessee didn't recruit very well in tennessee while buzz was there. however, now that Pearl has job, you hear him making his rounds in schools in memphis, visiting younger guys like Ferrokahn Hall of MUS, Leslie McDonald of Briarcrest, and Elliot Williams of St. Georges. all three of these guys have big time talent and are getting big time attention from tennessee.

[bluffcity901]

i agree with this guy. tennessee didn't recruit very well in tennessee while buzz was there. however, now that Pearl has job, you hear him making his rounds in schools in memphis, visiting younger guys like Ferrokahn Hall of MUS, Leslie McDonald of Briarcrest, and Elliot Williams of St. Georges. all three of these guys have big time talent and are getting big time attention from tennessee.

I agree.I go to alot of games with big time players and he is present most of the time and coach cal is present most of the time too,but in the last couple years its seems that Georgia Tech coach Reuben Clayton is having the better luck.He also recruits those three guys and many more.But hopefully those guys will stay and play at ut or memphis

[midstateAPvoter]

Jajuan Smith was once considered an overrated recruit for UT. You must be crazy to think Wiggins isn't D1 material. At his size he can get whatever shot he wants.................

 

Doubters said the same for Barry Stewart from Shelbyville. He almost signed with austin peay. Now he is seeing regular minutes at Mississippi State as a TRUE freshman!

Buzz had Smith walkon not Pearl secondly if Pearl is winning games leave him alone. We could still have Devoe

[Sequatchie]

In another thread the discussion came up about Wiggins and who is recruiting him?

I doubt UT has even seen him play let alone any of the other locals? I have heard of at least 4 local D1 signees going elsewhere this year alone. One wonders if UT even looked at any of them, let alone any of the others still out there like Wiggins etc. Tubby get's alot of flack for letting Lofton get away to UT and rightly so. As time goes on, UT will get some of the same I am afraid?

 

How many big time college basketball players does TN usually have outside of Memphis? Most TN fans feel had Coach Pearl been at UT before last season they would have signed Brewer, Gordon and Wright and probably had his mother been in good health possibly Willie Kemp as well.

 

One thing you have to understand signing basketball players is not like in Football where you can sign 20-25 players every spring. In basketball, coaches have to pick and choose Tennessee or any other school is not going to sign or offer a player a scholorship unless they need a player at the position unless they are a big time recruit because of the limited numbers.

 

Tennessee this past year signed 6 players and the class was rated by most services as one of the top #5 classes in the country.

 

This year Coach Pearl & the Vols have already signed two players

 

4-star SG/SF - Cameron Tatum (6-6, 195) from Tucker, GA but is at (The Patterson School) in Patterson, NC

 

The other is 3-star C/PF Brian Williams (6'11, 300) from Bronx, NY but is playing at (Harmony Christian) in Cincinnati, OH (School where TN Fr. Josh Tabb played)

 

That leaves Tennessee with one scholorship for the spring signing period if he doesn't sign anyone then. He can hold it over to next season where Tennessee would have three available and already have one commitement.

 

Tennessee is looking hard at several Tennessee HS prospects Philip Jurick & Carter McMasters for the '08 class. Both have attended several Tennessee games and I think McMasters was at the game Saturday it is still undesided I think at least by most if they are solid SEC calibur players we will know by this time next season and TN has already offered Ferrakohn Hall (MUS) for the '09 class. One other factor is Pearl wants a guy who can play Tennessee style basketball i.e. defense, pressure defense & pressure offense and can get up and down the floor in a hurry.

 

As everyone has already said Buzz could not/did not recruit very well but face it what would players go to UT for? Pearl has proven that he is solid coach/recruiter and Tennessee now has the facilities to bring basketball recruits to Tennessee like it does football. Including major renovations to TBA for next season and a state of the art practice facility under construction. Buzz did do two things right by signing both Chris Lofton & Dane Bradshaw and offered JaJuan Smith a chance to walk-on.

 

One other thing Coach Pearl will recruit from all over the country just like the football team and the major basketball programs i. e. Duke, NC, KY, UCLA, etc.. Pearl wants Tennessee to be on the list with those schools and so for its working he will look to sign a guy if they are good from anywhere like he did last season signing guys like Duke Crews from Virginia, Ramer Smith from Michigan, M. Johnson from Indiana & Josh Tabb from Ohio.

[NWTennSports]

When, as a head coach, you go into a kid's home to recruit him, you have to do several things. Mainly, you have to sell your school and your program to Mom and Dad as much (if not more) as you have to sell them to the kid. Then, you have to take on any perceptions the kid and his family have about your school. Look at what Pearl is having to battle right now:

 

UT fires its coaches

Peterson was popular, had connections to the UT family and was MJ's roomate in college but couldn't win

Jerry Green won but ran an undiscplined program

I hear about your kids (and the football kids) in trouble all the time

The only place in Tennessee you recruit is Memphis

UT is a football school

The only basketball name at UT I've ever heard of is Pat Summitt

 

But, one of the big things with kids today, above all that other stuff is: What style of ball do you play, and can you get me to the NBA

 

So, Pearl has had his work cut out for him. And, while he's winning, it might not be playing so well in some households that his best player is a high school Mr. Basketball ... from Kentucky. ... I've never suffered from an inferiority complex, but I understand how that can strike a nerve with some people.

 

I think Pearl is doing a great job. I love the fact that he goes to high school games, sometimes just to watch, and gets his name in the paper (although I'm not big on "Pearl kicked out of another gym" headlines) ... And now, his selling job is easier. He has actual proof that the school is taking hoops seriously with the major building projects (luxury suites and a new practice facility) going on. ... I think he's gonna be getting more and more in-state players in the years to come, and I hope he's at UT for many many years.

 

Is it just me, or does Pearl remind you in a lot of ways of Ray Mears when he was hired. ... High-strung guy from the north with a national championship on his resume, lives basketball, tries to incite the fans (of both teams) on game night. He's even taken to the color ORANGE like a duck to water .... I half expect him to slowly walk across the floor at Vandy just as warm-ups are ending wearing a BIG ORANGE blazer

 

I love Pearl. Looking back, he seems to be better than everything we've tried since Mears:

DeVoe was good at game management and good at getting the most out of his kids most of the time but not a great recruiter (Dale Ellis, Tony White and Fred Jenkins, and that's about it) ... I would love to have DeVoe as a scout.

Houston had very good sperm but not much else.

O'Neill wrote the book on being a jerk. .... And his teams were BORING

Green couldn't keep his injured stars on the bench during a fight. Had he stayed, Tennessee might have become the Miami of basketball

Peterson was a good guy but wrong for the task at hand

 

If he stays and is given the necessities to recruit, Pearl could do something VERY SPECIAL at UT before it's all said and done.

[noonesfool]

Nice summation