Recruiting.

And wtf Cuonzo just got a 50k raise? Really?

 

TN has offered 2014 PG Larry Austin from St. Louis area per Rob Lewis.

He is a 4* PG per Rivals and ranked as the 96th overall prospect in the latest rankings. Looks like he is from Springfield, IL but plays AAU in St. Louis.

Plays for same travel team that Jon Harris and Kent Williams played for.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Larry-Austin-119305

 

Sounds promising

 

My thoughts, exactly.

 

Serious question, as I know nothing about bball recruiting - how many Top 10 / players has Tennessee signed, say, in the last 25 years or so? What about the #1 kid in any class? Again, I really have no idea.

I'm asking, simply because while kids in the Top 150 sound great, but I wonder if we have to consistently get Top 20 kids if we're ever going to compete for championships. Obviously, you'd always prefer a kid who was the 3rd best prospect over the 133rd, and understandkng that anything can happen once they get on campus / in the tourney, so some unknown exists.

But given all of that, all things being equal, what would you guys estimate to be the targeted average ranking of players that you'd think would allow you to at least be in the national championship discussion, say, once every 4-5 years? Top 10? Top 50? Top 150?

 

I think Ramar Smith was a top 5 guy with some services. Of course, it sounds like there may have been something shady going on to allow us to sign him.

 

Ramar was nowhere near that highly regarded.

 

Looks like Rivals had him #20 overall.

 

Which was too high. Look at the top 5 guys in that class. Ramar Smith should never be mentioned in the same breath.

 

You won't see me trying to validate the ranking. He looked more like a running back than a point guard.

 

Hopson and Harris were up there.

 

Ramar was a fantastic prospect. He was just too raw and too wedded to the streets to be a fantastic basketball player. The only way his story might have ended differently was if he played for a totally different type of coach. That's not a knock on Pearl. Ramar simply needed a tyrant who would have been on his every move on and off the court.

 

Dude could get to the basket at will. Couldn't shoot a lick, but he could get to the hoop.

 

Cofer is having a really, really good summer.

 

UT has offered Ray Kasongo and Devin Mitchell says he will be in for an official visit the weekend of the South Carolina game.

 

Like sleeping with a guidance counselor to get grades changed...

 

He is announcing today at 4. Jerry Meyer predicted that he would be committing to Tennessee.

 

UT made Looney's latest cut, along with Duke, Florida, Michigan State, UCLA, and Wisconsin.

 

Dang, this is turning into a nice class.

 

Larry Austin commits. That's a nice, nice pickup