Will Jackson Commits To UConn!!!!!!

[Danzz]

Ga Tech fan here...congrats on the commit. Has big time potential and can play the 1 or 2.

On the ESPN ranking...he didn't play at all last summer so I am assuming that is why they don't have him rated high. Scout, 247 and Rivals left him in there top 50. He runs with the GA Stars so we'll see how he does this summer. He has been putting up big time stats so far this year for Athens Christian but has been against weak competition.

Thanks for stopping by and the info.

 

[Sportsman5]

closing a highly rated big shouldn't be hard once we have the practice facility finished. if you haven't been to campus or checked out the webcam lately, than I can tell you it is coming along very nicely.

 

[Walker11]

ESPN's recruiting service is by far the worst of the major sites.

I didn't realize until just now that Dave Telep left ESPN over the summer. He was the most respected recruiting guy by most at Scout and then ESPN so it makes sense that their coverage has dropped off.

 

[IMind]

Giving birth to a new theory that basketball intelligence is inversely related to ones proximity to the court.

I don't think that's a new theory.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Our leading rebounder is a 6'0 point guard. Time to look past the numbers and watch a basketball game.

Time to go back to sleep like you said.

It's a win-win that way:
If we don't get a big, then you don't wake up.
If we do get a big, then any "I told you that's what we needed," will pale compared to being pleased that we got a good big.

 

[ctchamps]

WELCOME WILL jAcKsOn!!!

 

[Waquoit]

closing a highly rated big shouldn't be hard once we have the practice facility finished.

Nothing is ever easy for us.

 

[HooperScooper]

I didn't realize until just now that Dave Telep left ESPN over the summer. He was the most respected recruiting guy by most at Scout and then ESPN so it makes sense that their coverage has dropped off.

The Spurs hired him as a scout.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--spurs-hire-respected-scout-dave-telep-045304067.html

 

[Sportsman5]

Nothing is ever easy for us.

agreed, but it should help a lot. While an adult may see utility in the facility and think it might give us a 10-20% bump in attractiveness to a recruit, I think that it will give us even more than that because it shows flash and exclusiveness. Just like a player can brag about saying I go to X school and people know it is a great basketball school, now kids can take pictures of the facility and send it to their friends, family and former teammates and show them how they spend their time in a 35 million dollar palace that they only have to share with a very small group of people. just like saying I live in X town and that means you are most likely wealthy, if you can then show them a huge beautiful house with 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, than that takes it to the next level. Many people find it a lot more prestigious to live in a 5 million dollar house in a wealthy community as opposed to a 600,000 dollar house in a wealthy community. My assumption is a lot of recruits feel the same way.

We are doing great even without it though. If it's just a small help, than we are in great shape to recruit very well.

 

[caw]

agreed, but it should help a lot. While an adult may see utility in the facility and think it might give us a 10-20% bump in attractiveness to a recruit, I think that it will give us even more than that because it shows flash and exclusiveness. Just like a player can brag about saying I go to X school and people know it is a great basketball school, now kids can take pictures of the facility and send it to their friends, family and former teammates and show them how they spend their time in a 35 million dollar palace that they only have to share with a very small group of people. just like saying I live in X town and that means you are most likely wealthy, if you can then show them a huge beautiful house with 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, than that takes it to the next level. Many people find it a lot more prestigious to live in a 5 million dollar house in a wealthy community as opposed to a 600,000 dollar house in a wealthy community. My assumption is a lot of recruits feel the same way.

We are doing great even without it though. If it's just a small help, than we are in great shape to recruit very well.

Just have to get them on a visit.

 

[nomar]

What the hell are we going to do this summer if we looking to lock down a top class before spring even arrives.

Oh don't worry, that won't stop people from over-analyzing 17-year-old kids' Twitter feeds.

 

[jibsey]

Recruits love bling and that's what the new basketball facility (as functional as it is) represents to them. It can only help. We have the history to go with the bling, now only need the conference...

 

[dogfan96]

"Connecticut has a really good business school. I don't even watch basketball". That line cracks me up every time.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I read what the kid says in interviews and it brings me back to the quote by Ollie back in the fall about how UConn will do well when recruiting kids from solid home and solid backgrounds.

Kids whose recruitment is being handled by AAU and agents? No so much.

 

[breezy]

I read what the kid says in interviews and it brings me back to the quote by Ollie back in the fall about how UConn will do well when recruiting kids from solid home and solid backgrounds.

Kids whose recruitment is being handled by AAU and agents? No so much.

It seems like KOs faith went a long way with this kid. I'm not religious myself but I like how KO appeals to a wide variety of guys for a wide variety of reasons....

I'd love to see a kid with a hightop in a UConn jersey.

 

[Dove]

Here's a picture of KO approaching Will one day recently...

 

[jibsey]

Not big on religion, but if the Ollie's faith thing (and I know it's real) works to get talented and quality players, yoo hoo.

 

[The Viking]

there was nothing lucky about playing Arizona and SAn Diego St in what were both home games for them. Especially after Arizona had just dismantled Duke in embarrassing fashion the game before

 

[Kembacity]

And the GREAT interior post play that carried Kemba to the NCCA championship was a combo of Alex/Tyler/Roscoe/Chuck ????

Man Chuck Okwandu really finished the season as a solid big didn't he? I wont say my friends and I stopped cracking endless jokes about him, but he knew when to roll and how to finish a pick and roll with a dunk, he played OK defense... with a guy like Kemba leading the way, Chuck was all we needed on the inside, a somewhat able bodied 7-footer

 

[7774]

there was nothing lucky about playing Arizona and SAn Diego St in what were both home games for them. Especially after Arizona had just dismantled Duke in embarrassing fashion the game before

Playing a team in the championship game that had won 10 games over the previous 2 NCAA tournaments wasn't exactly winning the Mega Millions either.

 

[Inyatkin]

Man Chuck Okwandu really finished the season as a solid big didn't he? I wont say my friends and I stopped cracking endless jokes about him, but he knew when to roll and how to finish a pick and roll with a dunk, he played OK defense... with a guy like Kemba leading the way, Chuck was all we needed on the inside, a somewhat able bodied 7-footer

He drew that third foul on Derrick Williams in the first half, which was all the value we needed.

 

[boog204]

Man Chuck Okwandu really finished the season as a solid big didn't he? I wont say my friends and I stopped cracking endless jokes about him, but he knew when to roll and how to finish a pick and roll with a dunk, he played OK defense... with a guy like Kemba leading the way, Chuck was all we needed on the inside, a somewhat able bodied 7-footer

He'd easily be the starting center on this team...

 

[sammydabiz]

Sweet!!

What does mine say?!?

Dude!!

 

[tzznandrew]

He'd easily be the starting center on this team...

We all love Chuck, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. He averaged 2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, on 15.4 mpg. Both Brimah and Nolan average more points, and nearly as many rebounds, on fewer minutes per game.

Even if you took the end of the year, Chuck averaged 3.3 ppg, 2 rpg, and 2.7 fpg on 16 mpg the last 14 games. I'm less convinced he would "easily be the starting center."

 

[Gurleyman]

He drew that third foul on Derrick Williams in the first half, which was all the value we needed.

More importantly, he was out there guarding Williams down the stretch. The brick-long rebound-open 3 finish that gave us a heart attack started with Williams shooting a contested 3 over Chuck for the brick part.

Williams actually posterized Chuck on a dunk with about 6 or 7 minutes to go, but after that, Williams moved outside to try to face him up from the three-point line and it was ineffective. I think he was 0-3 in the final five minutes. Chuck's D helped win us that game.