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VCU Backlash Continues


Taj79

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VCU announced the final recruit in Shaka's big incoming class of 2015, Tevin Mack, has been given his release from his LOI. Not a single recruit remains what with Shaka going to Texas.

Also, promising four-star (3.7) freshman forward Justin Tillman has announced he is transferring. VCU's scholarship roster is down to eight. Will Wade is going to have to start peddling faster -- and although he has offers out, not a one is for 2015-16 except local St. Louis guy, now at Vermont Acadeny, Ronnie Suggs.

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I am quite surprised. A veteran assistant coach at VCU, then 1 year of head coaching and he cannot keep anyone? On its face, it looked like another great hire with a seamless transition. Do you think things would be different/much better for Wade if he had not left and were physically still on campus? Being on a different campus may be the hangup? Or maybe 2 and 3 stars would be staying put at VCU but 4 stars are just in that much demand. To me, the transfer of the Freshman (Tillman) is the head scratcher, but again, he never met or got to know Wade whereas the upperclassmen probably know Wade.

BTW, where are all the VCU posters? We couldn't get them to leave, now no one wants to come back and give us an update!!

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Man, I can't imagine what that creepy guy who drives around the country in a van, wearing his ram horn hat is doing now. His world must be turned upside down.

He hasn't emerged from momma's basement since Shaka left. Last I heard he dropped off the horned hat at a Richmond Goodwill but they turned it down as being irrelevant.

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I am quite surprised. A veteran assistant coach at VCU, then 1 year of head coaching and he cannot keep anyone? On its face, it looked like another great hire with a seamless transition. Do you think things would be different/much better for Wade if he had not left and were physically still on campus? Being on a different campus may be the hangup? Or maybe 2 and 3 stars would be staying put at VCU but 4 stars are just in that much demand. To me, the transfer of the Freshman (Tillman) is the head scratcher, but again, he never met or got to know Wade whereas the upperclassmen probably know Wade.

BTW, where are all the VCU posters? We couldn't get them to leave, now no one wants to come back and give us an update!!

It's because Will Wade isn't a 'class act'
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Kids are kids, those that signed at VCU because of Shaka want out. Why is this difficult to understand? Carter did the same thing to SLU, we wanted to play for Majerus, not for Crews, so he transferred.

Because this is unusual. Most programs and their new coaches manage to find a way to keep many of their players and recruits.

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Because this is unusual. Most programs and their new coaches manage to find a way to keep many of their players and recruits.

It was an unusual situation in general. Shaka was very much the face of their program, so it's no surprise these guys may want to explore other schools now that he's gone.
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It was an unusual situation in general. Shaka was very much the face of their program, so it's no surprise these guys may want to explore other schools now that he's gone.

Grawer was Billiken basketball -- the face, the savior.... of Billiken basketball and yet Spoon successfully re-recruited Highmark and Claggett and got them to stay. Spoon then left and Romar got Marquis Perry and Justin Love to stay. Romar left and possibly Brad's best recruiting year was that first Spring after Romar left. Majerus had no problem keeping Brad's players and in landing his first recruiting class which whom Brad had been working hard and then Crews was able to keep all of Majerus' players except for Carter.

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Grawer was Billiken basketball -- the face, the savior.... of Billiken basketball and yet Spoon successfully re-recruited Highmark and Claggett and got them to stay. Spoon then left and Romar got Marquis Perry and Justin Love to stay. Romar left and possibly Brad's best recruiting year was that first Spring after Romar left. Majerus had no problem keeping Brad's players and in landing his first recruiting class which whom Brad had been working hard and then Crews was able to keep all of Majerus' players except for Carter.

Other than they were all coaching changes, I dont see any of those situations as being similar to the VCU situation.

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Grawer was Billiken basketball -- the face, the savior.... of Billiken basketball and yet Spoon successfully re-recruited Highmark and Claggett and got them to stay. Spoon then left and Romar got Marquis Perry and Justin Love to stay. Romar left and possibly Brad's best recruiting year was that first Spring after Romar left. Majerus had no problem keeping Brad's players and in landing his first recruiting class which whom Brad had been working hard and then Crews was able to keep all of Majerus' players except for Carter.

I get it. It happens every year across the country.

But you must have been ignoring everything about VCU these last few years if this surprises you one bit. These guys clearly chose VCU over some powerhouse schools because of Shaka Smart. He left and now they're exploring their options. It makes total sense and isn't surprising at all given the circumstances.

That doesn't mean Wade won't bring in some good recruits to take their places. But I'll bet they won't be as highly touted as those 3 are.

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Grawer was Billiken basketball -- the face, the savior.... of Billiken basketball and yet Spoon successfully re-recruited Highmark and Claggett and got them to stay. Spoon then left and Romar got Marquis Perry and Justin Love to stay. Romar left and possibly Brad's best recruiting year was that first Spring after Romar left. Majerus had no problem keeping Brad's players and in landing his first recruiting class which whom Brad had been working hard and then Crews was able to keep all of Majerus' players except for Carter.

Uh, it was widely rumored (and probably true) that Highmark was looking to possibly transfer to Mizzou (which had recruited him) then stayed once Spoon came along...big difference is he was likely looking to move on during the Grawer era that ended badly....no parallel to the Smart situation...

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I get it. It happens every year across the country.

But you must have been ignoring everything about VCU these last few years if this surprises you one bit. These guys clearly chose VCU over some powerhouse schools because of Shaka Smart. He left and now they're exploring their options. It makes total sense and isn't surprising at all given the circumstances.

That doesn't mean Wade won't bring in some good recruits to take their places. But I'll bet they won't be as highly touted as those 3 are.

Of course these guys chose VCU because of Shaka Smart. At the same time, VCU is the same school, the same facilities, in the same conference, the roster of the upperclassemen is the same, Wade was the lead assistant to Shaka... Further, the offense/defense also appears like it will be the same. Not blaming these VCU recruits at all. But doesn't every program with a coaching change have similar issues? In my example, did not Justin Love and Marquis Perry choose SLU b/c of Spoonhour and his recent success with Claggett, Highmark and Waldman, then with Larry Hughes, Baniak, Tatum and Heinrich?

My point is simple. Not every replacement coach strikes out with his predecessor's recruits.

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Uh, it was widely rumored (and probably true) that Highmark was looking to possibly transfer to Mizzou (which had recruited him) then stayed once Spoon came along...big difference is he was likely looking to move on during the Grawer era that ended badly....no parallel to the Smart situation...

Yes and no. Not trying to say this one example at SLU over 20 years ago is the exact same situation at VCU today. But there are numerous examples of recruits who decide to keep their commitment despite a coaching change.

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Oh... so VCU did NOT just have a coaching change?

That was the point of my post. A coaching change was the only similarity between your examples and VCU. Marquis Perry and Justin Love were not 4 star recruits who chose SLU over much more heralded programs just because Spoon was coach. I think Justin was going to Pepperdine and then they recruited someone else so he went to SLU. Sooon left and we then hired Romar, Pepperdine's coach. A coach he was familiar with and had wanted to play for.

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That was the point of my post. A coaching change was the only similarity between your examples and VCU. Marquis Perry and Justin Love were not 4 star recruits who chose SLU over much more heralded programs just because Spoon was coach. I think Justin was going to Pepperdine and then they recruited someone else so he went to SLU. Sooon left and we then hired Romar, Pepperdine's coach. A coach he was familiar with and had wanted to play for.

You are correct about Love and his familiarity with Romar but silent about Marquis Perry. All I did was list each of SLU's recent coaches and show that most of our new coaches successfully re-recruited players landed from our outgoing coach -- not to provide exact comparisons with Smart/VCU.

Also, interesting to see that a whole new standard exists for 4 star recruits. So 2 and 3 star recruits didn't and don't have high demand from other schools?

Finally, is it your position that it is unprecedented in NCAA basketball for a 4 star recruit not ask for his release but to be successfully re-recruited by the replacement coach. Your comments as well as your distinctions with my SLU examples appear to suggest that this has never happened. And you if not, then what is your point?

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You are correct about Love and his familiarity with Romar but silent about Marquis Perry.

I am sure a player like Marque Perry had some other options. I remember hearing Romar tell a story that when he got the job Spoon told him that he would really like the little guy and the importance of keeping Marque committed. Romar then went to some sort of all-star game Marque was playing in and saw a little guard putting on a show in the layup line throwing down windmill dunks and he quickly understood why Spoon was so high on him.

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