Cole Huff Update
I mentioned in the last Cole Huff thread that I work with his father at a High School in Inglewood. He stands outside my classroom between each class period and we talk basketball so I have a fairly good relationship for aquiring inside info in this case. I just spoke with him an gathered some valuable intel.
Cole "won" his appeal to Nevada's blocked schools. They unblocked 5 schools: Pepperdine, San Diego State, UCLA, USC and I think Santa Barbara. Cole is not interested in USC because he does not like their coaches (there was a situation with one of their assistants when Cole was a senior in high school that has soured him to that staff). The only one of those schools that he is really interested in is UCLA. He is still waiting to hear from them. His former AAU coach told him on Saturday that UCLA wanted to do an in home visit today or tomorrow but he has not heard anything since. IF UCLA offers, they will be the favorite.
The current favorite is Iowa. Cole and his dad are planning a visit and have very strong interest. Creighton has been pushing hard and he likes them as well but they seem to be behind Iowa.
It does not sound like Michigan has acctually given commitable offers to Cole or Byron Wesly just yet. Cole's dad told me that Belien is only really interested in the two of them if McGary decided to leave and the coaching staff is still waiting on that decision (from the sound of it the Mitch is still genuinely undecided). It was somewhat unclear if Huff and Wesley were only interested in Michigan if McGary left or if Michigan was only interested in them in McGary's gone. Either way, those two are only in the fold if McGary is not. I realize that that doesn't really make sense since they would have to sit out a year and McGary is likely gone after next year either way, but that is the information I was given. Maybe with MAAR's commitment they don't have the scholarship to offer but I was under the impression that they still had one spot open.
I will try to gather more information and clear up some of the ambiguities in the post after the next class period ends.
April 21st, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
That sucks, regarding Huff, not Wesley. Thanks for the info.
April 21st, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
Great inside info. Does Cole's dad know that you are posting the information he shares with you? Just curious...
April 21st, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
He doesn't. I didn't even ask for this information. I just mentioned that I read Cole was consindering Michigan on a blog (obviosly he knows I am a fan and I talk up Belien constantly) and he shared the information above. I probably should ask him if it's ok to share but it is sort of too late now.
April 21st, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
I'd take it down if I were you. It's not really cool to play journalist with things people tell you privately.
What I do with information like this, if I think it should be public, is put it in the hands of a real journalist (namely, MGoBrian) and tell him how I got it, so he can use it on (deep) background if he wants. That's what I did, for example, when DMo's parents told me in the stands of a basketball game that the basketball coaches had changed his shot his freshman year, which explains the jump in his shooting percentages between his freshman and sophomore years. (I think this is the first time I've actually posted that publicly, and only because it obviously doesn't matter now.)
April 21st, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
ehhhh I see tons of "insiders" across college sports messageboards and the info falls inline w/ what his AAU coach said via Twitter
April 21st, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
I think his dad would be ok with what I shared. I actually did leave a few details out about specific things Cole likes or doesn't like about individual schools/coaches because I didn't think he would want that info public.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
I've been thinking it was the Tim Doyle "Butterfly" effect.
April 21st, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
...Dawkins picks Michigan and McGary stays - at least assuming Hatch stays on an athletic scholarship.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Right -- essentially MAAR is taking Stauskas' spot, and Dawkins is (hopefully) taking GRIII's spot. No plans to medical Hatch just yet, so there's only an open transfer spot if McGary leaves. Will be interesting to see if this evolves differently if Dawkins ends up elsewhere and either of the transfers are still in the mix.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
Chatman and Irvin slide into GR3 and Stauskas role just fine
MAAR = Caris insurance
Dawkins = Irvin insurance
imo. I know what Sam Webb said but....
April 21st, 2014 at 12:49 PM ^
He was talking scholarship spot, not actual spot in the rotation.
Right, that's what I meant. I referred to the spots as Stauskas'/GRIII's because I was thinking in terms of a spot for a G and a spot for a F...wouldn't expect either MAAR or Dawkins' minutes to be too high in 2014-15.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^
Going into the weekend I thought they'd pick Dawkins OR MAAR... and they'd go after Huff pretty hard even though he had to sit out a year. Obviously we've had a lot more information come out since then to change that view. That said as the OP stated it is a bit strange that they'd only offer Huff if Mitch left since it would not help next year and the year after we have Wilson Chatman etc who are Huff-like. If Wesley played a different position it would make a lot more sense to go after Wesley IF Mitch left since you have an immediate replacement but since he is a SG and not a SF/PF that doesn't really 'fit'.
Or it could be quite simple when we see the offers to MAAR and Dawkins. Beilin has talked enough to the family that if UCLA comes after Huff, he gone. So bird in hand theory. Iowa as the leader kind of confuses me though for the Midwest - no idea why'd you choose Iowa and its cosmpolitan campus and its bball program over UM at this point IF you were headed to the Midwest. But from all accounts he wants to stay close to home if he can.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
UCLA seems to want Elijah Stewart and with Jordan Adams and Jonah Bolden, I don't see them wanting him. I think Iowa gets him if we don't step up.
when we haven't offered him and don't plan to unless McGary goes?
Kudos to Beilein for being honest (which was the implication of the OP); hopefully that means that Huff gets more excited about Michigan if offered and has no hard feeling if Mitch stays.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
Thank you for the update.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
Byron Wesley is a graduate transfer and so wouldn't have to sit out a year. Also, his AAU coach didn't include Michigan on the list of schools recruiting him:
Schools vying for USC transfer Byron Wesley per his AAU coach: Cincy, Baylor, Indiana, Providence, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Pitt, OK State.
— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) April 21, 2014
EDIT: Eisenberg has a follow-up story on Wesley in which his father says his favorite is Gonzaga, followed by Pitt and MSU. The list of eight is a tentative one, and it could take him a few weeks to select a new school.
can't be helping him here. It sounds like the Minnesota job could be a real possiblity due to his close relationship with Flip Saunders.
April 21st, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
Thanks for the info. Wouldn't he have to visit MIchigan first to be offered anyway?
April 21st, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
Thanks to the OP for sharing this information, first and foremost.
On Friday, there was an interesting tidbit at UMHoops about how Huff wanted to possibly play the three to showcase his skills, but I would assume - as Dylan Burkhardt does - that even the four at Michigan would give him that sort of freedom perhaps. Some of the numbers from that piece:
"Huff scored 1.57 points per possession on pick-and-pop scenarios last season with a 76 eFG%, good for the 99th percentile nationally. He also graded out as a good spot up shooter. He’s a a more efficient post-up player than isolation player, but 12% of his offensive possessions were isolations last season."
April 21st, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
I wish the young man good luck in deciding, but Iowa seems... strange.
Hopefully for his sake they won't be the dumpster nuclear winter they were at the end of last year.
Cole Huff was a sophomore this year right? If he was, then the coaching staff from USC that recruited him his Senior year is gone. They were fired and replaced by the Florida Gulf Coast coach after the tourney last year. Not sure how the previous staff would affect his situation with this one, or if he just isn't aware that this is a new USC staff.
One of their current assistants was at SDSU back then.
I was trying to not be too specific but Mr. Miggle is correct. One of USC's current assistants was at SDSU when they were recruiting Cole.
From Huff's former AAU coach:
Cole Huff has 2 visits Set in stone with Iowa May 2 and Dayton May 9 figuring out dates with Creighton and Vanderbilt
— clint parks (@Brotherhood05) April 22, 2014
April 21st, 2014 at 10:39 PM ^
Think we are out of it for Huff.
If we have a scholarship after McGary and Dawkins decide, we should make a run at Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. We are in his top 4 and 1 or 2 of those other teams may have no scholarships.