It's official: Booker to Kentucky
For those who were holding out hope: Why, why did you do that to yourself?
EDIT: This is just one recruit. Michigan basketball is in great shape. I'm not going to delete the picture of Mr. Rogers with a gorilla, though, because there is no bad time to think about Mr. Rogers meeting a gorilla.
Here is Mr. Rogers with a gorilla:
October 31st, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
Blackmon is likely picking Indiana.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
I'm glad that I was let down slowly over the course of a few months and this didn't surprise me.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:11 PM ^
Just like Ole Miss and USC in football, it's clear that Kentucky players are getting paid or other illegal benefits to go there.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:15 PM ^
Or they want to go to Kentucky because they know they'll have a chance to win and Calipari will get them into the NBA?
A recruit not picking Michigan =/= The other school is cheating.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:20 PM ^
I don't buy that argument one bit. You can play well at any school and still make it to the NBA.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:25 PM ^
True, but when it comes to getting guys to the NBA, that's what Calipari does best. He goes "Do you want to got the NBA? I'll take you there." And then he does. Honestly, if you don't care about going to college and just want to get into the NBA, Calipari has the best record of doing so, so why not go there?
October 31st, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^
Dude...C'mon. It's not like the kid snubbed UM to attend some second-tier school. The kid chose to take his supreme talents to an NBA factory: UK. Calipari sets his kids up for success and makes sure they get to the pros, which is the kids' objectives. He's better at it than anyone (Coach K is pretty damn good at it too). I for one am pretty stoked that UM was - and is now - competing against the likes of UK for these special talents. It says our program has come a long way over the past 10 years.
Yeah - it sucks to lose Booker. But - hell - if I was in his shoes and my professional objectives were to make it to the NBA, I'd go to UK too. Pretty simple.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:15 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 5:40 PM ^
Ya know. I would agree with you about Coach K's players through the 80s and 90s. However, I think he started recruiting players who knowingly were going to either be one-and-done (Elton Brand / Kyrie Irving) or take guys who would likely leave after their Sophomore years. On the same token, I think the market for college basketball really shifted to one-and-done blue chips and sophomore-based teams during that same period of time. So, maybe he was just riding the wave.
Net-net, I would say Coach K is somewhere between Calipari and Belein. He probably prefers to have someone that is raw and he can coach up. But he won't pass on a flyer (Jabari Parker).
October 31st, 2013 at 5:45 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 6:52 PM ^
No way does Kentucky have to pay players to go there. They have a fantastic (if skeezy) coach and have about as great a basketball tradition as you can get.
It certainly would not surprise me to later find out that guys there were not making SAT scores, not actually attending classes, etc. But you're really bitter if you can't see that Kentucky is massively attractive to Joe Schmo basketball recruit
October 31st, 2013 at 4:15 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^
I'm not the only one who thinks these kids are getting paid.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^
So are you upset that UM doesn't use the same tactics or just trying to make sure everyone knows where you stand?
Best case - You're right and the NCAA doesn't do anything about it and you're still bitter
Worst case - You're wrong and look like a petty fan who cares too much about the decision making of highschoolers
October 31st, 2013 at 10:33 PM ^
No doubt. It's not like Michigan has vacated the most hoops game of anyone in the NCAA.
Am I right? Oh wait...
October 31st, 2013 at 4:44 PM ^
This is not at all like Ole Miss. Ole Miss went from perennial SEC bottom feeder to suddenly bringing in multiple 5-stars long suspected to be heavy leans elsewhere.
Kentucky basketball, on the other hand, has been doing this for years. Booker is a kid that probably wanted to go to Kentucky for awhile, and jumped on the opportunity. Remember that he was not necessarily Calipari's plan A - so if he's dirty he's clearly not dirty enough to win everybody he wants.
Anyway, doesn't mean he's totally clean, but this isn't really equivalent to the Treadwell situation in suspicion level.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:31 PM ^
He shows up and all of a sudden, 5 star recruits are like, "Damn, I wanna go to Kentucky".
October 31st, 2013 at 5:45 PM ^
And the wins he had vacated were ultimately for academic fraud in which he was not personally implicated, not cash money going out to recruits. The only provable thing is that he's had some players deal with shady agents.
Anyway, the point is that blaming this recruiting loss entirely on cheating is stupid and comes off as sour grapes. Maybe in a world where Calipari goes totally clean, he's not getting quite as many 5 stars, but he can still coach and he can still recruit, and he'd still be a formidable opponent for recruits.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
With all due respect, in the years before Hoke came to UM, we were losing to App St. and Toledo. Our football team was an absolute tire fire - worse than UK's teams under Gillespie. And - all of a suden when Hoke shows up - 5-star recruits are like, "Damn, I wanna go to UM."
Actually, those recruits coming to UM is a bigger head scratcher than the studs going to UK. In UK's defense, their facilities were - and are - the absolute best. They had just hired a coach with significant experience, including deep runs in the tourneys, runs for national titles, etc. Moreover, he is a coach known for getting kids to the pros.
In contrast, when Hoke took over, UM's facilities were good and maybe one of the best (though not at the Oregon or Alabama level). However, Hoke was a total unknown outside of a select few: He had zero national recognition, no BCS experience, no championship experience, etc. Moreover, it's not like Hoke has a reputation for producing NFL first rounders (at least, not the way other coaches like Saban are perceived).
So - yeah - what's your point exactly? Because - by your logic - I'm starting to get really suspicious of our football recruiting.
October 31st, 2013 at 7:53 PM ^
You stated," And - all of a suden when Hoke shows up - 5-star recruits are like, "Damn, I wanna go to UM." "
We'll, looking at Hoke's classes in 2012,2013 and 2014 (obviously just committed at this point) we had a whopping total of 6% of those recruits being rated as a 5 star (Rivals). Yep, they're bustin' down our doors.
On the other hand, during that same timeframe, 66% of Kentucky BB recruits are 5 star (Rivals).
October 31st, 2013 at 8:45 PM ^
Ha! The same principle can be applied. The fact is that both programs were doing relatively poorly prior to their new coaches arriving, and then - all of a sudden – they start generating some recruiting success. That doesn’t necessarily mean that eyebrows should furrow.
Nevertheless, your argument is somewhat apples and oranges anyway. In the history of college basketball, it’s not uncommon for 66% (or – for better comparative purposes – a majority of) of powerhouse basketball rosters to be made up of blue-chip recruits. The UCLA dynasty is living testament to this fact (so is the Fab 5!). However, to my - albeit, limited - knowledge, no football roster in the country is comprised of 66% 5-star recruits!
My point above is simply that UK’s success recruiting is not an anomaly. It makes perfectly reasonable and rational sense. And – if you are skeptical of their recruiting success simply because of how poor their team was performing prior to the current head coach – then, by that logic, UM should be placed under the same level of scrutiny.
October 31st, 2013 at 11:26 PM ^
Yet, you attempted same in your previous post.
But now go ahead and contradict yourself....again.
October 31st, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^
Its not like they're a top flight program for the first time ever. They were historically great programs who had fallen on hard times, they found the right coach and they're cruising again
Michigan football is also a lesser example of this. Down years with poor recruiting, then hoo-rah MICHIGAN MAN coach and we're recruiting gang-busters again
October 31st, 2013 at 6:58 PM ^
both, under Calipari, made the NCAA Finals. Peak seasons for both programs.
both, shortly after Calipari jumped ship, suffered NCAA sanctions and forfeited their deep tournament runs.
Kentucky has the historically dirtiest program in college basketball.
I think it's a match made in heaven.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:55 PM ^
Or because Calipari has a knack for churning out lottery picks?
October 31st, 2013 at 4:12 PM ^
Some hope is better than being a depressingly negative person that everybody hates. That's not referring to anybody specificaly, just a general thought.
But anyways, too bad on Booker. Beilein will figure it out.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:13 PM ^
It's "anyway."
October 31st, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 4:12 PM ^
Kentucky's ability to simply call a kid 3 months before a decision and wipe out years of recruiting is incredible.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:14 PM ^
I try not to think too much about the way this recruitment went down...And that's not a criticism of Booker or even of Kentucky.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:38 PM ^
I love it when you guys respond to each other. It looks like Beilein is talking to himself and applauding each comment.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:11 PM ^
Grow up. This is ridiculous. Do you have any information to support the accusation Booker chose UK because of $$$? You don't think he could have chosen it because of coach, facilities, tradition, etc?
October 31st, 2013 at 6:59 PM ^
Look at all those nice national championship banners and more fans than Crisler has probably ever seen
October 31st, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^
Sounds like Nick is taking this one hard.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:19 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
So it's a bit hard to compare. Blue blood programs can do what Kentucky did. Michigan football is getting back to that status. It's going to take a bit longer (hopefully just one more deep NCAA tourney run in 2014) to get back to that level.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
That is different. Levert only had offers from Dayton and Ohio.
October 31st, 2013 at 5:32 PM ^
LeVert left because the coach that he committed to left Ohio for the HC job at Illinois.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:14 PM ^
Still have a chance with James Blackmon although the rumblings have him reupping with Indiana. One can hope, although I like our class and the direction the program is headed so no prob for me. Hope Devin has a great career. Just sucks we couldn't pull the local talent. Have to respect Calipari's moxy!
October 31st, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^
Now I have to listen to IU fans(most likely) beat their chest about gaining Blackmon's commitment...again.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:17 PM ^
"Always knew CTC could keep him in the fold!"
October 31st, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^
doing Tom Crean things, and you'll instantly feel better. I'm far more worried about this weekend's game against Staee than I am about this.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:17 PM ^
The Mr. Rogers-Gorilla thing instantly made me feel better. Well, that and the fact that I didn't think we were landing Booker or Blackmon anyway.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:17 PM ^
if Blackmon doesn't pick UM.
/s
October 31st, 2013 at 4:23 PM ^
Kevon Looney has been the surprise of the day for me. I mean what a steal by UCLA. Have to give them credit especially after the roller coaster ride that program has been on since they made the Final Four with Kevin Love and the gang!
October 31st, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^
October 31st, 2013 at 4:25 PM ^
Every "we lost out on a recruit" comment trope together, well done.
October 31st, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^