The Problem/Difficulty w/ Recruiting (Luke Maye, UNC)

[basketballjones]

So - Luke Maye just won that game for UNC. Game winner, 17pts, million rebounds, 3/3 from FT (huge FTs too), and dove on a ball to get a huge jump ball late in the game. Luke Maye was a 3-star with just mid to low major offers, and only ended up at UNC because his dad played QB there years back. I bet if you were a fly on a wall in UNC's recruiting office there were many arguments against offering him a scholarship. Probably almost felt like they had to. 

 

I've been championing for years that we need to recruit more "Luke Maye"s - guys who don't fit this perfect mold that everyone think you have to have to be successful - but they shoot it well, rebound, are strong, super fundamental, and just play a solid role.

 

I've gotten a ton of pushback on that - and rightfully so. Especially when I've brought up certain in-state guys, the typical argument against this is, "if they were so good why did everyone else miss them and why aren't they just blowing up at the midmajor/NAIA/D2 school they ended up at?" Totally fair argument. So here's my half-assed observation why I'm probably never going to see what I want and why everyone arguing against me is probably right: What does Luke Maye HAVE TO do for UNC?

 

The answer? Nothing. Everything they get from him is an additional bonus. Because he's paired up next to 5-star freakish bigs, electric guards, and athleticism all over the place. In other words, Luke Maye can just be his role and do it well for UNC. NU would NEED him to do something entirely different because we don't have the talent surrounding him to make him a threat. And that's the biggest problem and difficulty in recruiting - what role does ________ have to play? And can they play that role without giving something up?

 

Because there's already a Luke Maye in Nebraska HS right now - his name is Logan Strom of Norfolk. Strom might even be a better outside shooter and more skilled with the ball. But they are super similar guys. Strom is going to UC Davis and I wish him the best - he's about as good of a dude as they come - but man I wish we could have him on our squad as a role player. 

 

Hopefully NU can get into a position soon where we have a roster we love, and instead of taking stabs at other guys - we can afford to go take a chance with a local kid we might think can really provide a role someday. 

 

Btw... now that we have schollies available - can we re offer Arop or is that bridge officially burnt?

[bobcat402]

We don't need arop, arop needs a year of prep school to find and hone some sort of jump shot, right now he's a poor mans ade daguduro (good hustle player, but an undersized 4) we need shooters, and dead eye shooters at that with zero confidence issues from the moment they step on campus. We have hustle players who just so happen to be above average in athletic ability (morrow, Jacobsen, Taylor) we need dead eye shooters. the players they offered fit that role and be on the look out for 5th yr transfers.

[hhcmatt]

2 hours ago, basketballjones said:

So - Luke Maye just won that game for UNC. Game winner, 17pts, million rebounds, 3/3 from FT (huge FTs too), and dove on a ball to get a huge jump ball late in the game. Luke Maye was a 3-star with just mid to low major offers, and only ended up at UNC because his dad played QB there years back. I bet if you were a fly on a wall in UNC's recruiting office there were many arguments against offering him a scholarship. Probably almost felt like they had to. 

 

He was a ESPN 4 star with offers from Iowa St, Virigina, Va Tech, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Gonzaga so while I get that he's a local kid who really wanted to go to NC and wasn't a 5 star it's not like he's Nicholas Baer here.

[basketballjones]

1 minute ago, hhcdimes said:

 

He was a ESPN 4 star with offers from Iowa St, Virigina, Va Tech, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Gonzaga so while I get that he's a local kid who really wanted to go to NC and wasn't a 5 star it's not like he's Nicholas Baer here.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/6998

I got my info from his rivals page - are you sure he offers at those other places? 

He also started out as a preferred walk-on - http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/3/26/15067830/luke-maye-kentucky-north-carolina-ncaa-tournament-game-winner - so he definitely turned down some major offers if true. 

[hhcmatt]

10 hours ago, basketballjones said:

I got my info from his rivals page - are you sure he offers at those other places? 

 

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/luke-maye

[jimmykc]

Our problem is not in recruiting 3 star role players who want to play at NU ( see Fuller, Nick). Our problem is in recruiting the 4 and 5 star players to surround them. I'm betting Kentucky would have beaten a team composed of 5 Luke Mayes.

[Blindcheck]

The key to running a program at a school like Nebraska...is that you know you are not going to have the best talent in the conference...is that you have to have a unique system that fits the players that you can get.

 

Can you get long athletic players with flaws...play an uptempo with a harassing defense and try to score in transition.

 

Can you get fundamental players that can shoot, make few mistakes, but are by no means great athletes....slow tempo down and make the other team have fewer possessions so any mistake is magnified.

 

Because if you try to run what Kansas, Duke, Louisville is running....but with players that don't have the same ability, I am guessing you are not going to be that successful.

 

 

[hhcmatt]

10 hours ago, basketballjones said:

He also started out as a preferred walk-on

 

This I did not know so he is the NC level of Baer

[49r]

If I had a walk on and surrounded him with 4 McDonald's AA's, I bet I could do pretty well too.  Heck that walk-on might even have a chance at taking a shot at some point in a game even.

[colhusker]

1 hour ago, 49r said:

If I had a walk on and surrounded him with 4 McDonald's AA's, I bet I could do pretty well too.  Heck that walk-on might even have a chance at taking a shot at some point in a game even.

Kid shot better than several of those 4 McDonald's AA's yesterday.  That said, you are spot on, 100% correct with your assessment.

[basketballjones]

5 hours ago, jimmykc said:

Our problem is not in recruiting 3 star role players who want to play at NU ( see Fuller, Nick). Our problem is in recruiting the 4 and 5 star players to surround them. I'm betting Kentucky would have beaten a team composed of 5 Luke Mayes.

Correct, which is my exact point and main concession I'm making.

[49r]

3 hours ago, colhusker said:

Kid shot better than several of those 4 McDonald's AA's yesterday.  That said, you are spot on, 100% correct with your assessment.

 

In fairness, I'd be a horrible coach, so he probably wouldn't get as many shots as he did yesterday.