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If only he had done it the week before Christmas.....

Yeah, but what if he gets us to the dance next year and we win a game? That would be the reclamation job of the century and circled wagons might not be enough. And the Kool-Aid drinker in me thinks that's not an entirely far-fetched scenario. The influx of talent for next year could be substantial and the kids returning from this team will have gained substantial experience playing in this league this year. I'd suggest you start preparing for it. Just like you did for the Mayan Apocalypse.

He was 174 last year and is now listed at 191, so I wouldn't say he can't gain weight. I think Silver was saying that he put on 16 pounds so of course he gained weight, but he does not think he will gain MUCH MORE.

If anything i think it will be a one year grad transfer guy. The more I look at it with the offers going out that Miles wants at least 2 guys next class. You wont get that with a juco guy so if you get a one year player you get their services but also can get a player for next years class.

There are a few, but none that we're in on. And none really that are of B1G caliber. I know we're in on a number of 2014's though, and one or two of those are high major types. I see coach Smith down here a lot. He's been recruiting Texas hard for at least 4 years that I know of. If you don't mind, would you post on the recruiting side any guys you think have potential for us? Thanks. Norm, I'm assuming you're referring to bigs since that was the subject of our talks. I'm not sure if you're wanting me to make a new post or to reply here, so I'm just gonna drop some names here and hopefully that will be what you're asking for. These are kids I know we're in on: 2014's Elbert Robinson - 6'10" huge body, but soft. Has made a lot of strides in past season and a half. Didn't even play varsity his freshman year, but has developed into a rare big with soft hands, great balance, and good feet. He's a project at this point (as most bigs are), and he plays for a low-profile outfit in the summers, which bodes well for us. He's still carrying a ton of "baby fat", and is soft, but that seems to be changing some. I know for a fact he's giving the Huskers serious consideration and would fit well in B1G. David Wacker - 6'9" not as big as Elbert, but WAY more polished offensively and is already aware of how to use his strength to gain advantages. He still has a bunch of room to gain weight/muscle and because he's fairly skilled, that makes him attractive. He could end up a face up/pick and pop dominant player because he can already shoot from deep. Likewise, he's also got a body/game that would play well in the B1G. Ben Lammers - 6'9" more of a skilled 4 IMO, but still has the size and game to help. Could end up a lot like Ubel. Where the other two are more centers, he's got enough high post/perimeter experience that he could play alongside either and not skip a beat. Actually he and Wacker have played together in the summers and have been fun to watch. He probably is the most natural of the three, but not as big. Has long arms and is pretty smooth. I've seen our coaches in the stands watching all three at one point or another. 2015's Elijah Thomas - 6'8" is a super skilled young kid. NBA type body (think Zach Randolph). Has all the moves already and is strong as a mule. Doesn't always play hard and has the tendency to disappear. Kind of immature and finds himself with a poor attitude at times. But when he comes to play, there's no one better really. Could end up being one of the top kids in the country in 2015. I think we've had discussions with him and know we've been by to watch him on numerous occasions. Not sure where we stand with him, but wouldn't be surprised if there's not mutual interest.

I look at Rivers and I don't see him getting much heavier. His body is not built to add much more weight, muscle or other wise. I think he is a kid that just won't put on more weight. Some people (I've heard) actually have trouble putting on weight.

As will I silver!! I'm young and still hope I get to see it in my lifetime. I'm a cubs fan too, so I don't know what I'll see first.

Norm, lest we forget, Doc earned a lot of praise in his first couple years working what seemed to be miracles with the guys he had inherited, too. jimmy's got a good point and I was thinking about the exact thing myself last night.

USC seems like a place where you should be able to build a successful squad and I think they're no longer in NCAA trouble. Steve Fischer seems like a guy they should try to pursue.

This thread is just a clever way to raise our expectations by a troll.... Just kidding, seaofRed.

This one is tricky, but one thing I know. If Webster is not immediately in the top 3 next year, I will be disappointed. This may be unfair to him. It is possible he could struggle to adapt his first year and then blossom. But I fully expect him to be able to come in and be a very effective player immediatley. I remember watching Tyronne Lue as a freshman and it was immediately obvious that he was the best player on the floor. That is what we need. We need someone who is a program changer. If Webster is not that, then we still have a long ways to go b/c it is unlikely that any of the other guys are program changers, at least not for a while anyway. Honestly, I don't see how one couldn't have him in the prospective top 3. Lets look at what he has done. He played against grown men at a very high level, almost elite level, and fared very well. He must be strong enough and athletic enough to play in the B1G by next year, b/c he was obviously strong enough and athletic enough to play at the international level last year. Lets compare him to the other options. I certainly hope he is better than Gallegos. I like Ray, and have been very impressed with his improvement, but he stll has a looong ways to go. He simply is not a complete player at all. He cannot play PG b/c he simply is not strong enough with the ball. He cannot handle on-ball pressure at all. Watch him. His defender will simply push him back to the half court line. Ray also will not penetrate. No matter how much Miles tells him to, he doesn't have it in his mentality. And he is a decent, but not great, outside shooter. As of now, he is shooting 22% from 3-land in conference play. I realize he has to jack up a lot of shots, but still. If he would drive, he could get more open for 3s, but he won't drive, so he isn't. I believe Webster will immediately be better at penetrating to either score or distribute. In comparison to Biggs, I certainly hope Webster is better than him. Biggs is not a great outside shooter and not a great defender. Biggs could be decent, but he has his limitations. I expect Webster to be the starting PG next year and maybe Biggs will back him up and maybe get some time at the SG. Most likely he will be backing up Webster and Ray, so his minutes may be somewhat limited. In comparison to Pettaway. I sure hope that Pettaway is everthing that some say he is. But we do have some basis to know what he was. Last year, as a freshman, he averaged 3 pts and 2 RBs per game for a bad Texas Tech team. Shavon Shields is on a bad NU team this year and has already put up significantly better numbers. I realize Pettaway didn't get to play as many minutes, but that says something as well. Look, if we really want to get to the next level, we need to get next level players. And in general, next level players can and do come in and produce right away as freshman. Just look around the league and see them on other teams. We need to get at least 1 or 2 of these types of players, and I expect Webster to be one of those. With that said, by all accounts, Pettaway gets GATA, so I expect him to play a lot and he may crack the top 3. The same thing goes for Pitchford as Pettaway. I hope he can really produce, but the fact that he could not crack the lineup at all last year concerns me a bit. Again, next level players are generally next level from the moment they walk on the floor and everyone knows it. Hoever, I give Pitchford a little more grace in this regard since he is a big man (or at least tall). Tall players tend to take a little longer to develop in many instances, so I am not ruling him out in any respect. Miles said on the radio that he thinks Pitchford has a NBA body. I have to wonder if he has an NBA mentality and work eithic though. With that said, as we all know, Miles doesn't really have any other options next year, so Pitchford is going to play a lot. Thus, he could be a top 3 player. Hard to say right now. I like Fuller a lot. He is exactly the type of guy Miles likes. he is a smart basketball player who simply knows how to play the game. I think he will be able to come in and play right away. In some respects, he might be a little like Shields, but he may be a bit more refined, but I am not sure if he will be quite as strong or athletically ready as Shields. I don't know enough about Hawkins to predict his success next year. I do think he is in the Miles mold b/c he is a bigger guard. I don't think he will play PG as Miles initially suggested, but he may be able to get some minutes at that 2 if he is savvy enough and ready to go. As for Rivers, I just don't see it. I really don't mean this as a slight to him, but if he is in our top 3, then we are in trouble. He had a great game on the offensive end the other night, but a large part of that was b/c he was playing out of position. What hurt us on the defensive end helped us on the offensive end. He was being guarded by a big man and therefore was able to get looks he normally won't get. I just don't think he can create on his own enough to be a major factor. He may be a good role player, but not top 3. And I am sure Miles would agree. Just look at all this year. Miles has been playing Shields ahead of Rivers all year until Ubel got hurt. That is not just coincidence. Miles prefers Shields over Rivers even though Shields is a true freshman and coming off an injury that still bothers him. That says everything I need to know. To be honest, I think Rivers is playing right now for a spot on next years roster. That is just my opinion. I like Shields a lot. He is not uber-athletic, but he is such a smart player that has refined skills. If he can get stronger, and healthier, and improve his shot a bit, then he could be a factor. He is one of those players that just "gets it." I just wish he was a little more athletic or a little taller. So with all that said, my top 3. Hmmm. Defintely Webster. After that, I just can't decide between Fuller, Pitchford, Pettaway, Shields and Gallegos.

Nice to see:

Probably didn't help his cause to lose to us every year he was at USC.

If Gallegos is going to be one of our top players next year, he needs to develop some consistency with that shot and/or develop some sort of to the basket move. Shooting in streaks will mean some games he plays 30 and some games he plays 15 minutes. We need to get a forward/big man signed for next year. Pitchford being the man by default isn't good for business.