Swan88

Here is a report from Eric Bossi from Adidas Nations on Keanu Pinder: "Now moved to the class of 2016, Keanu Pinder is somebody that Rivals.com is going to have to consider for the rankings when they get updated in late August. At 6-foot-9, he is a fine athlete who can run, hits the glass and tries to dunk everything around the rim. He doesn't look to be overly skilled just yet, but he has a body to build on and if his motor stays one that runs high, it bodes well for the Nebraska commitment's future." This seems to be further confirmation of the ability of Tim Miles & Co. to find and secure under-rated players ahead of the pack.

Anyone know what this tweet is talking about?

Against Ivory Coast today: "Corey Webster continued his impressive efforts on the buildup tour with 13 points (5/15 FG), three rebounds and two steals while younger brother Tai Webster chimed in with 10 points (4/6 FG), four boards and a pair of assists" in "a 79-55 victory over the Ivory Coast and take their record to 2-0 in the four-team tournament in Shenzhen, China."

According to the Sioux City Journal, Michael Jacobson is highly effective from the free throw line--81.4%, to be exact. Here's the quote: "Jacobson was a second-team Class 4A all-state selection as a junior, averaging 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds, connecting on 81.4 percent of his free throw attempts. " And here's the link to the article: http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/basketball/college/jacobson-commits-to-huskers/article_f9fd289f-4f4b-54ca-b1fc-a0b0bde088b5.html

Here is a tidbit from Lee Barfknecht's article on Jacobson's recruitment that quotes from Jacobson's high school coach: For basketball, Harvard wanted him. So did Princeton. And rushing in at the last minute was Big Ten rival Iowa. “Iowa came on strong here, poking around and trying to get involved,” Waukee High coach Justin Ohl said Friday. “But Nebraska was too far ahead to go down that road.”

Lee Barfknecht has a great article in this morning's Omaha World Herald on Michael Jacobson. Here are some blurbs from the article: Ohl said the last four months have produced big changes in Jacobson’s game. “He really hit the weight room hard in the spring,” Ohl said. “Then this summer playing with Mo-Kan really helped his development, playing top competition.” . . . Jacobson said he thinks he is still growing, and wouldn’t be surprised to end up close to 6-10 and 245 pounds. Ohl, his prep coach, agrees. “He’s got a big frame, long arms and soft hands. And he moves pretty well,” Ohl said. “He’s a very good rebounder. I think that’s the biggest thing right now that will carry forward to college. I think he’ll rebound at a high level.”

From Huskers.com on Tarin Smith: "Tarin is a great addition to our program,” Nebraska Coach Tim Miles said. “He is the complete package at the point guard. He has excellent feel for the game. He is a leader. He has a terrific skill set, and is long and athletic on the defensive end. I love his personality, and he is really an endearing, bright young man. The Huskers landed a treasure in Tarin Smith!" As a senior, he was a third-team all-state selection by the Newark Star-Ledger, averaging 15 points, four rebounds and four assists per game, as St. Anthony went 25-5 on the season. Smith reached double figures in all but two games as a senior, including a pair of 23-point outings. One of his best performances was a 12-point, eight-assist, six-rebound effort in a win over eventual state champion Roselle Catholic.

Early word out of the Husker basketball world is that Tarin Smith has been "holding his own" in practices and that he is very athletic. On athleticism, here is video evidence via twitter:

Here is some info on Jacobson from Washut: "Jacobson picked Nebraska over other offers from Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Northern Iowa, Wyoming, UTEP, Drake, Northern Colorado, Indiana State, Fordam and Lehigh, while Stanford, Iowa, Iowa State and Vanderbilt had all been showing heavy interest in July." Jacobson also holds an Iowa St. offer as a tight end. The Ivy League offers are reflective of his 4.0 GPA. Tim Miles offered in April, while the "heavy interest" from others came "in July." Looks like a typical Tim Miles recruit: athletic, smart and under-rated.

Nebraska AAU is making some progress, according to this tweet:

We may have been recruiting them 2 years ago, but that was nowhere near "as we are now." The difference between interest and visits from highly-rated recruits between then and now is like the difference between night and day, the difference between up and down, the difference between a steep ascent and stuck-in-the-mud.And the recruiting improvements are quite apart from the fourth-place finish in the B1G last year with whatever recruits (apparentlly they were either bad or terrible, according to some posters on this board) Doc and Tim had managed to muster--and that was against all those four-star-laden teams for which we all apparently pine . . . not to mention the final-16 and final-four teams we beat last year!It's not quite, "Oh, woe is us," anymore. OK, so if the difference between "interest and visits" is night and day, how would you describe the difference between commits and signed LOIs? Night and dusk?That's pretty funny, Norm.Let's just say that the serious Nebrasketball recruits this season are considerably more star-spangled than before, whether that's at dawn's early light or at dusk or twilight's last gleaming or at midnight.

We may have been recruiting them 2 years ago, but that was nowhere near "as we are now." The difference between interest and visits from highly-rated recruits between then and now is like the difference between night and day, the difference between up and down, the difference between a steep ascent and stuck-in-the-mud. And the recruiting improvements are quite apart from the fourth-place finish in the B1G last year with whatever recruits (apparentlly they were either bad or terrible, according to some posters on this board) Doc and Tim had managed to muster--and that was against all those four-star-laden teams for which we all apparently pine . . . not to mention the final-16 and final-four teams we beat last year! It's not quite, "Oh, woe is us," anymore. I agree with this sentiment. I just disagree when people make it sound like the previous administration was ONLY recruiting against teams like Maryland Eastern Shore. Sounds right.

We may have been recruiting them 2 years ago, but that was nowhere near "as we are now." The difference between interest and visits from highly-rated recruits between then and now is like the difference between night and day, the difference between up and down, the difference between a steep ascent and stuck-in-the-mud. And the recruiting improvements are quite apart from the fourth-place finish in the B1G last year with whatever recruits (apparentlly they were either bad or terrible, according to some posters on this board) Doc and Tim had managed to muster--and that was against all those four-star-laden teams for which we all apparently pine . . . not to mention the final-16 and final-four teams we beat last year! It's not quite, "Oh, woe is us," anymore.

Chris Harriman seems to think recruiting is progressing well, according to this tweet from last night:

Huskers were the first to offer today but weren't the only one to do so: RT @: University of Georgia just offered 2016 Isaiah Roby (Dixon). 2nd offer today. Congrats!

Once again, Tim Miles leads the way . . . and is miles ahead of everyone else in identifying and pursuing talent.

Thanks for the tease, CWG. Will we be able to learn after-the-fact (or sooner) what the basis for your "guess" might be?

Lee Barfknecht has an interesting article this morning on Husker basketball titled, "Husker coach Miles still thinking big during recruiting cycle." Here is a blurb: Husker coach Tim Miles, in his office Monday for a one-day pit stop, still had a smile while sifting through his travel receipts. “I’m excited,” he said. “Our recruiting depth chart is pretty solid. At the same time, we need ‘bigs.’ Every time you turn around, it’s another high-major school that you are recruiting against if you want someone you think can make an impact." Here is the link: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/husker-coach-miles-still-thinking-big-during-recruiting-cycle/article_a1a1073e-77fb-5cee-a569-4786b56dde6b.html

Here is a tweet from Matt Norlander (a writer at CBSSports.com) that Tim Miles retweeted: @MattNorlander: .@CoachMiles having a hell of a July. McCartney just played Nebraska. Now he's recruiting studs while rocking ruby red Prada kicks. Legend.

Richard Pitino hasn't proven anything as a head coach. Yes he's the son of a legendary coach - so were Pat Knight, Sean Sutton, and Keno Davis. Many times these guys are given head coaching jobs that they aren't qualified for because of their famous fathers. Miles' system has won everywhere he's been, and he's done it without any nepotism. The coaching job he did last year to get us to the tournament was amazing. I know that doesn't wipe away 100 years of mediocrity overnight, but you could fill a book with all of the positive press he's gotten in the national media the last 2 years. Even fellow coaches like Izzo and Beilein have praised the heck out of him. You'd think at least one big-time high school recruit would give us a shot. Great point, Coach! Tim Miles has been doing it all the hard way and from scratch. That reality provides some long-haul sustainability assurances that an inheritance-based early success cannot provide.

Technically, though, UNMC is its own entity so it doesn't really count? I mean, it could be considered just as much UNL's Med School as it could UNO's or UNK's... Oh come on. The University of Nebraska was founded in 1869 and is the State's only public University. The University has included the Medical Center in Omaha since 1902. In 1968 the Unicameral reorganized the University, at which time it added UN-O and made the Med Center a separate campus. The University System added UN-K in 1991. The entire System is "one University" governed by a single Board of Regents and a single President, with a Chancellor at each campus.

FYI on this subject: Nebraska's Law College is ranked in 2014 by U.S. News at # 54. That's in a four-way tie with Pepperdine, California and Connecticut. That's also ahead of the three-way tie for # 58 among Houston, Kentucky and Oklahoma. That's also significantly ahead of Creighton, who comes in with a three-way tie at # 115.

Check this tweet from about an hour ago from NebraskaHSHoops: @NebraskaHSHoops: Creighton has inquired about 2017 Omaha South F Aguek Arop (Omaha Elite 15u) & 2017 Edmond North, Ok G Marques Wilson (Omaha Elite 15u)

From my perspective, the Nebrasketball offer to Arop is a spectacularly, and unequivocally, brilliant move--a stroke of genius! Here are a few reasons why: 1. Tim Miles & Co. apparently believe that Arop is the best basketball athlete in Nebraska who played in high school last year--bar none; 2. Aguek Arop is precisely the type of person Tim Miles & Co. want to recruit: B1G-caliber-athlete, high-academic-performer, high-work-ethic and high-character person; and 3. High school players and coaches in Nebraska know who the best players and best prospects are, and this offer provides and rewards a standard of performance and excellence (both on and off the court) to which other prospects can aspire. Kudos!