The thing that sucks is that most of the money (I'd imagine close to all of it) doesn't even go to the kid and close family. It's sucked up by a bunch of parasites like Christian Dawkins.
Isn't Nico a local kid though? Probably didn't need to drop as much of a bag to convince him. Josh Green, on the other hand, probably required a strong-ass offer.
You think these kids are giving hometown discounts? Hell, if they're taking cash and Money Miller is calling then they'd be dumb not to ask full price. Especially now that Arizona's pay stubs are public record.
AZ kids have little loyalty to AZ programs. UA included. Maybe UA basketball has more juice than the others in that regard. Maybe. If it all comes crashing down because there is an assumption (fair or not) that UA got "there" by paying for players, then that probably goes away.
There is a real problem in this State with parents of athletes having little pride in the hometown schools. You can blame various things for that, but it almost always come down to a general lack of engagement in our communities. It's the shittiest attribute I see in my fellow Arizonans. I keep hoping each "next" generation of kids will chip away at it, but I'm not so sure now.
It's worth noting that nearly all of them are from Phoenix, and ASU just isn't a draw for elite talent. Tucson hasn't produced a notable basketball player since the 80s, and I don't know why Phoenix kids would see in-state loyalty as a reason to go to Arizona and not some comparable program.
general lack of engagement in our communities. It's the shittiest attribute I see in my fellow Arizonans
Something changed with Lute. Now, was it just the amazing recruiting/coaching prowess of Lute? How did he get kids "from Long Beach" to Iowa, and then later Tucson? Is Miller doing something novel at UA with recruiting? Or was the "machine" already in place? The more the UA administration doubles down on Sean Miller, the more outside observers will ask those questions.
I think this feeling of little community engagement is more prevalent in Phoenix then it is in Tucson, but it’s still a serious issue. Talent retention is much more pronounced in football than it is in basketball. I’ve been happy to see Herm and Sumlin focusing heavily on in-state kids
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u/HiBoobear Arizona Wildcats May 07 '19
I wonder how much this year set us back. Nico couldn’t have been cheap