Why do we suck at recruiting?

bullshot · Post by **bullshot** » August 6th, 2022, 8:51 am

I know Logan does not offer the bright lights and “cache” of other places but still…..is it NIL or what?

nvspuds · Post by **nvspuds** » August 6th, 2022, 9:10 am

I wonder how it is that a program that "sucks at recruiting" finishes near the top of a tough conference year after year...hmmmm...

Post by **aggies22** » August 6th, 2022, 11:20 am

bullshot wrote: ↑
August 6th, 2022, 8:51 am
I know Logan does not offer the bright lights and “cache” of other places but still…..is it NIL or what?

As with football the type of athlete that we are recruiting isn't the type that is seeking an NIL deal.

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » August 6th, 2022, 9:28 pm

nvspuds wrote: ↑
August 6th, 2022, 9:10 am
I wonder how it is that a program that "sucks at recruiting" finishes near the top of a tough conference year after year...hmmmm...

I understand what you’re saying, but it doesn’t tell the full story.

USU has been the beneficiary of some very fortunate things in our recent run as one of the better teams in the MW:

(1) scouting a “diamond in the rough” Aggie legend and fringe NBA guy from Portugal and being fortunate to already have a Portuguese player on the roster;
(2) having an Aggie legend and fringe NBA player grow up a USU fan;
(3) having a walk-on turn into an Aggie legend and fringe NBA player;
(4) having all of the above things happen all at once.

Our last few teams could be another chapter in Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers.” A little bit of luck and some fortuitous timing at work here.

We’ve had some minor other recruiting hits internationally (Brito), and some hits in the transfer market (Marco, Horvath, Funk) but overall, recruiting has been pretty abysmal — especially when it comes to American high school kids, and EXTRA especially when it comes to American high school kids of color.

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ve signed an AAU circuit American high school kid with offers from peer programs since the Duryea years. And I think you’d have to go back to Koby McEwen as the last time we signed an American high school kid from the AAU circuit that wasn’t white that had peer offers, which was SEVEN years ago. S-E-V-E-N years ago!

Make whatever excuse you want, but this is weird. We are failing — and quite fantastically so — at recruiting high school kids that other schools want.

The lucky confluence of events has run its course, and, unfortunately, I think this is the year we pay the piper. I think this is the year the chickens come home to roost on quite a few years of bad recruiting.

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » August 6th, 2022, 9:54 pm

I do think some of the pain this season will bring could have been avoided if Odom had taken a sledgehammer to the roster this past offseason and hit the portal hard. That didn’t happen.

I do admire him somewhat for being loyal to the guys in the program, but in the same way I admire a captain going down with his ship.

nvspuds · Post by **nvspuds** » August 7th, 2022, 9:40 am

In mid major land, I am unconvinced that bringing in freshman to develop is a great idea any more. The portal takes those kids away and someone else benefits from their development. I think recruiting older players is the way to go now and that comes from the portal for the most part.

USU has done pretty well in the transfer market. I also believe you are a part of the NIL world now so I don't see the future nearly as bleak as you do.

Funk is an all conference talent, you have other key guys who came from elsewhere and you have been able to hold onto freshmen who are now old and experienced. That is something every coach wants..

I would guess your season will go really well, as per your norm..

SSaggie · Post by **SSaggie** » August 7th, 2022, 4:32 pm

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good...

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

SwaggieAggie · Post by **SwaggieAggie** » August 7th, 2022, 4:37 pm

It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.

slcagg · Post by **slcagg** » August 7th, 2022, 4:48 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote: ↑
August 7th, 2022, 4:37 pm
It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.

We’ve won far more games than Wyoming has during our time in the conference. But yes they have had some good stretches. And so have we.

SwaggieAggie · Post by **SwaggieAggie** » August 7th, 2022, 5:24 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑
August 7th, 2022, 4:48 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote: ↑
August 7th, 2022, 4:37 pm
It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.
We’ve won far more games than Wyoming has during our time in the conference. But yes they have had some good stretches. And so have we.

Well yes, of course we’ve been a better program. That wasn’t the point I was trying to make (although I guess I could’ve been more specific as far as recent recruiting success with their new coaching staff, not all time).

I’m not trying to say we’ve been a bad program, because we haven’t, just not as well at recruiting as we probably can/should be. I was more trying to put it as using Logan as the only excuse as recruiting isn’t totally accurate when other sports here, other small markets, and history in this program has shown otherwise. Recruiting can and should be better here.

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 7th, 2022, 7:10 pm

Recently, we were the #1 G5 school for NFL players and have 3 NBA players at this time.

Blue Sage · Post by **Blue Sage** » August 7th, 2022, 10:30 pm

Actually, it's nice to not have the NIL deal seeker type on the team. One bad apple can really mess things up.

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » August 8th, 2022, 9:03 am

nvspuds wrote: ↑
August 7th, 2022, 9:40 am
In mid major land, I am unconvinced that bringing in freshman to develop is a great idea any more. The portal takes those kids away and someone else benefits from their development. I think recruiting older players is the way to go now and that comes from the portal for the most part.

USU has done pretty well in the transfer market. I also believe you are a part of the NIL world now so I don't see the future nearly as bleak as you do.

Funk is an all conference talent, you have other key guys who came from elsewhere and you have been able to hold onto freshmen who are now old and experienced. That is something every coach wants..

I would guess your season will go really well, as per your norm..

I do agree with you about the portal being the best way to build for a program like USU. I've been on record about that. I was mostly just trying to provide context about what OP meant when he asked why do we "suck at recruiting?" The recruiting we "suck" at (and we do suck at it right now) is recruiting the talented high school AAU circuit kids during early signing periods.

I would say we've done just "okay" in the transfer portal overall, with last year being our best year in pulling in Funk and Johnson. I am excited about Funk, but St. Joe's had Funk last year. While Funk had a good season, St. Joe's did not. Now, maybe we have a better supporting cast than St. Joe's did (no idea), or maybe the MW isn't as tough as the A-10? But just having Funk without much help for him doesn't really give me warm fuzzies about USU winning a lot, because St. Joe's didn't win a lot. This isn't to say he isn't a really nice player (he is).

Chupamedia · Post by **Chupamedia** » August 8th, 2022, 3:04 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote:It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.

Comparing Logan to other small cities is only part of the Logan issue. Like it or not there is a stigma that comes with Utah and small town Utah and that stigma doesn’t play well with the type of recruit you are talking about wanting to land. Laramie may be small and in a cold place, but they don’t have the same stigma and limited night life a place like Logan has

rAggie · Post by **rAggie** » August 8th, 2022, 3:57 pm

I was one who thought we should hire Richie Riley and when he stayed at South Alabama he hit the transfer portal HARD and brought in what I thought were some very compelling players from big name schools. His roster last season had transfers from Auburn, Memphis, VMI, TCU, Auburn again, LSU, and Texas A&M.

They went 21-12. OOC losses to CCU (1 pt), Wichita State (6) and Alabama (5). Only one other loss was by more than 10 points. Lost in first round of conference tournament to Little Rock 75-71.

Does any of this matter? I don't know. It's just a data point of a different philosophy that involved hammering the portal hard.

The next batch of recruits is going to be the one that I think we can judge Odom on more heavily. Thus far he's worked off of not having a full cycle to recruit and came into a situation with a cupboard that was beyond bare. I'm not quick to hang Craig Smith's recruiting sins on Odom.

GameFAQSAggie · Post by **GameFAQSAggie** » August 8th, 2022, 10:06 pm

rAggie wrote: ↑
August 8th, 2022, 3:57 pm
I was one who thought we should hire Richie Riley and when he stayed at South Alabama he hit the transfer portal HARD and brought in what I thought were some very compelling players from big name schools. His roster last season had transfers from Auburn, Memphis, VMI, TCU, Auburn again, LSU, and Texas A&M.

They went 21-12. OOC losses to CCU (1 pt), Wichita State (6) and Alabama (5). Only one other loss was by more than 10 points. Lost in first round of conference tournament to Little Rock 75-71.

Does any of this matter? I don't know. It's just a data point of a different philosophy that involved hammering the portal hard.

The next batch of recruits is going to be the one that I think we can judge Odom on more heavily. Thus far he's worked off of not having a full cycle to recruit and came into a situation with a cupboard that was beyond bare. I'm not quick to hang Craig Smith's recruiting sins on Odom.

I know fans don't make the decision on who the coach is, and maybe it's just me, but if anything, I think alot of us took for granted that any coach can recruit to Logan, with the Spectrum and reputation of crowds, the kind of players we need to get to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 or 12 seed and just needed the right coach that knows what to do once you get to the tournament, which Odom based on a small sample size was. But maybe it's looking like it's harder to recruit than we thought and it was a good job for Stew and Smith, even Duryea, to do as well as they did.

I think it's a safe bet that if it doesn't work out with Odom, we're not going the small school coach route again and instead going after a bigger program's assistant that has recruiting connections. Recruiting the right players can minimized the need for creative scheming in the NCAA games.

ShowMeAggie · Post by **ShowMeAggie** » August 9th, 2022, 11:40 am

rAggie wrote: ↑
August 8th, 2022, 3:57 pm
I was one who thought we should hire Richie Riley and when he stayed at South Alabama he hit the transfer portal HARD and brought in what I thought were some very compelling players from big name schools. His roster last season had transfers from Auburn, Memphis, VMI, TCU, Auburn again, LSU, and Texas A&M.

They went 21-12. OOC losses to CCU (1 pt), Wichita State (6) and Alabama (5). Only one other loss was by more than 10 points. Lost in first round of conference tournament to Little Rock 75-71.

Does any of this matter? I don't know. It's just a data point of a different philosophy that involved hammering the portal hard.

The next batch of recruits is going to be the one that I think we can judge Odom on more heavily. Thus far he's worked off of not having a full cycle to recruit and came into a situation with a cupboard that was beyond bare. I'm not quick to hang Craig Smith's recruiting sins on Odom.

honest question: was it the coach or the location? Would Riley have been able to get the same caliber of players if he had come to Logan with the same roster-building philosophy? I don't know. But I'll throw it out there that SAU was (likely) an easier sell to players from Alabama and the deep south (for example) than Logan, UT would have been. Not saying it's the wrong approach for Logan, but I can't imagine that our coaches are so proud (or dumb) that they wouldn't have considered the transfer portal if they thought it was a viable option. I agree with you on being (somewhat) slow to pass final judgement on Odom's recruiting abilities/approach. But I also acknowledge that there hasn't been much evidence (or even suggestion) of excitement or momentum thus far, and that doesn't bode well for the short-term future at least...

SpectrumMagic · Post by **SpectrumMagic** » August 9th, 2022, 6:56 pm

Hey at least it’s not as bad as the womens team who has seemed to add a player a week to finally fill out the squad with players from D2 schools or JC schools with not impressive stats

AGGIEinIOWA · Post by **AGGIEinIOWA** » August 9th, 2022, 8:50 pm

I’m not exactly sure why everyone is so down on Odom’s recruiting. I think we did very well this off season and hopefully the returning developmental players that have been here for several years have taken another step forward. I personally like our roster this year better than last year from top to bottom and I expect us to finish in the top half of the conference and be very competitive.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » August 9th, 2022, 9:07 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 6:56 pm
Hey at least it’s not as bad as the womens team who has seemed to add a player a week to finally fill out the squad with players from D2 schools or JC schools with not impressive stats

But they are getting a commitment a week. That might be better recruiting than the football team.

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » August 10th, 2022, 12:54 am

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 8:50 pm
I’m not exactly sure why everyone is so down on Odom’s recruiting. I think we did very well this off season and hopefully the returning developmental players that have been here for several years have taken another step forward. I personally like our roster this year better than last year from top to bottom and I expect us to finish in the top half of the conference and be very competitive.

I think the case you have to make is that Funk+Akin+Johnson is going equal or exceed the production of Horvath+Bean, right? Color me pretty skeptical. I think you are underestimating how great Bean was and how big of a matchup problem Horvath was for teams and how much that opened up the offense. Without those two guys, our team would have been really bad last year. Like generationally bad.

Funk will be good, but we know based on his time at St. Joe’s that he is likely a helpful and very valuable “Robin,” but probably not a “Batman” or ceiling raiser like a Merrill, Queta, or even a Bean that will single-handedly lift a team’s ceiling on his own. Signs point to this being likely, because although he is a very nice player that filled a stat sheet at St. Joe’s, St. Joe’s still sucked @ss. I am glad he is here, am excited to watch him, and he is probably the best signing we’ve had in a damn long time. Kudos to Odom there.

Akin and Johnson are both going to be helpful role players, but neither is a star. We know what we have with the remaining players on the roster except for Falslev and perhaps Potter. You can stop dreaming — there will be minor improvements but no transformational leaps from the other guys on the roster. College basketball players make incremental improvements year over year, but please tell me the most recent example you can think of of someone that was just “okay” and then made some transformational leap into a star. I can’t think of one, and you probably can’t think of one either. It just doesn’t really happen. The cake is pretty much baked here.

We have a team full of guys that are complementary role players + a “star” in Funk that would likely make a nice second or third option on an NCAA tourney team.

I think it’s going to be .500 basketball at best this year, and I honestly think it could be far uglier than that.

Anyone interested in a friendly wager? If this team wins more games than last season, I’ll donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited, but if this team wins less games than last season, you donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited. Just one, and it goes to first poster who takes me up on it!

Post by **aggies22** » August 10th, 2022, 7:05 am

LarryTheAggie wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 9:07 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 6:56 pm
Hey at least it’s not as bad as the womens team who has seemed to add a player a week to finally fill out the squad with players from D2 schools or JC schools with not impressive stats
But they are getting a commitment a week. That might be better recruiting than the football team.

It's easy when you have 11 of 13 scholarship players graduate or bail.

SSaggie · Post by **SSaggie** » August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am

I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

Post by **aggies22** » August 10th, 2022, 8:39 am

SSaggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am
I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

He was our second-leading scorer, led us in scoring many times, and was a capable rebounder. Would you care to expand on your comment my Aggie brother?

2004AG · Post by **2004AG** » August 10th, 2022, 9:55 am

aggies22 wrote:
SSaggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am
I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
He was our second-leading scorer, led us in scoring many times, and was a capable rebounder. Would you care to expand on your comment my Aggie brother?

Players suck as soon as they leave the team for some reason.

Kinda like we were better off when David collette left.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ususports · Post by **ususports** » August 10th, 2022, 10:06 am

2004AG wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 9:55 am

aggies22 wrote:
SSaggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am
I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
He was our second-leading scorer, led us in scoring many times, and was a capable rebounder. Would you care to expand on your comment my Aggie brother?
Players suck as soon as they leave the team for some reason.

Kinda like we were better off when David collette left.

While I know that mentality does exist, and I won't speak for SSaggie, I will give my own reasons why I don't think he will be missed as much as some suggest. He was a 59% free throw shooter, and he took a ton of free throws (highest number of attempts on the entire team), so that hurt a lot. He was not a good 3 point shooter (his percentage was almost identical to Brock Miller---and we all know what this board thought of Brock's percentage). He had the highest number of turnovers per game than any other player on the team. When he would try to create a shot with his back to the basket, he would almost always gift wrap the basketball and hand it over to the other team on a silver platter. I appreciate what he did, and he was a decent player, but he had plenty of flaws that many are ignoring.

Aggie19 · Post by **Aggie19** » August 10th, 2022, 10:27 am

ususports wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 10:06 am

2004AG wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 9:55 am

aggies22 wrote:
SSaggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am
I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
He was our second-leading scorer, led us in scoring many times, and was a capable rebounder. Would you care to expand on your comment my Aggie brother?
Players suck as soon as they leave the team for some reason.

Kinda like we were better off when David collette left.
While I know that mentality does exist, and I won't speak for SSaggie, I will give my own reasons why I don't think he will be missed as much as some suggest. He was a 59% free throw shooter, and he took a ton of free throws (highest number of attempts on the entire team), so that hurt a lot. He was not a good 3 point shooter (his percentage was almost identical to Brock Miller---and we all know what this board thought of Brock's percentage). He had the highest number of turnovers per game than any other player on the team. When he would try to create a shot with his back to the basket, he would almost always gift wrap the basketball and hand it over to the other team on a silver platter. I appreciate what he did, and he was a decent player, but he had plenty of flaws that many are ignoring.

My biggest concern with Horvath was his post defense. Yeah, I know positionless basketball and all that, but he was our center, at least defensively many times and he got pushed around by Ike, Robinson, Roddy, Etc. Not that a lot of folks don't get pushed around by those 3, but it was rough. Offensively, I felt he added to the team, but admittedly I don't study the metrics as others have.

Post by **aggies22** » August 10th, 2022, 10:40 am

Aggie19 wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 10:27 am

ususports wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 10:06 am

2004AG wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 9:55 am

aggies22 wrote:
SSaggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 7:31 am
I think we have addition by subtraction regarding Horvath.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
He was our second-leading scorer, led us in scoring many times, and was a capable rebounder. Would you care to expand on your comment my Aggie brother?
Players suck as soon as they leave the team for some reason.

Kinda like we were better off when David collette left.
While I know that mentality does exist, and I won't speak for SSaggie, I will give my own reasons why I don't think he will be missed as much as some suggest. He was a 59% free throw shooter, and he took a ton of free throws (highest number of attempts on the entire team), so that hurt a lot. He was not a good 3 point shooter (his percentage was almost identical to Brock Miller---and we all know what this board thought of Brock's percentage). He had the highest number of turnovers per game than any other player on the team. When he would try to create a shot with his back to the basket, he would almost always gift wrap the basketball and hand it over to the other team on a silver platter. I appreciate what he did, and he was a decent player, but he had plenty of flaws that many are ignoring.
My biggest concern with Horvath was his post defense. Yeah, I know positionless basketball and all that, but he was our center, at least defensively many times and he got pushed around by Ike, Robinson, Roddy, Etc. Not that a lot of folks don't get pushed around by those 3, but it was rough. Offensively, I felt he added to the team, but admittedly I don't study the metrics as others have.

In all fairness those guys pushed a lot of dudes around BUT getting pushed around in the post is THE primary reason we brought in Dan Akin.

AGGIEinIOWA · Post by **AGGIEinIOWA** » August 10th, 2022, 10:51 am

ineptimusprime wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 12:54 am

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 8:50 pm
I’m not exactly sure why everyone is so down on Odom’s recruiting. I think we did very well this off season and hopefully the returning developmental players that have been here for several years have taken another step forward. I personally like our roster this year better than last year from top to bottom and I expect us to finish in the top half of the conference and be very competitive.
I think the case you have to make is that Funk+Akin+Johnson is going equal or exceed the production of Horvath+Bean, right? Color me pretty skeptical. I think you are underestimating how great Bean was and how big of a matchup problem Horvath was for teams and how much that opened up the offense. Without those two guys, our team would have been really bad last year. Like generationally bad.

Funk will be good, but we know based on his time at St. Joe’s that he is likely a helpful and very valuable “Robin,” but probably not a “Batman” or ceiling raiser like a Merrill, Queta, or even a Bean that will single-handedly lift a team’s ceiling on his own. Signs point to this being likely, because although he is a very nice player that filled a stat sheet at St. Joe’s, St. Joe’s still sucked @ss. I am glad he is here, am excited to watch him, and he is probably the best signing we’ve had in a damn long time. Kudos to Odom there.

Akin and Johnson are both going to be helpful role players, but neither is a star. We know what we have with the remaining players on the roster except for Falslev and perhaps Potter. You can stop dreaming — there will be minor improvements but no transformational leaps from the other guys on the roster. College basketball players make incremental improvements year over year, but please tell me the most recent example you can think of of someone that was just “okay” and then made some transformational leap into a star. I can’t think of one, and you probably can’t think of one either. It just doesn’t really happen. The cake is pretty much baked here.

We have a team full of guys that are complementary role players + a “star” in Funk that would likely make a nice second or third option on an NCAA tourney team.

I think it’s going to be .500 basketball at best this year, and I honestly think it could be far uglier than that.

Anyone interested in a friendly wager? If this team wins more games than last season, I’ll donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited, but if this team wins less games than last season, you donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited. Just one, and it goes to first poster who takes me up on it!

I'm not the wagering type but will outline a few reasons that I am optimistic that we can outperform last season (better than 7th in the MWC).

1. Odom and staff have a year of experience in the conference under their belts. Odom is a smart guy and capable coach. He did pretty well with the Funk/Falslev/Akin/Johnson class and their recruiting will only improve as they establish more relationships in the region. I think chemistry on a staff is more important in the long run than regional connections (see how Smith is doing at Utah). I think he should have kept his prior assistants.

2. It's yet to be determined if the group of bigs Funk/Akin/Johnson will outscore the Bean/Horvath duo but I do think they will be more formidable on the defensive end. The Ike's, Robinson's, Armus's of the league ate us alive last year. Funk/Akin/Johnson each have 10-30 lbs over Bean and Horvath. Akin can be a defensive presence with his athleticism, size, and motor.

3. Early season injury to Bairstow and continuing back issues for Brock left us unsettled at the 3 all season long. Bairstow is the undisputed starter now and should be the go to guy when we need a bucket. I'm excited to see him take advantage of mismatches and make some nice kick-outs when teams send help. Our increase in scoring from the 3 position will make up for any disparity at the 4/5.

4. From what I'm hearing, Jones seems to have regained his early season form from last year and can be a 3 pt threat again in addition to his natural floor general and play making ability. Ashworth is a ying to Jones' yang and that great change of pace back like in football. It's always great to have your point guards with a year of seasoning in a system and knowing how the coach wants things run on the court.

5. Zee is one of those developmental players that could make a huge jump in year 2. Once the game slows down for him he will be a very dynamic wing.

6. RJ really came around down the stretch last season and settled into his role. If he can pick up where he left off and not have a "slow start" then we have a well balanced player at that spot. If he can't hit the ground running then we have 7 & 8 below.

7. Shulga may not have shot well at the FIBA tourney but we all know he can hit the 3 as displayed by his 45% from beyond the arc last year. One thing that the FIBA performance did show me is that he isn't afraid of being a go-to-guy and is capable and confident in being a big role player.

8. Falslev is the biggest x-factor and has the make-up to be the next Aggie great and multi-year all-conference guy. In my mind this year will just be a warm up for 2023-24 for him but if pressed into duty because 6 & 7 don't pan out above, then he may get his chance earlier than later....and that may actually be a benefit for Aggie basketball down the road.

Sure, you can make an argument that this season will be a train wreck but it's just as likely that we'll be competitive and entertaining and have meaningful games late into the season. We won't know until we know, and that won't likely be until Christmas so in the mean time it is much healthier for me to see the glass as half full and not half empty.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » August 10th, 2022, 11:39 am

I'm in wait and see mode. I haven't seen anything that gives me high expectations, but I also have a small amount of hope that this group can gel and surprise us. Recruiting is very important, but ultimately games are won on the court by teams.

nswaggie · Post by **nswaggie** » August 10th, 2022, 1:03 pm

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 10:51 am

ineptimusprime wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 12:54 am

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑
August 9th, 2022, 8:50 pm
I’m not exactly sure why everyone is so down on Odom’s recruiting. I think we did very well this off season and hopefully the returning developmental players that have been here for several years have taken another step forward. I personally like our roster this year better than last year from top to bottom and I expect us to finish in the top half of the conference and be very competitive.
I think the case you have to make is that Funk+Akin+Johnson is going equal or exceed the production of Horvath+Bean, right? Color me pretty skeptical. I think you are underestimating how great Bean was and how big of a matchup problem Horvath was for teams and how much that opened up the offense. Without those two guys, our team would have been really bad last year. Like generationally bad.

Funk will be good, but we know based on his time at St. Joe’s that he is likely a helpful and very valuable “Robin,” but probably not a “Batman” or ceiling raiser like a Merrill, Queta, or even a Bean that will single-handedly lift a team’s ceiling on his own. Signs point to this being likely, because although he is a very nice player that filled a stat sheet at St. Joe’s, St. Joe’s still sucked @ss. I am glad he is here, am excited to watch him, and he is probably the best signing we’ve had in a damn long time. Kudos to Odom there.

Akin and Johnson are both going to be helpful role players, but neither is a star. We know what we have with the remaining players on the roster except for Falslev and perhaps Potter. You can stop dreaming — there will be minor improvements but no transformational leaps from the other guys on the roster. College basketball players make incremental improvements year over year, but please tell me the most recent example you can think of of someone that was just “okay” and then made some transformational leap into a star. I can’t think of one, and you probably can’t think of one either. It just doesn’t really happen. The cake is pretty much baked here.

We have a team full of guys that are complementary role players + a “star” in Funk that would likely make a nice second or third option on an NCAA tourney team.

I think it’s going to be .500 basketball at best this year, and I honestly think it could be far uglier than that.

Anyone interested in a friendly wager? If this team wins more games than last season, I’ll donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited, but if this team wins less games than last season, you donate an extra $50 to Aggies Unlimited. Just one, and it goes to first poster who takes me up on it!
I'm not the wagering type but will outline a few reasons that I am optimistic that we can outperform last season (better than 7th in the MWC).

1. Odom and staff have a year of experience in the conference under their belts. Odom is a smart guy and capable coach. He did pretty well with the Funk/Falslev/Akin/Johnson class and their recruiting will only improve as they establish more relationships in the region. I think chemistry on a staff is more important in the long run than regional connections (see how Smith is doing at Utah). I think he should have kept his prior assistants.

2. It's yet to be determined if the group of bigs Funk/Akin/Johnson will outscore the Bean/Horvath duo but I do think they will be more formidable on the defensive end. The Ike's, Robinson's, Armus's of the league ate us alive last year. Funk/Akin/Johnson each have 10-30 lbs over Bean and Horvath. Akin can be a defensive presence with his athleticism, size, and motor.

3. Early season injury to Bairstow and continuing back issues for Brock left us unsettled at the 3 all season long. Bairstow is the undisputed starter now and should be the go to guy when we need a bucket. I'm excited to see him take advantage of mismatches and make some nice kick-outs when teams send help. Our increase in scoring from the 3 position will make up for any disparity at the 4/5.

4. From what I'm hearing, Jones seems to have regained his early season form from last year and can be a 3 pt threat again in addition to his natural floor general and play making ability. Ashworth is a ying to Jones' yang and that great change of pace back like in football. It's always great to have your point guards with a year of seasoning in a system and knowing how the coach wants things run on the court.

5. Zee is one of those developmental players that could make a huge jump in year 2. Once the game slows down for him he will be a very dynamic wing.

6. RJ really came around down the stretch last season and settled into his role. If he can pick up where he left off and not have a "slow start" then we have a well balanced player at that spot. If he can't hit the ground running then we have 7 & 8 below.

7. Shulga may not have shot well at the FIBA tourney but we all know he can hit the 3 as displayed by his 45% from beyond the arc last year. One thing that the FIBA performance did show me is that he isn't afraid of being a go-to-guy and is capable and confident in being a big role player.

8. Falslev is the biggest x-factor and has the make-up to be the next Aggie great and multi-year all-conference guy. In my mind this year will just be a warm up for 2023-24 for him but if pressed into duty because 6 & 7 don't pan out above, then he may get his chance earlier than later....and that may actually be a benefit for Aggie basketball down the road.

Sure, you can make an argument that this season will be a train wreck but it's just as likely that we'll be competitive and entertaining and have meaningful games late into the season. We won't know until we know, and that won't likely be until Christmas so in the mean time it is much healthier for me to see the glass as half full and not half empty.

#2 is spot on. I think our interior defense will be much improved. I think the coaching staff recognized the weakness and purposefully addressed it in recruiting.

valleyaggie21 · Post by **valleyaggie21** » August 10th, 2022, 1:22 pm

I think all are very valid points and play into the glass half full mentality. Per the above points, it seems if injuries impact the team in some way (as stated in 3) the team has some back ups (some unproven) that have potential to not have a dip in production. Potential goes both ways though too...

ColoAggie · Post by **ColoAggie** » August 10th, 2022, 5:47 pm

Chupamedia wrote: ↑
August 8th, 2022, 3:04 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote:It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.
Comparing Logan to other small cities is only part of the Logan issue. Like it or not there is a stigma that comes with Utah and small town Utah and that stigma doesn’t play well with the type of recruit you are talking about wanting to land. Laramie may be small and in a cold place, but they don’t have the same stigma and limited night life a place like Logan has

Have you been to Laramie?

Post by **aggies22** » August 10th, 2022, 8:02 pm

ColoAggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 5:47 pm

Chupamedia wrote: ↑
August 8th, 2022, 3:04 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote:It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.
Comparing Logan to other small cities is only part of the Logan issue. Like it or not there is a stigma that comes with Utah and small town Utah and that stigma doesn’t play well with the type of recruit you are talking about wanting to land. Laramie may be small and in a cold place, but they don’t have the same stigma and limited night life a place like Logan has
Have you been to Laramie?

I've never been but I've been told by several people that Laramie is a pretty good time.

MalAgua · Post by **MalAgua** » August 10th, 2022, 10:55 pm

aggies22 wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 8:02 pm

ColoAggie wrote: ↑
August 10th, 2022, 5:47 pm

Chupamedia wrote: ↑
August 8th, 2022, 3:04 pm

SwaggieAggie wrote:It can't just be "Logan" as the excuse. I get it, I get it.. But still, Laramie has been bringing in bigger ballers than us. Gonzaga was able to build a powerhouse in Spokane in a smaller conference than the MWC. Of course, every situation is different, but it all comes down to having the right coaches who can get it done.

Duryea was a fine recruiter, the dude just couldn't coach. Different sport, but BA's staff has been able to bring in multiple studs, guys who I never thought we could never attract to Logan, and he's done that each of his two years here coming off a 1-win season.
Comparing Logan to other small cities is only part of the Logan issue. Like it or not there is a stigma that comes with Utah and small town Utah and that stigma doesn’t play well with the type of recruit you are talking about wanting to land. Laramie may be small and in a cold place, but they don’t have the same stigma and limited night life a place like Logan has
Have you been to Laramie?
I've never been but I've been told by several people that Laramie is a pretty good time.

A third the size of Logan and ten times the bars

Upcoming Events

Event Results