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Recruiting the State of Florida (A missed opportunity by our coaching staff).

Billy Donovan had at least 6 Florida players on his roster during that championship repeat team. This isn't the Florida from 30 years ago when you were lucky to get 2 really good DI players from the whole state.
 
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Da_Lucky_One said:
In fairness, if you start now on the class on 2021, 2022 and 2023 then you would be get a big jump on the competition.

For example, if the coaches established a relationship with the following travel teams: NightRydas (based in Miami, FL per twitter), Game Elite (Jacksonville, FL per twitter), Team Breakdown (Fort Lauderdale, FL per team website) and E1T1 (Orlando, FL?), then these players should be on the Miami radar (radar meaning they have received an offer and Miami is actively recruiting them).

2021- CG Wes Cardet (Team Breakdown), PF Moussa Diabate (NightRydas), SG Dallan "Deebo" Coleman (E1T1) and PF Ernest Ross (Game Elite)

2022- PG Faheim Meran (Team Breakdown) CG Jean Montero (NightRydas), G/F Gregg Glenn III (NightRydas) and G/F Eric Dailey Jr.

2023-CG Nate Sasser, SF Sam Walters, C Jaylen Carey, SG DJ Delancy, PG Jayden Hastings. (All NightRydas), SF Ryan Bewley and SF Matthew Bewly (Team Breakdown).

I know Miami offers about 40 kids per year but they should focus on 10 kids (maybe 5 in-state kids and 5 out of state kids) to keep it simple. IMO.
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Jayden Hastings is a 6'9" Post that plays with Team Breakdown. Gets better and better every time I watch him play.

Also, Jean Montero is the REAL DEAL. I heard he will be transferring to play HS ball in Florida next year. Miami needs to be all over him now.

There are a couple of other 2023 kids you didn't mention but should be on Miami's radar.
PG - Marvel Allen 6'3" Benjamin School
W - Jasai Miles 6'5" Miami Country Day
 
Who wants to bet that the AAU scene in Florida is the most corrupt in the nation? If football is any indication, I wouldn't be shocked if the AAU level was more greasy than what one would expect. Should Miami at least try to recruit locally? Yes, but it's not an accident that L has won with teams that are built a certain way, and in most cases have not featured a ton of local talent, if any.

Miami basketball gets zero respect locally, even though it has been a better product than FSU and UF for a lot of the L era. The local community has consistently turned their back on Miami, and L has taken note. He has great connections on the eastern seaboard and uses them well. Ironically enough, those kids see the value in UMiami, and want to be here. Local kids on the other hand, have shown little interest, even when the staff goes all in.
 
Canedude08 said:
Miami basketball gets zero respect locally, even though it has been a better product than FSU and UF for a lot of the L era. The local community has consistently turned their back on Miami, and L has taken note. He has great connections on the eastern seaboard and uses them well. Ironically enough, those kids see the value in UMiami, and want to be here. Local kids on the other hand, have shown little interest, even when the staff goes all in.
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Yeah, if you just limit it to the "L era." FSU went to the National Championship game in 1972 against UCLA and has pretty much been a perennial NCAAT team under Ham. Donovan, of course, led UF to back-to-back National Championships, not THAT long ago.
 
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hotshot said:
Yeah, if you just limit it to the "L era." FSU went to the National Championship game in 1972 against UCLA and has pretty much been a perennial NCAAT team under Ham. Donovan, of course, led UF to back-to-back National Championships, not THAT long ago.
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You realize that the typical high school student's PARENTS most likely weren't even born in 1972(or weren't school aged), right? Ham has been to the NCAA Tournament 7 times in 17 years, hardly what I would call a perennial NCAA participant. L has been to the NCAAT with Miami 4 times in 8 years, which is a far better percentage.

UF has had massive success in recent memory, so I can understand how they are still an attractive program. FSU on the other hand has a unique ability to waste talent. FSU has had NBA type size and depth for years, but has rarely done more than flame out in the NCAA Tournament, last couple of years notwithstanding.

It still doesn't make sense how the local community screws over the University, but then expects the school they consistently hose to love them. I don't blame L, Manny or any other Miami coach for doing what they need to do to field a competitive team. You should have someone paying attention to local kids(Find sleepers and late bloomers), but don't expect any elite local kids to show up. As soon as an SEC school, or some big name comes along, they forget about the local school that has been there from jump.
 
Canedude, I take your points but .... what have we ever done (except for maybe that ACC regular season and ACC Tourney championship "double") that competes with those schools' accomplishments?

As to the local community and school discussion, it would be nice to see a full house (in person, not just on paper) for at least at all the league and marquee games at Watsco. Those half empty stands are not a good look at all, especially to recruits. That starts with the students (wonder how many free pizzas that L and his predecessors have bought to get those kids to walk a view yards from their dorms). Contrast that with KryszewskiVille or whatever they call it where students camp out in tents for days.
 
Canedude08 said:
Who wants to bet that the AAU scene in Florida is the most corrupt in the nation? If football is any indication, I wouldn't be shocked if the AAU level was more greasy than what one would expect. Should Miami at least try to recruit locally? Yes, but it's not an accident that L has won with teams that are built a certain way, and in most cases have not featured a ton of local talent, if any.

Miami basketball gets zero respect locally, even though it has been a better product than FSU and UF for a lot of the L era. The local community has consistently turned their back on Miami, and L has taken note. He has great connections on the eastern seaboard and uses them well. Ironically enough, those kids see the value in UMiami, and want to be here. Local kids on the other hand, have shown little interest, even when the staff goes all in.
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Grassroots basketball has it's issues all over the country, not just in the Sunshine State. And as bad as you may think it is here in Florida, trust me when I tell you it's much worse in other states. I say it all the time Coach L is one of the better coaches in all of college basketball, but I do feel he should de a better job of going after in-state kids. Not saying he should offer all of them, but no reason why a Florida kid should be getting offers from blue bloods and not Miami. That just doesn't make any sense.
 
coachpatg said:
Grassroots basketball has it's issues all over the country, not just in the Sunshine State. And as bad as you may think it is here in Florida, trust me when I tell you it's much worse in other states. I say it all the time Coach L is one of the better coaches in all of college basketball, but I do feel he should de a better job of going after in-state kids. Not saying he should offer all of them, but no reason why a Florida kid should be getting offers from blue bloods and not Miami. That just doesn't make any sense.
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Maybe they've already told UM/Coach L that they are going to Kentucky, Duke, UNC or whatever "blue blood." So ... offering them could hurt our chances with a recruit who might actually say "yes" to our offer??
 
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hotshot said:
Maybe they've already told UM/Coach L that they are going to Kentucky, Duke, UNC or whatever "blue blood." So ... offering them could hurt our chances with a recruit who might actually say "yes" to our offer??
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What you're saying may be true for some recruits, but I know of a few who didn't consider Miami because Coach L and crew either came in at the last hour to recruit/offer or never made the effort at all. Again, I'm a fan of Coach L. I just think they need to do more with in-state prospects, particularly in the early stages.
 
coachpatg said:
What you're saying may be true for some recruits, but I know of a few who didn't consider Miami because Coach L and crew either came in at the last hour to recruit/offer or never made the effort at all. Again, I'm a fan of Coach L. I just think they need to do more with in-state prospects, particularly in the early stages.
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Like football, there's a bunch of bull**** in regards to who offered when. Guys don't want to explain why they spurned the local school(Especially if they were recruited a certain way), so they will play the "I didn't get any love from the home team" card, because they know the school can't really refute it, due to rules in regards to talking about recruits. I doubt Miami is outright ignoring elite kids in their backyard, but I don't think L is willing to play games with guys and AAU programs, groups that have shown that they will stab L and UMiami in the back.

Look at Big Vern's son. Miami was on him from jump, he has a legacy here(albeit in a different sport), he has seen firsthand how this athletic department has invested in the program in the last decade and change. What did he do? Go to Duke, because he would rather be just another cog in a machine, than a guy who elevates a program to historic heights. That's the kind of crap Miami basketball deals with. Miami has rarely, and I mean rarely ended up with elite South Florida talent, even when times are good.
 
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Georgia Tech Basketball: 2019 Team Camp yields scholarship offers

Georgia Tech Basketball welcomed teams from all over the region to compete and improve, with the coaching staff getting a good look at local prospects. Thi...
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Does Miami have a high school basketball team camp during the summer?

This would be a great way to evaluate the local and in-state kids, extend scholarship offers to high major kids and build relationships with high school coaches.
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
bustingbrackets.com

Georgia Tech Basketball: 2019 Team Camp yields scholarship offers

Georgia Tech Basketball welcomed teams from all over the region to compete and improve, with the coaching staff getting a good look at local prospects. Thi...
bustingbrackets.com bustingbrackets.com

Does Miami have a high school basketball team camp during the summer?

This would be a great way to evaluate the local and in-state kids, extend scholarship offers to high major kids and build relationships with high school coaches.
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Yes they do.
 
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Canedude08 said:
Like football, there's a bunch of bull**** in regards to who offered when. Guys don't want to explain why they spurned the local school(Especially if they were recruited a certain way), so they will play the "I didn't get any love from the home team" card, because they know the school can't really refute it, due to rules in regards to talking about recruits. I doubt Miami is outright ignoring elite kids in their backyard, but I don't think L is willing to play games with guys and AAU programs, groups that have shown that they will stab L and UMiami in the back.

Look at Big Vern's son. Miami was on him from jump, he has a legacy here(albeit in a different sport), he has seen firsthand how this athletic department has invested in the program in the last decade and change. What did he do? Go to Duke, because he would rather be just another cog in a machine, than a guy who elevates a program to historic heights. That's the kind of crap Miami basketball deals with. Miami has rarely, and I mean rarely ended up with elite South Florida talent, even when times are good.
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I'm not speaking on second hand information. I'm telling you what I know to be true. Vernon Carey Jr. & Scotty Barnes are the exceptions. Miami has done all they could with the recruitment of both those kids, but we're talking about two Top 10 national prospects in their respective classes. I'm referring to the mid-high major, Top 100 in-state kids who for one reason or another aren't getting the same kind of attention from UM that many out of state schools are giving them. Keith Stone is a good example. Zach Dawson (OK State), Kai Jones (Texas), Tyrell Jones (Auburn) and Jonathan Isaac (FSU/NBA) are a few other in-state kids who signed with mid-high major programs that weren't even offered by Miami. I'm sure there are more, but these are a few that come to mind. Again, Coach L and staff need to do a better job of identifying the top talent early on and getting on them freshmen/sophomore years, instead of offering them their senior years. I know you aren't going to get them all, but do think they can do better.
 
coachpatg said:
I'm not speaking on second hand information. I'm telling you what I know to be true. Vernon Carey Jr. & Scotty Barnes are the exceptions. Miami has done all they could with the recruitment of both those kids, but we're talking about two Top 10 national prospects in their respective classes. I'm referring to the mid-high major, Top 100 in-state kids who for one reason or another aren't getting the same kind of attention from UM that many out of state schools are giving them. Keith Stone is a good example. Zach Dawson (OK State), Kai Jones (Texas), Tyrell Jones (Auburn) and Jonathan Isaac (FSU/NBA) are a few other in-state kids who signed with mid-high major programs that weren't even offered by Miami. I'm sure there are more, but these are a few that come to mind. Again, Coach L and staff need to do a better job of identifying the top talent early on and getting on them freshmen/sophomore years, instead of offering them their senior years. I know you aren't going to get them all, but do think they can do better.
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Good points. Miami offers approximately 40 kids nationwide and that number is fine but the State of Florida normally produces around 20 mid to high major kids (not including the kids at Montverde and IMG). Miami normally has 10 kids come on campus for official visits. It would be nice if they offered more in-state kids and got them on campus for official visits. The coaching staff needs to figure out how to get more kids from the state of Florida on campus early and often for unofficial visits since there are no limits on unofficial visits.

That is why a good relationship with the AAU programs (Nightrydas Elite, Team Breakdown, Game Elite, E1T1 and etc) is so important so you stay ahead of the other schools.

I don't know how a school like Miami can only have 1 kid from the state of Florida on its roster in a state that produces approximately 20 mid to high Division 1 basketball players per year. The talent is here in the state of Florida.
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
Good points. Miami offers approximately 40 kids nationwide and that number is fine but the State of Florida normally produces around 20 mid to high major kids (not including the kids at Montverde and IMG). Miami normally has 10 kids come on campus for official visits. It would be nice if they offered more in-state kids and got them on campus for official visits. The coaching staff needs to figure out how to get more kids from the state of Florida on campus early and often for unofficial visits since there are no limits on unofficial visits.

That is why a good relationship with the AAU programs (Nightrydas Elite, Team Breakdown, Game Elite, E1T1 and etc) is so important so you stay ahead of the other schools.

I don't know how a school like Miami can only have 1 kid from the state of Florida on its roster in a state that produces approximately 20 mid to high Division 1 basketball players per year. The talent is here in the state of Florida.
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Exactly. What Canedude and a couple of the others on this thread fail to realize is this isn't just South Florida we are talking about. There are a lot of talented players in the Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville areas and I've consistently seen us late to the game (or not present at all) with some of these kids.
 
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Gables Canes said:
Exactly. What Canedude and a couple of the others on this thread fail to realize is this isn't just South Florida we are talking about. There are a lot of talented players in the Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville areas and I've consistently seen us late to the game (or not present at all) with some of these kids.
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Absolutely. 40 kids is a wide net. Probably too wide to be honest with you, IMO. Especially when you only have 4 scholarships on average. I think they should start local and expand. Start in South Florida, move to the state of Miami then the state of Florida followed by the United States and internationally.

Prime example of my point. As I mentioned in the 2020 recruiting thread, the coaches are actively recruiting Jonathan Aku (6'10 210 lbs 2020 F/C) from Lewisville, Texas. He is a good post player but it seems he may be going to Houston. I have watch highlights of Jamille Reynolds from Lakewood, FL (NightRydas 2020) and the gap in talent is not that far. Reynolds is actually rated higher depending on what recruiting sites you read. Reynolds has a Miami offer and I think he would be a good signing given he is 6'10 and 230 lbs with a better post game and free throw line jumpshot than any big Miami currently has on the roster.

Those are the types of things that have me scratching my head.

Keith Stone was mentioned earlier and he is another good example. How come Miami did not sign him coming out of high school? If anyone knows, please let me know.
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
Absolutely. 40 kids is a wide net. Probably too wide to be honest with you, IMO. Especially when you only have 4 scholarships on average. I think they should start local and expand. Start in South Florida, move to the state of Miami then the state of Florida followed by the United States and internationally.

Prime example of my point. As I mentioned in the 2020 recruiting thread, the coaches are actively recruiting Jonathan Aku (6'10 210 lbs 2020 F/C) from Lewisville, Texas. He is a good post player but it seems he may be going to Houston. I have watch highlights of Jamille Reynolds from Lakewood, FL (NightRydas 2020) and the gap in talent is not that far. Reynolds is actually rated higher depending on what recruiting sites you read. Reynolds has a Miami offer and I think he would be a good signing given he is 6'10 and 230 lbs with a better post game and free throw line jumpshot than any big Miami currently has on the roster.

Those are the types of things that have me scratching my head.

Keith Stone was mentioned earlier and he is another good example. How come Miami did not sign him coming out of high school? If anyone knows, please let me know.
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Miami got to the Keith Stone party late. Real late. Like during his HS senior season late.
 
I think we need to do better locally, and in the state of Florida as a whole. But ... I also believe the quantity of quality Florida HS recruits is not at a point where you'd want to make it the focus of our HS recruiting. Don't think it qualifies remotely as a HS basketball recruiting "hotbed." At least, not yet!

Within the state, should IMG Academy be the main target? I mean, that's supposedly a recruiting "factory" with multiple D-1 prospects every year. Their HC, Sean McAloon, was a prominent HS HC in Richmond, VA and in Washington, DC so Coach L might even know him going back aways to his own days in Northern Virginia.
 
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