Bridges sets official visits to UK and Michigan State

[UKCATSFREAK]

Izzo rarely holds leads very well in recruiting. Dude has a suspect bullpen.

That may be true but most recruits arent from Flint, Michigan , like this kid. A lot of pressure on Bridges to pick MSU and will have an entire state in his bullpen for this recruitment. Hopefully playing his HS ball outside of Michigan will help our chances of landing him. Izzo is on this kid hard! Seems like he is always following him around like a lil puppy during the summer circuits. I don't like the way he talks about MSU and Izzo either, using a lot of "We" and "family" when talking about them. Also called Izzo a father figure in his life. I don't really like to hear those type of words when discussing another coach in their recruitment.

With that said, seems like Cal has a good relationship built with him also and we all know that Cal backs down from NO ONE in recruiting, especially Izzo. Like I said, I think him playing his HS ball outside of Michigan is really helpful for us and will be a critical factor if we can land him. Being in Huntington allows him to escape some of that pressure from the kind folks in Flint who are whispering MSU propaganda in his ear. I want this kid! Did I see somewhere that he shot over 47% from behind the arc at the Peach Jam? I thought I read that earlier but could be mistaken. Still want him though. Lol

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Miles Bridges just narrowed his list to five:

UK
UM
MSU
UNC
and...
IU

 

[Smashcat]

Miles Bridges just narrowed his list to five:

UK
UM
MSU
UNC
and...
IU

Sporting News NCAAB‏@sn_ncaab 3m3 minutes ago

After dominating Peach Jam, Miles Bridges amends list of suitors http://dlvr.it/BWBNT6

 

[Bigblueforever]

Give me Monk and Alkins. Both are better prospects than Bidges in my opinion.

I don't care who Kentucky signs you still go after Bidges.

 

[340duster340]

In the end it will come down to MSU/ UK
This is just my opinion, but I think Winson picking MSU( if he does) would be a key factor with Bridges.
It's intesting both will visit East Lansing the same weekend.
AAU teammates and very good friends.
Both also have Michigan as possible destinations. I wouldn't discount the Wolverines in this, but would consider them a dark horse.
Bridges( and his mom) seem to be locked on Cal or Izzo.
The key(again my opinion) is how good of job Izzo does convincing Bridges he will play in the eague soon no matter where he goes. Cal doesn't have to make that argument.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Cal's pitch: be the next MKG (#2 Draft pick).

Izzo's pitch: be the next Draymond Green (world champion).

Both great pitches.

 

[dckala2]

Cal's pitch: be the next MKG (#2 Draft pick).

Izzo's pitch: be the next Draymond Green (world champion).

Both great pitches.

Calls rebuttal. "How long do u want it to take to get to the league?"

 

[340duster340]

Calls rebuttal. "How long do u want it to take to get to the league?"

Izzo..... " Your a stud no matter where you go, going to the league quickly will happen no matter your destination. Just make it an easy 45 minute drive on your mom to see you play till then, I will make sure she is sitting right behind the bench".

 

[Smashcat]

UNCheat
Evan Daniels‏@EvanDaniels 5h5 hours ago

Miles Bridges picked up a scholarship offer from North Carolina a few minutes ago | Story: http://www.scout.com/college/north-carolina/story/1563157-unc-offers-bridges… pic.twitter.com/50mdIlMwRH

Miles Bridges

 

[340duster340]

1. MSU/ UK

2. UM





3. Roy and the Cheaters

 

[westerncat]

Why would any player think about playing for UNC*** cheaters. Would love to see this kid at UK. Cal would make him a better player and one of the top picks in the draft.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Izzo..... " Your a stud no matter where you go, going to the league quickly will happen no matter your destination. Just make it an easy 45 minute drive on your mom to see you play till then, I will make sure she is sitting right behind the bench".

Coach Cal's second rebuttal: "Do you want to gamble with millions that Izzo is right?"

 

[340duster340]

Lol

 

[caneintally]

don;t know why but i see him in blue and white one day .

 

[dckala2]

After hearing bridges' quote about how him and his my mom like uk and they way they get players to the league. Makes me feel good about his recruitment.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Lol

I'd Lol too at the idea that Izzo has a decent track record with potential OADs.

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Thomas Bryant and Curtis Jones and Miles Bridges are really, really tight.

IU and UM are the long shots here, but IU went from out of his top eight into his top five. Curtis Jones is a pretty heavy IU lean.

Not flaming, but IU is a viable possibility.

 

[340duster340]

I'd Lol too at the idea that Izzo has a decent track record with potential OADs.

Frankly, Izzo rarely gets the top 20 type kids that based on history have the best chance of being one and dones, so the comparison isn't valid. You get those kids, they should get to the league no matter where they go.
But i can point you to several kids well outside that realm that he developed into league players. Payne and Green being excellent recent examples. Payne was a challenged student who became all academic B1G, and his game improved by leaps and bounds every year. This while dealing with a lung issue that greatly effected( and still does) his stamina.
Gary Harris was a top15 ish type player and left after two years, considering the injuries he dealt with as a frosh, his departure was at the right time. Probably the only truly elite type kid Izzo has had in quite a while, and he showcased him.
There can't be much of an argument that Izzo is an excellent teacher, loyal almost to a fault, and a friend for life if you play for him. The kids that have played for him that continue over the years to come back and visit are proof. You saw him in Memphis watching Zach, and in Oakland. He has always been like that, and kids know it.
Not trying to slight Cal at all, but frankly, Izzo generally doesn't get nearly the same rated kids. I wouldn't think Izzo has any reason to take a backseat to anyone at a kids kitchen table. He has been offered at least 3 NBA jobs that I know of, so his stature in the profession is above reproach
Kids are kids, easily impressionable, and in many ways extremely shortsighted. That can be not a good thing sometimes for certain kids.

 

[stoneycat_20]

Thomas Bryant and Curtis Jones and Miles Bridges are really, really tight.

IU and UM are the long shots here, but IU went from out of his top eight into his top five. Curtis Jones is a pretty heavy IU lean.

Not flaming, and it's not an impossibility.

Not much of a chance he goes to IU..Look no further than JBJ and DBooker...both ranked about the same coming out..Booker is making millions and JBJ is still at IU...Bridges won't take that risk...

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Not much of a chance he goes to IU..Look no further than JBJ and DBooker...both ranked about the same coming out..Booker is making millions and JBJ is still at IU...Bridges won't take that risk...

Not sure what that has to do with Miles Bridges.

That's easy to play: Look at Victor Oladipo and Aaron Harrison; Oladipo was ranked 145th and Harrison was top ten, and Oladipo was the #2 overall pick. That logic, including with an Oladipo/Harrison comparison, is not ever worth citing.

FWIW; I absolutely agree that MSU and UK are his most likely destinations. Just saying that there are draws to all five, and you never know what will happen on an official visit. Thomas Bryant is an extremely personable young man with a real connection to Bridges. I would venture to guess that's what pushed Jones and Bridges into IU maybes.

 

[GonzoCat90]

Indiana fans are so desperate for a Final Four that they'll settle for it coming in recruiting.

 

[stoneycat_20]

Not sure what that has to do with Miles Bridges.

That's easy to play: Look at Victor Oladipo and Aaron Harrison; Oladipo was ranked 145th and Harrison was top ten, and Oladipo was the #2 overall pick. That logic, including with an Oladipo/Harrison comparison, is not ever worth citing.

FWIW; I absolutely agree that MSU and UK are his most likely destinations. Just saying that there are draws to all five, and you never know what will happen on an official visit.

Read the last 5 words . ..Any info Scruggs and Wilkes?..Are they coming to UK?

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Indiana fans are so desperate for a Final Four that they'll settle for it coming in recruiting.

Desperate for a Final Four? Yup.
If we played as well as our upcoming team's player recruiting rankings we'd be okay. Won't believe it til there's real results.

Shouldn't sidetrack.

Bridges = Branden Dawson and MKG in a lot of ways. That's a winner for UK if he sees where they end up, but it's a winner for MSU if he's gotten to be buddies with Dawson.

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Read the last 5 words . ..Any info Scruggs and Wilkes?..Are they coming to UK?

Did UK offer either?

 

[stoneycat_20]

I bet Wilkes will for sure..He's a top 10 guy and one of the top SF in the class.(Needs to get stronger but i really like his game)..Cal will go after both i bet to keep clappy from getting them...

 

[340duster340]

Desperate for a Final Four? Yup.
If we played as well as our upcoming team's player recruiting rankings we'd be okay. Won't believe it til there's real results.

Shouldn't sidetrack.

Bridges = Branden Dawson and MKG in a lot of ways. That's a winner for UK if he sees where they end up, but it's a winner for MSU if he's gotten to be buddies with Dawson.

Not alike with Dawson at all. Dawson worked diligently regards a perimeter shot and being able to handle the ball. Those just arent skills the kid has, no matter the emphasis and reps trying to improve. Little better, sure. A liability still, absolutely.
Yet he was taught to scrap and hustle( attributes he didn't bring to college) and those and his elite rebounding prowess may well earn him a payday. He can defend and rebound at an elite level. He was taught those things.
Bridges as a high school junior is already a solid outside shooter and ball handler. Way more upside skill set. Not even close.

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Not alike with Dawson at all. Dawson worked diligently regards a perimeter shot and being able to handle the ball. Those just arent skills the kid has, no matter the emphasis and reps trying to improve. Little better, sure. A liability still, absolutely.
Yet he was taught to scrap and hustle( attributes he didn't bring to college) and those and his elite rebounding prowess may well earn him a payday. He can defend and rebound at an elite level. He was taught those things.
Bridges as a high school junior is already a solid outside shooter and ball handler. Way more upside skill set. Not even close.

Bridges shoots it better than either Dawsen or MKG. All three are a little undersized, high-motor PFs, who project as SFs in the pros..

 

[HoosierfanJM]

I bet Wilkes will for sure..He's a top 10 guy and one of the top SF in the class.(Needs to get stronger but i really like his game)..Cal will go after both i bet to keep clappy from getting them...

FWIW, Scruggs seems to like UK and IU, but Wilkes has said that Kansas is his dream offer. IU has the home state advantage and has both at games regularly. About one and a half years til either is close to a decision.

 

[Smashcat]

Kiss of death?

Ben Roberts‏@NextCats 12h12 hours ago
Miles Bridges cut his list to five schools today.
@jerrymeyer247: "I sense that Kentucky has the edge right now." http://bit.ly/1K4N5mO

Meyer said he would be surprised if Bridges ends up somewhere other than Lexington or East Lansing.

For now, he's predicting that the five-star recruit will be a Wildcat.

"I just think he likes Kentucky," Meyer said. "I think he's intrigued with Kentucky. I think getting that (scholarship) offer was a big deal to him.

"I sense that Kentucky has the edge right now."

 

[KLucas1]

I'd Lol too at the idea that Izzo has a decent track record with potential OADs.

Yeah, cause Izzo has had so many kids with the ability to be a one and done.....Towns, Davis, Cousins, Wall, Kidd-Gilchrist, etc, etc would have been a one and done no matter what school they attended including MSU. Had nothing to do with Cal's track record with one and dones.

 

[dckala2]

Love the butthurt spin from msu fans that those players would've been one and done anywhere. It's Cals mentality to let them go. Cousins said himself he wanted to come back for another year. Players first.

 

[Fadhi]

Love the butthurt spin from msu fans that those players would've been one and done anywhere. It's Cals mentality to let them go. Cousins said himself he wanted to come back for another year. Players first.

I have always wondered whether the Cousins wanted to stay thing is real.

 

[340duster340]

No butthurt from this MSU fan. I am quite happy how things have gone in East Lansing the last 20 years, and am looking forward to the next several years. Bridges or no Bridges.
Cal has done a great job, kudo's to him.
But to say Izzo gets the same kind of talent is ludicrous.
Izzo is 5-2 against Kentucky since he has been head coach at Michigan St.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Yeah, cause Izzo has had so many kids with the ability to be a one and done.....Towns, Davis, Cousins, Wall, Kidd-Gilchrist, etc, etc would have been a one and done no matter what school they attended including MSU. Had nothing to do with Cal's track record with one and dones.

How'd Cal do with Goodwin, Teague, Lamb, Harrelson, Booker, Bledsoe, Orton, Johnson, Liggins, and Miller? None of those guys were really considered a OAD and in some of their cases, they weren't supposed to be drafted at all (Liggins, Harrelson). Yet, Goodwin, Teague, and Orton all made it in the first round after a single year of college play despite Cal's protests for them to return.


So yes, you're right that Davis and company were all expected to be OAD, but the point is that Cal doesn't screw up the process for his transcendent players or his fringe guys like Booker and Bledsoe. For example Towns was the #1 pick, not the #3 pick; Young was the 17th pick and not the 22nd pick. MKG went 2nd instead of 6th. Goodwin went 29th and not 39th. Kentucky seems to maximize a player's draft spot, and that's crucial because in the cases of Goodwin, Teague, and Orton, it provided a guaranteed contract for a few years. Cal's had 25 draft picks, but only about half of those guys were really expected to be a sure-fire OAD caliber player.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Yeah, cause Izzo has had so many kids with the ability to be a one and done.....Towns, Davis, Cousins, Wall, Kidd-Gilchrist, etc, etc would have been a one and done no matter what school they attended including MSU. Had nothing to do with Cal's track record with one and dones.

This is the only argument you have, so I won't begrudge you for it, but this rhetoric is weak when when you look at the number of guys that were expected to be OAD that went to other schools and ended up being 3-4 year players.

There are always a few of those top 10 guys that will turn out to be overrated, but if you look at the numbers as a whole, you will see that with Cal the probability of them not making it is a little lower than with other coaches.

And players that might be thinking about being OAD, even though most think they need multiple years in school, really have to look hard at UK. Bledsoe, Orton, and Booker are the poster children for that.

And can Cal get a 3 or 4-star drafted? Miller, Liggins, and Harrellson come to mind.

Plus he put some guys in the league while at mid-majors UMass and Memphis, where he rarely got 5-stars (especially at UMass).

Izzo is a great coach, but Cal is better at getting guys to the league.

Twist it however you want, but like I said before, does a kid want to gamble with millions because someone says it doesn't matter who coaches them in college even when the numbers do not support that claim?

 

[Smashcat]

Top news story
whatsapp 8093058016 ‏@elpuli1011 1h1 hour ago

5-star wing Miles Bridges has John Calipari and Tom Izzo fighting over him http://dlvr.it/BXtqQ7

 

[westerncat]

This is the one player I would love for UK to get. I think he could easily play the 3 at UK. Sure hope Cal and the staff can land him. Thanks for the link .

 

[Tummygoat]

Gotta like that he wants to play for a coach that sees him as a guard or small forward. He says some coaches want him to play big forward positions. Cal doesn't play guys his height at power forward or center. Depends on how Izzo will use him - that will clear up his choice.

 

[jrpross]

Gotta like that he wants to play for a coach that sees him as a guard or small forward. He says some coaches want him to play big forward positions. Cal doesn't play guys his height at power forward or center. Depends on how Izzo will use him - that will clear up his choice.

I also like that he said he's fine if they want to play a little stretch 4 at times. I doubt cal would much but I appreciate that he's not set on it like some kids that say "I definitely wanna go somewhere I'm gonna play (insert position)" As if they know better than a seasoned top notch coach where their skills belong.

I'm liking the idea of this kid more & more. As strong and as good a rebounder as he is, he almost seems like he could be a Chuck Hayes type player with a little more offense.

 

[dckala2]

"I definitely wanna go somewhere I'm gonna play (insert position)"

Yea been hearing that a lot with the pg's lately.

Simmons
Monk/Alkins
Bridges
Ayton

2016 is shaping up to be a very good class. Position less players