California's recent recruiting

[TopCatCal]

O.K. I'll ask the question. What kind of cheating is going on with the University of California basketball program? When a no name, nothing basketball school with a no name coach starts beating schools like Kentucky, UNC, Michigan State, Arizona, etc. for what looks like 3 of the top 12 high school players in the country. I mean come on. I've been a recruiting junkie for 40 years, & I've never seen anything this insane. We all know that Cal Berkeley is the pot smoking capital of the world. But just what are they putting in their weed out there to attract these big time recruits?

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Cush

 

[gracetoyou]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

 

[Rhavicc]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

And how would a Cal fan know that?

 

[gracetoyou]

And how would a Cal fan know that?

He said he has a source from Swanigan's school. Source from program confirmed the schollie

But again FWIW.

 

[UK_Johnny24]

This whole class is a fluke. This time next year we'll be loaded with a bunch of 5 stars, and we'll be sitting back making fun of losers like Newman, Diallo, Zimm, etc, and getting to enjoy seeing some of them's draft stock plummet. We'll be saying see. Look at Newman going to Mississippi state and projected 15th overall when if he'd came here he'd be top 5. These kids are just a dumb.

 

[Xception]

Rabb lives in the state so that is understandable , Brown is a bit odd but he was recruited by Martin at Tennessee and apparently Brown doesn't like the spotlight .

Brown was also considering ucla so going west was appealing to him , Caleb supposedly became friends with those guys and elite clustering is becoming more prevalent .

I don't see obvious red flags given those rare situations but if they start pulling classes like that regularly then they are shady because those set of circumstances won't occur again .

Cuonzo nor Cali have the pull to consistently get those classes so let's wait and see what they get in the future before slinging mud that might not be warranted .

 

[UK_Johnny24]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

One of our players? Don't be screwing around man.

 

[miracle7s]

Cuonzo Martin is the new John Thompson. Some parents or kids for that matter want to play for a militant black man. Nothing wrong with it, combine that with the fact that Cal is the Kush capital, a premier university, Jordan brand, Pac 12 is devoid of any strong programs besides Arizona so you can compete immediately. No cheating neccessary.

 

[brianpoe]

O.K. I'll ask the question. What kind of cheating is going on with the University of California basketball program? When a no name, nothing basketball school with a no name coach starts beating schools like Kentucky, UNC, Michigan State, Arizona, etc. for what looks like 3 of the top 12 high school players in the country. I mean come on. I've been a recruiting junkie for 40 years, & I've never seen anything this insane. We all know that Cal Berkeley is the pot smoking capital of the world. But just what are they putting in their weed out there to attract these big time recruits?

Why do they have to cheat? Now we are going to sound like IU and UL fans? Xception said it best.

Rabb stayed home.
Martin has been on Brown awhile.
Swanigan, if he goes, is on record saying he is going with Rabb and Brown awhile back.

 

[jrpross]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

Wouldn't surprise me. The chatter about Purdue just never made sense. If he wanted to to there because of his guardian or whatever, why were they never even considered before? I'm thrilled that Kentucky is back in the mix but with no scholarships open at Cal and him being rather quiet, Cal waiting for the scholarship situation to resolve itself just makes everything seem to fit. We'll see I guess.

 

[brianpoe]

One of our players? Don't be screwing around man.

Geez son, pay attention. A University of Cal incoming freshman may not be eligible opening up a schollie for Swanigan.

 

[brianpoe]

Cuonzo Martin is the new John Thompson. Some parents or kids for that matter want to play for a militant black man. Nothing wrong with it, combine that with the fact that Cal is the Kush capital, a premier university, Jordan brand, Pac 12 is devoid of any strong programs besides Arizona so you can compete immediately. No cheating neccessary.

Not so sure about militant... I can get with the black coach and everything else.

 

[UKEE]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

With the way the 2015 recruiting season has ended, this would not surprise me at all (actually, it's rather expected at this point).

 

[mapcatfan]

FWIW...a Cal fan is saying one of their freshman is not going to qualify acidemically & scholarship will be officially opened tomorrow & Swanigan is expected to publicly announce his verbal to California tomorrow night

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. Makes sense as to why he hasn't already made a commitment somewhere.

 

[2Dope15]

Hopefully Cal will have a bad year with these recruits and they will realize the best place to go is Kentucky. Would be funny if they don't even make the tournament and then the parents will see playing for Martin sucks.

 

[miracle7s]

Not so sure about militant... I can get with the black coach and everything else.

militant might not have been the perfect word but it's the closest thing I could think of. There was a reason he ousted at UT like he was. I know a few people around UT and one of their direct quotes was some of the big money didn't care for strong (insert racial epithet) attitude.

 

[tmuck]

UK Johnny is a really dumb troll.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Martin wasn't ousted, He left on his own. Because if he was ousted, they would of done it 2 weeks earlier so they could hire their precious Bruce Pearl they wanted so badly. Martin surprised them and left . Also Martin couldn't recruit at Tennessee but he suddenly is a world beater at Cal?

The recruiting is like if UK was to bring in 8 stud 5 star football players in a mediocre coaches first season here.... It would turn a lot of heads and get schools like Tenn trying to find out what we are doing to turn us in.

 

[W2R]

We said the same about Cal when at Memphis. Look at the class he was bringing in before he came to UK. Our brand and Cal has been on top since he has been here. There are going to be a anomaly now and then

 

[miracle7s]

Martin wasn't ousted, He left on his own. Because if he was ousted, they would of done it 2 weeks earlier so they could hire their precious Bruce Pearl they wanted so badly. Martin surprised them and left . Also Martin couldn't recruit at Tennessee but he suddenly is a world beater at Cal?

The recruiting is like if UK was to bring in 8 stud 5 star football players in a mediocre coaches first season here.... It would turn a lot of heads and get schools like Tenn trying to find out what we are doing to turn us in.

If you think Martin was well liked and the UT money boosters wanted him there I don't know what to tell you. You are right about the fact that he wasn't fired, but he left before they could get him kind of thing, and he relished leaving them in a bad spot. As far the recruiting goes, I really don't see how people are so wrapped up in it. I'll use your football example, they signed Ivan Rabb who is a hometown kid ala Couch, Dennis Johnson, Micah Johnson, etc... it happens every so often. Jaylen Brown was recruited by Martin before and has a very close relationship with Shareef Abdur Rahim who went to Cal and steered Brown there. Swanigan if he goes there was recruited by Martin before, his guardian went to Purdue as did Cuonzo Martin, and he wants to play with Rabb and Brown. Nothing there is far fetched.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

We said the same about Cal when at Memphis. Look at the class he was bringing in before he came to UK. Our brand and Cal has been on top since he has been here. There are going to be a anomaly now and then

You got a piglet in your pocket? What is this "we" stuff?

 

[FHAZCat]

militant might not have been the perfect word but it's the closest thing I could think of. There was a reason he ousted at UT like he was. I know a few people around UT and one of their direct quotes was some of the big money didn't care for strong (insert racial epithet) attitude.

Soooo, that makes him militant? What does thinking that way make "money people?" If the man is ill mannered, that is one thing. But, if the locals simply thought he should keep his mouth shut and listen up, that is another. I would guess that in Knoxville, as in much of the good ole U.S.of A, tolerance is view as one o' them socialist values.

 

[Federal Cat]

Well they got the recruits, let's see what they do with them, we will see in March.

 

[miracle7s]

Soooo, that makes him militant? What does thinking that way make "money people?" If the man is ill mannered, that is one thing. But, if the locals simply thought he should keep his mouth shut and listen up, that is another. I would guess that in Knoxville, as in much of the good ole U.S.of A, tolerance is view as one o' them socialist values.

You must have misunderstood me in some way, I think the UT money people and a lot of others around the state of Tennessee are racist pieces of you know what. I think that some black families want their sons to play for a strong black man. I think that is a great thing.

 

[KyCatFan]

We said the same about Cal when at Memphis. Look at the class he was bringing in before he came to UK. Our brand and Cal has been on top since he has been here. There are going to be a anomaly now and then

I never thought Coach Cal was cheating to get players so don't include me in the we talk either. At least he took a team he built up to the Final Four at a lesser school and likely would have won the title if he didn't meet up with us in the semi finals. What has Martin done to get these players to want to play for him in comparison?

 

[Rondoed]

We said the same about Cal when at Memphis. Look at the class he was bringing in before he came to UK. Our brand and Cal has been on top since he has been here. There are going to be a anomaly now and then

No "we" did not. Matt Jones was one of the very few who did. There were a couple of others. You were apparently one, but it was a small minority.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

Living down here I can tell you that the true UT orange necks are racists. They all drive around with rebel flags. Martin was hated at UT and they celebrated when he left.m

 

[throatpoker]

West coast schools still field college basketball teams? Hmm, who knew?

 

[W2R]

Sorry. I didn't me "we" ....I was saying it tongue in cheek. I for one didn't believe that I was saying it as a general Statement. You can go
Back to the "way back machine and
Look at old threads and people were saying the same thing about Cal and the recruits he was bringing into Memphis Sorry if
I offended anyone by my post

 

[TrustinCal]

I think players have a different respect for a coach that has played at the highest level like Martin did. Cal, K, Self, etc can all tell you how to make the NBA and what you need to do succeed, but it's not because they did it themselves. Sure, the fact that Martin is a black coach could be part of the appeal but I think it has more to do with his playing career.

 

[jguynn]

Your dead on Look at the NBA black coaches don't get the long stay Doc rivers is one of few left. College I hate to say it but let's keep it real schools love getting the best players ok if they are all black its ok but the hate comes in when you want a black coach and that is so sad and you think family's don't see that and hear it from people 2015 and its still sad.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

I think players have a different respect for a coach that has played at the highest level like Martin did. Cal, K, Self, etc can all tell you how to make the NBA and what you need to do succeed, but it's not because they did it themselves. Sure, the fact that Martin is a black coach could be part of the appeal but I think it has more to do with his playing career.

I hardly think he can tell players what they need to do to succeed in the NBA because of his NBA experience of having played in seven total games in his entire career. His NBA career screams the complete opposite of knowing what it takes to succeed in the league.

 

[TrustinCal]

I hardly think he can tell players what they need to do to succeed in the NBA because of his NBA experience of having played in seven total games in his entire career. His NBA career screams the complete opposite of knowing what it takes to succeed in the league.

You are right. I remember him being really good in college and assumed he spent more time in the league. But the point remains the same, he was a good college player who did make it to the league. He still has that experience. I see Alford having the same appeal. Other than being in LA I have no idea why any recruit would want to play for him, yet he gets a few recruits and major interest.

 

[UK90]

I hardly think he can tell players what they need to do to succeed in the NBA because of his NBA experience of having played in seven total games in his entire career. His NBA career screams the complete opposite of knowing what it takes to succeed in the league.

FWIW, I believe Martin's professional career was cut short by cancer, which he eventually beat after several rounds of chemotherapy. Makes a pretty fair excuse, no?

I love how some of the old stereotyped thinking is on display in this thread. Whenever a school that's not a traditional basketball power has some recruiting success we've always got fans insisting this means they're cheating. Nevermind the fact there's no evidence whatsoever to back the claim, the simple fact that they're getting recruits that we want means they're cheating to some of our fans.

And seems like whenever a strong black coach starts having success there's always some knucklehead pulling out the ole "militant" code word, an adjective that never ever gets used for white coaches regardless of how they behave. I don't know of anything Martin has ever said or done that would fit that descriptor, but what the hell, let's call him that anyways.

 

[rodgerblue]

Given the "Cal is cheating at Kentucky" stuff, I think it is completely ridiculous for a Kentucky fan to toss the "they must be cheating" bomb.

 

[BoulderCat]

You know much of country always believes and says UK is cheating, and your post is just another example of that thinking. Anyone who's having success must be cheating. Cal is a major university, and one of the better schools in America. It's one with significant resources, and a lot of appeal to many people. They play in one of the big conferences, and yes they are on TV. Perhaps not in your time zone, but certainly in the West. It's also just across the Bay from one of American's great, and more fascinating cities. The Bay Area has much appeal to many millions of people. So given all that it's not a great shock to me that a new, and possibly up and coming coach can have success in attracting some big recruits to come to Berkeley. I for one am not going to assume or level unfounded accusations at them that they are cheating.

And btw there are many who would argue that pot smoking capital of the world thing. You know it's not legal there. It is some places.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Sorry. I didn't me "we" ....I was saying it tongue in cheek. I for one didn't believe that I was saying it as a general Statement. You can go
Back to the "way back machine and
Look at old threads and people were saying the same thing about Cal and the recruits he was bringing into Memphis Sorry if
I offended anyone by my post

I wasn't offended, but I do think we need to remind the casual fans and rival fans that come here, that it isn't like many of them allege. This board was not full of posts bashing Cal. I remember someone on the UNCheat boards digging up a thread from the time when BCG was getting fired, and there were a couple posts like that, but way more that were either neutral or on the other side.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Given the "Cal is cheating at Kentucky" stuff, I think it is completely ridiculous for a Kentucky fan to toss the "they must be cheating" bomb.

Cal's the best recruiting in NCAA basketball history arguable, and UK is the easiest school to recruit to with a good coach. I'm failing to see the comparison, bit of a reach. Gonzo is not a good coach and Cal has not been relevant really since the late 50s.

 

[WSU/UKfan]

In a sport where the top recruiters are light skinned Italians with funny last names, I don't see how one could argue that these families prefer their kids playing for black coaches. If race is on the list of things families consider before making a decision, it's waaaaaayyy down on that list.