You don’t use one of your five official visits on Harvard if academics aren’t a big deal to you. Duke and Michigan are very prestigious academic schools. Texas ain’t bad and it’s not like you can’t get an education at Kentucky. You can have academics as a high priority while still valuing the basketball side of things.
If you think he “is starting to get a little of that in him”, you are saying he’s at least in part being a prima donna. I don’t think he deserves any labels like that and don’t see the value in saying he is. Every indication has been that he’s taking it very seriously. And it’s not like he’s naming a different favorite every other day. He cut his list to four and has not given very many indications at all about where he’s leaning. He’s about as anti-prima donna top recruit that waited this long to decide as I can remember.
Non athletes have until May 1 to make their college decisions. Many of them end up taking that long, and this is without worrying about NBA decisions, teammates, sports facilities, etc. I just can’t believe that you think NBA decisions are the only thing that he’s basing this off of, that since those are basically done he has to choose, and that there can’t be other things that he’s still deciding/contemplating. Just think for a second how selfish this is of you.
@bacon141 just answer a simple question, if academics are an important factor, why is Kentucky being considered? Why wouldn’t you decide between Duke, Texas and Michigan? Your answer of “not like you can’t get an education at Kentucky” is not even close to being valid. Kentucky is far and away nowhere near those other three schools in academics.
@tarverine where did I say NBA decisions are the only thing he’s basing this off of? I specifically said that with his other factors if he was waiting on NBA decisions last, then what else is there to wait for? Here’s my specific response “However, up to this point he knows the coaches, knows the schools, knows the systems he’d be utilized in and at Texas/Duke/Kentucky he knows 95% of the players that’ll be there. There’s no more waiting that needs to be done.” He either hasn’t thought about a decision whatsoever up until this point, or he’s dragging it out.
@tarverine you want to talk about being holier than thou and me being selfish? Let’s throw this right back at Bamba. Is his decision not determing part of the fate of Barrett and possible grad transfers who may want to come to Michigan? Right now he’s holding up other people’s decisions because there’s a ripple effect. But please, continue to act high and mighty.
Kentucky, Michigan, and Duke (so 3 out of his top 4 schools) have players who have declared but not signed with an agent and/or not announced their intentions yet, so if NBA decisions are relevant data for Bamba then there are still multiple factors TBD.
@MaizeBlue10: We get how you feel about the situation. Most other people disagree, we probably don’t need to turn the whole Mo Bamba thread into an argument over your point.
Kevin Knox just moved his decision date to May 1 recently. I wonder if him and Bamba are friends or if Mo is interested in where he’s going, given that they share mutual top 4 schools in Duke and Kentucky.
Yeah, I’d be curious to know what percentage of top-10 recruits, or even percentage of all 5 stars, make it to the NBA after 1 year, and then make it at all.
Sure, they were/are high draft picks. So were Embiid and Noel. I’m not sure getting injured is a path to success that others would like to follow. That’s kind of the point. Was Simmons the 1st pick because he played a bunch of minutes? Would he have not been the first pick if he went to Duke and played a few less minutes and gone to the Final Four or whatever? Who would you rather be, Lonzo Ball or Fultz? Josh Jackson or Simmons? If you’re that good, you’re going to get drafted high – might as well get some good coaching and exposure and play in the NCAA tournament along the way. It can only help.
I have no ability to think like a 1 and done, it’s so far beyond what I’ve been.
If I were recruiting a stud I’d tell them that with them were making a run in the NCAA. They are the missing piece. In November or even April we don’t know if they spur their teams success. We only find out at the end of the season. Given that they’ve always made teams good before just be being on them, these guys probably believe they can carry a college team too. Hearing that would feel pretty good to a 17/18 y/o and might help them pick a school where they really like the staff, the players, and the opportunity to be a savior; otherwise they might hear, “Duke was going to be great anyway.”