Nerlens Noel Rclassifies to 2012

[781]

A lot of people on this forum speculated that his grades were in question well guess the aren't. If Noels grades were in question then he wouldn't be able to reclassify back into his original grade. The schools he has on his final list include Syracuse, Providence, Connecticut, Kentucky, Florida, Georgetown and North Carolina. Schools like Syracuse and Georgetown and UNC hold the same academic standards of admissions as BC. I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

[MilitantEagle]

I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

[eepstein0]

I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

Why on Earth would Nerlens want to play at BC?

[eagle9903]

I hate eepstein's posting style but he's dead on here. Why would any likely one-and-done player want to go to BC where it is right now? I understand that because his brother attends BC and he is really an exceptional prospect there are arguments as to why he would be a better/more likely get than other local elite prospects in the future, but as I've stated elsewhere, the likelihood of recruiting a player like Noel to join the current roster next year would probably not have the effect of making this team a tournament team. I believe their would be a good deal of disgruntlement and the after effect could actually ensure BC was farther away from getting elite MA recruits.

Additionally, BC absolutely does not have the same academic leniency as UNC, Georgetown or Syracuse, they may have the same basic standards but those other athletic departments allow more leeway for exceptions. Fab Melo, Victor Page, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Patrick Ewing, I don't believe those guys would be accepted to BC.

Finally, as militanteagle alluded to BC has not landed an elite prospect in the 12 or so years I've been following BC basketball. The closest was Rakim * Sanders and he wasn't a Noel level recruit by a long shot. So it is a kind of dishonest argument to point to Donahue's inability to land a top 20-50 type player.

*goddamit

[MilitantEagle]

I hate eepstein's posting style but he's dead on here. Why would any likely one-and-done player want to go to BC where it is right now? I understand that because his brother attends BC and he is really an exceptional prospect there are arguments as to why he would be a better/more likely get than other local elite prospects in the future, but as I've stated elsewhere, the likelihood of recruiting a player like Noel to join the current roster next year would probably not have the effect of making this team a tournament team. I believe their would be a good deal of disgruntlement and the after effect could actually ensure BC was farther away from getting elite MA recruits.

Additionally, BC absolutely does not have the same academic leniency as UNC, Georgetown or Syracuse, they may have the same basic standards but those other athletic departments allow more leeway for exceptions. Fab Melo, Victor Page, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Patrick Ewing, I don't believe those guys would be accepted to BC.

Finally, as militanteagle alluded to BC has not landed an elite prospect in the 12 or so years I've been following BC basketball. The closest was Reggie Sanders and he wasn't a Noel level recruit by a long shot. So it is a kind of dishonest argument to point to Donahue's inability to land a top 20-50 type player.

I wish I got to see this Reggie Sanders guy play. He sounds pretty good.

[RedBaron67]

I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

It has not been that way since forever; during the Bell-Smith-Dudley period a few years ago, student attendance was good -- not sensational, but good. What has been true for a long time is that BC has relied on finding under-the-radar talent (like Bell, Smith, Dudley, and ). This is becoming harder as recruiting becomes progressively more thorough, ferreting out every high school player in the country with a scrap of talent. At the same time, it seems that a combination of nerdification, an increased selection of amusements, and perhaps pressure from reduced job opportunities is pushing down attendance. There's some cold consolation in the fact that this isn't just BC's problem; to hear that Duke is steadily losing its Cameron Crazies is very nice, but Schadenfreude won't help in dealing with the problems. If the trustees and the administration don't want BC athletics to become an embarrassment, they're going to have to raise their game, because the ACC, with all its big state universities, is a more demanding athletic environment than the Big East was.

As for Noel, apart from the fact that BC was out of the running as soon as his talent level became apparent, the problem hasn't been whether he could get in but whether he could stay eligible after even one semester. The schools seriously contending for Noel have resources to keep their athletes eligible that BC doesn't have (the obvious exception being Georgetown, where the program has operated as a combination of nursemaid and jailer to keep its players eligible ever since the elder Thompson became coach). There is also the problem of getting past BC's academic screening committee for scholarship athletes. BC is always going to have to work harder and more skillfully in recruiting to keep up. The present football program is obviously not keeping up; whether Donahue will do better with the basketball program remains to be seen.

[eagle9903]

I hate eepstein's posting style but he's dead on here. Why would any likely one-and-done player want to go to BC where it is right now? I understand that because his brother attends BC and he is really an exceptional prospect there are arguments as to why he would be a better/more likely get than other local elite prospects in the future, but as I've stated elsewhere, the likelihood of recruiting a player like Noel to join the current roster next year would probably not have the effect of making this team a tournament team. I believe their would be a good deal of disgruntlement and the after effect could actually ensure BC was farther away from getting elite MA recruits.

Additionally, BC absolutely does not have the same academic leniency as UNC, Georgetown or Syracuse, they may have the same basic standards but those other athletic departments allow more leeway for exceptions. Fab Melo, Victor Page, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Patrick Ewing, I don't believe those guys would be accepted to BC.

Finally, as militanteagle alluded to BC has not landed an elite prospect in the 12 or so years I've been following BC basketball. The closest was Reggie Sanders and he wasn't a Noel level recruit by a long shot. So it is a kind of dishonest argument to point to Donahue's inability to land a top 20-50 type player.

I wish I got to see this Reggie Sanders guy play. He sounds pretty good.

goddamit.

[781]

I bet if Cooley or Skinner was coaching this team BC would land better recruits and have more fan support. Say what you want about the Skinner but him and his assistants made sure BC was never considered to be bottom feeders. BC has America East and Ivy league players on their roster. low-Mid Major schools are even landing McDonalds AA and Donahue can't even secure a top 150

[joemack13]

I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

It has not been that way since forever; during the Bell-Smith-Dudley period a few years ago, student attendance was good -- not sensational, but good. What has been true for a long time is that BC has relied on finding under-the-radar talent (like Bell, Smith, Dudley, and ). This is becoming harder as recruiting becomes progressively more thorough, ferreting out every high school player in the country with a scrap of talent. At the same time, it seems that a combination of nerdification, an increased selection of amusements, and perhaps pressure from reduced job opportunities is pushing down attendance. There's some cold consolation in the fact that this isn't just BC's problem; to hear that Duke is steadily losing its Cameron Crazies is very nice, but Schadenfreude won't help in dealing with the problems. If the trustees and the administration don't want BC athletics to become an embarrassment, they're going to have to raise their game, because the ACC, with all its big state universities, is a more demanding athletic environment than the Big East was.

As for Noel, apart from the fact that BC was out of the running as soon as his talent level became apparent, the problem hasn't been whether he could get in but whether he could stay eligible after even one semester. The schools seriously contending for Noel have resources to keep their athletes eligible that BC doesn't have (the obvious exception being Georgetown, where the program has operated as a combination of nursemaid and jailer to keep its players eligible ever since the elder Thompson became coach). There is also the problem of getting past BC's academic screening committee for scholarship athletes. BC is always going to have to work harder and more skillfully in recruiting to keep up. The present football program is obviously not keeping up; whether Donahue will do better with the basketball program remains to be seen.

But come on... having three NBA players on a team should get you more than "good" attendance

[MilitantEagle]

I hate to say it but the truth of the matter is that elite players don't want to play for BC. Nerlens could have got into BC but Donahue has yet to land a player that is associated with any top 25-50 player.

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

It has not been that way since forever; during the Bell-Smith-Dudley period a few years ago, student attendance was good -- not sensational, but good.

Yes, I was more talking about our inability to land top recruits. I wouldn't say our student attendance was great during the Dudley years. A few games a year, they would pack the house, but that's it. Student attendance was at its best during the Curley years. And speaking of Curley, he was one of our last big time recruits and we beat out UConn for him. UConn wasn't quite the power they are now, but the program was still in much better shape than BC's at the time. Chris Herren was another top recruit.

[eagle9903]

I bet if Cooley or Skinner was coaching this team BC would land better recruits and have more fan support. Say what you want about the Skinner but him and his assistants made sure BC was never considered to be bottom feeders. BC has America East and Ivy league players on their roster. low-Mid Major schools are even landing McDonalds AA and Donahue can't even secure a top 150

Skinner never landed a McDonalds AA at BC. Also Tyler Roche, Shamari Spears and Dallas Elmore were "America East players" not to mention the list of complete swing and misses. 2009 happened.

This team is a "bottom feeder" because of the transition, not because of the coach. If it is a bottom feeder next year again, it will be because of the coach.

[MilitantEagle]

I bet if Cooley or Skinner was coaching this team BC would land better recruits and have more fan support. Say what you want about the Skinner but him and his assistants made sure BC was never considered to be bottom feeders. BC has America East and Ivy league players on their roster. low-Mid Major schools are even landing McDonalds AA and Donahue can't even secure a top 150

Skinner never landed a McDonalds AA at BC. Also Tyler Roche, Shamari Spears and Dallas Elmore were "America East players" not to mention the list of complete swing and misses. 2009 happened.

This team is a "bottom feeder" because of the transition, not because of the coach. If it is a bottom feeder next year again, it will be because of the coach.

I am going to cut Donahue some slack next year too. I think middle of the pack is best case scenario, but we will still have the least talent in the ACC. But getting legit guards (Hanlan and Rahon) will be a big help.

[eagle9903]

I bet if Cooley or Skinner was coaching this team BC would land better recruits and have more fan support. Say what you want about the Skinner but him and his assistants made sure BC was never considered to be bottom feeders. BC has America East and Ivy league players on their roster. low-Mid Major schools are even landing McDonalds AA and Donahue can't even secure a top 150

Skinner never landed a McDonalds AA at BC. Also Tyler Roche, Shamari Spears and Dallas Elmore were "America East players" not to mention the list of complete swing and misses. 2009 happened.

This team is a "bottom feeder" because of the transition, not because of the coach. If it is a bottom feeder next year again, it will be because of the coach.

I am going to cut Donahue some slack next year too. I think middle of the pack is best case scenario, but we will still have the least talent in the ACC. But getting legit guards (Hanlan and Rahon) will be a big help.

I expect .500 or better next year, or I will be down on Donahue. I also expect a return to like .800+ at least in the OOC games.

[781]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

[claver2010]

It's been this way since forever. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. We get a handful of students each game and there is more energy at high school basketball games. It's not a big time environment.

It has not been that way since forever; during the Bell-Smith-Dudley period a few years ago, student attendance was good -- not sensational, but good. What has been true for a long time is that BC has relied on finding under-the-radar talent (like Bell, Smith, Dudley, and ). This is becoming harder as recruiting becomes progressively more thorough, ferreting out every high school player in the country with a scrap of talent. At the same time, it seems that a combination of nerdification, an increased selection of amusements, and perhaps pressure from reduced job opportunities is pushing down attendance. There's some cold consolation in the fact that this isn't just BC's problem; to hear that Duke is steadily losing its Cameron Crazies is very nice, but Schadenfreude won't help in dealing with the problems. If the trustees and the administration don't want BC athletics to become an embarrassment, they're going to have to raise their game, because the ACC, with all its big state universities, is a more demanding athletic environment than the Big East was.

My freshman year (Dudley's senior year) there was more energy surrounding than any other of the 3 major sports at BC. Lottery day was huge as a ton of kids were pissed they didn't get any tickets at all (I lucked out and got full sesason as a freshman and had a line around my door trying to buy them). You had to get to ACC games 45 minutes early or else you were relegated to the red seats.

My sophomore year it simply fell of a cliff, instantly.

[eepstein0]

I bet if Cooley or Skinner was coaching this team BC would land better recruits and have more fan support. Say what you want about the Skinner but him and his assistants made sure BC was never considered to be bottom feeders. BC has America East and Ivy league players on their roster. low-Mid Major schools are even landing McDonalds AA and Donahue can't even secure a top 150

Better recruits, more fan support and the same shitty coaching, lazy play and CYO Offense. We're taking a step back to take 2 steps forward with Donahue.

[eepstein0]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

If you think BC is landing Nerlens Noel type players under any coach, you're simply nuts.

[eagle9903]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

You don't think Dennis Clifford would have been a MAJOR contributor from day one if he stepped on to the 2003 team that Craig Smith did? I'm not saying he would be as much of a contributor as Smith, but I'm pretty damn sure he'd give you more than sophomore Nate Doornekamp did.

Al has 3 players in the league right now(Dudley, Smith, Jackson) and had I believe two more that are no longer there(Bell, Williams). He coached at BC for 13 years. His first NBA player was drafted in 2003, 6 years into his career, but probably more importantly stepped on to campus in 1999 in Al's third recruiting class. I believe Clifford will probably get at least a cup of coffee in the NBA, if he remains healthy.

I wish Brady Heslip was in a BC uniform. However, I don't believe he would be a major difference maker as he and Lonnie Jackson have a similar skill set and I'm not sure how many minutes they could play together.

I'm pretty sure the extent of this staff's recruiting efforts are well documented favorably.

Finally, Al won 12 BigEast games in his first three years and 32 overall. Discounting last years season for donahue(as it's not fair since it was all Skinner's players as its not really a good comparison to use 1997-98 since it had mostly JOB players, so I think this season is more comparable to 1998-99), Donahue has 2 ACC games and 7 overall wins, 1998-99 Skinner had 3 Bigeast wins and 8 wins overall. That's nearly a mirror image.

[Hunta518]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

[781]

Coach Jones(Who beat BC by the way) in his first year at a America East school lands a top 100 recruit. Donahue in his 2nd year at a ACC school still hasn't made noise on the recruiting trail and this ok?

[MilitantEagle]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

Smith and Dudley had zero PAC-10 offers. Dudley was on his way to SDSU until Coleman de-committed from BC in August. But with *** *******, I think we beat out Arizona, among others. Somebody will have to confirm that one, but I'm pretty sure he had legitimate interest from top programs.

[DavidGordonsFoot]

I hate eepstein's posting style but he's dead on here. Why would any likely one-and-done player want to go to BC where it is right now?

a) I hate eepstein's posting style, too.
2) A one-and-done player is never going to want to come to BC because whoever the coach is will pitch recruits hard on academics, and that won't strike a chord with a kid who's been told he's a lock to get drafted as soon as he's eligible. You can counter this argument with a school like Georgetown, but BC doesn't have the history, atmosphere, and track record of getting players drafted that the head coach at Georgetown can pitch to recruits.

[cvilleagle]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

two more that are no longer there(Bell, Williams).

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks

[781]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

Reggie Jackson(OKC) *** *******(Dallas) were top 150 recruits

[MilitantEagle]

I hate eepstein's posting style but he's dead on here. Why would any likely one-and-done player want to go to BC where it is right now?

a) I hate eepstein's posting style, too.
2) A one-and-done player is never going to want to come to BC because whoever the coach is will pitch recruits hard on academics, and that won't strike a chord with a kid who's been told he's a lock to get drafted as soon as he's eligible. You can counter this argument with a school like Georgetown, but BC doesn't have the history, atmosphere, and track record of getting players drafted that a school like Georgetown does.

Our only hope is if Donahue has success, is perceived to be a basketball genius and recruits believe they can improve their game greatly under his tutelage (and BC starts selling out its smallish arena).

[eagle9903]

Coach Jones(Who beat BC by the way) in his first year at a America East school lands a top 100 recruit. Donahue in his 2nd year at a ACC school still hasn't made noise on the recruiting trail and this ok?

yes, so long as the team wins more games than it loses next year I am perfectly fine with the way recruiting has gone so far.

[eagle9903]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

two more that are no longer there(Bell, Williams).

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks

I thought he got shipped down the NBDL again a few weeks after he puked on the bench. Is he back up again?

[eagle9903]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

Reggie Jackson(OKC) *** *******(Dallas) were top 150 recruits

First one in year 7 and second in what 10 or 11? apples and oranges.

[Hunta518]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

Reggie Jackson(OKC) *** *******(Dallas) were top 150 recruits

Yeah you mean **** ******** of the Texas Legends

[eepstein0]

But Skinner did land top 150 recruits and players that could step in and be a MAJOR contributor from day 1. I don't need to list the recruiting classes skinner brought in cause you can catch a couple of his players on TNT, ESPN... Brady Heslip should be in a BC uniform instead look what he's doing for BC. I would hope that some of you come out to the big Prep tournament in R.I. this weekend and see how BC coaches don't even show up sometimes.

yeah and those players you see on ESPN and TNT weren't top 150, world beater recruits. Dudley was a last second find and Smith had to prep a year but still had decent offers, revisionist history

Reggie Jackson(OKC) *** *******(Dallas) were top 150 recruits

The Skinner teams with Reggie Jackson sucked. In 3 years, they went a whopping 19-29 in the ACC with an absolutely mauling from USC in 1 Round in the only NCAA Tournament appearance. We also brought in the "World Beater" class of Southern, Sanders, Paris and Raji. Those teams blew as well. The best results they got were under the current coach.

Once we start winning, the recruiting will follow.