2014 Recruiting

DoubleDipper wrote:
I don’t know if Tot will commit to UP, but if he’s any good at math, I doubt he’ll commit to Lehigh.

Um... You do know that Lehigh is known as the Engineers, right?
Not a reference to Casey Jones.

Three, William and Mary is one school.

DTLegend wrote:Three, William and Mary is one school.

Killjoy.

DTLegend wrote:Three, William and Mary is one school.

I was really hoping someone was going to pile on and say "actually, Tot's up to six offers now. Lewis & Clark both offered as well."

But, yeah. Killjoy

At the risk of killing yet more joy regarding recruiting, note, which I am sure some of you have, that our recruits are the 2nd lowest rated recruits in the WCC, per Verbal Commits. I agree that such ratings may, when applied to individual players, be off, but when applied to a range of recruits and when averaging a number of recruiting services, they mean something.

Perhaps the rating differences explain why the Pilots fortunes have dipped, more so than on-court schemes or failing to have exactly the right sense of optimism. I am uncertain of the sample size but I assume it applies to 2014 recruits. Zag recruits rated nearly a full star higher than Pilot recruits . . .oy vey. If the numbers approximate trends over the last few years, which they likely do, then it provides some indication that those believing we are due for a highly successful year may want to be cautious in their own optimism.

Obviously Reveno has in the past had success notwithstanding having lower rated recruits, but it is an indication that the starting line is not the same for WCC member schools/coaches.

Pacific Tigers 2.103 pacifictigers
Portland Pilots        2.077 portlandpilots
Brigham Young C      2.756 byucougars
San Francisco Dons 2.192 usfdons
Saint Mary's Gaels 2.458 smcgaels
Pepperdine Waves 2.218 pepperdinesports
San Diego Toreros 2.051 usdtoreros
Santa Clara Broncos 2.256 santaclarabroncos
Loyola Marymount 2.346 lmulions
Gonzaga Bulldogs 3.061 gozags - See more at: http://verbalcommits.com/conferences#sthash.7alwPr7w.dpuf

Eric Reveno‏@CoachReveno  16 Sep
Cleared immigration, waiting for luggage at baggage claim and need to set a record to downtown hotel.  Workout in 8 hrs and need sleep.

Eric Reveno‏@CoachReveno  16 Sep
On train to see 2015 commitment...

Eric Reveno‏@CoachReveno 44m
Great trip started worrying about "commitment/miles traveled" ratio.

I can see why Rev is a little concerned as he's literally flying around the world on this recruiting trip.

From the US West Coast to the East Coast to Austria to Australia.....one can only hope the coach is not flying coach all those miles. 

wrv wrote:At the risk of killing yet more joy regarding recruiting, note, which I am sure some of you have, that our recruits are the 2nd lowest rated recruits in the WCC, per Verbal Commits. I agree that such ratings may, when applied to individual players, be off, but when applied to a range of recruits and when averaging a number of recruiting services, they mean something.

Perhaps the rating differences explain why the Pilots fortunes have dipped, more so than on-court schemes or failing to have exactly the right sense of optimism. I am uncertain of the sample size but I assume it applies to 2014 recruits. Zag recruits rated nearly a full star higher than Pilot recruits . . .oy vey. If the numbers approximate trends over the last few years, which they likely do, then it provides some indication that those believing we are due for a highly successful year may want to be cautious in their own optimism.

Obviously Reveno has in the past had success notwithstanding having lower rated recruits, but it is an indication that the starting line is not the same for WCC member schools/coaches.

Pacific Tigers 2.103 pacifictigers
Portland Pilots        2.077 portlandpilots
Brigham Young C      2.756 byucougars
San Francisco Dons 2.192 usfdons
Saint Mary's Gaels 2.458 smcgaels
Pepperdine Waves 2.218 pepperdinesports
San Diego Toreros 2.051 usdtoreros
Santa Clara Broncos 2.256 santaclarabroncos
Loyola Marymount 2.346 lmulions
Gonzaga Bulldogs 3.061 gozags - See more at: http://verbalcommits.com/conferences#sthash.7alwPr7w.dpuf

A lot of those recruits are unrated and might actually never been rated by any site. I think that 2 stars is the just the default rating they give which pulls our average down. Similarly, ESPN rates every recruit a 40/100 before they actually take a look at them. If you look, many of the current players status has not changed especially the European ones.

I was really hoping someone was going to pile on and say "actually, Tot's up to six offers now. Lewis & Clark both offered as well."

But, yeah. Killjoy

Haha, sorry I didn't mean to be a killjoy. Sorry about that

As for the ranking of our recruits I have no issue with Verbal Commits rankings as they are a compilation of sites, and there are a lot of recruits who don't get the analyzed. Portland's chances of getting a top recruit that is well known is small. The person who has the most riding on these recruits is Rev, and he's trusting that these guys can get it done.

From everything I've heard, Todd and Vincent are high character guys who can play. In addition Rev is adding some much needed balance to these classes. He has a 2015 PG, a 2014 SG, a 2014 PF and it seems like the next target is Tot, a 2014 6-6 PG.

As discussed before, the next target for 2014 has to be a big unless there already is a commitment from one.

But basically I've been happy with the guys targeted this recruiting period. I think there are a few on the "Verbal Commits" List that aren't as appealing as others but really believe that the next four seasons, will be better than the previous four

wrv wrote:At the risk of killing yet more joy regarding recruiting, note, which I am sure some of you have, that our recruits are the 2nd lowest rated recruits in the WCC, per Verbal Commits. I agree that such ratings may, when applied to individual players, be off, but when applied to a range of recruits and when averaging a number of recruiting services, they mean something.

The "average stars" is the average recruiting ranking of all players on the current roster. Yes, it's a basic tool and it does roughly mirror the standings of the conference, but it reflects how players were ranked as 16-year-olds or 17-year-olds (which may be 3, 4, or more years ago).

If all we're looking at is stars from the 2014 class, then you could make the exact same post about at least six other WCC schools (Gonzaga, BYU, and possibly USF excepted). Everyone else is all 2, 2.3, or 2.5 stars - with heavy emphasis on the 2 stars, which as mentioned is just the VC default.

If 2 stars is a default it does not undermine the fundamental point: the starting line, player size, talent, skill, etc., is quite different for different institutions, and the same is true in the WCC. Nothing remarkable about that revelation. It may be likely that the difference is more pronounced than the default system at Verbal Commits reflects.

That does not mean that the Pilots cannot have success, only that there are significant hurdles to overcome to get to the promised land, the NCAA tournament.

wrv wrote:That does not mean that the Pilots cannot have success, only that there are significant hurdles to overcome to get to the promised land, the NCAA tournament.

Oh, absolutely.

Gonzaga's at the level where they're going to be in serious consideration from the 4-stars (see Perkins, Melson). There's players out there that could have the same potential as these guys, but it's a matter of unearthing them (there's the significant hurdle you are alluding to) and Rev's world tour over the last week is a testament to that.

wrv wrote:At the risk of killing yet more joy regarding recruiting, note, which I am sure some of you have, that our recruits are the 2nd lowest rated recruits in the WCC, per Verbal Commits. I agree that such ratings may, when applied to individual players, be off, but when applied to a range of recruits and when averaging a number of recruiting services, they mean something.

Perhaps the rating differences explain why the Pilots fortunes have dipped, more so than on-court schemes or failing to have exactly the right sense of optimism. I am uncertain of the sample size but I assume it applies to 2014 recruits. Zag recruits rated nearly a full star higher than Pilot recruits . . .oy vey. If the numbers approximate trends over the last few years, which they likely do, then it provides some indication that those believing we are due for a highly successful year may want to be cautious in their own optimism.

Obviously Reveno has in the past had success notwithstanding having lower rated recruits, but it is an indication that the starting line is not the same for WCC member schools/coaches.

Pacific Tigers 2.103 pacifictigers
Portland Pilots        2.077 portlandpilots
Brigham Young C      2.756 byucougars
San Francisco Dons 2.192 usfdons
Saint Mary's Gaels 2.458 smcgaels
Pepperdine Waves 2.218 pepperdinesports
San Diego Toreros 2.051 usdtoreros
Santa Clara Broncos 2.256 santaclarabroncos
Loyola Marymount 2.346 lmulions
Gonzaga Bulldogs 3.061 gozags - See more at: http://verbalcommits.com/conferences#sthash.7alwPr7w.dpuf

But the ratings don't always pan out the way people think. We were one of the only schools interested in Nicholas, and look at the player he has turned in to. As of today, BYU and Gonzaga are the only WCC schools that can regularly recruit at a National level. But I think the overall recruiting of the WCC is getting stronger--and that includes Portland. ESPN is helping. We are all getting a few more games that our recruits can watch, no matter where they are. I actually think TheW.tv will help too. The more potential recruits can see you, the better. When it comes down to a school like LBSU, New Mexico State, or Portland, the player might be more likely to choose Portland because of the exposure.

DeanMurdoch wrote:Add another 2014 SF to the list. Pilots have offered Temidayo Yussuf (Alameda, CA) along with LMU, Long Beach State, and Northridge.

This kid is now one of my favourites...if you creep him out on Twitter his cover picture is Will Smith playing Baseball Stars on the original Nintendo. Respect!!

Yussuf is OFF the board after committing verbally to Long Beach St.

With more and more recruits coming off the board, other recruits are being pushed to realize they'd better make a decision before it’s too late and they have to take "what's left."

This weekend there are at least 70 to 80 recruits making official and unofficial visits in an attempt to narrow down those tough choices about college.  Unless the rules have changed (again), only seniors are allowed to make official visits this time of year, high school juniors can make official visits after January 1.

One of those lining up a ton of unofficial visits is UP recruit Juwan Anderson from O’Dowd HS in Oakland....a kid who has come on strong of late, but a guy I think UP has NO chance of landing.  With a UP offer in hand, he's decided to reclassify as a junior this year and attend prep school next year after his high school graduation to garner more attention and improve his game.

We’ve just gotta hope that some recruit that is still on the fence finds a lot to like about UP in the coming weeks.

Obviously the Pilots have also signed a number of recruits, if not the majority of them, during the spring signing period. It would be interesting to chart the Portland signing dates and compare the performance of the early and late period signees. It might also shed some light on the ratings by the various services, because, I suspect, there is a direct and statistically significant correlation between the rating of a recruit and their willingness to sign early. If late signees outperform early signees . . .well then.

For this year, we may already have our players for the early signing period, with Waldo Reveno taking yet more trips to overcome the imbalance in available recruits.

DeanMurdoch wrote:Offer showed up on Verbal Commits this morning to 2014 C Jon Galloway! 6-10, 225 out of Salesian in Richmond, CA. 3 stars on Scout, 2 from ESPN.

Galloway visited Montana this weekend. Official visits also coming to UC Irvine and Cal Poly. Anyone know anything about this guy or the chances of getting him up here for a visit?

Hmm, seems like we've been saying this.....it's got to be the right fit.

Eric Reveno‏@CoachReveno
If tweet about prospects (even your kid), do you really want to emphasize quantity of offers?  Like marriage proposals really about quality.

Eric Reveno‏@CoachReveno
Should guide prospect to see recruiting process about finding right fit not counting offers. Figure out whats best for them, not hit # goal

After long and careful study, though I remain cautious on the subject, I cannot help but suspect that our esteemed coach reads these posts on occassion and retorts in the form of an occassional oblique email. We may be unable to discern quality offers over quantity but it isn't for lack of trying coach: more hints from those in the know would be helpful . . .whomever that may be.

I'm not "in the know" but I am sure that Coach Reveno isn't referring to us.

If I am understanding him correctly, he's not a fan of prospective student-athletes using amount of scholarship offers as a measuring stick for...well, whatever. As a measuring stick against others, or as a measuring stick for how hot of a D1 commodity you are.

Rev's point is that it's the quality of offers that should be the measuring stick - if you're a kid from Hillsboro, would you rather have 2 outstanding offers from Oregon and Portland or 10 outstanding offers from Grambling State, New Orleans, Lamar, Maryland Eastern Shore, Binghamton, Furman, Mississippi Valley State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Alabama A&M, and The Citadel?

First post, we'll see what happens from here.  Yes, Jason is my son, yep he's a great kid and without question I'm biased.  I don't plan on contributing much to these forums, rather enjoy the banter back and forth. Our family is humbled to be a part of UP - our visit was great, the academic support, coaches and players were awesome and we couldn't be more proud that Jason has a chance to represent the school in 2014-15 and beyond.

With our other son playing ball at Seattle Pacific, we have a lot of hoops to look forward to this year.  That's also my excuse for not contributing much to Pilot Nation!

I will say regarding qty. of offers, from my experience not only with Jason but our other two children, our only goal was that hopefully the right school came along.  It was never about # of offers.  In the end, for us, two schools fit that academically and athletically.  We felt very fortunate and in the end, I know Jason made a great call.

Good luck to the Pilots this year!

Welcome to PilotNation, Mr. Todd.....sorry, you probably consider your dad to be Mr. Todd....so, welcome Jason's dad, or as you are likely be referred to here: KT!

I'm sure you've seen from our recent posts we are very pleased that your son has chosen UP....not just because of his athletic ability, but because most of us think the UP community and education is unparalleled…..and your son will be enriched by his UP experience for the rest of his life.

By NCAA regulation we are not allowed to communicate with your son in any manner until he is actually attending classes at UP.....so for now, I'll just say I hope he has a fun senior year and hits the books and the hardwood hard as he preps for college.  We look forward to reading more from you on PN from time-to-time in the coming year…..

Oh, and give us an update on Seattle Pacific’s season once in awhile.  We were extremely disappointed that Jake Ehlers left UP for Seattle Pacific after his freshman year….we believe he loved UP, but think he found it to be a bit more of a struggle than he expected in the classroom and on the court.

DeanMurdoch wrote:I'm not "in the know" but I am sure that Coach Reveno isn't referring to us.

If I am understanding him correctly, he's not a fan of prospective student-athletes using amount of scholarship offers as a measuring stick for...well, whatever. As a measuring stick against others, or as a measuring stick for how hot of a D1 commodity you are.

Rev's point is that it's the quality of offers that should be the measuring stick - if you're a kid from Hillsboro, would you rather have 2 outstanding offers from Oregon and Portland or 10 outstanding offers from Grambling State, New Orleans, Lamar, Maryland Eastern Shore, Binghamton, Furman, Mississippi Valley State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Alabama A&M, and The Citadel?

Dont know about most of those schools, but you can get a great education at Dickinson...

Some of the best fly fishing on the planet on the Yellow Breeches, too.

DeanMurdoch wrote:I'm not "in the know" but I am sure that Coach Reveno isn't referring to us.

If I am understanding him correctly, he's not a fan of prospective student-athletes using amount of scholarship offers as a measuring stick for...well, whatever. As a measuring stick against others, or as a measuring stick for how hot of a D1 commodity you are.

Ha-ha, yea, I would hope Coach Rev is using his time better than to reply to any of our posts……

It does get pretty silly the way some of the high school/prep school coaches count the number of offers to one of their players as if a big number were a positive reflection on his entire program.  There are exceptions, but it would seem most of the recruits seem to be pretty level-headed in this regard though, because they have parents like KT who have the bigger "life" picture, and realize the quality of their kid's education and experience far outweighs how many offers he's received.

Geezaldinho wrote:Dont know about most of those schools, but you can get a great education at Dickinson...

Some of the best fly fishing on the planet on the Yellow Breeches, too.

Yeah, yeah, I just picked the worst 10 teams in the RPI from last year.

Should have known one of you lot would be familiar with at least one of them

DeanMurdoch wrote:Yeah, yeah, I just picked the worst 10 teams in the RPI from last year.

Should have known one of you lot would be familiar with at least one of them

Not surprising that Maryland-Eastern Shore is on the list.  Former UP coach Rob Chavez coached there one year after a very successful tenure at Chemeketa Community College (and before UP), but found the whole atmosphere and attitude there to be a very difficult place to succeed in.

(Rob was the last UP coach to take the Pilots to the NCAA tournament…..it was in 1996 after winning the WCC Tournament and getting an automatic bid).