2016 Recruit Watch

[GOCAT15]

MJ says that Wynyard is way below Humphries and that the issue with Bolden has mostly to do with (1) his mom wants Duke, and (2) nobody they've spoken to in Lexington thinks they're going to get him.

Says that almost every time people in Lexington know beforehand that they're going to get a player. Can only think of one instance--Wiltjer--where it kind of came out of the blue.

Finishes by saying that he has no concrete information either way and that nobody he's spoken to has explicitly said Bolden to Duke.

Let's just hope the kid makes the decision on his own and not because what a family member wants. Everybody said how much Stephen Zimmermans mom loved Cal, but he still picked UNLV, so who knows. I'm sure this is a stressful week for him though with the Kentucky and Duke boys in his ear all week.

[George]

MJ says that Wynyard is way below Humphries and that the issue with Bolden has mostly to do with (1) his mom wants Duke, and (2) nobody they've spoken to in Lexington thinks they're going to get him.

Says that almost every time people in Lexington know beforehand that they're going to get a player. Can only think of one instance--Wiltjer--where it kind of came out of the blue.

Finishes by saying that he has no concrete information either way and that nobody he's spoken to has explicitly said Bolden to Duke.

The whole Wynyard situation is so weird. I kind of wonder if he'll ever play at all.

[justford]

What would be his mom's reasoning for him to attend Duke? She likes K over Cal? Look at Cal's track record with big men going to the NBA. Just hard to understand why she prefers Duke.

[Joneslab]

The whole Wynyard situation is so weird. I kind of wonder if he'll ever play at all.

I'm as leery of "He's a bust" comments as I am "He's awesome!" sort of posts, but I've always thought Cal may have felt like the roster was going to be so depleted he knew he'd need a big body, so he went after Wynyard. When it was apparent that Wynyard wouldn't get here until December and that Humphries would be available, he brought in Humphries.

If he had to do it again he'd probably not bring them both on, but I genuinely think he was concerned about size--especially girth--for practice purposes. I don't think Cal wants to get stuck in a situation like 2011 again, where we basically didn't have enough to run a practice.

[George]

I'm as leery of "He's a bust" comments as I am "He's awesome!" sort of posts, but I've always thought Cal may have felt like the roster was going to be so depleted he knew he'd need a big body, so he went after Wynyard. When it was apparent that Wynyard wouldn't get here until December and that Humphries would be available, he brought in Humphries.

If he had to do it again he'd probably not bring them both on, but I genuinely think he was concerned about size--especially girth--for practice purposes. I don't think Cal wants to get stuck in a situation like 2011 again, where we basically didn't have enough to run a practice.

I think it goes beyond "bust" with Wynyard. I'm not even convinced that Cal expects him to ever set foot on the court. Tough to call the kid a bust when he may not have been brought in to play. I'm going off of something Matt Jones implied one day on the radio, too. Not just me grasping for straws.

[GOCAT15]

Ben Roberts just asked duke signee Jayson Tatum about Bolden and Tatum said " I don't think anybody has an edge right now"

[Joneslab]

Evan Daniels on Bolden: "As of today, I don't think he knows where he's going."

Could be some indecision regarding Capel possibly leaving Duke.

[Matt Dillon]

If Bolden is that high on Capel, is there any chance he follows him to his new school?

[Joneslab]

If Bolden is that high on Capel, is there any chance he follows him to his new school?

He put TCU on his list because of Jamie Dixon, but it seems like he wants to make a decision here in the next couple of weeks. When asked if he was going to wait until mid-April yesterday he said, "That's really late."

To add a new school this late in the game would probably mean a visit, and more time, so it's hard to imagine that he'd do that.

But you never know with 18-year-old kids.

[KevinHall]

If Bolden wanted to follow Capel to Vandy his grades would have to be up their standards. I have no idea what kind of student he is. If you remember Ron Mercer was going to follow a friend (can't remember his name now) of his to Vandy but couldn't qualify to get into school. So Vandy may not work for Bolden.

[George]

If Bolden wanted to follow Capel to Vandy his grades would have to be up their standards. I have no idea what kind of student he is. If you remember Ron Mercer was going to follow a friend (can't remember his name now) of his to Vandy but couldn't qualify to get into school. So Vandy may not work for Bolden.

I can't imagine that Duke would work but Vandy wouldn't. They're peer institutions on the academic level.

[KevinHall]

I can't imagine that Duke would work but Vandy wouldn't. They're peer institutions on the academic level.

I don't know their qualifications but I don't remember ever a Duke recruit being turned down for academics. But there have been a few for Vandy over the years.

[George]

I don't know their qualifications but I don't remember ever a Duke recruit being turned down for academics. But there have been a few for Vandy over the years.

That's a good, yet strange, point, because they're most definitely academic equals. But, you're right. Duke's athletic programs don't seem to hold players to the same standard as Vandy.

[Pobilly]

Everyone is all over the place on this one just like Noel and Jones. Will be interesting to see what happens.

[Joneslab]

That's a good, yet strange, point, because they're most definitely academic equals. But, you're right. Duke's athletic programs don't seem to hold players to the same standard as Vandy.

My wife was college roomates one year with a girl from New Mexico. This girl's good friend was former Duke big man Taymon Domzalski. (I know, really random connection.)

Domzalski was like the valedictorian of his high school or something. She told me once that most of the fringe players at Duke were extremely good students. Even some of the guys who played. But the top guys generally would be just marginal.

I'm not sure how they pull it off, but I'd say they have a baseline for most athletes. The baseline is probably some kind of combination of grades, test scores, and experience-based stuff, and these basketball players--many of whom have traveled all over the United States and the world playing--probably get in that way.