BYU Basketball gets nation’s #1 recruit

[mikbone]

https://apple.news/A9XDp0AmPRwegNBFlIDkmUw

 

There is a bunch on $ in NCAA sports today.

Football data:

The biggest stars, guided by business mentors and school-provided financial advice, have cashed in. As of Aug. 29, On3 ranked Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders as the star of the current NIL market with a whopping $4.7 million valuation, including a sequel to his father's Nike deal. The site estimates that each of the 20 players at the top of its list are worth a minimum of $1 million. And by the same calculation, even the 100th-ranked athlete was worth $583,000.

This will obviously bring some excitement to BYU basketball.  I’ll be watching.

Edited December 10, 2024 by mikbone

[Vort]

We'll see if it actually happens. If it does, I dearly hope AJ finds the BYU environment a good fit. I love BYU, flat out love it, but not everyone belongs there.

[LDSGator]

I’m not saying BYU has never had good basketball players-but aren’t they more of a football school? 

[Traveler]

59 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

I’m not saying BYU has never had good basketball players-but aren’t they more of a football school? 

BYU has a longer richer history of basketball.  But we need to remember that during most of BYU’s history the Church membership was less than 2 million.  Not until recently, beginning with Lavel Edwards (my lifetime), did BYU even have two consecutive winning seasons in football.

 

The Traveler

[LDSGator]

12 minutes ago, Traveler said:

BYU has a longer richer history of basketball.  But we need to remember that during most of BYU’s history the Church membership was less than 2 million.  Not until recently, beginning with Lavel Edwards (my lifetime), did BYU even have two consecutive winning seasons in football.

 

The Traveler

 Never knew that. Thanks! 

[Vort]

12 minutes ago, Traveler said:

BYU has a longer richer history of basketball.  But we need to remember that during most of BYU’s history the Church membership was less than 2 million.  Not until recently, beginning with Lavel Edwards (my lifetime), did BYU even have two consecutive winning seasons in football.

Under the legendary coach Stan Watts, BYU was a national name in basketball. Our luminaries back then included the fantastic Kresimir Cosic, maybe the best basketball player that no one outside of BYU remembers. Cosic could easily have played in the NBA. Our team in the early '80s with Danny Ainge was Final Four caliber. Back in the ancient days when the NIT was the premier postseason tournament and the NCAA tourney was an also-ran, BYU featured prominently among NIT schools.

We have had some very good teams in the past few decades, but I don't think we've managed even a Sweet Sixteen appearance in that time except with the team that had Jimmer Fredette. Now that was a great team. Sadly, the starting center was suspended from the team for honor code violations right at tourney time, and BYU didn't get past the Sweet 16. BYU is not currently a basketball powerhouse, but it is a very good team. Beating BYU is no mean feat, and losing to BYU is no disgrace.

Now that BYU is a member of the Big 12 athletic conference, which is certainly the nation's premier basketball conference, I expect things will improve for us in the coming years. We have the Marriott Center, an enormous basketball arena (19,000), tenth-largest (I believe) collegiate arena in the country and certainly at or near the top among private schools.

[LDSGator]

All news to me. Wow. 

[LDSGator]

When I think of BYU atheltes I generally think of Qb’s like Steve Young, McMahon, Detmer…great players. 

[LDSGator]

On 12/10/2024 at 3:30 PM, Vort said:

Now that BYU is a member of the Big 12 athletic conference, which is certainly the nation's premier basketball conference

You don’t think it’s the ACC? With Duke, North Carolina, Virginia…

[Vort]

11 hours ago, LDSGator said:

On 12/10/2024 at 12:30 PM, Vort said:

Now that BYU is a member of the Big 12 athletic conference, which is certainly the nation's premier basketball conference

You don’t think it’s the ACC? With Duke, North Carolina, Virginia…

What?! How DARE you!

[LDSGator]

6 minutes ago, Vort said:

What?! How DARE you!

There’s only one conference I care about.  Shockingly, it’s the SEC 

[LDSGator]

@Vort

You and I both think Hakeem is a better center than Ewing, and people probably agree with us. I’m not saying otherwise. This video makes the excellent point that Ewing has a sadly forgotten legacy. 

We’re both fans of old school NBA, thought I’d post this. Of course all the great ones gave each other problems but Ewing really made Hakeem, Shaq, Robinson etc work for it 
 

 
 

Edited December 15, 2024 by LDSGator

[Vort]

I actually thought at the time that Ewing was at least somewhat overrated. Today, I tend to think that Ewing was, not underrated, exactly, but probably underappreciated. The guy exemplified (and perhaps constituted) the blue-collar, lunchpail-toting wing of the elite NBA centers, occasionally flashy but consistently reliable, a true workhorse. He was the 5 version of Karl Malone's, and perhaps to some extent Charles Barkley's, 4. Such people were fun to watch, not so much because of their Jordanesque prowess, but because they Reliably Got The Job Done.

Edited December 15, 2024 by Vort

[LDSGator]

7 minutes ago, Vort said:

I actually thought at the time that Ewing was at least somewhat overrated. Today, I tend to think that Ewing was, not underrated, exactly, but probably underappreciated. The guy exemplified (and perhaps constituted) the blue-collar, lunchpail-toting wing of the elite NBA centers, occasionally flashy but consistently reliable, a true workhorse.

Totally fair assessment. 

[Vort]

After watching that video, I wonder if I didn't suffer from the reverse of East Coast Bias. Maybe I just didn't see Ewing enough to realize what a monster talent he really was. It was obvious even to me that he was among the elite NBA centers at a time when NBA centers were dominant.

[LDSGator]

It’s understandable-I’m an East Coast guy and I think East Coast bias absolutely exists. 

[LDSGator]

So, speaking of basketball. 

Tickets were going for 88$ in the nosebleed section for a recent game. Insane! 

[mikbone]

6 games left before the big dance.  

If we take 4 of 6 we are in.

Or if we beat Kansas tonight.

I’ll be watching.

[mikbone]

BYU 91, Kansas 57

Ouch

[LDSGator]

11 minutes ago, mikbone said:

BYU 91, Kansas 57

Ouch

Complete domination. 

[Vort]

Kansas, both the state and the city, are having some heartbreaks in February sports.

[mikbone]

 

[mikbone]

Huge win!!

Arizona was ranked #19

Just upset 2 top 25 teams in a row.

4W streak.

“Keep stacking days.”

Edited February 23 by mikbone

[Vort]

9 hours ago, mikbone said:

Huge win!!

Arizona was ranked #19

Just upset 2 top 25 teams in a row.

4W streak.

“Keep stacking days.”

Hostile venue. Great win.

[mirkwood]

Terrible call at the end.