Golden Nuggets for 11.13.08

by PJS on Nov 13, 2008 3:00 AM CST in Golden Nuggets

Via Jerry Tipton's UK basketball blog I learned last night that Tubby Smith will be a featured guest on ESPN's recruiting show on tap for Friday.

Here's the release:

The ESPNU College Basketball Signing Day Special will be televised Friday, Nov. 14, from 4 - 6 p.m. ET during college basketball’s early signing day period, which begins today (Wednesday, Nov. 12). The program will showcase several men’s college basketball coaches and top basketball recruits from the ESPNU 100 player rankings. ESPNU anchor Lowell Galindo will be joined in studio by ESPN Scouts Inc. basketball recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi, who will provide in-depth analysis of top recruits and recruiting classes from around the country. Special guest players will include No. 1 Xavier Henry, SG (Putnam City H.S., Oklahoma City, Okla.), No. 3 John Henson, PF (Sickles H.S., Tampa Fla.), No. 14 Abdul Gaddy, PG (Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma, Wash.) and No. 30 Michael Snaer, SG (Rancho Verde H.S., Moreno Ranch, Calif.), who will announce his college decision between UCLA, Kansas, Missouri, Florida State and Marquette. Coach Tubby Smith (Minnesota) and coach Jay Wright (Villanova) will also make appearances.

This may seem like a small thing, and maybe it is, but I don't remember the Minnesota basketball program getting this type of national attention, since, well Jan Ganglehoff. This has also got to annoy some of the UK Tubby haters who said he couldn't recruit. Somehow I doubt ESPN would have Tubby on their recruiting show if he couldn't recruit.

And why is Tubby getting this attention? Well, Scout recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi had this to say about Tubby's recruiting class on an ESPN chat.

I love Tubby's class. It's filled with athleticism, size and skill. This is a Top 20 class. I'd be very excited if I was a Gopher fan.

Tim Brewster and Bret Bielema apparently don't like one another very much. Good. Better dead ....
Shocker! Apparently the Gophers need others to step up offensively while Eric Decker is out. This is total crazy talk.
The Wisconsin State Journal (courtesy of the BTN) has more on the emerging dislike between Brewster and Bielema. They article also chronicles all that was last year's trash-talk filled bout.
Myron Medcalf at the STrib put together a feature piece on Minnesota recruit Royce White.
Now this I like to hear. Joel Maturi and company are trying to convince the NCAA to bring the FInal Four to Minneapolis in 2014, 2015 or 2016.

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Comments

Tubby And Recruiting

He always was a good recruiter.

Top 15 classes at Georgia in 1996 and 1997.

class at UK in 2004. Top 5 classes in 1998 and 1999. Top 10 classes in 2000 and 2001. Top 15 classes in 2002 and 2006. Top 20 class in 2003. Only missed in 2005 (NR class) when he signed the #1 JuCo forward and a 7-footer (over NCAA finalists UNC and Illinois).

by FortyYearCatFan on Nov 13, 2008 6:01 AM CST reply actions

Yes, we get it

I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but dude, we’ve got it. Posting it 1201820987 times doesn’t make it any more right.

by dpodoll68 on Nov 13, 2008 9:29 AM CST reply actions

after all the hatred and misinformation ...

…. spread by UK fans about Tubby Smith, I actually fiind it refreshing, even if redundant, that someone is willing to continuously set the record straight.

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.

by PJS on Nov 13, 2008 1:50 PM CST up reply actions

I agree, but...

after every post about basketball on this blog, the comments section is filled with “Tulsa !%^#)* Georgia #&!)*&# Kentucky #&)^!!!!”. He feels that Tubby is underappreciated as a recruiter (as do I). We get it. Enough already.

by dpodoll68 on Nov 13, 2008 2:39 PM CST up reply actions

No Surprise Then

Tubby has recruited well everywhere he has coached.

You don’t average 24 W per season (over 17 years) unless you are a good recruiter.

by FortyYearCatFan on Nov 13, 2008 4:08 PM CST up reply actions

Then No Surprise Tubby Is On The ESPN Recruiting Show

The Kentucky fans’ whining about recruiting was 100% balderdash. Period.

Minnesota and Kentucky both signed Top 20 rated classes in 2008.

Both have signed Top 15 rated classes in 2009.

by FortyYearCatFan on Nov 13, 2008 9:56 AM CST reply actions

Wow, the International Herald Tribune?

Covering Gophers-Badgers? Pretty amazing to think that someone right this very minute is sitting down in a bar on the rue St.-Jacques, poring over the newspaper, thinking “hmmm, Gophers…”

by plinytheelder on Nov 13, 2008 4:21 PM CST reply actions