https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1904206966324445271
Not surprised in the least... Flyer for life for #11
I was going to reply elsewhere that it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up at a NY school. St Johns (yes I said that), Iona, Fordham, etc.
I'm guessing he'll end up at a P4/BE school as a backup PG. St. John's is definitely a possibility.
Or, he could wind up at Fordham because (a) it’s close to home, (b) he would likely start, and (c) if he so chose, he could try to stick it to UD during A-10 play next season. But then, there’s (d): the Johnnies can afford to pay more for a backup PG than the Rams can pay for a starting PG. We’ll see…
I'm guessing he'll end up at a P4/BE school as a backup PG. St. John's is definitely a possibility.
Mali commits to UConn.
Him partaking in Senior Night yet having one additional year of eligibility remaining was the clearest sign to me that we’d be seeing his name today.
Mali visiting UConn
I knew an announcement was coming. But, it still made my stomach turn. I wish Malachi Smith well. But still…..
I wonder if there is value to a school being mentioned in a broadcast as where a player at a high profile school transferred from. I'm not saying any school should aspire to be a Triple A team. But does it open doors?
I get it... everybody's butt hurt. I don't like the current situation either.
There are currently bipartisan groups working on a resolution. Ideally, we are ok when the dust settles. There will likely still be more transfers than we saw before the last couple years. I get it if it is too soon to have a discussion as to whether there is marketing/recruiting value to the mention of another school's name during a broadcast. It is something i wondered about recently. Several years ago, I would have thought absolutely not. Now, I'm not as sure.
I am not saying we should look to be a farm club. I'm not saying a smaller school should look to be ours. Again, I'm not sure I think there is any value. Until the full collapse of the Division 1 basketball, every program should look at every potential opportunity that can be leveraged to provide the best chance of success.
As a practical example, Montgomery just signed. IIRC, he shot 41% from 3 pt range as a freshman and it dropped to 25% last year. If one of the best shooters in the country is repeatedly mentioned as a transfer from Dayton does it actively make a difference? Don't get locked into the specifics of the example; I am not implying that it did. Just using it as a scenario to show that the underlying thought doesn't have to be the negative farm team connotation.
No offense but that may be the most "mid-major" post I have ever read on this board. For the record, I was sort of hoping Mali would not be back so I while I wish him the best, I am not upset he left. I am very surprised that he is transferring to UConn. Who knows maybe with better players around him...
I sincerely doubt you're capable of offending me and I have no issue with people that disagree with a point. I used an example that was close to home. The example could be questioning if there is benefit to an up and down Big 10 program based on their former center who has moved on to a blue blood but the previous school is often mentioned. See Dickinson, Hunter. Does it benefit the previous school? In this case, it would be the not mid-major school up north.
I think the discussion point is applicable well beyond mid-major although the answer could be influenced by that designation. And I am not saying we or any program should use that as a primary recruiting strategy.
As for Smith, I assume he is being brought in as a back up to play limited minutes. That should limit the number of times he drives the lane and has a scoop layup blocked. That said, I wish him well.
To answer your initial question then, I don't think it helps in any way. To me, the fact that a kid who a major program recognizes as a good player and "transfer worthy," doesn't reflect on the school he is transferring on at all, except for the inescapable conclusion that the school the player is transferring to is offering a better opportunity for the player. If anything, I think the only even arguably positive thought that might enter a recruit's mind as a result of seeing a kid leave UD for a blueblood, is "I could always start at UD and transfer," and that is obviously not what we want." I referred to the comment as "mid major" because it is the kind of moral victory thinking that just doesn't occur at the big schools. We, and I fully include myself in this, are always looking for the sliver lining because for the most part that is what we get left with.
I couldn't help watching the OU-UK game in the tourney and thinking "those should be our starting guards and how different might this season have been if..." But I think anyone not familiar with UD who heard it mentioned that Brea lead the nation in 3 pt % last year at Dayton, probably just thought, "kid had a great season and moved up to where he belonged." I don't see any positive for UD in having and announcer say, "Dayton transfer Joe Smith" I also notice that they say "Ohio State transfer Jordan Seibert" way more than they say "Dayton transfer Kobe Elvis."
UD is looking for defense first. Montgomery is known as a good defenders and Derkack was the defensive player of the year at Merrimack.
So you're saying more of the same plodding offense??? If that's the case our defense better be nasty like Houston's to overcome pedestrian at best offense. Oh and one guy (at least) better be able to create like Cryer and another that can finish around the rim like Roberts.
I wish UAC Flyer was still around to let us know how much Mali got at UConn.
My sources are saying between $700-800K. Not bad for a backup PG.
I mean, good for Mali. I think we're generally witnessing the end of college BB. I have always liked Mali's enthusiasm but I'm not sure he always made the best decisions. Him and Schooch were definitely different types of players. I don't think I see Mali getting looks at the NBA, especially considering his injuries but anything is possible. IF he can get high six figures for one year of service, I don't blame him; that could go a long way to setting up his life.
Going forward, AG/Dayton...really any school that's NOT one of the Big 5/6 leagues is going to have to shift to being able to quickly reorganize every single year the best possible talent and adjust coaching to that group to establish a sense of "they're always good no matter what the reload looks like, year after year". Probably like Gonzaga always does it. That is high pressure indeed. Not sure AG at his age is up for too many more years of this BS. I wouldn't.
But isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result? That’s where I think college athletics IS, they just don’t know it yet. At least for college men’s basketball and football. A bunch of people think throwing money at players is the answer to years of a dynasty championship run. I think it's years of throwing money down the drain and unsustainable. What about chemistry, hard work, talent, coaches that aren’t completely worn out because they actually got to take time off in the off-season (not anymore), fans/alums that enjoy cheering for student-athletes instead of complaining about all the money they have to contribute to fund a team that in their opinion under-performs badly (that’s coming since backup 20 year old guards can make 6-7 times the average alum who is funding their mediocre talents.) You get the picture. Gonna get bad sooner rather than later. Then kick in the average college student on campus having to witness those highly-paid classmates with their new cars, all the latest gadgets and endless high fashion parade. Lots of people who use to adore and want to be friends with the players are going to start “resenting/hating” the players. How are they going to handle that? Kids who have been “worshipped” all their lives are going to find themselves on the other side of that coin and my bet is they will not handle it well. And I bet there will be 3-4 other negative issues that arise out of all this money being thrown at these young player we haven’t even thought about. Here is one…people, especially family members, hitting them up for money. Lots of distant cousins will come out of the wood work. And craziest. Many years ago I knew a backup NFL player in his first couple years in the league. A stranger at a little bar he use to go to in his neighborhood hounded him so badly they had to get the cops involved. This guy had “made” a jersey with the player’s name on the back, etc. This stranger insisted - and that’s saying it nicely, that the player buy this jersey from him because he had it specially made for him. The player didn’t want, nor need this jersey. He could go over to the stadium and get a real game jersey for free anytime he needed one. But this guy was crazy about making some money off this player. Crazies will come out of the wood work as well as family members and go after these players for money.
Lots of distractions teams have never had to deal with before. Breaking up with a girlfriend use to be a crisis messing up a player’s head if it happened the day before a game. That’s the least of these coach’s worries now.
Money is the root cause of all evil…and I’m betting the root cause of all crash and burn college basketball programs. You heard it first here.
Wait until the tax man cometh! I’m guessing most of these kids don’t realize they are getting a 1099 which means they have to pay both ends of FICA taxes. I wonder if their scholarships will now be included in “earned income”? I suspect it will!
I’m pretty sure UD set their guys up with an “endorsement” deal for a tax service so they got good advice and their taxes done. I think the players encouraged people to use this company for their taxes on the player’s social media accounts. I assume most schools will have an official tax service for the teams. But I also know some 18-year olds are NOT good with money and will blow a lot of it. So there will be issues in this area. Many a pro athletes blew through their money. Many have problems adjusting their life style downward after their playing days. Many made bad business decisions and lose it. I know the NFL has a mandatory program new players have to participate in their first year. It addresses a lot of these pitfalls - and there are still players who can’t handle their new found wealth and status. Is every university now going to have to bring on these kinds of counselors to conduct training for players? How about the players PAY for this training? Not the alums/fans. Pro players have mandatory deductions from their paychecks for all kinds of things. One NFL owner charges a “soap” fee to cover shower soap and shampoo and laundry services for practice and game uniforms.
