AY2015-16 KUMBB Recruiting UPDATED 2016-07-18

Hope he is right.

www.hornsports.com/articles/texas-longho...-allen-play-co-r4935

The NLI signing window closes this Wednesday. However, Allen can still sign a Grant in Aid any time, binding the school to him, but leaving him free to change his mind any time until he actually enrolls.

Keeping my fingers crossed KU gets him!

Have to assume that is Eastern time, as I cannot find anything online to indicate otherwise.

Neither Rivals #15 Jarrett Allen (F; KU, tu, Houston) nor #11 Marques Bolden (C; UK or Duke) has signed yet.

Bolden is expected to announce his decision tomorrow for either UK or Duke. I have read that he could send LOIs to both schools signed today, then announce which one he will honor tomorrow. Seems cheap to me to do that, when he can always say a Grant-in-Aid at ANYTIME, thus obligating the school to him, but not vice versa. I have read that Squid recommends this to his recruits as the best thing for them, as it still gives then some power in their college career.

I expect Bolden will go the GIA route.

Barring word to the contrary from Allen today, I expect he will do the same, GIA instead of NLI.

Still nothing definite on when Allen will announce his decision. However, it is being said that being in a program that excels at developing bigs is really important to him. Seems to me that such a priority would make KU his choice.

Still no word as of this post on the decision of Duke traditional transfer PG Derryck Thornton. He finished his last official visit this weekend (Miami), so all that is left is deciding.

Waiting... waiting

DocHawk wrote: ESPN just announced Bolden to Duke. I suppose that's better than Contucky--but not by much. No word on Allen.

I hear ya, DocHawk, but for me, any time kenyucky misses out on a desired recruit is a good time. Even more so after the way squid has been dissing Duke and K in recent weeks. Not a Duke fan at all (my bottom 4, from the bottom up, are UK, UNC, Duke, UCLA), but this does meet my very stringent (and capriciously arbitrary and fluid {"How do I feel today, at this very moment, hmmm?"}) criteria for agreeing with the old adage that "the enemy of my enemy is my ally." (I would never, ever go so far as to use the term "friend", that is simply too much of a stretch even on my worst, most hateful days).

As to Jarrett Allen, there has been nothing from his camp about when he will be announcing. A lot of folks thought it might be today, someone had posted that "word was" he would announce by May 15 (today is May 19), but I still think if he's waited this long he's going to wait until the deadline to back out of the NBA draft has passed.

Why?

Maybe he is waiting for final assurance on Diallo? Even though Diallo has said he is hiring an agent and Self does not expect him back, TTBMK Diallo has yet to hire an agent.

However, Texas also has a player in the Early Entry gambit, 3rd year PG Isaiah Taylor. He also has yet to hire an agent. Perhaps the real reason Allen is waiting is to see if he will have the chance to play with a proven PG who can get him the ball at Texas? That actually seems more likely to me than Allen waiting for Diallo. And while talk is that Diallo has moved into Round 1 with his combine performance, Taylor is still solidly Round 2, so maybe he will return at the last minute.

Of course, it could be either or both, or none of the above. May be Allen's just a "different Drummer" kid who is doing his due diligence based on his criteria that we just don't know about.

What we do know:

Both Diallo and Taylor are still in the NBA Draft, and have until May 25 to drop out if they do not hire an agent.

All the gurus have projected it would be tough to get Allen away from the state of Texas, if not his home town U ot tu.

All the gurus have stated that playing somewhere he could quickly develop as a Big is important to him.

If Texas was a lock, you would think Allen would have announced by now.
That he has NOT announced seems to indicate that tu is NOT a lock, even if it is the prohibitive favorite in the minds of all the gurus.

Time ... and Jarrett Allen ... will tell.

I will be very pleasantly surprised if he chooses KU.

And for Thornton, at least, don't expect one soon.

With the late signing period ending last week, there is nothing to keep players from waiting until they are ready to decide and then signing a gran-in-aid instead of an NLI.

On Thornton --
Rivals Shay Wildeboor, 0825 23MAY2016:
"I was able to exchange a few text messages with Derryck Thornton, Sr., the father of former Duke guard and five-star prospect, Derryck Thornton, Jr. Having visited Kansas, USC, Washington and Miami, Thornton, Jr., according to his father, is in no rush to make a decision.

For those of you that aren't aware, Thornton, Jr., graduated early, which means he skipped his senior year, in-order to enroll early at Duke. It was a fast and furious process the first time around, so Thornton and his family have decided to take the time to get to know each coaching staff and really get a feel for each program.

While I really like where Kansas stands right now, I don't expect a decision to be made anytime soon."

Sort of feels like Brandon Rush all over again.

Same might hold true for Allen. Despite all the Crystal Balls on 247Sports predicting Longhorns, he has yet to make a decision. I repeat my opinion that we will announce and sign a GIA with someone in the next week.

Today is May 23, the last day to drop out of the NBA Draft and return to school is Wednesday May 25, ten days after the end of the NBA Combine.

You will recall that players of interest in Allen's decision are Cheick Diallo (who has said he would hire an agent but has yet to announce he has) and tu's JR PG Isaiah Taylor. If both stay in the draft, I think we have a great chance to get Allen. If either returns, I think KU's chances go down dramatically. At this point, with the limited info we have on his selection criteria, it seems to be the best logical explanation for why he has yet to sign.

Since it does not make sense for Allen to skip the summer session and all the prep work he would be able to do to get ready for his freshman season wherever he goes, we should know soon enough.

Looks as if he will be on campus this summer to get an early start, even though he will have to sit out next season.
kansas.n.rivals.com/news/kansas-hoops-si...ransfer-evan-maxwell
www2.kusports.com/news/2016/may/23/liber...akes-commitment-ku-/

KUSports reports Bill Self said:
“What we saw in Evan was a young man that is very skilled... He needs strength development that I think will come naturally. I think he will be a guy, barring any unforeseen things happening, that spends a ton of time in the weight room and will be playing against really good players in practice every day. He’ll learn how to be a go-to-guy offensively in practice and a guy that can give us a lot of added depth up front when he becomes eligible the next year.”

Thanks much, HE.

Your theory on Allen makes complete sense to me. I was following it pretty closely as the "deadline" approached last week, and all the pundits chimed in that UT was a lock. I'm glad to see that that was premature--hopefully, like Dewey over Truman!

As for Thornton, smart move on their part. My gut says that if it's about getting comfortable with the staffs and programs, we win that battle by a long shot given the competition.

One thing is for sure: Puke is now ridiculously loaded this season. Even if Thornton would be a "next year" guy, we can certainly use Allen and any others for this year. It's going to take firing on all cylinders to win it all. And win it all we need to do, given our recent misfires and the fact that the season after is looking far more like a full-on rebuild. (Not one where we can't still get the consecutive league banners record, but it'll be a challenge given the turnover)

PS: Your synopses on recruiting have allowed me to cut through the fog online and just get the salient bottom line I need as a KU fan. Hat's off to you, as always!

Early entrants have until 11:59PM tonight to withdraw. I have not seen anything specifying time zone, but I am assuming EDT.

Figure Cheick is staying since he improved his stock so much at the NBA Combine. You will recall that he is now listed as a late first rounder in most mock drafts, which is actually the best possible situation for him as he would end up with a pretty solid team that could give him time to develop. He has said he is going to hire an agent, but I have yet to read that he has actually done so.

Not so with Texas junior PG Isaiah Taylor. Browsing the web this morning I just came across an SB Nation tu article from 5 days ago reporting that Taylor has in fact hired an agent.

Given this newest information, I really have to wonder what is going on with Jarrett Allen. Something is keeping him from announcing a decision. Perhaps he is, in fact, just waiting for the door to close for certain today on Diallo (again, there are no reports that Cheick has actually signed). Perhaps Allen just can't make up his mind. Assuming that Cheick does not return, if Allen announces by the end of this week, we can be pretty certain that the door closing on Cheick returning put the last factor in place for Allen.

In other news of interest, Mississippi State freshman combo guard and one time KU recruit Malik Newman has withdrawn from the NBA draft and may transfer from MSU and Ben Howland. He would have to sit out a year, but that would not be any different than the case with Duke freshman PG Derryck Thornton.

Do you think that his decision may cause Thornton to accelerate his own choosing?

KU still has two open rides for next season, presumably one for Allen and one for Thornton.

If Allen should choose tu, given Self's announced intention of staying with two PGs in the future, what are the odds that both Newman and Thornton could end up at KU? That would give KU Thornton, Newman and Graham in AY2017-18, assuming that DG stays for his senior campaign.

This could be an interesting week, KU fans.

Rock Chalk!

Per Rivals' National Analyst Eric Bossi:
"1) Newman cannot go to juco. The way I understand the rules junior colleges (surprisingly) do not allow for players to have eligibility after declaring for the NBA Draft 2) I don't think that Newman Mississippi State would shed a lot of tears if he didn't want to go back there.

If I was running an elite program, he wouldn't be very high on my list of guys that I would want as a transfer. If he does end up back at Mississippi State, he won't even be the best sophomore on their roster. I would think anybody who watched MSU last year would rather have Quindarry Weatherspoon going forward. Just have to be willing to throw out high school reputation.

Still early and lots of time for things to change, but right now Newman is looking like a guy that we all over rated. Wherever he ends up, I hope he comes back motivated and ready to put in work because he's currently a long way from being an NBA player."
===============================

Also there is talk that Newman essentially stopped doing school once the season was over, so his grades are toast. Still, if he is going to have to sit a year any way, he would have time to get back up to speed in his academics. Perhaps the NBAD EE experience has been a real eye opener for him and he will re-dedicate himself to improving if he wants to have an NBA future. For his sake, I hope so.

This news today .

The transfer news is the real kicker. Has to be because he knows he's not ready for the pros and squid has no room for him. Makes no sense, otherwise. I don't see the "close to home" argument (Antioch, CA, about 25-30 miles east from our own Bayhawk) as a real factor for the kid after 3 years at UK.

And it seems that Self & Co are interested in the big junior, even though Lee will have to sit for a year and will have but one year left to play after that. Of the schools mentioned in the tweet below, only Gonzaga (over 900 miles to the north from Antioch) comes near the mark regarding "close to home".


Of course, if his "close" operates similarly to horseshoes and hand grenades, KU might have a chance.

More interesting things to come as the day goes on and fledglings return to the roost?

Alec Peters made it official before the witching hour last night, but did not announce his decision until today. The 6-9 junior forward has his degree from Valpo, so the question being asked is will he transfer? If KU does not get Allen, can they get Peters? I'd love to get an experienced, high scoring big man for one year compared to most HS OAD big men. More "time will tell". If he does transfer, talk is Vandy is in the lead to land him.

www.google.com/amp/collegebasketball.nbc.../amp/?client=safari#

I had thought he was already done, but he actually graduates in June. Would be great to get him on board ASAP, assuming he decides to transfer *and* assuming he is not already locked into the gurus' favorite, Vandy, if he leaves Valpo.

Agree with you, DrJH. Love to get Thornton for 2017-18 play and then Allen or Peters for the last open ride for a big man who could contribute 2016-17.

The Allen decision is truly an enigma. But if you read the tea leaves, it still sounds like KU is on the outside looking in. (I cannot find any update on Isaiah Taylor's NBA draft decision, which seems to be the final, critical variable)

If the above is true, then I also sincerely hope that our staff is turning their focus like a laser beam toward Peters. In some ways, he'd potentially be a BETTER pickup than Allen, at least for this coming season (which looms as one of the most important ones for KU hoops in a long time, given our position as a legit NC candidate and how we'll drop off the following season). He's a proven scorer and all-around player, and can really stretch the D with his outside shooting ability. Sounds like a Niang-like player, and that would be a huge added weapon in our lineup.

I'm crossing my fingers that we get one of the two, but if it turns out to be Peters instead of Allen, I'm perfectly satisfied with that.

Rock Chalk...

Everything I've seen on the web says he actually DID hire an agent (back in April) and is therefore not coming back. Is that information incorrect? And if not, what other theories are there for why Allen is delaying his choice?

konza63 wrote: Everything I've seen on the web says he actually DID hire an agent (back in April) and is therefore not coming back. Is that information incorrect? And if not, what other theories are there for why Allen is delaying his choice?

In an earlier post I noted that Taylor had in fact signed with an agent, and that perhaps Allen really was waiting to ensure that Diallo stayed in the draft.

Today Shay @JayhawkSlant reported all quiet on the Jarrett Allen front -- "... as quiet as he is, it wouldn't surprise me if he just showed up on campus (Kansas/Texas/Houston) without informing the media at all. Like I said earlier in the week, if Texas is the clear cut favorite, why hasn't he announced yet. But like I mentioned above, Allen could have very well informed the Texas coaching staff and signed, but asked the coaching staff to keep it quiet until he arrives on campus. Allen has a lot of people wondering what is going on!"

If Allen has in fact made a decision as Shay postulated, it is amazing the OPSEC being demonstrated by both Allen's camp and the "unnamed sources" that typically lamprey onto programs.

If Allen has *not* made a decision now that the NBA draft "stay/go" status of all the players is known, does that speak well or poorly of him? Does he have where *he* wants to go, but his folks want him going somewhere else? We just don't have enough info to do anything but speculate.

Since Alec Peters won't be graduating until the end of June, we almost certainly won't be hearing anything substantive about him anytime soon, either -- and no other coaching staffs aside from Valpo's can even talk to him until he has graduated and then come out saying he is transferring. Even then, with his old coach Bryce Drew the new coach at Vanderbilt, all the gurus are saying that if he does graduate transfer for his last year of eligibility, the Commodores will have a huge advantage over every other contender for Peters' services.

But like you, since both Allen and Peters are projected one year players for 2016-17, I'm thinking I would prefer the proven Peters over the incoming freshman who possibly (1) can't make up his mind, or (2) is too timid to announce his decision because he wants to avoid the craziness (think about living in Austin but announcing for KU?!? Oy!), or (3) is just quietly enjoying the attention so much that he is just keeping mum to maximize his time in the limelight. I'm really wondering if the last one is a factor, and possibly influenced by his wanting to see who wants him the most -- that is, who will keep a scholly open for him to the very last minute?

All pure conjecture with no foundation in anything but speculation on my part. Would you like that cuppa joe now?

Score one for old-fashioned school loyalty.

www.midmajormadness.com/2016/5/30/118141...urning-to-valparaiso

Besides "a little frustrating", the other word that comes to mind for me is "curious".

With the draft withdrawal deadline passed, you have to wonder what is compelling Rivals #15 recruit for this year's class to not announce what school he will be attending? What else is he factoring into his decision making process that has him still unannounced?

Reports are his last 3 are KU, Houston and tu. If there are no other choices, is he truly still not certain where he wants to go? There are significant differences between these 3 programs and schools, so much so that I believe the impartial observer of this process would rank his choices tu, KU and Houston.

If he *has* chosen his hometown U?

Why hasn't he said so? What reason(s) would he have to keep mum in this case? I would think his life would actually be less crazy if he were to announce he will attend tu, as the gurus believe.

The only reason I can see for *not* announcing is that he is *not* going to attend tu, and he has yet to announce because he doesn't want to put up with all the stuff that would be tossed his way around town until he left for school. IOW, as some have postulated, perhaps we won't know his choice until he shows up on the campus he has chosen. In such a scenario, I greatly like KU's chances compared to Houston's.

If just showing up is his plan, we should know his decision soon. Summer classes begin:

2 June tu
6 June Houston
7 June KU