Lavin Hard on the Recruiting Trail

It may have been asked in the game thread, but at one point they showed Lavin talking to a kid that may have been a recruit. Anyone know who it was? Having Branch watch a game with Lavin got him to commit so it would be a good thing if it was.

I heard he was pictured talking with Felipe Lopez... Don't know if there was another interaction with a recruit though.

Quote from: NYCoffey on January 21, 2012, 05:55:24 PM

It may have been asked in the game thread, but at one point they showed Lavin talking to a kid that may have been a recruit. Anyone know who it was? Having Branch watch a game with Lavin got him to commit so it would be a good thing if it was.

I heard he was pictured talking with Felipe Lopez... Don't know if there was another interaction with a recruit though.

  This is what i saw on tv.

Quote from: desco80 on January 20, 2012, 02:05:01 PM

What do you guys think the odds are that there's a big man out there... JUCO or HS.. that Lavin is pursuing, who we haven't heard about yet?
A project?  Somebody who only came on to the radar his senior year or grew two inches? 

Because the way it looks now... we're going to be undersized for the foreseeable future.    Don't get me wrong, it'll be Christmas-in-April if the staff can sign two of  Gathers, Sampson, Obekpa or Sheppard ... and to a lesser extent Sanchez. 

But none of those guys are over 6'8, and Gift graduates next year.   Obekpa might be the second best shot blocker in his class, but he'll still be very undersized as a Center in our league.  We might be signing more skill in the post, but around our conference; Drummond, Sims, Melo, Dieng on Lousiville.. these guys have given us a ton of trouble. 

Now that we have at least one pg in the fold, I gotta think we're looking for a big man to add.  Even if it's as a roll player.  Anybody heard anything?

It plays into my theory, which I think is more valid than ever.  Anthropomorphic studies have shown how average heights of Americans have leveled off the past 20-30 years.  True big men in basketball (legit 6'9" or taller) are harder and harder to find. Notice how many big men in college did not grow up in the states.  More foreign players with better skill sets at a younger age is creating more of a trend to get int'l players.


I predict Coach backs up SJ's being an international player in recruiting. The staff will locate a foreign big - if not this recruiting year, 2013 onward.  So someone will pop up out of nowhere, much like Alex Len popped up for Maryland.  No one had a sniff of Len going to MD. We heard rumors, but nothing was pinned down.

The average sizeof Americans has leveled off because of the influx of smaller Asian and Central American immigrants. The population of the US in that same span has grown and would at the very least provide a big enough change to make up for any real change inthe average.

The average sizeof Americans has leveled off because of the influx of smaller Asian and Central American immigrants. The population of the US in that same span has grown and would at the very least provide a big enough change to make up for any real change inthe average.

Of course.  Blame it on the Mexicans.   

I love it..   Marillac has added yet another topic to he ever growing list of things on which he is an expert.

I love it..   Marillac has added yet another topic to he ever growing list of things on which he is an expert.

Just a common sense rebuttal to an absurd claim. 

Wow.  Average size of Americans has no correlation to the outliers who are multiple standard deviations away from the average.  Like the PFs and Cs in college and the NBA.  Those guys are outliers no matter what country they are from, and our 2nd tallest NBA player was actually Chinese, so thank you Marillac for your equally pointless rebuttal, since the average clearly has no relevance in this particular conversation.

none of these stats or rebuttals say anything relevant to the issue of a perceived lack of american big men in college and the NBA, and none of us can even begin to analyze this without relevant stats in front of us.

I nominate Baldi to do the research and report back.

Wow.  Average size of Americans has no correlation to the outliers who are multiple standard deviations away from the average.  Like the PFs and Cs in college and the NBA.  Those guys are outliers no matter what country they are from, and our 2nd tallest NBA player was actually Chinese, so thank you Marillac for your equally pointless rebuttal, since the average clearly has no relevance in this particular conversation.

none of these stats or rebuttals say anything relevant to the issue of a perceived lack of american big men in college and the NBA, and none of us can even begin to analyze this without relevant stats in front of us.

I nominate Baldi to do the research and report back.

I agree, whether or not the average american is an inch shorter in 2011 than in 1975, is completely irrelevant.  The population has expanded, and even with an influx of presumably shorter men, that shouldn't affect the gross number of men at the far end of the spectrum.

Without looking this up, I would wager that there are just as many 6'9-7'0 men in America today as there were 20 years ago.  But in case you haven't noticed, the game is being played very differently today.   Ball handling, shooting, and athleticism are at a premium.  The game is less physical, played at a much quicker pace, and a preference is placed on offense at the expense of defense if necessary. 

Big men are asked to do much more today, and in many coaches eyes they are better off playing an athletic 6'8 240 PF that can do a little of everything, than a 7 footer who can block shots but not much else. 

Coaches are choosing athleticism and skill over size. 

because of anti-discrimination laws, dwarfs are entering the mainstream.  that's skewing the numbers downward.

because of anti-discrimination laws, dwarfs are entering the mainstream.  that's skewing the numbers downward.

They are not dwarfs.

They are altitude-challenged.

I'm surprised at you Newsie.

Wow.  Average size of Americans has no correlation to the outliers who are multiple standard deviations away from the average.  Like the PFs and Cs in college and the NBA.  Those guys are outliers no matter what country they are from, and our 2nd tallest NBA player was actually Chinese, so thank you Marillac for your equally pointless rebuttal, since the average clearly has no relevance in this particular conversation.

none of these stats or rebuttals say anything relevant to the issue of a perceived lack of american big men in college and the NBA, and none of us can even begin to analyze this without relevant stats in front of us.

I nominate Baldi to do the research and report back.

I was merely commenting on the absurdity of the average height of Americans changing over such a short span in time...not on genetic anomalies. 
I'd suspect the real answer to the perceived lack of big men in the game, is the change in the game itself.  The game is faster, less skilled, and more athletic.  Some of the big oafs do more damage to their teams  by not getting up and down the court than they do controlling the paint.  A quick glance at some low-major and even D-2 and D-3 rosters shows that there really is no shortage of huge centers. 

Quote from: pmg911 on January 23, 2012, 09:06:32 AM

I love it..   Marillac has added yet another topic to he ever growing list of things on which he is an expert.

Just a common sense rebuttal to an absurd claim.

I'm not some nutty poster Marillac - usually...


It's a long standing topic.  Actually, heights since Medieval times have not gone up as much as one's "common sense" might tell them.  A lot of socioeconomic factors probably play a part.


An example:


http://www.oberlin.edu/alummag/oamcurrent/oam_may99/tall.html

Just my hopeful prediction. Lavin returns to sideline soon and the recruits start committing shortly after

Just my hopeful prediction. Lavin returns to sideline soon and the recruits start committing shortly after

If the team keeps playing well and finishes strong, do you really think we need Lavin on the sidelines for the obligatory coaching appearance in order to solidify the commitments from the recruits we're after?  By asking the question, I'm not criticizing your opinion, as you might be right. 

Quote from: Marco Baldi on February 02, 2012, 07:26:41 AM

Just my hopeful prediction. Lavin returns to sideline soon and the recruits start committing shortly after

If the team keeps playing well and finishes strong, do you really think we need Lavin on the sidelines for the obligatory coaching appearance in order to solidify the commitments from the recruits we're after?  By asking the question, I'm not criticizing your opinion, as you might be right. 

Ya absolutely. I think thats what is holding back the commitments

No inside info or anything but Lavin knows what he is doing and I have a hunch you see him back on the sidelines within the next few games to make a statement to the recruits that he is back to full duty/ If we were not so shorthanded for 12-13 I think he sits the rest of the year.

I keep reading Lavin's in Louisiana, no Conn; no in LasVegas; no he's in California; no he's in NY.  Maybe there is more than one Coach Lavin??

Maybe coach should where a red and white striped shirt and we can try to find him in the crowd, a la Waldo

We desperately need new troops and Lavin's unwelcome absence enables him to focus on recruitng while Dunlap leads our freshmen through their baptism by fire. This may be the best of all possible worlds for us right now.

However, unless the medical establishment dictates otherwise (and Lavin feels up to it), I think that it would be a good idea for Coach to return to the bench before the season is over. It would energize the team and reassure our recruits that Lavin will be there to lead them next year.

An epiphany at the UCLA game would certainly cater to Lavin's flair for the dramatic 

I truly think...

Whoever Lavin really wants, he will get.

In Lavin we trust!

I truly think...

Whoever Lavin really wants, he will get.

In Lavin we trust!

Except a certain 6'8 pg from New Jersey