I figure now that we're looking to be heading towards a very exciting/nervous couple of weeks, I'd compile everything you need to know about MJ Walker in a thread.
MJ Walker is a 6'5", 205 pound shooting guard from Lithia Springs, GA and plays for Jonesboro HS. He's a McDonalds All-American. He's ranked as a 98.9 overall on 247 (so a 99), and is ranked #25 overall in the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2017. He's a 5 star on ESPN, but only a 4 star on 247.
Here are a few mixtapes for your enjoyment.
Friday
So where do the Hokies factor in here? It was first reported that he was on an official visit last weekend by Jeff Goodman.
MJ Walker (ESPN, No. 25) of Jonesboro, Ga., is currently on official visit to Virginia Tech, source told ESPN. 6-foot-5 wing.— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 22, 2017
This was followed up by commits Wabissa Bede and Nickeil Alexander-Walker discussing on Twitter.
@TheReal_NAW1 https://t.co/WsDPOAv40a— Captain Charisma (@Wabissa_B11) April 22, 2017
Final piece to the puzzle https://t.co/g7OJQcJqwV— Nickeil Alexander (@TheReal_NAW1) April 22, 2017
At that point, we hadn't heard anything from recruiting websites.
Sunday
On Sunday night, a Duke insider predicted that Walker would sign with Tech. Early Monday morning, a Tech insider (Chris Arvin) joined in. By the end of the day Monday, there had been two more predictions. One from the director of basketball scouting at 247, and another Tech insider.
The 5th prediction came in the middle of the night between Monday and Tuesday, again from a Duke insider. The 6th one just came in a couple hours ago, with a Kentucky insider predicting that Walker will be signing with the Hokies.
What does this all mean?
If Buzz and his coaching staff are able to sign Walker, Virginia Tech will have the #5 recruiting class in the country --ahead of many top schools, including Duke. It would be the highest recruiting class ever for the program. With the added depth from Walker joining the team, Buzz could potentially afford to redshirt Chris Clarke and have him fully healthy for the 2018-19 season. Coincidentally, the 18-19 season is the one many folks are most excited about in terms of potential success.
I'll keep updating this thread as we go along. My #sauce on the team says that we might have a decision by the end of this week.
Comments
Good call. We needed a new thread to handle all the Michael Scott freak out gifs.
I'm really really excited about this, but at the same time, don't we have like 200 6'5" wings on the team already?
Considering the number of actual athletes capable of playing we had going into the tourney, I'm not ready to worry about an abundance yet.
When your team's MO is to have 3 guys on the floor be 6'5"-6'7" wingers with the other two being the PG and PF/C it makes sense.
When your MO is to only have 6-7 healthy scholarship players... more bodies makes sense.
I'd argue it isn't our MO to have 6-7 healthy players.
2017-18 Projected Roster
Point: 3-4 ***
JRob JR 6-1 185
Wilson rSR 6-4 195***
Jackson rFR 6-1 205
Bede FR 6-1 200
Wing: 5-7 ***#
Outlaw rSR 6-6 220
Bibbs SR 6-5 220
Hill rJR 6-5 205
LeDay2 rJR 6-7 210
Clarke JR 6-6 210#
N. A-W FR 6-5 190
Walker FR 6-5 205***
Forward: 3 (4)
PF B'shear rSO 6-10 260
PF Sy SO 6-10 240
PF Horne FR 6-6 230
PF Fullard rJR 6-10 235 (walk-on)
*** Attrition and/or signing of MJ Walker will affect the roster distribution
# Clarke is expected to miss part of the season rehabbing ACL, may even redshirt the entire year
Typical lineups in 2016-17:
1x Point + 3x Wing + 1x Forward
2x Point + 2x Wing + 1x Forward
edit: I have been convinced that Seth LeDay is a wing. :P
As long as we think 8 guys between 6-5 and 6-7 isn't a problem then ok
My point is that with that lineup, we're always one more Blackshear injury away from being scary-thin in the frontcourt. Also it's a big reason why Jalen Hudson may have transferred, which some may consider a positive, but he would have at least been "one more athletic body" to have.
And?
If a McDonald's All-American wants to come play for your program, you make that happen.
Guys...Leday 2.0 is a wing. Let's stop putting him with the PFs.
I'm curious to actually see him on the court. I heard he has more quickness than Zach and maybe not as much of a power game, but can he shoot well enough to play the wing? Most of his highlights are dunks or drives for layups.
More like Clarke than Blackshear?
Yes, Chris Clarke is a good comparison. He can post up smaller players, he can take larger players out and beat them off the dribble. Rebounds well for his position. For me, Zach was your typical power forward. Horne is the swap for him. A much more tradition, low post player that can stretch outside and run the floor well.
So many times I think Zach wanted to be a wing player. I would scream and just say, POST UP. You are a man down there.
If we do end up with a top 5 recruiting class, which is STUNNING and should send everyone running to join Hokie Club, will that be the highest rated class of all time INCLUDING football?
With no proof to back it up, I'm gonna go ahead and say yeah
Highest football class of all time was 16th in 2001.
So yeah. This would blow it out of the water.
From your lips to Hokie Nation ears.
I think wrestling had around a #5 class a few years ago
The only question is would Walker be a one and done player?
Perhaps two and through? Hopefully three and flee or four and no more, though.
Honestly, most likely.
Even more reason to redshirt Clarke.
I am a huge proponent of the redshirt Clarke movement.
Hopefully.
Part of me hopes Tech lands him and he is one-and-done. That would signal to recruits that Buzz is able to place elite recruits in the NBA as soon as possible. Also, it would bump Tech closer to the upper echelon of programs that content for such talents. Of course the news is just as good if he doesn't, he returns to Blacksburg for another season.
It likely depends on well he plays, and how well grounded he is. 60 players are drafted. If he comes in and has an all conference year, he should go and be a one and done, great for him and VT. If he does not, he should not. But if you look how many players declared early this year, a lot of young players think awfully highly of themselves. The Orange and Maroon blood in me thinks that if he is attracted to Buzzes self development approach, he is likely to be well grounded and not leave early if he's not sure to get drafted. If he doesn't pick us he is probably a undrafted one and done somewhere else - because he didn't do what was in his best interest the first time when he chose to go elsewhere.
Let's not judge alot of these young players that are right on the edge of potentially earning millions per year, especially with basketball that has a great feedback mechanism in place and gives the players enough time to assess where they are compared to their peers. Alot of the top coaches encourage their players to declare as soon as they are eligible so that worst case they experience the combine and know what to expect and best case are ready for the next step and proceed to carve out an NBA career. I think last year it was about 70% of those that declared without an agent returned to college. I only wish football would give kids the same chance to better know if they are ready.
agreed, Calipari talked about this last year and i think it's absolutely right. if you're going to preach caring about the kids first you have to help them in their careers.
also i get the impression that alot of the kids who stay in the draft and go undrafted are talented enough to go to europe or china to get paid
I obviously really hope he picks Tech but he has offers from Kansas and UCLA. If he chooses either of them you cannot say he didn't do what's in his best interest. (Not saying Tech isn't in his best interest, but it's not like he'd be choosing Boston College over us.)
That'd be like saying a football recruit wasn't looking out for his best interests by going to Ohio State or LSU. Those are top programs and I couldn't fault anyone for choosing them.
Good points. Buzz has a good reputation for self development, and has put a fair number of guys in the NBA, including a couple of perennial All-Stars. So, MJ could be a one and done, but could also stay a few years until the timing is right.
Unfortunately, that signal would also be picked up by major college programs, and Buzz would probably get some offers that would make VT fans uncomfortable.
Also, I'm not really sure the 25th best college freshman is a candidate for the NBA. But man I'd love to have a top-10 recruiting class!
I mean, 46 comments was probably a record for most optimistic basketball thread without someone mentioning the potential of Buzz leaving. We did well
25th best college freshman doesn't matter. Josh Selby was a one-and-done. He wasn't good enough to be, but he still left. All of these guys have their own motives, whether they're comfortable just bolting for Europe or playing in the D-League, you never really know. Hell, Trevor Thompson is leaving Ohio State early.
This. Even though he may not be pro ready now, he's good enough that he probably would be by year 3 or sooner. Getting paid and developing in Europe seems like a much better option than leaving after 2 or 3 years, likely without a degree either way
Huh? Why would a player go to college if he wanted to get paid and thought Europe would provide better development? It would make no sense to be a one and done in college if you planned leave to develop in Europe, and then go to the NBA. Not to mention it doesn't seem to be very common for American players to reach the NBA once they start playing overseas.
Yeah if this was his train of thought, he would just go overseas immediately out of high school. However, this route isn't impossible and has actually yielded some promising prospects who have already made 7 figures overseas before they enter the NBA (i.e. brandon jennings, emmanuel mudiay, etc.)
I'm not saying they're planning it that way, but if they hire an agent and don't get drafted after year one, they're a one and done going to Europe
There is something to be said to show you had the ability to play at Division 1 if you want a better than average contract in Europe. It can mean the difference between getting that $100K a year contract to some getting in the millions over there. Hell, even those that get drafted, if you arent first round, you arent guaranteed a contract so many second rounders end up overseas as well. For alot of these guys though, school just stops making sense if they are giving up even one more year of $100K compared to their alternative. At the end of the first season in school, it becomes a $300K decision on staying in college versus going overseas. That would have been a tough pill to swallow, especially if I had the thought that I might not be good enough to make the NBA even with a couple more years development. Why let a couple more good years go by where I could be making money compared to being in school?
Holy hell, never thought I'd ever hear the term one and done ever be associated with our basketball program. But I'd be down for it. VT needs some form of presence in the NBA.
It would be nice if we could get to the point where we're not happy one of our guys signed a 10-day contract
At the alumni dinner I went to a few weeks ago, Buzz actually addressed this question. I recall his response to be along the lines of the following:
I don't recruit 1 and done players because I'm not a 1 and done coach.
So unless his philosophy has changed over the past few weeks, I assume Buzz would expect MJ Walker to be around for more than 1 year if he signs with us.
Sounds about right. Buzz doesn't strike me as a one-and-done coach. I can appreciate that, and if we land MJ, let's hope he sticks around for at least three years.
Well, Buzz has been at Tech for 3 years, so it would be impossible for him to be a 1-and-done coach at this point.
I know what you mean as well, but there are a few ways you could take his statement.
McDonald's All-American isn't a guarantee of an NBA career and I don't see him on any 2018 draft projections. Of course that can change fast if a guy is really good, but that's only a few guys a year who might get into that conversation.
I for one would be thrilled if we became a program that had a revolving door of NBA talent
When is Walker making his commitment?
Nobody knows for sure when it's happening, but it has to happen by May 17
no date has been announced
I keep doing this even though it's not yet a done deal. Too soon?
Yep.
via GIPHY
I posted this in the other thread, but worth mentioning here as well.
In Virginia Tech's history, we have only secured a commitment from one McDonald's All-American. You may have heard of him, his name is Dell Curry and signed in 1982. 35 years later, we're apparently nearing our second.
Also worth remembering that 36 months ago today we were coming off our 4th straight season of finishing dead last in the ACC with only 2 conference wins to our name, and now we're looking at the possibility of adding a McDonald's All-American 5* #25 overall recruit to a class that already has a Top 50 and Top 100 recruit and would immediately rank our class #5 in the country.
How can you not fall completely in love with the trajectory this program is on right now?
meanwhile, in Charlottesville:
Uva be like...
#HARDTHINGSTOGETHER
Do you think they completely missed how bad this hashtag sounds, or are they just believers in "any publicity is good publicity"?
I think they should combine their two main hashtags into #HARDTHINGSRISING.
Apologies if this is too far, but it reminds me of the zima drinkers for some reason.
well, they very quietly switched to #earnednotgiven so I'm guessing they figured out at some point that it wasn't worth it.
Damn, they got that one backward too! Maybe they should stop twittering.
Good enough for me to turn ya green.... any quality UVA bashing gets a leg from me...
So what you're saying is we won't offer MJ Walkers son a scholarship? Got it.
He'll have to unpaid intern and prove it to earn his spot on ESPN's Basketball Game Day, dammit!
Only if he is undervalued. Then when he has success people will eternally complain about it ignoring that hindsight is 20/20.
Exactly. Steph didn't end up at Davidson because VT was the only program not to give him an offer. He ended up at Davidson because zero big name schools gave him an offer.
I mean sure he's one of the greatest, but at the time, there was no indication that he would be.
Yeah maybe we should have thrown him a bone because he's Dell's son, but lets not pretend that people at the time thought Greenberg was fucking up by missing this once in a lifetime opportunity.
I don't think anyone thought that at the time, nor do they now.
Yeah, we should have. 100%. No doubt.
I don't want to rehash this debate because I loved having Seth as our coach. I thought Seth was great, but that doesn't stop many people (including myself) from considering it a mistake due to the nature of the "VT family" vibe we like to have with our athletic programs.
It's basketball you can't give out scholarships because their parent was good. You have such a limited amount, take the opposite he gave one of the few basketball scholarships he has to give to this kid that no other P5 program offered and he turned out to suck how would Hokie Nation have viewed that?
Well... we did have Shane on staff for a while
If the kid was Dell Curry's son, then every Hokie Club member I know (myself included) would have been fine with it.
Edit - I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm simply replying honestly. Every person I conversed with at the time thought it was a no-brainer move to "throw Dell a bone", as you put it.
Edit2 - And it's not just because Dell played for us, but also because at the time, he was one of the few "celebrity" ambassadors for the school. He was playing in golf tournaments with Frank, he was at bowl games schmoozing with the big donors on the program's behalf, etc, etc. All of that went away after we didn't offer Steph.
This is my stance as well. When you're heading up a perennially shitty program that hadn't made the tourney in 10 years, I don't think any pitchforks would have come out for taking on the son of the greatest basketball player in your program's history even if he hadn't panned out
At the time Seth had a program that was on the verge of making some noise. I would have been really annoyed if they'd taken someone in a sport with only 13 scholarships just because of who his dad is. This isn't football where you take guys that you fully expect to never play
He actually still does some of this things for football just not for basketball.
This argument has been made and remade, and I've not changed my mind. I think the deal is, though, did Seth make a mistake? You could say, as you have, nobody else offered him either, etc., but to me, the thing that makes it a mistake is that he turned out to be a fantastic player. Did anyone see it coming? Did he? His father? I don't know, or if so, was anybody listening? But the fact is, he's reallllly good, so the fact that we didn't get him to VT turns out to be a mistake, regardless of whether it seemed the right call at the time. Yeah, it sounds like blatant hindsight couch coaching coming from me, but I felt that way at the time. Dell homerism, no doubt. I loved seeing him play basketball (baseball as well) and I'm sure my memories and regard for him colors my opinion. Moot point now, though, eh?
I can't believe I'm walking into this back & forth....
I'll let Seth Greenberg's statement after Curry's MVP win do most of the talking for me:
People get so hung up on the fact that he didn't end up here because we didn't offer him a scholarship. And people love to bring up the fact Nigel Munson got that scholarship spot. Yes, he left after his freshman year, but people forget he was the #85 prospect in his class.
http://247sports.com/Player/Nigel-Munson-64576
I remembered reading a WaPo article about Munson a few years back when the whole Curry/VT thing became an issue again - sounded like a good guy who just made a couple decisions that set him back in life, but ended up finding some peace with basketball. Here it is:
Nigel Munson finds home with UDC basketball after a long journey
In the end, things are what they are but I think it's past time for VT fans to stop whining about Steph Curry.
/thread.
That should do it.
Buzz MF Williams!!
Watching his highlight tape all I kept thinking was
via GIPHY
What was our highest recruiting class to date? Not sure if it was Buzz with Ahmed Hill's class or Seth with possibly the Delaney/Jeff Allen class? here is that one detailed... ranked in #10-15 range
http://virginiatech.sportswar.com/article/2006/11/08/hokies-sign-four-ho...
Gus Gilchrist never made it to campus and got his release before he came and went to USF
http://www.hokiesports.com/mbasketball/recaps/20070530aaa.html
I knew that team was good by our own standards, but I had no idea they were so highly touted as a recruiting class.
Basketball recruiting class rankings aren't as important as football. That was a 5-person class, so our cumulative score was going to be higher than a team that maybe only had 1 scholarship available but he was the #1 player in the country.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Elite talent wants to play with Elite talent. That is why so many of these kids play in competitive leagues, or play in programs like Oak Hill in high school. That carries over to college too, which is why the "haves" will get classes of just 4 and 5 star players and the "have nots" are lucky to get one a year. I'm super excited to see Buzzketball going to the "haves".
Buzz's first couple prodigies, Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder, are both making a nice living in the NBA, which doesn't not get recruits' attention. They're probably thinking "If Buzz can turn two 'nobody' high school recruits into NBA stars, think what he can do for me?"
So for someone like Walker, who falls into that grey area for potential one-and-dones, probably looks at Buzz as insurance. He can either go elsewhere and fall into the mix at a top tier program, and hope he has a great one, two, three years not really knowing how productive he'll be or how long he'll stay. Or go with Buzz, and know he's going to stick around for at least a few years where Buzz will develop him into one of the top draft picks/steals by year three.
Either way, Buzz having former players star in the playoffs of the league recruits dream of playing in, only helps us. And it definitely seems like it's working. Hope we can close this one out. Not quite sure I would know how to contain myself knowing a Hokies team landed a top five recruiting class.
I appreciate that skrong double negative.
I don't know how to make gifs....but you know the words....
I don't unappreciate it, that's for sure
i don't know about you guys, but i could go for some rocky's pizza right now.
ATTENTION: WE'RE OFFICIALLY AT 50% ON 247
Trying to contain my excitement at the possibility of this happening, but I'm failing miserably.
Yes, it appears to be a 4 horse race between VT, Maryland, FSU, and GT, but appearances can be deceiving. Look at the 'Top Predictors' section. Every one of the top 5 predictors of each team (yes, there's overlap) outside of one guy says he's going to VT. So... Those who have proven they know what they're talking about are saying we got him.
As noted above, we picked up another CB early this morning. This is the 7th for the Hokies and puts us at 50% of all CB's so far.
It's from Alex Gleitman, an insider at Ohio State. He has a prediction record of 1003/1258 (80%)
From over on the Tech 247 site. This is not behind a paywall.
Followed by Chris posting an emoji sipping coffee, which I take as "you're correct but I'm not going to agree just in case"
finally my knowledge and understanding of memes has bore fruit in a real world manor take that parents that said memes were dumb!!
Leg for thinking that stalking recruits is a 'real world' activity
Or, to play hype-brakes-advocate, "you're so wrong but this will drive traffic to my site"
Haha very possible, but I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy
He's used that emoji every time when a CB comes in and when other sources confirm what he's been claiming.
Pretty sure it's a good thing.
Not his site, he just covers basketball there (and does a good job of it, IMHO). To your hype brakes point, it's pretty clear that we lead at the moment. That is a step or two down from a verbal, which is another couple steps down from actually signing a player. Searching his name in recent news articles suggests that he still has visits left, and OSU/UCLA/FSU are still pushing hard.
I don't know who this imposter Chris is, but I am less than enthused by his beat around the bush attitude.
So is that
or
Or possibly
Sheesh, I knew ESPN has been cutting corners, but making on-air personalities drink from styrofoam cups is just low
And Arvin just said that we will start next year preseason top 15. Take that as you will...
Just saw this. If you had told me that 3 years ago I would have clocked you in the jaw.
Now
Hopefully this weekend
what is this from?
Is that Jim Carrey in the middle?
Who are the other two guys?
I have so many questions...
Night at the Roxbury-one of the SNL sketches (edit: The skits were just called The Roxbury Guys), not the movie
Yes
Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell
I thought that looked a bit like WF but the hair seemed...not quite right
Thanks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtVOTmpB7pE
A classic, you'll probably recognize the guy on the right too.
wow...that was somethin'
You should see the movie
Do kids these days not know what Night at the Roxbury is?
Check the movie out, one of those "so dumb its hilarious" classics out there
I never thought that'd need an explanation. Am I confusing young people when I instinctively start head bobbing whenever "Baby Don't Hurt Me" comes on?
is it okay that I have some tears in my eyes while reading this thread due to pure shock and joy?
There's no crying in basketball recruiting
Just basketball playing
Grayson Allen AND Jon Scheyer in the same photo. Are you trying to make our eyes explode?
Could have been a recruiting...trip.
Just going through the MJ Walker film on Youtube, here are some thoughts:
-The kid has never met a shot he doesn't like. Obviously tapes don't show the misses, but he is very comfortable shooting with a hand in his face. Oh yeah...he makes a lot of threes.
-Explosive: Similar to Med. Doesn't carry himself on the perimeter as too imposing, but once he gets in the paint, watch out.
-College body: The kid could handle physical play now.
I see a lot of good. Jury out on his defensive abilities as they don't show too much. I think he would walk into the starting lineup, and that's saying something. Comparing him to our known guys, he's a little bit of Ty Outlaw and Med Hill combined. Can shoot it as well as Ty, but his overall game is a lot like Med's.
Our rotation could look something like this next season:
PG: Five, Bede, Jackson
G: Med, MJ, NAW
G: MJ, NAW, MED
G/F: Bibbs, Outlaw, LeDay 2.0
F: Blackshear, Sy, Horne
I honestly don't know what Buzz does. Doubt Clarke is rushed back. Med is his guy, and who I think had a very good year. Outlaw needs to start. The end of the season showed that. Bibbs/NAW/MJ are all interchangeable. There is so much versatility there. We could go super big with: NAW, MJ, LeDay 2.0, Blackshear and Sy in short stretches if it calls for that. We can go super small and go zone for a stretch. Robinson, Bede/Jackson, Bibbs, Outlaw, Horne. We can throw five shooters out there that are all 40% from three: MJ, NAW, Med, Bibbs, Outlaw.
Guys. If this happens. Strap up. Gonna be a fun ride.
I would like to see the G/F spot filled by a rebounder, we got killed on the glass down the stretch last year which is where I think Clarke's absence was felt the most. A 6'6" or 6'7" swing/slash type would be ideal to help crash the boards.
Luckily for you, Seth LeDay is 6'7" and is both a slasher/rebounder!
I trust Buzz to start who he feels gives us the best chance to win, I just also happen to think rebounding helps the team win. I am fine with the four guard and a center line-up as long as one of those guards can rebound.
Also realize that Blackshear is leaps and bounds ahead of Sy when it comes to rebounding.
Insert "I see what you did there" gif here.
This. Good gracious, this.
Part of me hopes recruits find pages like this just to see all of the hilarious memes and gifs people are posting about them
Haha I was thinking the same thing. I think if I had ever been in a situation like this, I definitely would have been scouring the fan pages to see what kind of crowd I was potentially signing up to play for
This hype train needs some more fuel cmon more info!
Not much to say. My guy on the team is saying that we don't know much more than we did earlier this week.
It's possible we get him this weekend, but nothing new to report
Is he visiting UCLA? Know I heard that was a thing at some point, not sure if it is anymore or not
Hoping he doesn't swerve at the last second so all the salty "fans" don't go nuts tweeting at anyone
I heard Lavar Ball offered to adopt him.
It's the pleats
Any end of the weekend updates?
Buzz apparently said last week at the Hokie Social that he is expecting a commit this week.
As in tomorrow or more like the end of the week? I thought it was reported we were thinking this weekend?
You are right. If he doesn't commit by the end of tomorrow I think we should rescind the offer.
/s
Agreed....we need to give him an ultimatum and a firm deadline. If he doesn't commit by 10pm tonight, then we rescind the offer and sign Drew Harris.
Wasn't that a few weeks ago about Horne? Unless there was another social.
Yeah there was another one last Monday(?) I believe.
I keep stalking this thread like
Any updates this hour?
I'm slowly going crazy waiting for a positive update on this kid's commitment
You do realize by posting this, you guaranteed about 30 page clicks to this link, right?
But then again, 2 new comments would help more
There has been lots of discussion behind the paywall on 247 in the last day or so.
I haven't heard about anything from my guy on the team though.
I hope its all good discussion
go in detail what kind of discussion?
He did say it was behind a paywall..
I am a broke college student who can't be paying $12/month to be accessing that message board.
And even if I could, I wouldn't be able to talk about it.
I'm bringing this one to life again, to see if we can conjure up any more nuggets of positivity. For me, this is the hottest VT Sports topic, right now. I mean, I've been watching VTBB since Bobby Stevens and it's hard to image getting this many top recruits in a lifetime, much less one class. Granted, we'll likely have only 50% stick for more than 2 years, but still.
Can we expect him to hold out until the 17th?
Anyone?
I need the TPS Reports on MJ Walker on my desk by the end of the day, mmmmkay, mkay, that'd be great.
When I started my job and they were talking about TPS reports I thought it was a hazing the new guy type of thing. Turns out they really do exist, and boy do I hate them. Luckily no cover sheets for the TPS reports.
News? News? Updates? News?
I keep telling myself there is no reason to look at this thread, if he signed there would be a new thread, and I'm only playing with my emotions by looking, yet here am I, adding to the much ado about nothing when I should be working. At least its Friday.
(There will be a front-page post too. As I have one ready to go.)
I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this. I will not over-analyze this.
Analysis seems pretty simple. Good journalists are prepared when anticipated big news is about to break and have a write-up prepared for the most anticipated outcomes.
How soon should I set my computer to refresh for said update.. ;)
this pleases me joe
Hey guys, so I follow MJ on instagram and went to check it out a few minutes ago. He had an instagram story up so I thought I'd check it out, and it's basically a blank screen with a location pinpoint that when you click it goes to a hilton hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Any chance he's visiting/thinking of committing to Ohio State? I see that he has an offer from them on 247. That would be a real bummer.
Relax. I wouldn't expect a commit soon. He'll let the 5 star dominoes fall. It's in his best interest for the likes of a Duke/Carolina/UK miss out on a guy still left and have an offer. He's next in line I would guess.
I won't worry until he visits an Under Armor school. If he visits UCLA or Maryland I think the recruitment goes south for us in a quickness. Basketball recruiting is the most outrageous thing of all time in regards to shoe affiliation
If he makes his decision to play based on shoe affiliation, I do not want him. He is not an OKG. I don't care how good you are.
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that one. Just because you have a brand preference does not make you a diva nor does it mean that you are not team first and willing to do whatever helps the team win. I've read that Coach Buzz wants any team he coaches to be outfitted by Nike.
It makes you a diva....and also misguided with really screwed up priorities.
"After talking it over with my family and coaches....and trying on several pairs of shoes, I would like to announce I am committing to Virginia Tech University"
/s
VTU baby! Love me some VTU shout outs! /s
No, I have a brand preference. Most athletes are brand loyal to a certain extent. They like playing, and feel most comfortable in a certain shoe. But, if that is his reason for going to a school, that is a diva move. If you love both coaches, the environment, what each school offers and the tiebraker happens to be shoe company, then fine, probably not a diva. That's rational. But if you hate a school, barely visited it, and choose because they are a certain company, that is a diva or you're getting really bad advice for someone.
Yeah, I'm with you on that. I don't know how strongly he feels about Under Armour, but yeah, if someone's brand preference will outweigh any other factors, then I don't think that someone is focused on basketball in the right way.
If a player visited UCLA and Maryland I would worry about:
1: The basketball history at each school.
2: The support the basketball program gets at each school.
3: The exposure of being at each school.
4: The coaches at each school.
5: The players already at each school.
.
.
.
456: What shoe company the school has.
It seems like MJ has already visited a lot of Nike schools. Did that not go well? Did he visit Louisville, or is he just already out on Adidas schools? How about Michigan who uses Jordan brand? That seems pretty cool, right?
The consternation over shoe brands is bizarre and unwarranted. It seems like we're creating a situation where we can shout KIDS THESE DAYS! for no good reason.
So until we confirm a player goes to a school because of shoes, let's all just follow Aaron Rodgers advice and
You need to watch the 30-30 on Sonny Vaccaro. The way these grassroots programs work these days shoe affiliation plays a larger role than you would think, especially among guys that people think are future pros. MJ Walker played on the UA circuit, his high school was UA. I'm not familiar with the nitty gritty parts of his recruitment but all of his coaches/handlers (who probably help him arrive at his final decision) have a vested interest in UA at this point. Not saying its going to stop us from getting him, but it can be an obstacle to overcome. I didn't mean to imply he was going to pick UCLA or Maryland strictly because he liked UA shoes better
Duke just lost out on Kevin Knox who choose Kentucky so now they just picked up a cb on Jordan Tucker. The 5 star dominos are starting to fall.
Hoping they fall in our favor
wait what the fuck? he chose Kentucky? That is... surprising to say the least.
Why's that?
Out of the 5 schools he was considering, many people had Kentucky last.
this thread is starting to get really tiring
Any recruit that picks a school based on shoe affiliation, does not have his priorities straight...that's assinine. I understand a coach having a preference, but a player choosing based on that is ridiculous. There is no garantee everyone of these top players is going to play in the NBA. How about the coach, the town, the school, the conference ...dare I say, academics?
while I agree it is asinine it is reality, and it may not be the kid himself but his AAU and high school coaches, his "Mentors" all of whom have vested interest in shoe companies pushing him to a school with the same shoe deal while disguising it with statements about them loving the campus more etc.
So much this. The shoe wars between Adidas-Nike-UA is pretty outrageous. If you look into some of the stories its pretty wild. Andrew Wiggins is a pretty prime example of this.
This seems pretty interesting. Any shot I can get more details or do you know a good read on the subject?
I think we are also seeing the effects of this with transfers, you go to a school because you were pushed there only to realize you don't like the fit and want to get out of there
Since we're on the topic of shoes and not MJ Walker, the ZO2's are selling for a reasonable $495.
What are the ZO's you ask? It's the first piece of clothing nonsense delivered by the "Big Baller Brand".
https://bigballerbrand.com/collections/video/products/video-feet-2
Too poor to be a big baller unfortunately.
I might pickup a couple pairs....plus the $250.00 flip flops also....
Lol but seriously even the cheapest adult t-shirt on that site is $50...
Say what you want about Lavar Ball but he certainly keeps him and his sons in the news all the time. I'm interested to see if this idea of making your own shoes outside of Nike/UA/Adidas takes off.
In regards to the shoes I saw something about how they only sold like 300 pairs or something.
Please help me, here. I'm just not understanding the shoe thing. Now, if the athlete truly believes it is in his best interest to make such a decision on such a thing as shoes, I guess it makes some sense. Like, his feet really don't feel good in brand B, brand C gives him blisters, while A makes him feel like a better player. Or because if he ends up being an impending NBA star and will benefit monetarily from the association with one over the others when out of college. OK, I'll get that. But if the shoe thing is about style, fashion, identity or cool, well, I'm absolutely unable to fathom that kind of thinking. Yeah, I'm old and out of touch, but could someone explain to me why this is a thing?
I agree with the above poster who recommended watching the Sonny Vacarro 30 for 30. One of the reasons AAU is so criticized is because of its affiliation with big companies like Nike and UA. They want to get the best players as early as possible so that when they become pros they'll sign on with that brand. In a kids recruiting, a Nike school has more access to Nike AAU players than an Adidas school might have.
For the kids themselves it matters in a few ways. We know the gears wars that football programs have, and it's pretty much the same idea. In addition kids are looking at who might give them the best future endorsement deal in the NBA. I'd recommend reading into the stuff about both the Ball family and Steph Curry's recruitment to UA. I'd agree with how you feel in a certain shoe making a big difference. I have some feet issues and not every shoe works for me, my mom only likes Asics running shoes but has had injury issues with some of their new models, one of my best friends played HS basketball and has heel problems so he really only feels comfortable in Adidas. Another one of my best friends is a professional tennis player, and having talked about this a lot with him I can tell you that what gear you get is a big deal.
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the references for further enlightenment.
So if Duke wears Nike's, then all the players who prefer Adidas completely rule them out?
If UCLA wears Under Armour, then they have no chance of getting a guy who prefers Nike's? I just don't believe that any player with a little bit of intelligence and self confidence is going to rule out a school because of the shoes. I am sure AAU coaches try to steer players for the money, but if a player has any resolve and assertiveness, then he won't rule out a school that is a perfect fit for him, just because of shoes. Next thing will be players transferring because Kentucky switched from Nike to Adidas...
Obviously thats not how it works but if you want an example of shoe company recruiting playing a role in recruiting for elite schools look at Antonio Blakeney and his recruitment to Louisville or Udoka Azubuike and his recruitment to Kansas.
Simply: the shoe companies 'own' certain players and direct them to programs that have contracts with them.
It has little to do with what shoe style a player prefers.
Think mafia style influence, protection, manipulation involving big $, Russian heavies, overseas recruits, high school coaches and handlers, AAU teams that are directed by shoe company monies and you will be in the ball park.
They don't make it all happen, but they can influence a lot.
Just my opinion....
I thought this thread was about MJ Walker, not about tennis shoes. Every time i see that a new posting has been made, it turns out to be about everything other than its original intent. Pretty frustrating, especially considering how long this thread has gotten..
The shoes are being discussed primarily in relation to basketball recruiting which is at least somewhat relevant given that MJ Walker is a recruit being swooned by multiple programs with multiple brands supporting those programs.
While I understand it's not directly related, if Walker does indeed have a preference to brand then it could be a factor in his decision. Is it more likely a trivial detail that's being given more importance than it actually has? Yeah, probably.
Welcome to the off-season where people will find the tiniest things to talk about because of a lack of anything new coming in.
As for the thread getting long, Joe added in a feature to collapse sub-threads quite some time ago. It's the little arrow to the far right of any comment; clicking it will collapse that comment and any in reply to it. Alternately, if the thread bothers you very much (as I assume it does given this is your second comment of this nature) you have the option to skip the thread entirely. Any updates will likely be posted in the monthly basketball recruiting thread and any major updates (ie commitments) will get their own thread.
Sure, except there wasn't even a rumor about him having a shoe preference. Somebody literally just pulled "I hope he doesn't like Under Armour shoes" out of their ass and it somehow spurned like 100 unwarranted comments about him being a diva for hypothetically liking a school for shoes.
And I fully understand that can be frustrating.
Again, it's the off-season and people don't have anything better to talk about but still want and are going to talk. Threads getting way off topic is unfortunate, particularly when it derails a good thread. But it happens, *especially* during the off-season.
Which is why, like I said above, Joe added in features to collapse sub-threads. Or, in the case of a recruiticorn like Walker, you can just stop going to the derailed thread and you can expect that you won't miss any real updates because we have other basketball recruiting threads and you can rest assured that if something big develops (read: commitment, in this case) there will be an entire thread devoted to it.
Isn't that what the anti-Social Justice Warrior Warriors say? If you don't like something on the Internet then just scroll by it? And on an awesome site like TKP, you can do that while comfortably knowing you won't miss anything important by doing so (except the hundred odd off-topic comments that are so frustrating to begin with).
Thank you, PhantomJB93. Really not interested in what bourbon people prefer or any of the other trivial crap people care to discuss here. Some of us are only really interested in the sports info.
Bet you're fun at parties.
There's going to be a front page story if he commits to Tech and a new thread if he commits somewhere else. The best you'll get in the meantime is hearsay, and the worst you'll get is discussions about the impact of apparel companies on recruiting.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Emma Watson though?
Sometimes there are topics on here that, for whatever reason, I'm not interested in reading. So I just, like, don't read them.
Is TKP a Nike site? If so, I have to re-evaluate and look for an Adidas website....I am sick of you guys trying to get me to buy Alonzo Ball shoes....I feel I am being manipulated....
Just kidding....let's focus on getting g the player and on sports. Go Hokies!
If a Chinese knockoff company makes shoes with the BBB logo I will buy them in a heartbeat. Nobody needs to know they're fake, they just need to think I'm a big baller.
uh.... like, how much would you buy those for? If you and the 10 people that gave you a turkey leg will go in for a minimum run of 2000 pairs at say $50 a pop, then I can make that happen.
#sauces
we will know his decision in the next 9 days
Oh no! Only 9 more days of shoe comments and complaints about shoe comments. Will that be enough time?
Just wait til Nike unveils its Ultimate Bad-Ass Mother-Clucker collection for the fall
Send a kid to camp and get a free bottle of sauce...
hmmmm go figure, since there are nine days left in the signing period. Someone really went out on a limb for that prediction.
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MJ Walker visited Ohio State over the weekend
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/2017/05/5-star_guard_mj_walker_officia.html
I think the thing to watch over the next day or so is whether the Ohio State insider that gave Tech a CB flips his choice or not.
Visited 11W to see what they were saying, and from the sounds of it, they think its a fairly long shot for him to end up there. They think there's a ton of ground to make up this late in the game, especially for a program that seems to be trending in the wrong direction.
The OSU 247 board seems to relay the same thing. Seems like tOSU can offer more guaranteed playing time on the wing, but Matta is squarely on the hot seat and Buzz can probably take advantage of that.
Dammit guys, I came here expecting a shoe update and here we have something about actual basketball recruiting.
You probably don't know this, but you can minimize all the sports-crap talk so you can just read about shoes. I'm sure there will be another shoe update soon. Until then, you will have to wade through all the basketball non-sense like the rest of us!
Minimizing the comment strings that are off-topic don't keep those off-topic posts from showing up in the tally of unread comments. I don't have a big problem with off-topic meandering conversations but the 'minimize that part' suggestions don't do a whole lot for those who are annoyed by them..
it takes me a lot less time to open a page, see all the new comments are part of a minimized thread, and move on than it does to wade through all the expanded new comments to reach the same conclusion. Hardly a fix, but it is a step in the right direction. I'd prefer people make new posts about this stuff, but what are you gonna do?
I'm going to keep making off-topic posts, that's what!
c'mon Buzz, let's get this thread replaced by a "first McDonalds All-American in 30+ years signs with the Hokies" celebration thread!
Since everyone went off on shoe brands, why the hell is he a McDonald's All American? What about other fast food joints? I'd prefer a Wendy's All American over McDonalds.
If we gotta pick one I'm going with five guys
What is the number of healthy ACC caliber players we had last year, Alex?
I kid I kid. I know it was really 7.
I believe we just picked up another CB from a UMD sportswriter. Didn't want to interrupt the shoe conversation but thought that was relevant.
Got another one!
As pointed out by '04hokie, we did just pick up another CB.
It's from Josh Stirn, a Maryland insider. He's a got pick history of 103/165 (62%).
Maryland is next highest predicted landing spot for Walker, at 21% of all CB's. VT now has 57%.
edit: I updated the OP with another mixtape I found.
Thx for the info. But that pick history is not giving me any confidence. It probably is not any better than me giving a CB of MJ Walker to VT.
with guys like him, my only takeaway is whether it's UMd or not UMd. Whichever "Not UMd" school he picks is probably a WAG, considering most (all?) his sources are probably connected to the terps. Given that Maryland is considered the second most likely school to land Walker, I'm gonna use this as an excuse to get excited.
For what it's worth, everything I've seen had FSU as the leader before he visited us. From what I can gather, assuming the OSU visit isn't an issue (seems to be the consensus), we are still the leader and FSU is still in the picture.
Does it make you feel better that those predicting him to come here are correct a combined 569.4% of the time?
(average correctness is 71.2%)
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I feel like your combined correctness stat is a little misleading. What can you tell me on their combined shoe size? I'll get excited if we get over 100.
As a PhD candidate in statistics, I just have to say something about your math.
549.4%>>100%. We can all feel pretty confident about this pick.
I unfortunately agree because if we dont get him its going to be because one of the blue bloods had an opening become available after these other five stars commit over the next few days, not that we lost him to FSU, GT, or Ohio State. Kevin Knox going to Kentucky for example is not great news for us because that means that Duke likely has a spot to fill since they were hard after Knox. They are also hard after Trevon Duval, the #5 kid in the class, so we need to hope Duke gets him in the fold to fill their opening. Beyond that Walker is one of only six remaining kids uncommitted in the Top 50 so any hole at a top program is a threat.
I'm sorry, was this on purpose?
Duke also likes to do #hardthingstogether
We all know Duke is a Raging Grayson Allen
Here is an update on Duke's recruiting maneuvers since Knox made his decision...
Link
I'd consider FSU an almost blueblood, certainly more prestigious in sports than us
Maybe football, but they aren't anywhere near a blue blood in basketball. Not anywhere close to the Duke's, Kentucky's, and Kansas' of the world.
Possible future OT:
What's Your Favorite Bourbon To Drink Out Of A Shoe
What's Your Favorite Shoe Out Of Which To Drink Bourbon
What Matters More: Shoe Brand Or Bourbon
How Drunk Can I Get By Sundown
Is your choice in bourbon influenced by your favorite shoe brand?
Isn't yours?
I like to match shoe to Bourbon. When the bank account is low, I'm into Jim Beam out of a pair of discontinued Marburys. When I'm a little more flush, my go-to is Michter's with one cube out of a Yeezy. (Be sure to ask the bartender if they are the Nike ones or the Adidas ones. Totally different tastes.)
If someone else is buying, or money is no object, gotta go Pappy Van - anything 15 or older - and pairing it with something really spicy. Try Gucci loafers sometime. Amazing.
Thank you for reminding me to enter the drawing.
Other possibilities:
Does someone's shoe brand affect what bourbon they choose to drink? EDIT: damn, beaten by 66 seconds.
Does the shoe brand affect how quickly they get drunk?
Which shoe brand makes someone angry drunk? Happy?
Also, I believe the answer to your last question is dead.
1. Jefferson Reserve
2. Blue Suede Wingtips - Left
3. Trick question, its about the pairing (eh, get it)
4. Depends what time you start
Got another 247 Crystal Ball overnight. Up to 9 overall. With the latest one, GT has fallen out of the race per the 'experts'.
I'm guessing they figured out how important the shoes were to him, and they knew RA just wasn't getting it done /s
Smh we're going to have to add shoe brands to the list of TKP memes aren't we?
Sauces tell me that Drew Harris will be on the roster this year once the team's shoe brand supplier decides between team pie or team cake. But I could be wrong because there's more rumors out there than there were people at UVA's spring game
GT's shoe brand is Zips....the Big Z.
Surprised that's not pulling in more 5 star players...
I noticed on Walker's 247 profile that he is rated as the #3 prospect (surprised to see how talented at least the top tier of the state is) in Georgia for this class. The #1 GA prospect is a 5 star PG who is committed to Alabama. Alabama lost in the first round on this year's NIT.
You know how we hate to see highly rated VA kids go out of state? GT/UGA fans have to be pissed. We're coming after your 'croots!
That's the Avery Johnson effect. I'd expect it to continue as long as he's at Bama.
oh shit, that's THE Avery Johnson. Him + Duncan + Robinson was my favorite trio in the NBA as a kid
Great news....just picked up another Crystal Levar Ball....
Buzz switched to Big Baller Brand and MJ is committing tonight.
So help me god I would never send another dollar to that school
And we would need a lot to fund those ugly shoes alone.
Drive for $495
10th CB for Walker. Comes from Jason Marcum, the site manager over at A Sea of Blue (Kentucky). He's got a pick record of 188/245 (77%).
Puts the Hokies at a 71% chance according to 247. Next closest is Maryland at 14%. Everyone at Maryland has acknowledged that he won't be going there, so take that as you will.
Nah nah nah. I seen this movie. He goin to Iowa State.
Latest is that his top 4 are VT, GT, Ohio State and FSU, with a potential official to ucla happening.
I would be shocked if he went with Georgia Tech even though it's his home state. OSU and FSU seem to be solid competitors, but the experts on 247 don't think so quite as much. I'm still too nervous to peg us as the hands-down favorite.
I think it's us or UCLA, which is a testament to what Buzz has done turning this program around.
Seriously though. The fact that we're legitimately in the same recruit's short-list as a school with that much history is truly impressive
I mean I'm probably as confident as most of you, but let's go easy on trusting CB's too much. Too many times we have been leading and seen all the "insiders" swing their votes at the last second.
Blood pressure can't take many more updates without commitment
Yet we know that any definitive update will come in it's own thread.
We all know this, yet we come here anyway.
Fun facts - per 247 interview (free side) ...
MJ is interested in playing PG in college.
MJ's recruiter at OSU is Greg Paulus...
MJ and his family are taking their time to make sure they have the right fit
has he seen the massive two story tall wallpaper of paulus getting teabagged in teh basketball practice facility?
Who is Greg Paulus?
Greg Paulus was a guard at Duke, best known for being teabagged by Deron Washington on a fast break layup.
Also known for his legendary accomplishments on the gridiron
Just for everyone's viewing pleasure.
And I will never forget the following moment as I was in the student section when it happened!
I fully believe he's coming to VT. It is a matter of timing. VT offers the most in terms of winning potential, playing time, player development, postseason opportunities, life lessons, overall satisfaction. Yes postseason. Combining him with the existing core along with incoming talent this is a top 10 team. No doubt. Elite 8 contender immediately. Buzz as an elite coach with an elite roster will cause damage no doubt. He knows it, Buzz knows it, his parents know it. The other schools he is considering are good schools with good players but VT has the perfect mix of under and upperclassmen, along with point and shooting guard talent to really put it all together.
Still think we need one elite big man for the defense and rebounding to have an elite team
I feel Blackshear will fill that role. Can't wait to see him with two good feet.
That would be great
Interesting note (could be adminstration error): Seth Leday no longer listed on roster....
http://www.hokiesports.com/mbasketball/players/
Wondering where a scholarship was coming from? Might be there.
Is that Zach's brother?
This roster doesn't look updated. It still has Zach Leday and Seth Allen.
Seth was on the roster throughout the season is the point.
Hokie Fireman, yes. LeDay 2.0.
I hope he brings the same attitude Zach had
I hope he's still on the roster
Rumor has it he's informed the school of his intentions to transfer
Not the guy I would have expected to transfer, but not a guy we (fans) are going miss, simply because we didn't get to see him on the court.
He just transferred in...and had to sit a year...why would he lose a year and transfer again?
He didn't play so I don't think he would have to sit.
Still has to sit unless he goes down a level or has some type of hardship
If the rumor is true, I suspect he has already gotten a hardship waiver as its hard to believe he'd sit out another season.
I actually think there is also a NCAA transfer rule where you can transfer back to your original school without sitting out an additional year. That would be a pretty interesting turn of events. USF fired their coach mid-season due to NCAA violations and hired Brian Gregory (formerly GT's head coach) to takeover.
He didn't go to USF. Spent two season at JUCO.
Ah, not sure what I was thinking.
LeDay 1.0 transferred from USF.
MJ Walker is headed to LA to have an Official Visit with UCLA tomorrow
Balls
Should we feel nervous??
A little
There are worse places to be as a 19 year old than Westwood...
Yeah
But that said LaVar Ball is doing more than enough to keep us in this
His OV to UCLA ends Monday night.
In other words, don't expect him to sign on Wednesday.
soooo I dunno how the signing day works but you're saying it's kinda like
Edit I forgot that's just how UNCHEAT views the NCAA ref book never mind
Why not? If it ends Monday....why not sign Wednesday?
Because it's unlikely he has mind made up by Wednesday. With how his recruitment has gone, it's clear that he likes to think things through and will likely do the same after the UCLA visit.
I expect him to have announced a decision by the time Durham visits on the 28th. I don't expect him to announce a decision by the 17th, so nor do I expect him to sign an LOI.
Or he could be waiting for mothers day, since his mom likes VT.
Duke at least seems more out of the picture as a dark horse after today. Jordan Tucker signed with them over Syracuse and Duke is still heavily after Duval.
and Duke just got Duval
I will not check the MJ Walker thread.....I will not check the MJ Walker thread.....I will not check the MJ Walker thread... but wait new comments? Maybe just a quick look
I'm not sure who this guy is, but he is really starting to annoy me when I search for "MJ Walker" on twitter.com... I guess you could say that the artificial ceiling is the artificial roof
the dummy thinks you can just "create" a future. all wrong, futures are invented
I'd give you a turkey leg if I had any. touche sir.
Isn't it about time to start a newer Walker thread? This one is getting ridiculously long.
There will be a new one to announce his commitment.
I've heard it will be lit, fam
That's what she said.
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But she was smiling when she said it.
Any Buzz coming out of LA after the weekend visit?
mainly just watching the CB's hoping not to see any from UCLA is best ive got
I'd be impressed if Buzz followed Walker there, but I'm pretty sure he's still in Blacksburg.
Really bothers me that they used the wrong album cover for this
Fair point. I just grabbed the first one that Google returned. Better now?
So that everyone can get their fix today:
Dude! Do you have a camera in my microwave?
Why does your microwave shake so much?
It might be that superspecial popcorn we were making. You know, the kind that won't stick to your dentures
For those into reading into things that probably mean nothing, Buzz started following Walker on Instagram, and J-Rob and Walker started following each other as well.
DONE DEAL SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE MISTER WALKER
This is 1000% more reliable than flight tracker.
Honestly, the fact we haven't seen any 247 CB movement since he went on his Official to UCLA has to be a good sign.
C O N F I R M E D
O
N
F
I
R
M
E
D
whats up with this type of font lately. I have seen it more and more everywhere and I am really out of the loop.
I think it started on reddit or 4chan. Just a lovely little shitpost.
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/vertical-posting
#Sauce
Jrob followed him because he was Walkers host for the OV. Been following each other for a while now.
So, how does this signing period work? Today is the last day, right? If he doesn't sign with anyone today, does that mean he can't sign at all until he's enrolled somewhere on the first day of classes?
If he doesn't send in his NLI today, we won't know his decision until he enrolls somewhere for summer workouts.
Never went the college route just a few semesters of classes at community level, god bless trade schools, so I have no idea what type of timeline we're dealing with here would this mean like early June?
Summer Session 2 starts July 5
Rumor has it he'll make up his mind by the end of the month if he doesn't decide today.
Thankyou for the answers I think my lush brown hair can take the stress of a few more weeks before going grey I pray
This new offer makes me think we aren't hopeful of landing walker
It's a backup plan. If Walker commits, then we won't pursue him.
No offense to the young man from Mount St. Mary's, but it's a backup plan. You take a McDonald's All American that is immediately eligible over a NEC freshman that'll have to sit out. He could very well be a very good player, but you have to think Walker is the priority.
Maybe we could schollie him at WR.
His coach seems to think that he will make the decision this week. But we have been on that boat before.
http://www.myajc.com/sports/college/coaches-waiting-georgia-tech-target-...
Graduates thursday...hoping he's decked out in O&M under the cap and gown, and announces as he walks across the stage...
Every time I see anew post and check it this is how I feel
Update:
Bad news, CBs are beginning to swing from VT to UCLA on 247 from very knowledgeable people
So should we say the sky is falling now?
Completely unrelated: Anyone have any beer recommendations?
Figured that was most likely to happen, was quietly surprised it hadn't happened yet.
Still a chance, though, can't ever fully read the mind of a high-schooler.
This is where we take a deep breath and realize how awesome this class is even without him, right? Or is this where I question the entire existence of college basketball in Blacksburg?
Its still a Top 20 recruiting class without him.
But its a BIG miss if he goes elsewhere. He legitimately could have pushed us over the hump.
Man I had a bad feeling when things kept getting delayed. Assuming it doesn't work out that's a pretty big bummer but at the end of the day Buzz is still bringing in a pretty solid class and the future is looking bright!
Is there something I'm missing, I only saw one CB for UCLA
UCLA had 0 CBs before today, unless you count the 'Cloudy' designation. We were also at 71%, which has now been split 64 for the good guys. 7 for the Bruins
I got that, but I was thrown off by the plural.
I know it's not good he got a CB for UCLA as it was his last visit, but I remember with Capehart the night before signing day all of the CBs started changing for Maryland. As long as it stands as a single CB by the end of the day, I will maintain hope.
[EDIT] Nevermind. There go the CBs. I really hope we get him, and I have to remember that this class will be historic with or without him.
Apologies for interpreting the question literally and answering
The one CB to UCLA comes from Andrew Slater, one of the main Recruiting Experts for 247 who also happened to be one of the first to CB us a month ago.
Its a big deal if he's switched his opinion.
Wasn't aware he had CB us before. Hopefully he got some misleading info. I can hope, right?
From what little I know about 247's CBs, seems like once someone switches his CB to a team then others will race to "verify" and then be next in line to switch. It would be telling to see what else happens today.
Or, y'know, just wait until he's expected to announce his decision less than 24 hours from now.
Another flip from the 247 Kentucky Site Manager
2nd CB just went to UCLA from VT...
Don't the CB's typically show a flip by arrows from say, VT to UCLA?
At least the wait is almost over it seems:
MJ Walker to Make Decision Wednesday
Supposed to announce tomorrow at 11.
*sigh*... so he announces a decision date and time, and at the same time one of 247's experts switches him to UCLA?
Thats... not good
If I had a dime for every time we have seen that happen. Time to drag back out the discussion about how unreliable 247's CB system is...
It's even worse for basketball. Day before Kevin Knox committed nearly all 20 or so of his CBs were to Duke, he then committed to Kentucky the next day.
When Chris Clarke originally committed to Tennessee, all his CBs were for the Hokies as well. Basketball recruiting is way more tough to gauge where prospects go, and you see that in crystal balls.
saw an espn note that didn't even have maryland in top 5. interesting.
Why is that interesting..? MD has been out of the picture since like February
247 still has them at 14%?
Yeah and those two predictions were placed this January and last July, the guys just haven't updated their CB's. His top 5 are VT, GT, FSU, OSU, and UCLA. From what I've read it's basically between UCLA and VT, with FSU and GT behind and OSU is pretty much not in the picture.
Time to lace them up
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via GIPHY
So not good then?
Oh Hell if I know. My #sauces are in football only!