IndyResident16

Hometown team with a legendary coach who have had donors come out and say the are willing to pay to get Pitino rolling.

I have the same feeling. If he was in love with IU he would have committed on the spot. I think he strategically took the Kansas visit before IU and the scheduled Louisville visit. He knew he was going to get a number thrown at him after leaving Lawrence and the family knew that IU and Louisville would be willing to pay and they could leverage that into a bigger number after he concluded the other two. Have a feeling IU offered a number similar or bigger to what Kansas offered and the Louisville trip was cancelled ahead of time once that number to match was thrown out to make a visit worthwhile. I believe Kansas has spent the last week gathering the needed money and he'll ultimately choose Kansas here this evening. Guessing we'll start to hear some leaks trickle here early/late afternoon.

Just hope the staff lands the next target.

Lol. Hood-Schifino was a composite 5* player. Imagine trying to argue otherwise.

Hood-Schifino and Reneau were both out of state 5*'s on last years roster. Transfer Kel'el Ware was a top 10 prospect in the same class also from out of state. Tamar Bates was a 5* by a few recruiting services but don't think he was a consensus 5*. Believe Vonleh was rated 6th or 7th as a re-class.

I know that. Still a 5* no? Seems like we've now pushed the goal posts out to the 20. IU's landed several out of state 5*'s as recently as last year. But I digress, yes it's been awhile since IU landed an out of state (*top 10) 5 star. Noah Vonleh I believe.

Ware top 10?

What exactly did he do lol? His guess is Kansas but doesn't have anything concrete to substantiate it.

Besides the 2 currently on the roster and the one who just won Freshman of the year?

Think Slater is going to let the kid enjoy his day and moment.

I'm not basing it off any information nor claim to have any. I'm going strictly off my gut. IU's record the last dozen or so years with these types of recruits competing directly with these types of programs isn't good. Again, here is to hoping my gut is wrong. Cool, I never asked for your input anyway. You responded to me, remember?

Because I think he ultimately ends up at Kansas hence "likely to be a bridesmaid once again". Totally fine with being wrong on this one.

No shame in losing a recruit to Kansas. KU is only one of the handful of basketball programs who can legitimately tout themselves as having a better basketball pedigree and tradition than Indiana on top of selling a better brand. Sucks we are likely to be a bridesmaid once again but at least in this instance I can understand. Staff did everything in their power.

Pacquiao-Mayweather happened almost a decade too late and the fact those two couldn’t agree on terms to fight in their primes likely killed boxing as we know it.

I think the rise of MMA has hurt boxing more than anything Scott. And as a former avid boxing fan, the product is pretty terrible. Been some great individual boxers the last 20 years but no serious rivalries like you got in the 80s, 90s, and in to the 2000’s. There’s a large sect of people who think Jake Paul is a legitimate boxer.

Ware was buried on the depth chart behind two other 5* centers and still would have likely been first round pick on potential alone had he declared as he was in just about every mock draft prior to announcing his intention to stay in college. I don't see Mgabko getting buried on the depth chart at Louisville and aside from a catastrophic injury, should be a first round pick on potential alone given the nature of how the NBA draft works.

Nolan Smith is definitely the deciding factor but couldn't hurt Mgabko or the agency to visit two other high profile basketball schools to leverage an even bigger NIL deal. Throw in hometown St. John's who has donors on deck (one being Mike Repole who owned Derby favorite Forte before he scratched) and MM's NIL package is probably a digit bigger than what it originally was.

Payne was a 10 year bench coach under Calipari that sent almost 50 guys to the NBA. I don't think his camp is worried about Mgabko's ability to get to the NBA with Payne at the helm. Really the only way Mgabko isn't a first round pick next year is if he gets injured, he's that talented. Louisville is likely selling MM on the idea that they went 4-28 last year because they didn't have a player of MM's caliber on the roster. MM instantly becomes the face of that Louisville program and likely their best player next year. He'll get the usage and whatever shots he wants. Add all that in with his familiarity towards Nolan Smith and it's the likely landing spot.

Lol...you can keep living on the Instagram pages of 17-18 year old high school kids and I'll continue to live in reality.

With the exception of the previous built in relationship with a member of the Louisville staff which at the end of the day is going to be the deciding factor, something you've struggled with for a month now.

Right which is why I said it could potentially play a part in a situation where one school has a clear advantage over the other...but we're talking about Indiana, Louisville, and Kansas here. All three are top 10 programs of all-time. All three have top of the line facilities and amenities and all-three can handsomely offer lucrative NIL packages. But, as it appears, there's one school where this particular recruit has a well established relationship with a current staffer that extends much further than the 24-48 hour visits with staff to some of these other schools. If and when Mgabko ultimately chooses Louisville you'll know the reason why; Nolan Smith.

Been saying this for weeks. Yeah locker rooms with juice bars and granola stations are nice perks and so are NIL packages (especially when one school has a clear advantage)…but in the case of Mgabko where each school can offer plenty, it comes down to relationships. There’s been a lot of noise here the last couple weeks from a certain individual, but at the end of the day, 99% of recruits are going to commit to a coach/staff that they have built the best relationship with and feel most comfortable playing for. Been that way forever and don’t foresee it changing even in the new landscape.

He’s addressed the “rumors” and has already stated he’s playing for Michigan next year. Anonymous “insiders” don’t help with these types of things.

This was my favorite exchange to read. Continuing to tell really smart posters what they don't understand - when they pretty clearly do understand - is confusing and a bit irritating.

So when/if this guy commits to St. John’s will you come on here and announce how full of sh*t your two week schtick has been and not post anymore? There’s plenty of “city” money floating around St. John’s, especially when they’re relevant. Pitino is a splash hire and a name that resonates throughout all 5 boroughs. I lived in NYC for 2 years during the height of the Carnesecca years in the 80’s and can tell you that city cares deeply when St. John’s is good at basketball. The Garden will be electric this year against UConn.