(08-13-2018 07:46 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote: (08-13-2018 06:46 PM)Grandgreen Wrote: (08-13-2018 11:20 AM)Hilltopper2K Wrote: (08-11-2018 12:26 PM)Project O Wrote: Damn Western Kentucky, you all had yourselves a very strong and impressive recruiting class. 
https://n.rivals.com/team_rankings/2018/...ccounter=1
Ya'll didn't do bad either.
These rankings also don't include transfers or Jucos (we got Desean Murray starter for Auburn last year and Travelin Queen a top 10 Juco). Throw in Josh Savage from Austin Peay (his numbers weren't that big at Peay but he was improving at the end of his last season there and Stansbury was very high on him when he sat out last year).
Last year we only really played 7-8 players the overwhelming bulk of the minutes. This year we might be platooning. We had a very strong recruiting class last year as well. Hollingsworth was our all time top scoring freshman in '17. We think Anderson will take a big leap forward (since he had to sit out the first half of last year).
Not picking on WKU. but they are rated first. Both WKU and UTEP are 1 and 2 because of huge classes and WKU obtaining a 5 star by hiring his guardian.
How does a team churn so many players. This recruiting list respectfully for years 2015-2018 includes classes of: 6,3,8 and 7. That is 24 players not including the transfers noted above.
WKU is far from alone in this practice. However, despite the NCAA attempts to curtail this turnover; it is the norm.
A lot to unpack here.
#1 hiring the guardian was done openly and is within the rules. P5 teams do this and worse to land top talent, so why shouldn't we get ours? Maybe more CUSA teams should do this as well.
#2 One of my biggest gripes with Harper was the turnover of players. When we lost three returning players (due to a violation of team policy) we also lost several players to graduation. Stansbury literally had 2 returning players his first year. So you'll forgive him for bringing in graduate transfers to fill out a roster. And when he does he has to bring in additional recruits to replace the graduate transfers. He has stated on more than one occasion that he values continuity and is building to a point where we will not need to recruit that many players each year. How would the NCAA curtail the turnover? Block players from transferring? Prevent teams from disciplining players that violate policy?
#3 There are a few recruits for the top two... but both WKU and UTEP landed a 4 star player. We are the only two CUSA teams to do so. I think that sets those two apart aside from the sheer numbers.
#4 Marshall and UTSA both signed 5 players. MTSU needed to sign 7 or 8 but didn't. Is that so much better?
Stansbury has done an incredible job building a talented roster quickly and he started with basically nothing.
Thanks for your response.
1. Just stating a fact, did not make a judgment. However, when someone defends an action by referring to worst cases, it shows that it is questionable even in their minds. I believe the NCAA would like to outlaw this practice but has no legal basis to do it.
2. The NCAA enacted the APR system to monitor academic progress and curtail turnover. It seems to work in some sports like football, but not in basketball.
3. Yes, quality by star ratings is a big factor in these ratings; but so is quantity of players. I believe even with the ranking limitations that the results at the top are accurate.
4. A team should sign as many good players as they possible can. A class of 7 is going to be ranked higher than a smaller class of the same rated athletes. That is obviously statistically valid.
Again I was not trying to downgrade WKU or UTEP, but rather discuss the effect of signing numbers on this type of ranking. Plus, why in basketball is the percentage turnover in players so much more than any other sport.
It appears to me in MBB in particular, it is a common practice to clear out your lowest contributors and potential players after a one or two year period. This results in team's keeping the nucleus of their returning team and replacing the rest.
The team I follow for instance, it was very easy to guess what players would be leaving the program before next season.
This process may be the best for all concerns as athletics are forced into their level of competitiveness. It also has created a sport were teams must follow this practice to remain competitive.
