You have to at least come close to what others are willing to pay and then take out an insurance policy in case of injury.
A couple interesting tidbits I’ve picked up
- Thread starter BballinsiderfromPitt
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I think Pitt will compete with just about anyone with NIL money for Thomas and Maluk. As I said in the past, I dont expect that to be the case very often, but hometown players in rare circumstances like this is different. I would also expect Pitt to be aggressive with Koa Peat with NIL if it comes to it because he is Burton's cousin.
Winning can change perception quickly with higher end players.
Also, money factors in with some players decisions but not all. The biggest thing for Capel was showing people he can actually win. If he can do that again next year and continue to show he can develop players, then we should be right there to get these types of players in our own backyard.
I have to imagine dior is very important this year with showing that top kids can flourish at pitt as well.
Dior will put up substantial stats this year and put numbers up in all facets of the game, I wouldn't worry about that. But he is a volume player, and the key question is, how efficient are his metrics going to be. He was a volume player too in the EYBL. And he plays aggressive with his shot selection. I can't tell you how much leeway Capel is going to give him in that regard but considering how weak our pursuit was of other point guards in the portal, I would say Dior is getting quite a bit of leeway in terms of his shot selection. His off court behavior is another story and that leash is far shorter should more trouble find him.
And the amount of money is pretty small. So if Duke offers 500K and Pitt offers 400K, would the 100K make a difference to a kid who will be a multi-millionaire in 10 months?
The bigger question is would Pitt not find 100k to match for Thomas if it came down to that…Most players no. But if he stays hyped and is hometown, they will make it happen if both parties want to be together.
One would think that his actual worth as a marketing asset would be more here, in his hometown, than somewhere else.
If I had $20 million or whatever waiting for me in 10 months, I dont think 100K would be a deciding factor on where I spent June to March.
Can you elaborate further? Size seems similar. Is Thomas a far better athlete? Is his scoring ability far superior? It seems Dior is a better ball handler and passer right now.
Not to mention when JHS verbaled the program was a mess
Yes but with these guys, money is a metric. Like measuring dick size. It becomes an ego thing.
There’s no guarantees in life . Maybe the kid doesn’t excel at the next level as expected or he gets injured . Once you have the NBA money now 100k isn’t quite as meaningful , but right now it’s a shiny new Vet !
It’s not really Pitt , it’s finding a booster willing to write the check . Now you can open up a bidding war and who has the boosters with deeper pockets .
I‘m all for the players getting compensated , especially when coaches and schools are making multiple millions off there athletic abilities , but this whole NIL has opened up a big can of worms for college athletics.
Hopefully Meleek doesn’t have an uncle who played for WVU and hates Pitt.
The #10 recruit on Rivals was Cam Whitmore, who averaged 12.5 PPG. He was no better than a high level MVC 23 year old transfer.
I want to see Meleek Thomas’ face on the side of those trucks.
He also battled a thumb injury and was still named BE Freshman of the Year and will be a top 10 pick in the NBA draft. he's a mega-talent.
A 23 year old MVC player averaging 18 ppg projects as a solid role player on an ACC team. That has value, and no disrespect, but there is no substitute for elite talent.
The NBA is completely irrelevant. I am not arguing that the #10 HS player wont be a good NBA prospect. And I realize the MVC dude has no chance. But at the P6 college basketball level, there is very little difference between a 1st Team All MVC guy and the #10 player. Both will make similar contributions.
Here's another example:
Derek Lively (#1 player, mid 1st Rounder) vs 18 PPG Wright St transfer Grant Basile. Lively will be an NBA dude but Basile was significantly better last season. These 18 year olds just don't make the type of contributions that a 23 year old mid-major dude can. I would love to get Meleek Thomas but if he lands outside the Top 5, he would give us the production of a high level MM transfer.
Thomas is a better athlete, he projects to be taller, he is a better and more consistent shooter and natural 3 level scorer. Thomas can shoot the 3 ball well, Dior is quite streaky there. Thomas is one of the best scorers in all of high school basketball regardless of class. He is not the top ball handler on the teams he plays for. He is much more of a 2 guard and trying to develop point guard skills. His rebounding is quite strong.
Dior is a killer in the transition game, loves pushing the basketball and blowing by defenders, and can put up quality level assist production with a strong midrange game. He is a scoring point guard with Elite level rebounding ability. While Thomas is a better scorer and more natural scorer with considerably higher upside, Dior is a better playmaker with better ball control. Dior has shown at multiple stops he can be a scoring point guard and flourish in the role. Meleek has not shown anywhere yet he can be a scoring point guard while being ball dominant and the main ball handler. Thomas is very much a 2 right now that could also shift to being an undersized 3. His PG ability is in development. In instances where Thomas tried to be the lead point guard, he has got himself into significant turnover problems, an area he needs to work on.
There is nothing wrong with your examples except.
1){ Derrick Lively couldn't shoot or score that well in the EYBL either. He was nothing more than a huge center that was really good on the glass and on defense. He played on an elite EYBL team that won a title. His national ranking was based on future ability and development.
2) Same thing with Cam Whitmote. One of the most explosive athletes in high school basketball. Could easily blow by defenders and over power players scoring on the inside. Never had ability to shoot the basketball at some sort of consistent level. Still can't shoot well and will struggle in the NBA shooting.
Where your argument dies, is that Meleek Thomas is one of the best scorers in high school basketball regardless of class and Thomas can really shoot from both the midrange and from 3.
And if Thomas is Top 5, he would make very big contributions. Once you go outside the Top 5, you are getting someone of the quality of a top mid-major transfer. Still a good player but for the 1 year "rental," its not as big of a deal as it looks on paper. There are only a couple HS recruits who are significantly better than the best 23 year old mid-major transfers.
You are again using all recruiting classes as being equal in talent which they aren't.
Take a hard look at the 2007 recruiting class.
Kyle Singler was #7
Donte Green was #8
James Harden was #16 overall
Blake Griffen was #18
Jarryd Baylees was #19
Jonny Flynn was #20
Dejuan Blair was #34
These guys dominated as freshmen.
That's what a stacked Power recruiting class looks like. The 2025 class isn't this stacked when you get into the teens, 20s, 30s, but at the top of 2025 it is absolutely loaded.
These players right here are going to put up big numbers in college from day 1.
Boozer, Flagg, Peat, Peterson, Thomas, Dybantsa if he classes into 2025. Those are locks regardless of what they are ranked. That 1-6 is as good as any recruiting class in decades.
The 2 guys at the top are breaking AAU records.
Generally speaking
My whole point is HS recruiting isnt nearly as important as it used to be. Would be great to get Thomas but if we missed on him but landed a 1st Team All-MVC 23 year old, it would be about the same.
How many freshmen out-produced the better old transfers last year? Probably just a few.
Mike Cook. That would be a "23 year old MVC guy" averaging 18ppg because that is about what he averaged at ECU right?
As long as she doesn’t hang out on Twitter intentionally starting fights with Pitt fans like Uncle Drew, then we will be moving in the right direction.
She’s a mysterious figure. Don’t even know her name. A whisper. Everyone supposedly has her number but no one will give it out. She’s like fight club.
But apparently she wants to keep her baby close from the whisper I heard.
Sounds good to me. I think we all want her baby to play close to home.
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