2020-21 Basketball Happenings Around the AAC

[Dan]

Those stats are for the total number of cases in each state and have little bearing on this point in time, other than to say there have been more total cases in states where the virus arrived earlier.

The virus only recently got to Texas. Texas is one of the states seeing a rise in infections from day to day. Texas hasn't hit its peak yet.

That sounds like real science to me. Only recently got to Texas. Wow.

[WstateU]

That sounds like real science to me. Only recently got to Texas. Wow.

[shockerfan]

Those stats are for the total number of cases in each state and have little bearing on this point in time, other than to say there have been more total cases in states where the virus arrived earlier.

The virus only recently got to Texas. Texas is one of the states seeing a rise in infections from day to day. Texas hasn't hit its peak yet.

Only recently got to Texas? Lmao. I live in Dallas. What is your definition of "recently"?

[wichshock65]

Those stats are for the total number of cases in each state and have little bearing on this point in time, other than to say there have been more total cases in states where the virus arrived earlier.

The virus only recently got to Texas. Texas is one of the states seeing a rise in infections from day to day. Texas hasn't hit its peak yet.

Recently?? LOL

DSHS Announces First Case of COVID-19 in Texas

News Release
March 4, 2020

Travel-related case in Fort Bend County

The Texas Department of State Health Services and Fort Bend County Health and Human Services are reporting the first positive test result for COVID-19 in Texas outside of the passengers returned under federal quarantine from Wuhan City, China or the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The patient is a resident of Fort Bend County who recently returned from travel abroad and is currently isolated in the hospital.

[Stickboy46]

Houston and Memphis should be pretty good. Landers Nolley will be a beast for Memphis and maybe the best player in the AAC. Agree 3rd, maybe 4th is where we land.

Nolley is no guarantee to get a waiver. If he doesn't, he likely never plays a game for Memphis. They also still have Penny as their coach and just lost their best bench coach in Mike Miller. IMO SMU, Memphis and USF are too high on here due to coaching. I haven't seen enough from Jank, Penny, or Gregory to think they can hold a team together for an entire year. Their rosters look good but underachieve.

I'd agree though 3rd or 4th seems reasonable.

[Aargh]

Houston is a hot mess.

I made that post a week ago and was taken to task for making such an outlandish statement. Covid-19 hospitalizations in Harris County, TX (Houston) are up 177% from the first of the month.

The early cases in TX were from travelers returning from either coast, Europe, or China. Those were low case counts. The high case counts come from geographic spread where people's normal daily activities gradually reach different areas. That method of spread infects many more people than long distance travelers.

Greg Abbott, TX governor, is saying that the virus is spreading at an unacceptable rate and serious measures may have to be taken to get the virus under control.

Didn't take long for the geographic spread in TX to hit OK. I doubt Tulsa or Oral Roberts will be bringing athletes on campus any time soon. Kansas is getting geographic spread from OK, so what WSU does with basketball players will be determined in the next several weeks. It doesn't look like a good time to bring them into Wichita right now.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

I made that post a week ago and was taken to task for making such an outlandish statement. Covid-19 hospitalizations in Harris County, TX (Houston) are up 177% from the first of the month.

The early cases in TX were from travelers returning from either coast, Europe, or China. Those were low case counts. The high case counts come from geographic spread where people's normal daily activities gradually reach different areas. That method of spread infects many more people than long distance travelers.

Greg Abbott, TX governor, is saying that the virus is spreading at an unacceptable rate and serious measures may have to be taken to get the virus under control.

Didn't take long for the geographic spread in TX to hit OK. I doubt Tulsa or Oral Roberts will be bringing athletes on campus any time soon. Kansas is getting geographic spread from OK, so what WSU does with basketball players will be determined in the next several weeks. It doesn't look like a good time to bring them into Wichita right now.

Perhaps the "trend" isn't as worrisome as you might think. Considering the following:

1) The core of these could be from the mass protests that occurred following the George Floyd murder (hence the larger number of younger positive cases). George Floyd was from Houston;

2) Many more people began going back to the doctor and to hospitals for elective or other issues and were then tested for Covid when they were not testing these before, thus leading to a false "spike" in cases. Meaning that hospitals, like cities in general, are beginning more widespread testing. So it doesn't necessarily mean there is a "spike" it means that more testing is being done and thus more positive cases reported. The focus should be on the death rate which, at least here in California, is declining and has been since April. It is a false pretense and a false narrative preached by the "media" outlets to lead to hysteria, clickbait, and ratings.

[Signman]

Could we get a non-pandemic thread please. I've had all the hand wringing I can stand!

[Topshock]

I made that post a week ago and was taken to task for making such an outlandish statement. Covid-19 hospitalizations in Harris County, TX (Houston) are up 177% from the first of the month.

The early cases in TX were from travelers returning from either coast, Europe, or China. Those were low case counts. The high case counts come from geographic spread where people's normal daily activities gradually reach different areas. That method of spread infects many more people than long distance travelers.

Greg Abbott, TX governor, is saying that the virus is spreading at an unacceptable rate and serious measures may have to be taken to get the virus under control.

Didn't take long for the geographic spread in TX to hit OK. I doubt Tulsa or Oral Roberts will be bringing athletes on campus any time soon. Kansas is getting geographic spread from OK, so what WSU does with basketball players will be determined in the next several weeks. It doesn't look like a good time to bring them into Wichita right now.

That's great news! That is just what we need, for the the for the 85-90%, or whatever the number is, that this virus is no danger to, to get this virus and become immune. It will then no longer have a way to spread to the few people that are vulnerable.

[Atxshoxfan]

Stats say otherwise. Texas has a big population. The infection rate not nearly as high as many states. Here are the stats.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109004/coronavirus-covid19-cases-rate-us-americans-by-state/

I manage a club between Austin and Houston where we have 200 members from all over texas, Dallas, Houston, corpus and all point between. We had a meeting recently and the question was asked "does anyone here know anybody with the CV? Nobody knew anyone.

[Dan]

I manage a club between Austin and Houston where we have 200 members from all over texas, Dallas, Houston, corpus and all point between. We had a meeting recently and the question was asked "does anyone here know anybody with the CV? Nobody knew anyone.

in a city of 4 million, I don’t personally know anyone that has it. There are 44,000 in my zip code and 120 people confirmed. I still don’t know anyone that has it. Total numbers might be high but it gets diluted with a big population.

[WuShock Reaper]

College basketball recruiting: Seven programs thriving without signing five-star talent - CBS Sports


By David Cobb
3 hrs ago

https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...e-star-talent/

"Who says you need five-star players to win big in college basketball? These programs are doing just fine.

College basketball recruiting and the scandals that come along with the pursuit of five-star players keep the sport in the news year-round. But there are some programs that have found success with a model that does not require chasing elite prospects....

Here are the top-seven programs in college basketball with a five-year team recruiting ranking average of 50 or lower. All recruiting class rankings are courtesy of the 247Sports Composite Ranking.

Houston - Average: 89
2019: 62
2018: 115
2017: 67
2016: 134
2015: 67

Is it possible for a coach who has made 15 NCAA Tournaments with four different schools (and been to the NBA Playoffs as an assistant with two franchises) to be underrated? Because it seems like Kelvin Sampson flies under the radar for what he's doing at Houston. The Cougars had been to one NCAA Tournament in the 25 years before Sampson took over for the 2014-15 season. Now they are in the midst of five straight 20-win seasons and were on track to make a third straight appearance before the season's cancelation. What's most impressive about it all is that the Cougars average team recruiting ranking from 2015-2019 was 89th. Sampson takes three-star talent and molds it into a five-star group.

Houston was four points away from upsetting Kentucky in the 2019 Sweet 16 with a bunch of players who would likely have never been considered for a scholarship with the Wildcats. Then, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, the Cougars' leading scorer was a three-star freshman guard named Caleb Mills who was ranked No. 199 in the 2019 class. Yes, Houston benefitted from the addition of Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes, a former five-star prospect who received a waiver for immediate eligibility. But by and large, the Cougars have thrived under Sampson with collections of unheralded talent.

Cincinnati - Average: 55.8
2019: 44
2018: 61
2017: 58
2016: 63
2015: 53

With the Bearcats replacing star guard Jarron Cumberland and a few other key contributors, John Brannen has a tough task ahead in his second year as coach. But he carried the torch admirably following a rocky start in Year 1 of the post-Mick Cronin era. Cincinnati's recruiting classes from 2015 through 2019 averaged a final ranking of 55.8, but Cronin got them to the NCAA Tournament without fail, and the Bearcats were projected to be in the 2020 field as well.

Make no mistake: Cronin landed plenty of four-star players in his tenure -- the top four scorers from a 31-win team in 2017-18 were all four-star prospects -- but the Bearcats' run of success on his watch featured virtually no help from five-star players. Lance Stephenson and Jermaine Lawrence were both five-star prospects who signed to play for Cronin at Cincinnati. But the Bearcats failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2010, which was Stephenson's lone season, and Lawrence transferred after playing a minimal role in the 2013-14 season."

[Wuzee]

College basketball recruiting: Seven programs thriving without signing five-star talent - CBS Sports


By David Cobb
3 hrs ago

https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...e-star-talent/

"Who says you need five-star players to win big in college basketball? These programs are doing just fine.

College basketball recruiting and the scandals that come along with the pursuit of five-star players keep the sport in the news year-round. But there are some programs that have found success with a model that does not require chasing elite prospects....

Here are the top-seven programs in college basketball with a five-year team recruiting ranking average of 50 or lower. All recruiting class rankings are courtesy of the 247Sports Composite Ranking.

Houston - Average: 89
2019: 62
2018: 115
2017: 67
2016: 134
2015: 67

Is it possible for a coach who has made 15 NCAA Tournaments with four different schools (and been to the NBA Playoffs as an assistant with two franchises) to be underrated? Because it seems like Kelvin Sampson flies under the radar for what he's doing at Houston. The Cougars had been to one NCAA Tournament in the 25 years before Sampson took over for the 2014-15 season. Now they are in the midst of five straight 20-win seasons and were on track to make a third straight appearance before the season's cancelation. What's most impressive about it all is that the Cougars average team recruiting ranking from 2015-2019 was 89th. Sampson takes three-star talent and molds it into a five-star group.

Houston was four points away from upsetting Kentucky in the 2019 Sweet 16 with a bunch of players who would likely have never been considered for a scholarship with the Wildcats. Then, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, the Cougars' leading scorer was a three-star freshman guard named Caleb Mills who was ranked No. 199 in the 2019 class. Yes, Houston benefitted from the addition of Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes, a former five-star prospect who received a waiver for immediate eligibility. But by and large, the Cougars have thrived under Sampson with collections of unheralded talent.

Cincinnati - Average: 55.8
2019: 44
2018: 61
2017: 58
2016: 63
2015: 53

With the Bearcats replacing star guard Jarron Cumberland and a few other key contributors, John Brannen has a tough task ahead in his second year as coach. But he carried the torch admirably following a rocky start in Year 1 of the post-Mick Cronin era. Cincinnati's recruiting classes from 2015 through 2019 averaged a final ranking of 55.8, but Cronin got them to the NCAA Tournament without fail, and the Bearcats were projected to be in the 2020 field as well.

Make no mistake: Cronin landed plenty of four-star players in his tenure -- the top four scorers from a 31-win team in 2017-18 were all four-star prospects -- but the Bearcats' run of success on his watch featured virtually no help from five-star players. Lance Stephenson and Jermaine Lawrence were both five-star prospects who signed to play for Cronin at Cincinnati. But the Bearcats failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2010, which was Stephenson's lone season, and Lawrence transferred after playing a minimal role in the 2013-14 season."

Not listed:

Wichita State - Average: 71.8

2019: 41
2018: 64
2017: 125
2016: 72
2015: 57

4 out of 5 years in the NCAA Tournament (including last year by bracketologists consensus) plus an NIT Final Four. One Sweet Sixteen. Five straight 20-win seasons (during the time period). Did have one five-star transfer in Connor Frankamp, but I think Cobb, who is a Tennessee grad, either didn't want to include three AAC teams or went with regional faves Cronin/Brannan instead of the Shocks. (or maybe he's still bent about WSU knocking Pearl's Vols out of the tournament.)

[wichshock65]

Didnt know where to put this but thought it interesting. Should other UA schools worry?

[Kel Varnsen]

Didnt know where to put this but thought it interesting. Should other UA schools worry?

Unless these are signs of bigger trouble at UA (which they could be), I wouldn’t worry. No one gives a hoot about UCLA athletics at this point, and that kind of contract is unjustifiable if you are UA.

I would not be shocked if some contracts end up on the chopping block or get cut, but thankfully we do not rely on football for the exposure UA desires from us.