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Cornelius Vanderbilt
Founding Blogger, c. 1873
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7 comments:
I'd love for him to join us but in reality we probably make the least sense out of all 4 schools. Memphis still got two top 50 recruits and is going to dominate the C-USA as always and probably make a decent tourney run.
UK has the winning tradition, Coach Cal who talked to him already, and a huge supporting cast.
UT has holes open and he'd slide right in and help Tyler out big time.
If he comes, he is a true point guard right? So we sit Jermaine as a senior? I just don't see that happening. But he is better than Beal. Would they start two point guards? I don't think so. Tinsley plays with Beal but he works better as a shooting guard in my opinion any way. He's not a great PG and I don't think that is his future. I'd love for him to come, but I don't see it logistically working out for us. If he's going to go hours away from Memphis, he'll go to UK or UT. But in all honesty this guy is going to end up in Memphis and make them that much more dangerous and under rated even w/out Cal.
I think this is excellent news.
Obviously its impossible to predict what the kid is going to do, but we do have a couple of things going for us, and we just may end up being a perfect fit.
One, Williams may be more familiar with Stallings than he is with Pastner, and therefore he may be more comfortable playing for someone he is more familiar with who is more established. The idea of playing for Memphis where things are very unsettled from the recent recruiting allegations and the new coach has to be troubling to someone looking to make a big time impact. At Vanderbilt, things are very stable, and the program is on the up. That could certainly be a tantalizing prospect for someone looking to play closer to home.
Two, of the four schools he noted, I can see the NCAA possibly granting a waiver for only two: Memphis and Vandy. The further they are from his home in Memphis, the less likely the NCAA is to grant a waiver of the residency requirement (I would LOVE to be able to log on to the NCAA's case precedent database and give you exact numbers). We do know the NCAA granted a waiver to Tyler Smith, who's home of Pulaski is about 250 miles away from Knoxville. Nashville is 212 miles from Memphis, so there is a good argument that we should at least fall in the range of acceptable schools in terms of distance. Compare that to Tennessee at 391, and Kentucky at 422. It's really a question of where the NCAA draws the line in terms of being "closer to home". But the fact that we're over 100 miles closer has to be a good sign for us.
Three, Vanderbilt may be a more attractive option because it is very similar to Duke. Obviously the guy wanted to stay at Duke, but felt he couldn't because of his mother's health. If he wants a school with a more similar environment to Duke, then Vanderbilt is clearly his best bet.
The obvious downsides are that we have a crowd of players including a senior point guard, and that we are obviously farther away than Memphis. However, we're not THAT crowded in the backcourt and we don't really have a true backup PG. Also, don't forget this kid beat out Paulus to start at PG, who was a senior incumbent. Plus, the job is up for grabs next year. The fact that Memphis is right there is tough to tackle, but perhaps the uncertainty there does juuuuust enough to convince him to go a little farther away.
It's total and complete speculation, but that scenario is not that far-fetched.
Great points all, Stanimal. I agree that of the four, only two (VU and Memphis) would conceivably be granted the transfer exemption. Vandy is only about a three hour drive from Memphis, and that's close enough. UT would be six hours, and UK even more.
Though (Anonymous) brought up that UK with coach Cal would be intriguing to any top player, here's the main reason Williams wouldn't go there (other than not being granted the transfer exemption): John Wall. UK has two five star PGs coming in, and according to Diaper Dandy-philes, Wall is going to have a Derrick Rose type impact. If Williams is worried about PT behind Beal and (combo guard) Tinsley, it's much worse at UK. Further, Captain sleazeball (Cal) already has to run off four existing scholarship players to get his recruits on campus... and this was before Meeks decided to stay in the draft.
Williams would only be a sophomore, and, though he could beat Beal out this season, would at least have two years to start at Vandy staring him in the face. With UK, he's got nothing.
Memphis is a mess, but you have to think they're the only other school that truly has a shot at Williams because it's in his home town.
Once again, I love the points Stanimal made. He should email them to Williams... and send him a basket of mini muffins.
Plus, understandably, there is the concern about spending time with his mom. But it's important to balance your family interests with your own. Memphis may be the most convenient, but the education and opportunities he would receive as a Vandy grad...well, they really speak for themselves. It takes an afternoon drive to get to Memphis from Nashville, and you get opportunities other than basketball that are more comparable to Duke. I'm not attempting to demean the University of Memphis, but this is a Vanderbilt blog, and I wouldn't be doing this blogosphere justice if I didn't harp on the fact that we're one of the finest academic institutions in the country.
Great points by Stanimal.
Williams is not a true point guard and would likely be competing (and beating out JJ in my opinion) for time at the 2. His best attributes last season at Duke were his athletic finishing at the rim and his on the ball defensive pressure, the latter being what earned him a starting spot with Scheyer at the point.
From reading EW's quotes in the article, it sounds like it's between UM and Vandy...though he did make the comment that he met the UM coach and the decision "shouldn't take too long"...i fear he's leaning that way.
Vandy would be a good fit and he would obviously be the future talent that this team needs.
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