Bartle article on new Men’s BB commitment

[UtesRule]

Good read
New commitment

[ProudUte]

9 spots to fil this late in the game is an issue. However, in the new world of portal players it is not as big of an issue. Yet, I suspect the best of the portal players have already made their decisions.

I suspect Alex will need a few years to get this program on solid footing. BYU’s coach did amazing h=in his first year, but it sounds like he had millions of dollars to help.

[Roy Rangum]

This is interesting.

I don’t really have a feel for this, but with only 6 spots on the roster officially filled and 9 spots still unfilled: are we behind where we should be? And is there any reason we should be worried our roster isn’t more complete at this time point? (And sorry, when I started typing this I hadn’t seen proudutes comment)

[UteNamedOg]

Pure speculation, but I got the feeling that Jensen is being very deliberate about who he recruits. This might be slowing things down. Hopefully this means long term sustained rosters where we see the a lot of the same faces for three or four years.

[belli1976]

I am cheering for the Kings. So AJ can start dedicating all his time to the Utes.

[D T]

Go Memphis!!

[Utah#1]

Great article! Kinda of what I anticipated AJ and his staff’s approach to the overall vision of the program. With all things considered, I believe he is being deliberate and working with what Utah has given him and what he has at his disposal. I’m sure most of you understand and maybe agree, he’s going about it with patience and a methodical approach not jumping the gun but trying to select diamonds in the rough that will have some level of commitment working within his system and the culture of the program. Hoping the resources will be enough to birth AJ’s vision for the program and get Utah back to Majerus era levels! Gotta trust AJ and his staff with what they is the best course of action to take. Go UTES!

[Roy Rangum]

It looks like there is still a lot of Ute players from last year in the portal that don’t have a new home. Do we think some of them will come back?

[Minnesota Ute]

My worry is whether ‘developmental approach’ is even possible anymore. You bring in a player like Kyndal, and develop him for a year or two, and he is coming along. Then some other program just throws a bunch of NIL money at him, and just like that you are starting all over.

That’s kind of what it felt like with Larry, granted it was pre-NIL so there was more to the turnover than money. But it feels like we’ve been starting over with a new roster every year for the last decade. Its fine if Alex thinks we can stop that merry-go-round, but if not, all the time and effort put in to player development just benefits other teams with more $$$$.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Yeah, that’s huge downside of the NIL era. It’s very rare to get to watch a player grow and develop at your school, which for me was one of the most rewarding things about college sports.

And while it sucks that Utah starts developing players just for someone with deeper pockets to swoop in and carry them off, let’s recognize that it cuts both ways. I wonder how Syracuse fans are feeling now that Utah just swept in and carried Elijah Moore off after Syracuse developed him and watched him hang 24 on Tennessee?

I guess that’s the nature of the job market: Hire a young talent, train that person up, give them experience, then watch them walk to your competitor for more money. That’s what college sports is now: A job.

[Minnesota Ute]

touche’ However it may or may not sting for Syracuse in the near term, I guess it depends on their depth at the guard spot. And ultimately that is my point. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have several roster spots to develop players in hopes they will stick around if they get better, but I don’t think you can count on basing a program around that anymore. We need the solid 2, 3, or 4 year players to come to Utah, because in any given year, you will never be able to count on your current players being a lock to return. I hope I’m wrong, but I just have the feeling that in the NIL era, every player is going to be trying to level up each year, and every team is going to be trying to do the same. So you kind of have to be in the mix of attracting talent that is better than the talent you lose, or you are going backwards.

[Minnesota Ute]

One side note to the point about it being a job. I am very conflicted on this point. I have been one that has wanted to see players get paid. Not because it wouldn’t be good for the game, although I am trying to reserve judgement on whether its bad for the game. But more because it IS a job that these guys work DAMN hard at. My son tried one year of D3 bball and it was crazy the routine.

So my point is that everyone was making money, some making s**t tons of money. But all the players were getting for all their hard work was a free ‘education’. At the end of the day, I couldn’t abide the excuse that paying players would be bad for the game, because it’s not right to treat a class of people like indentured servants just because allowing them to benefit from their own labor would adversely impact my enjoyment of the fruits of their labor.

Therefore, my take has been for a long time, let them be paid, but hopefully try to figure out the best way to do it and cross my fingers that it’s not going to destroy the game I love.

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