Horns247 Board

Perry Jones was committed to Baylor his freshman year of high school before anyone knew who he blew up.

This will be Baylor's first overall top 10 class.

Gathers (according to which service you look at for rankings) will only be Baylor's 4th 5* recruit ever... and they have all came after Baylor's run to the Elite Eight.

Before then the top recruit signed was Lace Dunn in the mid 40s.

Baylor has very seldom beat Duke/NC/Kansas out for a recruit.

This thread brought two Baylor mods over. Shit just got real.

Gathers isn't a 5 star recruit....4 stars all the way.

He simply overpowers guys in HS, but he doesn't have much game outside of 5 feet. He's a beast thought at 6-7 245.

I don't know much about basketball recruiting, but it seems this whole AAU thing lends itself to things at least the appearance of something shady, whether or not they are legit. And maybe some things that are legal is still shady. Give me the good old days when kids played for the high school that they would normally attend. Recruiting is getting to a big business which is bad for college athletics IMO.

Its all about the money when you bring the heavy brand names in like nike, under armour and etc. then you have lost the purity of it. Everyone is exploiting everyone and the sad part is the majority of the kids are getting the raw deal. At least they are getting new shoes and apparel.

Completely agree. And it's gonna get worse before it gets better, if it ever does.

I'm obviously a Bear fan as my screen name suggests. So I see things through green tinted glasses, but I'd argue that Baylor is constantly under the microscope by the NCAA ever since Dave Bliss nearly destroyed the program. Perry Jones suspension last year into this year as an example. I believe Drew is a very charismatic guy who is able to connect with recruits. His coaching ability is always being debated among Baylor fans, but it's hard to argue with the results so far. I agree that it's unusual for Baylor, with little basketball tradition is able to land these guys, but I believe he's just a good recruiter and a good guy. He comes from a great bball family. I sincerely don't believe he is doing anything wrong. However, if it is proven that he is, I'll eat my crow.

Now, about UT, just please continue to beating A&M in everything, have the last laugh and send them to the SEC with their tail between their legs! I'm so glad the Ags were swept by both UT and Baylor after being chosen as a conference contender!

Two things that Drew really sells is 1) the small private school culture that Duke has become in NC and 2) he really lets his players play more of an NBA game than most other offenses.

The NBA, let the players play is part of the reason at times Baylor seems to play undisciplined basketball as they have lacked a key part of the offense. See the NIT run with Jerrells/Dugat/Rogers where they didn't have a true big man to be found and last year where Baylor didn't have a point guard to run the offense.

The two years to look at (the Elite Eight year and this year) Baylor has had a balanced team and can really run a true NBA style of offense with a PG that can create.

And like Brian has pointed out, Drew works his butt off on the recruiting trail. Things like showing up in NC to meet Deuce Bello and Quincy Miller at midnight on the first day after a dead period was over and very many other similar stories. Drew is a very personable guy and players love to play for him.

Isaiah Austin is the last 5* I mentioned.

Since Rivals databases go back the farthest this is what the team rankings look like:

2011- No. 14
2010- No. 25
2009- No. 19
2008- NR
2007- NR

Wow, are you really trying to compare Durham to Waco? Are you even trying to compare Duke academics to Baylor's? Duke doesn't "sell" small private school culture..that's a dime a dozen. Duke sells great academics and pretty good basketball tradition. Baylor frankly has neither.

When Gary Franklin transferred from Cal where he had started 13 games to Baylor (allegedly because he was coming off the bench for two games), I'm going to say that something stinks. A Mater Dei guy who is starting for Montgomery at Berkeley as a frosh trades it for (not UCLA, not USC) Baylor?

If you're using Bobby Knight as your moral compass you need to re examine.

There's a lot of butt hurt in this thread. Drew has been recruiting this did since he was in 7th grade. Anybody been on him longer than that. Doubt it.

The whole "Baylor pays its players" bit is getting old.

Ever wonder how RB gets kids from Canada to come down here. These kids all live in a house paid for by a car dealer. Who also runs their AAU team. Dig deep enough and you'll find no one is clean. Even RB.

Not playing horseshoes...

Usually when there are this many rumors, there is something wrong. The AAU mess is going to totally blow up college basketball before it is over. Looking at the schools the Baylor recruits are attending, it looks like prep type schools that teams stash players at. Do not know that for sure but looks that way. Know this is going on all over the country. As far as Bob Knight and morals, there is no way he cheated at recruiting. The way he treated them he would have been turned in 500 times. He told IU alums if he ever heard of any of that stuff going on, he would resign on the spot.. He hates cheating and the one and done thing. Call him whatever you want but he is not a cheater. He might shoot you if you go hunting with him tho.