Talen Horton-Tucker commits to Iowa State

#276      

PtownIllini8

P
PtownIllini8
BryceC said:
First off I'm an ISU fan. I feel bad for both THT and the staff. I like Underwood.

It's easy to say that the staff failed to find out how big of a problem the rift was between Ayo and THT. I'm sure they tried. For all we know Irvin said it was no big deal then dropped the ultimatum on the staff the day of in an effort to embarrass the kid. Clearly this is an adult man who has no problem carrying a grudge against a teenager. We don't have enough information to make that call.

He was screwed either way. They either give in and burn bridges with MIF, or they burn bridges with Simeon. Probably doesn't help the CPL at large. I mean what do you do in that time with such short notice? Who knows. All I know is Underwood's job just got infinitely harder because he missed on not only a good player but ultimately pissed off some people.

As for the story, I think a national guy would be dying to write this, but I hope they don't, because it might embarrass Horton-Tucker. It's over and done now. The relevant parties know what happened. Just move on.

For the record we had a lot of Illinois fans show up on CycloneFanatic this week to talk about this recruitment, and even when it looked like he was going to Illinois everybody was absolutely awesome. Sports message boards can be just a trash heap but I really respect the good number of fans that showed up. Definitely rooting for Illinois and I wish you guys nothing but the best.

For the fans that are upset - don't let this taint your love of the team. The staff, and particularly the players on this team as it stands are the only ones that will be hurt by you tuning out.
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I agree with the poster above, Ia. State is my favorite Big 12 program. I hope you guys keep it rollin.
 
#277      

AttentionDeficit

AttentionDeficit
AttentionDeficit
I was traveling yesterday, so i am way late chiming in, but there are two things i have read in here that strike me as ridiculous - 'THT could have committed any time he wanted' and that Underwood is necessarily dishonorable.

Imagine that THT loves Illinois, loves the Big 10, but his dream is to be Draymond Jr. for Izzo. Once he hears that Sparty can't take him, can he sign with us? No way, because The Beef has started. Underwood would be crucified for ruining our chances with Ayo. People here (except for Mike) would have been bonkers if we'd missed Ayo for THT, because they were bonkers this week when it seemed possible. So instead THT is asked if he can wait until after Ayo decides and then the staff will do everything it can to mend the rift. Ayo sets his date, and THT immediately sets the official here for the weekend after. Ayo commits and the staff pulls out all the stops to get everyone in both camps on board. When there is resistance from a 'stakeholder,' the staff tells THT that they will do everything they can to make it work and does so right up until the last minute, but it doesn't work. THT is sad that he can't go to Illinois (If I'm THT and the place I wanted to go pulled my scholly in a last minute dick move, I am pissed off about it, not sad), but the staff treated him honorably throughout, and did everything JUST AS THIS BOARD WOULD HAVE WANTED!

1)Prioritized Ayo over THT
2)Did not give up on THT
3)Did not piss off Chicago Stakeholders (some were disappointed no doubt)
4)Treated everyone with respect.

I am not an insider, but this does seem to model smart coach and smart player behavior a little better than the conjecture that is out there. Are there legit facts that rule a scenario like this out?
 
#278      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
It’s sad that if you go to the Iowa State MBB team page on ESPN there isn’t one lick of information about THT committing to them. Not one link, article, picture, tweet, nothing.


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#279      

whovous

W
Washington, DC
whovous
illiniguy24 said:
It’s sad that if you go to the Iowa State MBB team page on ESPN there isn’t one lick of information about THT committing to them. Not one link, article, picture, tweet, nothing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Is a team responsible for its ESPN page?
 
#281      

BRucks

BRucks
BRucks
#283      

Peoria Illini

P
Peoria, IL
Peoria Illini
AttentionDeficit said:
I was traveling yesterday, so i am way late chiming in, but there are two things i have read in here that strike me as ridiculous - 'THT could have committed any time he wanted' and that Underwood is necessarily dishonorable.

Imagine that THT loves Illinois, loves the Big 10, but his dream is to be Draymond Jr. for Izzo. Once he hears that Sparty can't take him, can he sign with us? No way, because The Beef has started. Underwood would be crucified for ruining our chances with Ayo. People here (except for Mike) would have been bonkers if we'd missed Ayo for THT, because they were bonkers this week when it seemed possible. So instead THT is asked if he can wait until after Ayo decides and then the staff will do everything it can to mend the rift. Ayo sets his date, and THT immediately sets the official here for the weekend after. Ayo commits and the staff pulls out all the stops to get everyone in both camps on board. When there is resistance from a 'stakeholder,' the staff tells THT that they will do everything they can to make it work and does so right up until the last minute, but it doesn't work. THT is sad that he can't go to Illinois (If I'm THT and the place I wanted to go pulled my scholly in a last minute dick move, I am pissed off about it, not sad), but the staff treated him honorably throughout, and did everything JUST AS THIS BOARD WOULD HAVE WANTED!

1)Prioritized Ayo over THT
2)Did not give up on THT
3)Did not piss off Chicago Stakeholders (some were disappointed no doubt)
4)Treated everyone with respect.

I am not an insider, but this does seem to model smart coach and smart player behavior a little better than the conjecture that is out there. Are there legit facts that rule a scenario like this out?
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Still puts Illinois as plan B for him. And if after Sparty closed up for him, why were all the CBs pointing to Iowa St or Ga Tech, etc.?

Also, which would be valuable information to be had, was there an attempt by the Horton-Tucker's to mend fences with who the beef was with? Either Ayo, or the Donsunmus or MIF?

If he wanted to go to Illinois so badly, and if the staff was straight forward with him, why are they leaving the fence mending to the Illini staff?

Seems to me that neither side wanted to budge on the riff. Which is fine. But then you're forcing Illini staff to make a decision, one they had to know they weren't going to win.
 
#284      

JFGsCoffeeMug

JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
JFGsCoffeeMug
AttentionDeficit said:
I was traveling yesterday, so i am way late chiming in, but there are two things i have read in here that strike me as ridiculous - 'THT could have committed any time he wanted' and that Underwood is necessarily dishonorable.

Imagine that THT loves Illinois, loves the Big 10, but his dream is to be Draymond Jr. for Izzo. Once he hears that Sparty can't take him, can he sign with us? No way, because The Beef has started. Underwood would be crucified for ruining our chances with Ayo. People here (except for Mike) would have been bonkers if we'd missed Ayo for THT, because they were bonkers this week when it seemed possible. So instead THT is asked if he can wait until after Ayo decides and then the staff will do everything it can to mend the rift. Ayo sets his date, and THT immediately sets the official here for the weekend after. Ayo commits and the staff pulls out all the stops to get everyone in both camps on board. When there is resistance from a 'stakeholder,' the staff tells THT that they will do everything they can to make it work and does so right up until the last minute, but it doesn't work. THT is sad that he can't go to Illinois (If I'm THT and the place I wanted to go pulled my scholly in a last minute dick move, I am pissed off about it, not sad), but the staff treated him honorably throughout, and did everything JUST AS THIS BOARD WOULD HAVE WANTED!

1)Prioritized Ayo over THT
2)Did not give up on THT
3)Did not piss off Chicago Stakeholders (some were disappointed no doubt)
4)Treated everyone with respect.

I am not an insider, but this does seem to model smart coach and smart player behavior a little better than the conjecture that is out there. Are there legit facts that rule a scenario like this out?
Click to expand...

This is the version of events that I've landed on. I agree with you: I don't think we would have taken a commitment from THT before Ayo made a decision, precisely to avoid the reverse of what happened yesterday.
 
#285      

Deleted member 646108

D
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Deleted member 646108

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#286      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
whovous said:
Is a team responsible for its ESPN page?
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Almost certainly not, but it seems like they don’t have any writers or reporters interested enough in putting an article together about it for ESPN. Just strange imo.


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#288      

Peoria Illini

P
Peoria, IL
Peoria Illini
SeattleSlim said:
Pretty amusing to see so many self-proclaimed adults throw themselves into such a tizzy by such childish crap.

Guess that's why they call us "fans" (fanatics)!

Time to move on to something (anything) more substantive, don't you think?
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As soon as we get some new recruiting news, or we start playing games... sure thing.. LOL
 
#289      

Charleston

C
Charleston
PtownIllini8 said:
Well gee, if it's your understanding that Prince doesn't have a lot of credibility, then why wouldn't we go with that?:confused:
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Without digging, I can point to a couple of posts in this thread alone that indicate Prince might not be an unimpeachable source. If you think the guy is a great reporter, make the case for him.
 
#291      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
armo859 said:
There is an important lesson about landing a big time 5-star recruit. They can be high maintenance. Ayo plans on being in UC for 2 years at most. So he apparently is particular regarding who he plays with. The THT situation is also a lesson in the messy world of the AAU teams. Better wear your rain coats and hip boots. It's a dirty business.
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Another example of people thinking they know what happened. ITS NOT THE KIDS FOR THE LAST TIME.

*takes shot of liquor*


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#292      

redwingillini11

redwingillini11
White and Sixth
North Aurora
redwingillini11
oleoleahy51 said:
I've got nothing against Iowa State, but can someone tell me why Comcast Sports in Chicago carries an ISU football show, "The Mike Campbell Show", as part of its cable lineup? Of course CSN also carried a University of Northern Iowa football show; that didn't make much sense to me either.
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Must be desperate for content...
 
#293      

PtownIllini8

P
PtownIllini8
sbillini said:
Rough situation, but I agree with those that I would've much preferred BU taking a more principled stance and letting Ayo go if need be.

I said this in the FBI corruption thread and got flak from some for it, but I think it also applies here. I still hold the parents accountable in a large part for allowing these types of situations occur which are in no way positive for the kids. Why Ayo's parents would let his recruitment be usurped by coaching vendettas is beyond me. Especially parents that mere hours earlier say they want what's best for their kid's program (and, implicitly, their kid)...

...let people know it’s ok to be a four-five star recruit from Chicago to stay home and play basketball. The Dosunmus are about winning; if you’re ready to join us and win, the doors are open.”

I guess they forgot to publish the part where he said "...except if MIF doesn't like it. Then we don't really care about the program's future nor what Ayo wants. We'll fold like a tent".

If BU had gone the other way, who loses more than Ayo in that situation? If he doesn't, then THT loses. Coaches still get to play their petty squabbles.

PS - the argument that we didn't wrong THT because we weren't his first choice is shaky at best in my opinion. Right vs. Wrong shouldn't be a relative comparison when it doesn't have to be. When you force a relative comparison, it's usually when both sides are wrong and, thus, creating a slippery slope. I seem to hear this argument a lot these days. I'd rather have our program be in the right and not have to rationalize it (even if it means we don't win as many games).
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When did you get the job of determining what "right" is? How about this for a principle.....there's no agreement unless both parties have a meeting of the minds. By the time THT wanted to commit the offer was no longer open. There's no obligation legally, ethically or under NCAA rules saying an offer has to remain open. He had months, probably a year, to take the offer. Plus the staff had a week to fix this problem. This was about the program's future. Thankfully Coach U and the staff are making the decision and not you and others with your myopic view point.
 
#294      

PtownIllini8

P
PtownIllini8
Charleston said:
Without digging, I can point to a couple of posts in this thread alone that indicate Prince might not be an unimpeachable source. If you think the guy is a great reporter, make the case for him.
Click to expand...

Your first post didn't make the case and this one sure didn't. OMG, posts here say he might not be an unimpeachable source. Not sure why I should make the case for him when you in no way made the case against him.
 
#295      

PtownIllini8

P
PtownIllini8
AttentionDeficit said:
I was traveling yesterday, so i am way late chiming in, but there are two things i have read in here that strike me as ridiculous - 'THT could have committed any time he wanted' and that Underwood is necessarily dishonorable.

Imagine that THT loves Illinois, loves the Big 10, but his dream is to be Draymond Jr. for Izzo. Once he hears that Sparty can't take him, can he sign with us? No way, because The Beef has started. Underwood would be crucified for ruining our chances with Ayo. People here (except for Mike) would have been bonkers if we'd missed Ayo for THT, because they were bonkers this week when it seemed possible. So instead THT is asked if he can wait until after Ayo decides and then the staff will do everything it can to mend the rift. Ayo sets his date, and THT immediately sets the official here for the weekend after. Ayo commits and the staff pulls out all the stops to get everyone in both camps on board. When there is resistance from a 'stakeholder,' the staff tells THT that they will do everything they can to make it work and does so right up until the last minute, but it doesn't work. THT is sad that he can't go to Illinois (If I'm THT and the place I wanted to go pulled my scholly in a last minute dick move, I am pissed off about it, not sad), but the staff treated him honorably throughout, and did everything JUST AS THIS BOARD WOULD HAVE WANTED!

1)Prioritized Ayo over THT
2)Did not give up on THT
3)Did not piss off Chicago Stakeholders (some were disappointed no doubt)
4)Treated everyone with respect.

I am not an insider, but this does seem to model smart coach and smart player behavior a little better than the conjecture that is out there. Are there legit facts that rule a scenario like this out?
Click to expand...

Solid post, but you can't love Illinois and have a dream to play for Sparty. Corilary to that comment, THT didn't have the place he wanted to go pull his schollie, since the place he wanted to go (MSU) never offered him in the first place. I like your 1-4, makes sense.
 
#296      

ForWhomTheBellTolls

F
ForWhomTheBellTolls
PtownIllini8 said:
Solid post, but you can't love Illinois and have a dream to play for Sparty. Corilary to that comment, THT didn't have the place he wanted to go pull his schollie, since the place he wanted to go (MSU) never offered him in the first place. I like your 1-4, makes sense.
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Don't know about you Ptown, but when I was 16, and it was a while back, I was pretty sure that I could do anything I wanted (like Bob Seger says, "wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then") and my loyalties were a little less established and perhaps a little more subject to change then they were today, and subject to change from such substantial influences as the logo on a sweatshirt that a cute girl was wearing. So it is possible that someone can love one team and dream of playing for another, especially given the (prior) coaching situation at the team you love. In any event, what's done is done, and we can all move on to anticipating the next piece of recruiting news that will come out. Let's hope it generates as much interest as this one, but for better reasons.
 
#300      

LisaMarie

L
LisaMarie
PtownIllini8 said:
When did you get the job of determining what "right" is? How about this for a principle.....there's no agreement unless both parties have a meeting of the minds. By the time THT wanted to commit the offer was no longer open. There's no obligation legally, ethically or under NCAA rules saying an offer has to remain open. He had months, probably a year, to take the offer. Plus the staff had a week to fix this problem. This was about the program's future. Thankfully Coach U and the staff are making the decision and not you and others with your myopic view point.
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This is what seems fairly obvious: Illinois and THT were both slow playing each other while pursuing other options, MSU, Nolley, the Finnish guy, etc. Eventually each party's options narrowed, Illinois' more than THT's. Illinois got Ayo's commitment, and decided to go for the home run of getting the top 2 Chicago players, and put the hard sell on THT at his official visit, while conveniently forgetting the bad blood between them or believing they could fix it. As they had wanted to, they did a great job selling THT at the official visit. He set an announcement date of a few days later, which is common, and planned to commit to Illinois.

It is ridiculous to suggest that the offer was no longer open because he waited four days after his official visit to commit. If he had committed earlier it would have been worse. Again, he did what the staff wanted him to do. They belatedly realized or were informed on the day he planned to announce his commitment that Ayo and THT would not play for the same team in college. It is Illinois's prerogative to choose Ayo over THT, but they have to live with the fallout from doing so at the last minute.