2025 Recruiting

[King of Allapattah]

This entire conversation just feels like a portion of our fanbase nitpicking. I'd be more understanding of this argument if L wasn't recruiting well(on paper) and wasn't by far the most successful coach this program has ever had, but he is and honestly, it comes across as "We need something, ANYTHING to complain about".

By the way, it's amazing that schools outside the state can slow play some of these same kids, but the local school has to love them from jump. I wouldn't be shocked if the nonsense prevalent in South Florida recruiting is annoying to Coach L, and as a result, he spends his recruiting capital elsewhere. Let's be honest here, a lot of the top end kids don't value a Miami offer, they are holding out for the "Real" basketball offers. Keep in mind that UF and FSU also don't recruit the state heavily. Maybe, not just maybe, the juice isn't worth the squeeze for the most part. Are there kids that come from the area and find success? Yes, and there's also a ton of busts as well, but those kids are rarely mentioned.

Based on the success the state of Florida has had over the years in producing elite talent, it's a valid argument to question why the Miami program has been unable/reluctant to keep the top local talent home. It's not nitpicking the least bit when we watch our team struggle but put on the TV and watch in-state recruits help other teams. It baffles me how some folks don't see the opportunity and advantage that we could have if we recruited locally.

 

[King of Allapattah]

Miami is a harder sell to Florida - especially south Florida - kids than out of state kids. Why? How much media coverage and attention does the program get? That’s a good proxy for local interest and enthusiasm.

Weather & the city of Miami are more attractive to cold weather kids. And L is probably better recognized in DC, NY, and Philly than he is in FL.

This was certainly true 10+ years ago when Miami was one of the dormant programs in the ACC, but with the success Miami has had in recent years it is no longer the case. Most local and in-state kids would jump at the opportunity to play at Miami.

 

[King of Allapattah]

Do we know for a fact that no phone call was made?

This kid is from Orlando, which technically isn't South Florida, and it's even more telling that UF or FSU were not on his list.

Miami did NOT recruit Jamier. There were lots of moving parts to Jamier's recruitment, but to make a long story short... Providence made Jamier a priority and they ponied up. End of story.

P.S. UF was the early favorite, but weren't willing to break the bank for him.

 

[EightiesCane]

Miami did NOT recruit Jamier. There were lots of moving parts to Jamier's recruitment, but to make a long story short... Providence made Jamier a priority and they ponied up. End of story.

P.S. UF was the early favorite, but weren't willing to break the bank for him.

Considering that the Boozer twins seem to be the priority, could that explain why Jamier wasn't recruited, especially in this NIL era?

 

[Canedude08]

Just curious, where are you getting this from? And if you use Vernon Carey Jr, that's one instance, and not necessarily what the broader S FL market thinks about being recruited by Miami.

This stretches back beyond Vern Jr, this has been a problem for DECADES. It's not an accident that out of the last four coaches that have been at Miami, two of whom are HOF FINALISTS(Ham and L), only one had any significant success recruiting South Florida, and that was Frank Haith. Even then, Haith missed out on the elites, and towards the end of his tenure, he started going heavier in the Carolinas.

 

[pompanocane]

Miami did NOT recruit Jamier. There were lots of moving parts to Jamier's recruitment, but to make a long story short... Providence made Jamier a priority and they ponied up. End of story.

P.S. UF was the early favorite, but weren't willing to break the bank for him.

I am not arguing about Miami not recruiting this guy but has Miami every gotten a kid from Coach Reece? I can only recall Nike kids getting his major guys... E1T1 into the Florida Rebels EYBL -- Way of Oakridge. I haven't followed his teams as closely as I have moved out of the area.

Is it worth working with Reece? I would like to grab his son Jalen.. I coached against him for 2 years and he can really play some ball.

 

[King of Allapattah]

I am not arguing about Miami not recruiting this guy but has Miami every gotten a kid from Coach Reece? I can only recall Nike kids getting his major guys... E1T1 into the Florida Rebels EYBL -- Way of Oakridge. I haven't followed his teams as closely as I have moved out of the area.

Is it worth working with Reece? I would like to grab his son Jalen.. I coached against him for 2 years and he can really play some ball.

For the record, I'm in now way shape or form criticizing Miami for not going after Jamier. We had no shot unless we were willing to do something crazy like back up the Brinks truck, offer Jalen and give his dad a job. LOL!!! Reece will be Reece and yes in year's past he usually gives the swoosh first dibs on all his top kids. Now with NIL in play I expect that it won't be as automatic as before. It is what it is. I'm not high on Jalen as you seem to be. I could be wrong but just don't think he's a year 1 contributor at the ACC level. I think it'll take him til his 2nd or 3rd year before he sees the floor. With the transfer portal and how kids seem to be bouncing on the daily, I just don't think we should be recruiting a 5'10" PG for down the road.

As for my criticism of Miami's recruiting approach in the past it's been the non-top 100 guys. It's easy to recruit and offer the local McDonald's All-American's. It's the high 3 star/low 4 star recruits that play 3-4 years of HS ball right under the staff's nose and end up going elsewhere and tearing it up that irk me. Staff does seem to be getting better over the last year, year and a half or so. Time will tell.

 

[King of Allapattah]

This stretches back beyond Vern Jr, this has been a problem for DECADES. It's not an accident that out of the last four coaches that have been at Miami, two of whom are HOF FINALISTS(Ham and L), only one had any significant success recruiting South Florida, and that was Frank Haith. Even then, Haith missed out on the elites, and towards the end of his tenure, he started going heavier in the Carolinas.

Apples and oranges. Florida basketball in the 90's was no where near where it is today. The state of Florida has produced close to 40 NBA players (this does NOT include the imports at IMG, Montverde, etc.) since Coach L has been at Miami. Anyone who was arguing back in the 90's that Miami should prioritize the state didn't have the data to support their case. The data today says otherwise.

 

[HurikaneMarc]

This entire conversation just feels like a portion of our fanbase nitpicking. I'd be more understanding of this argument if L wasn't recruiting well(on paper) and wasn't by far the most successful coach this program has ever had, but he is and honestly, it comes across as "We need something, ANYTHING to complain about".

By the way, it's amazing that schools outside the state can slow play some of these same kids, but the local school has to love them from jump. I wouldn't be shocked if the nonsense prevalent in South Florida recruiting is annoying to Coach L, and as a result, he spends his recruiting capital elsewhere. Let's be honest here, a lot of the top end kids don't value a Miami offer, they are holding out for the "Real" basketball offers. Keep in mind that UF and FSU also don't recruit the state heavily. Maybe, not just maybe, the juice isn't worth the squeeze for the most part. Are there kids that come from the area and find success? Yes, and there's also a ton of busts as well, but those kids are rarely mentioned.

Do you really want to be THAT guy? The one who announces to everyone that the coach can't be criticized about anything because he is above reproach.

Its a message board right? And its the offseason so I'm not sure what's wrong with a little light banter on a topic that you said yourself that a portion of the fans has some interest in talking about. Nobody is saying fire the guy.

A lot of kids that Coach L gets from up north and the midwest have been busts as well. So what is the difference? You've seen the last few recruiting cycles. Some kids work out and some don't.

And I'm not necessarily buying that Florida basketball kids somehow have worse recruiting personalities than other kids. That might be true in football but there is no evidence to support that in basketball. All kids wait for the best offer.

I get it, you don't care. But how does not even offering some of the talented kids in your own state make any sense? Everybody needs talent.

 

[AmherstCane]

This was certainly true 10+ years ago when Miami was one of the dormant programs in the ACC, but with the success Miami has had in recent years it is no longer the case. Most local and in-state kids would jump at the opportunity to play at Miami.

I can’t offer firsthand knowledge but I don’t think that’s true of the National top-70 kids in Florida.

One final 4, one elite 8, and 4 sweet 16’s, L is definitely changing Miami basketball. But local kids still see the lack of coverage and lack of fan support.

I think the program is getting close to becoming a true destination because of L + big boy resources being made available to the program… but we’re not there yet and local kids know that.

As far as the 3 and low 4 star in-state kids… I think the staff searches the country for the kids that they think will best fit the program and system, so statistically it makes sense that most kids end up being out of state.

As you say, Florida basketball has made tremendous strides over the last few decades, so I think we’ll continue to see more Florida kids on the team. But I don’t think it’s fair to criticize the staff for not focusing more on Florida in the past… because the goal is to find and get the best kids no matter where they are from and Florida has historically not been the most fertile recruiting grounds (including for Miami).

 

[King of Allapattah]

I can’t offer firsthand knowledge but I don’t think that’s true of the National top-70 kids in Florida.

One final 4, one elite 8, and 4 sweet 16’s, L is definitely changing Miami basketball. But local kids still see the lack of coverage and lack of fan support.

I think the program is getting close to becoming a true destination because of L + big boy resources being made available to the program… but we’re not there yet and local kids know that.

As far as the 3 and low 4 star in-state kids… I think the staff searches the country for the kids that they think will best fit the program and system, so statistically it makes sense that most kids end up being out of state.

As you say, Florida basketball has made tremendous strides over the last few decades, so I think we’ll continue to see more Florida kids on the team. But I don’t think it’s fair to criticize the staff for not focusing more on Florida in the past… because the goal is to find and get the best kids no matter where they are from and Florida has historically not been the most fertile recruiting grounds (including for Miami).

I agree with a lot of what you say here, but my only retort would be to your recruiting aspect and that is we'll never truly know until we start recruiting and offering more kids in Florida. Back in the day, Miami had every reason not to recruit in state. Back then the talent pool was bare. Today, it seems to me it's the other way around. Miami has every reason (lots of talent, local ties, proximity to make better evaluations, etc.) to recruit in Florida. I think our staff is beginning to turn the corner on their approach with Florida prospects. Let's all hope it pays dividends.

GO CANES!!!

 

[Canedude08]

Do you really want to be THAT guy? The one who announces to everyone that the coach can't be criticized about anything because he is above reproach.

Its a message board right? And its the offseason so I'm not sure what's wrong with a little light banter on a topic that you said yourself that a portion of the fans has some interest in talking about. Nobody is saying fire the guy.

A lot of kids that Coach L gets from up north and the midwest have been busts as well. So what is the difference? You've seen the last few recruiting cycles. Some kids work out and some don't.

And I'm not necessarily buying that Florida basketball kids somehow have worse recruiting personalities than other kids. That might be true in football but there is no evidence to support that in basketball. All kids wait for the best offer.

I get it, you don't care. But how does not even offering some of the talented kids in your own state make any sense? Everybody needs talent.

There's plenty one can legitimately criticize L for(and I've called L out on certain things numerous times), but this is just nitpicking, period. Yep, Miami is the winningest program in the state over the last decade, but what L does is somehow not effective, because he isn't offering kids down here, outside of the elites. I get it, some of our fans refuse to believe that this isn't football and that Miami does not have to recruit locally to be successful. Never mind the fact that there are significantly fewer scholarships available in basketball, so offers are significantly fewer as a result. Unlike football, where "Offers" are thrown out to anyone with a semblance of talent, knowing that few are committable offers, basketball coaches have to narrow the field quickly, because spots fill up.

As long as L has been here, talent hasn't been an issue, unless there was an outside issue scaring kids away(NCAA investigation). He's consistently recruited well, relying on the places he has deep roots. Ham did the same, relying on the east coast and midwest to fill out his rosters. The concept of local recruiting is a significantly different thing in basketball, most schools recruit nationally if they have the budget to do so. I got curious and looked at programs all over the country, even in basketball hotbeds, and you'd be amazed how many have maybe one guy from the local area on the roster, and that's a walk on. Basketball is a global game, if you can have a wide net, you take full advantage of it.

 

[HurikaneMarc]

There's plenty one can legitimately criticize L for(and I've called L out on certain things numerous times), but this is just nitpicking, period. Yep, Miami is the winningest program in the state over the last decade, but what L does is somehow not effective, because he isn't offering kids down here, outside of the elites. I get it, some of our fans refuse to believe that this isn't football and that Miami does not have to recruit locally to be successful. Never mind the fact that there are significantly fewer scholarships available in basketball, so offers are significantly fewer as a result. Unlike football, where "Offers" are thrown out to anyone with a semblance of talent, knowing that few are committable offers, basketball coaches have to narrow the field quickly, because spots fill up.

As long as L has been here, talent hasn't been an issue, unless there was an outside issue scaring kids away(NCAA investigation). He's consistently recruited well, relying on the places he has deep roots. Ham did the same, relying on the east coast and midwest to fill out his rosters. The concept of local recruiting is a significantly different thing in basketball, most schools recruit nationally if they have the budget to do so. I got curious and looked at programs all over the country, even in basketball hotbeds, and you'd be amazed how many have maybe one guy from the local area on the roster, and that's a walk on. Basketball is a global game, if you can have a wide net, you take full advantage of it.

I agree with most of this post and tend to agree with most of your other post but I have to push back on you saying that "but what L does is somehow not effective, because he isn't offering kids down here, outside of the elites." Thats just a straw man. I never said that and neither did anyone else.

 

[hotshot]

As long as L has been here, talent hasn't been an issue,

Going back to the resurrection of the program in 1985, recruiting High School talent HAS been a frustrating problem in terms of landing top players.. Why that is, idk (I'd love to ask Coach L for his take on that).

Let's face it, before the Portal, Transfers and JuCos were basically what kept us afloat, year after year. The Portal, in the short time it's existed, has arguably been even better to us.

 

[Canedude08]

Going back to the resurrection of the program in 1985, recruiting High School talent HAS been a frustrating problem in terms of landing top players.. Why that is, idk (I'd love to ask Coach L for his take on that).

Let's face it, before the Portal, Transfers and JuCos were basically what kept us afloat, year after year. The Portal, in the short time it's existed, has arguably been even better to us.

There's likely plenty of factors, including the fact that even when times are great with the program, fan support stinks, it's obvious that Miami is a football school, and basketball is seen as lesser than. Even when Ham got the program on its feet and things were looking up, the basketball program received a pittance of support from the athletic department. It's a program that compared to bigger programs, it pales in comparison. Let's also be honest, the bag game before the portal and NIL was a joke at Miami. We didn't have boosters dedicated to building out the infrastructure needed to support high level recruiting. With the advent of NIL and boosters that realized that the ROI is better for basketball compared to football, you saw a difference in recruiting. Before NIL, L utilized some undervalued talent pools to build out rosters and win at a level rarely seen at Miami. He was able to land some top recruits(Lonnie/Bruce Brown), but most of his best work was with transfers and guys he developed.