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11/02/2021 8:07 am  #121


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Tennessee Colonial wrote:

Nigel Johnson anyone?

He's probably a little old now.

 

11/02/2021 12:44 pm  #122


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

I think there were a variety of factors that led to this result (not just one) including ability to be admitted to GW  now, other people in his ear about whether he should attend GW, the view that maybe he is not quite as good as once thought, and that you may be able to get a better player who would not come to GW if he was enrolled, etc. I think at the end of the day it was decision that may benefit both sides. We will see in time..

 

11/02/2021 10:12 pm  #123


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Little reaction to losing a recruit we waited so long for.
And kept a spot open for.

 

11/03/2021 8:27 am  #124


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Not that I am holding out hope, but still waiting to hear from JC.

 

11/03/2021 8:54 am  #125


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

He might not be able to say much bc Gapare was just a verbal commit.

Maybe someone like GWRising or DMVPiranha knows more about the rules on talking about recruits?

 

11/03/2021 8:58 am  #126


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Yeah, not hearing from leadership on this at all really stinks. And I know that GWRising must raise those buff and blue pompoms like it's his job (is it your job), but I really cant see how losing a promising and much heralded international recruit can be spun as a positive. Obviously I could be proven wrong - but if other people were so in his ear, I at least hope we were in his ear as well and that we did all we could to avoid this result.

You can only control your control-ables, but it feels like we are nowhere in the narrative around this kid and his process (from what little info is out there).

 

11/03/2021 9:02 am  #127


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Good point GW0509 - I DEFINITELY don't know the ins and outs of recruiting rules well enough to know what is and isnt allowed.

 

11/03/2021 9:32 am  #128


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Steve wrote:

Yeah, not hearing from leadership on this at all really stinks. And I know that GWRising must raise those buff and blue pompoms like it's his job (is it your job), but I really cant see how losing a promising and much heralded international recruit can be spun as a positive. Obviously I could be proven wrong - but if other people were so in his ear, I at least hope we were in his ear as well and that we did all we could to avoid this result.

You can only control your control-ables, but it feels like we are nowhere in the narrative around this kid and his process (from what little info is out there).

Yeah Steve, JC should comment which would be an NCAA violation. I already alluded to what happened above. That's all you need to know. Move on. You can't lose something you never had. Commitments aren't binding. LOIs are. JC is not commenting so you and others will just have to live with whatever information is already out there.

By the way, how do you know he was a promising recruit? Ever seen him play live? Or are you just going off of what others wrote about him?

That said, all recruits are by their definition theoretically "promising". Otherwise, why would a coach recruit them? Yet the transfer portal is full of guys who were once "promising" but never panned out. I have no idea whether Gapare will pan out but I do know one thing: the only guy who has seen him play "live" doesn't seem as devastated as some here on the board who have never seen him and know nothing or very little about him. Go figure.

Last edited by GWRising (11/03/2021 9:34 am)

 

11/03/2021 9:58 am  #129


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

GWRising wrote:

Steve wrote:

Yeah, not hearing from leadership on this at all really stinks. And I know that GWRising must raise those buff and blue pompoms like it's his job (is it your job), but I really cant see how losing a promising and much heralded international recruit can be spun as a positive. Obviously I could be proven wrong - but if other people were so in his ear, I at least hope we were in his ear as well and that we did all we could to avoid this result.

You can only control your control-ables, but it feels like we are nowhere in the narrative around this kid and his process (from what little info is out there).

Yeah Steve, JC should comment which would be an NCAA violation. I already alluded to what happened above. That's all you need to know. Move on. You can't lose something you never had. Commitments aren't binding. LOIs are. JC is not commenting so you and others will just have to live with whatever information is already out there.

By the way, how do you know he was a promising recruit? Ever seen him play live? Or are you just going off of what others wrote about him?

That said, all recruits are by their definition theoretically "promising". Otherwise, why would a coach recruit them? Yet the transfer portal is full of guys who were once "promising" but never panned out. I have no idea whether Gapare will pan out but I do know one thing: the only guy who has seen him play "live" doesn't seem as devastated as some here on the board who have never seen him and know nothing or very little about him. Go figure.

Don't be disingenuous, Rising. Gapare was the highest rated GW international commit since probably Yuta or maybe Garino. Probably higher rated than both those guys, who both turned out OK for GW.
Yes, OK (and somewhat expected, lately) to lose a highly rated recruit. Not OK to spin it as any kind of good result.
 

 

11/03/2021 10:24 am  #130


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

GWRising wrote:

I think there were a variety of factors that led to this result (not just one) including ability to be admitted to GW  now, other people in his ear about whether he should attend GW, the view that maybe he is not quite as good as once thought, and that you may be able to get a better player who would not come to GW if he was enrolled, etc. I think at the end of the day it was decision that may benefit both sides. We will see in time..

There is a possibility that this could turn out well in the future.  But to try to spin this as a potential positive is just insane.  We haven't had a four year recruit with this type of hype and this highly ranked in a long time. Of course, maybe his play declined, and maybe GW can fill his slot with a player that winds up better than him. However, this is not a positive. Just like it wasn't a positive when players left in the middle of the year. JC wanted a player. He left a spot open for him. The player chose not to come. That's fine. He's entitled. But it's infuriating to hear how this could be better for everybody. 

 

11/03/2021 10:31 am  #131


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

GWRising wrote:

By the way, how do you know he was a promising recruit? Ever seen him play live? Or are you just going off of what others wrote about him?

I am definitely going off what others wrote about him. The idea that we can't rely on ANY 2nd hand sources is just wild. He has played on NZ's international teams from a VERY young age, putting up real points. 247Sports had him as their 104 overall prospect for 2021. 

100% fair that i dont really know what i'm talking about with recruiting violations so mea culpa there.

But again, i don't really understand how we can calk this up as anything other than a loss. Maybe it opens a slot for someone better. Maybe he is a bust. But if it is too early to say this is a loss, it is WAY too early to say this is a win-win like you claim.

 

11/03/2021 10:31 am  #132


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

danjsport - What's more infuriating is people with no knowledge of the situation spinning it to fit their narrative. You say the player "chose" not to come. You have no idea. Maybe you should think about why as such a heralded international recruit he is at IMG instead of playing for another college this year. That's all I'm going to say.

Last edited by GWRising (11/03/2021 10:38 am)

 

11/03/2021 10:34 am  #133


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Steve wrote:

GWRising wrote:

By the way, how do you know he was a promising recruit? Ever seen him play live? Or are you just going off of what others wrote about him?

I am definitely going off what others wrote about him. The idea that we can't rely on ANY 2nd hand sources is just wild. He has played on NZ's international teams from a VERY young age, putting up real points. 247Sports had him as their 104 overall prospect for 2021. 

100% fair that i dont really know what i'm talking about with recruiting violations so mea culpa there.

But again, i don't really understand how we can calk this up as anything other than a loss. Maybe it opens a slot for someone better. Maybe he is a bust. But if it is too early to say this is a loss, it is WAY too early to say this is a win-win like you claim.

Nobody claimed it was a win. You claimed it was a loss. I said no one is devastated and it may ultimately benefit both sides. There is a lot of room between that and an outright win. If we end up getting another player who I think we might get and who wouldn't have come had we secured Gapare (and that player works out) then we will be fine and in 2 years no one will really care. 

Last edited by GWRising (11/03/2021 10:38 am)

 

11/03/2021 10:36 am  #134


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Mentz.  I agree it shouldn't be spun as good news but Rising's correct that Gapare is propbably the most "unknown" 4 star prospect out there.  I posted a podcast a few weeks back that went deep on Gapare starting at 49:45:

Gapare was described both as the highest ever prospect coming out of NZ capable of going pro out of high school and also someone who has stagnated because he hasn't challenged himself in the last few years and is still quite scrawny.  Another scout has said Gapare probably has one of the highest deltas between his floor and ceiling.  Right now he is a 6'9" kid playing against 5 foot nothing competition.   It will be interesting to see how he does at prep school in the US going against kids day-in and day-out who are bigger and stronger than who he's played against in NZ.  I will say he seemed to hold his own when he played against Bronny James' team.

It's a similar situation to Giannis before the NBA draft.  There was no guarantee he'd turn out to become the Greek Freak when Milwaukee drafted him.  Other NBA teams were not flogging themselves on draft night for not drafting him.  Like Gapare, Giannis was playing against nobodies in Greece.  Yet he blossomed into the best player in the NBA.  Milwaukee tried the same strategy a few years later with Thon Maker and he turned into a bust.

I don't agree with Rising that this isn't a loss for GW because we need to take shots on kids who may blossom into all-conference players.  He seriously had the potential to be an Giannis-esque transformational player for us.  But he's not wrong in saying that there's enough unknown that he very well could've ended up as our version of Thon Maker.
 

Last edited by GW0509 (11/03/2021 10:49 am)

 

11/03/2021 11:26 am  #135


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

GW0509 - i think this middle ground perspective is the right one. The loss is one of opportunity. Obviously it may turn out just fine. 

GWRising - def not trying to pick a fight, you are one of my favsies! But when you say "I think at the end of the day it was decision that may benefit both sides." to me that is you saying I think this may be a win-win. Of course, as we have kind of all are saying - only time will tell. I dont think it is unfair of us to be pretty disappointed. 

 

11/03/2021 11:55 am  #136


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

It would have been nice to find out if he was “OUR” bust or transformational player.I just can’t see any upside 
on his not coming here.Rising-I’m a huge fan of yours-but it’s OK to take a loss once in a while.

 

11/03/2021 12:14 pm  #137


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

The upside will be Darren Buchanan if he commits here. Can't guarantee that will happen but it almost definitely would not have happened if Gapare was still committed. And if not Buchanan, then I am sure JC has plan B - either another recruit or a transfer.

People keep saying GW took a loss here. First, how do you know today it's a loss? For example, if Gapare never plays college basketball and tries to go pro with limited success what will you say then? Second, how do you know GW had any control over the de-commitment?

 

11/03/2021 12:22 pm  #138


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

GW literally lost a commit. In the range of possible outcomes, obviously this could yield a net positive result. Theoretically one of our guys could have a career ending injury (god forbid) and that opens a door for another player/recruit which could yield a net positive. We would still say that is a loss even if the eventual replacement was better, wouldn't we? 

If we just look at the recent news, it is, almost by definition, a loss. Not saying it wont all work out even better.

 

11/03/2021 12:41 pm  #139


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

Rising- no narrative from me. GW lost a player that at one point it felt was good enough to be recruited and to save a spot for--and apparently spend considerable resources trying to get him into the school.  I don't know if it's GWs "fault" or if it's nobody's "fault" or if it's Tapare's "fault."  What I  know is we thought we had a guy coming to GW and now he isn't.  That's a loss.  Maybe the guy would have sucked here.  Maybe he would have been great.  I have no idea--nobody does.  And no matter what happens moving forward, we won't know that answer.  JC wanted somebody at some point.  Now, for whatever reason, he isn't getting him.  Maybe we can make the situation good for GW.  But this is a loss.

 

11/03/2021 2:24 pm  #140


Re: Recruit: Tafara Gapare, Forward, 2022 - (Committed to Massachusetts)

danjsport wrote:

GWRising wrote:

I think there were a variety of factors that led to this result (not just one) including ability to be admitted to GW  now, other people in his ear about whether he should attend GW, the view that maybe he is not quite as good as once thought, and that you may be able to get a better player who would not come to GW if he was enrolled, etc. I think at the end of the day it was decision that may benefit both sides. We will see in time..

There is a possibility that this could turn out well in the future.  But to try to spin this as a potential positive is just insane.  We haven't had a four year recruit with this type of hype and this highly ranked in a long time. Of course, maybe his play declined, and maybe GW can fill his slot with a player that winds up better than him. However, this is not a positive. Just like it wasn't a positive when players left in the middle of the year. JC wanted a player. He left a spot open for him. The player chose not to come. That's fine. He's entitled. But it's infuriating to hear how this could be better for everybody. 

  We have been literally saving a spot for this guy for what: a year and a half or more. Didn't Nima recruit him with numerous international trips? Didn't they cost money?
Realize there may be more than basketball here, but if something like academics let's say politely from a foreign system, played a role, we should have certainly known that too by now. What are the NCAA rules for recruits from New Zealand? Do they always have to wait until the start of the year to sign a letter of intent? Do other schools with New Zealand recruits always have them supposedly coming in mid year without signing? And in any case, shouldn't we have known what we are getting into?
   JC has touted him as a recruit coming, without naming Gapare. And he can comment in general on lost recruits without naming him, as other GW coaches have done.
   This guy was supposed to be a linchpin of a freshman recruiting class. Everyone here was salivating for him. Sure he seemed like he was playing against teams that comparatively in size were like us against Hood. But Gapare was supposed be good in international competition and here. If someone still here saw him play live and he wasn't that good, why wasn't the offer withdrawn, especially after he started putting out rumors? Or why was the offer made in the first place if we had doubts he could play in the A-10?
    We are down a big man now and were thin to begin with, assuming we are not playing 27 times against Hood.. Not that this guy was a center or anything, but he was 6'9 and theoretically could grab some rebounds. This wasn't a surprise, given the hints, etc.  So are we full up this year. Didn't we have spots open. So if we didn't want him or like him or couldn't count on him, why didn't we fill that position? This wasn't a real surprise, certainly to coaches, yet wasn't his position left open?
  A verbal commit can have a change of heart, but this was a long, long, probably expensive recruiting process that tied up our recruiting. Or if it didn't tie up recruiting, and we knew it, we didn't take advantage by signing someone else this year.
      Bottom line appears to be: either by Gapare or ourselves, it seems like we got played. 
 

 

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