Why is jp tokoto announcing at ten at night?

[mugrad2006]

I provided the links, they are what they are.  When you see who they have coming in for 2012, 2013 and 2014, hard to argue with the lure.  We all know those kids aren't going there for TC....right?

They probably are going for Tom Crean, the coach that found D-Wade and led MU to a Final Four.  Not saying Indiana isn't still attractive, just saying Indiana's tradition is much further down the list of why kids go there vs. coach and facilities.  Indiana's not UNC, Duke, Kentucky, or Kansas anymore.

[Benny B]

Let's set one thing straight.  Tradition doesn't recruit star athletes.  Tradition is something that's sold to the alumni.    Athletes are recruited by the "here and now" and "what's in it for me" aspects of the school/team.

TC is a great pitchman; he has a decent product and knows how to sell it.  Unfortunately, the IU "tradition" isn't selling very well to the alumni these days.  Most whom I know don't even watch IU hoops anymore... some even  follow other teams.

Case in point: My father-in-law -- IU alum and old-school Indiana basketball die-hard -- has been to "hundreds" of IU basketball games but hasn't been to a game since Knight left, and it doesn't bother him one bit.  He's actually more in tune with MU these days because he can now talk college hoops with his daughter - another IU alum - who never liked sports until her future spouse took her to watch a game at the BC.

UNC has tradition.... but that's not why JPT is going there (if that is where he's going).

[wadesworld]

At this moment Tokoto ranking is not materially different than Maymon, Blue or Wilson.  I don't remember live cut-ins for their announcements.  So, if a live cut-in for Tokoto's announcement with the sports reporter introducing Wisconsin to a kid they never heard of, only to tell them he's the 30th best kid in the country, and then inform them he's going to college 800 miles away and leaving for VA thsi summer and never to be heard from in Wisconsin again, the station director that approved this should be fired for wasting resources.  Why does anyone in Wisconsin even remotely care about this story?

So you're saying that hundreds of people are going to show up to Dave and Busters to watch his announcement but that nobody in Wisconsin cares if he chooses UNC?  What?  So the hundreds of people KNOW that he is going to either UW or MU, which is why they are going to show up there, because otherwise they don't care, right?  Your arguments not only make no sense but also contradict themselves.

And I thought this is similar to the LBJ "Decision."  How can the newscaster introduce the people to "a kid they never heard of."  If he is somebody nobody has ever heard of, are they really going to show up to Dave and Busters and boo and throw popcorn when he chooses UNC?  That is very interesting.

[MUfan12]

If you think this thread is good, read the comments on Rosiak's article. Something else.

[Tugg Speedman]

It IS big news that a local kid is being recruited by UNC....go back through the archives of the MF newspaper and look at the big deal they made each time Roy came to visit....pictures and all....

I have a hard time believing he'd pick UW since he has come out and said he hates slow paced play....the move to another HS comes at the suggestion of Roy......sorry to say it but he's a Heel......

So Wisconsin is a bunch of second rate losers.  Buzz and Bo are really running mid-major programs.  When the "big boys" like Roy come to that should be covered live on TV?  Mind you we never cover Buzz or Bo signings live on TV.  Tokoto is ranked 36, not #1. 

[Tugg Speedman]

So you're saying that hundreds of people are going to show up to Dave and Busters to watch his announcement but that nobody in Wisconsin cares if he chooses UNC?  What?  So the hundreds of people KNOW that he is going to either UW or MU, which is why they are going to show up there, because otherwise they don't care, right?  Your arguments not only make no sense but also contradict themselves.

Please tell me you know the difference between hundreds of MU, UW and MF fans showing up at D&B to get drunk to watch Tokoto announce and something that a larger audience of housewives and retirees might want to watch on live on the local news between dental creme commercials.

[brewcity77]

At this moment Tokoto ranking is not materially different than Maymon, Blue or Wilson.

I agree that his ranking at this moment isn't, but I still think a lot of this has to do with his #4 rating on ESPN a year ago. The hype for Tokoto as a freshman was larger than the hype for any of the other four at any time in their careers. Let's not forget the coaching carousel that followed his games. Williams, Coach K, Self, pretty much all the heavy hitters came out to watch him regularly, not to mention Williams and Ryan. There was never a level of hype for any of those three that there was for Tokoto, and despite the knock in his ratings, he's still attracted more hype as a Wisconsin high school baller than anyone I can remember (I'm too young to remember the Joe Wolf recruitment) and as similar as the rankings may be now, none of the other three were ever regarded as top 5 prospects.

[Fullodds]

IU was one the top programs of all time.  Not anymore.  Don't compare them to UNC or any top-tier program.

IU has not been a top program for 10+ years.  Let me know when Kansas, Duke, UNC and Kentucky have a ten year (and counting) drought before you consider IU equal.

At some point a "top program of all time" can become much less than that no matter how many times to call them a top program of all time.  IU can be considered a relevant program again at some point, maybe soon with TC's recruiting classes, but you can say that about any basketball program.

Probably more like the other 4 and 5 star guys he'll be playing with in the years after....or perhaps because like UNC, IU is one of the top programs of all-time and he wants to play at one of the top programs of all-time.....perhaps you forgot that part....why yes, you did.

[Warriors10]

"I have decided to take my talents to Chapel Hill"

[Stretchdeltsig]

Hate the thought of JP bailing out of Wisconsin for NC.  He would stand out much more at Marquette or Wisconsin.  It's hard to get excited about the announcement after reading that he's decided on NC.  Booo! 

[Lennys Tap]

Probably more like the other 4 and 5 star guys he'll be playing with in the years after....or perhaps because like UNC, IU is one of the top programs of all-time and he wants to play at one of the top programs of all-time.....perhaps you forgot that part....why yes, you did.

There you go again.

YOUR definition of what elite players want was as follows: "Elite players want competition, it's what drives them. That's the whole point of going to a Duke, UNC, UCLA, etc...no guaranteed starts, you need to bust your butt every day against someone that is as good or maybe better than you every day in practice."

Cody Zellar had the option of doing what YOU say elite players want to do. Instead, he chose a situation where he's guaranteed a stating spot (as a freshman) and will face nobody in practice to challenge him or make him better.

Conclusion: Either Cody Zellar is not an elite player or your definition of "what elite players want" is an oversimplification which is at times untrue.

[LON]

If you think this thread is good, read the comments on Rosiak's article. Something else.

I like the Chicos impersonators...

Chicos bail bonds - Feb 28, 2011 10:53 PM
This is going to be like Christmas morning!!! Even though it feels like UNC, I've been reading all the twitter reports and analysts' reports. I seriously don't know how I'll be able to get to sleep tonight, much less Wed. night!!!

chicosbailbonds - Mar 01, 2011 1:24 AM
i am a true insider. i have worked in the sports industry for years. jp will not wear red. i tell you that.

Chicos bail bonds - Mar 01, 2011 10:51 AM
I along with my wife and 3 kids and extended family members will be going to Dave and Buster's tonight at Mayfair to join in on the excitement on Thursday. I really hope that D & B gave Mr. Trimble a really nice paycheck for the increase in business they will see this weekend.  Although I like MU, I am a full-fledged Badger supporter and like UW a lot better. I really really really hope JPT picks UW, but if it's UNC I will wish him well. I will not let any of my family wear Badger gear to make sure that he feels comfortable with whatever choice he makes

[willie wampum]

I like the Chicos impersonators...

Chicos bail bonds - Feb 28, 2011 10:53 PM
This is going to be like Christmas morning!!! Even though it feels like UNC, I've been reading all the twitter reports and analysts' reports. I seriously don't know how I'll be able to get to sleep tonight, much less Wed. night!!!

chicosbailbonds - Mar 01, 2011 1:24 AM
i am a true insider. i have worked in the sports industry for years. jp will not wear red. i tell you that.

Chicos bail bonds - Mar 01, 2011 10:51 AM
I along with my wife and 3 kids and extended family members will be going to Dave and Buster's tonight at Mayfair to join in on the excitement on Thursday. I really hope that D & B gave Mr. Trimble a really nice paycheck for the increase in business they will see this weekend.  Although I like MU, I am a full-fledged Badger supporter and like UW a lot better. I really really really hope JPT picks UW, but if it's UNC I will wish him well. I will not let any of my family wear Badger gear to make sure that he feels comfortable with whatever choice he makes

Wow, some MU fans have a huge inferiority complex.  And it's not just here.  The same thing happens on Scout with Murf.  People overreact to anything the guy says. 

[reinko]

We can finally put this crap to rest.  Per Zags Blog:

http://www.zagsblog.com/2011/03/02/j-p-tokoto-has-decided/

Tokoto has decided his college destination....

But he won't announce it until Thursday night at 10 p.m. CST in an exclusive interview with the local Milwaukee Fox affiliate, WITI-TV, at Dave & Buster's in Wauwatosa, Wisc.

"This is J.P.'s moment so my lips are sealed as tight as can be," Trevor Trimble, Tokoto's father, said Wednesday by phone. "I don't want to take away from his moment."

Trimble moved the press conference from Friday to Thursday to accommodate the TV station

[tower912]

That isn't chico.   And as fed up with him as I have been lately, no one, but no one, should be messed with like that.    Scoopers, MU alum, if one of you is doing that, do the mature thing and knock it off.   Show yourself to have some class.  

[StillAWarrior]

I suspect that this will be an interesting test of the "UNC Effect"

As of today, Tokoto is ranked 10/40 on Rivals (4 star) and 7/34 on Scout (also 4 star).

Anybody want to make a prediction on whether those numbers go up or down if he chooses UNC (which I think he will)?  A 10% increase would make him 9/36 and 6/31.  I bet he'll go up even higher than that.

And I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be that high...I haven't seen him play and I don't have an opinion on that.  I'm just saying that I'm quite confident that he'll go up in the rankings and my personal opinion is that it'll have more to do with his college selection than his performance.

[Tugg Speedman]

We can finally put this crap to rest.  Per Zags Blog:

http://www.zagsblog.com/2011/03/02/j-p-tokoto-has-decided/

Tokoto has decided his college destination....

But he won't announce it until Thursday night at 10 p.m. CST in an exclusive interview with the local Milwaukee Fox affiliate, WITI-TV, at Dave & Buster's in Wauwatosa, Wisc.

"This is J.P.'s moment so my lips are sealed as tight as can be," Trevor Trimble, Tokoto's father, said Wednesday by phone. "I don't want to take away from his moment."

Trimble moved the press conference from Friday to Thursday to accommodate the TV station

Thank you ... Every "expert" here assured me I had no idea what I was talking about confidently assured me this would not be broadcast live.  Well, as is often the case around here, the "experts" are wrong.

Moving on to the next question, will this announcement be open to anyone that wants to go down and see it live at D&B?  If so, I still say Tokoto is risking a PR disaster and could get boo'ed on live TV when he says UNC and Oak Hill (not MU or UW)?

Or does Wisconsin have such an inferiority complex that when he announces UNC and Oak Hill everyone politely claps because it is understood that Wisconsin residents are second class citizens and we're happy this kid can escape this hell?  And is Wisconsin so inferior that the 36th best High School kid deserves an announcement he is getting out because the area is incapable of producing anything better, in any sport or any discipline?  At least Chicago or Cleveland would only do something like this if the kid was the consensus #1 player in the country and the decision was pros or college.  Not Wisconsin, third team AA is good enough for this treatment.

Personally, I think a live announcement like he's planning (UNC and maybe Oak Hill) is tantamount to saying everyone that stays in Wisconsin is a loser.  That's why I suggested he would be boo'ed ... unless we all agree that Wisconsin residents are indeed inferior to VA (Oak Hill) and NC (UNC) residents and applaud he is getting out and only wish we could.

[dw3dw3dw3]

Do you realize there is an 8 page thread with you just repeating about 50 times what a PR nightmare this would be if he didn't choose a local school? He's not trying to balance the budget, he's picking a college to play basketball at.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Or does Wisconsin have such an inferiority complex that when he announces UNC and Oak Hill everyone politely claps because it is understood that Wisconsin residents are second class citizens and we're happy this kid can escape this hell?   

Personally, I think a live announcement like he's planning (UNC and maybe Oak Hill) is tantamount to saying everyone that stays in Wisconsin is a loser.  

Well, at least you have it in perspective.

[MerrittsMustache]

I haven't read through this whole thread but if he chooses UNC, I don't think it would be the PR disaster than many posters seem to think. Most of the people at D&B will likely be friends, family and classmates. I know that if a close friend or a member of my family was a highly touted basketball player who was going to play ball at UNC, I'd be thrilled. If I was in HS and a kid in my school/on my team was going to play ball at UNC, I'd be thrilled. I'd like to think that the adult MU/UW fans who go to this event will not boo because they have the mental capacity to understand what a great opportunity it is for a player from a state not known for producing star athletes. Actually, the adults who have no connection to JP but show up at this thing should probably take a good hard look at what's important in their lives anyway.

[texaswarrior74]

I suspect that this will be an interesting test of the "UNC Effect"

As of today, Tokoto is ranked 10/40 on Rivals (4 star) and 7/34 on Scout (also 4 star).

Anybody want to make a prediction on whether those numbers go up or down if he chooses UNC (which I think he will)?  A 10% increase would make him 9/36 and 6/31.  I bet he'll go up even higher than that.

And I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be that high...I haven't seen him play and I don't have an opinion on that.  I'm just saying that I'm quite confident that he'll go up in the rankings and my personal opinion is that it'll have more to do with his college selection than his performance.

There is no "UNC effect"...you guys need to get over the inferiority complex, really ity is getting tiresome.

JP's ranking fell because of a poor performance early in the summer and also because unlike other "top" prospects, he was not "playing up" in competition. He then stepped it up and performed like many though he would/should in the recent tournament at MU high school....and recruiting services are watching him more closely to see if really did deserve the early rankings and hype.

IF he goes to a school like Oak Hill with far better competition (even at practice everyday) and performs the way most think he is capable of, his stock will rise again.....it will have ZERO to do with him being a UNC recruit and everything to do with what he shows on the hardwood.

And to the naysayers, he might be ranked #36 but he's # 1 in Wisconsin which is why it is big news.

The negativity and personal attacks on this board is unrivaled on ANY other board that I frequent....

[texaswarrior74]

I haven't read through this whole thread but if he chooses UNC, I don't think it would be the PR disaster than many posters seem to think. Most of the people at D&B will likely be friends, family and classmates. I know that if a close friend or a member of my family was a highly touted basketball player who was going to play ball at UNC, I'd be thrilled. If I was in HS and a kid in my school/on my team was going to play ball at UNC, I'd be thrilled. I'd like to think that the adult MU/UW fans who go to this event will not boo because they have the mental capacity to understand what a great opportunity it is for a player from a state not known for producing star athletes. Actually, the adults who have no connection to JP but show up at this thing should probably take a good hard look at what's important in their lives anyway.

+`1

[Tugg Speedman]

And to the naysayers, he might be ranked #36 but he's # 1 in Wisconsin which is why it is big news.

Every year Wisconsin has a #1.  I don't recall Vander's live TV announcement last year.  I don't recall Maymon's two years ago.

[texaswarrior74]

They weren't being recruited by UNC, Duke and Kansas. Having Roy, K and Self at his games WAS big news for Menominee Falls whether you think so or not.....the MF newspaper certainly treated it like it was...

[Tugg Speedman]

There is no "UNC effect"...you guys need to get over the inferiority complex, really ity is getting tiresome.

Doug Gottlieb disagrees with you .....

McDonald's team selection is flawed
Comment Print Email Share
By Doug Gottlieb
February 12, 2011

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog?name=ncbexperts&id=6115872

Let me start with a question: Are McDonald's All-Americans chosen purely based on their own ability and performance, or are they picked based on whether or not they sign with an A-list school?

I bring this up because the McDonald's selection committee has done it again, churning out several curious selections and even more curious omissions this year. To be blunt, it is a joke. Need further proof? Look at the North Carolina Tar Heels. How is it possible that Roy Williams could coach a team loaded with seven Mickey D's All-Americans last season and still not make the NCAA tournament? He'd have to be the worst coach of all time to underproduce with a squad that was truly that talented, but Williams' two national titles and career winning percentage of .800 suggest that the man knows how to coach.

It is in this way that the McDonald's selection is flawed. Too often the emphasis on the ranking and voting in of players is based strongly on where they signed, how well-known they are and how high a profile their AAU team had. The game, the most prestigious in the land, is supposed to represent the top 25 players in the country, or at least come as close as possible.