from our friends at Hoop Scoop

[TheCat]

It really is like the blind leading the blind. We're talking about Greg Hicks and Tracy Pierson, who publish the BruinReportOnline.com, which is a web site that covers UCLA sports. If you recall, these are the geniuses who ranked Lee Cummard over Aaron Afflalo and Quentin Thomas over Jordan Farmar, thought Jerime Anderson was a better prospect than Brandon Jennings, had Anderson ranked higher than Malcolm Lee, thought Anthony Stover was a high Division I prospect, have never given 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and 6'8 Jr DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA their just due, and think UCLA should offer a scholarship to 6'1 Jr Gary Bell from Kent (Kentridge) WA. We bring this up, because earlier this week Greg Hicks wrote the following on his web site: "One thing people need to keep in mind is that Anderson was a very good prospect. There's a reason that every scout with a clue (not to mention numerous coaches across the country) liked him so much out of high school. That he hasn't developed into the player that everyone thought he would be is on him and the UCLA staff. You don't see many top prospects that are worse in their sophomore year of college than they were as high school seniors. Whether Anderson can recover and fulfill the promise that he once showed remains to be seen." First of all, I would like to point out that I have always maintained that Anderson was overrated and that he was never good enough to be more than a good role player for the Bruins. Second, I have stood the test of time in the business (I've been publishing the HOOP SCOOP for almost 27 years). I also have been the recruiting analyst for Basketball Times, which is the top monthly basketball publication in the nation, for over 20 years, am a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee, and have been recognized by numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, as one of the foremost authorities on high school basketball in the United States. So obviously when Hicks implies that I didn't have a clue about how good Anderson was in high school, he's doesn't know what he's talking about. As a matter of fact, after watching Anderson score nine points in the semi-finals and 16 points in the Silver Division Championship Game at the Double Pump Best of the Summer High School Boy's Basketball Tournament at Cal State Dominquez Hills in Carson, CA on July 31, 2007, I told Hicks that I thought he was right about having to watch Anderson play in his high school setting to appreciate him. And this is important, because Anderson was a soft Orange County player who at the time would have been a good fit for a school in the Western Athletic/Mountain West Conference or the mid-major level. In other words, the proof of the budding in the eating, as Hicks is clearly as out to lunch with his evaluations as he is with regards to the way he perceives his peers. Even more offensive is the fact that he tends to blame everybody but himself for the fact that Anderson has turned out to be a total bust. We're talking about a player who is currently averaging 5.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, and 2.5 spg on a 3-7 team that has already lost games to schools like Cal State-Fullerton, Portland, and Long Beach State. On the other hand, UCLA head coach Ben Howland has guided the Bruins to three NCAA Final Four appearances in the last four years, is recognized as one of the top 10 head coaches in the game today by the HOOP SCOOP, and is second to none in terms of X's and O's, game preparation, getting the most out of his players, and successfully putting freshmen and sophomores into the NBA. And Hicks' peers in the business aren't the only ones that he appears to have contempt for, as he accuses his readers of being clueless idiots. And, if you don't believe me, just check out some of this quotes about Anderson after he had three points, two rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, two steals, 1-11 field goals, 0-3 3-pointers, and 1-3 free throws in UCLA's opening season loss to Cal State-Fullerton. "Jerime Anderson having a bad game in his first college start didn't change the fact that there are a bunch of lawyers, doctors and accountants on this board that need to be reminded they're not experts in the field of basketball. As I said originally, know your role. Buy your ticket, eat your nachos, and do the eight-clap." As unbelievable as it might seem, this is what Hicks repeatedly is saying to the people who subscribe to his web site. In sharp contrast to Hicks, I don't think this is rocket science or brain surgery. I also never cease to be amazed at the knowledge and perspective of the avid college basketball fan. I also believe in the importance of debate and seeking of insight of people who have different opinions. However, Hicks and Pierson run the BruinReportOnline.com like two-bit dictators in some small South American country, whereby, they talk down to their audience and immediately erase any posting from their site that they don't like or don't agree with. Not only do I think this is egregious, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for the knowledge and passion that the fans in our reading audience have and am often amazed at the insight and prospective that they provide to the HOOP SCOOP. So with all this in mind, I'm going to do two things. First, I want to hear from you about the topic at hand. Do you argue with me or do you agree with Hicks? Second, in the spirit of Christmas and the Holiday Season, I'm going to give a one-year subscription to the Members Section to whoever sends me the best email and 10 one-month subscriptions to the Members Section to other people who provide me with their unique prospective on this topic. So I encourage you to email me with your comments to hoopscooponline@msn.com. And whether you agree with me or disagree with me is irrelevant, as long as what you say is in good taste and you back up your points with facts and solid reasoning.

[the goat]

Alright Hicksdaddy go get us that 12 month sub.

[Mustard]

Too much block text to read.

tl;dr version?

[budd1e_lee]

Originally Posted by Mustard

Too much block text to read.

tl;dr version?

Their whole website is almost unreadable. With the abilities of many to design websites its a wonder how they charge $45 a month to look at something designed by a 6 year old 10 years ago on a geocities account.

[MrBug708]

Clark "Found one in the dark" Francis eh?

[Reydituto]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Clark "Found one in the dark" Francis eh?

Francis >>> Hicks


His criticisms of Hicks are spot on as well.

[catgrad97]

I was going to ask if that was Clark Francis' writing or not.

Good insights, and Francis knows his high school recruiting. Certainly casts a more expert net nationally than Greg Hicks, who, big news flash, is a childish toolbag with contempt for his own subscribers.

[TheCat]

Only the bug could defend Hicks. Francis is one of the best if not the best in the business. Hicks started this by calling out Francis and Francisthen lights him and Tracy up.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Reydituto

Francis >>> Hicks


His criticisms of Hicks are spot on as well.

Yes, his criticisms of Hicks are pretty accurate and most of the BRO board takes some of his comments with a grain of salt

As for Francis >> Hicks, I think the boards dislike of him might be clouding that judgment a bit

Francis' 2005 class (Borrowed from a TD post).

Overrated
21. Martellus Bennett
22. Marcus Johnson
25. Brandon Costner
30. Jamal Boykin
31. Brian Harvey
33. Micah Downs
38. Ryan Wright
41. Rashad Woods
42. Eric Boateng

Underrated
76. Jeff Pendergraph
134. Darren Collison
185. Brandon Ewing
187. Anthony Mason Jr.
188. Kyle Spain
197. Jamelle Cornelly
276. Travis Walton
279. Richie Williams
284. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
289. Mike Gerrity
595. Theo Robertson


Just like with Hicks, its easy to find misses in recruiting. Nobody cares about how right you were with most rankings, they just look at your misses.

[97cats]

1. Mike Krzyzewski Duke Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Jim Calhoun Connecticut Big East Conference
3. John Calipari Kentucky Southeastern Conference
4. Roy Williams North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Rick Pitino Louisville Big East Conference
6. Bill Self Kansas Big-12 Conference
7. Jim Boeheim Syracuse Big East Conference
8. Tom Izzo Michigan State Big-10 Conference
9. Bobby Huggins West Virginia Big East Conference
10. Billy Donovan Florida Southeastern Conference
11. Bo Ryan Wisconsin Big-10 Conference
12. Sean Miller Arizona Pac-12
13. Brad Stevens Butler Horizon League
14. Tubby Smith Minnesota Big-10 Conference
15. Scott Drew Baylor Big-12 Conference
16. Mike Brey Notre Dame Big East Conference
17. Mike Montgomery California Pacific-12 Conference 1998
18. Lon Kruger Oklahoma Big-12 Conference 1994
19. Jim Larranaga Miami-FL Atlantic Coast Conference 2006
20. Rick Majerus Saint Louis Atlantic-10 Conference 1998
21. Thad Matta Ohio State Big-10 Conference 2007
22. Lorenzo Romar Washington Pacific-12 Conference
23. John Thompson III Georgetown Big East Conference 2007
24. Rick Barnes Texas Big-12 Conference 2003
25. Ben Howland UCLA Pacific-12 Conference 2006, 2007, 2008
26. Kevin Stallings Vanderbilt Southeastern Conference
27. Jamie Dixon Pittsburgh Big East Conference
28. Dave Rose Brigham Young West Coast Conference
29. Tom Crean Indiana Big-10 Conference
30. Matt Painter Purdue Big-10 Conference
31. Mike Anderson Arkansas Southeastern Conference
32. Leonard Hamilton Florida State Atlantic Coast Conference
33. Jay Wright Villanova Big East Conference
34. Shaka Smart Virginia Commonwealth Colonial Athletic Association
35. Bill Carmody Northwestern Big-10 Conference
36. Mark Few Gonzaga West Coast Conference
37. Steve Alford New Mexico Mountain West Conference
38. Steve Fisher San Diego State Mountain West Conference
39. Fran Dunphy Temple Atlantic-10 Conference
40. John Beilein Michigan Big-10 Conference
41. Mark Turgeon Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
42. Tony Bennett Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
43. Randy Bennett St. Mary's West Coast Conference
44. Buzz Williams Marquette Big East Conference
45. Fran McCaffery Iowa Big-10 Conference
46. Dana Altman Oregon Pacific-12 Conference
47. Tim Floyd UTEP Conference USA
48. Frank Haith Missouri Big-12 Conference
49. Mark Gottfried N.C. State Atlantic Coast Conference
50. Larry Eustachy Southern Miss Conference USA

[Main Event]

How is Sean ahead of the great Monty and Pastner

[UA Direct]

This is what happens when you rank your coaches in order that the ping pong ball was selected from the tumbler.

Really can't argue with the success of the guys at the top, but some really odd placements in there as well.

1.) Some great recruiters high like Scott Drew who has underachieved over another great recruiter like Thad Mata who's done more.

2.) The eternally underachieving Tubby Smith WAY ahead of Mark Few? Tubby damn near ran Kentucky into the ground by the time he was finished! Kentucky?

3.) Give Dana Altman time to impress. Give Tim Floyd time for another implosion.

4.) Love Sean Miller, but see {1.)} above. Now that he's at a power school, let's see how his coaching blends with his superb recruiting.

5.) Why is Huggins ahead of Donovan? If it's because of working with less talent, why is Tubby ahead of Majerus? Or 20+ spots ahead of Few?

[TucsonClip]

Matta 21st right in front of Romar? Id take Matta 1000 times out of 1000

[ArzCatz3]

Best coach right now is Calipari. Everyone else is far behind

[Cats101]

Originally Posted by ArzCatz3

Best coach right now is Calipari. Everyone else is far behind

Comical.

Originally Posted by Main Event

How is Sean ahead of the great Monty and Pastner

How is he even on the list!?