Salukis Land another...

[tribecalledquest]

As with most debates, the truth probably lies somewhere in between the two sides here, but I do think picking up eight pretty solid (on paper) recruits in a spring signing period is notable and shouldn't just be shrugged off. He certainly is hitting the transfer market really hard, and we'll see how that plays out ... I'd have to think at least two or three of them will end up being nice pickups. Mullins already has added more D-I transfers (five) in three months than Hinson did in seven seasons at Southern.

Agree with BEARZ77's assessment that this first group will likely have to have defense lead the way.

It's recruiting. Everybody thinks the guys they get are solid on paper. Barry would have done the exact same thing. This isn't an anti-Bryan Mullins thing. But let's stop acting like he's doing things that have never been done before. He's doing exactly what every coach in his position would be doing.

I get the excitement. It's an alum. He's new. He says and does all the right things.

[siudawgs]

As with most debates, the truth probably lies somewhere in between the two sides here, but I do think picking up eight pretty solid (on paper) recruits in a spring signing period is notable and shouldn't just be shrugged off. He certainly is hitting the transfer market really hard, and we'll see how that plays out ... I'd have to think at least two or three of them will end up being nice pickups. Mullins already has added more D-I transfers (five) in three months than Hinson did in seven seasons at Southern.

Agree with BEARZ77's assessment that this first group will likely have to have defense lead the way.

It's recruiting. Everybody thinks the guys they get are solid on paper. Barry would have done the exact same thing. This isn't an anti-Bryan Mullins thing. But let's stop acting like he's doing things that have never been done before. He's doing exactly what every coach in his position would be doing.

I get the excitement. It's an alum. He's new. He says and does all the right things.

The part that I can't let go is the contention that Hinson would have done the same. No. He was a lackluster recruiter, and Bryan's staff is light years ahead in that department. Did you not see that Mullins already has landed more D-I transfers in three months than Hinson did in seven years? That's not the be-all, end-all, but it is indicative of the new staff being much more equipped to play the game of the modern recruiting landscape.

[BEARZ77]

As with most debates, the truth probably lies somewhere in between the two sides here, but I do think picking up eight pretty solid (on paper) recruits in a spring signing period is notable and shouldn't just be shrugged off. He certainly is hitting the transfer market really hard, and we'll see how that plays out ... I'd have to think at least two or three of them will end up being nice pickups. Mullins already has added more D-I transfers (five) in three months than Hinson did in seven seasons at Southern.

Agree with BEARZ77's assessment that this first group will likely have to have defense lead the way.

It's recruiting. Everybody thinks the guys they get are solid on paper. Barry would have done the exact same thing. This isn't an anti-Bryan Mullins thing. But let's stop acting like he's doing things that have never been done before. He's doing exactly what every coach in his position would be doing.

I get the excitement. It's an alum. He's new. He says and does all the right things.

The part that I can't let go is the contention that Hinson would have done the same. No. He was a lackluster recruiter, and Bryan's staff is light years ahead in that department. Did you not see that Mullins already has landed more D-I transfers in three months than Hinson did in seven years? That's not the be-all, end-all, but it is indicative of the new staff being much more equipped to play the game of the modern recruiting landscape.

I think the part you overlook is that Mullins had to do that to fill a roster, and he did it the same way Devries, Ford and McCarthy did. If Barry was taking over a roster with only 4-6 players in today's NCAA, he'd have to do it to. Ford has brought in 4 grad transfers , 3 regular transfers, 3 jucos , 2 foreign kids and 3 legit freshman in just over a year. It's what recruiting is today at this level. I'm not defending Barry, but the transfer market is vastly different than it was 2-3 years ago.

[siudawgs]

I get where you're coming from and your point has some merit, but ultimately I disagree. You can choose to believe that Hinson's staff would have pulled in four transfers from power-conference programs plus another D-I transfer who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern. Having followed the caliber of SIU recruiting under Hinson very closely, I disagree. Maybe some of the other new coaches around the league would have, but not Hinson.

[tribecalledquest]

I get where you're coming from and your point has some merit, but ultimately I disagree. You can choose to believe that Hinson's staff would have pulled in four transfers from power-conference programs plus another D-I transfer who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern. Having followed the caliber of SIU recruiting under Hinson very closely, I disagree. Maybe some of the other new coaches around the league would have, but not Hinson.

You are making an assumption that D1 transfers are > other recruits. I'm not making that jump. I'm not as obsessed with getting BCS transfers. Especially ones who barely played.

And that said, late in the spring those players (D1 transfers) are some of the better options available as the JUCO and HS ranks have been picked clean. This is done out of necessity and supply, not that Mullins is beating a full field of competitors for all of these great players.

And as BEARZ said...Barry would have done this as well. That's the name of the game now. It wasn't when Barry took over the SIU program.

[siudawgs]

I get where you're coming from and your point has some merit, but ultimately I disagree. You can choose to believe that Hinson's staff would have pulled in four transfers from power-conference programs plus another D-I transfer who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern. Having followed the caliber of SIU recruiting under Hinson very closely, I disagree. Maybe some of the other new coaches around the league would have, but not Hinson.

You are making an assumption that D1 transfers are > other recruits. I'm not making that jump. I'm not as obsessed with getting BCS transfers. Especially ones who barely played.

And that said, late in the spring those players (D1 transfers) are some of the better options available as the JUCO and HS ranks have been picked clean. This is done out of necessity and supply, not that Mullins is beating a full field of competitors for all of these great players.

And as BEARZ said...Barry would have done this as well. That's the name of the game now. It wasn't when Barry took over the SIU program.

Again, I follow Saluki basketball recruiting quite closely, and there is a marked difference in the volume and quality of recruits visiting and committing compared to Hinson's tenure. You've made it clear that you think Mullins isn't accomplishing anything on the recruiting trail different than what Barry Hinson would have done. I think time, and on-court results, will prove you wrong in the not-too-distant future.

[Dawgbit]

Barry’s final roster had 6 seniors, what does that tell you? I don’t know for a fact, but I’d be willing to bet Barry didn’t spend too many 15 hour workdays on the job, as have the Mullins boys. Barry was always long on his “all shucks “ excuses and mediocre on performance. The quintessential C student. Go Bryan. Go Dawgs.

[BEARZ77]

Having 9 years of Barry, I can empathize with Saluki fans. He is a very polarizing individual, but objectively, he is neither as good as his supporters would like him to be or as bad as his detractors would have you believe. I think his last 4 years at SIU were all .500 or above in conference with 3 top 4 finishes . Realistically he can't be both a terrible coach and a terrible recruiter and do that. He is just slightly above average if you really look at his coaching history and honestly compare.

But my point isn't about Barry vs Bryan; I believe BM will prove a better coach long range than BH has if only because I think he will win a few of the big games Barry always lost. I was mostly just countering the "simply amazing" comment and pointing out that it was done very similarly 3 times last year in our conference. It is what coaches do, and it's only the results in the W/L record that will determine what is amazing. Devries was amazing, Ford was pretty good and McCarthy was average . I'd say that sets the parameters for BM this year; finish top 2 and that's amazing, finish 3-6 and that's pretty good, under that is an average job [ or worse].

[Salukimadness86]

I get where you're coming from and your point has some merit, but ultimately I disagree. You can choose to believe that Hinson's staff would have pulled in four transfers from power-conference programs plus another D-I transfer who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern. Having followed the caliber of SIU recruiting under Hinson very closely, I disagree. Maybe some of the other new coaches around the league would have, but not Hinson.

You are making an assumption that D1 transfers are > other recruits. I'm not making that jump. I'm not as obsessed with getting BCS transfers. Especially ones who barely played.

And that said, late in the spring those players (D1 transfers) are some of the better options available as the JUCO and HS ranks have been picked clean. This is done out of necessity and supply, not that Mullins is beating a full field of competitors for all of these great players.

And as BEARZ said...Barry would have done this as well. That's the name of the game now. It wasn't when Barry took over the SIU program.

Again, I follow Saluki basketball recruiting quite closely, and there is a marked difference in the volume and quality of recruits visiting and committing compared to Hinson's tenure. You've made it clear that you think Mullins isn't accomplishing anything on the recruiting trail different than what Barry Hinson would have done. I think time, and on-court results, will prove you wrong in the not-too-distant future.

SIUdawgs:
No sense trying to talk intelligently with haters. I have tried valiantly not to mention the former coaches name in my posts, but his friends on this site continue to do so.

This is only the start to great things ahead for Saluki Athletics in general. Some on this board may disagree, but I'm sure Doug Elgin, Arch Madness, and other MVC officials are extremely happy Mullins was hired, in more ways than none.

[Salukimadness86]

Barry’s final roster had 6 seniors, what does that tell you? I don’t know for a fact, but I’d be willing to bet Barry didn’t spend too many 15 hour workdays on the job, as have the Mullins boys. Barry was always long on his “all shucks “ excuses and mediocre on performance. The quintessential C student. Go Bryan. Go Dawgs.

Now by golly, if that ain't an excellent observation. BTW: size don't matter.