Cornell Basketball Recruiting War

[CornellFan]

I posted the article below on The Cornell Basketball Blog.  Curious if anyone on here has any reaction to it.  This is a recruit Cornell really, really wanted.



By ArizonaPreps.com
March 26, 2008

Desert Edge HS (Goodyear, AZ) 6-foot-9 senior forward Mitchell Watt reopened his recruitment after committing to Cornell University in the fall of 2007. Watt decided to explore his options in order to play a higher level of basketball at the next level.

This week, with the help of the Arizona Preps staff, Watt received an official offer from a school in the Big East Conference.

This past year Watt helped lead the Scorpions from Desert Edge to a 4A-Division-II state championship over the Santa Rita Eagles. While Watt spent most of the game in foul trouble and only finished with 7 points, many saw his potential and upside with the ultra athletic dunks and the rebounding clinic he would put on.

On the season Watt averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks , 4 assists and 2 steals per/contest, en route to a 28-2 overall record (8-0 in region). In addition, Watt was selected to 1st Team All-Region and First Team All-State according to Arizona Hoop Scoop Magazine.

Today (Tuesday, March 25th), Watt was offered an official athletic scholarship from Head Coach Fred Hill and Rutgers University. After seeing various tapes of Watt and coming out of the tape sessions of the talented big man, they were very impressed and decided they wanted to get Watt in a Rutgers jersey. Assistant Coach Craig Carter worked diligently on recruiting Watt, leading to the offer put forth today.

Rutgers first heard of Watt's ability to play the game after assistant Craig Carter contacted the Arizona Preps' offices, in search of an unsigned low post prospect still on the recruiting board.

Rutgers has recently committed 6-foot-8 St. Benedict's HS monster post man Greg Echenique as their first class of 2009 commit to join signee's in 6-foot-3, 180-pound McDonalds All-American guard Mike Rosario, 6-foot-9, 270-pound center Christian Morris, and 6-foot-6, 200-pound forward Patrick Jackson for the future.

If Rutgers gets Watt to sign late in the signing period, he will join that talented 2008 class.

Watt is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound long and rangy forward that can stretch the defense in a real way. He has a very much improved post game and an ability to knock down the outside shot. In addition, he is a terrific passer with good court vision and an unselfish approach to the game. While he is still very light on the weight scale, his upside is ridiculous. He is fairly athletic and is only getting more athletic as he grows more comfortable with his body and footwork. With 15-20 more pounds on him he will be a serious factor at the next level. On the defensive end Watt is a swat machine and pulls down boards like a carpenter. Furthermore, Watt carries a 3.8 CUM GPA and is already an academic qualifier.

Watt has been quoted saying, "Rutgers would be a good home at the next level for me. The Big East is real and the education and network possibilities are endless. It would be nice to play there."

[djk26]

I have two thoughts on this, CornellFan.  I'm the person ("david") who asked you about Watt on your blog forum, so you know that I think he would have been a solid addition.  My first thought, therefore, is that I'm disappointed that he is not coming to Cornell (I'm confused about his verbal commitment--didn't know he had made one--and the role of ArizonaPreps.)

My second thought is about an article I read in Sports Illustrated about abusive college basketball fans.  One student athlete (how did I type that phrase with a straight face?) committed to Illinois, then backed out and went to Indiana.  The Illinois fans tortured him when IU visited U of I, with taunts that were obscene and just plain nasty.  Another group of fans moved a player's grandmother to tears.  It's a different situation, since Indiana and Illinois are conference rivals and Cornell and Rutgers are not.  But I want to make sure that Cornell fans do not direct hatred towards this guy, Watt, as it serves no purpose and reflects poorly on Cornell.  A little taunting on the Lynah level is fine, of course, but let's make sure not to step over the line, as the fans mentioned in the article did.

It seems unlikely (though certainly possible) that Rutgers and Cornell will play each other over the next several years, but I just want to be careful about being too vitriolic on message boards.  The comments so far on the blog are respectful towards him, which is good.  (Even though I do agree with the comments that he made a bad decision.)

[Jim Hyla]

Well, not surprised. If a b'ball player can go "big time" and that's what he wants, so be it. Realistically we have to get players who want to win but expect the rest of their life is more determined by their education. So?

[KeithK]

[quote Jim Hyla]Well, not surprised. If a b'ball player can go "big time" and that's what he wants, so be it. Realistically we have to get players who want to win but expect the rest of their life is more determined by their education. So?[/quote]
Considering how few roster spots there are in the NBA and how many college basketball players there are, very, very few will not need to depend on their educations after college.  (No, I'm not going to quote that NC$$ commercial.)

Then again, the experience of playing high level sports has value in and of itself, even if it doesn't lead to a professional career.

[Adara]

In NCAA Basketball Tournament program, they had a page on what percentage  of student-athletes go pro...

Men's Basketball........1.2%
Women's Basketball......1.0%
Football................1.8%
Baseball................9.4%
Men's Ice Hockey........3.7%
Men's Soccer............1.7%

[CornellFan]

Is Rutgers big time?

They have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1991. The Scarlet Knights finished 2007-2008 with a miserable 11-20 overall record and 3-15 mark in the Big East, which included lowly losses to Rider and St. Peter's and narrow wins over Dartmouth (55-50), Princeton (54-50), Lafayette (90-79) and NJIT (65-55). (Cornell beat Dartmouth, Princeton and NJIT by larger margins.) Rutgers ended the season with a 211 RPI out of 341 Division I teams and also failed to qualify for the Big East tournament. Rutgers only draws about 5,000 fans per game, just half the capacity of the Rutgers Athletic Center.

Big time alright.

[CornellFan]

There is definitely a fine line between what is and what is not appropriate.  I think we are taking a similar path that publishers on ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com take when discussing these recruits.

We are not attacking Mitchell personally--- just questioning the wisdom of a possible college decision.

I don't think that is inappropriate discussion.

That said-- he has not yet made a final decision.  But it appears he will be wearing Scarlet Red instead of Carnellian Red.

[Jordan 04]

If we lost him, and it's not to another Ivy, I feel much better about it. He's allowed to go where he feels his best opportunities are.

[ugarte]

Rutgers is a quality school and he received a scholarship. He will get to play in the Big East and, since he is a player that was seriously considering the Ivy League, he is a lot more likely to see playing time than he would at one of the schools that routinely make the tournament.

It is a disappointment that he chose Rutgers over Cornell but I can't blame the kid for making that call.

[Jim Hyla]

[quote CornellFan]Is Rutgers big time?

They have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1991. The Scarlet Knights finished 2007-2008 with a miserable 11-20 overall record and 3-15 mark in the Big East, which included lowly losses to Rider and St. Peter's and narrow wins over Dartmouth (55-50), Princeton (54-50), Lafayette (90-79) and NJIT (65-55). (Cornell beat Dartmouth, Princeton and NJIT by larger margins.) Rutgers ended the season with a 211 RPI out of 341 Division I teams and also failed to qualify for the Big East tournament. Rutgers only draws about 5,000 fans per game, just half the capacity of the Rutgers Athletic Center.

Big time alright.[/quote]

Did you not notice my quotes? The Big East is big time, Rutgers is certainly not. However, if as has been said, that's the competition he wants, so be it. He obviously doesn't value his academics as much as his athletics; if so he's better off not at CU.

[ugarte]

[quote Jim Hyla]Did you not notice my quotes? The Big East is big time, Rutgers is certainly not. However, if as has been said, that's the competition he wants, so be it. He obviously doesn't value his academics as much as his athletics; if so he's better off not at CU.[/quote]
I'm not sure I value my academics enough to pay for Cornell instead of letting Rutgers pick up the tab. Rutgers isn't some fake college.

[Josh '99]

[quote ugarte][quote Jim Hyla]Did you not notice my quotes? The Big East is big time, Rutgers is certainly not. However, if as has been said, that's the competition he wants, so be it. He obviously doesn't value his academics as much as his athletics; if so he's better off not at CU.[/quote]
I'm not sure I value my academics enough to pay for Cornell instead of letting Rutgers pick up the tab. Rutgers isn't some fake college.[/quote]True, but like Cornell it's big enough that there's a wide range of academic opportunities (some more challenging than others) available to students.  Regardless of where the guy falls on that spectrum there's (as you point out) certainly some allure to having someone else pick up the tab.

[Josh '99]

[quote CornellFan]But it appears he will be wearing Scarlet Red instead of Carnellian Red.[/quote]Wait... first Cornell, then Rutgers, and now you say he's going to BU?  

:-P

[KeithK]

[quote ugarte]It is a disappointment that he chose Rutgers over Cornell but I can't blame the kid for making that call.[/quote]
Of course you can blame him! :-D

[Jim Hyla]

[quote ugarte][quote Jim Hyla]Did you not notice my quotes? The Big East is big time, Rutgers is certainly not. However, if as has been said, that's the competition he wants, so be it. He obviously doesn't value his academics as much as his athletics; if so he's better off not at CU.[/quote]
I'm not sure I value my academics enough to pay for Cornell instead of letting Rutgers pick up the tab. Rutgers isn't some fake college.[/quote]

But it is in New Jersey.