Aaron White Commits to Iowa

Quote IAJay: "I was really hopeful that Fran was going to put an end to the Lick like recruits but I guess that was wishful thinking. I know people like to say that other offers don't matter, but they really do in basketball. This sounds harsh but you do not build NCAA teams with offers like this kid had."

I understand you are making judgments about players you haven't seen, and appear to be working on the assumption that it doesn't matter that you have no personal knowledge because you are reading the internet wannabes.

Okay, that doesn't make you unique. Unfortunately it also doesn't make you unique in that you are missing or ignoring much of the evidence available.

White has offers from two ACC schools (Miami, Boston College), from two Atlantic 10 schools that have been successful in the nCAA tournement (St Joseph, Temple), Big Ten (Northwestern) among other Division 1 programs.
Is rated three stars by the more reputable services, an 88 by ESPN (puts him about the median in Big Ten recruits).

Same with Oglesby: offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa State, Mizzou, Creighton, Arizona State, Virginia, other MVC schools, more than a dozen Division 1 schools in all. ESPN gave him a 92 rating, which puts him in the top third of Big Ten recruits.

Next on the list will be Tyler Harris, and before you foolishly dismiss him, understand that ESPN rates him up in the rarified regions of a 95, and he has offers from NC State, Louisville, St Johns, Providence, Michigan, and several other Div 1 majors.

Despite the late start, and the heritage of the mess made by Alford & Lickliter, McCaffery is putting together a surprisingly strong first group of recruits--Besabe, Ogleby, White, most likely Harris, and he will get his big man this year, whether a center or PF. And next year he is off to the proverbial races--big men Adam Woodbury & Kyle Meyer, 2G Mike Gesell, AND don't underestimate his chances keeping Paige at home.

Not out of the question that Fran McCaffery is the coach who wins the next Big Ten championship who isn't named Izzo or Matta. Of course that would be four, five years down the line...

I think there is some confusion about the offers he has listed. The Rivals write up on the main page says he picked Iowa over Duquesne.
 
There does seem to be some confusion on offers. Rivals have him being offered by BC,NW,Temple,among others. That includes two BCS conference schools, and would be a solid list. We will see what shakes out ,but we need to understand that Fran was still behind the 8ball in recruiting the 2011 class...has only 6 months to connect and get a commit from kids who have been courted for 2-3 years by others.
This trend of offering kids who are frosh in HS is growing,and it hurts new coaches all the more.
I look at SA's second class, and he got in on top 40 recruits Worley(hometown kid) and Reiner(SD..might as well be Iowa) then added Boyd,Sondy,Hogan,Recker, and Evans. Good class, but most of those kids had an Iowa connection,cept for Evans.
Licks second class of Gatens(already committed when he came),Brommer,Tucker,Fuller,Jermaine Davis and Bawinkel really was lackluster.
Fuller might have had one offer from a BCS school,but I doubt it. Otherwise...nada.
So, White is probably better than anyone Lick got in his 2nd year.

Until he is proven to be a bad evaluator of talent, we have to trust that Fran knows exactly what kind of athlete he needs to play his style competitively in the Big Ten.

Welcome aboard,Aaron White.
Kind of freaky that he is best friends since 2nd grade with Iowa football signee,Ray Hamilton,eh? Could not have hurt Fran in this recruitment.
 
I agree with JHHawk on all accounts. I also sure hope that he is right about Tyler Harris. He is a great kid and very dedicated to improving his already good game.

JHHawk, are you wishing/hoping or do you know something I do not know concerning Tyler's leanings?
 
Can't compare basketball and football recruiting. Not to many under the radar bball players anymore with all the AAU tourneys being played.

True -- but White had a wrist injury in July 2009 so he missed that whole evaluation period. He had not been on the AAU trail since between his freshman and sophomore year (for a 6'7"+ player that is an eternity). So White was maybe a little bit of an unknown going into this July.
 
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Sometimes 2*s surpass their rankings and sometimes 4 and 5*s don't live up to their status. No doubt about it and we can all think of examples. But there's a stong correlation, I would say, between a player's star status and their eventual productivity. If we're playing the odds then I'd say there's a better than even chance it won't work out so well.

However, something tells me Fran moved on this kid at least in part because other top BCS schools were starting to become interested which encourages me. Also, the anecdotal stuff leaves me encouraged that he will surpass the 2* status. I'm in the camp of giving Fran the benefit of the doubt. Like someone else said, I don't think he's going to bring in some guy who can't play when he's trying to turn the program around.
 
Enough with the doubt and negativity (and I admit my guilt from 24 hours ago): let's welcome the kid to Iowa and thank him for being willing to come in and help a new, somewhat unknown coach rebuild a once proud program.
 
Enough with the doubt and negativity (and I admit my guilt from 24 hours ago): let's welcome the kid to Iowa and thank him for being willing to come in and help a new, somewhat unknown coach rebuild a once proud program.

Well said, Tweeter. Give both guys (Fran & Aaron) a chance. All this negativity is ridiculous. Aaron has another year of high school to improve, if that is even needed as NO ONE here has even seen him play, and Fran has yet to coach a game. Can't believe some of you people.
 
I think there is some confusion about the offers he has listed. The Rivals write up on the main page says he picked Iowa over Duquesne.
No need to be confused. Check ESPN, Sporting News, Gazette, Press Citizen, Google. You will find beyond the offers that a number of schools including Texas & Wisconsin went to watch him later in the summer when he began to get a lot of notice, but found it too late.

What you are confusing is his final choice with his offers: he narrowed his choices down to Duquesne & Iowa.
 
Here is a nice bit about White from a Miami (OH) fans website. I remember following many mutual recruits on this site before. He has a thread that follows stories of White dating back to December.

MiamiHawkTalk.com :: View topic - 2011 PF 6'6" Aaron White (Iowa Commit)

Edit: of note, White played on the AAU basketball team Ohio Basketball Club (OBC). OBC was one of the best AAU programs in not just the state of Ohio, but did well nationally.
 
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This is why he is considered on many "Rising Star" lists:

Ohio State, Penn State, St. Joseph’s, Butler, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Xavier, Texas, and USC showing strong interest.

This indicates the kid has some fine basketball skills. If these schools were taking time to recruit him, he isn't just mid-major good.
 
I am very happy to land Aaron White, and happier that he did so now so Fran can recruit needs as opposed to the unknown. Every scouting article I have read about Aaron White says solid, or glue, high bb iq, basically... someone that is not coming in overrated. Players like this are what you need when building a team. Remember... he still has a year of HS and most likely will not be needed his freshman year so he has 2 years to be prepared to hit the floor in meaningful minutes.
 
I guess i don't see the big thing Fran is doing here...he wants to get up and run, and play up tempo, but from the stuff i have seen from this kid that is not his game...he is not quick enough to play the 3 and nowhere near big enough for the 4....looks to me like Fran is just trying to fill schollies at this point...
 
I guess i don't see the big thing Fran is doing here...he wants to get up and run, and play up tempo, but from the stuff i have seen from this kid that is not his game...he is not quick enough to play the 3 and nowhere near big enough for the 4....looks to me like Fran is just trying to fill schollies at this point...

I think you're right, I think that's exactly what he's doing, he is "just trying to fill schollies". And he's just collecting a paycheck, too.
 
I guess i don't see the big thing Fran is doing here...he wants to get up and run, and play up tempo, but from the stuff i have seen from this kid that is not his game...he is not quick enough to play the 3 and nowhere near big enough for the 4....looks to me like Fran is just trying to fill schollies at this point...

If Fran can make this kind of player work in his style of play (consciously avoiding "system" here), he's gold. Will give him that chance.
 
Talked to an individual, whose son plays AAU ball (younger), who had the opportunity to watch White play one of the games against the Iowa Barnstormers at a tournament this summer. He remembered him from the game. His assessment was that White could get off the floor exceptionally well. Said jumping ability reminded him of Eric May only 3-4" taller and thinner. If he can gain 15 pounds of upper body strength then he will be a solid player at Iowa.
 
I think you're right, I think that's exactly what he's doing, he is "just trying to fill schollies". And he's just collecting a paycheck, too.

Wow, way to throw Fran under the bus. What is your rationale? What is your basis to just throw him under, run him over and then back over him again?
He kept two of the 2010 kids at Iowa and signed two other solid players that one fans are already thinking he will be one of the best Hawkeyes of all-time. Now he has signed a Top 150 kid in Oglesby and a very solid player in White that has a ton of upside. White is versatile, something Iowa desperately needs. Oglesby is a great shooter and passes well, two attributes every team needs.
The past two Iowa coaches have not been able to keep out of the media for all the negative in the program, but Fran has already changed that, how many negative stories have you read?
Iowa basketball is not the same, I can promise you that, just take a look at the kids he is going after and now signing.
"Just earing a paycheck" is not what Fran and his staff are doing, give me a break...
 
homes u sound like the kind of person whose doing the same thing on ur job just collecting a paycheck. that is if u have a job.
 
I think there is some confusion about the offers he has listed. The Rivals write up on the main page says he picked Iowa over Duquesne.

I don't think there is a lot of confusion. He decided between Duquesne and Iowa, but he had offers from BC and Miami-FL and some others.
I believe he chose for academics and basketball, these kids are student athletes. Also, I wouldn't get down on any offers he recieved from an A-10 school anyway, that leauge can play and didn't Duquesne beat Iowa last year? Yes, last year doesn't mean a whole lot, but Iowa still lost to a Mid-Major team and people are ripping this kid for having offers to those types of schools as well as teams in the Big East and Big Ten.
Here is where it makes no sense still, Trey McDonald is the number one target for Central Michigan right now, so should Iowa stop recruiting him because CMU wants him that much? No, is the answer because he is another 3* kid that has Mid-Major offers as well as High Major offers, it is the scope of College Basketball today with so many schools and so much exposure kids have in AAU and the availability that coaches have.
Now to the number of stars White has, I have saw 2 and 3 on this kid, but the one thing that is probably hurting him is not playing in AAU one year and what position will he really play. The good news is that all indications are that he is versitle and athletic, two things Iowa really needs.
Lastly, if White doesn't come in an contribute and has consideration for freshman of the year in the leauge, should we panic, no. Iowa has a solid roster now and Oglesby and White just add more depth and more options that Iowa hasn't had for a while. There is something to be said for having a roster that can go 10 deep, rather than 6 or maybe 7. Fran knows what he is doing and knows what he wants, look for Iowa to continue to add versatile and athletic players, regardless of their ranking. The funny thing is, Iowa has a chance for another Top 150 player in Tyler Harris, if Iowa gets him, when was the last time Iowa had a class with two Top 150 recruits? Harris is not out of question just as David Kravish, these two would be great additions to the class and Iowa would be a top tier contender in the Big Ten in year two with Fran at the helm. As for Iowa needing a Tyler Smith type of player, he played for one year and left, what did that do for Iowa? It isn't like there were a wave of Top 50 players that went to Iowa after he was there for one whole year.
 

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