Editorial: Why are schools not going harder after Buddy Buckets?
Perhaps I’m not an excellent basketball evaluator. Thankfully, you can still be good at this job even if you misjudge talent.
That’s why I regularly confide in and seek advice from older writers and basketball figures about Oklahoma.
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have opinions that I feel strongly about. Though I trust the opinions of others and take them into consideration, I also recognize the necessity of firmness. At times, I need to stand strong on the way I feel about things.
One of those things is the under-recruitment of the Team Buddy Buckets program.
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Everyday, we tell recruits to remain steadfast; “stay patient,” we drill at them. “Your offers will come.”
Last weekend, however, my level of frustration reached its apex and possibly even neared the level of frustration of the recruits themselves. I watched the best game of AAU I’ve ever seen, featuring Buddy Hield’s 16U team squaring of with his 17U team at the championship of Jerry Mullen’s High-Profile Camp; one of the most prestigious camps in the midwest.
Though Division-I coaches were in-and-out of the event all weekend, only one staff at the highest level of basketball was present to watch the biggest matchup of the tournament. Only a handful of Division-II coaches were in the building, as well.
And those were truant not only did the players a disservice in the process, but further exposed a blemish in the recruiting game.
KD Jolly, Dalante Shannon and Sean Pedulla were let down this weekend.
Jolly, though standing below the preferred mark for height, is one of the most talented ball-handlers, shooters and defenders in Oklahoma. He remains without an offer.
Shannon, who led a 6A program in scoring as a sophomore at Edmond North, stands at 6-foot-3-inches, can score at all three levels, and was one of the most potent scorers in the tournament last weekend, doesn’t have an offer either.
Then there’s Pedulla, who would have eradicated all of the rumors of his height being a factor on his recruiting progress, had anybody been there to watch him when he torched the opposition for 32 points.
Jerry Mullen, a former JuCo coach and the and founder of the showcase, noted after the event that Pedulla would be a steal for a Division-I, “low-major” program:
I absolutely love this player! Could’ve played for any of my teams during my 12 years in JC when we had HM players. A steal for LM+. @buddybuckets@cbMullenSports @areacodes @MHPTourney
— Jerry Mullen (@jerrydmullen) July 15, 2019
Pedulla has yet to receive one of those offers. The only school in the running for him so far is one Division-II school.
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My intention isn’t to torch coaches for a lack of diligence. My frustration is directed at the media people, recruiting consultants and others alike.
Please do your job and inform objectively.
If you’re interested in any prospects from the Buddy Buckets programs, please contact @McKinnisBryce via Twitter or email bmckinnis99@yahoo.com.