Trouble in Buffalo

[Hdog]

All-MAC Guard Shannon Evans causing drama and appears headed out of Buffalo program:

http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2015/ ... ll-program" target="_blank

I don't like that the MAC keeps getting this kind of wrap from kids that the conference is "small time". Kids being kids I guess. They don't realize that no matter where you play, you will get noticed.

[commonsense]

All-MAC Guard Shannon Evans causing drama and appears headed out of Buffalo program:

http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2015/ ... ll-program" target="_blank

I don't like that the MAC keeps getting this kind of wrap from kids that the conference is "small time". Kids being kids I guess. They don't realize that no matter where you play, you will get noticed.

Completely disagree, the MAC has not had an NBA draft pick since 2003 and only 2 in the 2000's. To get noticed, it does matter where you play, it matters a lot. Shannon Evans never said anything about the MAC being small time. He only said he wanted to see what his options were at higher level schools. He then listed schools he was interested in, all were schools at a higher level than Buffalo. You call it kids being kids, Shannon Evans might call it putting himself in the best situation to achieve his goals.

[transfer2BGSU]

Nickname is "Hollywood"?

Sounds like it should be "High Maintenance"


Just saw where he was granted his release with no restrictions on where he could transfer to.

[Hdog]

All-MAC Guard Shannon Evans causing drama and appears headed out of Buffalo program:

http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2015/ ... ll-program" target="_blank

I don't like that the MAC keeps getting this kind of wrap from kids that the conference is "small time". Kids being kids I guess. They don't realize that no matter where you play, you will get noticed.

Completely disagree, the MAC has not had an NBA draft pick since 2003 and only 2 in the 2000's. To get noticed, it does matter where you play, it matters a lot. Shannon Evans never said anything about the MAC being small time. He only said he wanted to see what his options were at higher level schools. He then listed schools he was interested in, all were schools at a higher level than Buffalo. You call it kids being kids, Shannon Evans might call it putting himself in the best situation to achieve his goals.

I would love to get into a good argument with you, but I don’t have any facts or figures or way to quantify what I’m saying, so we’ll have to agree to disagree.

A fault of mine is being a bit idealistic. Hate seeing kids transfer because the “grass is greener” somewhere else. To be fair I don’t know his situation, but reading between the lines he sounds a bit of a drama queen [like many other AAU generation kids].

I think for many reasons over the years the perception has developed: “MAC schools are not as competitive.”, so top level players are encouraged to go elsewhere. This has morphed into the reality of it becoming a mid-major conference and the reality of having minimal NBA caliber players on rosters. It is what it is, I get that. The MAC is not the 800 pound gorilla like schools from other conferences with endless piles of money.

Still, in the end, if NBA caliber players were in the MAC, they would get noticed, respected, and validated as easily as any other player in any other conference. No reason the basketball programs can’t produce the Eric Fisher and Khalil Mack type players like football can.

For Shannon Evans and other similar kids – perception often is greater than reality.

[hammb]

I do believe that if a kid were an NBA caliber talent playing in the MAC he'd get noticed, and still could get drafted.

The issue, for me, is why has it been since 2003 that the conference last had an NBA draft prospect caliber talent.

Clearly the conference has failed in recruiting and developing players of that stature for the past 12 years or so. The interesting thing is that I think we, as a conference, have played some competitive basketball in recent years. Still, we haven't been able to find the Bonzi Wells, Antonio Daniels, Chris Kaman type players in quite some time.

Not sure what the problem is, but I'd like to see it fixed. Getting (and keeping) players of that caliber are what would allow us to win some tourney games, and potentially see multiple bids. There was a time 15-20 years ago where the MAC was loaded with future NBA talent, and a 2nd conference bid was at least a possibility. That hasn't been the case for quite awhile, and I do find it frustrating. I think the biggest issue is basketball playing 2nd fiddle to football conference wide, but there have been some good coaching hires of late. Hopefully that helps right the ship.

[MarkL]

The article indicates that the kid contacted several media outlets to tell them he was transferring from the program. I don't think a kid goes around calling up local media telling them he's transferring unless he's having big problems with the athletic department. Maybe he is immature but it seems to me the athletic department has not handled the coaching change well. Considering how badly the UB athletic department handled Hurley's last few days as the head coach, I have little faith in the AD Danny White.

And to keep things in context, Danny White wants to make UB the premiere university athletic department in the state of New York. Considering how badly White and the department have allegedly handled the basketball program in the last month, I find these aspirations laughable.

[Globetrotter]

I do believe that if a kid were an NBA caliber talent playing in the MAC he'd get noticed, and still could get drafted.

The issue, for me, is why has it been since 2003 that the conference last had an NBA draft prospect caliber talent.

Clearly the conference has failed in recruiting and developing players of that stature for the past 12 years or so. The interesting thing is that I think we, as a conference, have played some competitive basketball in recent years. Still, we haven't been able to find the Bonzi Wells, Antonio Daniels, Chris Kaman type players in quite some time.

Not sure what the problem is, but I'd like to see it fixed. Getting (and keeping) players of that caliber are what would allow us to win some tourney games, and potentially see multiple bids. There was a time 15-20 years ago where the MAC was loaded with future NBA talent, and a 2nd conference bid was at least a possibility. That hasn't been the case for quite awhile, and I do find it frustrating. I think the biggest issue is basketball playing 2nd fiddle to football conference wide, but there have been some good coaching hires of late. Hopefully that helps right the ship.

It would be interesting to take a look at how other conferences have fared recently. Obviously 12 years is too long, but there are only 60 players who get chosen into the NBA and many of them are International players. I saw a 2 round mock this year with 13 International players last year 12 were taken. Only 6 players total were taken in 2014 from non power conferences or international. It seems like a problem league wide.

More players will be drafted from Kentucky this year then non power conferences. For someone like me who loves parity, this seems like a big issue, probably why I don't watch the game across the board at all and just the Falcons.

[mscarn]

A couple things:

1) The transfer epidemic is pervasive across college basketball, not just the MAC

2) The players with freakish physical talent will largely be poached by others before coaches in the MAC have a shot. They have to be elite evaluators and pick someone with mid-major offers that's been overlooked like a Lamonte Bearden. The other route is projecting development 3/4 years down the road like a Chris Kaman and having the ability to shepherd that player along. The model for every MAC school should be the Kent Elite 8 team that Gary Waters built: seniors, shotmakers and quirky athletes off the beaten path that are effective in their roles a la Antonio Gates. We don't necessarily need the next Zeke Marshall. How about the next Gary Trent, Anthony Stacey or Nate Miller? The fact that Huger played in the league (and finished runner up to Trent for POY) is beneficial in terms of identifying the profiles of players that can win in this league.

3) Oats said at his press conference that both recruits told him they'd stay if he was hired. A week later one of them asked for his release. Such is the generation.

4) Malik Newman, a top 10 player who has Kentucky among his finalists and will announce Friday, said players will be noticed by the NBA regardless of where they play and cited Damian Lillard as an example.

[zete]

The MAC basketball talent has dropped off considerably in the last 15 years. Very good good players are usually advised to look elsewhere. One needs to look no further than the NCAA seeds over that time span.