2023 SF/PF Mackenzie Mgbako to Texas A&M via Portal

[IUFAN1976]

12 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Man I get invited for a steak sandwich and a beer, and Stuhoo cracks the whip for being off-topic. I woke up this morning to check the thread and it's all gaming talk for two pages. Not a word was said. The mods must be Zelda fans too. 

Happy Mgbako eve. 

I feel you!  The message board police must not like steak sandwiches and/or beer but loves Zelda!!!

I wonder if Zelda and Martha the Mop Lady are related?  That may explain it!

Happy MM eve!  GO HOOSIERS!!!

[Dave from Dayton]

9 minutes ago, ib4iu said:

Now in the NIL era and being able to earn income off of social followings, why wouldn’t these kids tease and gain followers like how Hunter did? How many followers do you think he gained from Maryland, Georgetown, Kentucky, and Kansas fans? Some surely unfollowed but I’d bet a ton of Michigan fans still follow just to hate on him. 
 

Point being I think you’ll see a lot of players start doing this. The next time a big name player enters the transfer portal or a top recruit decommits we should watch the following count across Twitter and Instagram. 

I don't think so...

I want to see good coaching, a team and a program that represent Indiana University very well, progress towards the end of the season, players that have high basketball IQ, players that share the ball and can make things happen on the court, compete at the highest level in the B1G, compete favorably in the NCAAT, bring home another NCAATC banner, and graduate to become good citizens.

[ib4iu]

3 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

I don't think so...

I want to see good coaching, a team and a program that represent Indiana University very well, progress towards the end of the season, players that have high basketball IQ, players that share the ball and can make things happen on the court, compete at the highest level in the B1G, compete favorably in the NCAAT, bring home another NCAATC banner, and graduate to become good citizens.

I don’t get this response at all? Are you saying that if a player has a social following they can’t win or be a good citizen? I guess you won’t like Gabe Cupps. 
 

It’s obvious to me that MM isn’t the type just trying to grow his social following during this process. His family is keeping it quiet. But for every MM there is probably someone like Hunter who is growing his platform. And I don’t blame the player for using their popularity to grow their brand and to get paid for it. They can do that and compete. 

[8bucks]

21 minutes ago, jbeaman9 said:

For you follower followers, JHS now follows Mgbako on instagram 

So that makes it Howard, X, Malik, JHS, and Ware all following him on Instagram

Trey, X, Howard, Kenya, Walsh, Hulls all follow him on Twitter

He does follow Jayhawk Slant and Rob Cassidy on Twitter (both of which placed Futurecast selections for him to Kansas) 

Are we actively following him but he is not following our guys back?  

[ib4iu]

3 minutes ago, 8bucks said:

Are we actively following him but he is not following our guys back?  

He follows X on Instagram.  

[Dave from Dayton]

11 minutes ago, ib4iu said:

I don’t get this response at all? Are you saying that if a player has a social following they can’t win or be a good citizen? I guess you won’t like Gabe Cupps. 
 

It’s obvious to me that MM isn’t the type just trying to grow his social following during this process. His family is keeping it quiet. But for every MM there is probably someone like Hunter who is growing his platform. And I don’t blame the player for using their popularity to grow their brand and to get paid for it. They can do that and compete. 

No I was not countering your whole post about social media.  In fact, I actually agree that recruits and players are very active in social media and it means a lot.

I was not clear in what I was responding to.  Sorry about that.

I was only intending to respond to the last phrase in the post which was "... next time a big name player enters the transfer portal or a top recruit decommits we should watch the following count across Twitter and Instagram. "

And I meant my response to mean that imho there are better things to look for.  For example, I have been watching Gabe Cupps' high school progress and have hopes and believe that he does very well.  He is from my backyard in Ohio, y'know.

I don't mean to diss your thoughts.

I hope MM or someone like him joins the team soon.  The window to enter the transfer portal ends today.  Those in the portal can join a team later if they so choose.  That's what I follow.

I still think that IU has a great chance to land MM.  And IU would be a great choice for him and his fam.

 

[jbeaman9]

10 minutes ago, 8bucks said:

Are we actively following him but he is not following our guys back?  

He follows X, Ware, and Cupps but has for some time. The follows are not yet being reciprocated 

[HoosierHoopster]

9 hours ago, Ngw7183 said:

I don’t think that changes too drastically if guys are willing to stick it out and develop. probably a few will take off but not much different than we have seen for years. Usually a couple were always leaving each year. Once there is less Covid year players this settles a lot too. 

Never in the history of college ball has a coach not always looked to over recruit and bring in better players then what they have. They can still work to develop what they have as well. This is not that different is all I am getting at. 

Maybe, we're still early on in this new wacky portal world so time will tell. But the recruiting over has been incoming frosh, not proven vets from other teams. That changes things pretty significantly in my book.

[ib4iu]

18 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

No I was not countering your whole post about social media.  In fact, I actually agree that recruits and players are very active in social media and it means a lot.

I was not clear in what I was responding to.  Sorry about that.

I was only intending to respond to the last phrase in the post which was "... next time a big name player enters the transfer portal or a top recruit decommits we should watch the following count across Twitter and Instagram. "

And I meant my response to mean that imho there are better things to look for.  For example, I have been watching Gabe Cupps' high school progress and have hopes and believe that he does very well.  He is from my backyard in Ohio, y'know.

I don't mean to diss your thoughts.

I hope MM or someone like him joins the team soon.  The window to enter the transfer portal ends today.  Those in the portal can join a team later if they so choose.  That's what I follow.

I still think that IU has a great chance to land MM.  And IU would be a great choice for him and his fam.

 

No diss taken I just thought you were under the impression that greater social flowing = lack of success lol. 
 

It would be nice of them to give us a time so I’m at least a little productive tomorrow. 

[Joe_hoopsier]

1 hour ago, Herotime said:

I think we’ve (partially) learned to get less attached to players. So when they’re gone prematurely it’s not as noticeable / meaningful. Over the last few years we’ve lost guys like Stewart, Franklin, Brunk etc.. and we more or less shrug it off. 
on the flip side I remember when guys like Steve Hart, Michael Hermon, and Sherron Wilkerson left and being REAL sad. Of course I was only seven.

I know what you mean! BAck then when someone left, it was like Rose watching Jack slip away from the door slab off into the freezing water.

[8bucks]

45 minutes ago, jbeaman9 said:

He follows X, Ware, and Cupps but has for some time. The follows are not yet being reciprocated 

So, does the lack of a reciprocal follow diminish the impact of a lot of our people following him?  Not saying our following hurts (unless it is the Hoosier Hysterics guys lol) but does it mean as much if he doesn't follow back

[dwtaylor1055]

Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring.  I take this as bad news on the MM front.  Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring(he plays center)

[Uspshoosier]

1 minute ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring.  I take this as bad news on the MM front.  Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring.  I take this as bad news on the MM front

After Dickinson went there many thought this was going to happen 

[dwtaylor1055]

Just now, Uspshoosier said:

After Dickinson went there many thought this was going to happen 

I can see and agree to that.  

[94Bulldog]

I have no sources.  What I do know is that Louisville was supposedly the favorite.  He visits Kansas, despite a bunch of commit and cancel IU trip rumors, neither happens.  He goes to IU, the Louisville trip gets cancelled, officially announces its down to IU and Kansas. Let’s IU do a somewhat cheesy video with him and CMW, that isn’t cheesy if he commits to IU.  Add in guaranteed playing time and if these Kansas crystal ballers are picking on gut instinct, I think their gut is wrong.  Using common sense and the timeline facts I’m not sure how anyone can draw any other conclusion?

[8bucks]

2 minutes ago, 94Bulldog said:

I have no sources.  What I do know is that Louisville was supposedly the favorite.  He visits Kansas, despite a bunch of commit and cancel IU trip rumors, neither happens.  He goes to IU, the Louisville trip gets cancelled, officially announces its down to IU and Kansas. Let’s IU do a somewhat cheesy video with him and CMW, that isn’t cheesy if he commits to IU.  Add in guaranteed playing time and if these Kansas crystal ballers are picking on gut instinct, I think their gut is wrong.  Using common sense and the timeline facts I’m not sure how anyone can draw any other conclusion?

Could it also be that when at IU he got a sense of where our NIL $ would be and let Kansas know a number he needs to be at to beat that?  Kansas comes up with their number and he then cancels UL trip?  Maybe our playing time and NIL are obviously better but maybe more NIL and less time at Kansas is a better all-around package.  

After all, we were passing the hat around to get more $.  Kansas could have done the same and the time it took allowed for an IU visit but did not warrant a need to go to UL

[jbeaman9]

The 247 Kansas insider (Rabby for Kansas) just posted 40 minutes ago that he fully expects Udeh to return to Kansas next season. The staff and Udeh's family have been talking and the staff's expectation would be that he returned.

Weird....didn't think insider predictions could be wrong...

[coonhounds]

Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring.  I take this as bad news on the MM front.  Kansas big Ernest Udeh Jr is transferring(he plays center)

Call me the craziest person ever but if kansas is telling kids mm is coming then it should be leaking out shortly

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[LamarCheeks]

Seems to me as if whenever we don't know which way a kid is leaning, we don't get him. 

The kids we get -- we pretty much know they're coming before they announce. 

[94Bulldog]

1 minute ago, LamarCheeks said:

Seems to me as if whenever we don't know which way a kid is leaning, we don't get him. 

The kids we get -- we pretty much know they're coming before they announce. 

I’d challenge that….there’s been quite a few that we were told we were getting and didn’t.