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Random Stuff 1/23/2011

By
angry
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194

As we wait to hear word on this past recruiting weekend and Marcus Peter's announcement on Monday, here are some things on my mind. Feel free to chime in with your own.

1. Scott Rueck is a heck of a coach. I've been wondering if there's any precedent of a women's basketball coach taking over a men's program. If so who did it, and how did that turn out? The Lady Beavs play with fire for all 40 minutes.

2. That being said, they did just lose to Oregon. This brings up two issues:

  • Can we beat Oregon in any sport? Hell, I'll take a beer pong victory in a frat basement.
  • Is losing to Oregon a positive? Or to rephrase: can anything positive come from losing to Oregon?

The second point is more interesting than the first, which is nothing more than a chippy quip. The thing about rivalries is that when one team become the clear "big brother", the little brother is forced to improve or curl into the fetal position. I think Oregon's dominance this past year has put everyone in OSU's athletic department into an "oh shit" mindset, and they're going to [be forced to] improve their product because of it. The sad thing is it takes Oregon dominating us to trigger this change in mindset. The fan base is on edge and looking over the ledge.

3. The "two biggest recruiting weekends in OSU history" wilted into two average weekends. Most of the athletes who showed up were near the same caliber that we always recruit. Maybe a hair better, but definitely nothing to rave about. I blame the recruiting services and media in general for the hype and subsequent deflation of Beaver Nation after things didn't pan out. Every year we're told it will be the year we get over the hump in recruiting. "Wins translate into landing better recruits!"…if I had a pre-1965 Quarter for every time I heard that line. Meanwhile, I just heard how the Ducks are finalists for two top 100 defensive tackles. Sounds like they, not us, are having the biggest recruiting weekend in program history. Shocker, right? I have a lot of ideas on how to improve recruiting. I'm sure they will fall on deaf ears or be called "stupid" by the optimistic (read: lunatic) fringe, but what the hell:

  • Make the bad weather a selling point (i.e. "real men play in bad weather" or "it will prepare  you for the NFL", etc).
  • Build a Portland extension campus/business school for kids who want city life and a business degree. Move away from the "Ag school" reputation.
  • Increase the value of an OSU degree (i.e. increase admission standards). We lose recruiting battles with Cal and Washington over and over because of this.
  • Hire a sports psychologist (have I mentioned this one yet?) to work on recruits we do land.
  • Build a business model by analyzing teams that excel despite having scare resources, such as the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Chargers, etc. It's all about absolute efficiency with what you do have.
  • Switch to old school uniforms in an effort to re-brand the product. Heck, it would be a back-handed jab at Oregon as well.
  • Redo the End Zones at Reser. Both the font and color are an eye sore.
  • Always wear the orange jersey top. It has "curb appeal" as they say.
  • Remove the cartoon beaver–no chance an 18 year old kid thinks that is cool.
  • Redo Benny. That face and the matted fur…he seriously looks like a stuffed animal that was lying under an 80 year old woman's bed since she was 10.
  • Rethink marketing…whether that means hiring Nike, or going rogue it doesn't matter. The current marketing department is terrible and stuck in the 80s.
  • Use the internet to scout recruits. The staff are dinosaurs/Luddites.
  • Be less conservative with finances…sometimes the long term payoff makes going into debt a good thing. It's what people do when they buy an education or a home. There is such thing as good debt. Money spent on facilities and re-branding would be money well spent.
  • Move to an Air-Raid attack. Sure, you can win with a pro-style offense, but it's been around forever, and therefore pretty easy for defensive coordinators to scheme against. I think the New England Patriots offense would work well in Corvallis, especially with Tyler Trosin, a Wes Welker clone, signing on this cycle. This would be an offense as hip as Oregon's, but also in stark contrast. In short, we'd have our own, unique "gimmick" to run. I say that in jest of course. If you believe the Air Raid won't work in rainy Corvallis, fine, how about a line of hogs and power backs? The bottom line is the team should have a National image or identity. The pro-offense is like those now defunct TV/VCR/DVD/CD all in one electronics. It does a  little of everything, but does nothing very well.
  • Keep the family atmosphere; just make the family a lot cooler to be around.
  • Recruit high I.Q. and leadership, not just athleticism or tangibles.
  • Hire Angry Beaver as a consultant.

I mean, I could go on and on.

On a side note, many of you know I was annoyed by the departure of Ryan Allen, David Ross, and Kevan Walker. I spoke with Walker today to get an opinion on Riley; I wanted to know if he got a fair shake since there's been a trend of talented guys leaving the program. The reason I care is because it almost feels like the players were forced out, and in favor of worse players who Riley favored for whatever reason. Is Hardin or Martin really better than David Ross? Is Geno Munoz or Arron Nichols so good that Kevan Walker didn't deserve a single snap? Walker held a UCLA offer; Ross a Nebraska offer–those are nothing to sneeze at. At least give that kind of talent a chance in a game. And we all know about Riley's love forJohnny Hekker (before the apologists lash out, realize Hekker was a Junior this past season and 3 year starter, while Allen was a sophomore and 1st year starter).

Anyway, Kevan answered my lone question:

Q: Kevan, do you feel that Riley give you a fair shot at wide receiver?

A: I had a shot my red-shirt year but I feel after that I didn't get the same opportunities as the other receivers. I loved it there, but I love football too, and feel like I am good enough to play and not just sit on the sideline each week. Didn't want to leave, but I just want to play.

I wish I elaborated on it now, but you get the gist of it. Sounds like Walker was pretty frustrated.

Anyway, these are my notes and thoughts right now. Add your own, discuss whatever, as we wait to hear what transpired this weekend. My overall feeling is that we're in dire need of some good news on the recruiting front and victories on the court.

Basketball: Civil War

By
angry
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137

It feels like we're all just waiting around for football recruiting news to break. It's been awfully quiet and frustrating, so maybe it's time to think about something else, like the Civil War (hoops style) that tips off tomorrow at 3pm.

This should be an interesting battle. Oregon has developed a reputation for playing cheap and trash talking, but I'm not sure that's true; I've watched a bunch of their games and see a team that plays hard. They just can't make many shots. I remember a few years ago when Beaver fans were upset over losing in-state talent Garret Sim. He's been horrible from behind the arc, but if anything is going to get him out of that funk it's the focus that comes from playing an arch rival. Watch out for him. Oregon also has a couple guys inside who clean up on the glass pretty well, but they're undersized, and the Beavers should be able to have their way in there with Brandt, Collier, and Johnson on the floor. Expect to see that trio getting major minutes in this game.

On the flip side, OSU's offense, especially at guard, is too quick for Oregon. Cunningham should score at least 25, with most of those points coming in the paint off drives. There's simply nobody on Oregon's roster who is quick enough to defend him. I expect him and Brandt to be the top scorers.

Both these teams like to run, neither is very good at it, but Oregon State has more momentum and identity right now. They also have more to play for…when was the last time they were above .500 in conference play? I'm not sure, but it's probably been a while. A win on Saturday could kick start a positive second half. Oh, and one more thing: while the UCLA lose was disappointing, the Beavers did come back to win a game we thought they'd lose versus USC. At 3-3 in conference, that's exactly what we expected (i.e. lose to both Washington schools, split with the LA schools).

The SC game was so promising that I might steal Lamar Hurd's thoughts and suggest the Beavers are in the process of learning how to become a good team, and with more positive experiences they will have the potential to be very good by year's end. Let's hope the one step forward, two step backward phase is now behind them and they can build upon their last victory. I expect a win on Saturday, and so should the Beavers.

Television: FSN

Radio: KPAM

Stream: http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-ncaa-basketball-7.html

Recruiting Strategy (& 1/21 Visit List)

By
angry
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160

Wasn't January 21st supposed to be the biggest recruiting weekend in Oregon State history, with a chance to land the vaunted "Grant 4"? That dream has been picked away at during the past two months. It began with Grant advancing in their playoffs and having to cancel their Civil War trip. Then Sample committed to Washington, and shortly after that Moala pledged Cal. Recruiting services began to subtly break the news to Beaver fans. There were no threads about it, no outward declaration, no definitive answers to inquiries. They want you to buy memberships, after all, and bad recruiting is bad for business. We've been lead on once again.

So, here we stand, three days before another supposed huge recruiting weekend, and without a peep from anyone Moala disappeared from the visitor list at both Rivals and Scout. Sample remains on the Rivals visit list, but he's missing from Scout. The visit list is much smaller than originally planned, and barring last minute changes, it's been whittled down to:

  • Torian White (*possibly changed his visit to 1/28)
  • Puka Lopa
  • Darryl Paulo
  • Jaswha James

The newcomer offensive guard from Hawaii, Samson Kaleikin, will also be in town, in addition to two committed athletes, Larry Scott and Kellen Klute.

The fact that we had a viable chance to get all four Grant preps in town the weekend of the Civil War and failed to do so brings up what I feel is a great point of discussion: do you agree with the staff's strategy to bring recruits in late in the year so they can spend more one on one time with them?

Evidence clearly shows that recruits, especially from urban settings, are swayed by game day atmospheres, bustling social opportunities, and weather. "What evidence?", you might ask. Well, read quotes from commits to other Pac-10 schools to see what won them over. That's better than my trying to pursued you. Sure, some guys love the "family atmosphere", but they're not the type of players who can get the program over the hump. They are the complements to the cornerstones.

The staff needs to recognize the trend. The bottom line is that they had a chance to get all four of these athletes to Corvallis and by all reports have struck out. How many other athletes have they missed out on because the staff scheduled visits after the Army All American game? I do not know, but I think we fans need to start paying more attention and keeping track. Maybe Moala is keeping his visit quite because Cal is hanging a scholarship over his head. It's ugly out there, so that is a possibility. Or maybe all four claim publicly that they are in fact visiting. It doesn't detract from the fact that this strategy of last minute shopping is nerve-wracking, flawed, and based on the results benefits the competition more than it benefits Oregon State.

If our model is to be the Minnesota Twins of college football, as I claim it should be, is this the wisest and most efficient way to go about recruiting?

Recruiting Weekend Rumors

By
angry
-
113

The comment section in the thread below is becoming extraneous, so let's use this area to talk about what transpired over the weekend.

Jabral Johnson tripped to Texas Tech, didn't like it, and sured up his commitment to the Beavers. This is huge news.

Beavs reportedly made up a lot of ground with Marcus Peters and Vi Teofilo. There's a buzz that Peters will commit.

Byron Moore enjoyed this trip and made good friends with James Rodgers, but the weather seemed to be something he couldn't acclimate to.

Rudolf Fifita will likely be a Beaver. Someone from Southern Cal posted in the comment area that he thinks Fifita is a real sleeper. I don't see it, but the guy claims to have seen him in person. He's telling me his only offer is New Mexico State because of an injury issue. 

Lamar DeRego visited Arizona and loved it. Personally, I'd like him to go there so we can open a scholie at a position of need.

Those are my notes. If any of you have anything else let me know.

Big Recruiting Weekend (Updated)

By
angry
-
153

The 14th and 21st are being dubbed as the biggest recruiting weekends in school history. The list for the 14th is somewhat impressive.

These are the Grade A recruits:

  • Vi Moala (scratch, reportedly visiting the next weekend)
  • Byron Moore
  • Juda Parker
  • Todd Pete Jr.
  • Richard Mullaney

Next level:

  • Marvin Hall
  • Earl Foster
  • Marcus Peters
  • Vi Teofilo
  • Michael Thomas (scratch, reportedly not visiting at all)

Then the rest:

  • Rudolf Fifita
  • Peter Ashton
  • Justin Addie

Ashton, Mullaney, and Addie are already committed, so that leaves just Rudolf Fifita as the one dog in this group (watch him be the one guy we land). Nowicki canceled his visit, and Akeem Gonzalez has reportedly called off his visit due to the Beavs wanting him to play defense.

We need to land some of these guys. I don't want to hear stories on Sunday night or Monday about a surprise 0-star recruit who was in town and committed. That's what seems to always happen on big recruiting weekends. Then the big fish cut off contact and sign elsewhere a month later. I want to see some real change.

Biggest need of the group is Vi Teofilo. He's a solid OL, and we definitely need at least one more, especially a guard. After that, the two monster DTs. If we could get one I'd be thrilled. If McClure is going to Colorado, then we need Peters. There isn't a single true corner in this class. Juda Parker and Byron Moore are both excellent prospects. While not at positions of need, I'd take either/both in a heartbeat.

On a side note, the commitment of Lavonte Barnett went relatively unnoticed two weeks ago. He is a major talent, landing 16 sacks last season and passing Angry's eyeball test. Barnett is a 4-star prospect in my opinion. On the flip side, the Jabral Johnson is once again wavering (Texas Tech). He's the best LB prospect in this class, so this would be a huge loss, and he might take Zimmerman with him.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see if the staff made any progress in recruiting. In past seasons, a weekend like this would yield no results. Let's let them do their thing and see if it's more of the same ol' disappointment, or if they've actually learned how to pitch the program. I'm planning for the former, but hoping (ah, there is that word again) for the latter. The pressure is on.

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