Bragg Signs Letter of Intent, then there's this...



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    Anyone know what this is suppose to mean?



  • What brand is he wearing?

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  • @wrwlumpy Probably signing a grant in aid.

    By NCAA terms: A full grant-in-aid is financial aid that consists of tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books.

    This doesn’t tie him down to the school (UK in his case) if the coach (Cal) were to quit/leave/be fired (go to the NBA). He’s going to UK in other words…



  • @wrwlumpy

    I think a lot of guys do this, several have come to Kansas. It just gives him a way out easily right up until the last second. Once the scholarship papers are signed, he can’t leave without NCAA clearance and that means losing a year of eligibility. I believe the actual commitment starts when the player receives his first scholarship benefit (via grant-in-aid).



  • @wrwlumpy said:

    Anyone know what this is suppose to mean?

    Yes. Charlie Villanueva did this some years ago.

    If you sign a letter of intent, you are bound to the school you signed with and you can’t just back out if the coach who recruited you leaves.

    You can only sign one letter of intent, ever. Players who came to KU after signing letters elsewhere got permission from the other school, then signed scholarship papers.

    If you sign scholarship papers only, the school must give you a scholarship if you enroll, but you can always enroll elsewhere if you change your mind.

    I don’t understand anyone signing a letter of intent unless the school makes it an absolute condition for offering the scholarship.





  • Only signing the scholarship papers gives the player some flexibility.

    I think we will see more of this if players are allowed to return to school after declaring for the draft if they do not hire an agent. Most guys will commit (verbally), then sign scholarship papers upon arrival in the fall (or summer).



  • @wrwlumpy

    “What brand is he wearing?”

    S.T.U.D.



  • @wrwlumpy

    Bragg is wearing the brand of nATIONS. Its a new Petro ShoeCo holding company. The “n” is never capitalized. The “n” stands for the number of petroshoecos that will eventually be owned by the holding company.

    Currently the following are owned:

    adidas nATION

    NIKE nATION

    Under Armour nATION

    Jordan Nike nATION

    Merrell nATION

    SAS nATION

    Dexter nATION

    Florsheim nATION

    Muck nATION

    uGG nATION

    Allen Edmonds nATION

    Hush Puppy nATION

    CROC nATION

    Ecco nATION

    Dr. Maarten’s nATION

    Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star nATION

    Memphisto nATION

    The nATION shoeco holding company is getting huge-atious!

    It is supposedly funded by black money from the Pentagon.



  • Actually, most probably he is wearing the brand which led to his not being invited to the Nike Hoops Summit or Jordan Classic…if, indeed, Rivals #15 rated player was NOT invited. And if he was not invited, then how does the Governing Body answer to its approval of such springtime tournaments for players which fall under its jurisdiction, but who are shut out of invites BECAUSE THE DECK IS STACKED?



  • @REHawk

    Hay maker delivered!



  • @REHawk

    Another thing…

    Why can’t adidas design some uniforms at least as good looking as that jersey Bragg is wearing for all of the NCAA-adidaas teams?



  • @REHawk

    Rivals has him %15, ESPN #21, Sporting News #10, Future 150 #14.

    Others have him ranked anywhere between #10 and #25, More importantly, there are a lot of quality Centers and PFs in this class, so just because he is ranked high does not necessarily means he will make one of the All-Star teams. According to the ESPN ranking, there are 10 “bigs” ranked ahead of him that would also be selected ahead of him.

    Here is an interesting article on rankings…



  • @ParisHawk For the top players in the country there is no upside to signing a LOI. Schools will take them without it. They will always have a school to go to. For a lot of players…if something were to happen and they didn’t go to their first choice…they are not as assured of finding a landing spot. So, you are right…either it is a condition of assuring their spot at that school…or it provides security that their spot will be there. But, I would imagine that many sing LOIs that really don’t have to…or for that matter, probably shouldn’t.



  • @JayHawkFanToo Well, the fact of the matter is, Carlton shined at the McDee’s weekend. Finished in top 3, both overall SKILLS and DUNK contests. His runaway steal and windmill dunk was one of a hand full of highlights in the actual game. Unless there are factors I don’t know (or KU Hoops has not told us), Carlton has been shut out of the Hoops Summit and Jordan Classic because of his affiliation with an AAU Adidas program and commitment to an Adidas collegiate program, both NCAA approved events. His future earning power is, at this stage of his development, affected adversely by being shut out of these games. To wit, it certainly appears that the Governing Body for Division 1 “amateur” athletics is in collusion with Nike to stack the deck against a deserving individual and his university of choice. As a side note, Carlton has been described as a charismatic player who might help draw fellow players to the non-Nike Kansas program. Why the hell aren’t the likes of Bedore, Tait, and Newell braying about this matter?



  • NIKE NEWS advertises the Jordan Brand Classic talent as “the top 26 prospects from around the country.”



  • @REHawk

    Maybe Carlton will carry a chip with him to Lawrence and have something to prove. Wouldn’t that be a nice bonus?!



  • @JayHawkFanToo

    Thanks for the link… I really like this part:

    “If a player is ranked really high, they often become complacent and get enabled by a swarm of vultures and hanger-on-ers who see this kid as their conduit to riches and fame. Everyone in their entourage becomes a “yes man” and kisses their butt. How does that help their development and growth?”

    Sounds like AAU ball.

    This is the problem all the one-and-done coaches have. This is the big issue hitting coaches like Calipari and now us with Self. Landing the top tier talent and then getting them to fight like their life is at stake. How do you succeed at teaching this? When someone figures it out, there should be a place for him in the HOF, not just because a guy like Calipari can recruit.

    And how does it work when you have a team of these players and they thrash most of their competition all year? Are they prepared for March?

    Struggle may just be THE most important factor in development. Esteem comes when athletes reach a hurdle (or plateau) and they figure out how to conquer it.



  • @REHawk

    Again, it is the “NIKE” Hoops Summit and the “JORDAN” (top Nike endorser) Classic…what did you expect? Both are invitation type tournaments and the players are not selected by popular vote as an All-Star typically would be or by unbiased ranking like most rankings claim to be. Of course Nike will promote players that are part of its programs. Like I said, Adidas could have an All-Star game as well, they are just not as good at marketing as Nike is. Neither of these two games is associated with the NCAA and it has no say in who is invited or by-passed.

    More importantly, these two games will really not affect recruiting in the least as coaches are already aware of what every player can or cannot do since they have been following their progress for a long time. I just don’t see it as big deal but this is my personal opinion and I do not claim being right (or wrong); I am sure others feel differently.



  • @JayHawkFanToo Aw, I am probably just flogging a hobby horse. But indirectly, both the NCAA and USA Basketball are involved in approving, if not actually promoting these games. Because of international competition, I assume, USA Basketball lists the Nike Hoops Summit on its calendar. And, yeah, Carlton’s array of high school rankings does place him on the borderline of those to be invited…even though he was one of this year’s McD’s stars. The Jordan Brand Classic folk just flat out left him off their 26 player invite list. I see your point about the Adidas brand not just being strong enough to market its own comparable spring game. I suppose my only valid point is that top level recruits might best delay their commitments until after these Nike games in case they plan to select an Adidas program for their year or two of college play. Otherwise, unless they possess the rock solid lottery future of a Jaylen Brown, they are likely to be disregarded.


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