Article: Florida Reportedly Getting Visit From Kentucky Guard DJ Wagner

I will miss him, but he is going to Arky with Cal and Payne.

 

Arky throwing money at basketball trying to win under Cal. Cal would not have joined program without that assurance from boosters. Visited there for an away football game once. Middle of no where. Recruits not going for environment

 

They're doing the same in baseball. Helps being the only show in town (state) when trying to raise NIL money.

 

I loved the area, but I’m not your typical 18 year old football player. I thought the gameday experience was somewhat sterile and the woo pig sooie thing is lame af. The walk way down into a hole and then back out before and after the game kinda sucked, but I loved the little town and thought the area was pretty cool.

 

This is a really, REALLY good point. One I would have only expected from a top tier coach. The AAU (in basketball) is honestly a chokepoint for prep level players in America and the system/pipeline as a whole. There is so much BS/politics/favoritism involved in that organization that it really stifles the development of American players as a whole.

The BS that goes on there is a big reason Billy got tired of college recruiting and therefore coaching the college levels in general. My silent hope is that the BS there is one of the things the NIL actually helps with. Its gonna be a lot harder to pull the wool over recruits and families eyes and gatekeep recruits when the pressure of actual money is driving the player and family in selection and they have agents/advisors outside of their coaches who have no interests in helping coaches pipeline players to favored programs, thereby eliminating a lot of their leverage.

Because professional play is an option for many of the players right out of prep levels, there are a lot more professional grade coaches, services and development options available to overseas prep players vs here where the politics and power games of college recruiting have really impacted the prep level and hampered it. Of course the flip side is in order to get a lot of those really good players, we'll have to compete with rookie euro league contracts in NIL and/or pay for an insurance policy that if the player gets injured they will be payed out a standard Euro league contract for X number of years. (I know these are available for potential NFL players in NCAA FB. Im not sure about how standard this is in CBB)

Back on topic, I really like how TG isn't trying to go against the flow or make Florida something its not in recruiting. Instead he's leveraging his NIL money very effectively on proven products in the transfer market, taking high upside high reward low risk projects out of high school that have the potential to develop into stars, and making moves internationally in untapped markets. I can't think of anything I would change honestly.

 

I hope he at least gives us a chance. Does anybody know if he is coming?

 

Any updates on DJ?

 

It’s obvious they have some serious NIL backers throwing money at them, but it’s a great hoops school. Close to prep hotbeds like Dallas, Memphis, St Louis, etc, has an unbelievable arena with 20k capacity, had some exceptionally good teams under Richardson with a little resurgence under Musselman. The money definitely helps, haha.

 

While I would certainly welcome him into gator nation, I would not celebrate as much news of DJ coming to Gainesville as I would other additions. Because to me adding him, or a SG of his caliber, would indicate to me that Clayton is gone to the G-league. And with all respect to DJ, I'd rather have Clayton.

 

Eddie Sutton did well there with Sidney Moncrief before then. Set the table for Richardson.

And when you talk about the Waltons you ain't talking about John-Boy.

 

Guess this adds further support of Wagner to Arkansas

Sources: UK's Wagner joining Calipari at Arkansas

 

Sources: UK's Wagner joining Calipari at Arkansas

Thanks CASontag - As anticipated

 

That's fine, I'd rather have Walter and Alijah anyway.