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What Made Trent Johnson So Bad at Recruiting?
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:36 pm
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:36 pm
Reading that thread about John Brady’s tenure last night made me think of those Trent Johnson years. Can any basketball insiders explain what made him so bad at recruiting?
His first season here and his success with the Lopez brothers at Stanford proved he was a good Xs and Os coach when he had good players to work with. He was just apocalyptically bad at assembling those rosters himself. Once John Brady’s players were gone, we imploded fast.
Was he just lazy? Not connected with the AAU scene or high school programs? Not willing to get his hands dirty? I’ve seen various explanations over the years, but never in much detail.
His recruiting classes here were astoundingly bad, outside of Johnny O’Bryant III.
His first season here and his success with the Lopez brothers at Stanford proved he was a good Xs and Os coach when he had good players to work with. He was just apocalyptically bad at assembling those rosters himself. Once John Brady’s players were gone, we imploded fast.
Was he just lazy? Not connected with the AAU scene or high school programs? Not willing to get his hands dirty? I’ve seen various explanations over the years, but never in much detail.
His recruiting classes here were astoundingly bad, outside of Johnny O’Bryant III.
This post was edited on 3/23/24 at 12:16 am
14
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:37 pm to Michael Stein
quote:
Not willing to get his hands dirty
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:37 pm to Michael Stein
He was a basketball snob
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:38 pm to Michael Stein
He wasn’t a personable guy imo
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:39 pm to Michael Stein
He inherited the Lopez brothers from Mike Montgomery. Johnson inherited Tasmin and the Taranhigh scorer from Brady.
Johnson would not visit recruits.
Johnson would not visit recruits.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:40 pm to Michael Stein
He couldn’t relate to the players
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:41 pm to mhc4tigers
quote:
Johnson inherited Tasmin and the Taranhigh scorer from Brady.
Marcus Thornton
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:43 pm to Michael Stein
He just did not fit in with the South, kind of like Harsin at Auburn. His west coast values were very different than Southern folks, too much emphasis on academics.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:44 pm to sunnydaze
quote:
He wasn’t a personable guy imo
He really wasn't. I worked on campus at the time and would meet with coaches for functions. Les was awesome. I know he was kinda a POS in his personal life and his tenure ended poorly but he genuinely was fun to talk to. Mainieri was aight...really cool if you caught him on the right day. Skip was awesome but I always got in trouble for taking too long, he'd talk your head off. Brady was pretty cool. Oddly enough Alleva was a pretty nice guy.
Johnson was just stale. I'd go in, explain what he would be doing, get him to sign some shite, and leave. No small talk. Nothing extra. He wasn't a dick or anything but he had very little personality.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:47 pm to mhc4tigers
quote:
He inherited the Lopez brothers from Mike Montgomery.
Lopez twins weren't there until Trent's 3rd year.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:54 pm to Michael Stein
He was a turtle dressed as a coach.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 5:56 pm to Srbtiger06
I watched a few of his teams at Nevada play when I lived in Reno and thought he was a pretty good coach. I was actually looking forward to having him at LSU. I guess he’s just a lazy recruiter. It still amazes me that TCU came after him. They did us a huge favor. He went 50–79 there before getting fired then went
14–48 in 2 years at UC Northridge.
14–48 in 2 years at UC Northridge.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 6:16 pm to Michael Stein
I think the talent coming out of Louisiana dried up for a few years and he couldn't pull players from out of state.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 6:42 pm to mmcgrath
Because recruiting is a talent that he doesnt have for whatever reason. People undersell recruiting like its something everyone can do.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 7:18 pm to mmcgrath
Johnson had minimal personality and he refused to fully engage in the AAU grift. Sounds admirable if you are one of the bozos who believed rampant pay-for-play didn’t exist before NIL. But his tenure was a great example of what it looks like in the SEC if you don’t want to deal with the dirty reality of recruiting.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 7:27 pm to GRIZZ
Those Reno teams played solid basketball..
His ties to the West Coast and Pacific NW made recruiting easy for him...
His ties to the West Coast and Pacific NW made recruiting easy for him...
Posted on 3/22/24 at 7:32 pm to mhc4tigers
No he didn't!!!
Recruiting wasn't a problem for him @Nevada nor Stanford!!!
He has and had lifelong ties to the West Coast and Pacific NW as a player and asst coach!!
Recruiting wasn't a problem for him @Nevada nor Stanford!!!
He has and had lifelong ties to the West Coast and Pacific NW as a player and asst coach!!
Posted on 3/22/24 at 7:52 pm to Alt26
AAU sh**! Is out of control!!
Teaching is minimal and the Coaching antics would lead you to believe that HOFers are roaming the sidelines!!
Team basketball isn't taught even if they would say otherwise!!
The games are showcases for the next level for players and showcases for pay increases for those in power!!
Its for delusional parents,talented but fundamentally weak players and greedy AAU coaches and middle men!!!
They don't teach at all but inflating kids'egos by having them travel the country showing up for games and rolling the ball out as if they are college and pro athletes is ridiculous!!
Many former players with kids despise AAU ball and won't allow their kids to participate!!
Many coaches on all levels have grown to hate the circuit in the last 25+ years because it wasn't always this way!!
Greats like Kobe Bryant spoke out against it while he was still in the league!!!
Successful NCAA teams recruit AAU but those programs were paying players well before the AAU model evolved to its current state a few decades or more ago!!
Teaching is minimal and the Coaching antics would lead you to believe that HOFers are roaming the sidelines!!
Team basketball isn't taught even if they would say otherwise!!
The games are showcases for the next level for players and showcases for pay increases for those in power!!
Its for delusional parents,talented but fundamentally weak players and greedy AAU coaches and middle men!!!
They don't teach at all but inflating kids'egos by having them travel the country showing up for games and rolling the ball out as if they are college and pro athletes is ridiculous!!
Many former players with kids despise AAU ball and won't allow their kids to participate!!
Many coaches on all levels have grown to hate the circuit in the last 25+ years because it wasn't always this way!!
Greats like Kobe Bryant spoke out against it while he was still in the league!!!
Successful NCAA teams recruit AAU but those programs were paying players well before the AAU model evolved to its current state a few decades or more ago!!
Posted on 3/22/24 at 7:59 pm to 1970sPurpleKnight
quote:
Kobe Bryant spoke out against it while he was still in the league!!!
Yet he played on a bi-coastal AAU super-team lol
Posted on 3/22/24 at 8:03 pm to Michael Stein
It can be like sales where one can be a great guy but not have that ABC attitude.
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