ESPN 5 star recruit goes to Howard, an HBCU.

[TrueYankee26]

This is Huge. Makur Maker who is rated 5 stars (and #16 of 100) by ESPN goes to Howard University (which is a Historically Black College and University). He picks Howard over Memphis, UCLA and Kentucky.

 

https://theundefeated.com/features/top-hoops-recruit-makur-maker-chooses-howard-in-a-game-changer-for-hbcus/

[Seadragon76]

I can't remember the last time a five star talent when to a low major program, let alone an HBCU like Howard.

 

His goal is get those going to schools like Howard, which I think is admirable... but, let's face it. Kids today want to win and be national television and get into March Madness. You're not getting that with Howard.

[dont care]

If anything I think it’s just taking a scholarship that could be going to someone else who will actually stay for longer than a year and use the opportunity to get a degree.

[MJWalker45]

26 minutes ago, dont care said:

If anything I think it’s just taking a scholarship that could be going to someone else who will actually stay for longer than a year and use the opportunity to get a degree.

There's been a big social media push over the last two months to try to get black kids to commit to HBCU's instead of the bigger program. We may see a few more happen in basketball, and we've seen one happen in football where a kid picked Southern over several FBS teams.  

[See Red]

51 minutes ago, dont care said:

If anything I think it’s just taking a scholarship that could be going to someone else who will actually stay for longer than a year and use the opportunity to get a degree.

 

I don't think he's a one-and-done, which makes this especially interesting to me.  He's eligible for the 2020 draft but he's 75th on ESPN's best available draft prospects list.

 

 

He may just never see the court at Howard and play in the G-League instead.

[JLJ]

7 hours ago, Seadragon76 said:

I can't remember the last time a five star talent when to a low major program, let alone an HBCU like Howard.

 

His goal is get those going to schools like Howard, which I think is admirable... but, let's face it. Kids today want to win and be national television and get into March Madness. You're not getting that with Howard.

Well if more kids are open to going to a place like Howard that will change. The national media will go wherever the talent goes.

[dont care]

1 hour ago, JLJ said:

Well if more kids are open to going to a place like Howard that will change. The national media will go wherever the talent goes.

Not really, they will go where the biggest payouts are, and even a Maryland at the worst is a bigger draw nationally than Howard with a couple 5 star recruits and bunch of nobodies

[leopard88]

On 7/4/2020 at 12:22 PM, Seadragon76 said:

I can't remember the last time a five star talent when to a low major program, let alone an HBCU like Howard.

 

His goal is get those going to schools like Howard, which I think is admirable... but, let's face it. Kids today want to win and be national television and get into March Madness. You're not getting that with Howard.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonal_Foyle

This is the only one I can think of, though I don't know if he was actually a five star.  He went to Colgate because, among other things, his adopted parents were both professors there.

[floydnimrod]

I find it weird, in a era of shoe money influencing recruits, that Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney retired from coaching to work for Under Armour, then got back into coaching, take over the Howard program (a UA school at the time of his hiring), and convince a 5 star recruit to go there.

 

I hope there's nothing fishy going on as I want more of this to happen.

 

Also, this team would have been scary had RJ Cole not left for UConn before last season.

[sportsfan7]

On 7/6/2020 at 8:13 AM, leopard88 said:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonal_Foyle

This is the only one I can think of, though I don't know if he was actually a five star.  He went to Colgate because, among other things, his adopted parents were both professors there.

Foyle was not a 5-Star because modern recruiting had yet to take shape. Foyle was in the high school class of '93, 247 started in 1999, Rivals in 2002, and ESPN in 2007.

[OnWis97]

18 minutes ago, sportsfan7 said:

Foyle was not a 5-Star because modern recruiting had yet to take shape. Foyle was in the high school class of '93, 247 started in 1999, Rivals in 2002, and ESPN in 2007.

I recall him almost going to Wisconsin and it being a big loss.  He was highly touted for sure, and Colgate seemed like a stranger choice than Wisconsin (who at the time hadn't been to the dance in 30 years)

[Blindsay]

Im thinking he's sort of doing it for the low playing field, to help his draft stock,  maybe bust a few bracket when March Madness comes Back.

[crashcarson15]

On 7/4/2020 at 12:22 PM, Seadragon76 said:

I can't remember the last time a five star talent when to a low major program, let alone an HBCU like Howard.

I mean, we're all of two years removed from Charles Bassey, a consensus five-star and top-10 recruit, going to Western Kentucky.

[floydnimrod]

13 minutes ago, crashcarson15 said:

I mean, we're all of two years removed from Charles Bassey, a consensus five-star and top-10 recruit, going to Western Kentucky.

I think that happens a lot, but I'd argue WKU is a mid-major program, with a coach in Rick Stansbury, who has coached at larger universities. And they're in C-USA.

[crashcarson15]

9 minutes ago, floydnimrod said:

I think that happens a lot, but I'd argue WKU is a mid-major program, with a coach in Rick Stansbury, who has coached at larger universities. And they're in C-USA.

Conference USA hasn't been a two-bid league since Memphis left, and WKU hasn't won it since they joined.

 

In truth, this is semantics — there's clearly a distinction between the WCC, C-USA and MEAC, let's say, that can't be captured in just two terms — but top-level recruits occasionally going to markedly non-major programs isn't that unheard of.

 

This is much more noteworthy for the where he chose than the fact that he chose a non-power school.