The one where SEMO basketball misses out on SEMO recruits

Semo want local talent to walk on! Just look at football, he has walk on's signing a letter of intent! Ur killing me! If semo was killing the ovc I would say carry on! Everyone wonders why the seats are empty ? Who from Memphis of Florida is driving to semo to see @ or below 500?

Let's be honest here. This town/area isn't about seeing local talent on the field or court. It's about watching a winner. Example...2010 SEMO football. The average attendance was around 8,500. Same year look at the Cape/Jackson game. Or the Sikeston/Cape game there was 10,000 at. The size of those games are less when those schools aren't as good. The coaches of both programs are going to try and get the best players they believe will win them games.

Agreed NewTigerFan. It's great when a local player fits at SEMO and is good enough to play and have some success. Everyone wants that BUT, in the end, WINNING fills the stands. Tuke is definitely recruiting locally. Nutt has had some local guys although they all haven't stayed with the program for whatever reason. But remember that Nick Niemcyzk had success and now it looks like JT Jones is coming on strong as a freshman. They tried out Tolbert from ND and few others that didn't work out that I can't remember off the top of my head. The local guys that are good enough usually seem to be guards or small forwards and there are only so many spots available. I can tell you this: if Nutt brings in more local guys and they don't win then people are not going to accept that, either.

As far as the whole having walk on's signing a letter of intent....

I have to agree! I believe it is more a PR move then anything. Not totally sure the whole scholarship (partial/full) works in basketball. But I do know how it works in football because I played in college. At this level Tuke can divide them up how ever he sees fit. What gets to me is him signing someone he knows isn't going to make grades to be eligible and makes it out to be a huge get for the program. Example...Monroe.

Complaining about Tuke now? To be honest the area right now isn't full of kids the size and speed it takes to win, even on SEMOs level. He might get some kids to walk on, but how many other kids from the area signed to play football on SEMOs level? The QB from Jackson, LB from Kennett, and 2 kids that signed with APSU. Did I miss any? Seriously why are we, I mean you, complaining? The guy took Samuels' subpar talent and made them really respectable. Give him time and when he starts refusing to sign local kids that go on to be big talents then you can dog him. Don't make a big deal out of a kid signing a LOI even if he'll be a walk on.

I'm sorry did you hear about semo recruiting out to porter jr aggressively? Did they offer him his soph or jr yr? That would be a no! I'm sure they wanted him to walk on! That's what semo does to all local talent

The kid from Kennett is a walk on, just like every other local kid other than maybe jackson qb, take away the first yr d2 school he beat his record is just like samuals! What on earth are you talking about? At least samuals did make it to the finals! Have you ever listened to twerk? It will be the same old semo, or worse , he went heavy into juco, guess what you get? Dumb kids or problems! Take your pick!

Hater: With football, if there were legitimate D1 talent local players being offered scholarships from D1 schools that SEMO didn't recruit at all then your complaint would have more merit. But if you think Tuke is ultimately going to be just like Samuels in terms of W/L record, then offering scholarships to local players who, in most cases, are more in line with D3 (D2 at the highest) talent level is NOT the answer. With that approach you are going to be even more upset with Tuke's record. SEMO will not consistently win with D2/D3 level players, even though I believe Tuke can coach them up to their highest potential.

Yea hater because SEMO had such a good chance to sign Otto Porter...good example there.

Until you all have met Coach Tuke personally and give him the chance to do his job you all have no room to say anything! The past is the past! He is totally different from any other football coach that has been here and came in last year and recruited on a 6-7 week span. Coach Samuels team in 2010 was an extraordinary team that came from some wonderful JUCO offensive linemen and a pair of never say die players in Henry Harris and Matt Sheible. It took many folks to get him to take a look at Blake Pieffer and he never gave him anything till the end of his college career and all he did was lead the nation in tackles and set a school record for tackles. Tuke is after the kids that are willing to work! He only kept after the Monroe kid because they were originally recruiting him at Toledo so why not keep after him here!! Everyone around here said that Monroe would go D1 but they all knew his academics weren't good enough to start there, but he may eventually get there which would be awesome! Just give him a chance and I think he might just surprise you. As for basketball, I can't give you much of an opinion. I was not a fan of Coach Nutt when they got him and can't say that that opinion has changed. I think he takes a local on occasion to appease the crowd and then never gives them a chance. TJ wasn't slated to touch the floor this year but through his hard work he couldn't keep him off the floor which is what we all want to see. The talent that he has on this years team should never have the record that they have now! And for the guy earlier that thinks there was a chance to get Otto here.....you must have had your head in the clouds!

Back to football, the respect factor that players have compared to Samuels teams are night and day difference. There were many ungrateful knot heads on his teams that cared less about SEMO and the community. As for the kids now, there is great respect shown and they are being taught to be true to themselves and become good students academically, good citizens and good football players. I spent many hours on the sideline over the past dozen years or so and if players had talked to me the way that they did coach Samuels they would have been carting them off by the EMT's. That's not to say players still don't get angry now, but they know they will face disciplinary action were as they used to be given just a hall pass to act like an A** anytime and to anyone they wanted to.

The football stands will get more crowded because the recruiting now is from a 4-5 hour radius where kids parents will drive to watch them play instead of getting guys from Cali and Florida where their parents and friends and family could not travel for all of the games.

Be a supporter! Its an old adage and I've heard others use it and coach Tuke is one that does also. There are two kinds of people. Givers and takers. Stop being takers and give a little love for the future. I try to tell people stop looking backwards, because you aren't going that way! GO REDHAWKS!

Here is a question that someone might know. Are recruits allowed to attend signing day parties now? When I signed my LOI we were specifically told that we couldn't attend because it was against NCAA rules.