GRCOAT
A lot of people have been buzzing about the GRCOAT. GRCOAT, for those of you who are wondering, does not have anything to do with an article of clothing you wear in the winter, it is an acronym for Greatest Recruiting Class Of All Time. This hypothetical class includes Micheal Beasley, Herb Pope, O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker, or a handful of other players, depending on which recruiting service you happen to be reading at the time. It is a distinct possibility that all of these top players could end up at one school. That school, of course, being Kansas State University.
A lot of people are quick to point out that the odds of K-state actually achieving this feat are long. So long in fact, that the mere mention of GRCOAT outside of the city of Manhattan incites a hardy chuckle from opposing fans. Here is an excerpt of a typical naysayer’s reaction to GRCOAT:
“No way does K-state get those players, you guys are dreaming. Those guys want to go to an urban area, not Manhattan, Kansas. K-state isn’t high profile enough to get their attention. You guys just haven’t experienced big-time recruiting, I mean, your competition is Kansas, North Carolina, Connecticut. You can’t win over those teams.”
I happen to agree that landing all of those players is a long shot. However, calling it impossible is just as absurd as calling it a done deal.
Micheal Beasley has already verbally committed to K-state. He is going to choose K-state over heavyweights such as North Carolina, Connecticut and Florida. Based on his comments regarding the situation, Beasley knows that this is a great situation for him. He can come into a school and turn their basketball program into a national powerhouse, all while being in the national spotlight, playing for Bob Huggins. It doesn’t hurt that from the day he steps foot in Manhattan, Kansas, he will be recognized like a rock star everywhere he goes.
Beasley wants to go somewhere that he can make an instant impact, and he isn’t alone. Beasley is good friends with O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, both of whom have expressed interest in playing for Bob Huggins. Having all three of those players suit up for the cats would bring all eyes on K-state basketball, and would have everyone believing we are a legitimate contender.
Our odds of landing each of these players goes up considerably with each one that commits. By this I mean, if Beasley commits, Bill Walker will probably give K-state a closer look. If Walker and Beasley commit, O.J. will probably give K-state a closer look…etc. My honest estimate is that a few of these players will commit and play for the cats, but we will fall just short of the GRCOAT, leaving the door open for the 2008 GRCOAT class…