Jeff Goodman's Transfer List - Edwards and Vucic transferring

[StlVUFan]

With the exceptions of Wood last year and Edward this year, most VU transfers over the last 20 years have not gone on to better basketball schools.

I would argue that while ASU is a bigger school with a much larger athletic budget, the basketball program he's going to is not better than VU at the moment.  This isn't 1963 or even 1981.  They're no better than we are, to wit the hand-wringing on their boards about getting a transfer from VU.

By "to wit", do you mean "notwithstanding"?

[valpotx]

Yes, even if you have minimal basketball ability, a 7'1" guy will find a pro career somewhere...

[LaPorteAveApostle]

No, STL, I do mean "to wit", or "as evidence of this"...

[StlVUFan]

No, STL, I do mean "to wit", or "as evidence of this"...

Then I don't get your point.  How could their hand-wringing over getting a transfer from VU be evidence they are no better than we are?  I would think it would be evidence of the opposite.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

"Then I don't get your point.  How could their hand-wringing over getting a transfer from VU be evidence they are no better than we are?  I would think it would be evidence of the opposite."

Well, people don't transfer up very often, do they?  They transfer down because usually what they want is playing time, and they can't find it at the level they are at.  Although:

   
• (At times they transfer to be closer to home, <cough> Bryan Bouchie...) [Quality of Basketball Program Transferring From == Quality of Basketball Program Transferring To]
• (Other times they don't like the new coach, because the old coach might have been their dad--Trey Ziegler, looking right at you.) [Transferring from  == transferring to]
• (And rarely they transfer to play "up", to help future considerations, a la B-Wood, to become "the best player at Michigan State"...or Julius Mays these days) [transferring from < transferring to)
• (Occasionally they transfer or stop playing because the coach makes them a Godfather-like offer, like at St. Saban Memorial Hospital in Tuscaloosa. ... Sorry, Brendan Witt.) [transferring from > transferring to]
• (But usually they transfer due to playing time, and wanting more of it.  Or any of it.  Transferring from > transferring to)

Now, Richie Edwards was transferring from VU to ASU.  PT wasn't the only consideration, as we initially thought it was more reason #1.  Then he didn't go anywhere near(er) Florida.  It can't be reason #2 because Bryce recruited him in the first place.  It can't be #3 because it's not like he was setting the league on fire, unless you count the sporadic toreador defense igniting the other team's offense.  That taken into account, he was still an excellent enough, indeed, skilled, offensive player so that it wasn't #4.  So it was likely #5, especially with two more bigs becoming equal.

Therefore, ASU fans were bummed about the transfer because as we have seen, transfers normally imply that the school of origin is superior (e.g. VU > Walsh, even though Bob Huggins used to coach there). 

One said "Duke and other similar programs do not take guys that are from lower level conferences (like the Horizon League) and were not able to crack the starting lineup. They take guys that were starters on the lower level teams, and usually starring in the conferences."

Another added "our transfers go to lower-level programs to START. Whereas ASU is not even getting a starter from a lower level program."

And finally, "this transfer reflects the state of the program.  Capobianco is the IU transfer and when he left that program to go to Valpo, he was a soph and producing ... wait for it ... 1.0 ppg and 1.2 rpg. As Sendek would say this player is going to a lower level program to get more PT, which is fine. But ... Richie feels he's going to get squeezed out at Valpo by this group of players and transfers to ... ASU.  ASU has gotten to the point where it is sitting as a "lower level program" to Valpo."

In the end, given that their RPI was 239 last year, and they were 10th in the Pac 12--and 10th the year before, when there were only ten schools that year (yipes), though their history is much better, VU is a superior basketball team lately and for the near future. 

VUBB > ASUBB   (Although ASU girls >> VU girls.  Maybe the transfer chart should have a #6?)
So, hooray for us!  Q.E.D.

[StlVUFan]

I got that you were saying we're better than they are.  I assumed they think they're better than we are, and the hand-wringing would have been evidence of that, otherwise they would have been happy to get Richie.

Now that you've quoted some of their posts, I can see that one poster actually came to the conclusion you attributed to "they".  Chances are more agree with him, I suppose.

[valpotx]

Haha, ASU fans are delirious if they are saying 'other similar programs' when referring to them versus Duke.  Yes, ASU girls are very much >>>VU

[covufan]

Yes, ASU girls are very much >>>VU

That is an understatement!

[mj]

http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/edwards_richie00.html

Apparently Richie has gone Amish.

[valpotx]

Wow, he needs to shave that immediately.  One of the worst goatees I have ever seen...