Encouraging News About Ahmed Hill

[Tugg Speedman]

Encouraging because he's keeping an open mind.


http://recruiting.blog.ajc.com/2014/04/04/will-georgia-basketball-star-stick-with-original-decision/

One of the nation’s top college basketball prospects told the AJC that he wants to chat with Marquette’s new coach before deciding whether or not to request a release from his letter of intent.

“I’m going to wait until I talk to the coach before I think about anything,” said Ahmed Hill, a 4-star shooting guard from Augusta who is ranked as the state’s No. 2 overall prospect.

“My family told me (after that conversation takes place), I need to go ahead and do whatever I decide to do … to just go ahead and do it. My family said they will support me with whatever I do.”

One of the main reasons that the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Hill signed last November with Marquette over 20 other schools, including UGA, Georgia Tech and Missouri, was the presence of coach Buzz Williams, who recently left for a similar job at Virginia Tech.

“It was pretty crazy that he left,” Hill said. “Coach Williams was a big reason why I signed with Marquette. I liked his coaching style, and the way he won.”

This week, Marquette announced Steve Wojciechowski, the longtime Duke assistant who has no head coaching experience, as the new coach. Hill is anxious to see how he fits into the new coach’s plans.

“I really haven’t talked to Coach Wojo much, so I don’t have an opinion of him yet,” Hill said. “We’re supposed to talk this weekend.

“I just want to talk to him on the phone, see what kind of person he is really, and see what he talks about. I will probably stay with Marquette unless I hear something I don’t like.”

A coaching change is one of the few negatives for an elite prospect opting to sign in basketball’s early period. In 2010, the AJC’s Mr. Basketball, Westlake High School’s Marcus Thornton, signed early with Clemson but was granted a release after a coaching change. Thornton ended up picking UGA over Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Texas at the end of the spring.

[GooooMarquette]

Awesome!  I really liked:

“I will probably stay with Marquette unless I hear something I don’t like."

[HutchwasClutch]

Awesome!  I really liked:

“I will probably stay with Marquette unless I hear something I don’t like."

That's about the only take away that was encouraging.  Everything else was neither a positive or negative.

[Wojo'sMojo]

I would have personally liked Wojo to board the private jet and go down there in person...he should be our top priority right now. To hear Hill say he hasn't really talked to him is pretty disappointing to me.

[HutchwasClutch]

I would have personally liked Wojo to board the private jet and go down there in person...he should be our top priority right now. To hear Hill say he hasn't really talked to him is pretty disappointing to me.

He's reached out to him though.  He hasn't been our coach a week yet even.  I'm sure we can't begin to grasp everything on his plate right now. 

[Tugg Speedman]

I would have personally liked Wojo to board the private jet and go down there in person...he should be our top priority right now. To hear Hill say he hasn't really talked to him is pretty disappointing to me.

Story was written Friday and it said they would talk this weekend.

[Tugg Speedman]

I would have personally liked Wojo to board the private jet and go down there in person...he should be our top priority right now. To hear Hill say he hasn't really talked to him is pretty disappointing to me.

Also Hill is in Augusta, this is Masters week, the airport was overflowing with private planes since Friday.  Maybe he can't get there?

[HutchwasClutch]

Meanwhile, per Mark Miller- spoke with Cohen's coach this evening and nothing new to report on him either. 

[Boozemon Barro]

Also Hill is in Augusta, this is Masters week, the airport was overflowing with private planes since Friday.  Maybe he can't get there?

Let's not make excuses like that. If he determines he needs to see this kid in person then a busy airport at Augusta should not be holding him back. Fly into Savannah and drive the rest of the way. Take a bus to Louisville and hitch hike from there if you have to. If he seriously tells a prized recruit that he won't be coming in because the airport is just too busy, then I would have serious concerns about him being our coach going forward. I know this is his first week, but in my opinion Hill needs to be very high on his priority list.

[Wojo'sMojo]

Also Hill is in Augusta, this is Masters week, the airport was overflowing with private planes since Friday.  Maybe he can't get there?

The practice rounds for the Masters don't start until Tuesday...if he wanted to get in this weekend he could have. I'm not going to claim I know what goes into a first week on the job for a new D1 coach, just think he could have made it more of a priority.

[Tugg Speedman]

The practice rounds for the Masters don't start until Tuesday...if he wanted to get in this weekend he could have. I'm not going to claim I know what goes into a first week on the job for a new D1 coach, just think he could have made it more of a priority.

Corporate tents and bigwig smoozing  started this weekend.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Corporate tents and bigwig smoozing  started this weekend.

Gotta work hard for those lofty stock options!!! 

[Wojo'sMojo]

Corporate tents and bigwig smoozing  started this weekend.

I just checked because I was curious, but you can get into Augusta any day this week via a commercial flight. Don't know about this past weekend, but I would imagine it would have been the same if not easier to fly in this weekend. It's pointless to debate this...just wanted to give my opinion he could be doing more on what should be our top priority.

[wadesworld]

I just checked because I was curious, but you can get into Augusta any day this week via a commercial flight. Don't know about this past weekend, but I would imagine it would have been the same if not easier to fly in this weekend. It's pointless to debate this...just wanted to give my opinion he could be doing more on what should be our top priority.

I'll leave it up to the man in charge to determine what the top priorities for him and his program are and whether he can be working harder on them.

Respect the process.

[Tums Festival]

Maybe Hill wasn't able to meet with Wojo until the weekend. Jumping to the conclusion Wojo is putting Hill off is based on nothing more than a guess.

[JakeBarnes]

Let's not make excuses like that. If he determines he needs to see this kid in person then a busy airport at Augusta should not be holding him back. Fly into Savannah and drive the rest of the way. Take a bus to Louisville and hitch hike from there if you have to. If he seriously tells a prized recruit that he won't be coming in because the airport is just too busy, then I would have serious concerns about him being our coach going forward. I know this is his first week, but in my opinion Hill needs to be very high on his priority list.

Exactly. The best way to show that you have everything under control as a head coach is to let a player know he is more important than the program.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Exactly. The best way to show that you have everything under control as a head coach is to let a player know he is more important than the program.

More evidence that Wojo's pimp hand is very strong indeed. 

[NotAnAlum]

That's about the only take away that was encouraging.  Everything else was neither a positive or negative.

Wow! Tough crowd.  I thought the tenor of what he said was very encouraging.  He could have said that I really want to re-think my options, I'm not sure if MU is the place for me any more blah, blah, blah.  Even that would not have been a death sentence but I'd certainly be more concerned.  It seems like what we'd say in sales is this is "ours to lose" and if Wojo has the makes the same impression he seemed to make with Cohen we should (I know its not 100%) be able to keep both these guys.

[Boozemon Barro]

Exactly. The best way to show that you have everything under control as a head coach is to let a player know he is more important than the program.

That's how you take it? How about Hill feeling like he's not important enough to feel like he belongs in the program? crap Wojo should just grant his release for even questioning whether Wojo will be the right coach for him. Wojo needs to show these punks who wears the pants around here.

[keefe]

Also Hill is in Augusta, this is Masters week, the airport was overflowing with private planes since Friday.  Maybe he can't get there?

Uh, no.

[MURFC]

I would have personally liked Wojo to board the private jet and go down there in person...he should be our top priority right now. To hear Hill say he hasn't really talked to him is pretty disappointing to me.

You are going to base your disappointment/satisfaction on this?  We know next to nothing about the Hill situation.  Silly comment.

[keefe]

Meanwhile, per Mark Miller- spoke with Cohen's coach this evening and nothing new to report on him either. 

[mileskishnish72]

Just don't let Wojo tell him anything he doesn't like.

[NavinRJohnson]

You are going to base your disappointment/satisfaction on this?  We know next to nothing about the Hill situation.  Silly comment.

Followed closely by those saying, "Hill should be his top priority." You guys have no idea if Wojo even wants Hill. Safe to assume he would, but what if he doesn't?

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Followed closely by those saying, "Hill should be his top priority." You guys have no idea if Wojo even wants Hill. Safe to assume he would, but what if he doesn't?

WE'LL set the recruiting priorities around here, thank you!