The Lakota West Firebirds 2023-2024 Thread

This has become a very interesting thread. It will also be interesting to see if and how Giordano gains eligibility as his parents still own a very nice home in Kings district which is where he went as a freshman. Not sure why you announce a new school (West) when your home isn't even for sale. Do they pull a Glenville and dad registers to vote from an alum house in district?
 
I don't pretend to know all the details for every situation in the past. But I know that not all good players come to West because they were recruited by a Coach. The program has a ton going for it right now. We are a top program in the GMC, playing great schools with an opportunity to play deep into the playoffs. Colleges know who Lakota West is. They know Bolden, and they know our players. And players at other schools know this. The West football players work out with other guys from other schools, they hang with them outside of school and on social media, and they interact with them on the recruiting trail. They aren’t telling good players NOT to come to West, I know that. We also have families at West who knew that the best thing for their sons was to play ball in Ohio vs Kentucky, or a big school vs a small one.

Not sure it's fair to assume that just because a good kid transfers to the school, that he was illegally recruited.
 
zski71 said:
This has become a very interesting thread. It will also be interesting to see if and how Giordano gains eligibility as his parents still own a very nice home in Kings district which is where he went as a freshman. Not sure why you announce a new school (West) when your home isn't even for sale. Do they pull a Glenville and dad registers to vote from an alum house in district?
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I would be shocked if he's not eligible.

But stories like his are all too common now. 3 schools in 4 years?

He left Kings and Kings goes to the state semi finals.

He leaves Fenwick after a Cranford is announced as the new head coach.....a coach that's won a state championship.

To go to Lakota West where they can't get past Region Final?

Without being recruited to go to West, what's the upside?
 
ViewFromTheStands said:
I don't pretend to know all the details for every situation in the past. But I know that not all good players come to West because they were recruited by a Coach. The program has a ton going for it right now. We are a top program in the GMC, playing great schools with an opportunity to play deep into the playoffs. Colleges know who Lakota West is. They know Bolden, and they know our players. And players at other schools know this. The West football players work out with other guys from other schools, they hang with them outside of school and on social media, and they interact with them on the recruiting trail. They aren’t telling good players NOT to come to West, I know that. We also have families at West who knew that the best thing for their sons was to play ball in Ohio vs Kentucky, or a big school vs a small one.

Not sure it's fair to assume that just because a good kid transfers to the school, that he was illegally recruited.
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You look at a kid like Cam Thomas and the proof is in the pudding. His talent is phenomenal but his exposure would not be the same had he stayed in Kentucky. His Dad has done an amazing job helping him get to the next level.
 
PardonMyBench said:
You look at a kid like Cam Thomas and the proof is in the pudding. His talent is phenomenal but his exposure would not be the same had he stayed in Kentucky. His Dad has done an amazing job helping him get to the next level.
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You kind of disprove the point you were trying to make of the exposure being due to playing at West by stating his dad has done an amazing job. The kid going to camps and clinics to show his measurables got him offers he could have gotten wherever he came from.
 
zski71 said:
You kind of disprove the point you were trying to make of the exposure being due to playing at West by stating his dad has done an amazing job. The kid going to camps and clinics to show his measurables got him offers he could have gotten wherever he came from.
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Or was I referring to his Dad doing an amazing job by making the move to get his kid better exposure. Dont be so dense.
 
PardonMyBench said:
Or was I referring to his Dad doing an amazing job by making the move to get his kid better exposure. Dont be so dense.
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Yes, his dad supported him, took him to camps, and provided an avenue for him to get offered before even getting to West. West didn't create the offers. Moving to West didn't create the offers.
 
zski71 said:
Yes, his dad supported him, took him to camps, and provided an avenue for him to get offered before even getting to West. West didn't create the offers. Moving to West didn't create the offers.
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A lot of dads do this for their kids and they don’t receive the level of attention/exposure Thomas did. You cannot argue the level of impact his transfer to Lakota West has had on him and his recruiting.
 
PardonMyBench said:
You look at a kid like Cam Thomas and the proof is in the pudding. His talent is phenomenal but his exposure would not be the same had he stayed in Kentucky. His Dad has done an amazing job helping him get to the next level.
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he had a whole gameday visit when he was in 8th grade he had a jersey on n was in da locker room during da game. he got suspended for 1 game his freshman year but dat was it. he was taking pictures wit da players inna uniform
 
Olympiums said:
You cannot argue the level of impact his transfer to Lakota West has had on him and his recruiting.
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I can argue that his recruitment may very well have gone exactly the same without West. Kid did an interview with a UC
info site before he even started his freshman year at West. He had 3 offers including ACC Georgia Tech and interest from SEC UK. He had camp invites from other big time college football schools. All of that came before West.
 
zski71 said:
I can argue that his recruitment may very well have gone exactly the same without West. Kid did an interview with a UC
info site before he even started his freshman year at West. He had 3 offers including ACC Georgia Tech and interest from SEC UK. He had camp invites from other big time college football schools. All of that came before West.
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All of this and 75 cents will buy you a cup of coffee. Can the kid play or not?
 
zski71 said:
I can argue that his recruitment may very well have gone exactly the same without West. Kid did an interview with a UC
info site before he even started his freshman year at West. He had 3 offers including ACC Georgia Tech and interest from SEC UK. He had camp invites from other big time college football schools. All of that came before West.
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To your point, I can argue the level of competition he’s facing and playing as a Freshman on varsity at a powerhouse school significantly boosted his recruiting. I agree with Olympiums here.
 
PardonMyBench said:
To your point, I can argue the level of competition he’s facing and playing as a Freshman on varsity at a powerhouse school significantly boosted his recruiting. I agree with Olympiums here.
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West has a very good football program but a powerhouse, I don't think so. The kid made his name playing travel football and attending middle school camps. He transferred to play better competition not that he needed exposure. Bolden recruited the kid let's be honest just like the rest of these top programs. If your not recruiting you don't have a chance in Division 1,
 
John Doe said:
West has a very good football program but a powerhouse, I don't think so. The kid made his name playing travel football and attending middle school camps. He transferred to play better competition not that he needed exposure. Bolden recruited the kid let's be honest just like the rest of these top programs. If your not recruiting you don't have a chance in Division 1,
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West is certainly a powerhouse at least on a regional level. 50-10 record in the last 5 years.
 
I was surfing through my feed and was pretty shocked to see LW has another Luka Gilbert. Freshman 6'6 225lb TE named Xavier Ratica. Don't know how good he is, but Gilbert proved the size is what matters most. Seems to be another future-highly recruited kid.
 
PardonMyBench said:
I was surfing through my feed and was pretty shocked to see LW has another Luka Gilbert. Freshman 6'6 225lb TE named Xavier Ratica. Don't know how good he is, but Gilbert proved the size is what matters most. Seems to be another future-highly recruited kid.
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The Ratica kid seemed pretty damn good from I heard. Seems like he’ll be slightly more athletic than Gilbert, and probably more effective in the pass game.
 
That kid from Princeton is probably the best TE in the GMC. You give him Gilbert’s size and he’s easily a five star All-American caliber player.
 
PardonMyBench said:
Anyone notice the lack of early enrollees in this 2024 class? West usually has 1-2, I don’t think they have any this season.
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Flores is an early enrollee at Chattanooga. He’s the only one.

This class was a little weird. You usually have some bigger names, but Bennie-Powell was the only Power 5 commit this past season. A couple of guys play baseball as well.
 
Olympiums said:
Flores is an early enrollee at Chattanooga. He’s the only one.

This class was a little weird. You usually have some bigger names, but Bennie-Powell was the only Power 5 commit this past season. A couple of guys play baseball as well.
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Wow that’s rare to see an early enrollee at the FCS level. Good for him.

Do you know why Davis didn’t? I don’t think he’s a spring sport guy.
 
PardonMyBench said:
Wow that’s rare to see an early enrollee at the FCS level. Good for him.

Do you know why Davis didn’t? I don’t think he’s a spring sport guy.
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Some kids just like to finish out their high school experience with their friends before they ship off to college.
 
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