Dunbar to UP

Gareth Gilna of Los Alamos NM as well...

Good news for UP, good to hear for Conner. It's a good program and he'll do well there. He'll do well there.

Is Vin really gonna give up.

Stephane Sousbois: Admin. wrote:

Is Vin really gonna give up.

Vin ain't got shit left to do but pack up and move on to someone else. This is a big win for David, but Goliath will still pull in plenty of fresh meat for the grinder. Curious to see if we see some other FL guys follow Dunbar to Portland. Congrats Dunbar, an excellent choice!

Portland is the perfect pic for Trevor. They have a great program and get to sport the color of royalty. So my advice for Dunbar: go make a few snow angels, sip a cup of hot cocoa (with the little marshmallows), give your mom her turtle neck sweater back and put in some good mileage for a great track season.

i can tell you at least one is very interested

A great program for Trevor. This could help attract a few other talented kids as well.

UofO should welcome the extra competition. It makes every one better!

Wonder if Oregon thought they would get Dunbar? Maybe they should check their recruitment efforts the last couple of years to see what is wrong. The present incoming class for Oregon is not an A-level group yet. Last years group, save Luke Puskedra, was a bust. Two years ago Hall (moved on) and Centro plus Blood and Buckman was a good group. Three years ago Vin hit a gold mine with perhaps the best distance group ever to come to Eugene. Is there a reason the top runners are now passing on Oregon? If I were a top level runner, the Hayward Field/Track Town scene would be my only option for one reason: community support. Look at Wheating. I would venture the only reason he made the Olympic team was because he was a Duck and the crowd gave him such out-of-this-world support in the 800 finals. What is wrong now with the Ducks?

Good move. The possibility that the entire UO athletic department gets an NCAA death penalty during the next 4 years is greater than 50%.

University of Nike wrote:

Good move. The possibility that the entire UO athletic department gets an NCAA death penalty during the next 4 years is greater than 50%.

You wanna bet?

Dr. Curious wrote:

Wonder if Oregon thought they would get Dunbar? Maybe they should check their recruitment efforts the last couple of years to see what is wrong. The present incoming class for Oregon is not an A-level group yet. Last years group, save Luke Puskedra, was a bust. ....What is wrong now with the Ducks?

It's not realistic that Oregon is going to nab every top recruit. I'm sure they thought they had a shot at Dunbar. His Dad graduated/ran at Oregon. However, prior to going to Oregon he also ran with Rob Connor at Portland. There was a family connection at both schools.

I don't see anything wrong with Oregon's recruitment efforts. Even at a program like Oregon there will be an ebb and flow to recruits. You mention the great classes from a couple of years ago. That is part of the reason they aren't getting similar classes now. Regarding last year's class, who in it, besides Puskedra, did you anticipate to make an immediate impact? Isn't it a little early to call it a bust? To me, any class that has Puskedra is a good recruiting year.

A typical critique of a "recruit" program (which I guess you could call UofO) is, of course, when they don't get top level recruits, the program is going downhill.

Now, this criticism could be more easily dismissed if a "recruit" program then consistently develops their lesser recruits. Let's see if UofO does this with the last two years of "lesser recruits".

It appears "lesser recuits" do not get much of a chance to race at UofO, especially compared with Connor's use of "A" and "B" squads.

I think you're correct in how Oregon is viewed, and the type of program they have. I believe they'll do just fine the next couple of years with the guys they have. We will find out. I do think that the last year or two Oregon has given the "B" guys more racing chances. Many of the "B" guys ran 2-3 races this fall, and some (like the Dettmans) ran 4.

Just a little note: Gilna has not signed on to any team tho UP is in his top choices

Who is this Gilna guy? I see he ran 17 flat at FLW, but if he's worth serious discussion then that must have been a bad race for him. What are his pr's?

Terminator X wrote:

Who is this Gilna guy? I see he ran 17 flat at FLW, but if he's worth serious discussion then that must have been a bad race for him. What are his pr's?

and

A huge amount of elite potential. Staying healthy is vital, dont over do it. I loved the youtube piece. Outstanding job Mr Dunbar. I expect great things from you in the future. Portland is blessed to have you. Stay humble

Billy Mills