Greyson Clark

Started by vsmf2010, August 25, 2022, 12:33:27 PM

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wrestlemania

It was long believed that a lot of Minnesota's success was attributed to so many of their schools and so much talent around the Twin Cities and good club Wrestling. I'd doubt those clubs were actively working at cross purposes with the states flagship University(just the opposite actually) but such is life.

No they are not. Imagine Gabe Stevenson running a club (or even Brock Lesnar) for that matter that not only bad-mouths the U's program but actively steers those kids to sign at other schools. Because if what asdf is saying is true (I can't remember seeing his father NOT wearing UW gear.  Seems the family has been all in on UW for years) and what BuckyMatt is saying is true (the UW Coaches have tried repeatedly.  The Askren's do not want the relationship repaired unfortunately.) Then what you have here is active sabotage by people determined to wreck UW's wrestling program out of just pure spite, because there's no other reason for them to do so. And it's apparent now it doesn't matter who the coach is. For now on any UW wrestling coach who doesn't kiss their butts is going to get the cold shoulder from Askrens because of their control of the raw product. And they have made it clear they intend to exercise that control to either try to get something from the school or the RTC or just wave their rings around in people's faces just to show they can. Power can be a very intoxicating thing.

Normally I would be someone who urge the coaching to staff that, unpleasant as it might be, you have to kow-tow to high school and club coaches not to get on their blacklists and quite frankly its important to have a positive relationships with youth and prep coaches and the university. With the Askrens however, they've made it clear this is a vendetta that cannot be quenched. They've already ran off one coach are we going to let them run off another? Now I hoping Bono succeeds to show them that he can without their assistance and they can go take a flying leap. If that means fewer Wisconsin kids on the UW roster, unfortunately it may be the sacrifice UW might have to make make in order to show a bunch of punks they don't control wrestling in this state. Yeah, it sucks it has to come to that but if one can't explain why suddenly Clark would re-open his recruiting without outside influence from a certain party, I'm all ears.

I just logged backed in after my summer break and it never fails, there's always something at this time of year, just before or after school starts but before the season starts and it usually involves a current UW either transferring or getting hurt or something to do with a recruit, usually a decommitment. Looks like history repeats itself once again.

madeyson

Yeah, it sucks it has to come to that but if one can't explain why suddenly Clark would re-open his recruiting without outside influence from a certain party, I'm all ears.


"I'm all ears" - the Clark situation has ZERO to do with Ben Askren, Max Askren, Josh Wagner or anyone affiliated with AWA.

Healthy and happy

It does suck that Greyson decided to de-commit.  He and his family are great and appear to be true UW type of people. A couple of common reasons that you hear about why a kid leaves a school in any sport is money(scholarship and/or now NIL) and playing time. If he got more money(scholarship %) from Purdue, then you can't blame him. Can't really says if money was the issue.  So then look at playing time.  UW has some real good recruits/young guys at 133/141 so maybe he was concerned about that? Not sure what Purdue has at those weights. It would have been nice to have him at UW, you can never have enough great quality kids and depth.
 
Either way, Greyson wins. He still gets a great education from a really good school and gets to compete in the Big Ten against the best in the country.  Wish him the best of luck

wrastle63

Quote from: novice wrestler on October 04, 2022, 07:36:54 AMIt does suck that Greyson decided to de-commit.  He and his family are great and appear to be true UW type of people. A couple of common reasons that you hear about why a kid leaves a school in any sport is money(scholarship and/or now NIL) and playing time. If he got more money(scholarship %) from Purdue, then you can't blame him. Can't really says if money was the issue.  So then look at playing time.  UW has some real good recruits/young guys at 133/141 so maybe he was concerned about that? Not sure what Purdue has at those weights. It would have been nice to have him at UW, you can never have enough great quality kids and depth.
 
Either way, Greyson wins. He still gets a great education from a really good school and gets to compete in the Big Ten against the best in the country.  Wish him the best of luck
This is the most important part of the conversation! Wish Greyson the best of luck!

People do have frustrations and I think are fair with AWA and the way they push kids away from Wisconsin. No one is saying that they should be openly supporting and writing love letters to Bono, etc. but it is a great school, and should be an option for kids. Especially with everyone saying that Bono has tried to mend the disagreements. 

BuckyMatt

Quote from: madeyson on October 04, 2022, 06:53:55 AMYeah, it sucks it has to come to that but if one can't explain why suddenly Clark would re-open his recruiting without outside influence from a certain party, I'm all ears.


"I'm all ears" - the Clark situation has ZERO to do with Ben Askren, Max Askren, Josh Wagner or anyone affiliated with AWA.

Madeyson has not made his identity hidden.  No one knows the situation regarding Greyson more than he does.  If he is saying AWA didn't have anything to do with it, well that's as close to the source as you can get and I believe him.  I truly wish Greyson the best in Purdue.  He is a fine young man and will do well wherever he goes!

That said, Ben himself made it clear in the Braeden Scoles thread that he does not like Bono and shares that with his wrestlers why they should not wrestle here. The Junior class wrestlers are listening to him because if you look at all of their school lists, none of them have Wisconsin listed. 

 



Tims

#65
Is Ben not allowed to have an opinion on this?  I would think Ben would be a good resource for the wrestlers he works with on college wrestling and certain places that he has worked with.  You may not like what he has to say because it effects what you like and I understand that.  However you get on here and post your opinion all of the time Matt.

Tim Spray

BuckyMatt

Quote from: Tims on October 04, 2022, 12:56:22 PMIs Ben not allowed to have an opinion on this?  I would think Ben would be a good resource for the wrestlers he works with on college wrestling and certain places that he has worked with.  You may not like what he has to say because it effects what you like and I understand that.  However you get on here and post you opinion all of the time Matt.

Tim Spray

Tim
Thank you for posting your name.  I appreciate and respect that.  Too many anonymous people on this page!  Hiding behind screen names; posting both pro bono stuff and pro-Ben stuff.

And yes, you are 100% right!  Ben should have his own opinion and should share it with his wrestlers.  And those wrestlers should absolutely take what he has to say into consideration. He is an important figure in their lives and no one questions his commitment to his wrestlers.

But at what point is UW not even an option for these athletes because of his opinions?

It's my understanding that UW would love these kids to wrestle here.  It appears from their lists that they don't want to even consider the UW. And I'm not saying every student should go or wants to go to the University of Wisconsin.  But it appears that they are ruling the school out before recruiting even starts.




Wisconsin Wrestling Fan

Good luck to Greyson Clark.

GO BADGERS!
Kirk Nelson
Badger Wrestling Team 1983-1984
UW-Madison. BBA Degree. Marketing Major.
Fennimore High School http://rvwrestlingalum.com/Programs/1982_files/145.pdf

Ernie1964

#68
My name is Ernie Millard and I have been watching this thread closely, opting not to participate until I saw the individual who goes by wrestlemania refer to certain wrestlers not interested in Madison as "punks."  Based upon that person's previous comments in that statement, I inferred that they were talking about AWA kids.  If I am incorrect, I apologize for jumping to conclusions.

1--These are great kids, who have worked incredibly hard to become the quality wrestlers and people they are.  Some of them are blue chip recruits and it is true that most of do not have Wisconsin as one of their schools of choice. None of them have made any attempt to inappropriately influence the coaches at Wisconsin or force their will upon the university.  They owe Wisconsin nothing, just as the university owes them nothing.

2--I know Ben and Max Askren personally.  I consider Ben to be a friend and Max to be one of my best friends.  They (Max more than Ben) have worked with my son Charlie for the last 11 years.  Ben has a social media presence I sometimes wish would mellow, but he is an incredible coach and better person, who is approachable, intelligent and caring.  Next to my wife and I, Max is the most important person in Charlie's life.  Lisa and I both love him, because he not only makes our son a better wrestler, he demands he become a better person every day.

3--I also know Chris Bono and Jon Reader personally.  I consider Jon Reader to be a friend. I do not know Chris as well, but have talked with him on several occasions, both on the phone and in person, and gotten along well.  Chris and Jon have actually been at my home and I have enjoyed spending time with them.  They are high energy, passionate individuals who are dedicated to making the University of Wisconsin a great team.

4--It is absolutely correct that the Askren brothers and Chris Bono do not care for each other.  I have talked with both sides at length and do not think the odds are very good that they will ever get along. 

5--There are AWA kids who wrestle at Madison.  Jared Krattiger, Cody Goebel, Aidan Medora and Liam Hughes are all AWA kids who have been on the team in the last four years.  I was in the room the day Liam was given the invitation to become a Badger and Ben Askren was the person congratulating him in front of everyone.  He was sincerely happy for Liam.  The argument that Ben and Max do not allow their wrestlers to go to Madison is at best uninformed and at worst, an outright lie.  They do help evaluate the personal strengths and weaknesses of their kids and encourage them to find schools that mesh with them.

6-I stand by every word I have just written and put my name on the top of this.  I cannot stand anonymity.  It emboldens those who don't have the fortitude or the integrity to stand by their words.  We would be far better off if everyone had to state their name before posting.

7-My personal email address is emillard42@yahoo.com.  If you ever want to have a rational conversation, you can contact me there.  If it seems that a productive conversation can take place, I will even give you my cell phone number and we can talk.

Sincerely,

Ernie Millard



ckwrestler

Quote from: BuckyMatt on October 04, 2022, 01:21:23 PMBut at what point is UW not even an option for these athletes because of his opinions?

It looks like a number of athletes from AWA or Arrowhead are on the roster, so it can't be that UW isn't an option because of his opinions.  We have to give these kids and their parents some credit.  They probably value Ben's opinion (with his level of success, who wouldn't listen?)  but are capable of making an important life decision without him. 
I'm sure Ben has more important opinions than what he thinks of UW, like the importance of going out and experiencing life outside of your home state.  Maybe that's why he found success; he left and got a new perspective.  It is something I frequently recommended to my wrestlers when I coached in FL; branch out, consider other locales beyond what you are familiar with.
I don't understand why these kids are expected to be loyal to an institution simply because its in their home state, or why the UW program is expected to grab just the good in-state kids when there's 49 other states to pick from.  Support both AWA and UW, not one or the other. 

--Shawn (excluding last name, sorry)


Harris

Quote from: Ernie1964 on October 04, 2022, 04:25:33 PMMy name is Ernie Millard and I have been watching this thread closely, opting not to participate until I saw the individual who goes by wrestlemania refer to certain wrestlers not interested in Madison as "punks."  Based upon that person's previous comments in that statement, I inferred that they were talking about AWA kids.  If I am incorrect, I apologize for jumping to conclusions.

1--These are great kids, who have worked incredibly hard to become the quality wrestlers and people they are.  Some of them are blue chip recruits and it is true that most of do not have Wisconsin as one of their schools of choice. None of them have made any attempt to inappropriately influence the coaches at Wisconsin or force their will upon the university.  They owe Wisconsin nothing, just as the university owes them nothing.

2--I know Ben and Max Askren personally.  I consider Ben to be a friend and Max to be one of my best friends.  They (Max more than Ben) have worked with my son Charlie for the last 11 years.  Ben has a social media presence I sometimes wish would mellow, but he is an incredible coach and better person, who is approachable, intelligent and caring.  Next to my wife and I, Max is the most important person in Charlie's life.  Lisa and I both love him, because he not only makes our son a better wrestler, he demands he become a better person every day.

3--I also know Chris Bono and Jon Reader personally.  I consider Jon Reader to be a friend. I do not know Chris as well, but have talked with him on several times, both on the phone and in person, and gotten along well.  Chris and Jon have actually been at my home and I have enjoyed spending time with them.  They are high energy, passionate individuals who are dedicated to making the University of Wisconsin a great team.

4--It is absolutely correct that the Askren brothers and Chris Bono do not care for each other.  I have talked with both sides at length and do not think the odds are very good that they will ever get along. 

5--There are AWA kids who wrestle at Madison.  Jared Krattiger, Cody Goebel, Aidan Medora and Liam Hughes are all AWA kids who have been on the team in the last four years.  I was in the room the day Liam was given the invitation to become a Badger and Ben Askren was the person congratulating him in front of everyone.  He was sincerely happy for Liam.  The argument that Ben and Max do not allow their wrestlers to go to Madison is at best uninformed and at worst, an outright lie.  They do help evaluate the personal strengths and weaknesses of their kids and encourage them to find schools that mesh with them.

6-I stand by every word I have just written and put my name on the top of this.  I cannot stand anonymity.  It emboldens those who don't have the fortitude or the integrity to stand by their words.  We would be far better off if everyone had to state their name before posting.

7-My personal email address is emillard42@yahoo.com.  If you ever want to have a rational conversation, you can contact me there.  If it seems that a productive conversation can take place, I will even give you my cell phone number and we can talk.

Sincerely,

Ernie Millard




Great post Ernie!  Good luck to Greyson and all the other Wisconsin high school wrestlers regardless of what team they choose.  I think some of us are bummed out because we were hoping to build great things in the state of Wisconsin when Bono took over and then hired Ben for the RTC.  It has been an unfortunate series of events that turned that optimism into an us versus them mentality.  Personally, I agree with you that AWA is doing a great job and I would add the UW staff and athletes are doing a great job as well.  The split between Ben and Bono has made the job much harder in my opinion.  The level of high school wrestling has improved state wide because of AWA and I think that is a positive.  If UW can create an elite program year in and year out I think the instate wrestlers will give it a serious look.  This is a pivotal year for the program.

Hugh Harris - my email is on my profile and you can find me following the Badgers on Twitter at @HchCoin and as a season ticket holder at dual meets or at the SconnieBar beforehand  ;D

My goal when posting on the forum is to not be a "dick" and treat other posters like I was talking with them face to face.  At the end of the day, I am just a fan and following wrestling is just a fun hobby.  Not worth the hassle of arguing with anonymous posters.

wrestlemania

"certain wrestlers not interested in Madison as "punks."  Based upon that person's previous comments in that statement, I inferred that they were talking about AWA kids.  If I am incorrect, I apologize for jumping to conclusions."

You are incorrect. I didn't call the AWA wrestlers "punks". I would never do that. I called their club coaches punks because with careful consideration of evidence that I have seen over the years, I just can't draw any other conclusion.

This isn't just a Bono problem. Ben pulled the same stuff on Barry Davis, cutting him down, attacking him online. Yes I know, free country, he can do and say what he wants. But what worries me is that any coach at UW is going to come in for the same treatment unless the Askrens get what they want from that particular coach, and all it may well be is just a kiss of the ring. Well I don't think there is a good coach in the country who willingly come to UW and be forced to put up with it, especially if they themselves wrestled at the high levels and won gold medals or national championships. They would be like "What on earth? This guy got knocked out by Jake Paul and he's telling me how to do my job and telling his wrestlers to stay away from me? Who does he think he is?" I'm sure Bono wasn't anticipating it when he took the job in Madison.

The difficulties UW has to be successful in college wrestling are hard enough without having to worry about some club coaches' opinion of you. I know that part of the game and its important that college coaches have good relations with their high school and club counterparts but not when one side is drunk with power.

Tims

#72
Wrestlemania you called all of the AWA coaches punks.  If anyone should post their identity it is you.  So let's stop for a second and think about the contrasting style's of Bono and Askren.  Their approaches to the sport couldn't be further a part.  The kids coming through the AWA wrestling Academy are making choices that best suit them and their styles of wrestling.  Some will choose Wisconsin. Some won't.  There was a clear falling out between Bono and Askren's.  It's obvious that you have picked a side.  I think you should do more research on this.  As I posted on the other topic.  Both Bono and Reader have been in the Madison AWA room.  With all this Askren telling kids not to go to Wisconsin one should ask why Clark chose Wisconsin in the first place if that were true.  I will speak to my experience of both of my sons.  Patrick Committed to NDSU, then at the end of his senior year he flipped it to Wisconsin.  I won't lie I was ticked lol  It was gonna be a bigger bill.  I for sure thought Preston was gonna end up at Buffalo or Univ. Of Indianapolis.  Missouri popped up and he went there and he loved the culture right away. 

It is Chris Bono's job to build relationships just like it was Paul Chryst's.  These guys get paid a lot of money and relationship building is part of the job.  You are selling yourself and the program. It is not AWA'S job to push kids to Madison it is to push their kids to places where they will have the most success and the right fit for them and where they will be happiest.

Tim Spray

Healthy and happy

Quote from: wrestlemania on October 04, 2022, 08:58:18 PM"certain wrestlers not interested in Madison as "punks."  Based upon that person's previous comments in that statement, I inferred that they were talking about AWA kids.  If I am incorrect, I apologize for jumping to conclusions."

You are incorrect. I didn't call the AWA wrestlers "punks". I would never do that. I called their club coaches punks because with careful consideration of evidence that I have seen over the years, I just can't draw any other conclusion.

This isn't just a Bono problem. Ben pulled the same stuff on Barry Davis, cutting him down, attacking him online. Yes I know, free country, he can do and say what he wants. But what worries me is that any coach at UW is going to come in for the same treatment unless the Askrens get what they want from that particular coach, and all it may well be is just a kiss of the ring. Well I don't think there is a good coach in the country who willingly come to UW and be forced to put up with it, especially if they themselves wrestled at the high levels and won gold medals or national championships. They would be like "What on earth? This guy got knocked out by Jake Paul and he's telling me how to do my job and telling his wrestlers to stay away from me? Who does he think he is?" I'm sure Bono wasn't anticipating it when he took the job in Madison.

The difficulties UW has to be successful in college wrestling are hard enough without having to worry about some club coaches' opinion of you. I know that part of the game and its important that college coaches have good relations with their high school and club counterparts but not when one side is drunk with power.

To be a successful college program largely seems to be on how you place in the Big Tens and more so in the NCAA's.  If a school can get 8 or more qualifiers to NCAAs to score some points and then have 4-5 of those guys become AA's, then you can have a top 10 team finish or better depending how high they place.  With that being said, it would nice if UW had a few of those studs be from WI.  But..if the few WI HS studs don't think UW is good for them then that is perfectly fine.  Bono can continue to go to Illinois or just about any state he wants to find those 4-5 studs who will score points at the National Tournament.  That generally will make most people happy  So, really do you need AWA? Nice but not required???

Handles II

I personally never understood why people thought/expected that AWA would push/encourage their wrestlers towards Wisconsin. Max and Ben are Mizzou guys, plain and simple. It's like UW-Eau Claire alum pushing their wrestlers to go to UWW. Probably not going to happen. They might not "discourage it" and would be happy for their guys to get picked up anywhere, but we all know that loyalties often run deep. Fairly easy to understand.
Congrats to any WI guys getting in on any D1 team. We'd love you to stay home, but that doesn't always work.