If we're going to hire some from anywhere outside the Midwest they have to have experience recruiting Ohio. Someone like Abdur-Rahim doesn't fit the bill.
Ja Morant wasn't from anywhere near Murray, Ky. They got him from some spot in the road town in South Carolina. He's one of the top mid-major players of all time. Will be a top-3 NBA pick.
Recruiting Ohio and Chicago/Milwaukee is important. So is recruiting anywhere else you have a shot at the next Ja Morant.
+1
I don't think it's necessarily about "experience recruiting Ohio", but simply recruiting in general. It's about building relationships, for one thing. I don't wanna name names, because I can't confirm the story. There's a kid here in Central Ohio who will probably be first team all-Dispatch. He's gonna play in the Ivy League next year. I was told by people at his high school that they attempted to get Ohio interested in this kid when he was a sophomore, but the Bobcat staff wouldn't even return their calls. That, friends, is not how you build relationships.
I wonder if Saul ever built good relationships with Bobcat alums like Sonny Johnson at Garfield Heights or Kirk Lehman at Defiance. My memory ain't what it used to be, but did Saul ever bring anyone in from Cuyahoga County, Johnson's stomping grounds? Both could be of tremendous help identifying players. I know there's others inside and outside Ohio who would probably be more than happy to assist. All it takes is a phone call to get it started.
Recruiting can't simply be about the head coach. The assistants have to carry the load a lot of the time. During the season in particular the assistants are the ones on the road. For them it's not only about building relationships but in many cases, getting the initial look at the players and projecting how they'll do in college. Were ours good at this part of their job?
You've also got to be one hell of a salesman, be prepared not to take no for answer (within reason) and be persistent. I thought when Saul first came here he could be that salesman. He was effusive about the university and city of Athens. But too often we've seen kids that I thought would be great fits go elsewhere, and when it happens, I wonder what could have been done better or differently to convince them to become Bobcats. Were we persistent enough, imaginative enough?
Was there ever any self evaluation done about the entire recruiting process? Who's doing it, how we're doing it, the kids we are recruiting, why they come and why they don't? Are we getting enough kids who are ready to contribute? Too many who are projects? Swings and misses are the nature of the game. But the same staff that brought in Jason Carter also gave a scholarship to Ben Wight. No offense to young Mr. Wight, but having seen them both play in high school, there simply is no comparison.
You can't limit yourself. There are good players everywhere. Identify them and go after them hard! Remember, the Sweet 16 team had guys like Nick Kellog from Cbus, but also D.J Cooper from Chi-town. We couldn't have gotten as far as we did without both.
Last Edited: 3/13/2019 5:14:36 PM by brucecuth