(04-03-2022 04:02 PM)pono Wrote: keeping an eye on NIU bball from a distance as UT/MAC fan, I'd say Burno is trying to find an identity for the team but it's too early to see if it will come together. Losing average, mostly older, players to the portal is bad if you otherwise got a contending roster and those transfers are key role players/depth. NIU is at the bottom of the league so holding onto average MAC players who have had time to develop isn't going to make you competitive. Burno's recruiting is all over the place, literally. Generally, good MAC teams are building most of their roster from the MAC region and finding a couple key guys from outside of it. Also, looking at transfers out, it's not the # but who they are. Toledo loses 4 players but none were key productive guys and only 1 seemed to have the potential to grow into a good MAC player. OU lost 3 guys buy they are their 2 best returning players.
I'm not sure why it matter where recruits come from. Why should a coach limit their prospect pool to a couple of states?
I think, for the most part, MAC schools recruit heavily from Ohio and Michigan because that's their backyard and it's easier. They also never get the top talent from those states because those kids 100% don't stay in state if they have a better offer. So, you're hindering yourself to 2* kids from one small region. That's not wise.
Recruiting on a national and global stage is easier now but it also takes tons of effort. At this point, the jury is still out on if Burno's efforts will pay off or not. I do know that P5s recruit from all over and from other countries so why should a mid not do the same?
Its not like the players from within a geographical footprint have some kind of loyalty to those schools. We see this with the portal. No one is beholden to any region. These kids also don't really push attendance at all. Success does and no fanbase is going to favor local/regional mediocrity over success.
In regards to the players Toledo has lost, yeah, I pointed out that they were freshman or whatever because one of the original comments was that teams/coaches need to keep players inhouse and develop them long-term (I think this was a complaint about losing Myrick). Toledo lost some guys who didn't play but had 3 or 4 years left of eligibity. Just because they didn't play this year doesn't mean they don't become bigger contributors or reliable players down the line. I mean, if losing them was nothing to the program, then that's bad recruiting because they brought in 3 guys who didn't matter and now are being replaced.
I mean...yeah...I kind of agree with you but I was responding to the argument that NIU is doing such a terrible job of keeping kids in the program when, realistically, they only lost one kid who really mattered (the grad transfers aren't even worth talking about because I never expect a kid to stay past their obligation). NIU was really weak in the post this year and Myrick was a post player who couldn't get on the floor. Granted...he was hurt a lot. But there's a lot of bigs coming in next year and I get why he's moving on (probably JUCO).