(07-04-2020 08:24 AM)squeak Wrote: I wonder if a high profile recruit comes here only to leave in two years? Would the coaches sell that? Grow, mature, get coached up, then move on to a P-5 program to sell their skills. I see both a plus and a minus to this sort of recruiting.
It wouldn't be overt on the recruiting side - especially for h.s. kids. It's more what's going on in the kids' minds. Let's say you're a 3* recruit - or a high 2* recruit who (thinks he) knows he should be rated higher. They're not going to get offers (likely) from the high-majors. So they look at the offers they *do* have. Let's say it's ETSU vs. Marshall vs. Furman vs. UNC-W vs. Appy St. So the kid, who may only be 16 when he's being recruited by these teams, looks at those options. In his mind, he may be thinking "Well, I know it may be long odds, but I think in the next couple of years I'm gonna be better. Who knows, I may be "good enough" (meaning to make some version of "pro")." So then he further thinks "Where can I go so that I can maximize my chances to make that step up?" That's the kind of scenario I'm thinking about, and I suspect Shay is thinking, too. That's how he can leverage the pro angle of his staff's experience. So a kid visits, either live or virtual, and the kid may have these thoughts in his mind. Shay or Heiar aren't going to just volunteer "Hey, we think you've got the tools to play in Europe, at least." It won't be blatant. But the kid knows that IF he comes here, he'll have the opportunity to discuss, and talk about this sort of thing at the appropriate time. He knows there's people here who have the history of knowing what it takes to get "there". "This guy helped get Larry Nance, Jr. to the pros. That's the kind of coach that'll help *me* get as high as I can."
The corollary is what squeak says, about being here two years. The coaches are NOT going to sell that, but the kid almost certainly is already going to know that anyway. ANY kid now knows that all options are on the table after 1, 2, or 3 years. If he truly *is* good enough, then the world gradually sits up and takes notice, and then it's a whole new situation. The coaches can not begin to think that way (I don't think). This isn't 1-and-done Kentucky. Is it possible Forbes, when he brought in Bo, that he knew Bo would move on before finishing at ETSU? Well, of course it's possible, but I'd say *extremely* unlikely that that would have influenced his recruiting or the recruiting pitch. The coach just cannot be worried with how that will play out in 2 (or 3, in Bo's case) years. Get what/who you can get now..........and tomorrow will take care of itself however it will.
bucfan81's follow-up:
"I think their goal is to inch us towards being a consistent powerhouse from the mid-majors where players want to stay here. Like Gonzaga, WSU are currently.", is accurate, too. Forbes thought along those lines, too, but also knew he was taking the first promising ship out of Buccaneer Harbor. Shay may or may not get to that point, too, but certainly not now or soon.
[minor edit: I am NOT implying that's the *only* reason why Shay picked these particular coaches to fill out his staff. Not at all. But I think it's likely that that's part of what influenced his thinking. They had to have all the 'other' stuff, too, like "fit"; character; winner, etc. All that stuff I wrote above is just one more angle I think he was calculating into his hiring process.]
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Assistant Coaches and othe staff thread
