This article could be about BC as well......Is it Worth Recruiting Against the Blue Bloods?
By New England Recruiting Report
First it was Donovan Mitchell. Then it was Wenyen Gabriel.
Now some Friar fans are asking the question, 'should we even bother trying to recruit these guys.' We asked Ed Cooley that same question on Big East Media day and here's what he had to say.
A coach in Cooley's position can't always be as blunt as he would like to be, but there are two very candid reasons why we beg to differ with anyone who suggests that Providence shouldn't bother trying to recruit local five star prospects.
1. How Quickly You Forget. (aka The Kris Dunn Argument)
The most ironic part about this argument in the timing i.e. that it's happening just as the college basketball world is abuzz about Kris Dunn, the national pre-season player of the year according to many outlets. Dunn was a higher ranked national recruit than Gabriel. He chose Providence over the same place, Louisville, that Mitchell ultimately committed to. He was even a McDonald's All-American, something neither Mitchell nor Gabriel will be.
In other words, Dunn was an even more prized recruit than either of these guys and so the people who suggest that Providence shouldn't bother to recruit prospects of this caliber are completely ignoring the Friars' best player, who just so happens to be the Big East Player of the Year and quite possibly the very best college basketball player in the country.
Kris Dunn chose PC over Louisville and hasn't looked back
This comes with a word of caution for the other side of the spectrum; this isn't to say that Providence can go blow for blow with every blue blood program in the country, and the reality is that has nothing to do with Cooley and everything to do with the brands of programs like Duke and Kentucky. Ironically, Gabriel would openly tell you he had a better connection with Cooley than he did with Mike Krzyzewski or John Calipari. The reality is that he felt like he just couldn't turn down a place like Duke or Kentucky for Providence. Many kids in his position might feel the same – but as Kris Dunn shows us – not all.
In other words, no, Providence can't go blow for blow on the recruiting trail with the likes of college basketball's most established programs. However, picking a strategic fight or two can, and has, proven to be very beneficial.
2. The Transfer Epidemic
The transfer rate of division I men's college basketball players is at an all-time high, and that's a factor that college coaches are increasingly aware of as they go through the recruiting process with each prospect. Why? Because there's a chance that prospect might go through the process a second time. There's a term that has become common place in the college coaching fraternity to signify this second time and it goes “we'll get him on the way back." Essentially, what it means is that sometimes it's worth recruiting a player out of high school, even if you know chances aren't good that you get him right away, because it puts you in a good position if they ever decide to transfer.
The recruiting process is a much quicker and more efficient one for transfers than it is right out of high school. They already know what college basketball is about and so the factors they're basing their decision on are much more tangible and practical than they might have been out of high school. In order to expedite the process, many prospects stick with the programs and coaches they already know, often times schools that previously recruited them. It's also not uncommon that players want to come back closer to home. Another key factor is how that final conversation went when the prospect called a head coach to tell him he was going somewhere else. If the process was a fair and honest one, you can bet Cooley is smart enough to make sure their last impression of him was no less positive then the rest of the process.
Take for example, Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer, who ironically is the other most popular candidate for college basketball's pre-season player of the year. Wiltjer spent two seasons at the University of Kentucky out of high school, but then opted to come back closer to have to have a chance to play a more prominent role. He sat out for a year and then was a star in his first season for the Zags. And yes, Gonzaga had recruited him the first time around.
Donovan Mitchell got away from Ed Cooley but that doesn't mean it was a wasted effort
Bottom Line
These aren't the only two reasons why it's worth it for Providence, and other programs of similar stature, to recruit strategic top talent, even if it means going up against some of college basketball's blue-bloods. Yes, there's a chance you just might get him (Kris Dunn), there's a chance it could set you up to get him “on the way back" (Kyle Wiltjer), and even if it doesn't it also sends a clear message to your administration, boosters, fans and even players that you believe your program can, and should, compete with anyone in the country.
Ed Cooley has operated that way since he first arrived in Providence, while simultaneously always having good contingency plans on the recruiting trail. It's a recipe that should be celebrated, and not coincidentally has led to one of the most successful periods of PC basketball in recent history.
By New England Recruiting Report
First it was Donovan Mitchell. Then it was Wenyen Gabriel.
Now some Friar fans are asking the question, 'should we even bother trying to recruit these guys.' We asked Ed Cooley that same question on Big East Media day and here's what he had to say.
A coach in Cooley's position can't always be as blunt as he would like to be, but there are two very candid reasons why we beg to differ with anyone who suggests that Providence shouldn't bother trying to recruit local five star prospects.
1. How Quickly You Forget. (aka The Kris Dunn Argument)
The most ironic part about this argument in the timing i.e. that it's happening just as the college basketball world is abuzz about Kris Dunn, the national pre-season player of the year according to many outlets. Dunn was a higher ranked national recruit than Gabriel. He chose Providence over the same place, Louisville, that Mitchell ultimately committed to. He was even a McDonald's All-American, something neither Mitchell nor Gabriel will be.
In other words, Dunn was an even more prized recruit than either of these guys and so the people who suggest that Providence shouldn't bother to recruit prospects of this caliber are completely ignoring the Friars' best player, who just so happens to be the Big East Player of the Year and quite possibly the very best college basketball player in the country.
Kris Dunn chose PC over Louisville and hasn't looked back
This comes with a word of caution for the other side of the spectrum; this isn't to say that Providence can go blow for blow with every blue blood program in the country, and the reality is that has nothing to do with Cooley and everything to do with the brands of programs like Duke and Kentucky. Ironically, Gabriel would openly tell you he had a better connection with Cooley than he did with Mike Krzyzewski or John Calipari. The reality is that he felt like he just couldn't turn down a place like Duke or Kentucky for Providence. Many kids in his position might feel the same – but as Kris Dunn shows us – not all.
In other words, no, Providence can't go blow for blow on the recruiting trail with the likes of college basketball's most established programs. However, picking a strategic fight or two can, and has, proven to be very beneficial.
2. The Transfer Epidemic
The transfer rate of division I men's college basketball players is at an all-time high, and that's a factor that college coaches are increasingly aware of as they go through the recruiting process with each prospect. Why? Because there's a chance that prospect might go through the process a second time. There's a term that has become common place in the college coaching fraternity to signify this second time and it goes “we'll get him on the way back." Essentially, what it means is that sometimes it's worth recruiting a player out of high school, even if you know chances aren't good that you get him right away, because it puts you in a good position if they ever decide to transfer.
The recruiting process is a much quicker and more efficient one for transfers than it is right out of high school. They already know what college basketball is about and so the factors they're basing their decision on are much more tangible and practical than they might have been out of high school. In order to expedite the process, many prospects stick with the programs and coaches they already know, often times schools that previously recruited them. It's also not uncommon that players want to come back closer to home. Another key factor is how that final conversation went when the prospect called a head coach to tell him he was going somewhere else. If the process was a fair and honest one, you can bet Cooley is smart enough to make sure their last impression of him was no less positive then the rest of the process.
Take for example, Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer, who ironically is the other most popular candidate for college basketball's pre-season player of the year. Wiltjer spent two seasons at the University of Kentucky out of high school, but then opted to come back closer to have to have a chance to play a more prominent role. He sat out for a year and then was a star in his first season for the Zags. And yes, Gonzaga had recruited him the first time around.
Bottom Line
These aren't the only two reasons why it's worth it for Providence, and other programs of similar stature, to recruit strategic top talent, even if it means going up against some of college basketball's blue-bloods. Yes, there's a chance you just might get him (Kris Dunn), there's a chance it could set you up to get him “on the way back" (Kyle Wiltjer), and even if it doesn't it also sends a clear message to your administration, boosters, fans and even players that you believe your program can, and should, compete with anyone in the country.
Ed Cooley has operated that way since he first arrived in Providence, while simultaneously always having good contingency plans on the recruiting trail. It's a recipe that should be celebrated, and not coincidentally has led to one of the most successful periods of PC basketball in recent history.
