Basketball recruiting to Pullman

[7ICoug]

Why would recruiting to Pullman be much different than recruiting to Spokane? I have heard on here from people like Bob for years that it is so difficult to recruit to Pullman.

First of all Pullman is 90 minutes South of Spokane. It is with no doubt the best College campus/town in the Pac-12. The weather is about the same as Spokane tho with much less fog.

One difference is that WSU is a Power 5 school and the school in Spokane is a mid-major.

People seem to think that a 90 minute drive is much. It normally takes much longer from LAX or SEA to UCLA/USC or UW than 90 minutes to the campus.

I contend that if you win recruiting becomes quite a bit easier. Both football seems to bare this out as well as other WSU sports.

What say?

 

[ElComanche]

Spokane is a much larger city than Pullman. One wonders what percentage of Gonzaga s graduates stay in the Spokane area? I have not been to Spokane in a long time and one wonders if there is now much to do for a college age student? I could see myself living in Spokane after graduation but in no way did i consider living in Pullman after graduation .

 

[avabob1]

If you get over the hump like GU did you can finally tap into the urban markets where most if the top high schoolers are. GU was able to build a dominant program with under the radar, and foreign players. Most of their first 7 or 8 tourney teams were not made up of players being recruited by the PAC 10.

Pullman is not perceived as a desirable destination by a lot of city kids. Also, Spokane was a terrible basketball town until GU became chic. One of the problems I always had with GU fans. I remember going to a Coug Zag game in Pullman along about 2003 and thinking that most of those Spokane GU people couldn't have named 2 starters off the mid 90s GU teams
Bottom line, GU sose to prominence by being a very big fish in a very small pond. 5 or 6 straight NCAA appearances by a WSU team would probably open up some more doors to top tier talent. Unfortunately the old chicken and egg issue arises in Pullman

 

[ElComanche]

New recruiting coordinator named to Kent s staff. He is a great addition to the staff. Elwyn McRoy.,That will help in recruiting to Pullman.

 

[avabob1]

Sounds like a good addition. I know I have been negative on recruiting to Pullman.. Doesn't mean I don't think it can improve. We just aren't going to be able to go toe to toe with very many conference schools for upper tier kids. If we can continue to get kids like Flynn, Franks, Daniels, Gittens, and Acquaah it will show up on the court

 

[ElComanche]

I do not know the guy, E Mc Roy.. What is important is his ability to evaluate players and recruit them.I was always skeptical of Curtis Allen s ability to be honest. I thought that he should have been let go.This guy is a gym rat type of coach who will be the one to first initiate contacts with players. There are a lot of great players out there .ether at the juco level or playing at smaller schools who for various reasons are not seen as "top tier" kids. These players just need time to develop and blossom .It seemed like Kent was recruiting actively to fill in the gaps in the programs recruiting efforts.The assistant coaches are the ones who need to be doing this.Mc Roy will be logging in many miles in his new role.The purse strings are being loosened to hire a new staff member..

 

[avabob1]

Loosening the purse strings may be the best part of this

 

[jourdand]

He won't be on the front lines! More of a video evaluator and letter/ slash phone caller. He won't be allowed to recruit off campus this year but the writing may be on the wall as far as Allen is concerned.

 

[ElComanche]

Good post. I thought that he would be able to recruit off campus. You may be right about Allen.

 

[7ICoug]

Curtis was the only one on the staff that was recruiting. Kind of can't believe you guys are slamming him. Flynn, Franks, Daniels, Gittens, for sure were all his recruits. Certainly not those other "guys". Acquaah I am not sure about.

FWIW Franks and Gittens are not now nor were they second level recruits. Gittens is the best recruit since Klay.

Probably having Ed Haskins and Bennie Seltzer will help Curtis a great deal and having a coordinator will also help as it appears we will have a national search out for players.at all levels.