A counter view on recruiting…well, not that counter

A counter view on recruiting…well, not that counter
by BabaGhanouj (2022-06-22 16:08:18)

In reply to: Agree With Doggie (Thx). Here are a few '23/'24 Players ... posted by dillon77

I personally have no problem with Niele keeping things close to the vest.

ND women's basketball does not have a hundred high schoolers to choose from, they have about 20. Of that 20, maybe 15 have no interest in Notre Dame. We are talking only 2 or 3 players per year out of a possible 5. The scale of recruiting in women's basketball, at least if you want to win the championship, is completely different. I like the idea of concentrating on a few good women. The best of the best.

Oftentimes, the recruits we are looking at are not publicity hounds and would prefer that the Notre Dame coaches not reveal every visit, text, or tweet. They like their privacy. Recruit for the recruits, not for the fans. A little patience, and the fans will benefit eventually.

Sure, as many would have it, we could expand our reach to include “safety” or “insurance” players who may not win championships but make us a good also-ran if we fail in our first choices. As I have said before, I dislike the “hope for the best, plan for the worst” strategy. “Plan for the best, consider contingencies”, as I think we’ve agreed upon.

In addition, I’m not wedded to any particular strategy to the exclusion of others. It is a fine line to walk, especially when there are only 5 on the floor (from four years) at any one time. The most important thing is chemistry, and if the coaches feel like a non top 20 recruit can solidify rolls and chemistry, then, by all means, go for it. We have all seen the recruiting raters fail for some players.

But my main reason in deferring to the ND coaches is that they know so much more about the recruits and the intimate details of what would sway them one way or another. Who or who not they might want to play with, and, of course, the all important, playing time to expect. Unless I feel I know a recruit better than the coaches, I’ll be happy to let them deal with recruiting in their own way.

However, I still like to read about speculations regarding possible recruits.

During a Fallow June, We May Be Re-Earthing Our Views...

..when I reread your e-mail and mine. However, the one new(er) thought I've added to this was in my initial reply, which is the recent surge in transfer signings means that the extensive work that Niele and Mike have done could have payback, either immediate or down the road. So, doing exhaustive searches and courtships on a few(er) tried and true prospects is perhaps not as high-risk, high-reward as in the past. You can second dibs!

Listen, it would be great to have an occasional picture or entry on Niele, Mike or Coach O visiting a prospect, but we collectively are doing fine piecing it together.

As for "trusting" coaches, heck, that's almost a given unless specifically calling something out and that's generally not in recruiting.

However, when asked for prospects, I'd like to see, well....I'll jump on that platform :-)

Amen to past recruiting work paying dividends in the portal! *

Kind of Akin to Dusting off the Old Word File, Right?

Niele has always sets her sights pretty high and ND pretty much demands it from an academic standpoint so the pool is pretty tight to start with. So, it's (somewhat) gratifying to know one can get a second crack. (Just hope it doesn't happen the other way too often!).

I'm eager to see how Kylee Watson does here and very intrigued by Jenna Brown. As you and I have posited, dividends could break out here (knock on wood).

Stay tuned.