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How recruiting has changed over the years


DWB

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Been listening to some of the older generations stories on how they were recruited. Compare those to today, and it seems like recruiting 20-40 years ago was so much easier, or maybe I should say less "involved" than it is today.

Dane Fife said he had Knight, Coach K, Fisher from UM, Izzo, Dean Smith all in his living room at various times, and made an official visit to most of those schools. Didn't talk about getting phone calls every day, much less texts (didn't have them then) every 15 minutes.

Brian Evans said he sat in a chair in AH and Knight offered him a scholly the first time they met. Took 10 minutes total.

I can't even imagine all the crap a coach has to go thru these days to recruit a kid at all, much less get him. The amount of time CAM spent on Garcia was probably more than Knight spent on an entire class of recruits. I know Knight was a legend, but so was Dean Smith, Coach K was coming into his own, the UK crook, etc.

Garcia might be a great kid, but I'm skeptical that he hadn't made up his mind until after Archie chartered a plane to go see him right before the announcement for Marquette. And if he had made up his mind before CAM's visit, then that's pretty dis-respectful in my book. But then again...I'm old school (and proud of it).

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4 minutes ago, DWB said:

Been listening to some of the older generations stories on how they were recruited. Compare those to today, and it seems like recruiting 20-40 years ago was so much easier, or maybe I should say less "involved" than it is today.

Dane Fife said he had Knight, Coach K, Fisher from UM, Izzo, Dean Smith all in his living room at various times, and made an official visit to most of those schools. Didn't talk about getting phone calls every day, much less texts (didn't have them then) every 15 minutes.

Brian Evans said he sat in a chair in AH and Knight offered him a scholly the first time they met. Took 10 minutes total.

I can't even imagine all the crap a coach has to go thru these days to recruit a kid at all, much less get him. The amount of time CAM spent on Garcia was probably more than Knight spent on an entire class of recruits. I know Knight was a legend, but so was Dean Smith, Coach K was coming into his own, the UK crook, etc.

Garcia might be a great kid, but I'm skeptical that he hadn't made up his mind until after Archie chartered a plane to go see him right before the announcement for Marquette. And if he had made up his mind before CAM's visit, then that's pretty dis-respectful in my book. But then again...I'm old school (and proud of it).

Garcia was promised the world from a coach ( wojo) who needed to save his job. Telling garcia would be the man from day one was tough to pass up. But I thinking landing him saved wojo.

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24 minutes ago, DWB said:

Been listening to some of the older generations stories on how they were recruited. Compare those to today, and it seems like recruiting 20-40 years ago was so much easier, or maybe I should say less "involved" than it is today.

Dane Fife said he had Knight, Coach K, Fisher from UM, Izzo, Dean Smith all in his living room at various times, and made an official visit to most of those schools. Didn't talk about getting phone calls every day, much less texts (didn't have them then) every 15 minutes.

Brian Evans said he sat in a chair in AH and Knight offered him a scholly the first time they met. Took 10 minutes total.

I can't even imagine all the crap a coach has to go thru these days to recruit a kid at all, much less get him. The amount of time CAM spent on Garcia was probably more than Knight spent on an entire class of recruits. I know Knight was a legend, but so was Dean Smith, Coach K was coming into his own, the UK crook, etc.

Garcia might be a great kid, but I'm skeptical that he hadn't made up his mind until after Archie chartered a plane to go see him right before the announcement for Marquette. And if he had made up his mind before CAM's visit, then that's pretty dis-respectful in my book. But then again...I'm old school (and proud of it).

It has changed so much for the fans as well because like I said before I did not find out who was in our 1989 class until I read it in the paper the day after signing day.  today you have so much assess to recruiting sites and message boards and sometimes to me that is a bad thing.  Today you know who your team is after and who they are recruiting hard so when someone chooses elsewhere you think of it as a big miss. 25-30 years ago when Garcia announced for Marquette you would not think anything of it because you probably did not know we were recruiting him.  The first time I remember knowing about a recruiting miss was when Eric Montross committed to UNC.  It was on the local news so that is how I found out about it but today we would have been on message boards for months following his recruitment.

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30 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

It has changed so much for the fans as well because like I said before I did not find out who was in our 1989 class until I read it in the paper the day after signing day.  today you have so much assess to recruiting sites and message boards and sometimes to me that is a bad thing.  Today you know who your team is after and who they are recruiting hard so when someone chooses elsewhere you think of it as a big miss. 25-30 years ago when Garcia announced for Marquette you would not think anything of it because you probably did not know we were recruiting him.  The first time I remember knowing about a recruiting miss was when Eric Montross committed to UNC.  It was on the local news so that is how I found out about it but today we would have been on message boards for months following his recruitment.

Yep...there simply wasn't the access to information that there is now.  Everyone "knows" too much these days.  LOL

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26 minutes ago, Coach Robby said:

My dad subscribed to inside Indiana in the 90’s. Always had great info regarding recruits and stats from the past weeks games!

I subscribed for years until they started cutting the recruiting info.  At first they would have 4 or 5 pages just about the recruits then it dwindled to a page or two.

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3 hours ago, DWB said:

 

Garcia might be a great kid, but I'm skeptical that he hadn't made up his mind until after Archie chartered a plane to go see him right before the announcement for Marquette. And if he had made up his mind before CAM's visit, then that's pretty dis-respectful in my book. But then again...I'm old school (and proud of it).

I was bothered more by Brooks having CAM come to LaLu during the BTT when he was UK all the way

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On 12/3/2019 at 3:35 PM, DWB said:

Been listening to some of the older generations stories on how they were recruited. Compare those to today, and it seems like recruiting 20-40 years ago was so much easier, or maybe I should say less "involved" than it is today.

Dane Fife said he had Knight, Coach K, Fisher from UM, Izzo, Dean Smith all in his living room at various times, and made an official visit to most of those schools. Didn't talk about getting phone calls every day, much less texts (didn't have them then) every 15 minutes.

Brian Evans said he sat in a chair in AH and Knight offered him a scholly the first time they met. Took 10 minutes total.

I can't even imagine all the crap a coach has to go thru these days to recruit a kid at all, much less get him. The amount of time CAM spent on Garcia was probably more than Knight spent on an entire class of recruits. I know Knight was a legend, but so was Dean Smith, Coach K was coming into his own, the UK crook, etc.

Garcia might be a great kid, but I'm skeptical that he hadn't made up his mind until after Archie chartered a plane to go see him right before the announcement for Marquette. And if he had made up his mind before CAM's visit, then that's pretty dis-respectful in my book. But then again...I'm old school (and proud of it).

That’s very true the time etc. Nothing has changed it more than AAU basketball. More specifically probably the last 10-15 years of AAU where the shoe companies really got involved and coaches and runners etc had more say in recruiting then many high school coaches. Let’s be honest...Knights down fall was the change in recruiting and time involved etc. At the end he spent more time hunting with the King of Spain and Presidents and his buddies Bill Parcells and Tony La Russa then out courting kids. He built a legacy graduating kids, making men, winning conferences and championships and teaching basketball and just about no recruits now days want to do any of those things...nor be in college long enough to have that happen. 

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On 12/3/2019 at 6:21 PM, Mike said:

Bob Knight was all in on Jeff lamp who ended up going to Virginia so we had to take our second choice a boy named Randy Wittman

Not to take away from the thread but I do believe Lamp was a class ahead of Wittman.

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I remember hearing an interview with a former IU player from the 70's telling how high level recruits would come in and hang out with the team and always asked "what'd they give you?" and when they were told "nothing" the recruit wouldn't believe it.  Cheating has probably evolved since the 60's & 70's as well - due LARGELY because of the likes of Nike, Addidas, etc..

I'd guess highly regarded  players have always had their egos stroked, but it -seems- like today they really, really, like the attention and bragging about it.  Likely because of the internet and social media, but IMO many of them are still prima donnas.

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It also changed with the public spread of the scout rankings like Rivals. There have always been scout rankings but the impact of social media with ranking sites, YouTube videos of the high school kids and 24-7 access has given kids more exposure —

that’s both a good thing and bad — it does give kids who otherwise were overlooked or who had fewer choices the ability to have more choices and say where they go to school / play. It also makes college coaches and staff commit more time and resources to recruiting 

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2 hours ago, Zuckerkorn said:

I remember hearing an interview with a former IU player from the 70's telling how high level recruits would come in and hang out with the team and always asked "what'd they give you?" and when they were told "nothing" the recruit wouldn't believe it.  Cheating has probably evolved since the 60's & 70's as well - due LARGELY because of the likes of Nike, Addidas, etc..

I'd guess highly regarded  players have always had their egos stroked, but it -seems- like today they really, really, like the attention and bragging about it.  Likely because of the internet and social media, but IMO many of them are still prima donnas.

Shawn Kemp was the recruit and Calbert Chaney was the player. 

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I think the  thing that has changed as much as anything are the parents of the players.  They get tunnel vision and all they see are scholarships and nothing else matters so they push the kids to play travel ball at an early age.  Also this goes beyond high school and when the players actually get to college when their son's don't get the minutes they think they deserve.  To me this leads to all the transfers we see today because the parents think their son is destined to make the NBA.  Instead of letting the players develop at their own pace the parents wants them to get to the NBA as fast as possible.  I see this at work with how Aaron henry's father talks about how he is playing and how many shots he is getting.  Before the season even started he was talking how Aaron is being predicted to being a 1st round pick and how he probably would be leaving for the NBA after this year.  I would love to have the nerve to tell him to stop putting pressure on him and let him develop as a college player first.

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1 hour ago, jefftheref said:

Shawn Kemp was the recruit and Calbert Chaney was the player. 

Agree about Shawm Kemp, but I recall Keith Smart saying SK asked him what he got for “the shot’. Smart said nothing. SK asked him about cars KS said he drove an old VW. SK said, “oh I get it, you find out after you sign”

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On 12/3/2019 at 6:21 PM, Mike said:

Bob Knight was all in on Jeff lamp who ended up going to Virginia so we had to take our second choice a boy named Randy Wittman

Randy Wittman was pretty much going to Indiana after his 8th grade year when he attended BK summer camp...story goes that BK ask him if he wanted to come to Indiana and play Basketball when he graduated high school and Wittman replied ..yes...so when BK ask him if he remembers what he said at the camp 4 years later, Wittman replied yes...recruitment over.

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1 hour ago, 13th&Jackson said:

Agree about Shawm Kemp, but I recall Keith Smart saying SK asked him what he got for “the shot’. Smart said nothing. SK asked him about cars KS said he drove an old VW. SK said, “oh I get it, you find out after you sign”

Is there any shock that he signed with Kentucky?

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Met my first wife on a recruiting trip.  School that had previously offered me a scholly was having second thoughts and hooked me up with her for a one-nighter if I would consider going elsewhere.  

That one-nighter turned into 2 months of wedded bliss followed by 23 months of wedded hell.

She ended up marrying the brother of her divorce attorney.

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2 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

Met my first wife on a recruiting trip.  School that had previously offered me a scholly was having second thoughts and hooked me up with her for a one-nighter if I would consider going elsewhere.  

That one-nighter turned into 2 months of wedded bliss followed by 23 months of wedded hell.

She ended up marrying the brother of her divorce attorney.

Was that trip to UL

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