Basketball recruiting: USF is really struggling

[Cpa_bull90]

In Basketball, it really should not be all that difficult to recruit. All you need are 4 to 5 good to above average players. Overall, I think facilities and other explanations in this thread are just excuses. Based on our success this year, we should have some momentum going and not striking out on EVERY SINGLE TARGET.

I thought Jeremy Cox and Eric Skeeters were brought in as new Assistant Coaches for their ability to RECRUIT. Last year, Vega and others complained the previous Assistants could not recruit. Well, the old ones actually did BETTER getting Famous, etc. The new assistants are not getting it done. Why did they waste all that time recruiting all those Baltimore kids?

Why don't they just concentrate on good Florida players, rather than striking out all over the Northeast!

Recruiting is all about enthusiasm, passion and SELLING. Get out there coaches and RECRUIT!

[Bruce Blingstein]

In Basketball, it really should not be all that difficult to recruit. All you need are 4 to 5 good to above average players. Overall, I think facilities and other explanations in this thread are just excuses. Based on our success this year, we should have some momentum going and not striking out on EVERY SINGLE TARGET.

I thought Jeremy Cox and Eric Skeeters were brought in as new Assistant Coaches for their ability to RECRUIT. Last year, Vega and others complained the previous Assistants could not recruit. Well, the old ones actually did BETTER getting Famous, etc. The new assistants are not getting it done. Why did they waste all that time recruiting all those Baltimore kids?

Why don't they just concentrate on good Florida players, rather than striking out all over the Northeast!

Recruiting is all about enthusiasm, passion and SELLING. Get out there coaches and RECRUIT!

No doubt about it, if it were all about facilities and money Oregon would win the national championship every year. 

all about selling an idea, showing you are building a team and yes selling the amenities your university AND city offers. 

nothing truer than all you need is 4 to 5 good players.  you see that when you watch teams like Butler, N. Iowa, Xavier, Cornell, etc.  Its not luck, its not a fluke when these teams achieve.  its a coach with a philosophy and being able to plug his players and styles into it.

we never can get it going here.  I blame it on the conference a lot but Im pretty sure we had butlers schedule we wouldnt have 29 wins and easily make the tournament every year. 

[CyberBull]

To keep it short...the spring signing period is coming up soon and we aren't a serious contender to land anybody of note. The staff looks to have all but given up on going after somewhat known talent. It looks like the focus has shift to turning over as many rocks as they can in hopes of finding a few hidden gems. Any BE school that has to recruit like they are in the Sunbelt or the MAAC will find it hard to just compete never mind win games.

Also I don't even know if Robertson is still committed to USF. Right now the best player we have coming in next season is Showtime Haynes. :

We get it....you don't like Coach heath, but ever since your early january rant how this team will never win games with Coach Heath, all they have done is prove your wrong. Coach Heath was known as  a great recruiter. Once the facilities are in place recruiting will get better. We should also see more interest for next year's class b/c of our season this year.

Relax...give the man time to build this thing. It was a complete reclamation project.

[cmhatter]

if i was a talented player and had offers from a few of the BE teams...

Stan could try to sell me on any idea he wants but what I'd look for the following things:

1. Pro potential - Does going to USF give me the opportunity to be noticed by pro GMs.

2. Facilities - When I step foot on campus I want to see where I'm going to work every day. I want to see a nice locker room, a nice gym, nice gear... all that stuff. I want to see facilities dedicated to my sport. I don't want to be locked away in the run down areas of the old sun dome while all the other sports get to be based in the athletics center (lets be honest, its really the football building).

3. Location - Decent area to live where I can stay out of trouble and concentrate on basketball.

________________________________

Heath could tell me i'm his man and that i'll start for however long i'd like to stay blah blah blah... Fact is, if I can't further my career at USF, why shoot yourself in the foot.

[Bruce Blingstein]

if i was a talented player and had offers from a few of the BE teams...

Stan could try to sell me on any idea he wants but what I'd look for the following things:

1. Pro potential - Does going to USF give me the opportunity to be noticed by pro GMs.

if you can play ball you have pro potential, doesnt matter if you go to JUCO, Duke, Loyala Marymount or are from kazakhstan. scouts look at everyone.

we dont need 5 star recruits we need a fundamentally sound team, not just one guy, that focuses on rebounding, defense and hitting open jump shots. 

we did well this year but never did I feel we were a tournament or solid team.  we resolved around one guys night...thats on coaching. 

2 more years and if we arent making the tournament  (what our goal should be) we go another direction.  This is hard for usf fans and ad to accept but its the way it should be.  And USF may be the only program I really feel I can run a lot of their departments better than so called qualified employees. 

[Paisa el Toro]

My hunch is that USF could have some transfers that are likely to jump over, probably just waiting for the spring signing period to wrap up. I think all you can expect from Heath is progress, and we got that this past season.

[CousinRicky]

In Basketball, it really should not be all that difficult to recruit. All you need are 4 to 5 good to above average players. Overall, I think facilities and other explanations in this thread are just excuses. Based on our success this year, we should have some momentum going and not striking out on EVERY SINGLE TARGET.

I thought Jeremy Cox and Eric Skeeters were brought in as new Assistant Coaches for their ability to RECRUIT. Last year, Vega and others complained the previous Assistants could not recruit. Well, the old ones actually did BETTER getting Famous, etc. The new assistants are not getting it done. Why did they waste all that time recruiting all those Baltimore kids?

Why don't they just concentrate on good Florida players, rather than striking out all over the Northeast!

Recruiting is all about enthusiasm, passion and SELLING. Get out there coaches and RECRUIT!

No doubt about it, if it were all about facilities and money Oregon would win the national championship every year. 

all about selling an idea, showing you are building a team and yes selling the amenities your university AND city offers. 

nothing truer than all you need is 4 to 5 good players.  you see that when you watch teams like Butler, N. Iowa, Xavier, Cornell, etc.  Its not luck, its not a fluke when these teams achieve.  its a coach with a philosophy and being able to plug his players and styles into it.

we never can get it going here.  I blame it on the conference a lot but Im pretty sure we had butlers schedule we wouldnt have 29 wins and easily make the tournament every year.   

Maybe part of that is changing coaches every 4 years.  I believe BCSH is a decent coach, decent guy and should be given another 4 years or so.  If you bring in any coach other than Coach K, Roy Williams, Izzo, Bill Self (you get the idea), they are going to have the same hard time selling recruits on USF basketball.  So why keep the coaching carousel going?  Give Heath some time to become known in the BE recruiting wars and to develop the program.

My take is neither he nor any run of the mill coach can bring USF Basketball to prominence.  We just need to get used to having an "also ran" program in basketball.  Lappas at St. Johns can sell playing at MSG and point to some history (although a long, long time ago).  You just don't have anything to work with at USF.

[Held_AccountaBull]

To keep it short...the spring signing period is coming up soon and we aren't a serious contender to land anybody of note. The staff looks to have all but given up on going after somewhat known talent. It looks like the focus has shift to turning over as many rocks as they can in hopes of finding a few hidden gems. Any BE school that has to recruit like they are in the Sunbelt or the MAAC will find it hard to just compete never mind win games.

Also I don't even know if Robertson is still committed to USF. Right now the best player we have coming in next season is Showtime Haynes. :

We get it....you don't like Coach heath, but ever since your early january rant how this team will never win games with Coach Heath, all they have done is prove your wrong. Coach Heath was known as  a great recruiter. Once the facilities are in place recruiting will get better. We should also see more interest for next year's class b/c of our season this year.

Relax...give the man time to build this thing. It was a complete reclamation project.

Not to but in, but you have no clue what you are talking about. I have never heard Vega say he doesn't like Heath. I've heard the exact opposite.

[Held_AccountaBull]

In Basketball, it really should not be all that difficult to recruit. All you need are 4 to 5 good to above average players. Overall, I think facilities and other explanations in this thread are just excuses. Based on our success this year, we should have some momentum going and not striking out on EVERY SINGLE TARGET.

I thought Jeremy Cox and Eric Skeeters were brought in as new Assistant Coaches for their ability to RECRUIT. Last year, Vega and others complained the previous Assistants could not recruit. Well, the old ones actually did BETTER getting Famous, etc. The new assistants are not getting it done. Why did they waste all that time recruiting all those Baltimore kids?

Why don't they just concentrate on good Florida players, rather than striking out all over the Northeast!

Recruiting is all about enthusiasm, passion and SELLING. Get out there coaches and RECRUIT!

No doubt about it, if it were all about facilities and money Oregon would win the national championship every year. 

all about selling an idea, showing you are building a team and yes selling the amenities your university AND city offers. 

nothing truer than all you need is 4 to 5 good players.  you see that when you watch teams like Butler, N. Iowa, Xavier, Cornell, etc.  Its not luck, its not a fluke when these teams achieve.  its a coach with a philosophy and being able to plug his players and styles into it.

we never can get it going here.  I blame it on the conference a lot but Im pretty sure we had butlers schedule we wouldnt have 29 wins and easily make the tournament every year.   

Maybe part of that is changing coaches every 4 years.  I believe BCSH is a decent coach, decent guy and should be given another 4 years or so.  If you bring in any coach other than Coach K, Roy Williams, Izzo, Bill Self (you get the idea), they are going to have the same hard time selling recruits on USF basketball.  So why keep the coaching carousel going?  Give Heath some time to become known in the BE recruiting wars and to develop the program.

My take is neither he nor any run of the mill coach can bring USF Basketball to prominence.  We just need to get used to having an "also ran" program in basketball.  Lappas at St. Johns can sell playing at MSG and point to some history (although a long, long time ago).  You just don't have anything to work with at USF.

Excuse me? We just need to get used to having an "also ran" program in basketball? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Fans of sports should never have to be used to being that kind of program or team. That's ridiculous.

[IncrediBULL]

My friend had a good suggestion.  Knowing USF has lots of out of state/countyr players, he suggested the following.  If you look at the past few years, Clearwater High and Lakeland HS have had some exceptional teams.  Why not just cozy up to those coaches and take their top 1 - 2 players each year.  You would not have to travel out of state to make up a good team, just get them all from here, locally.

I think it could work.