HJS {l Wrote}:RedBaron67 {l Wrote}:Spreading scholarships out is a necessity if a program is to maintain coherence and consistency (unless you're Calipari, of course).
All this aside, since you're so convinced that BC recruiting is going to bomb in 2014, what makes you think that BC will do any better shopping for a PF in 2013, where the process is much further advanced? Donahue & Co. have shown interest in a number of quality 2013 bigs in other parts of the country, without much response. It doesn't get any easier this late in the game. In other words, at this point, unless you're willing to have BC grab the kind of stiff in 2013 you don't want in 2014, it will probably make more sense to leave remaining slots open for 2014. Donahue might perform a last-minute miracle with Etou or someone like him, but the probabilities point to waiting for 2014.
I'm avoiding the Skinner part of the response since Mrs. Skinner has already addressed it. But, if spreading scholarships around is so incredibly important, why... for his second recruiting class... did Don hand out 7 scholarships? See... you could've said that Don's plan is to do what he did at Cornell... get one 8-person class every 4 years, start them as frosh and hope for good things their junior and senior years (ala Obie with Curley, Eisley, Huckabee, Abrams). THAT would be consistent with what he appears to be doing (2-7-2-1).
I will remind everyone that Don was scrambling mightily all last Spring to land a big. I predict the same song and dance this Spring.
As to your points about (a) them trying to land a 2013 big but received no returned interest and (b) that they've run out of big 2013 targets and it would be tough to land anything but a stiff this late in the process... all that does is confirms my concerns about recruiting. You're an ACC head coach and you can guarantee a frosh immediately PT... and you can't get returned interest????? That is the definition of sucking at recruiting. You know you need help at the 4 and 5, you've tried for well over a year to address it... and so you cast a very narrow net for potential 2013 bigs???? That is the definition of shitty recruiting strategy.
I will remind everyone that eepstein and redbaron67 (selected at random) bemoaning the lack of a big in the 2012 class on the EO message board does
NOT equal Don scrambling mightily all last Spring to land a big. I further remind you that that HJS can take a result with extremely limited information, like the fact that we currently have no 2013 PF or C commitments and extrapolate a very detailed narrative of the causation with much blame assigned despite having very, very few pieces of actual information lending to such narrative. In fact at times his assumptions are pretty ridiculous, like being able to offer early PT for a big?? no we have two players at PF at C (the best players on the current roster) who will play 25 plus (closer to 30) minutes a game for the next three years, that is the opposite of early PT. The pitch: "Listen son, if you come to Boston College, you might be able to start at power forward your senior year!"
I really, really have a hard time believing anyone thinks that in light of the empty 2009 class, Ravenel transfer, likelihood of Jackson leaving, Elmore not being an ACC player [done on purpose to antagonize] and essentially empty 2010 class(apply blame with as many assumptions as you see fit) warranted anything less than a scholarship dump in every direction in 2011. Stating it was a strategy to build a winning class every four years is (ellipsis)
Finally, here is what I have to say re: recruiting strategy; you have 1 or 2 scholarships to give in 2013. You know this going in. Assuming you agree on the "need" for a big man, do you a) offer 25 power forwards and centers whereby you focus on a large pool but can't focus particularly on any one or small group of players keeping in mind you went 9 and 22 the prior year and conte doesn't exactly sell itself, or do you b) focus on 3-5 and apply all efforts to those players? BC clearly expended some resources on Vonleh, probably at the expense of going after some less touted big men. I am fine with that for a variety of reasons.
