Commits/Recruiting

[RedBaron67]

@TheArenaPulse Josh Sharma will take an unofficial visit to Boston College tomorrow, per @RivalsNation.

I believe he's class of 2014 or 2015.

ESPN Scouting Report:
Strengths:
Sharma is long, mobile, and athletic with signs of being able to develop into a skilled face-up type big man. He moves with ease, covers a lot of ground quickly, and gets off his feet in a hurry. He can run and jump to score, put the ball down in the open court, and has some developing mid-range touch on his jump shot that could eventually stretch out to the arc.

Weaknesses:
For his undeniable talent he's still raw in every possible way. He needs to get stronger physically, more assertive in his approach on both ends of the floor, and a little nastier inside the paint. The foundation is there to be skilled eventually, but only if he's willing to put in the time to develop those skills on a daily basis.

Bottom Line:
He's an intriguing young talent with a ton of upside. He's just starting to scratch the surface of his potential and may not yet understand how good he could eventually be if he commits himself to it.

Sharma (6'10", 210 lbs.) is from Lexington and played for Lexington HS as a sophomore (2014) this past season. From ESPN's report, it appears that he's going to transfer to Northfield-Mount Hermon and reclassify to 2015, just like his future teammate Collin McManus; not only that, Sharma is 6'10" and grew 2 inches in the last year, again just like McManus (but Sharma is about 20 lbs. lighter). I can't recall a past situation in which BC was recruiting 2 bigs same height, same position, same prep school, same class, and NOT blood relatives. They both look like very promising prospects; ESPN lists Sharma in its 2015 top 100, and going against McManus in practice every day may help him in the strength and aggressiveness areas. The big question, of course, is whether BC will even be on the radar of either one in 1.5-2 years if they begin to fulfill their potential and start attracting serious high-major interest. Still, it's a good idea to get in on them early.

[Shaddix]

@TheArenaPulse Josh Sharma will take an unofficial visit to Boston College tomorrow, per @RivalsNation.

I believe he's class of 2014 or 2015.

ESPN Scouting Report:
Strengths:
Sharma is long, mobile, and athletic with signs of being able to develop into a skilled face-up type big man. He moves with ease, covers a lot of ground quickly, and gets off his feet in a hurry. He can run and jump to score, put the ball down in the open court, and has some developing mid-range touch on his jump shot that could eventually stretch out to the arc.

Weaknesses:
For his undeniable talent he's still raw in every possible way. He needs to get stronger physically, more assertive in his approach on both ends of the floor, and a little nastier inside the paint. The foundation is there to be skilled eventually, but only if he's willing to put in the time to develop those skills on a daily basis.

Bottom Line:
He's an intriguing young talent with a ton of upside. He's just starting to scratch the surface of his potential and may not yet understand how good he could eventually be if he commits himself to it.

Sharma (6'10", 210 lbs.) is from Lexington and played for Lexington HS as a sophomore (2014) this past season. From ESPN's report, it appears that he's going to transfer to Northfield-Mount Hermon and reclassify to 2015, just like his future teammate Collin McManus; not only that, Sharma is 6'10" and grew 2 inches in the last year, again just like McManus (but Sharma is about 20 lbs. lighter). I can't recall a past situation in which BC was recruiting 2 bigs same height, same position, same prep school, same class, and NOT blood relatives. They both look like very promising prospects; ESPN lists Sharma in its 2015 top 100, and going against McManus in practice every day may help him in the strength and aggressiveness areas. The big question, of course, is whether BC will even be on the radar of either one in 1.5-2 years if they begin to fulfill their potential and start attracting serious high-major interest. Still, it's a good idea to get in on them early.

Sharma recently played some basketball out west in a tournament or something and really got his name out there. I expect much more exposure than BC at this early stage. Still, doesn't hurt that BC is the closest school to him.

[RedBaron67]

For what it's worth, NERR's prospects list indicates that Ian Sistare is also transferring to Northfield-Mount Hermon this fall. It's convenient for keeping track of them if nothing else.

[eepstein0]

For what it's worth, NERR's prospects list indicates that Ian Sistare is also transferring to Northfield-Mount Hermon this fall. It's convenient for keeping track of them if nothing else.

This should cut down on travel for recruiting. Can we just go up to Norhfield-Mount Hermon and pull down their entire roster?

[bignick33]

Virginia Tech's top recruit has asked for a release from his LOI:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hok ... _blog.html

[pick6pedro]

Virginia Tech's top recruit has asked for a release from his LOI:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hok ... _blog.html

I can only marvel at the world of possibilities Gene could come up with to sully the name of a "Montrezl".

[eepstein0]

Virginia Tech's top recruit has asked for a release from his LOI:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hok ... _blog.html

Donahue's gone into Hargrave before but that list of suitors is going to be tough.

[Shaddix]

According to Adam Zagoria, former Iona guard Kyle Smyth is closing in on a decision as to which school he'll transfer to. And it appears the two remaining finalists are Boston College and Seton Hall.

Steve Donahue has made landing Smyth a priority and it's easy to see why. The Eagles are coming off a nine win season -- one that they knew would be difficult going in -- and could use a somewhat established player like Smyth along the perimeter. While he only averaged 5.5 points per game in 2011-12, he was also only playing 20 minutes a night because of the presence of players like Momo Jones in the Gaels' backcourt. The year before, he was posting 10.1 points per contest and would figure to see plenty of playing time if he opted to take his game to Chestnut Hill.

On ESPN Insider. Dragicevich and Smyth within a week?

[Bunratty]

BC is showing interest in 2014 6'10 C Collin McMaus(NH) and 2015 G Ian Sistare(NH)

Build that wall around Cow Hampshire.

[eepstein0]

According to Adam Zagoria, former Iona guard Kyle Smyth is closing in on a decision as to which school he'll transfer to. And it appears the two remaining finalists are Boston College and Seton Hall.

Steve Donahue has made landing Smyth a priority and it's easy to see why. The Eagles are coming off a nine win season -- one that they knew would be difficult going in -- and could use a somewhat established player like Smyth along the perimeter. While he only averaged 5.5 points per game in 2011-12, he was also only playing 20 minutes a night because of the presence of players like Momo Jones in the Gaels' backcourt. The year before, he was posting 10.1 points per contest and would figure to see plenty of playing time if he opted to take his game to Chestnut Hill.

On ESPN Insider. Dragicevich and Smyth within a week?

I'd love to get Smyth. He'll provide some much needed depth.

[RedBaron67]

According to Adam Zagoria, former Iona guard Kyle Smyth is closing in on a decision as to which school he'll transfer to. And it appears the two remaining finalists are Boston College and Seton Hall.

Steve Donahue has made landing Smyth a priority and it's easy to see why. The Eagles are coming off a nine win season -- one that they knew would be difficult going in -- and could use a somewhat established player like Smyth along the perimeter. While he only averaged 5.5 points per game in 2011-12, he was also only playing 20 minutes a night because of the presence of players like Momo Jones in the Gaels' backcourt. The year before, he was posting 10.1 points per contest and would figure to see plenty of playing time if he opted to take his game to Chestnut Hill.

On ESPN Insider. Dragicevich and Smyth within a week?

I'd love to get Smyth. He'll provide some much needed depth.

And he also has the great advantage (in marked contrast to Dragicevich) of being available next season and gone after that to free the scholarship slot.

[eepstein0]

Devon Reed narrowed his list and it doesn't include BC. Sharma was also on campus this weekend.

[Shaddix]

Devon Reed narrowed his list and it doesn't include BC. Sharma was also on campus this weekend.

Makes sense now that Dingba is a target

[RedBaron67]

Devon Reed narrowed his list and it doesn't include BC. Sharma was also on campus this weekend.

I didn't see Reed as a likely possibility; he was plainly good enough to attract a lot of high-major offers. Sharma lives within 30 minutes' drive of BC, so his unofficial might not be much more than a courtesy call to keep his options open early in the recruiting game (although it certainly can't hurt to start working on him early). I'd consider it more significant if McManus or Sistare took the trouble to pay a visit.

[Shaddix]

Ryan Taylor committed to Marshall today....that's strange

[eagle9903]

Ryan Taylor committed to Marshall today....that's strange

When someone commits to Marshall over better conference offers it usually (not always) means they had some trouble with school or some trouble with trouble.

[Shaddix]

Ryan Taylor committed to Marshall today....that's strange

When someone commits to Marshall over better conference offers it usually (not always) means they had some trouble with school or some trouble with trouble.

I was pretty confident either Cincinnati or Seton Hall would grab him if not BC, so I'd imagine its an academic thing.

[BCEaglesFan]

Ryan Taylor committed to Marshall today....that's strange

When someone commits to Marshall over better conference offers it usually (not always) means they had some trouble with school or some trouble with trouble.

Yeah, they said there is still a question if he'll qualify. They also said Marshall takes a lot of these guys.

[eepstein0]

Penn State just offered BJ Johnson as well.

Penn State has been "interested" in Johnson for a while, so the offer isn't too surprising; the question is whether it signals a trend. If Johnson is really heating up, we should expect other "interested" schools (like Temple and Villanova) to take the plunge fairly soon. It would be nice to know how much the factor of proximity to home counts with Johnson, but high school kids have become more sophisticated about the recruiting game and hold their cards fairly close to the chest.

Rutgers just offered also.

[RedBaron67]

Penn State just offered BJ Johnson as well.

Penn State has been "interested" in Johnson for a while, so the offer isn't too surprising; the question is whether it signals a trend. If Johnson is really heating up, we should expect other "interested" schools (like Temple and Villanova) to take the plunge fairly soon. It would be nice to know how much the factor of proximity to home counts with Johnson, but high school kids have become more sophisticated about the recruiting game and hold their cards fairly close to the chest.

Rutgers just offered also.

Johnson's stock appears to be rising gradually but not yet exploding. BC, Penn State, and Rutgers have now offered; Pitt, Providence, Temple, and Villanova are "interested" but haven't offered yet.

[Shaddix]

Kyle Smyth picked Seton Hall over BC. Sucks, but I think I'd rather Lonnie and Rahon get more minutes and develop better for the next year.

[RedBaron67]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

[Shaddix]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

[MattTheEagle]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

[Shaddix]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

It actually is true, look here:

http://articles.boston.com/2011-11-06/sports/30367232_1_acc-basketball-camp-host-family/3

He sent assistant Woody Kampmann to Australia for a week and Graham scouted the European championships over the summer. They rummaged the Internet for video of players. But the idea is to find the players that other schools ignore, rather than chase the ones that every school is after.

“That’s always our decision: Are we wasting our time in any time we’re recruiting?’’ Donahue said. “I try to do the best we can to avoid competition for really good players, because I don’t want to waste my time. I don’t think we can afford to. If we feel a sense that we’re not going to be in the mix for the long run, then we’ve got to get out.

[twballgame9]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

I am going to ignore this round of Shaddix ridiculousness, and just comment on this. I think it is right. It is the contacts that he needs to develop at this level, and that is what Jones provided. That said, if he works hard enough for long enough and can be successful enough to stay in the job, the contacts will come with time and effort. Basketball recruiting is an inbred society of HS and AAU coaches, and once you are in, you are in until you screw one of them over.

[Shaddix]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

I am going to ignore this round of Shaddix ridiculousness, and just comment on this. I think it is right. It is the contacts that he needs to develop at this level, and that is what Jones provided. That said, if he works hard enough for long enough and can be successful enough to stay in the job, the contacts will come with time and effort. Basketball recruiting is an inbred society of HS and AAU coaches, and once you are in, you are in until you screw one of them over.

Ignoring evidence once again. If you read the article, you would have read that he actually has many contacts. He had 3 contacts in Europe to ask about Heckmann.

[twballgame9]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

I am going to ignore this round of Shaddix ridiculousness, and just comment on this. I think it is right. It is the contacts that he needs to develop at this level, and that is what Jones provided. That said, if he works hard enough for long enough and can be successful enough to stay in the job, the contacts will come with time and effort. Basketball recruiting is an inbred society of HS and AAU coaches, and once you are in, you are in until you screw one of them over.

Ignoring evidence once again. If you read the article, you would have read that he actually has many contacts. He had 3 contacts in Europe to ask about Heckmann.

Great. Contacts on other continents locking up mediocre players. Sort of like how Spaz has built a wall around Canada and Germany (well other than the one good player from Germany that went to FSU).

The Don is still developing the contacts that actually matter. I am certain that he will. But Jones was a smart hire, because he was a substitute in the interim. Unfortunately, he is also a good coach that wasn't going to stay long.

[Shaddix]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

I am going to ignore this round of Shaddix ridiculousness, and just comment on this. I think it is right. It is the contacts that he needs to develop at this level, and that is what Jones provided. That said, if he works hard enough for long enough and can be successful enough to stay in the job, the contacts will come with time and effort. Basketball recruiting is an inbred society of HS and AAU coaches, and once you are in, you are in until you screw one of them over.

Ignoring evidence once again. If you read the article, you would have read that he actually has many contacts. He had 3 contacts in Europe to ask about Heckmann.

Great. Contacts on other continents locking up mediocre players. Sort of like how Spaz has built a wall around Canada and Germany (well other than the one good player from Germany that went to FSU).

The Don is still developing the contacts that actually matter. I am certain that he will. But Jones was a smart hire, because he was a substitute in the interim. Unfortunately, he is also a good coach that wasn't going to stay long.

So you think that the Don is wasting his time with contacts on another continent giving him insights on players that will not have as much competition when recruiting them?

[RedBaron67]

That pretty well exhausts the possibilities for 2012; hopefully, they'll concentrate now on 2013, because we badly need to do well in that class.

Yea, I mean Smyth is a "jersey kid" and Willard did play him while he was at Iona. Can't say I'm surprised.

If we can land Dingba in 2013, I would be ecstatic. I don't like how the Don puts effort into recruiting guys, then gives up on them towards the end of the recruitment....like learn to compete against other high majors for recruits dude. I have a strong feeling that he is going to be wasting his time with BJ Johnson

This is not true. He only stops recruiting them if the recruit tells the BC staff that he is no longer interested or if there are some serious academic hurdles that would prevent the player's ability to enroll. There are several targets that he recruited hard to the end but unfortunately chose different schools. The Don's problem isn't effort, he recruits players hard and I love it (he also did quite well with transfers into 2010 with Humphrey and Taylor who were both sought after by relatively large programs). Instead, Donahue doesn't have connections like several recruiters at the big schools have and nobody on BC's staff has much experience at all with recruiting. This is the problem, not effort. Donahue works his ass off, unfortunately it takes more than that to recruit well. I agree though, he needs to find a way to start landing some big names (though recruiting hasn't been all that bad, just not particularly good for an ACC program). I would also be ecstatic if he landed Dingba.

I also feel confident enough with our current Roster and the 2012 players coming in that we are going to make some noise in a couple of years which will ultimately help recruiting.

I am going to ignore this round of Shaddix ridiculousness, and just comment on this. I think it is right. It is the contacts that he needs to develop at this level, and that is what Jones provided. That said, if he works hard enough for long enough and can be successful enough to stay in the job, the contacts will come with time and effort. Basketball recruiting is an inbred society of HS and AAU coaches, and once you are in, you are in until you screw one of them over.

Ignoring evidence once again. If you read the article, you would have read that he actually has many contacts. He had 3 contacts in Europe to ask about Heckmann.

Great. Contacts on other continents locking up mediocre players. Sort of like how Spaz has built a wall around Canada and Germany (well other than the one good player from Germany that went to FSU).

The Don is still developing the contacts that actually matter. I am certain that he will. But Jones was a smart hire, because he was a substitute in the interim. Unfortunately, he is also a good coach that wasn't going to stay long.

So you think that the Don is wasting his time with contacts on another continent giving him insights on players that will not have as much competition when recruiting them?

It's a matter of selectivity; there are fewer possibilities in Europe (partly because they tend to turn pro earlier), so he has to be careful about how much time and energy he invests. On the other hand, there are real possibilities; I would mind him finding another Kostas Maglos (depending on how long he stayed around, which is more of an issue with European than with US players). There's even something like a pipeline from Europe developing; for example, US colleges have begun recruiting regularly from the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands (which goes on an annual road trip to play US prep schools). The long-term trend in European recruiting is upward, I think, but at this point it's still a bit tricky, so recruiters have to be more careful about efficiency than in the US. It's certainly true, however, that Donahue's #1 priority is developing high-major recruiting connections in this country; with Jones gone, his Ivy League background has proven to be a real problem.