I’ve been pretty content with the recruiting classes we’ve been getting the last few years. I don’t think Texas will be able to pull in the top tier state guys as long as top tier out of state schools keep going after them, and as long as we aren’t a team that can make deep tournament runs or win conference championships.
Penders put us on the map with his east coast connections and fast paced system. Tom got Terrence Rencher (who I think is still our all time leading scorer?) then Reggie Freeman, both from the Bronx. I think the national pub around the Reggie Freeman-Felipe Lopez recruiting battle and three tournament runs with Reggie (one Sweet 16) gave Texas a national recruiting buzz they’d never really had before. Texas schools just weren’t getting guys from the east coast back then and certainly not guys from south Bronx. Here Penders was, getting two. Then Tom got lazy, or maybe just opportunitstic. At one point before he left, his lineup was mostly recruits he got from Austin ISD and Eanes ISD with Clack, Vasquez, Mihm, and Axtell. Then that all unraveled.
Barnes recruiting was an anomaly to me as well. The Findlay Prep pipeline he established was huge but it created a “too many cooks” scenario he couldn’t control. His ability to teach PG’s defense and prove up big men and get them ready for the NBA was really his feather; his angle; and it helped recruit guys like Durant, Aldridge, Thompson and Turner and gave the program credibility to land Jarret Allen and Mo. But I think that legacy left with him. After Mo, I don’t see premier one and done NBA bigs giving us the time of day again. Every coach and team has to have an angle on recruiting: a culture of winning may be the best angle and you can’t win if you can’t coach. Period.
Chris Beard is a prime case study for how coaching really makes the difference. He’s got a bunch of 2-3 star players and look what he has them doing...K-State is another one. I’m of the opinion that it matters less how prolific a young talent is or how many stars he has if he isn’t developed and coached properly.
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Last edited: Mar 24, 2018