I agreed with others on here that we should hold off and go all out on the 2017's that we have shown interest in early through out the season. I figured with a nice little run (sweet 16/elite 8) in the tournament that we would catch the eye on some of these highly ranked kids in state and also the ones in our neighboring states that we have made offers to. With the huge let down of being upset in the first round with arguably the most talent we have had in years I'm not so sure now. I would be surprised if we land more than one of these guys now with the way the season ended.
I'm guessing we go 0fer on the four in state studs:
Wilkes
Scruggs
Williams
Jackson
I'm guessing we only get one from this group:
Culver - OH
Eastern - IL
Goodwin - IL
Tillman - MI
Young - OH
Man we could be good on paper talent wise in 2017-2018 with any 3 of these and a senior laden team. Scary good.
Since my son was recruited and played D1, as have a dozen or so of the kid I've coached, not all in basketball, I'll throw out a Reader's Digest version of what they prioritized and based their choices on. With that said, nearly all of them regretted going where they went. Distance from home was a big deal, coaching changes were a big deal, playing time was a big deal, etc. Here is what they were mostly concerned about:
1. How badly does the Coach want him? --- There was a lot of emphasis from guys already playing at different schools to ".... go where you feel the most wanted and you'll be happiest."
2. How did he like the existing teammates?
3. What did the players who hung with him on his visit say about the team culture? Does that fit him?
4. How stable is the head coaching situation?
5. How far away will his girlfriend be where she's going to school.
6. What do his parents, HS coach, and AAU coach think?
None of these guys were on shoe contract teams, hand handlers, or had plans to get to the league. So they were nowhere near a 4-star. The guys at Purdue that I have gotten to know have never mentioned considering how the team did in the Tourney. That doesn't mean it wasn't on their mind, but I don't think it pushed them away if they wanted to come here.
With the group of guys I was around during recruiting, none of them cared how the team did in any couple of games. I am sure the better players are more concerned about that. But I will assure you, if the coach hasn't made them feel wanted/needed, if the players haven't raved about the culture or aren't slobbering with excitement about next year, and if they think they are going into an unknown coaching situation, they won't go there.
