Where is our recruiting focus, geographically?

[nebCLONE77]

Nice article in the Ames Trib recently about the geographic focus in Cyclones men's bb recruiting. Hoiberg has accomplished this in 3 years.

Not sure I know the comparable focus in the women's program. Clearly we recruit the state of Iowa, but where do we consistently recruit after that. Where has Fennelly established such a strong presence that he can consistently compete for the very best recruits from that area. Over the last 10 yrs. our recruits seem to come from all over -- Texas, Australia, MN, ND, OK, MO, NB, CA. That seems much more spread out than Hoiberg's focus of NY area, MI, MN, and IA.

I give Fennelly all the credit for moving ISU WBB up several notches. But 12 yrs ago I thought we would be where OU and Baylor are today. Why have they been able to consistently outrecruit us over the last 10 yrs. Given the great local support for Cyclone WBB (i.e., great fan support), why have we not been able to bring in on a semi-regular basis top 10 - top 15 recruiting classes? I am kind of disappointed. Could it be a lack of geographic focus. I am not an expert on this topic -- just asking.

 

[mred]

ISU WBB recruiting has made a big shift recently to Texas and the southwest. There are a lot of good players in that area, more than enough to go after even with the high number of good WBB programs there. That region plus IA/MN/Kansas City seems to be the greatest focus. However, they do a lot of scouting at AAU tournaments, so that's where a lot of these players from somewhat random locations come into play.

Almost every player who has/will come to ISU in the 2010-2013 classes is in those two geographic categories. That's pretty focused.

2010-2013 recruits (not counting players who entered as walk-ons):

Iowa/MN/KC:
Buckley IA
Bingley KC
Baier IA
Williamson KC
Hallie IA

Texas/SW:
Jensen AZ
Kidd TX
Moody TX
Ellis TX
Mays TX
Mansfield TX juco
**** OK juco

Other:
Harris CA

 

[cydney]

It's important to keep in mind that recruiting for wbb is quite a bit different than recruiting in men's bb. The depth of the pool, the goals of the players (e.g., WNBA vs. NBA), the number of elite wbb programs, etc. Also, I think technology is changing how high school girls look at programs farther from home. ISU has expanded its recruiting base as girls, in general, have expanded how far away they are willing to go. ISU probably did not get a natural benefit from that. A top player from the midwest, once looking more widely, is more likely to go out of the midwest. How many top players have going to the state of Iowa as one of their dream destinations? You have to break down some of the barriers to attracting them. Hopefully some of the paths are clear now. Schools like Baylor and OU faced a slightly different recruiting environment, and once they made it to the final four, that really changed it for them.

 

[Tornado man]

I give Fennelly all the credit for moving ISU WBB up several notches. But 12 yrs ago I thought we would be where OU and Baylor are today. Why have they been able to consistently outrecruit us over the last 10 yrs. Given the great local support for Cyclone WBB (i.e., great fan support), why have we not been able to bring in on a semi-regular basis top 10 - top 15 recruiting classes? I am kind of disappointed. Could it be a lack of geographic focus. I am not an expert on this topic -- just asking.

Kinda off topic, but Oklahoma is not at the same recruiting level as Baylor anymore (or on the court either, for that matter). Coale signed a nice player in Kornet, but there's no way Manning or Kellogg are Baylor-level players, yet they were given scholarships at OU.

 

[twistedredbird]

Kinda off topic, but Oklahoma is not at the same recruiting level as Baylor anymore (or on the court either, for that matter). Coale signed a nice player in Kornet, but there's no way Manning or Kellogg are Baylor-level players, yet they were given scholarships at OU.

Coale has definitely had her critics as of late. Of course, she doesn't have a hired gun on her staff like Mulkey does either, and Aston has put a dent in Mulkey's connections with her hiring as well. I think recruiting in Texas of the elite WBB players is about to get pretty nasty. I would take some of OU's recruits in a heartbeat though....Kornet, Griffin, Hand....

 

[907CY]

Tornado man, I disagree on both Kellogg and Manning. Both will fit into Sherry's system very well. Manning is a big mobile 3 who can bang with the posts. I know you think that Kellogg can't jump and isn't very good but she will develop into a good post forward who can also bang with the big girls. Nobody will beat Brittany but those to will help the inside game of Oklahoma. Wish we had them both...