Texas recruits and the Tina Thompson factor.
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CocoHusky
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I not sure Tina will have much say on keeping Texas kids in state since Tina is originally from California. She is also a post player and frankly I did not see any improvement in Lang or Boyette from a year ago. As far as her being a good that probably TBD.
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I actually don't think it makes a huge difference. I don't know exactly when Tina Thompson joined the staff, but I'm pretty sure Karen Aston really seemed to hit the ground running with recruiting. I know she has a coach on staff who was Lashann Higgs's guardian, and maybe he came in with really good Texas AAU connections? But I was amazed at how quickly Aston started getting commitments from the caliber of players that Gail Goestenkors could never manage to get, b/c I had never heard of Aston before her hiring. And it seems the strength of her recruiting so far has had less to do with Tina Thompson's star power and more to do with sort of a grass roots infrastructure with great relationships with Texas AAU clubs and such.
Cynthia Cooper at USC was a USC star and actually from the area IIRC, but her recruiting has been no better than, say, Lindsay Gottlieb up at Cal. Cal was not a pro player (merely an Ivy League caliber player) so obviously doesn't have any of the *glamor* that a Cynthia Cooper or Tina Thompson brings.
Furthermore, also out here, Jennifer Azzi at the University of San Francisco who was a Stanford legend hasn't really reeled in any recruits "out of her league" due to her career as a Stanford star, pro, and Olympian.
About 7-8 years ago, Cal hired a coach (Kevin Morrison, now at GaTech) with no college coaching experience, but was the founder of a big AAU program out West. It took him a couple years, but ultimately it came together and his connections paid off with a huge 2009 class.
Trisha Stafford-Odom was a big-time recruiter for I believe UCLA then Duke, though also known for some controversy. She had a great college career and also played some pro, but was no where near the "household name" as an Azzi or Thompson. Furthermore, I believe Ohio State's Joy Cheek has been attributed for a lot of big-time recruiting gets, both at Ohio State and before at Duke her alma mater, even though she didn't really have a memorable career as a player at Duke.
There are several angles that coaches can be great recruiters, whether they were star athletes themselves or well-connected with AAU programs from previous experience at the HS level, or neither but just lots of personality. I actually think hiring gym rat types who established lots of AAU connections but lack college coaching experience has shown to benefit recruiting more than hiring ex-player stars.
You also have to remember that a lot of these young girls are coming in wayyyyyy after Tina Thompson et al. were "famous." I think the benefit is less that they are starstruck by former pro stars, but more so that they believe having a veteran ex-WNBA player with tons of international success as well will help them get to the next level.
Cynthia Cooper at USC was a USC star and actually from the area IIRC, but her recruiting has been no better than, say, Lindsay Gottlieb up at Cal. Cal was not a pro player (merely an Ivy League caliber player) so obviously doesn't have any of the *glamor* that a Cynthia Cooper or Tina Thompson brings.
Furthermore, also out here, Jennifer Azzi at the University of San Francisco who was a Stanford legend hasn't really reeled in any recruits "out of her league" due to her career as a Stanford star, pro, and Olympian.
About 7-8 years ago, Cal hired a coach (Kevin Morrison, now at GaTech) with no college coaching experience, but was the founder of a big AAU program out West. It took him a couple years, but ultimately it came together and his connections paid off with a huge 2009 class.
Trisha Stafford-Odom was a big-time recruiter for I believe UCLA then Duke, though also known for some controversy. She had a great college career and also played some pro, but was no where near the "household name" as an Azzi or Thompson. Furthermore, I believe Ohio State's Joy Cheek has been attributed for a lot of big-time recruiting gets, both at Ohio State and before at Duke her alma mater, even though she didn't really have a memorable career as a player at Duke.
There are several angles that coaches can be great recruiters, whether they were star athletes themselves or well-connected with AAU programs from previous experience at the HS level, or neither but just lots of personality. I actually think hiring gym rat types who established lots of AAU connections but lack college coaching experience has shown to benefit recruiting more than hiring ex-player stars.
You also have to remember that a lot of these young girls are coming in wayyyyyy after Tina Thompson et al. were "famous." I think the benefit is less that they are starstruck by former pro stars, but more so that they believe having a veteran ex-WNBA player with tons of international success as well will help them get to the next level.
UcMiami
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Aston is a TX girl through and through, and has been tied into the club and high school scene at least since her days as an assistant for Jody. That was part of GG's problem - she didn't understand TX and she was not good at making those connections. TX sells itself as a school, good academically beautiful campus, and money to burn on facilities for sports but also for every other aspect of college life. If you have the local connections and a vision and have demonstrated decent coaching skills, it shouldn't be that hard to recruit. Tina - it really depends on her personality and how she interacts - that she played long and very well professionally doesn't hurt, but it only gets you so far.
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