WCC and Recruiting

I’ve heard people complain that being in the WCC has cost BYU recruits. However, I can’t think of a recruit that BYU has lost because of its league membership. On the other hand, I can see there being open season on Rose’s player development and his recruiting net.

Who is a recruit that BYU has lost because of its WCC membership? Jesse Wade is playing in the WCC (I guess this could be in the "If you win, they will come category), and Utah has a couple of players that BYU recruited and would have signed with the Cougars (journeyman Christian PoPoola being the exception) except BYU cooled on their recruitment (thinking of Jaxon Brenchley and Branden Carlson).

I don’t think being in the wcc has cost BYU any “recruits” but I do think they got lazy in their efforts. I guess that would be the recruiting net you speak of. As far as player development goes, I think it’s safe to say that even though the defense has improved, there is still the focus on a token few players being the main guys on offense, as evidenced by the minutes they played this past season. It’s as if the coaching staff still thinks the LP3 is in Provo as Bryant/Childs replaced Emery/Mika and Haws is still intact. That shows that overall player/team development is lacking. By contrast, look at the minutes the Gonzaga players logged this season. That is one reason they are where they are again and BYU is in the NIT.

I will bet money that there isn’t a single player in the wcc with the same level of talent as PD has that even came close to playing as few minutes as he did this season. It’s a crying shame that demonstrates that the BYU program is severly lacking in overall team (and thus player) development.

The problem for BYU and recruiting in almost any sport except perhaps in men’s volleyball is that we are on the outside looking in from P-5/P-6 conferences. Yes, we lose recruits to P-5 and P-6 (in basketball i.e. Big East Conference) all the time. We get local Utah and inter-mountain and LDS talent because we are in a restricted market for recruiting in the WCC and indy actually mid-major in football.

Jim, I think you are smoking your Caly product on this one…Of course we are hemorrhaging good recruits because of our affiliation with high school gyms.

If Gonzaga bolts for the MWC, and they should. Better comp, better RPIs. Salivate over the idea of playing SDSU, UNLV, The lobos in the pit. Those guys have history…BYU would be stuck in the WCC with, what? SMC? The idea makes me ill

But can you name a specific recruit? I can’t. Rose, as far as I can tell, has gotten all of his targets except the two who probably wouldn’t have gone to BYU under any circumstances unless Duke stopped calling.

That said, forget the MWC, a glorified WCC. The AAC is the real alternative for both football and basketball.

I am with Boise on this one… if you can tell us who the good recruits are that BYU is missing out on because they are in the wcc, please do.