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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 3744670, member: 40"] I don't think that "Foreign" or "domestic" matters much. Maybe with initial readiness, but otherwise -- I think it comes down to three factors: [LIST] [*][B]Physical tools[/B] -- does the prospect have the right athletic attributes / tools to excel at the P5 level? [*][B]Upside[/B] -- most incoming frosh bigs aren't ready for prime time, so how does their developmental curve project? Is the prospect raw with potential, or primarily maxed out? A prospect isn't going to be able to improve their athleticism / mobility, for example, but they can potentially add weight / strength. [*][B]Utilization [/B]-- how is the prospect utilized by our coaching staff? If they never get the ball, then it is tough to criticize their inside scoring, for example. [/LIST] Ultimately, it seems like our recruiting is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we recruit guys with the intent to have them just be pogo sticks who block shots, but don't rebound or do much offensively, then you reap what you sow. Loved Chukwu, for example, but he just didn't have the frame to add weight / strength, so his upside was limited -- even though he was pretty good at a few things [shot blocking, rebounding] in our system. But some of the guys we bring in -- Arinze, Rick, Rak, to name a few -- are capable of a lot more. But it is tough to actualize their potential if they don't get the ball, and are just asked to block shots. I think this was primarily what we saw with Fab and Watkins -- guys who had terrific physical tools, but never turned into consistent scorers, and seemed uncomfortable playing with their backs to the basket. It was particularly criminal with Watkins, IMO, who had the body / athleticism [but not the game] to be a 10+ year NBA player. Would love to have an actual big man coach, and more concerted effort on developing their skills. Every other team seems to have functional big men who perform -- this isn't just on the recruits themselves. And sure, some guys we've recruited were projects who didn't develop. But we have such a low rate of them hitting, that I think it is more coaching / utilization driven than anything else. [/QUOTE]

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