Yes, the U of M now has enough of a track record over the past 20 years or so to let us know that playing for the home state university isn't all that important. With all the AAU travels, many players are now traveling all over the country to play basketball. With easy cable access to the games of out-of-state universities, it's no longer as important for a kid to play at a university is near family and friends. We wouldn't be complaining about this so much if Minnesota didn't have so many top basketball players, men's and women's. When Coach K or Coach Geno come calling, it's difficult for a kid to turn down a chance to play for an elite college program, even though our Minnesota teams are very competitive. On the positive side, I am convinced that Whalen and staff will get their share of 4- and 5-star athletes from all over the country.
I too was wondering if Koenen's success at NC had anything to do with Utsby's decision to play for NC. I haven't seen Utsby play for a couple of years, so I'll defer to others whether this was a big recruiting loss or not, but I too was wondering if it's possible that she may have been a bit over-hyped, as she is not in the top 100 and many of the other recruits the Gophers are going after are in the top 100. I realize these player rankings are not the end-all for determining how good these players will be in college, but it may be an indicator. If the Gophers are going to become a nationally prominent program, they'll need to routinely add top 100 players every year. I'm excited about Smith's commitment.