As to your second point, I don't have much sympathy for that. I realize that the majority of people are only interested in things they already know. I consider that a mental deficiency. Nothing irritates me more than when a good band playing at a small-town festival plays a really good but more obscure song very well and they get little response to it. But, if they break into the millionth lame ass cover of Sweet Caroline, Sweet Home Alabama, or I Walk the Line; the whole place perks up.
I prefer the Mae West philosophy --- When given a choice between two evils, I always pick the one I haven't tried before.
Reread your post to see why the 'majority' on the GopherHole think of you as smug and condescending.
As for your belief that focusing on what we already know is somehow small minded in the recruiting game, let me play this out a bit...
"Former 4 star De'Vion Harmon entered the portal yesterday from Oregon after playing his first two years at Oklahoma. He's a 6 foot point guard with a reputation for being a good distributor. I think that he would be a great fit for the Gophers!"
You know what I as a reader would think if I saw someone post this? Who the heck is De'Vion Harmon?! It seems fruitless to just start pulling seemingly random names out of literally hundreds still in the portal and begin assessing the chances of them coming to the Gophers.
Should we start an All Things De'Vion Harmon thread? No... there is no indication that he has an interest in MN nor that MN is interested in him. There is no information connecting him to the Gophers so why waste my time as a
fan getting involved?
The
coaching staff, however, is certainly combing the portal and researching potential targets on a daily basis. They have the resources and coaching connections to kick the tires on nearly any candidate that can truly play at this level. Until we fans know that some random player has scheduled a visit, we shouldn't get too involved.
Former Minnesota prep players are an exception. One can more easily make that leap because of the preexisting connection they have with the state. Why the Gophers? Because they are from here. Nearly all of the negatives that are presented as barriers to success here (it's too cold, it's too far away from other population centers, etc.) can be easily explained away by Minnesota players because they already know all of the positives about the area.
Had Garcia NOT been from MN, we would not have talked about the Gophers being a possible landing spot. Harmon has no known connection to MN so why should I talk about him?
Of note, I have personally NOT been talking about Walton as I have yet to see his name in the portal. I have not added him to the transfer grid for that reason.
As for Mae West, that's a fine attitude for a fling but I want to be sure the person that I am marrying has all of the goods.
