Ignatius L Hoops
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http://www.startribune.com/state-gi...ble-about-gophers-lack-of-interest/368698411/
On the one hand:
As a ninth-grader, Ruden went to the school’s elite camp, was in contact with then-coach Pam Borton and took an unofficial visit to the campus.
After the school fired Borton and hired Marlene Stollings in April 2014, Ruden’s situation changed.
JM coach Phil Schroeder said he fell out of contact with Gophers coaches. Ruden, the nation’s No. 39 girls’ basketball recruit who is averaging 20 points per game this season, ended up committing to Arizona State.
“The interest was lukewarm toward me, and I wanted to go to a program where there was a really high level of interest in me,” Ruden said. “That’s what I found at Arizona State.”
On the other hand:
Hopkins guard Nia Hollie was the closest the Gophers came to signing a 2016 Minnesota prep prospect.
Hollie, ESPN’s No. 73 recruit known for her versatile scoring ability, announced her decision to choose Michigan State over Minnesota live on KSTP’s Aug. 20 broadcast — far from a football star holding an extravagant news conference, but maybe the Minnesota girls’ basketball equivalent.
“The Gophers are an absolutely amazing school,” Hollie said on the air. “They have great coaches. They’ve done amazing things over the course of the past year. They recruited me really, really hard. It was really hard to say no.”
And of course there's the AAU:
“We just haven’t had too many conversations,” Cosgriff said. “Maybe she likes dealing with AAU coaches, and that’s fine. There’s a process in this whole thing, and she’s early on in it.”
Despite evidence of a communication drought with high school coaches, Stollings seemingly has positive relationships with the state’s top AAU directors. Mark Smith of the Minnesota Stars and Bill Larson of North Tartan both said they are satisfied in their relationships with Stollings and her staff.
“I know any time I can pick up the phone and she’ll talk to me and go to a game and visit,” said Smith, who has coached Hollie and several other top players.
Stollings also makes another point: Relationships work both ways.
“A lot of times it’s looked at as one-sided,” Stollings said. “We’re very inviting, our practices are always open. We want [coaches] to be a part of what we’re doing, our camps, you name it. … It’s a little bit of work on both ends in building those relationships, but certainly with time, I know we’ll get there.”
On the one hand:
As a ninth-grader, Ruden went to the school’s elite camp, was in contact with then-coach Pam Borton and took an unofficial visit to the campus.
After the school fired Borton and hired Marlene Stollings in April 2014, Ruden’s situation changed.
JM coach Phil Schroeder said he fell out of contact with Gophers coaches. Ruden, the nation’s No. 39 girls’ basketball recruit who is averaging 20 points per game this season, ended up committing to Arizona State.
“The interest was lukewarm toward me, and I wanted to go to a program where there was a really high level of interest in me,” Ruden said. “That’s what I found at Arizona State.”
On the other hand:
Hopkins guard Nia Hollie was the closest the Gophers came to signing a 2016 Minnesota prep prospect.
Hollie, ESPN’s No. 73 recruit known for her versatile scoring ability, announced her decision to choose Michigan State over Minnesota live on KSTP’s Aug. 20 broadcast — far from a football star holding an extravagant news conference, but maybe the Minnesota girls’ basketball equivalent.
“The Gophers are an absolutely amazing school,” Hollie said on the air. “They have great coaches. They’ve done amazing things over the course of the past year. They recruited me really, really hard. It was really hard to say no.”
And of course there's the AAU:
“We just haven’t had too many conversations,” Cosgriff said. “Maybe she likes dealing with AAU coaches, and that’s fine. There’s a process in this whole thing, and she’s early on in it.”
Despite evidence of a communication drought with high school coaches, Stollings seemingly has positive relationships with the state’s top AAU directors. Mark Smith of the Minnesota Stars and Bill Larson of North Tartan both said they are satisfied in their relationships with Stollings and her staff.
“I know any time I can pick up the phone and she’ll talk to me and go to a game and visit,” said Smith, who has coached Hollie and several other top players.
Stollings also makes another point: Relationships work both ways.
“A lot of times it’s looked at as one-sided,” Stollings said. “We’re very inviting, our practices are always open. We want [coaches] to be a part of what we’re doing, our camps, you name it. … It’s a little bit of work on both ends in building those relationships, but certainly with time, I know we’ll get there.”
