WBB: State High School Coaches Grumble about Gophers: Strib

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.”
 

Stollings really needs to get her ish together with recruiting. So far she's been relying heavily on Borton recruits and homesick Minnesota girls (Starr this year, Bell and Fernstrom next year). Other than that, the talent she has coming in seems like mid-major level.
 

This university has ALWAYS done a HORRIBLE job at building relationships with the good people of Minnesota in regards to sports. We're the only D1 school in the state and yet solid athletes continually flee to other programs. Perhaps having an all around poor athletic program (hockey not withstanding) helps the athletes decide to flee to other schools, but the U can most certainly do a better job building relationships with high schools and their student athletes.

With that said; when the U's marketing department is what it is, I'm not surprised the school struggles with getting their message out to individuals.
 

Diagree....Stollings class next year is ranked in the top 30. If transfers didn't like the coach, they wouldn't be here. Stollings plays an up tempo game and is really trying to fashion her game after Maryland. Ruden wasn't going to fit the up tempo game.Stollings uses. The team is improving every game and I'm sure Bell and Wagner will be the featured players next year on wire Fernstrom.
 

Diagree....Stollings class next year is ranked in the top 30. If transfers didn't like the coach, they wouldn't be here. Stollings plays an up tempo game and is really trying to fashion her game after Maryland. Ruden wasn't going to fit the up tempo game.Stollings uses. The team is improving every game and I'm sure Bell and Wagner will be the featured players next year on wire Fernstrom.

Agree. She is recruiting athletes who can be successful here playing up tempo. You can see from the recent point totals over 100 that she wants to run and not every MN. high school player can play that style. Friese has won national championships with that style, although her teams play better D, and Stollings would love some of her athletes.
 


Diagree....Stollings class next year is ranked in the top 30. If transfers didn't like the coach, they wouldn't be here. Stollings plays an up tempo game and is really trying to fashion her game after Maryland. Ruden wasn't going to fit the up tempo game.Stollings uses. The team is improving every game and I'm sure Bell and Wagner will be the featured players next year on wire Fernstrom.

Is there any proof it's in the Top 30? How do you get a Top 30 class without any Top 30 recruits?
 



I'm pretty sure Amir Coffey won't be playing for Marlene Stollings.:D
'

Um ... my only defense is that I did Google, "Women's BB," that and I am 70 and this new-fangled internet thing is baffling.
 



If you read the article, Stollings says very clearly that she is recruiting players who fit her system, and strongly implied that some MN HS players don't fit what she is looking for.

After all the bitching about Borton, the U has a coach who seems to have a plan, and is recruiting players for a specific system. If she wins, I don't care whether the players come from MN or Timbuktu. And, I don't want a coach who feels compelled to take MN kids just to keep the MN coaches happy. That's not her job. Her job is to win games.

The other interesting point of the article was that recruiting is focused more on AAU ball as opposed to HS teams. So, it stands to reason that the HS coaches are miffed.
 

If you read the article, Stollings says very clearly that she is recruiting players who fit her system, and strongly implied that some MN HS players don't fit what she is looking for.

After all the bitching about Borton, the U has a coach who seems to have a plan, and is recruiting players for a specific system. If she wins, I don't care whether the players come from MN or Timbuktu. And, I don't want a coach who feels compelled to take MN kids just to keep the MN coaches happy. That's not her job. Her job is to win games.

The other interesting point of the article was that recruiting is focused more on AAU ball as opposed to HS teams. So, it stands to reason that the HS coaches are miffed.

+1.....
 

If you read the article, Stollings says very clearly that she is recruiting players who fit her system, and strongly implied that some MN HS players don't fit what she is looking for.

After all the bitching about Borton, the U has a coach who seems to have a plan, and is recruiting players for a specific system. If she wins, I don't care whether the players come from MN or Timbuktu. And, I don't want a coach who feels compelled to take MN kids just to keep the MN coaches happy. That's not her job. Her job is to win games.

The other interesting point of the article was that recruiting is focused more on AAU ball as opposed to HS teams. So, it stands to reason that the HS coaches are miffed.

What exactly is "her system"? Her system should be to get the best possible recruits available.
Zahui didn't fit her system but somehow she struggled to make it work. Luckily Zahui was innately an All American, not developed into one by Stollings' mysterious system. Did you ever wonder why Zahui left for the WNBA and brought Borton as her coach to the draft instead of Stollings? Must have been the system.

How does Lamke fit into her system? Seems like it was an attempt to imitate Zahui or McCarville. Seems like her system might be flexible, maybe even flexible enough to add some highly touted recruits? I'm hoping so.

The reality is Stollings has been winning on the backs of Borton's recruits and the homesickers, and I'm not sure I'm seeing any standouts in what she's truly brought in herself, so I have a right to be nervous. Of course I may have higher aspirations than most people here. I would like making the Tourney a routine thing instead something we pray for every year. I would like to be a routinely nationally ranked team. But that's not going to happen if we aren't getting the best recruits.

As far as Minnesota players go, how could you not love them? They're what's making the current team tick. Can you imagine this team with Coffey and Coley, and adding on Fernstrom and that MSU defect (her name escapes me) next year? That would be a WOW team. This is the system I want. Keep the best of Minnesota.
 

What exactly is "her system"? Her system should be to get the best possible recruits available.
Zahui didn't fit her system but somehow she struggled to make it work. Luckily Zahui was innately an All American, not developed into one by Stollings' mysterious system. Did you ever wonder why Zahui left for the WNBA and brought Borton as her coach to the draft instead of Stollings? Must have been the system.

How does Lamke fit into her system? Seems like it was an attempt to imitate Zahui or McCarville. Seems like her system might be flexible, maybe even flexible enough to add some highly touted recruits? I'm hoping so.

The reality is Stollings has been winning on the backs of Borton's recruits and the homesickers, and I'm not sure I'm seeing any standouts in what she's truly brought in herself, so I have a right to be nervous. Of course I may have higher aspirations than most people here. I would like making the Tourney a routine thing instead something we pray for every year. I would like to be a routinely nationally ranked team. But that's not going to happen if we aren't getting the best recruits.

As far as Minnesota players go, how could you not love them? They're what's making the current team tick. Can you imagine this team with Coffey and Coley, and adding on Fernstrom and that MSU defect (her name escapes me) next year? That would be a WOW team. This is the system I want. Keep the best of Minnesota.

There's some buzz that Nia was not happy with the two losses to Minnesota. Could we see another transfer back?
 



Shades:

I think you read too much into Zahui inviting Pam and Curtis to the WNBA draft. They had, after all spent several years recruiting her and one and a half years coaching her (including several months waiting for Amanda to clear the NCAA clearinghouse). They were friends with Amanda’s parents. That said, Amanda’s game (footwork, fitness, outside shot, etc.) improved substantially in her one year under Stollings and Dawkins.

And I’m quite happy to win with transfers like Kelley and Starr. And I really don’t care where recruits come from.
 

Had Zahui stayed this year she would not of been a top pick this year in the draft and you know that shades, it had nothing to do with Stollings system.
 

Can you imagine this team with Coffey and Coley. Keep the best of Minnesota.

Yes, it would have been nice to have Coffey and Coley. But, Pam Borton failed in landing either.
 




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