Holgs just not making much effort on in-state kids

[WVUDisciples]

First of all, I want to say Gibby is doing the best he can do. But the fact is that most kids and families of the highest caliber get attention from the HC.

If any of you know any of the high school coaches in the Charleston-Huntington area, which I do, ask them about their relationship with Holgs. Ask them how well the players' families relate to him.

Most will tell you they don't know if he's just not trying or if his personality is just not very family friendly. There's a kid at Spring Valley who's a rising sophomore, probably will be all-state this year, and his family is hearing from other HCs at SEC and ACC and Big 10 schools, but Holgs is no where to be found. These kids in the Huntington area all look up to Elijah Wellman (who went to from there) but none of their families relate to Holgs. He's just not Mr. Personality with them. It gives the impression he really is not that interested in their kid's development.

I don't know if he isn't that impressed by them or he just isn't all that friendly. Even Nick Saban is doing better talking to these parents.

Three of these guys are still on the table depending on who our coach is come January 1. That's from the family members. That's all i'm saying. They'd love to be able to drive 3 hours 7 times a year to watch their kids play top rated teams. They'd love to go watch a few practices. But their number one priority is that their kid will be with a HC who wants them there and looks parents in the eyes and tells them their son is wanted.

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

I remember once when a famous head coach landed in a helicopter beside a high school football field just before a big game to watch a recruit play. He couldn't talk to the kid, but he got his point across and landed the commitment soon after.

The coach's name escapes me, but it seems like it may have been Bear Bryant.

 

[MikeRafone]

Change the name to "Nehlen" in the title and we're back to the old arguments of the 80's and 90's. Don had to almost be forced to take in-state kids other than as walk-ons. When he did have a serious blue chipper in state, he often couldn't figure out why he couldn't land them? Plus he repeatedly denigrated in-state talent in the local sports media for twenty years, which didn't exactly make him Mr. Popularity with the HS coaches in the state. I'll give Dana credit for not doing the latter.

Who knows what motivates coaches of universities in states the generally produce small numbers of D-I kids? Some go all out for in-state kids, others figure they can make it up or top them with out of state players that see better competition day in and day out over their HS careers.

The kids that have taken offers out of state this year aren't heading to Podunk State, they're going to very good programs. The reason for that may be as simple as this years batch of kids being much better than in average years. It's a heck of a lot easier to land a kid from anywhere when a bunch of elite programs aren't hard after them. When you're a kid in a state that doesn't normally see those type of programs sniffing around, it's hard to say "no" when they come calling for you.

 

[BOBwva1]

Change the name to "Nehlen" in the title and we're back to the old arguments of the 80's and 90's. Don had to almost be forced to take in-state kids other than as walk-ons. When he did have a serious blue chipper in state, he often couldn't figure out why he couldn't land them? Plus he repeatedly denigrated in-state talent in the local sports media for twenty years, which didn't exactly make him Mr. Popularity with the HS coaches in the state. I'll give Dana credit for not doing the latter.

Who knows what motivates coaches of universities in states the generally produce small numbers of D-I kids? Some go all out for in-state kids, others figure they can make it up or top them with out of state players that see better competition day in and day out over their HS careers.

The kids that have taken offers out of state this year aren't heading to Podunk State, they're going to very good programs. The reason for that may be as simple as this years batch of kids being much better than in average years. It's a heck of a lot easier to land a kid from anywhere when a bunch of elite programs aren't hard after them. When you're a kid in a state that doesn't normally see those type of programs sniffing around, it's hard to say "no" when they come calling for you.

If you will look at the roster you will find 20 kids from the state on it.

 

[MikeRafone]

But are they of the same caliber of talent as the kids going out of state this year?

 

[dangerousdaneerfan]

Change the name to "Nehlen" in the title and we're back to the old arguments of the 80's and 90's. Don had to almost be forced to take in-state kids other than as walk-ons. When he did have a serious blue chipper in state, he often couldn't figure out why he couldn't land them? Plus he repeatedly denigrated in-state talent in the local sports media for twenty years, which didn't exactly make him Mr. Popularity with the HS coaches in the state. I'll give Dana credit for not doing the latter.

Who knows what motivates coaches of universities in states the generally produce small numbers of D-I kids? Some go all out for in-state kids, others figure they can make it up or top them with out of state players that see better competition day in and day out over their HS careers.

The kids that have taken offers out of state this year aren't heading to Podunk State, they're going to very good programs. The reason for that may be as simple as this years batch of kids being much better than in average years. It's a heck of a lot easier to land a kid from anywhere when a bunch of elite programs aren't hard after them. When you're a kid in a state that doesn't normally see those type of programs sniffing around, it's hard to say "no" when they come calling for you.

Or Gale Catlett....

 

[MikeRafone]

I dunno Tracy Shelton, Herbie Brooks, Marcellus Basie, Russel Todd, P.G. Greene, etc....... Gale did OK in getting in-state talent during his tenure. What killed his rep was being stuck in the Gawd-awful A-10 when handful of notable recruits went to better programs in much better leagues. Let's face it one grew up and lived in Kentucky with a Daddy who was former Wake Forest player, that wasn't going to happen. Gregg Bell went to Tennessee when the A-10 was a one bid league. The kid from Fairmont went to Kentucky, and at that time who wouldn't have? I'm not sure about the Smith kid who went Virginia, that may have been Gardener's last year, but either way the program was in transition then, while Virginia was going to the Tourney and playing in what was then the best league in college b-ball. The only one he really whiffed on was Bimbo Coles, but that was due to a conflict with Coles wanting to play football. I don't Gale and Don wanted to share, but they both wanted Coles.

 

[Norcalmounty]

The kids, families, and coaches in other states seem to like the guy.

 

[MountUp]

It's on the kids and their handlers. Dana has done what it takes. Big fish in a little ponds think too much of themselves often times.

 

[KeatonsCorner]

"But the fact is that most kids and families of the highest caliber get attention from the HC."

Agreed........ and none of the WV kids are that caliber

 

[older gold]

First of all, I want to say Gibby is doing the best he can do. But the fact is that most kids and families of the highest caliber get attention from the HC.

If any of you know any of the high school coaches in the Charleston-Huntington area, which I do, ask them about their relationship with Holgs. Ask them how well the players' families relate to him.

Most will tell you they don't know if he's just not trying or if his personality is just not very family friendly. There's a kid at Spring Valley who's a rising sophomore, probably will be all-state this year, and his family is hearing from other HCs at SEC and ACC and Big 10 schools, but Holgs is no where to be found. These kids in the Huntington area all look up to Elijah Wellman (who went to from there) but none of their families relate to Holgs. He's just not Mr. Personality with them. It gives the impression he really is not that interested in their kid's development.

I don't know if he isn't that impressed by them or he just isn't all that friendly. Even Nick Saban is doing better talking to these parents.

Three of these guys are still on the table depending on who our coach is come January 1. That's from the family members. That's all i'm saying. They'd love to be able to drive 3 hours 7 times a year to watch their kids play top rated teams. They'd love to go watch a few practices. But their number one priority is that their kid will be with a HC who wants them there and looks parents in the eyes and tells them their son is wanted.

We are getting better recruits all of the time. Our depth is getting stronger each year, and you can tell that because we are not backfilling as much with JUCO players as we had to 5 years ago when the cupboard was left bare.

You are not going to get every recruit, and frankly, not every kid wants to come to WVU...including in-state kids who are subjected to so much of the negative media that is critical of our program.

It would be a nice thing to capture every good high school kid in West Virginia that has Division 1 talent, however I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. For us to be successful, we need to recruit aggressively in our traditional areas where we maintain a solid brand.

I could care less where a kid is born or where they went to high school. All I want is a roster of kids who can help WVU compete for a Big 12 championship.

And for those people who are indecisive and waiting around to find out who the coach will be in January, I feel sad for them. There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who make things happen; Those who watch things happen; and Those who wonder what happened.