Well, this is going to be a very strange year. With the COVID-19 issue, recruiting is essentially at a standstill. It will be very interesting to see how Linder is able to build a roster for next year. A few thoughts come to mind:
1. Current Players - I think this would be true no matter what, but in this situation getting the returning players to come back is extra critical. Just like it is easier in the business world to retain existing customers than it is to land new ones, the same is true here. Obviously we won't retain 100%, but the more we can retain the better positioned we are.
2. Late Recruiting - There will be a lot of very late recruiting this year I think, extending well into the summer for everyone. The signing period is going to be largely irrelevant I think.
3. Targets - With that in mind, I suspect Linder may target some players that he had been recruiting while at UNC (but that did not commit obviously). I would also expect to target some transfers. Right now when it comes to transfers we are on relatively equal footing as nobody can conduct visits and the transfers just entering the portal now would not have been actively recruited over the last few months.
Obviously we need some key components to be competitive next year, but with this situation I wonder if we might be better served by targeting the transfer market. We have a minimum of (3) scholarships, but realistically probably 5 or 6. This is a major challenge for Linder starting a new job.
I really feel we have the right guy, but I think it might take some patience. I thought this even before the COVID-19 issue because it is easy to be blinded by the MWC tourney games and forget the fact that we just had one of, if not the, worst 2 year stretch in program history. That doesn't get fixed overnight in the best of times, especially not now.
1. Current Players - I think this would be true no matter what, but in this situation getting the returning players to come back is extra critical. Just like it is easier in the business world to retain existing customers than it is to land new ones, the same is true here. Obviously we won't retain 100%, but the more we can retain the better positioned we are.
2. Late Recruiting - There will be a lot of very late recruiting this year I think, extending well into the summer for everyone. The signing period is going to be largely irrelevant I think.
3. Targets - With that in mind, I suspect Linder may target some players that he had been recruiting while at UNC (but that did not commit obviously). I would also expect to target some transfers. Right now when it comes to transfers we are on relatively equal footing as nobody can conduct visits and the transfers just entering the portal now would not have been actively recruited over the last few months.
Obviously we need some key components to be competitive next year, but with this situation I wonder if we might be better served by targeting the transfer market. We have a minimum of (3) scholarships, but realistically probably 5 or 6. This is a major challenge for Linder starting a new job.
I really feel we have the right guy, but I think it might take some patience. I thought this even before the COVID-19 issue because it is easy to be blinded by the MWC tourney games and forget the fact that we just had one of, if not the, worst 2 year stretch in program history. That doesn't get fixed overnight in the best of times, especially not now.
