"Pressure to stay at home" What and how?

[winlots]

In a lot of threads, reference has been made to this or that recruit being subject to a lot of pressure to play basketball in their home state. Every time I see this, I have a little trouble understanding the intricacies of such pressure. Very seriously, as you all see it, what is the nature of such pressure? How is it applied?

And, do you think most all kids are responsive to it to one degree or another? Or is that a function of the source of the pressure? Hard for me to imagine a young athlete making their college choice based on "pressure" from someone else, even when that somebody is a Jr or Sr in high school.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The pressure could come from parents, high school teammates who are staying local, or even their coaches who tend to have relationships or connections with the coaches from local/in-state programs. For a 16 or 17 year old kid that could amount to a lot of pressure.

 

[HuskyNan]

In a lot of threads, reference has been made to this or that recruit being subject to a lot of pressure to play basketball in their home state. Every time I see this, I have a little trouble understanding the intricacies of such pressure. Very seriously, as you all see it, what is the nature of such pressure? How is it applied?

And, do you think most all kids are responsive to it to one degree or another? Or is that a function of the source of the pressure? Hard for me to imagine a young athlete making their college choice based on "pressure" from someone else, even when that somebody is a Jr or Sr in high school.

You've obviously never been a teenage girl that's already feeling pressure from within to fit in and be liked. Add to that external pressure from friends, family, coaches, etc to do whatever it is that they want and the girl can get very stressed.

 

[UcMiami]

I think it is probably an overblown concept except in rare instances. Most kids in HS are aware that their whole class is going to disperse after graduation and being 100 miles or 500 miles away from friends isn't going to matter much - I actually think parents may feel more of that peer pressure as they are more permanently located in the community than their kids. There was some talk about this with Breanna and Syracuse, but when she made her choice Syracuse seemed to be handle it really well and said she could still come by and use facilities as I remember.
The one issue - distance - I don't see as 'pressure' but more reality - do I want my family to be at all my home games and if I leave the region am I and my family OK with that.
Maybe I am naive but I think most coaches and parents and friends are more concerned with the player making a good choice than pushing them in some direction.

 

[pap49cba]

Jim Fuller video of Geno addressing this issue....

Second video down. He gives a great response.

LINK

 

[Icebear]

But in this both parents have expressed a strong like of UCONN. I do not think the perceived pressure is from her parents.

 

[vtcwbuff]

In a lot of threads, reference has been made to this or that recruit being subject to a lot of pressure to play basketball in their home state. Every time I see this, I have a little trouble understanding the intricacies of such pressure. Very seriously, as you all see it, what is the nature of such pressure? How is it applied?

And, do you think most all kids are responsive to it to one degree or another? Or is that a function of the source of the pressure? Hard for me to imagine a young athlete making their college choice based on "pressure" from someone else, even when that somebody is a Jr or Sr in high school.

Boneyarders who've been around a while can probably rattle off a dozen or more names of recruits that were pressured to go elsewhere. How many times have we read of recruits succumbing to pressure from their parents to attend the parent's choice of school instead of their own. Add to that the pressure of friends, boy friends and HS team mates. A ton of pressure for a teenager.

 

[UcMiami]

Jim Fuller video of Geno addressing this issue....

Second video down. He gives a great response.

LINK

Thanks for posting that - what a great answer - and an insight into what it must be like for a recruit. No sugar coating and some hard truths. It must be a refreshing change from some other experiences on the recruiting rounds.

 

[UcMiami]

Boneyarders who've been around a while can probably rattle off a dozen or more names of recruits that were pressured to go elsewhere. How many times have we read of recruits succumbing to pressure from their parents to attend the parent's choice of school instead of their own. Add to that the pressure of friends, boy friends and HS team mates. A ton of pressure for a teenager.

Yes - but I think most of those reports are antidotal - I can only think of a couple that were actually 'documented'. Choices based on where a friend or boyfriend is going I don't see as 'pressure' as much as it is just one factor in the decision process and a signal of priorities.

 

[ursusminor]

Most kids in HS are aware that their whole class is going to disperse after graduation and being 100 miles or 500 miles away from friends isn't going to matter much.

I actually disagree with this. Seems like half my graduating class went to UConn, UHart, or one of the Connecticut State schools; Rhode Island and Boston schools also count as more or less local around here. I see plenty of my high school acquaintances still hanging out in our hometown via Facebook. Certainly some people take off - I went 300 miles, and my sister went about 2500 miles - but outside the most elite scholars and athletes, that's not the norm. If you have a bunch of friends who are planning to go to State U, it would be more tempting to stay close to home.

 

[iri10]

But in this both parents have expressed a strong like of UCONN. I do not think the perceived pressure is from her parents.

It's probably possible for both factors to be in play at the same time. You can like the school and the coaches, but have misgivings over the separation distance.

There's a fun speculative game you can play here: If you swap the locations of two schools so that UConn is a recruit's "local" college, and the competing college requires a flight, does that change the preferences of the people involved? In some cases, it probably would.

Of course, this type of speculation will likely always remain just a "game." Even when distance proves to be the deciding factor, the recruits and supporters involved aren't always inclined to confirm it, unless it's a special case like EDD. For the rest, there are other justifications that they can cite, focusing on the perceived positives of the coach they actually committed to.

 

[UcMiami]

I actually disagree with this. Seems like half my graduating class went to UConn, UHart, or one of the Connecticut State schools; Rhode Island and Boston schools also count as more or less local around here. I see plenty of my high school acquaintances still hanging out in our hometown via Facebook. Certainly some people take off - I went 300 miles, and my sister went about 2500 miles - but outside the most elite scholars and athletes, that's not the norm. If you have a bunch of friends who are planning to go to State U, it would be more tempting to stay close to home.

Again - tempting, but not exactly what I would call pressure. And I agree - I went to EOSmith here in Storrs, and a lot of the class stayed localish - if you include all of Mass and RI and a little of NY - and a lot stayed at Uconn. And a whole bunch migrated back to the area as well or never left. But while say UMass and Uconn are not that far away, it is still not hanging out distance and different rooting interest as well. Thats all I meant by dispersal.

 

[UcMiami]

It's probably possible for both factors to be in play at the same time. You can like the school and the coaches, but have misgivings over the separation distance.

There's a fun speculative game you can play here: If you swap the locations of two schools so that UConn is a recruit's "local" college, and the competing college requires a flight, does that change the preferences of the people involved? In some cases, it probably would.

Of course, this type of speculation will likely always remain just a "game." Even when distance proves to be the deciding factor, the recruits and supporters involved aren't always inclined to confirm it, unless it's a special case like EDD. For the rest, there are other justifications that they can cite, focusing on the perceived positives of the coach they actually committed to.

And some kids definitely want to get away, preferably quite a distance! No reflection on home life, just a desire to gain some independence and not be expected home for Sunday lunch every week!

 

[HuskyNan]

Yes - but I think most of those reports are antidotal - I can only think of a couple that were actually 'documented'. Choices based on where a friend or boyfriend is going I don't see as 'pressure' as much as it is just one factor in the decision process and a signal of priorities.

I can name a dozen off the top of my head and could probably come up with more names after thinking about it for a while. For girls with elite-level ability, the pressure can be intense. I know of girls who've been pressured to go to an elite school when she really wants to go to the local U with all of her friends. But she's nagged, told she's wasting her ability, she'll get a free education, blah blah blah. It happens a lot more than you think.

 

[winlots]

Very interesting posts and very much appreciated in this corner.

Also reassuring that someone would figure I'm not a teenage girl, particularly after that totally unauthorized Boneyard photo of me in my tutu celebrating the signing of Nurse.

Thinking back to my own days as a basketball recruit, I guess there was pressure of a sort. Kind of unique case, apparently, as the basic tenor of it was "Get that kid OUTA this state!" There was a lot of sentiment for me to leave PA and head for Alaska or Hawaii......pretty much any place really remote. When it became clear that that wasn't going to happen, most folks contented themselves with getting me at least across the state line into NJ. Tough crowd in my area....very tough crowd.

 

[cohenzone]

Seems to me that when the number 1 elite school in the game is offering a scholarship, there might be at least equal pressure on the recruit in the opposite direction coming from many sources - friends, coaches, family - to jump at the chance to play for the best. Maybe that's what happened to DellaDonne, although one would hope that the realization of how deeply she felt about leaving her family didn't hit until she was actually face to face with a long stretch away from home. I'd venture that the pressure from whatever source to pick the local college might be even greater among fairly equal choices, but will definitely vary case by case. Of course, for a truly elite player - one who thinks that they might be a game changer - the idea of becoming a local hero might be temptation enough without any local pressure. One would hope, and clearly this is not always true, that the people a player trusts most for guidance in making a choice are people whose judgement is good, discuss alternatives objectively, try and point out all the pros and cons, and then let the recruit decide. I know when my own kids were choosing colleges, and all had very good options, only one chose a college my wife and I didn't favor. In fact we favored a closer university (wasn't all that close) and he opted for one far from home. He made the right choice for the career he has followed. You just hope as a parent the kid chooses for the right reasons and not to please other people.

 

[Geno-ista]

Very interesting posts and very much appreciated in this corner.

Also reassuring that someone would figure I'm not a teenage girl, particularly after that totally unauthorized Boneyard photo of me in my tutu celebrating the signing of Nurse.

Thinking back to my own days as a basketball recruit, I guess there was pressure of a sort. Kind of unique case, apparently, as the basic tenor of it was "Get that kid OUTA this state!" There was a lot of sentiment for me to leave PA and head for Alaska or Hawaii......pretty much any place really remote. When it became clear that that wasn't going to happen, most folks contented themselves with getting me at least across the state line into NJ. Tough crowd in my area....very tough crowd.

Re Aja specifically- If we reversed it- and Aja or Stewie was playing HIgh school ball in Storrs Ct, and they decided to go south and play for Duke, North Carolina or God forbid- Tennessee, I assume there would be a lot of negative articles blogs and fallout that a young girl would have to add to their plate. Forget the basketball, choosing the "right" school to attend is a big enough deal with all kinds of pressure in and of itself. And everything is magnified at these kid's ages.

 

[UcMiami]

Re Aja specifically- If we reversed it- and Aja or Stewie was playing HIgh school ball in Storrs Ct, and they decided to go south and play for Duke, North Carolina or God forbid- Tennessee, I assume there would be a lot of negative articles blogs and fallout that a young girl would have to add to their plate. Forget the basketball, choosing the "right" school to attend is a big enough deal with all kinds of pressure in and of itself. And everything is magnified at these kid's ages.

I would hope the newspapers and hoard would not show such bad form, but I am sure some on the boneyard would be a wee bit perturbed.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

One odd factor is that in certain states, you just want to play for "State U". For example, it might be Iowa or Iowa State, but there were often home state players that "wanted" to go to the school they had followed for years; Vivian talked about this, because the same spirit is quite absent in NJ for example. Yes, Rutgers recruits rather well locally, but the inherent desire to play for Rutgers just isn't there.

I think the spirit is especially strong in the midwest.

 

[Icebear]

Re Aja specifically- If we reversed it- and Aja or Stewie was playing HIgh school ball in Storrs Ct, and they decided to go south and play for Duke, North Carolina or God forbid- Tennessee, I assume there would be a lot of negative articles blogs and fallout that a young girl would have to add to their plate. Forget the basketball, choosing the "right" school to attend is a big enough deal with all kinds of pressure in and of itself. And everything is magnified at these kid's ages.

Past history would indicate that that would not be true except for a few hyperventilating members.

 

[ursusminor]

Again - tempting, but not exactly what I would call pressure. And I agree - I went to EOSmith here in Storrs, and a lot of the class stayed localish - if you include all of Mass and RI and a little of NY - and a lot stayed at Uconn. And a whole bunch migrated back to the area as well or never left. But while say UMass and Uconn are not that far away, it is still not hanging out distance and different rooting interest as well. Thats all I meant by dispersal.

Not hanging out every day distance, but schools like UConn, UHart, and UMass are close enough that you and your buddies will be home on three-day weekends, or you can go see them. You can all get tickets to see a concert together in Boston, Hartford, or the casinos. When your club rugby team reaches their postseason, your friends make it down to see you play. People who go farther go home so infrequently and take so much time traveling that there isn't as much time or energy for seeing friends after you've hugged your parents and crashed on the couch. You start missing out, and when your friends don't want you to be missing out on fun with them, that's pressure. Throw in an elite Division 1 sports program, and if you choose to go far away for school you will pretty much never have time for your old friends ever again. People you might have been close to since preschool. I would call that pressure to stay close to home.

 

[UcMiami]

One odd factor is that in certain states, you just want to play for "State U". For example, it might be Iowa or Iowa State, but there were often home state players that "wanted" to go to the school they had followed for years; Vivian talked about this, because the same spirit is quite absent in NJ for example. Yes, Rutgers recruits rather well locally, but the inherent desire to play for Rutgers just isn't there.

I think the spirit is especially strong in the midwest.

I think it speaks to the general transience of other parts of the country - Rural vs Urban mentality. And probably to the fact that most professional teams are located on both coasts, the great lakes or the south so the only 'Team' is the state college. Here on the boneyard we are passionate about Uconn WBB, but I am sure we have a fairly even mix of fanatics for one of the Red Sox, Yankees, Pats, Knicks, Giants, Jets, Celtics, etc. Who are you going to root for in Nebraska?

 

[UcMiami]

Not hanging out every day distance, but schools like UConn, UHart, and UMass are close enough that you and your buddies will be home on three-day weekends, or you can go see them. You can all get tickets to see a concert together in Boston, Hartford, or the casinos. When your club rugby team reaches their postseason, your friends make it down to see you play. People who go farther go home so infrequently and take so much time traveling that there isn't as much time or energy for seeing friends after you've hugged your parents and crashed on the couch. You start missing out, and when your friends don't want you to be missing out on fun with them, that's pressure. Throw in an elite Division 1 sports program, and if you choose to go far away for school you will pretty much never have time for your old friends ever again. People you might have been close to since preschool. I would call that pressure to stay close to home.

All good points but then you are talking about 'regional' in my mind and not local - so for A'ja SC is competing against NC, Georgia, Duke, etc. vs. ND, UConn, Stanford, etc.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

To say that most college students matriculate close to home is a statistical understatement...

"Nearly 83% of students attend four-year colleges and universities in their own states. The number is even higher for students who end up at state universities — 90.5% of them never leave their state. In contrast, 44% of students who select private colleges do cross their state lines."

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/sticking-close-to-home-for-college/

http://www.cappex.com/blog/going-the-distance/

 

[ochoopsfan]

Interesting topic. The below was taken from a post on the Cal Bears Forum, concerning a player, Kristen Simon, who wanted to go to Cal and wound up signing with USC. She is from Los Angeles.

If you listen carefully to what Kristen says in her interview, she telegraphs exactly why she chose USC. She wanted to sign with Cal (hence the lovely words she had to say about Lindsay and the Cal family, she had no similar praise for USC). Her parents on the other hand felt strongly about her staying close to home. Unfortunately, it looks like Kristen fell victim to an antiquated rule that requires a parent sign the LOI if you are under 21 years of age. Her parents refused to sign an LOI that said Cal and it appears Kristen simply got tired of fighting about it. Reading between the lines, her twitter also appears to telegraph the struggle that was taking place leading up to signing day. Sad story and a big loss for Cal. Kristen may be slightly undersized, but has some of the best footwork I've ever seen on a post player. The rule should really be changed so that kids can sign on their own once they've reached 18. . . Obviously, parents should play a major role in any kids decision making process, but they shouldn't have total veto power. If you're old enough to fight for your country, you're old enough to choose what college you'd like to attend!

http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79040&page=3

I wasnt aware that you needed a parents signature if you were under 21 to sign a LOI. I would have thought being 18 would be good enough.
Here is the back up for the signature requirements for a LOI.........click on "Parent or Legal Guardian Signature"

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/nli/nli/frequently+asked+questions/index.html

I was hoping this player. K. Simon, would sign with USC. However, I wouldnt want an unhappy player to sign anywhere.