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Message: [QUOTE="oldhusky, post: 5315156, member: 9844"] While I can't quite share the extent of your enthusiasm for Blanca, a think third best starter behind Sarah and Azzi is possible and would be great. Regardless I don't think ESPN is going to project a foreign freshmen as a big difference maker on a major contender. The reason is it raises the question of why they largely ignore foreign prospects in their high school rankings. Rightly or wrongly they are used as the standard for recruits. Players are referred to as the number whatever prospect, solely based on where they were in ESPN's rankings. Calling Blanca, Jana, Aaliyah or Nika game changers would be admitting there is a serious flaw in their rating process, because they don't rate probably a half dozen to a dozen top foreign prospects that would easily make their top 100 if they were given equal consideration. Now I realize the difficulty. They don't get to see those players in person, or get to compare them to other good players in AAU competition, and I'm sure the people doing the rating are reasonably good and dedicated, but their top 100 list is not, and has not been a list of the best prospects for college recruitment for a number of years. It can't be if it excludes a significant portion of incoming freshmen that are foreigners. Until they do their top 100 list will be flawed, as will their class recruiting rankings, and projections of difference makers on contenders that generally exclude top foreign incoming freshmen. I think they have shown some minor interest in covering or rating a few Canadian players but those are frequently players competing in the US or participating in US AAU competitions. I believe there is enough video on players, both in age related world competitions, and playing for their country to at least try to make an assessment IMO. [/QUOTE]

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