Historically UConn does more with less

[Scottzer]

Why we shouldn't fret too much over missing a recruit here or there... This data is fascinating. We hardly ever get McDonald's All Americans, but when we do, they sure seem to develop. http://statsheet.com/bhsb/mcplayers_by_college

If there was ever something I'd like to show a recruit, it's this website. See all the talent other schools get. But, Calhoun and Ollie make the most (and develop) what they've got.

 

[jibsey]

Great chart! Kind of just like I imagined with Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and NC at 4 to 5 times us. I would also think a chart could be made for how high the McD's are rated on the list because those schools have gotten the big fish more often.

 

[UConn990411]

The "more with less" mantra doesn't really work with UConn. Sure, they don't get anywhere near as many 5-star recruits and McD's All-Americans as the Kentuckys and UNCs of the world, but it's been a long time since UConn was scrapping for 3-stars.

From a pure development standpoint, you could argue that UConn does a better job than any other program in the country. They've managed to turn no-name recruits (Hilton Armstrong) into NBA draft picks and turn pretty good recruits into NBA stars (Ray) at an extraordinary rate. No other program can hold a candle to UConn in that regard.

But when you look at the aggregate recruiting rankings, the "more with less" mindset doesn't quite hold up.

 

[RipCity]

Yeah I wouldn't consider us getting "less". An advantage of having 4 star guys instead of McDonalds AA guys is that they often stay in school longer and have a dominant year or two before leaving rather than McD AAs having solid freshman years and leaving because they'll get picked in the first round already. Also our scouting deserves a lot of credit because regardless of ranking we've pulled in great players.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Yeah I wouldn't consider us getting "less". An advantage of having 4 star guys instead of McDonalds AA guys is that they often stay in school longer and have a dominant year or two before leaving rather than McD AAs having solid freshman years and leaving because they'll get picked in the first round already. Also our scouting deserves a lot of credit because regardless of ranking we've pulled in great players.

I've been wondering this for years. Is there a sweet spot in recruiting that gets you more value than just getting the super-elite guys?

 

[jibsey]

Yeah I wouldn't consider us getting "less". An advantage of having 4 star guys instead of McDonalds AA guys is that they often stay in school longer and have a dominant year or two before leaving rather than McD AAs having solid freshman years and leaving because they'll get picked in the first round already. Also our scouting deserves a lot of credit because regardless of ranking we've pulled in great players.

Well I guess that means that we shouldn't want Diamond Stone because he's a five star one and likely done? I agree with the 4 star thing but I want the 5 too.

 

[RipCity]

I've been wondering this for years. Is there a sweet spot in recruiting that gets you more value than just getting the super-elite guys?

It's probably best to have a mix than it is to be at one of the extremes, which we have done. But at the same time, not everyone who gets a degree is guaranteed to have a great year. In my opinion, what really counts is if the staff can tell how good a player really is/can be. If there was a market inefficiency there, someone would have exploited it by now. Calhoun was just a great coach with a great eye. Ollie seems to have the potential to get there too. We're lucky

 

[Mots010]

The "more with less" mantra doesn't really work with UConn. Sure, they don't get anywhere near as many 5-star recruits and McD's All-Americans as the Kentuckys and UNCs of the world, but it's been a long time since UConn was scrapping for 3-stars.

From a pure development standpoint, you could argue that UConn does a better job than any other program in the country. They've managed to turn no-name recruits (Hilton Armstrong) into NBA draft picks and turn pretty good recruits into NBA stars (Ray) at an extraordinary rate. No other program can hold a candle to UConn in that regard.

But when you look at the aggregate recruiting rankings, the "more with less" mindset doesn't quite hold up.

I dont know, since 1990, we've won more national championships than everyone on the list outside of Duke, and did it with 4-5 times less 5 star recruits than the top 3 on the lists. Isnt that the definition of more with less? We're not throwing scrubs out there, but we certainly are not fielding teams with 8 McDonalds all americans. Hell, we beat UK last year with one 5 star recruit.

 

[David 76]

Not sure we won a championship w/o a 5 star recruit.
Think we had bad years that were worse than those guys too.