While some aspects of Ollie's recruiting philosophy may have been problematic, it was not ultimately the cause of his downfall. Save for Perkins, Dorsey, Ali, and maybe McLaughin, he didn't seem to lose out on many players he had invested in significantly. And while you could argue that some of his efforts to recruit nationally may have compromised his ability to lock down the northeast, the recruits that came back to haunt us were products of either oversight or bad luck. Waters and Heron were too entrenched in foreign embassies for us to ever make headway. Colson was just a whiff. Makai was sealed and delivered until Ollie lost his mind. Diallo was someone we put in all the early legwork to sign and then couldn't close on. The Niang/Vonleh/Seldon/Terrell/Abu pool predated Calhoun's retirement. Obviously we know what happened with Dunn.
Ollie's ceiling was a lot higher than Hurley's from a networking standpoint, which is why it made sense for him to cast a wider net. In a different conference, with more experience, he may have pulled it off. But I think the notion that Ollie missed a stash of riches under his feet is overstated. That was not a pipeline he willingly turned away.
Hurley has always made far more sense as a regional guy. That was actually the #1 draw for me when I began to consider possible Ollie replacements. He's not moving far enough to disrupt the inroads he made at Rhode Island, but he is climbing high enough on the social ladder to tap into a sustainable stream of four and five star talent. The question is whether he is going to be able to recruit, out of the American, at a level that satisfies the fan base. My initial impression is no, which is why I've always viewed Hurley and a return to the Big East as a package deal. I think it would have been more viable to transcend the conference under a guy like Ollie. With Hurley here, staying in the AAC long term feels like a hedged bet. I'm not suggesting we make that move tomorrow, but I would not be surprised if that was the end game.
