2008 Woodie Awards
FACE OFF: Should SDSU broaden its recruiting base?
Ariy-El Boynton and Amy Poppinga
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Sports
YES:
Tyson Fisher, Anthony Watson, Kai Williams, Jimmy Rogers, Michael Palarca and the vast majority of the swimming team have something in common. They were recruited from outside the five-state area, and all have made significant contributions to Jackrabbit athletics. I think SDSU should get more "non-traditional" athletes in order to keep up with the Joneses. I understand when we were in the North Central Conference that just getting local talent was where it was at, but now that we are D-I, we need to explore other states and regions that produce a tremendous amount of talent. In order to go "anywhere" from here, we must recruit everywhere in order to better anyone that tries to beat us.
NO:
I appreciate that as a D-I school, we should perhaps recruit athletes from all over the U.S. and beyond, but only if and when the talent cannot be found within our neighboring states. We have talent within our region. Look at one of the most successful teams on campus - the women's basketball team. This year, 14 players were from the Midwest. And remember that magical WNIT run last year? All of the starters from last year came from nearby states. Therefore, we do have talent within our region, and if we neglect that talent, not only will those players miss out on the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, but SDSU will lose its signature of having true Midwestern teams.
Tyson Fisher, Anthony Watson, Kai Williams, Jimmy Rogers, Michael Palarca and the vast majority of the swimming team have something in common. They were recruited from outside the five-state area, and all have made significant contributions to Jackrabbit athletics. I think SDSU should get more "non-traditional" athletes in order to keep up with the Joneses. I understand when we were in the North Central Conference that just getting local talent was where it was at, but now that we are D-I, we need to explore other states and regions that produce a tremendous amount of talent. In order to go "anywhere" from here, we must recruit everywhere in order to better anyone that tries to beat us.
NO:
I appreciate that as a D-I school, we should perhaps recruit athletes from all over the U.S. and beyond, but only if and when the talent cannot be found within our neighboring states. We have talent within our region. Look at one of the most successful teams on campus - the women's basketball team. This year, 14 players were from the Midwest. And remember that magical WNIT run last year? All of the starters from last year came from nearby states. Therefore, we do have talent within our region, and if we neglect that talent, not only will those players miss out on the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, but SDSU will lose its signature of having true Midwestern teams.
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