HoopDreams;842149603 said:
I think Green has to be a priority recruit. I like our chances, but don't have a good sense for this.
I am however puzzled why Cal is not pulling in tons of top recruits after their Final Four run, which showcased Gottlieb's coaching style. It's also clear that Gottlieb wants to play fast, which should appeal to the elite players.
I know it will also be tough to recruit against the top powerhouse programs who fill their arenas every game, but we shouldn't be losing recruits to many of the west coast programs, including ucla.
At a fairly recent Cal event I talked to Lindsay at some length about recruiting. My post regarding that discussion is here somewhere. From that discussion I can say that Gabby Green is the priority recruit. Drummer is right up there too. I did not mention Simon by name, so I can't say on that one. I was pretty obvious that Green and Cowling were the two most sought-after 2014's for Cal. Moore and the others were not that heavily recruited by Cal and I am not even sure that any of them had Cal offers. Lindsay made it crystal clear that she offers only top-notch players who also fit into the Cal program. When I mentioned the deep talent locally, she made a statement that she is not assembling an All-star team. It was about as clear as could be that Lindsay is targeting only the best that also fit the Cal mold.
So, I would not look at the locals committing elsewhere as losses for Cal. Losing Green would be a loss. Based on what Lindsay told me, I would be surprised if Green does not go to Cal. She is exactly the elite level player that Lindsay wants at Cal. Seems like Cal is a good fit for Gabby and her family has a good relationship with the program, which does matter. I don't think Green is a lock for Cal, but I like where we stand with her.
Before elite players start breaking down the doors to get into Cal, it will take some additional success beyond the Final Four appearance this year. Most teams that attract the level of player Lindsay wants at Cal have offers from a number of teams with better pedigree than Cal. Duke, UConn, Furd, Baylor, are just a few of those teams. At this point, Lindsay and staff have to work extra hard to get the Gabby Greens of the world to buy into what they are selling. It has worked for other programs, so why not Cal? Cal has an attractive product to sell.
ucla got one player that we wanted, Canada. Caldwell was not pursued by our staff. Neither was the girl from the south bay. However, I respect ucla as a recruiting foe. Drummer will most likely choose between Cal, sc and ucla. That will be an interesting recruiting battle.
At this point we trust in the staff and their professional evaluations and hope for the best. Getting Green, Drummer, Simon and Cowling would be awesome and a Top-10 recruiting class. These are exactly the type of players we need to become a Final Four threat every year.
PS: don't trip on PG. There are some very good ones in the 2015 class. Plus, I would bet Lindsay is after more than just Green, Drummer and Simon. Plus, if those three get on board with Cowling, Cal will be a magnet for PG's, 2014 and 2015. It's still a ways until LOI day.
