Having read many of your posts about how you haven't enjoyed watching MT basketball in recent years would you have honestly given CNM or his staff much of your time or truly endorsed MT for one of your players before this season?
My guess is that you (and many other local coaches familiar with MT) would say the right things and waste the staff's time while pushing your kids to go elsewhere recently- nothing wrong with that given the poor results the previous years.
I think as the culture changes and the expectations come into play the bball staff will always give attention to any kid that they think will help them win games and that they think is interested in MT.. CNM took several local Avl area kids and passed on many others.. you already know that CNM and his staff don't send out shotgun blasts of offers to 10+ kids each year like CKD/staff- they're much more selective than CKD was and you'll find that their time/energy is more authentic and genuine..
What is worse- not showing interest in kids you know you don't want or playing politics and wasting people's time? I'm not saying that there aren't quality recruits in any local area- but for every 10 D1 kids out there- 8 of them want to be away from their parents at least a couple hours drive.... so the ROI (time/energy) can be poor with local D1 bball recruiting in general
Perhaps you may be correct but I would like to think that for greater than 20% of potential players playing in front of friends and relatives who have followed those players in high school would be a factor.
I do agree that you don't want to waste time recruiting players you can't get. As a MT coach told me once: "The worst place to be in a recruiting battle is 2nd place"
As for recruiting local high school basketball players to MT: I'm old school. I still remember that Rick Mount sold a huge number of season tickets in Lebanon, Indiana to Purdue when he signed. We can't expect such fan interest in any player we might get but local players do, IMHO, increase media coverage and fan support.
In my perfect world at least one major contributor would be from Rutherford Co., one from Nashville, and one from somewhere else in the mid-state. (and from a much different time: an unnamed MT BkB coach once told be that for the program to take off we needed a Caucasian star player from Nashville - not sure anyone would admit that is a valid point today)
To my point: I believe that a coach at MT (and similar schools) must do some of what I call "complementary recruiting" of every local player with D-1 potential. I don't care if a player is a 5 star and being recruited by every elite program in the country you still try to meet with the kid, his coach, and his parents to let him know you are aware of him and would like to talk more if he is interested.
You never know what a players might decide to do, you don't know how having a relationship with that coach might help get a player later who is a good fit, etc.
Regardless, I agree winning is much more important than where the player come from and we have to get the best we can get. I get that but I will continue to believe all recruiting should begin locally and then expand outward.
