That's a stupid argument. I want the best players regardless of where they are from. Am I glad we landed Stauskas and McGary rather than Valentine and Costello? Hell yeah I am.. And we had a great chance with Mr. Basketball Monte Morris but Walton beat him to the punch. You just can't speak in absolutes. Some years Mr. Basketball isn't even great nationally and other years it's just the best HS player and not the best college prospect
Michigan State didn’t even recruit Morris, so I think that was more their issue.
A lot of the elite kids in state have no interest in either Michigan or MSU. James Young and Josh Jackson are recent examples. On the other hand, Michigan has done really well in Indiana. The east coast is in play for us, too. We pulled Stauskas out of Canada and continue to recruit Canada. California, Florida, Philly, Illinois, Germany have all provided players to Michigan. Recruiting has changed.
It goes both ways. Very easy to completely back off guys with potential red flags.
Indiana is a huge bball state though. They live and breathe it there. MI is big on lots of sports. And in most states, the bball talent is mostly located in big cities. Our big cities have seen a ton of emigration. And while some of it has just been people moving to the burbs, lots have left the inner city as well.
Flint Saginaw Pontaic and Detroit have shrunk beyond belief. Those 4 cities produced some great basketball talent. Blair it’s been the biggest factor by far.
Flint Saginaw Pontaic and Detroit have shrunk beyond belief. Those 4 cities produced some great basketball talent. Blair it's been the biggest factor by far.
I’m sure it’s caused a big hit. I’m not saying it hasn’t.
I’m just saying Michigan is still a top 10 state by population and 50% more than Indiana.
This is a big reason why i believe that UM will be considered a better job than msu going forward. MSU has always had to rely on instate talent, while UM is a national brand that has shown the ability to attract kids from all over the country.
It’s a combination of things, but clearly, the areas of the state that produced the best basketball talent have been devastated from a population standpoint.
I would be more concerned, if Michigan didn’t have such a strong national brand. For instance, the Atlanta area has a ton of top basketball talent. But the top in-state schools can’t recruit locally, and can’t recruit nationally either. Now that’s a problem.
As for the Mr Basketball thing, it doesn’t bother me at all. I can’t even remember the name of the guy who won last year. I don’t know what it is, but it almost seems rare the that the winner is the state’s best player, or even very good in some cases. Beyond that, however, there just isn’t enough of a pool to draw from within Michigan anymore. There’s a few here and there, but as Sane said, even the majority of those are leaving the state. I’m sure JB will continue to recruit guys like Walton, Morris, etc. when the opportunity permits, but it is what it is.