I really got into basketball recruiting in the 1970s, when Minnesota had arguably the best class in the nation in 1978 with Leo Rautins, Trent Tucker, Darryl Mitchell, Cookie Holmes, and Mark Hall. I think MInnesota had Kevin Stallings as well but he switched his commitment.. Then I was subscribing to all the recruiting magazines like Basketball Times and Street and Smiths as well as the private ones out there.. The top players were always from the BIG CITIES of the U.S.
I could tell you all the best players from the different big cities and where they were considering for college..I always asked to go to games where I knew the best players in the nation were playing, if they were near the midwest.. I would watch the Dapper Dan classic in Pittsburgh and go to all the high school tournaments in the midwest that McDonald's sponsored.. Watching the BIG CITY KIDS that I read about in all the recruiting magazines.. When I came to Minnesota, I would convince a family member to drive down to Decorah, Iowa for Van Coleman's Future Stars camp, to watch the best from the upper midwest play. You would always see a few top recruits nationally, at those camps.
Well we know that things have changed... In the 2022 class, there is NOT A SINGLE PLAYER that is prepping from NYC or Detroit, in the TOP 150 OF RIVALS... That is amazing to me.. 2 former juggernauts in providing great D1 basketball players turned out NO PLAYERS in the TOP 150!! Now, you can argue with me that there are a few kids from the other side of the river from NYC in New Jersey that are in the TOP 150 so there are still NYC metro kids in the TOP 150... But where are the kids from the Bronx high schools?? Where are the kids from Brooklyn high schools??? Where are the kids from Queens high schools?? They are not there. I looked up the top kids from prep schools and they aren't coming from NYC either. .And I dont see much from AAU that is coming out of NYC.. People are moving out of Detroit in droves, so that is more understandable but those remaining kids are not seeing basketball as an alternative to leaving areas where they grew up..
Baltimore/Washington DC metro is holding its own in recruiting, year in year out... Maybe I need to do a 5 year average and 2022 might just be a bad year for some big cities for prospects....Chicago had 1 or 2. Philadelphia had 3-4 in the TOP 150...MENOMINEE FALLS, WISCONSIN HAD 2, BY THEMSELVES!! THERE ARE MORE...MORE.. TOP 150 PROSPECTS COMING OUT OF MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN THAN IN CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA, COMBINED!!!! Obviously, there is an increase in top flight basketball recruits coming from southern big cities like the ones from in Texas and Florida.. Atlanta and Memphis have more kids recruited in basketball now.. More kids from Alabama and South Carolina whereas they used to be predominately football areas.
RECRUITING IN THE BIGGEST US CITIES IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WAY TO GO, ANYMORE, FOR DIVISION 1 SCHOOLS IN BASKETBALL!!
I could tell you all the best players from the different big cities and where they were considering for college..I always asked to go to games where I knew the best players in the nation were playing, if they were near the midwest.. I would watch the Dapper Dan classic in Pittsburgh and go to all the high school tournaments in the midwest that McDonald's sponsored.. Watching the BIG CITY KIDS that I read about in all the recruiting magazines.. When I came to Minnesota, I would convince a family member to drive down to Decorah, Iowa for Van Coleman's Future Stars camp, to watch the best from the upper midwest play. You would always see a few top recruits nationally, at those camps.
Well we know that things have changed... In the 2022 class, there is NOT A SINGLE PLAYER that is prepping from NYC or Detroit, in the TOP 150 OF RIVALS... That is amazing to me.. 2 former juggernauts in providing great D1 basketball players turned out NO PLAYERS in the TOP 150!! Now, you can argue with me that there are a few kids from the other side of the river from NYC in New Jersey that are in the TOP 150 so there are still NYC metro kids in the TOP 150... But where are the kids from the Bronx high schools?? Where are the kids from Brooklyn high schools??? Where are the kids from Queens high schools?? They are not there. I looked up the top kids from prep schools and they aren't coming from NYC either. .And I dont see much from AAU that is coming out of NYC.. People are moving out of Detroit in droves, so that is more understandable but those remaining kids are not seeing basketball as an alternative to leaving areas where they grew up..
Baltimore/Washington DC metro is holding its own in recruiting, year in year out... Maybe I need to do a 5 year average and 2022 might just be a bad year for some big cities for prospects....Chicago had 1 or 2. Philadelphia had 3-4 in the TOP 150...MENOMINEE FALLS, WISCONSIN HAD 2, BY THEMSELVES!! THERE ARE MORE...MORE.. TOP 150 PROSPECTS COMING OUT OF MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN THAN IN CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA, COMBINED!!!! Obviously, there is an increase in top flight basketball recruits coming from southern big cities like the ones from in Texas and Florida.. Atlanta and Memphis have more kids recruited in basketball now.. More kids from Alabama and South Carolina whereas they used to be predominately football areas.
RECRUITING IN THE BIGGEST US CITIES IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WAY TO GO, ANYMORE, FOR DIVISION 1 SCHOOLS IN BASKETBALL!!
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