ideal wrote:Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern's fb coach takes a hard-line approach, and pulls all offers when they choose to visit another school after a verbal.
I think you're referring to Brady Hoke at Michigan. I don't believe Fitz has adopted this.
Anyways, what has been said in this is pretty much how it works. Coaches have a "board," they identify the top priorities. These are "takes" whether they want to commit tomorrow, in 2 months, or in the spring after their senior season, doesn't matter. With basketball, not nearly as many offers go out, it's very risky to offer a prospect and the prospect wants to commit but you've identified others that you want more. Therefore you don't allow that prospect to commit and burn a bridge. With basketball, most offers are takes. Once you get a spot filled at a position, it usually closes the door on others at the position for the class unless you sorely need depth or it's a guy that is truly too good to pass on.
It's a very different breed from football. A lot of times, options 4 and 5 at X position on your board don't have offers even though you're recruiting them hard as though they do have an offer. If the first three come off the board to other schools, you then can offer the 4th or 5th option and be right in the mix because you've recruited them hard the whole way.
One other thing, boards in basketball don't go deep, it's not uncommon that a staff has to completely "reshuffle" their board. They lose their top 5 prospects at PG to other schools, they may wipe the board and start over, it happens more than you would think. My sister is being recruited by a school right now, she's been told that they want her but they've got two other offers out to players right now at her position and are waiting on them. My sister is fine with that because she loves the school, staff, players/program. If she wasn't, it'd force their hand to really decide on whether to offer and whether they would take her and be happy with the way they filled the position. Otherwise you run the risk that she says F you and looks elsewhere since they're dragging their feet on her so to speak. Hopefully that makes a bit of sense.