Recruiting?? Players leaving??

[PonySnob]

Any word on how recruiting is doing now that we are on our way to a 1 win or possibly winless season? Has Massey, Philips or Meeks indicated if they are going to transfer after this season? Our program is in serious trouble. ABANDON SHIP!!!!

[PerunaPunch]

You're funny, but obviously aren't very well informed. Recruiting is cranking up again, and I know of at least one potential surprise that is going to shock a lot of people.

The thing about top recruits is that they're really not disuaded by a team's current performance. They know that by the time they're playing on Saturdays, at least a quarter of the current players will be gone. They're completely confident in their abilities, and all think they can help "turn the program around." I'm not saying that won/loss records aren't a consideration, but I am saying that it's not high on the list.

Bennett has shown an amazing ability to close kids once the visit the campus and see what we have to offer besides last year's win column.

[WildHorse]

Right, PPunch. If there's a talented kid thinking about SMU, he can look at it two ways. "They're not winning." Well, that's true - we haven't won. Yet. Or "I could make a huge difference on a team and get maybe four years of playing time."

The whispers I've heard is that a surprisingly high number of players -- good players -- are looking at SMU, realizing how close the Ponies are to breaking through, realizing they could play right away or at least play in the first year or two ,,,, and realizing that SMU is still a great school, etc. I know I'll be called a sunshine fan for this, but I really think that the signing class we get in February will shock a lot of people. At least that's what I've heard from people who know a lot more about this stuff than we do.

[sam]

Yea kids don't care about winning, that's the reason all the top programs always get the best recruits because they do't care about the wins.

[KnuckleStang]

Yeah, and you know what really helps? Using your school's public forum to encourage your freshmen to "abandon ship," and your best future prospects to enroll elsewhere. Sounds like a can't-miss formula for winning. Keep it up, snob, in a couple of years you're gonna take us over the top.

<small>[ 10-05-2003, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: KnuckleStang ]</small>

[Lotus]

Originally posted by sam:
Yea kids don't care about winning, that's the reason all the top programs always get the best recruits because they do't care about the wins.

Of course kids care about winning. But they also care about playing. And just about every kid who plays in college was a star in high school, and always has been told he's a star, etc. More often than not, they believe they'll be effective -- if not an outright star -- in college, too. And if a kid is realistic, he might well look at a Miami or Oklahoma and realize those teams are winning, but that his first chance to get on the field will be his junior or senior year. Or he could look at SMU and realize this team is close -- very close -- to breaking through, and that he could play early and be one of the reasons SMU got back on the map.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. If you're good enough to go to Miami and make an impact right away, best of luck. But if you want to play and realize you won't get that shot at a bigger program, SMU is ideal. There is some talent on the roster, but there are openings for exceptional players.

[SMUFan]

Exactly. I'd rather be known as a guy who was instrumental in taking a struggling team back to the top, rather than a guy who sat the bench for four years and played my fifth year, winning maybe because of my talent or maybe because of the guys around me. Players with spine and guts want to MAKE a team great.

[FloridaMustang]

Ponysnob, you're a moron. There's something called a "realist" and then someone like you, who's just misinformed and eager to stir up any negative emotions you can manage from some people on here.