Keep Them Home: Recruit Local. A Plea for Universities to Step Up

I get this question a lot. How come universities across this state don't recruit their own? Mmm. Great question. It's crazy that I can talk to coaches from out of state, and they just salivate about getting a Tennessee girl. Yet, coaches within our own borders overlook or don't want to take a chance on one of their own. It's crazy because the majority of kids want to be close to home, but not so far where mom and dad couldn't come support them. Now there are some schools that have their fair share of kids from the state, but the number needs to increase.   How can a UCONN or South Carolina walk into our state and take our best girls? Bear Bryant, legendary football coach at the University of Alabama, had a motto that he would always go after the best talent in his state first, then look beyond his borders. Do our top schools have that same motto? We are now at that age where brand recognition and support are very important. Why not get some home grown talent and build from within? Like I mentioned earlier, we have talent from top to bottom in this state that is leaving and if you want to grow your fan base, it must stop. We have multiple conferences represented in this state such as:   SEC   OVC   AAC   A-Sun   SoCon   MVC   Conference USA   Plus divisions such as:   D2   D3   NAIA   JUCO   There is no need for a student-athlete to leave outside our walls because we got every level here. You want that mid-week attendance up, you want more fans at your away games, recruit local! I know it's about job security or building a program, but we got girls who could suffice and be a solid foundation for your program right here. Our players are hungry, looking for opportunities to go out and make a difference right here at home. In the famous University of Tennessee song “Rocky Top,” there is a line that goes “home sweet home to me,” coaches, these players are home and they are looking for a place to hoop right here within their state.   Coaches. C'mon. I need you to step up and do it. Be better. Be bold. Recruit local. This state is littered with talented young ladies who can help bring you a title. I get it, there is a game that is played on the floor and also a recruiting game that goes on, but these girls in this state are legit. Give them a chance. Don't just let them go off and try to transfer back later. Get them in your system early. Develop them. Help them build your brand, your fan base. Inspire the next generation so they too could become an athlete of yours one day.    Back in the day, Coach Summit used to get the best in the state. Shoot, if you were a top girl, you knew she was going to come after you. Then Coach Foster from Vanderbilt did it, then it just trickled down from there. It brought a sense of rivalry around. The feeling was felt throughout. No need to go out and get a girl from Kansas (she's talented too) when you got a girl here who could do the same exact thing. Recruit local coaches. That's all I am asking for.    Here are some girls from the class of 2023 who will be suiting up for schools outside our borders. (smh)   [player_tooltip player_id='134643' first='Aalyah' last='Del Rosario'] (Webb School)- LSU   [player_tooltip player_id='134646' first='Angelica' last='Velez'] (Webb School)- LSU   [player_tooltip player_id='399642' first='Rhema' last='Collins'] (Webb School)- Ole Miss   [player_tooltip player_id='496318' first='Mallory' last='Collier']( Bartlett)- NC State   [player_tooltip player_id='245299' first='Emily' last='Monson'] (Blackman)- Purdue   [player_tooltip player_id='399641' first='Bree' last='Robinson'] (Webb School)- Michigan State   [player_tooltip player_id='245293' first='Avery' last='Treadwell'] ( Bearden)- Florida State   [player_tooltip player_id='490208' first='Lauren' last='Rust'] ( Webb School )- Pittsburgh   [player_tooltip player_id='616719' first='Katie' last='Criswell'] (Lawrence Co.)- North Alabama   Crystianna Whitehead (Memphis Business School)- Arkansas Pine-Bluff   [player_tooltip player_id='810699' first='Dajah' last='Richmond'] (FACS) - SEMO   [player_tooltip player_id='245301' first='Lauren' last='Bailey'] ( Greeneville)- Gardner Webb   Aubrey Blakenship (Green Hill)- Samford   [player_tooltip player_id='285338' first='Chloe' last='Gannon'] (Coffee County)- Southern Indiana   [player_tooltip player_id='285361' first='Trinity' last='Fields'] (Brentwood Academy)- UNC Asheville   [player_tooltip player_id='245313' first='Jordan' last='Gillies'] (Cookeville)- Blue Mountain   With everything that has transpired. Title IX, Covid, budget cuts, ect. Doesn't recruiting local make sense? Look at the names above. Couldn't one of these girls have a similar skillset to the out of state girl you are recruiting? Coach, listen, we got the talent right here. With recruiting local you're going to get a high-caliber girl, fan support will increase, and possibly even job security.   Coach, don't be naive. You are in a position where it is win now. I get it. At the same time, I know this is a cut throat business, but this is also about changing and inspiring lives. It's bigger than basketball. The best coaches are teachers, look at legendary coach John Wooden from UCLA, heck of a teacher. It starts locally. Build your brand from within.   Now that I am off my soapbox, coaches here are a few talented girls from the ‘24 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='245351' first='Jaloni' last='Cambridge'] (Ensworth)   [player_tooltip player_id='245352' first='Imari' last='Berry'] (Clarksville)   [player_tooltip player_id='245355' first='Sydney' last='Mains'] (Knox. Catholic)   [player_tooltip player_id='245364' first='Maddy' last='Newman'] (Gatlinburg-Pittman)   [player_tooltip player_id='245361' first='Kaelyn' last='Flowers'] (Blackman)   Just a few solid impactful pieces that would be a solid addition to your program. Recruit local coaches, Tennessee is and will always be one of the best states to have women's basketball players. It's in our DNA. Locally grown, built, and developed. Recruit local.

I get this question a lot. How come universities across this state don't recruit their own? Mmm. Great question. It's crazy that I can talk to coaches from out of state, and they just salivate about getting a Tennessee girl. Yet, coaches within our own borders overlook or don't want to take a chance on one of their own. It's crazy because the majority of kids want to be close to home, but not so far where mom and dad couldn't come support them. Now there are some schools that have their fair share of kids from the state, but the number needs to increase.