We never had a shot at him.He a super star student,and was being courted by Stanford ever since he beat DelaCruzI really thought we had a shot at him
"If you build it, they will come." And I'm not talking about practice facilities, that will have very little impact.We really need to land a true blue chip recruit to move things forward. Not to sound ungrateful...but of course as a fan you always want more.
"If you build it, they will come." And I'm not talking about practice facilities, that will have very little impact.
Ya know,the blue chip recruits that we have had in the past ( ie Camp,Mason,and Winston) have never panned out.The so called second tier of talent we recruited ( ie JVB,Gravina,Perrotti,and Theo) have been the ones that have produced the results for the team.Perrotti was a nice recruit out of hs,but he was nowhere near the legendary Camp,and Winston.Winston( who is a heck of a nice kid and I don't want too bag on him),when Goody got him,the rest of the country went "whoah".Gravina was an after thought with this programs recruiting,and now he is in a position too possibly AA this year.Not every blue chip guy is a Suriano or an Ashnault. Suriano is a tremendous talent,that I wish we got.I'm just dying too see him against Gilman from Iowa.That will be a true test of how great he really is.We really need to land a true blue chip recruit to move things forward. Not to sound ungrateful...but of course as a fan you always want more.
Yup, NCAA champs are the answer, but really it's more than that. What they need to build is a tradition of excellence. That is what these other programs have that RU does not yet. PSU, OSU tOSU, Iowa, Cornell, etc. They are consistently producing the best wrestlers in the country year in and year out. They are not squeaking by with a champ here and there, they are producing utterly dominant champions on a regular basis. That is what guys like Suriano, Lee, Fix , Hall see when they are being recruited. That is their goal. RU can get there. And yes, new facilities, better scholly funds, coaching, etc are all important, don't get me wrong. But they are just small steps to a greater goal that will take time.So what do you build? Premier facilities cannot hurt, we have made significant upgrades to talent in the room, and Pritzlaff was a coup. The RAC has to be one of the best home facilities and atmospheres in the country, nearly on par with the best.
We need OOS schollie funding, we know that. Is it as loose as providing better alumni support? Is something else not where it needs to be?
The whole blue chip thing seems to be a chicken and the egg scenario. You have to win national championships to recruit guys who win national championships. You have to have AA's to recruit guys capable of being AA's. Fortunately, we seem to have crossed the latter threshold, but just slightly. The next bar is the tough one to cross. Hopefully this is the year we really break through in March, and outperform expectations, rather than just meeting them. That seems to be what is needed, and what we have been uncapable of so far.
What they need to build is a tradition of excellence. That is what these other programs have that RU does not yet.
This is a good point, and this kind of thing happens everywhere, not just RU. Of course it stings more when you rarely get the blue chippers and they don't pan out. Teams like PSU are swimming in blue chip recruits, so when one doesn't quite pan out you can kind of just shrug it off. RU has been doing a better job with that second tier lately. They need to keep getting better. If they can eventually start producing some NCAA champs with that second tier, then the top tier will take more notice and recruiting will start to get where it needs to be.Ya know,the blue chip recruits that we have had in the past ( ie Camp,Mason,and Winston) have never panned out.The so called second tier of talent we recruited ( ie JVB,Gravina,Perrotti,and Theo) have been the ones that have produced the results for the team.Perrotti was a nice recruit out of hs,but he was nowhere near the legendary Camp,and Winston.Winston( who is a heck of a nice kid and I don't want too bag on him),when Goody got him,the rest of the country went "whoah".Gravina was an after thought with this programs recruiting,and now he is in a position too possibly AA this year.Not every blue chip guy is a Suriano or an Ashnault. Suriano is a tremendous talent,that I wish we got.I'm just dying too see him against Gilman from Iowa.That will be a true test of how great he really is.
I'm not talking about the past. Every tradition needs to start somewhere. Now is just as good a time as any. Teams like Missouri, Cornell, and even tOSU didn't have the tradition of Iowa and OSU, but they were able to start creating a legacy more recently and it just keeps growing now.no offense but it's pretty silly to focus on something like that. you can't control the past.
NC State and Virginia Tech do not have much wrestling traditions but they are in the process of changing that. they did that by upgrading coaches, facilities, scholarship money and post collegiate training centers. all those absolutely matter.
that is what Rutgers is, and should be focused on. not lamenting the fact that they don't have the tradition of Oklahoma State and dismissing the idea of facility improvements.
Also, I'm not dismissing the facility improvements as if they are not important. Everything is important. I stated that in my reply to Cabbage. I just don't think it will have as big an impact on recruiting as a few people think it will. Of course, I'd love to be wrong about that.I'm not talking about the past. Every tradition needs to start somewhere. Now is just as good a time as any. Teams like Missouri, Cornell, and even tOSU didn't have the tradition of Iowa and OSU, but they were able to start creating a legacy more recently and it just keeps growing now.
Take your analysis a step further because you are dead on right. We are getting high potential guys who when coached up can exceed expectations. There is both a structure and resources in place now that weren't there a few years ago. When a program can demonstrate to a recruit that he is going to get significantly better by being part of it and that he will have the resources to continue in the same room post graduate more key building blocks are in place. This program is being built the right way but patience is always difficult.Ya know,the blue chip recruits that we have had in the past ( ie Camp,Mason,and Winston) have never panned out.The so called second tier of talent we recruited ( ie JVB,Gravina,Perrotti,and Theo) have been the ones that have produced the results for the team.Perrotti was a nice recruit out of hs,but he was nowhere near the legendary Camp,and Winston.Winston( who is a heck of a nice kid and I don't want too bag on him),when Goody got him,the rest of the country went "whoah".Gravina was an after thought with this programs recruiting,and now he is in a position too possibly AA this year.Not every blue chip guy is a Suriano or an Ashnault. Suriano is a tremendous talent,that I wish we got.I'm just dying too see him against Gilman from Iowa.That will be a true test of how great he really is.
I'm not talking about the past. Every tradition needs to start somewhere. Now is just as good a time as any. Teams like Missouri, Cornell, and even tOSU didn't have the tradition of Iowa and OSU, but they were able to start creating a legacy more recently and it just keeps growing now.
Actually I think we do agree and we're just getting hung up on words. Maybe tradition wasn't the right word as it does suggest the past. I am optimistic about this program and the direction it is moving so don't misunderstand, but I am also realistic. RU is trucking along with that slow and steady pace of improvement each year and I'm fine with that, enjoying the ride. Others are hoping to break open the flood gates and start competing with the top 5 as soon as possible. I too would love that to happen, but from what I've seen there is really only two ways to do that. 1. You land a dynamic head coach with a big name and connections that can bring in top recruits on recognition alone, or 2. you regularly produce all americans and NCAA Champs, as well as some potential world and olympic champs. I prefer option two because I like Goodale.kind of hard to talk about tradition without also talking about the past.
maybe we all agree and we're talking in circles but I am 100% dismissing "building tradition" as something Rutgers or any program should focus on. the tradition will be built along the way, you can't control it, so it's pointless to worry about it. focus on what you can control.
Stanford is one of the 4 or 5 schools in the entire country that if you get into you go. It's that simple. No shame in losing a student-athlete to Stanford. Almost everyone does.
FYI- # 3 Missouri vs # 5 Ohio St tonight on regular BTN TV. And BTN2go. Terrific dual.
Sad to see 4 starters out for Mizzou.. woulda made it much more interesting.... That 197 for Ohio St really pushed Cox
Robinson finishes 3rd at Ironman which is the toughest tourney in the country. He beat the kid that beat him earlier in the tournament. We may have a good one committed.