
Originally Posted by
zagfan24
I often wonder whether a move out of the WCC would really improve recruiting for Gonzaga.
I think the appeal of an extremely likely tournament bid is actually a very nice selling point, especially for some of the grad transfers.
While many HS players no doubt cite the conference as a weakness...I am just very curious as to whether that has actually been a legit tipping point for many great players. Seems very possible that even if the Pac-12 came calling; Seattle kids would still prefer UW, players from the southwest and Cali still have other strong options closer to home. If it was the Big East, it's still hard to see that many players trekking out to Spokane that wouldn't have already come this way otherwise.
GU has a lot of special things to offer, and I think that the Zags end up bringing in kids who are attracted to those specific things. I just don't know if a change of conference would really do much to affect that pattern. I could be way off base, and I think there are a lot of good reasons for GU to consider moving along from the WCC. But, given their recruiting pattern, or lack thereof (international + kids from 10 different states on this year's roster), I personally don't feel convinced that a move up in conference affiliation wouldn't result in a net neutral recruiting impact.
As per usual, some great thoughts clearly stated, going against conventional wisdom.
We're foolish to not consider the fact that even if someone placed us into the Pac-12 for basketball, there are some kids that are going to walk onto the UCLA campus in January wearing shorts and flip flops, hanging out at certain sororities, and won't even remember Mark Few's name on the Text saying "No, thanks, coach."
And it's not like we can say they made a "bad" decision.
There are certain hard realities baked-in to our situation, and we shouldn't day dream them away.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain.