Mark Alarie's Daughter

[aswewere]

If she can play like her dad, we let a good one slide.

Link http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/wp/2015/02/06/national-cathedrals-isabella-alarie-grows-out-of-fathers-shadow/

[killerleft]

Maybe she signed before she "bloomed" enough to put her on our radar. Princeton is a great school, I hear:D.

[Im4howdy]

I think it is really ashamed that Duke WBB ignored the Alarie's interest in Duke. It sounds like there was no response at all. I don't think it speaks well to building a family relationship. Even if she wasn't judged a good enough prospect, a response would have been nice. Maybe even, "we don't have a scholarship for you but if you'd like to come in as a walk-on, we'd love to have you be a part of the team."

[MCFinARL]

I think it is really ashamed that Duke WBB ignored the Alarie's interest in Duke. It sounds like there was no response at all. I don't think it speaks well to building a family relationship. Even if she wasn't judged a good enough prospect, a response would have been nice. Maybe even, "we don't have a scholarship for you but if you'd like to come in as a walk-on, we'd love to have you be a part of the team."

Well, I'm not sure that is what happened here, before we get too excited. The article says
Mark Alarie quietly hoped his alma mater, Duke, would get involved considering he took Bella to the school’s basketball camp every summer as she grew up.

“But we haven’t even gotten a letter,” he said, not hiding his disappointment after a recent National Cathedral game.

I don't actually see any indication that the Alaries expressed their interest in Duke other than by sending Isabella to basketball camp there. If they had made direct inquiries to the program that went unanswered, agreed that would be bad form. But it sounds like Alarie may have just hoped that Duke would decide on its own to recruit his daughter based on her performance at basketball camp, which is likely a much more hit-or-miss proposition (not that it may not happen sometimes). I think recruitment in women's basketball, and especially recruitment out of elite private schools that are far better known for their academics than for their sports, may be a bit different than in the men's game.

[MCFinARL]

Maybe she signed before she "bloomed" enough to put her on our radar. Princeton is a great school, I hear:D.

Um, yes--and they actually have quite a good basketball program as well....

[dudog84]

Yeah! And why isn't Johnny Dawkins' son playing for Duke? Or Antonio Lang's son?

Since you can't hear the tone of my voice, I'm just trying to nip this thread in the bud before it gets any legs.

And yes, I know I'm mixing plant and animal metaphors.

[Kfanarmy]

Well, I'm not sure that is what happened here, before we get too excited. The article says

I don't actually see any indication that the Alaries expressed their interest in Duke other than by sending Isabella to basketball camp there. If they had made direct inquiries to the program that went unanswered, agreed that would be bad form. But it sounds like Alarie may have just hoped that Duke would decide on its own to recruit his daughter based on her performance at basketball camp, which is likely a much more hit-or-miss proposition (not that it may not happen sometimes). I think recruitment in women's basketball, and especially recruitment out of elite private schools that are far better known for their academics than for their sports, may be a bit different than in the men's game.

I would find it odd if the folks hosting a WBB camp at Duke wouldn't notice the progeny of the men's and women's BB teams attending every year they could...but who would notice an above average height daughter of a BB legend at a BB camp anyway?

[Kfanarmy]

Yeah! And why isn't Johnny Dawkins' son playing for Duke? Or Antonio Lang's son?

Since you can't hear the tone of my voice, I'm just trying to nip this thread in the bud before it gets any legs.

And yes, I know I'm mixing plant and animal metaphors. I must have missed the news article from Johnny Dawkins and Antonio Lang indicating disappointment at not getting a nod, oh there wasn't one?...There's Soooo much talent in WBB that I can see why a school wouldn't bother taking a gander at a 6'3" daughter of a star.
I do find it a bit curious, understanding that Duke is recruiting from among the top 10% of WBB talent.

[Indoor66]

I must have missed the news article from Johnny Dawkins and Antonio Lang indicating disappointment at not getting a nod, oh there wasn't one?...There's Soooo much talent in WBB that I can see why a school wouldn't bother taking a gander at a 6'3" daughter of a star.
I do find it a bit curious, understanding that Duke is recruiting from among the top 10% of WBB talent.

Is it possible that she is not that talented?

[MCFinARL]

I would find it odd if the folks hosting a WBB camp at Duke wouldn't notice the progeny of the men's and women's BB teams attending every year they could...but who would notice an above average height daughter of a BB legend at a BB camp anyway?

Well, noticing is one thing, making an unsolicited recruiting overture is another. There are presumably a lot of people at Duke basketball camp.


Is it possible that she is not that talented?

I am no expert on basketball talent. For what it is worth, she is described by the Washington Post as the "dynamic sidekick" to the team's star point guard, Marta Sniezek, a senior who is ranked 39th in the 2015 class by ESPN and will attend Stanford. Isabella, a junior, is not ranked by ESPN in the top 100 in her class. Their team, National Cathedral, is currently ranked 18th in the DC metro area by the Washington Post.

Even allowing for the possibility that she is better than her unranked status would suggest, that fact along with the fact that she committed in December of her junior year suggests that she may simply not have been on Duke's radar yet. I'm pretty sure that if Isabella herself had really been interested in going to Duke, she would have made inquiries before committing so early to Princeton.

[killerleft]

I think it is really ashamed that Duke WBB ignored the Alarie's interest in Duke. It sounds like there was no response at all. I don't think it speaks well to building a family relationship. Even if she wasn't judged a good enough prospect, a response would have been nice. Maybe even, "we don't have a scholarship for you but if you'd like to come in as a walk-on, we'd love to have you be a part of the team."

It sounds more like there was nothing to which Duke was supposed to have responded. Why offer someone a chance to walk-on if they haven't requested it? That could be taken the wrong way, especially by someone who is going to get legitimate offers to play somewhere. She has verballed to Princeton as a junior. She didn't wait for anybody to notice her improvement and height gain.

Why would Coach P or Duke hang their head in shame over this? It would have been nice to have another Alarie on board, but not as a favor to Mark.

[-jk]

Bella Alarie, from the Post:


“I kind of knew that was the school I wanted to go to. It was just a matter of time I made it more official,” Alarie said. “I think the mix of academics and they’re a great team. They’re doing really well this year. I just knew when I was there. I felt it, that that was the school I wanted to go to.”

Not sure I see a problem here. Dad wistfully hoped she'd be at Duke. Kid chooses her favorite.

-jk

[sagegrouse]

Has the WaPo article been posted? Well, here it is (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/wp/2015/02/06/national-cathedrals-isabella-alarie-grows-out-of-fathers-shadow/).

She also had an offer from Michigan. Mark describes himself as a "late bloomer," which he also uses to describe Bella.

[Karl Beem]

She's 6-3. Next year's recruits are all guards.

[Duvall]

She's 6-3. Next year's recruits are all guards.

She's a junior, not a senior.

[MCFinARL]

Bella Alarie, from the Post:



Not sure I see a problem here. Dad wistfully hoped she'd be at Duke. Kid chooses her favorite.

-jk

Yes, that's how it looks to me too. Certainly not the first kid who was more interested in making her own choice than in going to Dad's alma mater.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yes, that's how it looks to me too. Certainly not the first kid who was more interested in making her own choice than in going to Dad's alma mater.

Are you saying that we can't shoe-horn this into more evidence that the Duke Women's program is going down the drain?

Rats.

[burnspbesq]

Are you saying that we can't shoe-horn this into more evidence that the Duke Women's program is going down the drain?

Rats.

One can try. And someone surely will.

[johnb]

Are you saying that we can't shoe-horn this into more evidence that the Duke Women's program is going down the drain?

Rats.

I don't know what the women's coaches think of the men's team, but, yes, it'd seem reasonable for Duke to at least send a letter to Mark Alarie's 6'3" daughter who attends the summer camp. The father wasn't crying about it, and Princeton is hardly a bad choice for school or basketball, but I'd think we should play nice with stars of yesteryear...

[OldPhiKap]

I don't know what the women's coaches think of the men's team, but, yes, it'd seem reasonable for Duke to at least send a letter to Mark Alarie's 6'3" daughter who attends the summer camp. The father wasn't crying about it, and Princeton is hardly a bad choice for school or basketball, but I'd think we should play nice with stars of yesteryear...

Absolutely. Mark's contributions often get overshadowed by some of his teammates in 1986, but he was first team all-ACC in '84 and '86 as well as a third-team all-American in '86. You would think that there would be some communication coordinated from Duke. At least to offer a preferred walk-on spot if nothing else.

[jv001]

Absolutely. Mark's contributions often get overshadowed by some of his teammates in 1986, but he was first team all-ACC in '84 and '86 as well as a third-team all-American in '86. You would think that there would be some communication coordinated from Duke. At least to offer a preferred walk-on spot if nothing else.

Mark was in my opinion the 2nd best player on the 85-86 team that went 37-3, 12-2 ACC, 15-0 at home and went to FF. Mark was second in scoring at 17.2 ppg, first in rebounding at 6.2 rpg and shot 54% from the field. The great Johnny Dawkins led the team in scoring with 20.2 ppg. Both Mark and Johnny would have been great 3 point shooters, but there was no 3 point shot in '86. Mark will go down as one of the most un-appreciated players in Duke history. Along with Tate Armstrong and Randy Denton. GoDuke!

[sagegrouse]

Absolutely. Mark's contributions often get overshadowed by some of his teammates in 1986, but he was first team all-ACC in '84 and '86 as well as a third-team all-American in '86. You would think that there would be some communication coordinated from Duke. At least to offer a preferred walk-on spot if nothing else.

I agree, but on the other hand, it may have been a casual remark.

[OldPhiKap]

Mark was in my opinion the 2nd best player on the 85-86 team that went 37-3, 12-2 ACC, 15-0 at home and went to FF. Mark was second in scoring at 17.2 ppg, first in rebounding at 6.2 rpg and shot 54% from the field. The great Johnny Dawkins led the team in scoring with 20.2 ppg. Both Mark and Johnny would have been great 3 point shooters, but there was no 3 point shot in '86. Mark will go down as one of the most un-appreciated players in Duke history. Along with Tate Armstrong and Randy Denton. GoDuke!

Absolutely agree. He was also the Sports Illustrated cover for the tournament edition that year. (Talk about jinx). Alarie's number is retired, although for a subsequent player. So there's that.


I agree, but on the other hand, it may have been a casual remark.

Possibly. Still, it's hard to believe that if Alarie said something, there was no follow-up.

Oh well, not making a mountain out of a mole hill. My feelings are along the same lines as jv001 -- Mark was an incredible player and a huge part of Coach K's launching at Duke. One of my favorites, for sure.

[dudog84]

2nd page. Sigh.

I tried to kill this ridiculous thread with sarcasm. How naïve of me.

Mark Alarie is probably within my top 10 of favorite Duke players. I can only assume his daughter is a fine young woman. I hope she becomes a great basketball player as well.

She currently has a 90 grade from ESPN. The lowest rated big on Duke got a 97. ESPN’s top 100 recruits typically goes down to a 91 grade, and Princeton did not have a top 100 recruit in either 2014 or 2015.

Why in heck would she want to be a walk-on at Duke when she could immediately be one of the best players on a good Princeton team. I doubt Daddy has money issues and needs a scholarship for his girl (which she wouldn’t get anyway as a walk-on).

Duke is not the be-all and end-all for everyone in this country.

[OldPhiKap]

2nd page. Sigh.

I tried to kill this ridiculous thread with sarcasm. How naïve of me.

Mark Alarie is probably within my top 10 of favorite Duke players. I can only assume his daughter is a fine young woman. I hope she becomes a great basketball player as well.

She currently has a 90 grade from ESPN. The lowest rated big on Duke got a 97. ESPN’s top 100 recruits typically goes down to a 91 grade, and Princeton did not have a top 100 recruit in either 2014 or 2015.

Why in heck would she want to be a walk-on at Duke when she could immediately be one of the best players on a good Princeton team. I doubt Daddy has money issues and needs a scholarship for his girl (which she wouldn’t get anyway as a walk-on).

Duke is not the be-all and end-all for everyone in this country.

She can go where she wants, of course, and it may well be that she would not come to Duke. That's not my point.

My query is how you treat the family of folks who have contributed big time to our University. See walk-on Kelly, Sean, as the most recent example. Lee Melchionni was also a walk-on IIRC although earned his subsequent scholarship in practice. Lee was not within the typical rating of what K was hauling in at the time (Rivals had him at 3 stars, unranked by position nationally).

Again, not making a mountain out of a mole hill. But when an All-American alum says that he's disappointed that no one said boo to him, and we're talking about a player who is of D-1 ability, I would not call this thread ridiculous either. Not a big deal -- but something that should be corrected so it doesn't happen again.

I wish her luck at Princeton, as I am sure that all of us do.

[ChrisP]

2nd page. Sigh.

I tried to kill this ridiculous thread with sarcasm. How naïve of me.

Mark Alarie is probably within my top 10 of favorite Duke players. I can only assume his daughter is a fine young woman. I hope she becomes a great basketball player as well.

She currently has a 90 grade from ESPN. The lowest rated big on Duke got a 97. ESPN’s top 100 recruits typically goes down to a 91 grade, and Princeton did not have a top 100 recruit in either 2014 or 2015.

Why in heck would she want to be a walk-on at Duke when she could immediately be one of the best players on a good Princeton team. I doubt Daddy has money issues and needs a scholarship for his girl (which she wouldn’t get anyway as a walk-on).

Duke is not the be-all and end-all for everyone in this country.


Mark Alarie is also one of my all-time favorites and as such, I think his legacy deserves no less than 5 pages on this topic. I mean, come on people, we don't have another game until Saturday - and it's not even until 6pm! - we have to fill up this dead time with SOME kind of ginned up controversy/outrage. Why not this one? Who's with me?

Seriously, kudos to you, dudog84 for your attempt to shut this thing down early with sarcasm. Sadly, a sense of humor often seems to be lacking on this board.

[Kfanarmy]

2nd page. Sigh.

I tried to kill this ridiculous thread with sarcasm. How naïve of me.

Mark Alarie is probably within my top 10 of favorite Duke players. I can only assume his daughter is a fine young woman..... Out of curiosity only, how much does it bother you when you can't control what other people discuss? I'm truly curious because it is a societal issue that creeps onto DBR quite a bit.

[duke79]

If you're not going to Duke, Princeton is NOT a bad second choice. LOL. Admittedly, I know nothing about her basketball talent, but, maybe she realizes that she will have the opportunity to play a lot more minutes at a school like Princeton rather than sit on the bench at Duke. That factor, plus getting a Princeton education and degree, could be a very strong pull for a young person.

[-jk]

And not having to live in the shadow of Dad...

-jk

[dudog84]

She can go where she wants, of course, and it may well be that she would not come to Duke. That's not my point.

My query is how you treat the family of folks who have contributed big time to our University. See walk-on Kelly, Sean, as the most recent example. Lee Melchionni was also a walk-on IIRC although earned his subsequent scholarship in practice. Lee was not within the typical rating of what K was hauling in at the time (Rivals had him at 3 stars, unranked by position nationally).

Again, not making a mountain out of a mole hill. But when an All-American alum says that he's disappointed that no one said boo to him, and we're talking about a player who is of D-1 ability, I would not call this thread ridiculous either. Not a big deal -- but something that should be corrected so it doesn't happen again.

I wish her luck at Princeton, as I am sure that all of us do.

No disrespect to Mark Alarie, but I'm sure there are quite a few alumni that have done more for our University than him (he?). Do we let all of their kids play on our sports teams as a courtesy? Just trying to put your comment in some perspective.

[dudog84]

Out of curiosity only, how much does it bother you when you can't control what other people discuss? I'm truly curious because it is a societal issue that creeps onto DBR quite a bit.

Sure, you can talk about whatever you want. I just find it sad that this non-story has more posts than this team's past two wins. Combined.

This team continues to excel despite the adversity of losing Lynee (#9 recruit in her class) and Oderah (#10) to injury. Plus the transfer of Sierra. There is also the well-stated concern of Mountain Devil above.

Azura has just been named national Freshman of the Week. For the 2nd time! And I've hesitated to start a stats watch (superstition), but Elizabeth has a good chance of putting up 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, and 400 blocks in the next few weeks. I also believe Becca is one away from the freshman 3-point record. Don't you think these stories (and wins) are more worthy of notice and discussion?

[hurleyfor3]

If you're not going to Duke, Princeton is NOT a bad second choice.

I want to play them on a neutral site some time just to hear someone else direct the "Safety school" cheer at us.

[Richard Berg]

She can go where she wants, of course, and it may well be that she would not come to Duke. That's not my point.

My query is how you treat the family of folks who have contributed big time to our University. See walk-on Kelly, Sean, as the most recent example. Lee Melchionni was also a walk-on IIRC although earned his subsequent scholarship in practice. Lee was not within the typical rating of what K was hauling in at the time (Rivals had him at 3 stars, unranked by position nationally).

Again, not making a mountain out of a mole hill. But when an All-American alum says that he's disappointed that no one said boo to him, and we're talking about a player who is of D-1 ability, I would not call this thread ridiculous either. Not a big deal -- but something that should be corrected so it doesn't happen again.

I wish her luck at Princeton, as I am sure that all of us do.
So to be clear, we're supposed to be upset that university admissions don't have enough nepotism?

[Stray Gator]

So to be clear, we're supposed to be upset that university admissions don't have enough nepotism?

I don't believe this has anything to do with Undergraduate Admissions. (Although I assume that if she qualified for acceptance at Princeton, her academic credentials would be sufficient to merit favorable consideration for admission at Duke as well.) The issue, as I understand it, is whether the Duke women's basketball program should have initiated some contact with Mark Alarie's daughter, given the fact that she is a Division I prospect and is the child of a former Duke player. The article suggests that Mark was disappointed in the fact that she didn't receive any expression of interest from Duke:

Mark Alarie quietly hoped his alma mater, Duke, would get involved considering he took Bella to the school’s basketball camp every summer as she grew up.

“But we haven’t even gotten a letter,” he said, not hiding his disappointment after a recent National Cathedral game.

While I can understand why people here have reacted differently to this report, it seems to me that we really don't know enough about what transpired to conclude that anyone failed to act appropriately or dropped the ball. Certainly, it's unpleasant to hear that any former Duke player -- regardless of whether he was a star or a walk-on -- feels that the school or the athletic department let him or a member of his family down. However, we don't know whether the women's basketball staff was aware of the family connection -- I don't doubt that K and his staff keep track of their former players and their families, but I would be surprised if that information is routinely shared with the coaches of other Duke teams unless it is in response to a specific inquiry where the player is already on the radar of the other coaches -- or even if they were, whether the coaches would have ordinarily planned to initiate contact with her later, after her junior year. One person suggested that Mark, instead of "quietly hoping," should have made a phone call to let the coaches know that his daughter might be interested (or that he would like to see her develop an interest) in Duke; but if I were in his shoes, I'd be reluctant to initiate the contact because you know your children want to feel they've earned their own way, without relying on their parents' "connections."

So in the absence of more information, I find it difficult to fault either side for this unfortunate missed connection. I hope that any disappointment Mark and his family may be feeling towards Duke is fleeting, and that Bella has a fabulous experience at Princeton.

[Richard Berg]

Nepotism in the athletic department is still nepotism. Besides, it's ludicrous to ignore the influence said department has over the broader university.

[RPS]

Nepotism in the athletic department is still nepotism. Besides, it's ludicrous to ignore the influence said department has over the broader university.

The line between nepotism and loyalty can be a very fine one. But I'm biased. My youngest would have loved to have played (football) for Duke but the coaching staff (a former administration) made no contact whatsoever despite contacts from my son. That he ended up at a comparable academic school that was (then) much better at football (Top 20) surely softened the blow, but he still thinks about what it would have been like at Duke (even though the team was terrible then and he played in multiple bowl games). In my view, coaches should think of their jobs as including marketing and not just sales. Coaches have to make tough decisions and not every legacy is going to get what s/he wants. There's nothing wrong with that. But courtesy and good marketing suggests that some communication was in order. To the extent that the staff wasn't aware of who Bella was (and was related to), that's their mistake.

[Im4howdy]

Bella Alarie, from the Post:



Not sure I see a problem here. Dad wistfully hoped she'd be at Duke. Kid chooses her favorite.

-jk

My point was that Duke should have at the very least, written her a letter. Where she chose to go is beside the point.

[-jk]

My point was that Duke should have at the very least, written her a letter. Where she chose to go is beside the point.

And maybe they'd had many conversations during camps. Speculation can go on forever. All we know - for sure - is she's said she's going where she wanted to go...

-jk