Top Recruiter Past 30 Years (Updated Thread and Poll)

[dukejunkie]

All of these recent signings by UNC have got me thinking. Is Roy the best recruiter in college hoops? Most here are probably biased toward K, but I give a substantial amount of credit to his assistants. Quin Snyder was a great recruiter. Collins and Dawkins have helped with their personal connections. I don't want to detract from Coach K, as he is great, but just note that he has had a decent amount of assistance. It might be fair to say that Roy Williams simply likes recruiting more. He seems to get after kids whereas Coach K lets the assistants do their fair share. However, I could be completely wrong.

Who do you guys think was/is the best recruiter over the last 30 years? The list obviously must include the likes of Dean Smith and Bob Knight. I think Rick Pitino should be up there too. I would say Calhoun but I believe he just knows how to pick players (often not the top rated ones) and gets more out of them than most. Denny Crum would probably have to be considered. Lute Olson and John Thompson should probably be included. And although controversial for a number of reasons, I think Jerry Tarkanian should be considered.

Also, guys like Billy Donovan, Jim Boeheim, and John Calipari are very good recruiters but don't quite have the track record or are just a notch below in overall success.

Am I missing anyone obvious?

[dukejunkie]

Should we adjust for the advantages that a given school provides? For example, Roy is a much better recruiter when he's selling kids on coming to UNC. Top schools can sell themselves to a certain extent, or at least get a foot in the door. Conversely, guys like Loot Olsen who can attract kids to otherwise unattractive places should probably get some extra credit. Climate, academic reputation, social scene, proximity to recruiting hotbeds, and a host of other factors come into play.

There are many factors that go into recruiting. I think for the sake of answering, "Who gets/got the best players”, we should let each coach use the benefits of their particular school to their advantage. It would get rather complicated if we didn't. Also, we would end up including guys like Bobby Huggins and the like. I already included the Shark but do think his success, albeit tainted, merits some consideration.

However, I guess I can't stop anyone from using their own criteria. If someone thinks Pitino could have done a better job recruiting at Duke than K, it's understandable that he or she would vote for Rick. Heresy!

By the way, even though Kansas isn't a tough sell, Roy did it there too.

[DevilCastDownfromDurham]

I agree about Roy at Kansas. I do think he's stepped it up a notch since coming to UNC though. For example, Felton was a UNC fan from childhood. No way Roy gets him at Kansas. Winning a title obviously helps as well, as does the recent run of high draft picks. Five years ago I think it's K by a mile. Today Roy's making a good case. But so is Thad Matta. We'll see how sustained his success is, but he's sure been hot recently. K is still in the top 5-10, imo, and I hope the Team USA commitment will pay dividends in the near future.

[dukejunkie]

I agree about Roy at Kansas. I do think he's stepped it up a notch since coming to UNC though. For example, Felton was a UNC fan from childhood. No way Roy gets him at Kansas. Winning a title obviously helps as well, as does the recent run of high draft picks. Five years ago I think it's K by a mile. Today Roy's making a good case. But so is Thad Matta. We'll see how sustained his success is, but he's sure been hot recently. K is still in the top 5-10, imo, and I hope the Team USA commitment will pay dividends in the near future.

Motta is definitely on the rise. But, he doesn't have the overall track record yet to make the list.