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9/10/2022 7:11 pm  #1


International Recruiting

Thought about putting this in the 2023 recruits thread but I think it might be able to hold its own out here.

Is it me or are we giving out more offers to international kids in the last two months than JC did in three years? I was always surprised that Mojo also didn't do more internationally either given he was an international recruit himself. 

Zak Boisvert is the AC tasked with our international recruiting.  He said in a recent interview that he spent the summer scouting in Europe and building relationships.  Boisvert said that when Caputo got here, he looked at GW's all-time players and realized just how many have been foreign born.  Boisvert also said that Caputo sees this as a long-term strategy and not something where he told Boisvert to "go get me an international kid."  Hopefully we start building a pipeline were maybe we're getting 2-3 international kids every year.

I realize we're not the only ones doing this, but could this be our way to combat some of the transfer portal craziness? Seems to me that the international kids tend to be more loyal (Tafara Gapare notwithstanding).

Hope some of our offers turn into commits soon. 

 

9/10/2022 8:07 pm  #2


Re: International Recruiting

I agree, I've definitely seen more international kids either being offered or monitored (followed on Twitter) by this staff

Just a few I've noticed: (GW0509 I know you follow this as much as I do lol)
Diogo Seixas 6-8 F Portugal 2023
Marqus Marion 6-8 PF Denmark 2023
Derin Saran 6-4 PG Turkey 2023
Tunde Fasasi  6-8 F Sweden 2023
Nathan Noronha 6-2 G Portugal 2024



 

 

9/10/2022 8:22 pm  #3


Re: International Recruiting

I just listed to that interview.. I suggest everyone does. It will give you a better idea of Caputo's long term strategy .  

https://twitter.com/Coach_Mannix/status/1567324006826516480?s=20&t=8q1fKXvpYGwQd6an3qRYBA

 

Last edited by Florida Colonial (9/10/2022 8:22 pm)

 

9/10/2022 9:10 pm  #4


Re: International Recruiting

Kind of hard to blame JC for not doing enough international recruiting since there were strict travel restrictions in place around the globe for most of his tenure, and some countries still have restrictions in place. Trust me, as someone who got marooned for six months in a country I do not live in when the whole COVID thing started, it was not a good time for doing anything that might have involved crossing an international  border. I will give JC a pass on this one, though GW should usually be agressive at getting international recruits.

 

9/10/2022 11:04 pm  #5


Re: International Recruiting

GW Alum Abroad wrote:

Kind of hard to blame JC for not doing enough international recruiting since there were strict travel restrictions in place around the globe for most of his tenure, and some countries still have restrictions in place. Trust me, as someone who got marooned for six months in a country I do not live in when the whole COVID thing started, it was not a good time for doing anything that might have involved crossing an international  border. I will give JC a pass on this one, though GW should usually be agressive at getting international recruits.

GW Alum Abroad, that's a great point, but I also truly believe that JC's intention from the jump was to focus far more heavily on DC recruiting. I remember going to several of his meet and greets with fans (including with the fan council) in the first several months after he was hired, and he repeatedly made it a point that we were the basketball capital of the world (he named several big time stars) and said we need to be focusing here. 

Not to say he wouldn't have looked abroad if he had the chance, but I remember that a big part of his introductory message was how we needed to look in our own backyard.

 

9/11/2022 9:01 am  #6


Re: International Recruiting

Agree with GWAA that COVID certainly played a role in not recruiting a lot internationally. During the last couple of months of the JC era we were actually bringing in several international guys on visits but at that point a decision was already made on JC's future. There were things that I was critical of when JC was coach but not recruiting internationally in the past two years was more understandable to an extent.

Not trying to rehash why JC was fired or anything like that, but man this post reminded me of what could have been had Nima remained an assistant beyond the first year. Nima also spent that first summer recruiting in Europe, and I don't doubt JC had similar conversations with him looking at past GW rosters to begin building an international pipeline. Between that and the way Nima was branding the GW basketball program, I genuinely thought things were looking up. When he left, it felt like the beginning of the end for JC. Eric Atkins brought some interesting experience as a former player, but it just wasn't the same from what Nima was bringing that first year. 

Anyways, back to the topic itself. I agree with all that international recruiting seems the way to go, especially with NIL in play now. We all know we won't be able to compete with certain programs when it comes to NIL, and perhaps recruiting foreign guys will bridge that gap some. To my knowledge, I'm not sure guys from overseas can benefit off NIL in the same way because their visas restrict them from accepting deals so they would likely be more willing to come to GW and like GW0509 said be more loyal as well.
 

 

9/12/2022 10:31 am  #7


Re: International Recruiting

Marketing 101 teaches the value of a Unique Selling Proposition.  There is little question in my mind that for this program, the unique selling proposition has to be international recruiting.  We moved away from this a bit under Hobbs because he was able to uncover a diffferent niche...NCAA eligible players who were educated at questionable to fraudulent prep schools.  That well has of course run dry.

NIL has only heightened the importance of our ability to recruit internationally.  Fully agree that Nima was our guy even during Covid when it was that much more challenging.  Once Nima was relieved of his duties, JC never really got back to this (the Gapare situation undoubtedly souring him on the strategy).

Many international player success stories at GW?  Check.
Chance to matriculate in the nation's capital?  Check.
Chance to major/study foreign affairs, international studies, etc.?  Check.
Rules that make it more difficult in certain instances for foreign born players to capitalize on NIL opportunities, opportunities that GW can not offer in abundance?  Check.


This is really a no-brainer, particularly in this day and age.  This marketplace is far more crowded today than when Ed Meyers was in Africa discovering a talent named Yinka Dare.  Nevertheless, it's a marketplace that GW should be able to successfully compete within.  It's gratifying to see that Chris Caputo is already off and running in trying to tap overseas players.

 

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