[CAARHawk]

I do not follow women's basketball, but I was reading the article in the PC about the current recruiting class. I also know Bluder has brought in some good players in recent years as well.

Can anybody shed any light on her recruiting strategy?

[rodg12]

The new facility has to be a huge selling point for her. She's already established a good, winning program at Iowa and that new facility gives her that something extra to show the recruits.

[SLarew]

Bluder has usually recruited fairly well but injuries hurt team records. I would guess that new facility helped. I think too the play of last year's team got attention. Seemed they were playing at faster pace than recent years and recruits like that.

Kach Alexander being one ot top players in cournty will not hurt either.

[UIHawkGrad]

To quote Randy Moss:

"Straight Cash Homey!"

[TritonHawkeye]

Originally Posted by CAARHawk

I do not follow women's basketball, but I was reading the article in the PC about the current recruiting class. I also know Bluder has brought in some good players in recent years as well.

Can anybody shed any light on her recruiting strategy?

I don't remember her coming in with a bang and in fact believe some thought she was failing early on.

I think the main thing is that she has had time to establish herself with the program and just her lifetime spent in Iowa has helped establish some very good contacts.

Patients is an important trait....

...and on a side note, at least you are working a different angle to focus your short term frustration with McCaffery.

[CAARHawk]

Again, I am not frustrated with McCaffery. I stated a hypothesis about successful coaching hires when Iowa was in their search. The only thing I was going on was the record of new hires in BCS conferences and the association with recruiting. It didn't have anything to do with McCaffery. Still doesn't. I am interested in seeing how my hypothesis works out, that is it. The specific person who is coaching is actually not relevant.

People just have a hard time separating the abstract theory from actual people involved. It could be Joe Blow for all that matters. I also applies to every other new BCS conference new coaching hire this year and I am watching those other schools to see how the theory works out. However, I am just a fan of Iowa so this is the only sight where I discuss it.

As far as Bluder is concerned I just didn't know anything about her and I don't really know anything about recruiting in WBB. I am sure it is a totally different beast than MBB and I don't want to spend the time doing research. I just wondered if anyone could shed some light on her success.

[SLarew]

I did not get full extent of question.

Some people will not say it is right but she is similar to KF in that she has stayed loyal to her staff. Very few changes in her tenure. Another site thread mentioned that Mike Morgan left adn Shannon Gage hired. Maybe Gage has had some impact on recruiting but I wouldnt know.

I guess you could say that Lisa Bluder has local roots and has stayed the course with her system and staff. Teams have usually been competitive when team is healthy. Seems like the womens team has had alot of knee and ACL injuries. Even last year, Alexander was hurt in first part of season, Draxten adn Taylor hurt and Hamlin didnt play but they overcame the injuries. A reported "graduation ceremony" for freshmen at mid-season was a successful tactic.

[imported_jocohawk]

That caught my eye as well and I'm not a big follower of WBB. If Stokes would commit, it would be one awesome recruiting binge.

[1st]

Originally Posted by CAARHawk

Again, I am not frustrated with McCaffery. I stated a hypothesis about successful coaching hires when Iowa was in their search. The only thing I was going on was the record of new hires in BCS conferences and the association with recruiting. It didn't have anything to do with McCaffery. Still doesn't. I am interested in seeing how my hypothesis works out, that is it. The specific person who is coaching is actually not relevant.

People just have a hard time separating the abstract theory from actual people involved. It could be Joe Blow for all that matters. I also applies to every other new BCS conference new coaching hire this year and I am watching those other schools to see how the theory works out. However, I am just a fan of Iowa so this is the only sight where I discuss it.

As far as Bluder is concerned I just didn't know anything about her and I don't really know anything about recruiting in WBB. I am sure it is a totally different beast than MBB and I don't want to spend the time doing research. I just wondered if anyone could shed some light on her success.

Well for one thing, Lisa is a class act. She's a great floor coach, and has a wonderful personality. If she hadn't had so many key injuries over the years she would have a much better record. We're very lucky to have her.

[tiggerhawk]

Originally Posted by CAARHawk

I do not follow women's basketball, but I was reading the article in the PC about the current recruiting class. I also know Bluder has brought in some good players in recent years as well.

Can anybody shed any light on her recruiting strategy?

Yes. Not complicated. Not complicated at all. Just so rare in college athletics that it defies probability that the U of Iowa could end up with two of the last of the species in Ferentz & Bluder. What would prove beyond all doubt that Moses was wrong, that the TRUE Chosen People are Iowans is if somehow McCaffery should turn out to be a genuine relic of a past era as well.

Bluder sells family. She preaches it, her teams live it. She recruited her staff on the basic criterion that they have the same caring passion for family. And if she is the prototype surrogate mom, her staff are expected to be the model surrogate big sisters. She does her homework well in getting a depth of perceptions about the potential of the women she recruits to be committed to treating the people in the program as her family away from home.

Not all that certain, myself, that there isn't a downside to this: her players are polite, play the game fair & clean--maybe just a wee bit lacking in the mean, nasty, push & grab, throw your elbows part of basketball. The family values stuff can lead to being too nice, perhaps....

College women hoopsters are different in that they don't all think they are preparing for the NBA/WNBA, and many of the most talented are serious students as well. And in many instances, the parents are as well or more so. No other program in the Big Ten--or nation for that matter--has as many academic All Big Ten as the Hawkeyes do year after year.

When you combine the realization that Bluder & her program are going to push for academic excellence with Knowing that Bluder is going to regard their daughter as if she were her own, and that teammates will consider themselves as almost-sisters, parents have a powerful incentive to want their daughters playing for the Hawkeyes under Bluder's watchful eye.
And it is a strong inducement to many 17/18 year old girls facing the prospect of the strangeness & potential loneliness of leaving home for the anonymity of a college freshman's existence.

This is why I, for one, am confident that Kiah Stokes will look past the flash & sizzle of UConn & Tennessee, etc. What I've worried about, with Logic as well as Stokes, was that the attractions of Stanford--in hoops, academic distinction, campus environs--could lure them to Palo Alto.

So thank all the deities & gods who hang out at the House on the Rocks for Bluder & FAMILY: The Stokes are the kind of protective, concerned, involved parents who value greatly the knowledge that their daughter could not possibly be in better hands that those of Lisa Bluder. And from all appearances, Kiah Stokes seems to have the same positive vibes about the women on the Iowa Hawkeyes as does her friend (and Iowa recruit) Jade Rogers.

Stokes, Logic, Virginia Johnson, Reynolds--this would/will be the best recruiting class in the Big Ten in a decade. Add them to the young, injury-plagued team that came on to finish 2nd in the BT & was cheated (no other word does justice, even the BT admits it) out of the BTT championship--and has everyone back...and we could have Vivian Stringer deja vu all over again.

[Hooper]

Now that her children are a wee bit older, it seems Lisa is hitting the recruiting trail a lot harder.

[rodg12]

Originally Posted by tiggerhawk

Yes. Not complicated. Not complicated at all. Just so rare in college athletics that it defies probability that the U of Iowa could end up with two of the last of the species in Ferentz & Bluder. What would prove beyond all doubt that Moses was wrong, that the TRUE Chosen People are Iowans is if somehow McCaffery should turn out to be a genuine relic of a past era as well.

Bluder sells family. She preaches it, her teams live it. She recruited her staff on the basic criterion that they have the same caring passion for family. And if she is the prototype surrogate mom, her staff are expected to be the model surrogate big sisters. She does her homework well in getting a depth of perceptions about the potential of the women she recruits to be committed to treating the people in the program as her family away from home.

Not all that certain, myself, that there isn't a downside to this: her players are polite, play the game fair & clean--maybe just a wee bit lacking in the mean, nasty, push & grab, throw your elbows part of basketball. The family values stuff can lead to being too nice, perhaps....

College women hoopsters are different in that they don't all think they are preparing for the NBA/WNBA, and many of the most talented are serious students as well. And in many instances, the parents are as well or more so. No other program in the Big Ten--or nation for that matter--has as many academic All Big Ten as the Hawkeyes do year after year.

When you combine the realization that Bluder & her program are going to push for academic excellence with Knowing that Bluder is going to regard their daughter as if she were her own, and that teammates will consider themselves as almost-sisters, parents have a powerful incentive to want their daughters playing for the Hawkeyes under Bluder's watchful eye.
And it is a strong inducement to many 17/18 year old girls facing the prospect of the strangeness & potential loneliness of leaving home for the anonymity of a college freshman's existence.

This is why I, for one, am confident that Kiah Stokes will look past the flash & sizzle of UConn & Tennessee, etc. What I've worried about, with Logic as well as Stokes, was that the attractions of Stanford--in hoops, academic distinction, campus environs--could lure them to Palo Alto.

So thank all the deities & gods who hang out at the House on the Rocks for Bluder & FAMILY: The Stokes are the kind of protective, concerned, involved parents who value greatly the knowledge that their daughter could not possibly be in better hands that those of Lisa Bluder. And from all appearances, Kiah Stokes seems to have the same positive vibes about the women on the Iowa Hawkeyes as does her friend (and Iowa recruit) Jade Rogers.

Stokes, Logic, Virginia Johnson, Reynolds--this would/will be the best recruiting class in the Big Ten in a decade. Add them to the young, injury-plagued team that came on to finish 2nd in the BT & was cheated (no other word does justice, even the BT admits it) out of the BTT championship--and has everyone back...and we could have Vivian Stringer deja vu all over again.

Outstanding post Tigger. Thank you.

[Row55]

Originally Posted by Hooper

Now that her children are a wee bit older, it seems Lisa is hitting the recruiting trail a lot harder.

I dunno, talent on the roster has not seemed to be the issue IMO. Injuries have been a problem, compounded with her preference for small rosters. Some of her teams have been a bit passive on court, which plays into aggressive, physical teams like Purdue, Kansas, Duke, etc. I think the big differences last season were 1) Kachine Alexander really took over as a team leader, and 2) the rest of the team bought in, and played at full-throttle for 40 minutes. That had been lacking for a couple of seasons, in my view.

However, I do think her emphasis on academics, along with perhaps a more calm approach to coaching than some of her peers, is attractive to a lot of athletes. For example, I respect what Bill Fennelly has accomplished in Ames, but he has the rep of being a screamer (as do a lot of coaches), and that leadership style doesn't work with everybody.

[brett108]

Well, the thing I see about recruting in Women's basketball is that it is under analyzed. They only seem to watch certain AAU tournaments, so a ton of talent falls through the gaps. It is hard to tell how good a player is just by looking at the ranking. ISU has pulled in far worst classes since Bluder started, but the program is more successful.

My point being that recruting rankings have less meaning in women's athletics. There just is not the interest to make it better.

[CAARHawk]

Originally Posted by rodg12

Outstanding post Tigger. Thank you.

Agreed Tigger:

I like to try to get under your skin sometimes, but this is just an excellent contribution.