Is Lamar basketball recruiting enough local talent?

[austin badbyrd]

I know there's a lot of griping about PK not recruiting local kids. Take a read of this article and give your thoughts:

 

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/lamar/article/Is-Lamar-basketball-recruiting-enough-local-5091455.php

 

 

My take:

 

The football and basketball program have and will always have the same issue; that a lot - not all - but a lot of local kids would rather go elsewhere - and may have the talent to do so - than to go to Lamar. I used to have the same opinion as most here, but the more I read and have heard over the many years that Lamar will not ever get as many of the local talent as we the fans would like. There is really nothing in Beaumont to keep them here. - That's my take

[Cardinalrule]

It has nothing to do with Beaumont having "nothing to keep them here". It is mainly them wanting to be able tell their friends they are going off to school and not wanting to play for a losing team

[austin badbyrd]

Most kids want to go elsewhere because:

1. To them Beaumont has nothing to offer and if they have decent talent would rather go to places like LSU, A&M, Texas, OU, etc. In other words major colleges.

2. Lamar is considered a "mid-major" which means more than likely we will not get many top notch talent and will have to rely on JUCO talent.

3. As I remembered Billy Tubbs had go go to North Carolina to get his program going (Olliver, Kea) the only local on that team was Norman Bellard. Alvin Brooks was out of Houston, if you want to count that as local. The point is that we have to be willing to get the best players from wherever we can.

 

I'm sure I will get a lot of disagreement on this, but over about 30 years of observation, that's what I see.

[LUSportsFan]

Most kids want to go elsewhere because:

1. To them Beaumont has nothing to offer and if they have decent talent would rather go to places like LSU, A&M, Texas, OU, etc. In other words major colleges.

2. Lamar is considered a "mid-major" which means more than likely we will not get many top notch talent and will have to rely on JUCO talent.

3. As I remembered Billy Tubbs had go go to North Carolina to get his program going (Olliver, Kea) the only local on that team was Norman Bellard. Alvin Brooks was out of Houston, if you want to count that as local. The point is that we have to be willing to get the best players from wherever we can.

 

I'm sure I will get a lot of disagreement on this, but over about 30 years of observation, that's what I see.

 

I totally agree with the last sentence in point #3 to be willing to get the best players wherever we can. I also hope we don't overlook local talent. There are some who would like to stay home and play in front of family and friends. We have been able to keep some of those in the past.

 

On point 3, don't forget BB Davis (1977-1981). He played high school ball at Beaumont French and played on the same Lamar team as Olliver, Kea, and Bellard. As I recall, that team had a pretty good mix of local and out of state talent. It was a good mix. A few years later, Kenneth Perkins and James Gulley were a couple of local players I remember. "Perk" played high school ball at Beaumont Charlton-Pollard. Gulley played high school ball at Newton High School.

 

Davis was #2 all time scoring (behind Olliver) and rebounding (behind Kea) in Lamar history. Gulley was #3 in both. Perkins was #6 all time rebounding. Closer to my time, Phil Endicott played high school ball at Beaumont French, #7 in all time scoring and on the same team with Earl Dow.

 

It would be great to have some more local talent on the team, but I agree with something BSFwins said in an earlier post...

 

..."I would like more locals, but I want the best players period."

 

In the examples of former players above, I think we got the best of both worlds. We had great local talent that stayed home mixed in with great players from other areas.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

[Knightman]

I think that it is important, to as has been said, have a good mix of guys on the team, from the local area, and than go wherever you have to go to get the best players that you can get. Because when you have a solid group of local kids, they are going to bring their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousin filling up the seats of your basketball arena!!!!!!!! And then fill up the other spots with kids from other parts of the country, and when the can play or have a connection you can get yougsters from overseas as well!!!!!!!!!!

 

Go Lamar!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Knightman

[austin badbyrd]

Most kids want to go elsewhere because:

1. To them Beaumont has nothing to offer and if they have decent talent would rather go to places like LSU, A&M, Texas, OU, etc. In other words major colleges.

2. Lamar is considered a "mid-major" which means more than likely we will not get many top notch talent and will have to rely on JUCO talent.

3. As I remembered Billy Tubbs had go go to North Carolina to get his program going (Olliver, Kea) the only local on that team was Norman Bellard. Alvin Brooks was out of Houston, if you want to count that as local. The point is that we have to be willing to get the best players from wherever we can.

 

I'm sure I will get a lot of disagreement on this, but over about 30 years of observation, that's what I see.

 

I totally agree with the last sentence in point #3 to be willing to get the best players wherever we can. I also hope we don't overlook local talent. There are some who would like to stay home and play in front of family and friends. We have been able to keep some of those in the past.

 

On point 3, don't forget BB Davis (1977-1981). He played high school ball at Beaumont French and played on the same Lamar team as Olliver, Kea, and Bellard. As I recall, that team had a pretty good mix of local and out of state talent. It was a good mix. A few years later, Kenneth Perkins and James Gulley were a couple of local players I remember. "Perk" played high school ball at Beaumont Charlton-Pollard. Gulley played high school ball at Newton High School.

 

Davis was #2 all time scoring (behind Olliver) and rebounding (behind Kea) in Lamar history. Gulley was #3 in both. Perkins was #6 all time rebounding. Closer to my time, Phil Endicott played high school ball at Beaumont French, #7 in all time scoring and on the same team with Earl Dow.

 

It would be great to have some more local talent on the team, but I agree with something BSFwins said in an earlier post...

 

..."I would like more locals, but I want the best players period."

 

In the examples of former players above, I think we got the best of both worlds. We had great local talent that stayed home mixed in with great players from other areas.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

 

As far as BB, Perk and Gulley; it was the result of LU being successful with the Ollivers and Keas. To paraphrase a movie line (you know which one):

 

" If you win, they will come

[LUSportsFan]

I think that may be true with Perkins and Gulley, but Davis was in the same class as Olliver (1977-1981). Kea was one year ahead (1976-1980).

 

I also think it is a much better story with Kea, Olliver, Davis, Bellard, Lewis et al. The record when these players were recruited was not good. These were not "bandwagon" players. Looking at Jack Martin's last three years and Billy Tubbs' first year, the Cards had the following record.

 

1973-1974 6-19

1974-1975 7-16

1975-1976 10-14

 

1976-1977 12-17

 

I agree that recruiting to a winning program should be easier. On the other hand, I think these players, both local and out of town, bought into a vision that they wanted to be part of. I'm glad they did. That's the kind of player I would like to have.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cardinalrule]

Most kids want to go elsewhere because:

1. To them Beaumont has nothing to offer and if they have decent talent would rather go to places like LSU, A&M, Texas, OU, etc. In other words major colleges.

2. Lamar is considered a "mid-major" which means more than likely we will not get many top notch talent and will have to rely on JUCO talent.

3. As I remembered Billy Tubbs had go go to North Carolina to get his program going (Olliver, Kea) the only local on that team was Norman Bellard. Alvin Brooks was out of Houston, if you want to count that as local. The point is that we have to be willing to get the best players from wherever we can.

 

I'm sure I will get a lot of disagreement on this, but over about 30 years of observation, that's what I see.

 

As my daughter would say, "derp". I am not talking about recruiting against A&M, Texas, and OU. We are NOWHERE near being able to recruit against those schools. I am talking about recruiting 'mid-major' (or low major) talent. If anyone thinks we will out recruit UT or A&M I am afraid they are delusional.

 

I want to be able to out recruit SFA, SHSU, NWSU, McNeese...you know, the teams in our conference. We obviously can't even do that and that has nothing to do with Lamar/Beaumont or whatever excuse somebody wants to make. How did that JUCO coach at LU-PA get all that talent? How did the new women's coach just recruit a class ranked in the top 120? Where have our last 2 men's recruiting classes ranked?

 

If we can just get to where we can start winning the lowly Southland again then maybe we can worry about recruiting against the next level of schools, and then the next level and then maybe steal a recruit from a UT or A&M but, we are a LONG LONG LONG way from being able to do that.