Texas/DFW hoops talent?

[Midwest Mean Green]

I haven't lived in Texas in a long time, so I'm curious how much basketball talent there is in the state, and in DFW in particular. You get used to seeing Chicago-area players (and to a lesser extent players from other major Midwest markets) on rosters all over college hoops. But I always felt like UNT ought to be able to find enough Texas talent to have a few second- or third-tier in-state kids in its rotation every year. Do those players not exist at a deep enough level for that to be true?

Granted, high school recruiting means a less in the portal/NIL world.

[cousin oliver]

@Cooley is the expert on that

[UNTLifer]

14 minutes ago, Midwest Mean Green said:

I haven't lived in Texas in a long time, so I'm curious how much basketball talent there is in the state, and in DFW in particular. You get used to seeing Chicago-area players (and to a lesser extent players from other major Midwest markets) on rosters all over college hoops. But I always felt like UNT ought to be able to find enough Texas talent to have a few second- or third-tier in-state kids in its rotation every year. Do those players not exist at a deep enough level for that to be true?

Granted, high school recruiting means a less in the portal/NIL world.

There's plenty but you also need a coach willing to play HS players.

[2020 Sucks]

We can't recruit and pay those Top 100 Blue Chip HS recruits...and in my opinion, if a kid isn't on that list, they need to go to JUCO and develop.  We will chase them after they mature. Bottom line...a 17-18 yr old freshman can rarely play with Jr.s and Sr.s and 5th yr starters like Atin, Newell, Floyd, BLo, etc.

I think the new strategy would be to team up with a couple of solid JUCO coaches that run similar styles and plant HS kids at aJUCO with the promise of bringing them in when the time is right.  If they excel, it could be after their 1st year of JUCO.  If it takes 2 years, then we bring them in then.  But it seems like it is time for the Mid Major schools to find their feeder programs the same way that the P4 schools seem to be doing with the MM schools.

[Matt from A700]

I'd rather have a sales manager with Texas ties than a coach. Get someone who can sell a bunch of group tickets to local schools.

[2020 Sucks]

2 hours ago, Matt from A700 said:

I'd rather have a sales manager with Texas ties than a coach. Get someone who can sell a bunch of group tickets to local schools.

Give the tickets away and fill the upper ring with loud HS kids every game!  

[Cooley]

I can’t begin to tell you how talented D/FW basketball is compared to other regions around the country. Again, I see at least 3 kids going in the 2-Round NBA draft lottery in 3 months.

1) Trey Johnson (Lake Highlands/UT)

2) JT Toppins (Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy/New Mexico/Texas Tech)

3) Liem Stevenson (Richardson/UConn)
 

https://www.reportingtexas.com/how-dallas-became-a-hotbed-of-high-school-basketball-recruiting/

Edited Tuesday at 06:41 PM by Cooley