2023 Marquis Cook

[bballbeachbum]

Don't have to counter anything imo. Gonzaga is a special place with special people, right? Nothing against AZ except more and more often oppressive heat where sometimes you open the door to go outside and it's a flippin furnace so you just turn around and go back inside.

The choice between GU or Arizona is more than that obviously. Very different places tho and Tommy's got his angles but so does Mark

[zagdontzig]

Arizona has 8 internationals on their roster. And they lead the nation in assists per game, or at least did last time I looked. The thing is, players from other countries seem to be more versed in playing team ball than the kids growing up in AAU. IMO there are other reasons to recruit internationals than need.

Tommy added three of those players (Bal, Larson, Ballo) since he took the job. My guess is that he recruits the entire planet for the best players he can find for his system.

Having international recruits is not the same as recruiting internationally. Larson transferred from Utah, and I know Miller recruitied a few of those international guys in an attempt the emulate Lloyd. I don't follow closely enough to know whether Lloyd has anyone he recruited, or is recruiting internationally, but he certainly has the brand and first season success to compete with any program in the country for American recruits. Whether he does or not, remains to be seen.

I agree with everything else you said, and agree he has plenty of incentive to recruit overseas, if he thinks his system is well-served doing so.

[Snowwy]

Yup - in a recruit's eyes Arizona is now everything that Gonzaga is, minus the negatives. Love the Zag's style? Come to Arizona, a school in a Power-5 conference, and play under the new hotness!

Is this actually real? Maybe I haven't followed closely enough, but have any players born outside the state of Arizona chosen Arizona over Gonzaga yet, or is this just fear mongering at this point?

[HenneZag]

Is this actually real? Maybe I haven't followed closely enough, but have any players born outside the state of Arizona chosen Arizona over Gonzaga yet, or is this just fear mongering at this point?

A fear. Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. See what the end result is. Arizona has always been a program we have to compete against for recruits, that won't change. GU had a track record and consistency.

[zagdontzig]

Is this actually real? Maybe I haven't followed closely enough, but have any players born outside the state of Arizona chosen Arizona over Gonzaga yet, or is this just fear mongering at this point?

A fear. Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. See what the end result is. Arizona has always been a program we have to compete against for recruits, that won't change. GU had a track record and consistency.

Arizona is a top 5 team in the country in Lloyd's first year, with a better brand, and a broader pool of attractive coeds. It is an anecdotal certainty that we will lose to Arizona in more recruiting battles than we beat them.

[billyberu]

I don't see this diminishing the recruiting pool for Gonzaga as much as I see it tipping the balance of power between the east and west coast. We've been fighting (and losing) recruits to Arizona with or without Lloyd. The argument that recruiting is some zero-sum game doesn't jibe with reality.

[Spink]

I don't see this diminishing the recruiting pool for Gonzaga as much as I see it tipping the balance of power between the east and west coast. We've been fighting (and losing) recruits to Arizona with or without Lloyd. The argument that recruiting is some zero-sum game doesn't jibe with reality.

+1

[GUDAD2020]

Is this actually real? Maybe I haven't followed closely enough, but have any players born outside the state of Arizona chosen Arizona over Gonzaga yet, or is this just fear mongering at this point?

I think the most recent was 2018 when So.Cal. guard Brandon Williams chose Sean Miller’s wildcats over the Bulldogs. 247 had him ranked #34. His time there didn’t seem great due to injury and possibly other things.

[daskim]

I don't see this diminishing the recruiting pool for Gonzaga as much as I see it tipping the balance of power between the east and west coast. We've been fighting (and losing) recruits to Arizona with or without Lloyd. The argument that recruiting is some zero-sum game doesn't jibe with reality.

+2

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

Arizona is a top 5 team in the country in Lloyd's first year, with a better brand, and a broader pool of attractive coeds. It is an anecdotal certainty that we will lose to Arizona in more recruiting battles than we beat them.

anecdotal certainty

Interesting topic but I'm firmly in the Spokane and Gonzaga have a whole lot to offer that Arizona does not and never can camp. The tone of some of these "oh no, now we have to compete w Tommy Lloyd for recruits" posts is kind of irritating....Mark Few ain't no joke nor are his coaches and the entire support system in place at Gonzaga for scholarship athletes. All depends on what the player wants, what kind of atmosphere he is looking for etc. Spokane and the great Northwest are pretty damn special and unique. Hope Tommy enjoys great success at Arizona save when he faces our Zags (on the court or on the recruiting trail).

[ZagsObserver]

I think the most recent was 2018 when So.Cal. guard Brandon Williams chose Sean Miller’s wildcats over the Bulldogs. 247 had him ranked #34. His time there didn’t seem great due to injury and possibly other things.

Different position and different injury, but hoping Perry doesn’t meet a similar end. Persistent high school injury and now a persistent college injury. These things don’t always cure themselves.

[zagdontzig]

Interesting topic but I'm firmly in the Spokane and Gonzaga have a whole lot to offer that Arizona does not and never can camp. The tone of some of these "oh no, now we have to compete w Tommy Lloyd for recruits" posts is kind of irritating....Mark Few ain't no joke nor are his coaches and the entire support system in place at Gonzaga for scholarship athletes. All depends on what the player wants, what kind of atmosphere he is looking for etc. Spokane and the great Northwest are pretty damn special and unique. Hope Tommy enjoys great success at Arizona save when he faces our Zags (on the court or on the recruiting trail).

You got me wrong. Save for Lake Powell, I think Arizona is miserable, and Spokane is, hands-down, my favorite city in the world (that I've been to so far). It's where I want to move my family one day. However, I don't think a lot of 17 year olds think like me, a middle-aged man. I think they prioritize some combination of winning, player development, and yes, the school's brand and partying. Gonzaga's brand is certainly punching among the blue bloods, but the Knights and Setons can only get you so far.

[krozman]

Ya but when Tommy Lloyd visits a recruit he shows the Rocky IV montage of Stallone training in the cold siberian wastelands and he turns to the kid and says "This is Spokane."

[maynard g krebs]

Having international recruits is not the same as recruiting internationally. Larson transferred from Utah, and I know Miller recruitied a few of those international guys in an attempt the emulate Lloyd. I don't follow closely enough to know whether Lloyd has anyone he recruited, or is recruiting internationally, but he certainly has the brand and first season success to compete with any program in the country for American recruits. Whether he does or not, remains to be seen.

I agree with everything else you said, and agree he has plenty of incentive to recruit overseas, if he thinks his system is well-served doing so.

Agree w/ all this. I'm guessing Tommy will continue to recruit internationally. Not just to find players that fit his style, but it's known that after his playing career he spent a long time backpacking around the world. Some people, myself included, enjoy going places, and he seems to be one of them.

[maynard g krebs]

As to the OP, Cook's hs coach said it looks to him that it's going to him like he's most likely to go to UK because of their lengthy list of pros, or to Oregon because he's from Portland. Article from Kentucky site. I'm too lazy to learn how to link, but easily found on google.