Recruiting “athletes” vs. recruiting basketball players

[Golddore68]

CJS and before him CBD mainly have focused on recruiting “athletes.” They are ranked higher in the star ranking system.

But a lot of times athletes don’t equal good basketball players. Athletes dominate at the high school level because they can outhustle everyone else to the basketball and to the goal. They can outmuscle everyone else for rebounds and loose balls. They can out physical other players in defense. But are they really good basketball players?

Once they get to the college level, these skills are neutralized because all the players are more athletic to a certain extent.

We need to recruit more basketball players. Throughout Vanderbilt basketball history, we’ve had players who didn’t look like they were very athletic but they had great shooting skills and knew how to play the game. Barry Goheen. Barry Booker. Derrick Wilcox. Drew Maddux. All these guys were good basketball players, not necessarily athletes. But we had a lot of success with them.

[Nashmann]

We need to sign those that can shoot AND play the game. Preferably both shooters AND athletic!

[OldDude]

Give me the basketball players. I built my loyalty to VU hoops during eras of great players who were average athletes. Skinner had some exciting teams of guys who were 1/2 a step slower and not great leapers (excepting Wallace) but could play the game. A layup counts just as much as a dunk. Nashmann is right though, get the shooters - I could care less if they have zero dunks for their career.

[LawoftheWest]

When I was in high school I could shoot a basketball at about 60% from what is now NBA 3 point range. I did the same when I was in my late fifties, early sixties. However, my athletic skills were non existent. I could not drive. Defenders could stop me easily. So, I never made my high school basketball team, or otherwise played competitive sports.

My point is that it takes more than one skill set to be a successful college basketball player. Being a "basketball player" is one. Athleticism is another. There are other qualities that make a player a contributor.

[cc11316]

If by athlete, you mean guys who are just freakishly explosive or quick like Russell Westbrooks, Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo or Giannis?

By shooters you mean guys who are deadly from long range like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Corver or Ray Allen?

If so, I'll take any of them.

Intuitively one would think to recruit athletes as they can be trained to improve their shooting, right? Why does that not actually happen in reality?