SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer USC recruiting

I already stated that I felt ???'s comments regarding D1 and D2 school's soccer was ridiculous.

I don't believe any of my questions were rhetorical (but, it's possible - which ones do you feel were?)

Ok, now I'll make an assumption. I'm assuming that you don't have nearly as much soccer experience as coach Berson. Right or wrong? If I am correct, you are being extremely presumptuous to think that it is not possible for him to see something that you do not. Actually, quite arrogant and somewhat uneducated (within the realm of soccer).

I have been involved in the sport on many different levels for over thirty years, and feel I am fairly knowledgeable, but I would never make so bold a claim that I know as much (or more) than someone at that level. But you, having never even seen any of those players actually play, can confidently state that they will be "practice players" their entire college career? That is amazing.

Wait, I just noticed where you said you might have played against Cates at some point in time. My bad - I see you are a teenager (possibly a tad older) - which means you know everything. And, I do have experience with teenagers, having been one, and am currently the parent of one, and another who used to be.

Well you asked "why don't we just go to the source to find out?" and I guessed the source meant Berson. I hope you didn't expect us to actually call him or show up at his house and ask "why did you recruit these kids you shouldn't of". He'd likely stick a soccer ball down our throat (wouldn't be surprised if he's done that in his tenure).

You're right I don't have nearly as much experience or knowledge and probably shouldn't have said that. Too sound less arrogant (hopefully it doesnt make it worse) I wasn't talking generally about seeing stuff regarding soccer or being a coach. I was just talking about seeing whether these players were actually good enough to play at big D1 college level. Like I said they aren't limited to being practice players if they work hard enough and keep getting better but with so few credentials in comparison to all these nationally recognized players USC brings in I assumed....

There you go stereotyping teenagers as "people who know everything". I'm sure you think you're right too. I don't fit that stereotype. I don't think I know everything...I was just giving my honest opinion. Excuse me if I'm wrong.

Personally, I like the direction the USC program is taking regarding in-state recruiting. Why not give the local kids a shot? It can't hurt anything (especially if they already have academic scholarship help or are willing to try it out as an invited walk-on or true signee).

There is already a bevy of quality National/Regional players on this team and in this recruiting class, so I see no reason why USC cannot augment their current roster with some in-state players.

Are you saying that South Carolina does not produce enough of that quantity? I, sincerely, disagree. It's been missing a long time for the college programs and I am glad that the College of Charleston (first) and South Carolina (second) have incorporated that process into their schemes.

Is Daniel Lynch, Ross Power, or Luke Berson getting money initially? I don't know, but I suspect you don't either. From my understanding they were good high school students and good soccer players with successful high school and club programs. Good for them! Why be bitter? If they can contribute for "book money" or less, then so be it. If they earn more in future seasons, then that is great! Otherwise, they may concentrate on being a college student -- last time I looked there was no crime in that mannerism!

I'm sure Danny Cates is receiving some dough, because he had a choice of collegiate programs to choose from -- why diminish that the others are "signed"? At 9.9 scholarships for men's soccer, I would be as frugal as possible with in-state players unless they are truly "on top of the world" -- but that being said, I would make an earnest effort at recruiting these folks, because this state has proven at the prep level to be the equal of others that are perceived as better.

I'll tell you this, as Director of the Palmetto Cup hosted by Brookland-Cayce High School, I see first-hand the best prep players that are available from top programs from around the country. If any collegiate program could hand-pick one or two from those four-year classes each year, then "recruiting" would not be that difficult!

Good luck to those NCAA D1 and D2 players, along with the JUCO and D3 signees -- enjoy the game as long as possible and upwards mobility is always possible!

SIDENOTE -- If they can contribute for "book money" or less, then so be it.

My cousin, Kip Bouknight -- who graduated from Brookland-Cayce HS in 1997 and the University of South Carolina in 2001 -- received "book money" with the Gamecocks his first two years despite compiling 18 wins at USC on the mound for the highly successful Carolina baseball team. A bunch of his teammates 'earned' a lot more those seasons and up until his junior year. Luckily for Kip, he was a solid student and an above average athlete. His junior season saw him post a 17-1 record and he won the college football equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, the "Golden Spikes Award". Instead of leaping for Major League Baseball with a year left in school, Kip opted to spend his senior campaign at Sarge Frye Field and led USC to a second-straight NCAA Super Regional -- the Gamecocks lost both series 2-1 to Louisiana-Lafayette and Stanford, respectively. Since then, he's pitched in the Minor Leagues since 2001 and is with the Reading Phillies (PA - AA) this year. He's living a dream with a chance still to reach the "Big Leagues".

cabbie, to quote myself “I happen to know that Bert (Molinary) is a very approachable person. Now, I’m not saying that he’s gonna sit down with you and defend each and every recruiting decision he’s ever made, but I’d be willing to bet he would be more than happy to give you at least some insight into many of his choices.” And, NO, I don’t expect you to show up at either coach’s house…maybe just stick around after a Carolina match?

sv-dad, don’t make me whip out my

calculator and start counting the number of references to high school players vs the number of references to all that other stuff. But, if all your stats make you feel better about almost killing the thread, that’s cool; just know that it was me and cabbie, and some dude named heise who brought this thread back from the dead.

when comparing mens programs and D1 to D2, there are several guys that can play either level; depends on what they are looking for in a program and school; they may start as a freshmen for a d2 and only get minutes for a d1. the # of schools that offer men's soccer is low so that is why the quality at both levels is so high. On the other hand, when you compare women's division, there is a big gap between divisions, not saying some d2 programs can't compete against d1 but putting them up against the big conferences, yes there is.

Can't say the number of schools offering men's soccer is low, over 1,100! Players and parents need to consider the big picture. You are going to school for the academics. They added enjoyment of playing soccer at that level is an added benefit. There are a lot of [censored] fine institutions besides the big names.

ntheno, I agree that there are exceptions to the rule (your example is certainly a good one), but I BELIEVE that most people on this thread agree that to make a GENERAL statement that "Division 2 soccer is just as good as D1 soccer" is ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as comparing college spring scrimmages to fall regular season matches.