To me this is partially a chicken and egg argument. As in what comes first.....
Staying "home" and playing instate doesnt' seem to be a problem for the other D1 schools in the state.
Winthrop, on both the boys and the girls sides, appears to be purposefully not recruiting SC kids.
If one of my kids were being recruited to play at either USC or Winthrop and they were realistically going to be player 22 at USC and 14-16 at Winthrop as freshmen....guess where I'd be leaning them towards, everything else being equal?
The big state schools are always going to be first choice. Do UNC-W or UNC-A or UNC-C or NC State.....not recruit NC kids simply because their school isn't located in Chapel Hill? Uh, no....I don't think so.
Yes, a lot of kids want to go away to school. But the only kids in SC this effects with Winthrop are the York County kids.
Honestly.......I think it stinks that Winthrop doesn't recruit more in-state kids. I think its a copout and an excuse for being too lazy and un-creative in building ties within the local and/or state community.....clubs, schools, tournaments, etc.
If they are 5th or 6th choice its because they have allowed themselves to be 5th or 6th choice. As a resident of YC with a whole family of soccer playing kids....they have done ZERO to reach out to anyone in the community that I'm aware of, in any way shape or form.
And unless they pay their own way in terms of generating revenue....schools like that should be threatened with having their funding cut for soccer.
Not saying that they should....but why should my tax dollars go to pay for some kid from Canada to come down here and go to school for free? If there isn't the requisite quality of player here.....fine, recruit elsewhere. But thats not the case. All the other D1 schools in SC seem to be able to keep some local kids....
Its like Free Trade versus Fair trade. How many 17 year old US kids are being recruited to play in England or Spain or wherever? Not too many....they have work visa issues to deal with. You better be a world class player if you expect to go to England.
You think thats the case with these kids coming to Winthrop? I don't think so.....very good players? Of course...that much better than a kid at CESA Premier or CUFC Elite or MPSC or Bridge or wherever? Maybe maybe not.
