Quote:

...Some of the in state players get better offers from other schools (SC or out of state schools) so that may be a reason the bigger SC schools has a lower number of SC kids.



Valid point, Hard Headed. I know for sure of 6 SC players of 2009(3) and 2010(3) classes (including your daughter) that were recruited by USC. Only 1 accepted the USC offer. 1 accepted another SEC offer (your daughter), 1 an ACC offer, and 3 accepted in-state SOCON offers.

Sweet Feet, given the above, if you are saying that the 3 that accepted SOCON offers ("mid-major") are not qualified to play "major", BECAUSE they chose "mid-major" (somehow indicating lessor skill level(?)), wouldn't the rest of us have to conclude from your argument that a player recruited by 3 teams of the "elite 8" mentioned above who chose not to attend those schools must also not be qualified to play at the "elite 8" level... simply because she chose not to?

I hope you're sensing that I'm not buying fully into this "major" vs. "mid-major" indicator of player capability. However, if I did I could finally understand how the U.S. Men's National Team can't seem to finally break through due to those 2 Furman graduates being on the current roster that obviously weren't even qualified to play "major" D-1 college soccer... because they chose to play at a "mid-major". But, then I'd still be left scratching my head as to how Katya Gokhman just after finishing her sophmore season at Furman could end up with her picture on the roster page at Florida State if a player at a "mid-major" school couldn't possibly have the skills to play "major" much less "elite 8".

Ok, ok, I think I'm getting it... Furman (SOCON) beats Clemson (ACC) 2 years running, Samford (SOCON) beats Alabama (SEC), and the SOCON teams are the "mid-majors"? No, I thought I had it, but something just doesn't sound right. Oh, I got it, the lessor teams WITHOUT skills are beating the teams WITH skills! No, that just doesn't sound right either. I'm still confused.

Quote:

(Kikinit70) ...Keep in mind, UNC, Florida State, Boston College, Wake Forest, UCLA, Notre Dame, Stanford and Portland were the Elite Eight participants.


What a difference a year makes. The year before, Wake Forest was knocked out in the second round by a "mid-major". Of course that was a better showing than the three SEC schools that were knocked out in the FIRST round by "mid-majors".

Sorry folks, I just don't think you can always use a player's decision to play "mid-major" D-1 or, in some cases D-2/3, as necessarily meaning the player isn't capable of playing successfully at a "major". And, I'm not necessarily sure all the players I've seen in the past at "majors" SHOULD be playing "major", even though they are.

Last edited by DeltaDog; 04/10/10 08:41 AM.