[BostonCard]

I think the biggest learning from the Ziaire Williams saga is for us as fans not to get too carried away in landing (or not landing) any single recruit, especially one who is likely to be a one-and-done.  I think some fans were marking Williams' signing as an inflection point at Stanford, where landing whales would beget landing whales in route towards making Stanford an elite program.  I think at best, individual recruits can complement an effective nucleus, but, by and large, should not be considered the core of a successful program.  At worst, of course, they are a distraction that takes us away from building and developing the team.  If the stories about Haase writing Williams a daily handwritten letter are true, the opportunity costs for landing Williams were likely enormous.  If there had been a 4* player who could have followed the Oscar da Silva trajectory, wouldn't we have been better off?  Not to see we should turn down a whale who wants to come to Stanford, and, of course, this is an inexact science, as Terry didn't necessary project as a one-and-done.  But we should be weary of quick fixes that involve a brobdingnagian recruit coming in and "rescuing" the team.

BC

[BostonCard]

I think the biggest learning from the Ziaire Williams saga is for us as fans not to get too carried away in landing (or not landing) any single recruit, especially one who is likely to be a one-and-done.  I think some fans were marking Williams' signing as an inflection point at Stanford, where landing whales would beget landing whales in route towards making Stanford an elite program.  I think at best, individual recruits can complement an effective nucleus, but, by and large, should not be considered the core of a successful program.  At worst, of course, they are a distraction that takes us away from building and developing the team.  If the stories about Haase writing Williams a daily handwritten letter are true, the opportunity costs for landing Williams were likely enormous.  If there had been a 4* player who could have followed the Oscar da Silva trajectory, wouldn't we have been better off?  Not to see we should turn down a whale who wants to come to Stanford, and, of course, this is an inexact science, as Terry didn't necessary project as a one-and-done.  But we should be weary of quick fixes that involve a brobdingnagian recruit coming in and "rescuing" the team.

BC