[81alum]

"Before making her decision, Citron was between the Fighting Irish and Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford Cardinal. Both schools fulfilled similar criteria in that they are elite on the court and in the classroom. But with a three-hour time difference and a Pac-12 schedule that would limit her family’s opportunity to take in as many of her games as possible, Citron chose the Irish."
https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/...otre-dame/

Informative and important.  When a recruit we want goes elsewhere, it is not always (or even usually?) about coaching.  A lot of the time, it is about family, and performing in front of family.  We have been the beneficiaries of that too--Jump and Jones said as much that a big factor in favor of Stanford was playing in front of their families.  We got Nneka in spite of family pressure to play closer to home at Baylor.  Nivar's return home may have been the same consideration.

This consideration may strike some as irrational, but I remember when I was choosing a college, I applied to Stanford and did not bother with the Ivy league, since I lived out West (in Idaho.)  In reality, the culture shock and travel would not have been much different had I gone to the east coast vs. coming to California, but something psychologically felt better about being closer to home.  Leaving home for the first time is scary to many 18 year olds, and it is comforting to know that your family will be available if you need them. 

This makes what foreign players do, like Bosgana and Papadaki, quite amazing.  Smith had a very rough time with the transition, but was much better with it by her junior year.

[81alum]

"Before making her decision, Citron was between the Fighting Irish and Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford Cardinal. Both schools fulfilled similar criteria in that they are elite on the court and in the classroom. But with a three-hour time difference and a Pac-12 schedule that would limit her family’s opportunity to take in as many of her games as possible, Citron chose the Irish."
https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/...otre-dame/

Informative and important.  When a recruit we want goes elsewhere, it is not always (or even usually?) about coaching.  A lot of the time, it is about family, and performing in front of family.  We have been the beneficiaries of that too--Jump and Jones said as much that a big factor in favor of Stanford was playing in front of their families.  We got Nneka in spite of family pressure to play closer to home at Baylor.  Nivar's return home may have been the same consideration.

This consideration may strike some as irrational, but I remember when I was choosing a college, I applied to Stanford and did not bother with the Ivy league, since I lived out West (in Idaho.)  In reality, the culture shock and travel would not have been much different had I gone to the east coast vs. coming to California, but something psychologically felt better about being closer to home.  Leaving home for the first time is scary to many 18 year olds, and it is comforting to know that your family will be available if you need them. 

This makes what foreign players do, like Bosgana and Papadaki, quite amazing.  Smith had a very rough time with the transition, but was much better with it by her junior year.