Nate Wolters

[jack power]

Re: Nate Wolters

This has nothing to do with Nate as a player, because he's talented. But I'd rather see us getting players who have their list of schools down to SDSU, and NDSU, Drake, Creighton, UNI, (D1 schools). Wolters can play at SDSU.

Do you know if he had any other D1 offers? All i've been able to find is offers from SDSU,USD,and North Dakota.

[jackwatcher]

Re: Nate Wolters

Deb Remmerde went to the University of Iowa after a big recruiting battle with offers from Major DI's from across the country. She hated it there and moved back to a smaller school closer to home.

Nate Wolters seems to be a fine player. I hope he finds a college where he is happy. If he comes to SDSU it is a full ride, and it would only be partial money at a DII. I agree with a few other posters. If it comes down to a choice between us or a school from the NSIC, is that player really going to move us forward?

[jackmd]

Re: Nate Wolters

I'm certain Nate Wolters is a very good basketball player. You don't get looks from DII schools if you can't play. However, we aren't in need of players that are good enough for DII. We need DI talent not DI promise. Sure, you can't always be certain and there are diamonds in the rough. I hope if Nate chooses SDSU that he is one of those diamonds. I don't think you can use the "coaches know what they are doing" line here either given our relatively poor success with recruits since the DI transition. Now, before people get upset, I think we have some great players with great potential and definitely some solid DI talent. However, we need more DI talent and better players at several positions.

I suppose a logical question is what is DI talent? I guess I'd start by saying its a player recruited almost exclusively by DI schools during their last summer or senior year. It doesn't sound like that is the case with this young man.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Nate Wolters

From what I've heard, Wolters is probably a better college prospect than Felt. The fact that Wolters is considering staying close to home is natural for a kid and not really a reflection on his talent. He'd be a good recruit for SDSU.

[hoops_guy]

Re: Nate Wolters

It really doesn't make much difference who is recruiting him. If the SDSU staff thinks he can help them win games, then hopefully they get him. It is this "who else is recruiting him?" mentality that has hurt the Jacks in their recruiting over the past few years.

This part of the country is the least saturated DI area outside of the desert SW so the fact that there will be less DI recruiting attention on many kids in this area is something the Jacks need to take advantage of. If the Wolters kid played on the East Coast, he would be inundated with Mid Major offers.

The bottom line is that there is less competition for the legit DI kids in this part of the country, so rather than going out and finding kids to recruit based solely on who else is recruiting them, find DI kids who can help you win games from this area and recruit them. Doesn't mean they don't recruit nationally, it means don't forget about your back yard.

Serious question, could an All-Star team from many DII leagues compete for a Summit League championship? In my humble opinion, yes, without question. SDSU is doing the right thing by recruiting Wolters and hopefully they get him.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Nate Wolters

It really doesn't make much difference who is recruiting him. If the SDSU staff thinks he can help them win games, then hopefully they get him. It is this "who else is recruiting him?" mentality that has hurt the Jacks in their recruiting over the past few years.

This part of the country is the least saturated DI area outside of the desert SW so the fact that there will be less DI recruiting attention on many kids in this area is something the Jacks need to take advantage of. If the Wolters kid played on the East Coast, he would be inundated with Mid Major offers.

The bottom line is that there is less competition for the legit DI kids in this part of the country, so rather than going out and finding kids to recruit based solely on who else is recruiting them, find DI kids who can help you win games from this area and recruit them. Doesn't mean they don't recruit nationally, it means don't forget about your back yard.

Serious question, could an All-Star team from many DII leagues compete for a Summit League championship? In my humble opinion, yes, without question. SDSU is doing the right thing by recruiting Wolters and hopefully they get him.

Completely Agree. Funny that most on this board would agree that our D2 teams from early this decade would compete in the Summit better than our current team the past few years, but yet they don't want us to recruit a kid because he only has offers from the same schools we were recruiting against back then.

IMO, these are the kids that we need. Fundamentally solid, basketball skilled athletes from the local area that know how to win and will not jump ship (physically leave or mentally give up) if the going gets tough at SDSU. They grew up (in the area) with SDSU being a winner and want to see us get back to that level. We need some kids that won't let you beat them because they want it more, not necessarily players that think they are better than you because they had more accolades in high school. IMO, we need some "punch you in the face" attitude on the team right now more than we need more ability. I just don't know if we can recruit that or if we have to have some success in order to get it.

Whether they are being recruited by other D1's or not doesn't matter. Look at NDSU's savior Ben Woodside...he didn't have any other D1 offers and we (along with any other D1 school in the land) would take him in a heartbeat. He excells not necessarily because he is more physically gifted, but because he has more of a will to win. Give me ten Chris Stoebner's, Andy Moeller's, Derrick Schantz, or Austin Hansen's and we will be better than where we are now. Sorry, end rant.


Wolters has been favorbly compared (more athletic, better defender, more of a PG) to Michael Felt who most on this board wanted badly. I say lets sign him and coach him up to be a great player.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Nate Wolters

Post on another thread quotes an article in MinnesotaPreps (exact name???) in which Wolters said he has had contacts from other D-1 schools (including Cal-Poly)...but they were "too far from home". I guess I just can't buy YMD's comment that we "can't trust the coaches" because they don't have a good "track record". I don't believe that at all, and I think we have recruited a number of mid-major D1 players...but for a long variety of reasons (which everyone is familiar with), they haven't finished out here. I think that period has passed with the end of the transition.

[JackJD]

Re: Nate Wolters

It really doesn't make much difference who is recruiting him. If the SDSU staff thinks he can help them win games, then hopefully they get him. It is this "who else is recruiting him?" mentality that has hurt the Jacks in their recruiting over the past few years.

I think hoops_guy has it right. Perhaps St. Cloud should get high marks for talking to him and getting a read there was some interest.

For those who believe interest expressed by a DII or DIII program...think about this: If such interest was a reason a DI program should turn up its nose at a player, then DII and DIII programs should be sending letters and making at least one call to everyone who has potential to play at the DI level. Would that thin the recruiting crowd by taking out those DI programs who think an athlete being recruited by lower levels must not be good enough?

[jackmd]

Re: Nate Wolters

Post on another thread quotes an article in MinnesotaPreps (exact name???) in which Wolters said he has had contacts from other D-1 schools (including Cal-Poly)...but they were "too far from home". I guess I just can't buy YMD's comment that we "can't trust the coaches" because they don't have a good "track record". I don't believe that at all, and I think we have recruited a number of mid-major D1 players...but for a long variety of reasons (which everyone is familiar with), they haven't finished out here. I think that period has passed with the end of the transition.

I think you've supported my argument. If a kid chooses the program and then leaves its worse than if he never chose the program at all. That had been the track record recently. So, I think skepticism is perfectly appropriate here. I also said that Wolters must be a quality basketball player if he is being recruited by several solid DII programs. I never said he can't become a solid if not great DI player, I just stated the facts, he isn't being recruited by many DI programs outside of ours. Why is it hard to admit that many mistakes have been made under Nagy? I think Scott would admit that. Does that mean we cast him aside and let someone else try to right the ship? No in my opinion. If Wolters chooses SDSU my support for the program will remain the same. I'll write the checks, I'll keep buying season tickets, I'll attend the games and I'll be an advocate for SDSU. If the day comes when I can't be honest and criticize poor decisions or express disappointment when expectations are not met, thats the day I question my commitments.

So "buy" the comment or don't. I think I can support my opinion with pretty solid facts. I'm not sure I want to debate it here but perhaps the backyard next Saturday would be a reasonable place. It would, of course, be a very friendly discussion over a hot or cold beverage, whichever you prefer.

[jackmd]

Re: Nate Wolters

I think hoops_guy has it right. Perhaps St. Cloud should get high marks for talking to him and getting a read there was some interest.

If such interest was a reason a DI program should turn up its nose at a player, then DII and DIII programs should be sending letters and making at least one call to everyone who has potential to play at the DI level. Would that thin the recruiting crowd by taking out those DI programs who think an athlete being recruited by lower levels must not be good enough?

Come on now, thats not what I was saying. I've heard this argument before and I don't think its relevant. I'm not saying don't recruit a player because lower level programs have an interest in him or her.

[Jackbit]

Re: Nate Wolters

Averaging 24 wins per game and being able to offer the atmosphere that Frost Arena generated are not the current reality for the men's basketball program. During that time, the high level players were choosing scholarship offers to SDSU over average to below average D-I's in the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences. With the growing media coverage and the development of the MVC during the past decade, that is happening less and less. Until SDSU can reach the standard that was set previous to the transition, we are going to be competing with the D-II's in recruiting much like the Wright State's, UNI's, Drake's, etc. were doing in the "hay-day" of the NCC.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Nate Wolters

You're on JMD...butterscotch schnaaps at 20 paces. Will try to get over your way Saturday.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Nate Wolters

For what it's worth, I wasn't commenting on Wolters at all when I made my comment. My comment was geared more towards how sad it is that we are fighting with St. Cloud over a recruit. If we are the only D1 school who offers him and he is good enough to warrant the offer, great. I don't care who else recruited him as long as he can play. But, it is sad that our program is 5 years into the D1 world and we're fighting over a recruit with a no-longer-NCC-DII team that we used to destroy in recruiting battles when we were still DII. It says something about the state of the program's respect level right now.

This is coming from a guy who falls pretty heavily on the "give the coach time" bandwagon. FYI.

[rabbit_boy]

Re: Nate Wolters

Why cant people accept that our recruiting in general has not been very good over the past four or five years? Yes Coach Nagy did a great job when we were in Div II, but that is long past. I wish things were different, but we DONT have Div I calibre roster, save four or five players, and things DONT look like they will change in the next couple of years (we will add a good player or two but will lose one or two as well when Kai and Garrett graduate). THAT is todays reality. We cant live in the past and think things are like they were 10 years ago.

[FargoBison]

Re: Nate Wolters

Between Woodside, Winkleman, and Nelson there was a exactly one DI offer so I'd take who is recruiting who with a grain of salt.