College sports programs will do just about anything to help recruiting. They will send recruits hundreds of letters. They will make them customized Photoshops. They will tout just about anything if they think it will help them in recruiting. Even if that means touting the success of other programs.
Rutgers basketball used the financial success of UConn players to brag about its own coaching staff
Rutgers hired Steve Pikiell as it’s new men’s basketball coach this season. He came to Rutgers from Stony Brook and isn’t exactly a household name, compared to many of the best-known coaches in college basketball. His name might not catch much attention, but you know what does? $1.1 billion in career earnings.
That’s a great graphic that could actually help in recruiting if potential players are in search of coaches that send players to the NBA. Then you look closer and realize there are no former Rutgers players in the photo. Instead, it’s predominantly former Connecticut players.
That graphic is, however, true. Pikiell spent some time at Connecticut and coached some great players, like Ray Allen. His assistants — like Karl Hobbs, who also spent time at UConn — have also coached a number of players who went on to the NBA. There is no denying the Rutgers coaches have coached some fine players, that just seems like an odd way of touting it.
The heavy Connecticut Husky presence in the image wasn’t lost on UConn.
Rutgers tried to use their coaches’ success coaching athletes at other schools as a recruiting advantage. The school where most of those athletes were actually coached then replied in a way that probably gives it a recruiting advantage.
College sports are the best.
